Clinging To The Rock

              LIVING AT THE SOURCE

Scripture Reading:  John 1: 1 – 14
Scripture Emphasis:
John 1:1 & 14 – “In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ” And The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (1)

In the Prelude to the Gospel that bears his name, John searches for the most authentic expression of the Divine mystery. To this day, all searches break through every human effort to capture it, leaving but a faint glimmer to entice every inquiring mind.

A Word is the first indication of an existing thought. Accordingly, John introduces the Creator, thinking of a world that would be the habitation of the species of HOMO SAPIENTS (humankind). Unlike all other things created, this species would be Blessed with the unique capacity to emulate the perfect example of their kind, destined to dwell among them. Consequently, they would create a second Heaven like the one from which they came. 

“Imago Dei is a theological term meaning ‘the Image Of God.’ Fundamentally, it means two things: first, God’s self-actualization through humankind, and second, God’s care for humanity. To say that humans are in the image of God is to recognize the unique qualities of human nature that allow God to manifest in humans. In other words, for humans to have the conscious recognition of their being in the image of God means that they are the creature through whom God’s plans and purposes can be made known and actualized; humans, in this way, can be seen as co-creators with God.” (2)

The phrase mentioned above,’ Source of life,’ does not convey the ending of a mere physical creation. Instead, in the case of the human species, they are destined to remain in God’s Workshop, where a continuous creative force is ever present to inspire the building of a new Heaven here on earth. 

Essentially, humans are citizens of two distinct domains. In the sense of sharing a physical presence, they are citizens of this world. But additionally, having been created by God and for God, they are citizens of Heaven in a nonmaterial, spiritual sense. Some say that the greatest miracles performed by Jesus were not those affecting the human body; instead, His emphasis is on the spiritual, by rightly placing the body under the Spirit’s control.

Faith is God’s initiative, meant to solicit a willful response from every human, to own their true identity as children and co-workers in Him and with Him. Faith then is a return to the Source.

 What difference would result if today we consciously turned in faith, to ‘The Source of our being’  before hastening, without a thought, to pick up the entrenched routines of yesterday?
I invite you to meet that challenge now with some fictitious images.

• In retrospect, every effort James made to fulfil his dreams and to become a better person failed, resulting in bitterness, hopelessness and shame. But, now, In the presence of ‘THE SOURCE,’  he sees in God’s Face a look of sheer pity mingled with a conveyance of hope and assurance. God’s loving Hand is reaching out to welcome him. Immediately he feels an unfamiliar strength. In the silence, he resolves to begin each new day from here on with The Source of his life, where victory in the place of defeat promises to reign.
• There is a long distance from his present state to what Mark wants to be.
  Now, if it came at all, sleep brought images of what Mark could be, if only; If only, What? Mark desperately tries to answer that elusive question for the rest of the night. But, then, suddenly, one night, God carries him in loving arms across that great divide. Consequently, a new beginning greets Mark. Now, any night when sleep won’t come, Mark calls it ” God’s Calling time”. Therein, he discovers unimagined opportunities to bring light anywhere there is darkness, hope where there is fear, and love that helps to create that new world.  

In righteousness, God welcomes each one who deliberately returns to ‘ The Source’ of their being‘. While examining each person as He did on the day of their creation, God breathed into each the breath of life, and we became living souls. Now, by God’s specific design and purpose, the Creator plans tasks for each person for as long as he dwells on earth.’ God saw that everything was good!’

So may it remain until the earthly journey ends. Then on that day, God will apply the key to unlock the casket of our souls to reveal just how many times He remained closer to us than breathing, nearer than hands and feet! Thereby, may we all be equipped with expressions of love and thanksgiving as our Hymn throughout Eternity.

                    Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Precious Lord,
In Your Hands, we are instruments for building Your desired new world where Your will, as done in Heaven, may also be done here. Therefore, in your mercy, keep within us the vision of Your purpose for our creation and the wherewith all for its fulfilment. 

We confess that obedience to the Heavenly vision is not always easy. Sadly, often it becomes lost in the maze of earthly things. Therefore, brighten each day at its birth with the Light of Your Presence, which the darkness of uncertainty can never extinguish. Until at the last, living wholly and simply and continually at the Source of our being, we will advance the Kingdom, the power and the glory of God. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: I See A New Heaven

https://youtu.be/T5MdBVJ-Sos

 Editorial Notes
1. Biblical quotations are from the NIV translation.

2.What Does “Imago Dei” Mean in the Bible? What is the Image of God? (christianity.com)

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/image-of-god-meaning-imago-dei-in-the-bible.html

3, Hymn: I See A New Heaven – (YouTube)

John 3: 16- 21:  (Supplementary Reading)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Isaiah 3: 1-4 ( Scripture Emphasis)
“See now, the Lord,
the Lord Almighty,
is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah
both supply and support:
all supplies of food and all supplies of water,
the hero and the warrior,
the judge and the Prophet
the diviner and the elder,
3 the captain of fifty and the man of rank,
the counsellor, skilled craftsman and clever enchanter.
4 “I will make mere youths their officials;
children will rule over them.”
5 People will oppress each other—
man against man, neighbour against neighbour.
The young will rise against the old,
the nobody against the honoured”.

                       WHY BELONG TO A CHURCH?

There is a haunting message in the Old Testament’s book of Isaiah pertinent to the unfolding of present world history.

Isaiah, who began his ministry in 740 B.C., spent most of his life in Jerusalem. He wrote during the turbulent period marking the Assyrian empire’s expansion and Israel’s phenomenal decline. In response to this decline, the Prophet concludes that Israel’s lacklustre performance of their religious observances is the reason for their present historical crises. Consequently, he announces God’s judgement ( Isaiah 3: 1-4). Isaiah warns that shrinking one’s dependency upon God will result in catastrophic deprivations.

The covenant relationship between God and Israel was the making of a sacred promise to each other and to God to honour, love and cherish each other forever. They are to be God’s chosen people; He is to be their God. 

However, changes in situations and circumstances are prominent features of life in this world. One day announces a conviction of an unseen Presence; the next may demand a show of human prowess. Consequently, change dressed in a garb of normalcy quickly gains dominion over human lives. But, then, experiences once valued as life-changing lose their empowering influence when their recall becomes neglected and soon becomes relegated to the zone of lost memories. Life in this world is rich in the elixir, which induces the state of forgetfulness of those very experiences meant to enhance human fulfilment.

 Relationships and experiences become even more essential when it dawns upon us that they are no longer present. It is true that ” sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone”.The mere thought of such deprivation induces such excruciating pain, as George Bernard Shaw’s tragedy, Saint Joan”, expresses.
The judges had sentenced Joan to perpetual imprisonment. Shaken with disbelief, she responds:
  “Send me to the stake rather than that,” she cries.
      To shut me from the light of the sky, and the sight of
        the fields and the flowers to chain my feet so that I
        can no longer climb the hills – that is worse than
          the furnace seven times heated. Without these
      things I cannot live, and by your wishing to take them
       away from me; I know your counsel is of the devil
        and that mine is from God”.
Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the people of Israel is equally devastating in the wake of their relationship with God. Accordingly, Isaiah warns his fellow citizens that losing a right relationship with God is but the beginning of deprivations to follow.

The Church in modern society is the custodian of the mystery of a New Covenant between God and the New Israel, the Church. Effectively, in the Spirit of the Risen Christ, the New Covenant will recreate the world according to the vision of God’s Love for His world.

But are we ready to ask, ” How different are we from the keepers of the First Covenant relationship?”

 The sad fact, evident even to the least observant of such matters, is that the fire that once characterized the Church seems now to be little more than smouldering embers. The warm glow of that living, vibrant Faith designed to unite strangers in a fellowship of love and Mission is becoming little more than another social club. Churches commissioned to be the ‘Keepers and Protectors of the faith’ are witnessing the closing of the doors to the faithful and would- be- seekers, not because, like our Saviour. His Mission is declared finished; ours is always beginning anew. The time is now for the Church to rediscover its Mission and Purpose in the Spirit of its Founder and its Lord. The Church cannot be a cold-storage facility for the preservation of the saints; it must be a loving and caring fellowship that ministers to the lost, the least, the loveless and the lonely.

Loneliness, depression and defeat are found worldwide due to the absence of human dignity, respect, and genuine caring for one another. When presented to Church members as a mission big enough to demand an absolute surrender of their being, that challenge shall fulfil God’s vision of expressed love, thus fulfilling the Church’s purpose for which it came to be. The only viable reason for belonging to a church is not to believe in some Creed or adhere to dogmas to satisfy one’s taste. Instead, the Church is TO BE THE BODY OF CHRIST in this world.

The community church with shuttered windows and leaning steeple may not impact you until it becomes your experience. Yet, many such churches hauntingly recall the memory of the congregants whose sacrifices made the edifice that grace the skyline possible. Even more importantly, these Churches preserve the fact of a crucial dependency upon FAITH in the Eternal. Therefore, the determination to weave such belief into the social fabric of their community’s life was but one more indication of their Covenant Relationship with their God.
Still, Let the trumpet of Hope resound throughout the world yet again. Since the day of Isaiah’s Prophecy, the WORD became FLESH and dwelt among us, and through His Resurrected Presence, abides powerfully still today.
Perhaps in this present, we each need to review those things that give meaning and purpose to our lives. Then, unabashedly, face those experiences that lent meaning and purpose to our very being; activities you used to do, people who inspired you, places you used to attend, etc. Does the truth, ” some things are never missed until they are no longer available to you,” dawn painfully upon you now? So now, with brave determination, examine those things that may be on the threshold of fading memory!

 May the sound of that trumpet announcing His triumph over death awaken you from your reverie. Consequently, may you be blessed with a renewed vision to see the fulfilment of the Prayer Jesus taught us to pray always, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” 

           A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father, I hear Your gentle tapping upon my soul’s door. And I cannot wait a moment longer to throw wide the door to welcome You!

I didn’t take the time to clear away the clutter within. I needed so badly to receive You, talk with You, and hear You speak to me!
In tones that quieten my trembling, embarrassed soul, You put me at perfect ease. You remind me again that beasts of burden shared Your Son’s place of birth in this world; His first cradle was a manger borrowed from one of them. Yet, Heaven’s effulgent light transformed that so ill-prepared place into something fit for a king.
After all these years, I still have so little to offer You.
The world’s voice is so loud, and I am still learning to teach my soul to listen above the din for Your still small voice of calm. But, the world is always so there, always in my face, while love, truth, and goodness are elusive. These are not always evident here. Please open my eyes to see You, my heart to love you, my soul to live for You and my spirit to reflect the Presence of Jesus. You alone possess the power to make this world through its inhabitants to be a home resembling Heaven.

In silence, You listen as I prepare to enumerate my
shortcomings. Then with such tenderness and, O, such love, You intercept my flow! “It is not that which you have failed to do and the mistakes that you have made that decide your future and that of the world; instead, it is your willingness to allow that effervescent light to shine on your whole offering, your perceived defeats, as well as your victoriesyour victories! Together we shall weave them into a mantle of Hope and love to wrap around the hurting shoulders of the world. Always remember, He continued, how the light from Heaven transformed even a stable setting into a royal palace, fit for a King!”
Such is the Faith that will save the world and revive the Church. In the Name of the Baby born in a manger and for His sake, we offer our Prayer. Amen

Hymn: Go To The World

https://youtu.be/uD5dv4VD4HU

Editorial Notes
1. Scripture references are taken from the
NIV translation.
2. From George Bernard Shaw’s Play, SAINT JOAN.
St Joan By George Bernard Shaw [PDF] [24f85jnqc9jg] (vdoc.pub)

3. The photographer is unknown to me, but I express my deep and sincere appreciation for this beautiful photo of Brigus.

(KJV Matthew 19:16-22)
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. The young man saith unto him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? ” Jesus said unto him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.”

Additional Scripture : 1 Corinthians 4: 1 – 7

Scripture Emphases, The young man saith unto him, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” (Matthew 19:20)( KJV)

1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it”? (KJV)

Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians deals with problems of the Christian faith and the long-standing behaviours affecting the church Paul had established in Corinth. Consequently, he urges the adherents to take an inventory of their life’s possessions in light of their newfound faith. Paul’s suggestion that Christians undertake a list of their possessions reflects the challenge that Jesus suggests to a Rich Young Ruler who inquires of Him, “What lack I yet? to enter into this NEW life? But a subsequent dilemma arises from the inquiry that Paul proposes; “What does one include in that list that will satisfy Paul’s question, “What do you have that you have not received?” Is there anything any mortal can label theirs? What memorial will stand to identify you as the sole Creator of anything? Will the world’s fabric show evidence of your genius, resulting in a world distinctively more beautiful than that which you inherited? What, bearing the signature of your ownership, do you bring daily to the experience you call living?
While it remains true that the product of an ingenious mind may bear some reference to an individual’s name, the works enlightening wisdom and its creative source are not the individual’s whose name is associated with it.

Paul’s challenge to the Corinthians drips like molten lead on a naked brain. What do you possess that you have not received”? “Though I speak with the tongue of men and angels and have not LOVE, I become as sounding brass or tinkling cymbal.”
(1 Corinthians 13:1) I am after all, merely the vessel, the container.
But, the suggestion of dependency upon some source other than self is anathema to many. It is unthinkable for some to consider themselves the recipient of anything from outside themselves. 

As suggested, the Rich Young Ruler’s answer to Jesus’ council concerning his quest to enter into the fuller life mirrors Paul’s concern for the Corinthians.” All the good things required of me to enter into this life,” the rich young ruler replies confidently to Jesus, “I have kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?” What more extraordinary things can I accomplish in addition to those I have already achieved?” He asks in doubting wonder.

On the other hand, the infant Christian faith emerging  in the Corinthian community appears far more rewarding than the the treatment that those advocating a deeper dependency upon God are receiving. “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.”
( 1 Corinthians 4:10)

 But, can there not exist a suitable mixture of a small portion of  “faith in God” and a healthier dose of personal ingenuity and skill? “All the good things required to enter into this life fully,” the rich young ruler replied to Jesus, “I have kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?” Coyly, Paul’s primary question to the Corinthians;’ What do you have that you have not received?” remains unanswered by the Corinthians, the young advocate standing before Jesus, and by extension, by us. If I must deduct from inventory all that indicates some other creator, what is left that is mine?
In truth, what is lacking in all instances is the cultivation of a healthy mindedness which puts the body in proper subordination to the Spirit. To Realize that all things you treasure, even most likely those qualities that identify you from your fellow humans, are never your own to make your boast. In truth, they are entrusted to you by the hand of your Creator. And this discovery is the gateway to more abundant living. 

We bear the image of God. From God, we come, and to God we at last return! Our being here is by God’s plan and purpose to fulfill His mission. We are not creatures of instinct like certain other species. Within each of us humans,  God’s work is never final. We remain forever in His workshop, constantly receiving His guidance and the necessary equipment to complete our appointed mission. 

Paul, empowered by the living Spirit of the Risen Christ, yearns unceasingly for the Corinthian Christians to realize, as he, himself came to know, the unspeakable gift of manifesting the power of this new way of living as God wills it. 

St. Paul knew that his new Church in Corinth needed something more than their traditional version of the truth professed. And, still, reaching the doors of the modern church, the haunting question echoes, ” What is lacking Still?” In this very hour, the evidence is clear that something is lacking in current efforts to fulfill our mission for the glory of God.
What is required is a fresh understanding of a supernatural intervention of God’s power to do what our shrunken faith timidly disallows us. God withholds nothing from those who faithfully work in the Spirit of Jesus Christ to bring His Kingdom of love and unity on earth. 

           PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

Father, I praise You that Your love for me sends my mini-sized faith leaping over fences, and all kinds of barriers to explore and discover new experiences which I had never dreamed possible.

 “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11, 

I am deeply sorry, Father, that I imprisoned You behind cold prison walls of half-beliefs and restraining human expectations. In time, I came to think the word supernatural belonged to spooky things like “ghosties and goblins, and long-legged beasties and things that go ‘bump’ in the night.” (2)’. Thank You, Lord, for rescuing me and making me a man whose belief in supernatural realities brings me face to face with You. Now I know that the door to Your eternal Presence is never closed to me. And it is this fact alone that equips me to continue as Christ’s ambassador for Your glory. In mercy, Father, May the love of God, the Grace and the Truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Fellowship and Communion of the Holy Spirit be upon us all evermore.
Amen.
Hymn: Go To The World
https://youtu.be/fmQDeSWdFrQ

Editorial Notes

1. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version
     of Scriptures.

2. https://allpoetry.com › poem › 2234822-Ghosties-and-Ghoulies-by-Broad-and-Fair

Additional Scripture Reading: Romans 1: 14-17

Scripture Emphasis:

Psalm 31: 1 O Lord, deliver me in your righteousness.

Psalm 17:15 KJV: As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. (1)

 ” Prayer is the Soul of religion. Consequently, when human effort is over, lots of adventure still unfolds because God is waiting in solitude to meet you, and He acts.

Psalm 7, and Psalm 31, contain the introductory remark “A Prayer of David.” The autobiography that follows that introduction creates an immediate and stark contrast. David’s scars from engagement in life’s front-line battles are evident to all. Therefore, he exercises no economy of words in remembering his enemies. This response is too often the distinguishing mark of our humanity. Yet, the fact that David appears before God, scarred and wounded, makes God a more profound reality in the grip of personal anguish.

The meaning of human existence is incomplete when considering empirical evidence alone. Chance happenings, skilled manoeuvring, and even noble engagements lack the complete unfolding of the human story. Whether or not they know it, humans always aspire for something beyond themselves. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that a world beyond apprehends them. Therefore, consider David’s theological understanding of the word righteousness used in both Scriptural references.

Recall the scene! David stands before the God of his creation. He bears in his body the marks of worldly conflicts. But more important than all else is David’s consciousness of being shut in God, as if in some impregnable fortress.” In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge.” Finding the Fortress Door open suggests that David might be an expected visitor by God.

Consequently, the Place exudes friendship and goodwill, such as when a father welcomes home his prodigal son. At that moment, David reiterates his request, “Deliver me in Your righteousness.” The expectation of an answer to his prayer depends upon David’s understanding of God’s righteousness being always available.

 Persuasively, David’s faith in God stands revealed from early childhood. “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” (Psa. 27:4)Yet, David’s faith is that attitude in which, acknowledging one’s complete insufficiency for life’s most pre-ordained goals, we rely utterly on the sufficiency of God.

 God’s righteousness is an act originating beyond our present environment, designed to undertake and safeguard the purpose of our creation. In reality, it is God’s righteousness which creates David. And as with David, so it is with humankind. The intended product a person is to become never results from human initiative and skill; instead, one remains in God’s workshop for the entirety of his lifespan. No one expresses the possibility of that truth more fluently than the poet William Wordsworth in his poem Intimations Of Immortality.

“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home: ” (2)

Every quality, every gift, and guidance required to complete his appointed task are already in reserve, awaiting David’s request. Everything David will need to fulfil God’s plan the day He commanded, ” Let us make man in our image ( Genesis 1:26)” is now being revealed as David petitions God, ” Deliver me in Your righteousness.”

The New Testament confirms the universality of this essential truth through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his New Testament letter to the Romans, St Paul states,” The Gospel reveals a righteousness from God, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” (Romans 1: 17 )
When Paul says, therefore, God’s righteousness is revealed, he means that a divine act or activity is manifesting within the field of human experience-. In contrast, much of His operation is inscrutable and mysterious.” (3)

Thus, not for David alone does the abiding Presence of God fashion his earthly sojourn, but for all of us. Therefore, when that morning finally dawns, and we stand in His righteousness, may we, like David, be satisfied that He, looking upon us, shall see the likeness of Jesus Christ, God’s righteousness revealed from Heaven.
 ( Psalm 17:15)

A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Thank You, Father, for leaving the door to Your dwelling place ajar for me. You were expecting me to drop in because I have finally realized that without You, I cannot live, nor dare I die!
Father, I believe that “The Best Me”  is hidden in You.
Therefore, You know me better than I know myself. And You understand better than I do the pressures of living in this world. Almost everyone ensnares themselves in a web of pretence, self-seeking ambitions and alternate facts. Neither am I unscathed by these harsh realities. It is altogether futile for me in Your presence to pretend otherwise. That confession is another burden You have lifted from my Soul while in this mysterious solitude, where You are in complete control, ‘Spirit with Spirit doth meet. Closer are You than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.’
I know that in numerous ways, I have not fulfilled the mission You had in mind on the day You said, ” I will make him in My Image to be my ambassador in the world. But, Father, does that mean lost opportunities and abandoned hopes? So, Father, in Your righteousness, deliver me now. Show me what You initially desired to accomplish in me. And what I have not yet attained, equip me now with all that’s needed to reveal Your likeness at the meeting on that final morning.
I pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

Hymn: I Feel The Winds Of God

https://youtu.be/kaQoC_VW8YE

Editorial Notes

1. Biblical references are from the NIV translation of Scripture except when indicated in the text.
2. The quotation is from the poem  Intimations of Immortality written by William Wordsworth.
3. Reference C.H. Dodd in The Epistle of Paul to the Romans.
   
4. Hymn “I Feel the  Winds Of God”  as performed on YouTube
5. Painting is from open stock on the internet.

Mark 15:39. “And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son Of God!”

Scripture Emphasis: Revelation 3:20.” Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If Anyone hears my voice and opens the door. I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.”

My desire in this hour is to show you the transforming power of the risen Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is not recollections from antiquity, an event long since passed; instead, it is participation in the event happening in this present and will continue to happen.

The following meditation will require your imagination to fully comprehend this mystery. Robert Louis Stevenson suggests that reading Scripture with imagination will startle and move anyone who makes an effort.

Permit yourself to be transported back in time and place to a Roman barracks situated in the heart of Jerusalem, the Holy City. Inside the barracks, there is a luxury suite overlooking the more modest homes of the city’s population. Here are the temporary living quarters of General Antonio Proclurus when  away from ‘home.’

In as far as possible, I wish to assume the role and character of the Centurion supervising the Roman occupation of Judea and’ consequently, the Crucifixion of Jesus at Golgotha. According to some records of The Passion Story, this Centurion is considered unsympathetic and ruthless.
Unbeknown to the Centurion, we observe him from the dark shadows of his elegant quarters. The time is early Sunday morning, following the execution of Jesus on the preceding Friday.

General Proclurus is a strong muscular man who looks older than his thirty-three years. Proclurus is oblivious to anything out of the ordinary happening in the Garden of Joseph of Arimathea, where the body of Jesus lies. However, General Proclurus does notice some movement of figures in the pale gray of the early morning. Even though there is a definite uneasiness in his gait as the general returns, again and again, to look through the large casement window towards “The Hill,”  There, three crosses still stand silhouetted against the sky as a grim reminder of Friday’s ignominious event. Finally, with halting steps, the Centurion moves behind a large oak desk, all the while stealing uneasy glances toward the Garden; he slowly sits and begins to write:

” To my dearest Maria,
my love, and my darling wife, and to Felix, my
son, and
my hope for the future:

I cannot wait any longer to tell you about all the bizarre happenings here in Jerusalem these last couple of days. There has been ongoing unrest in this outpost of our great Empire for a long time. This tension has its roots in a complicated relationship between local radical, religious groups and our authorities.

But recently, the turmoil took on a different twist.
The focus now is a fight between the locals themselves and not so much with our Imperial presence. There is one of the Jews
who identified Himself as their long-awaited Messiah. Others rejected this claim, called Him an imposter, and demanded His death. Pontious Pilate, our trusted governor, could find no reason to impose the death penalty on Him, but the opposing team demanded that Pilate should crucify Him for treason. And finally, Pilate gave in to the demands of the angry mob and sentenced him to death. His name was Jesus! Two thieves, whose names I don’t remember, were put to death alongside Him. Of course, as part of my command, I was carrying out orders like a loyal servant of our gracious emperor. “Three more rebels for you to nail down, Antonio,” someone in the central office jokingly instructs in the execution order.

But, Maria, the look which that man Jesus gave me made me feel that I was being born for the second time. I mean not of the flesh but the spirit. No longer could I be a calloused, uncaring man; instead, I felt like a pure, innocent and trusting child again.

Maria, do you recall the day you said, “Antonio, you are ideally suited for this job? There is no need for you to wear that steel armour because you wear it naturally all the time”. I know you were only joking with me,  Maria, but that man Jesus pierced my steel armour on Friday, and for the first time in years, I felt alive, like a real man. I felt the miracle of fresh air filling my lungs. And to realize that I had to crucify Him!

Later in the morning, when it was all over, I stood guard over the three crosses. I heard Him say:” I am thirsty”! And then Maria, I broke with all protocol! And I gave Him water to drink. And the most significant moment of my entire life broke in upon me! It came with the sound of a thousand silver trumpets. He said, “Thank you, Antonio”! Quietly I tried to hide my tears from the others. How did He know my name? I watched Him dying just as I was coming to life. Sadly, I was taking
his life while he was giving me his! I told everyone standing around that day, I now tell everybody in the whole world: “Surely, this Man was The Son Of God.”
My love, Maria, grows more profound than ever, and for our precious son Felix.
With tender love
Antonio.”

Antonio rises from his chair, approaches the casement window and throws it wide open. He looks through the golden rays of the rising sun towards the Garden. Antonio blinks in disbelief. A figure, unnoticed until this moment, is approaching his barracks; At this early hour? Undoubtedly, it is a bad omen. Surely, somebody from the
guard was coming to inform me of a new disturbance! Or could it possibly be some royal emissary from headquarters? Antonio mused in bewilderment. In the golden haze of the morning sun, Antonio saw the white robe the approaching figure wears. It looks hauntingly familiar. And, what is the strange-looking thing adorning his head? As Antonio floats down the stairs in breathless wonder, he questions with
a  half-exposed hope: Jesus? Jesus? Jesus?”
And then, Just as he was about to throw the door wide open, there was a knock upon it. The silence that follows is static! No words are necessary; their exchanged looks say everything. And God saw His New Creation in the dawning glory of that Easter Morning, and God saw that it was good! This very day He is yearning still for new creations. ” Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If Anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Hymn: Christ The Lord Is Risen Today

A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

O Risen Christ, Take us by the hand and lift us out of our tombs of half beliefs and mouldering doubts. Set us aflame with a kindred glow of the rising sun on this Easter Day so that into this world, all people everywhere may know that a renewed force to be reckoned with has come.
Place the empty tomb nearby to receive
Our smug complacency that turns a deaf ear to pleas for compassion and understanding;
Our broken promises, destroying  hope and making  dreams impossible;
Our domesticated faith ensures that daring to be different is on a tight leash, leaving the impression that nothing very significant happened in The Garden on Easter morn.

Raise brave women and men who give the Risen Christ the space to live in this world in the offering of their spirits. May they confess with boldness,” Surely this man is the Son of God !” Then shall we each, in His strength, make this earth “His Kingdom” of justice and love and peace. In the Name of Our Risen Lord, we pray, Amen.

Hymn: Hallelujah Chorus

Editorial Notes

1. Here and throughout the text of this meditation, the quotations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Translation, Unless otherwise noted in the text.

2 . Photo:  The Arches National Park, Utah, USA.

UNFURLING THE BANNER

Suggested Reading: John  14: 15 – 31
Scripture Emphasis: Psalm 60: 4

Psalm 60:24 “But for those who fear You, You have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.”

The historical background of Psalm 60 is soul-stirring, considering the epic tragedy unfolding on the world stage.
This Psalm is a lament towards God by the Judeans following the disastrous defeat of the Judean state in 587 BC at the hands of the Chaldeans. Many of the local population blamed God for the Chaldean’s victory.

“You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;
you have been angry—now restore us!
You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking
You have shown your people desperate times;
you have given us wine that makes us stagger.
But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner
to be unfurled against the bow.” ( Psalm 60:1-4)

But not all the suppliants are so accusing. On the contrary, at the height of the present storm, some recall the faithfulness of God in times past, apart from the current desperate scene.

Who can honestly confess to forgetting Abraham, Father of their Faith? Was it not God’s intervention that saved Abraham’s son, Isaac, from certain death when Abraham suffered a crisis of Faith?
( Genesis 22:1-19 )
Or, in God’s strength, Moses wrought great exploits, signs and wonders in Egypt that confounded and humiliated Pharaoh and all the sorcerers, magicians and wise men in Egypt. And later, lifting high the rod, symbolizing the Presence of God, Moses inspired the Israelites with renewed courage and undaunted Faith to conquer the Red Sea and witness the defeat of their pursuing enemy.
( Exodus 14: 1-31 )

Life generally produces the invariable result that keeps Faith from being reflective only to become experiential. It is one thing to reflect upon divine providence; it is something more to depend upon God for the next bite of bread or the next cup of water.

Upon looking closer, women and men, sometimes whipped by fierce winds and battered by unrelenting storms, taking them to the brink of surrender, experience the unfurled banner, announcing, despite all else, God’s immanent Presence. Such was the young English poet Rupert Chawner Brooke. He was best known for his war sonnets written during the First world war. Brooke’s poem titled Safety follows.

There it is! The Unfurling of the banner announces, amidst the stark evidence of hatred and destruction, the abiding Presence of the Eternal One!

And we who are committed to our Lord and Saviour, will we remain silent in the face of the present World crises? During this Lenten Season, will we not engage in every possible action to unfurl against every destructive force that Blood-Red Banner first raised on Golgotha? Yet be assured, that flag can remain taunt, so that all may see it, only when living souls, yours and mine, are willing to be filled with His Breath from Heaven. ” That flag, can only be unfurled , When Thou shalt breathe from Heaven!”

                      A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father, Your tears are wet upon faces in our broken world;
Your heart weighs heavy at the cruel evidence of ‘man’s inhumanity to man.’
Amidst the thunderous roar of destructive missiles and hovering bombers, there can be heard, still,  the tender expressions of our Father’s love assuring ultimate victory.
And alongside the soldiers, prepared to die for family, Faith, and the land You entrusted to them as their birthright, there stands The Prince Of Peace!

Father, have mercy on us all! Call the raging war inside human minds to cease! Revive our memories that warped egos have long been the root cause of this world’s misery. We praise You for Your truth granted to us in the poet’s words: “The mind in its place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, and a Hell of Heaven.” ( John Milton, in Paradise Lost)
For our own sake and the sake of Your world,
Intercept human foolishness with Your wisdom and
half-heartedness with Your conquering love.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray, Amen.

https://www.bing.com/videos/

  THE ULTIMATE FREEDOM

Additional Suggested Scripture Readings: John 4: 1- 30

Scripture Emphasis: 

John 4: 13-15 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” So, the woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

I have taken the liberty of naming the main character in this story Joanna. It seems fitting since the Biblical meaning of the name Joanna is ‘God is gracious.’ God’s gracious intervention saves Joanna.

More than a dozen demands jostled for immediate attention in Joanna’s over-taxed mind. Innumerable household chores mocked her every suggestion of further delay. But one is now urgent above all others. It was to fill the three empty water jars inside the cottage door of their humble dwelling in Sychar. Would she have time now to make it to Jacob’s well and return with water to cook dinner for her working husband?

 Life had never delivered on a promise of happiness in marriage for her; instead, five relationships ended in separation. And to this present moment, she had no reprieve from the demands to behave in ways designed always to please. Today the scorching noon-day sun offered assistance to make the current undertaking even more tortuous. But then, the heat of the noon-day sun would only burn her body, but the scornful approach of gossiping town’s folks seared her soul. Hopefully, no one else would be at Jacob’s well at this hour to deliver the usual treatment; even so, unseen, leering eyes had forever imprisoned her memory.

Some days, other burdens demanded attention, thereby adding weight to an already overburdened mind and body. People thought they knew all the details of her lost dreams and her broken heart. As a result, they destroyed her every effort to make a fresh start by weaponizing their half-truths.

The fact is, this world is often blind to one’s every attempt to be something other than that image decided by those who think they know. Conclusions and pronouncements arbitrarily thought to be true often determine one’s destiny. Such action forces another human being to be a mere object, issuing from combined forces. This predetermining of anyone’s future is anathema to the Creator’s will. 

Joanna’s life, as described, reflects the state of being determined. Joanna’s awareness of her seemingly inescapable situation suggests itself throughout the episode. Yet, her desire to be more than another example of human misfortune is also apparent. 

 Joanna’s effort to snap the chains that bind her to the harsh expectations dictated by the world is slow at the beginning. Therefore, Jesus finds every attempt to engage Joanna in conversation produces pat answers, indicative of her unfamiliar experience of in-depth dialogue. For example, Jesus’ polite request for a drink of water results in Joanna’s curt response,” Why are you asking me for a drink? You are a Jew; I am a Samaritan.” Likewise, every theme approached by Jesus meets with evasion, reflective of the shallow, worldly wisdom that governs Joanna’s every thought. Joanna’s entire life reveals a pattern of ‘forcible compulsion,’ which changes her from a free individual with the power to choose for herself into an object to be mastered. And everyone thus controlled becomes an object perpetually imprisoned mentally and spiritually.
When the world reduces its subjects to mere objects, Jesus Christ alone provides the sole remedy.
The record of Jesus’ encounter with Satan in the wilderness reveals how He dealt with the world’s gripping temptation to choose the world’s way of conducting His life instead of God’s way.

Here, Jesus refuses to be acted upon by worldly influences. But instead, taking control of the situation, He becomes the one who responds incisively. He is the Subject. Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone”.
( Matt.4: 10). The Subject is that which determines itself to be—resulting from neither coercion nor being driven by some external force.

Jesus now approaches Joanna to change her from an object into a liberated subject with the Freedom to choose her destiny.
Even though Joanna’s response to Jesus’ suggestion concerning the availability of living water remains nonchalant, it becomes the occasion for Jesus to teach everyone that God’s gift of His everlasting Spirit is His special gift to all who live.

            “Speak thou to Him, for He heareth,
               And Spirit with Spirit doth meet.
         Closer is He than breathing, nearer than
         hands or feet.” (2)

Celebrate with Joanna in her God-given absolute Freedom. No longer is she a play-thing of fate, an object under the dictates of the world. Instead, she is an admirable subject. She learns, ” Not by might and not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty,( Zechariah 4:6),
With a newfound boldness, it follows that she invites her accusers to come to the fountainhead of her Freedom. She acts upon the worries and cares that tortured her yesterday by leaning her Spirit upon the Spirit indwelling her. ” Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom.” (2 Corinthians3:17) 

A Prayer To Follow This Meditation

Father,
I am confused about the world’s current definition of Freedom.
Please help me with the slowness of my understanding, and forgive me if I  have paid too much attention to the expressed definitions and not enough attention to Your revelation of what genuine Freedom is.
I experienced an angry crowd screaming from overtaxed vocal cords the words “Freedom, Freedom,” but yet Freedom and respect held hands and silently stole away from that scene.
Restrictions mandated because of a virus that killed millions of humans become interpreted as an infringement upon personal rights and freedoms. Father, forgive such an unsympathetic attitude that might threaten the wellbeing of other fellow humans.
Father, from the earliest times, you have shown us what Freedom looks like. To this day, You show us that Freedom always co-exists with Responsibility. You sent Your Son, Jesus, to dwell amongst us and teach us that we must always be about our Father’s business. Quicken our understanding, never to replace God-given Freedom with a fake worldly duplicate. Only then shall we be able to join in the chorus: ” Free at last, Free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last.” We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen. 

HYMN:  Make Me A Captive, Lord  ( click the link below)

https://youtu.be/ReNKgXAaYsE

NOTES

1. Scripture quotations are from the NIV translation of Scripture.
2. ” The Higher Pantheon” poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
3. “ Make Me A Captive , Lord” hymn by Fountainview Academy.

Suggested Reading: John chapters 9 -10
John 9:25

John 9: 24-25-A second time, they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God ” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

DEALING WITH FRUSTRATION

Frustration knows no boundaries.
It is an experience leaving its mark on everyone at one time or another. So, likewise, is the ability to deal with frustration and conquer it. But one must seek the relevant truth, and finding it, must own the courage to apply it.
The gospel reference for today captures the essence of the human experience of frustration. This one brief portion of John’s Gospel has Jesus dealing with this troublesome dilemma of frustration, not as an expose’ of his own, but as it attacks the unsuspecting.

Here we encounter a man born blind. In the beginning, the atmosphere is ecstatic since an encounter with Jesus has resulted in a miracle of healing. But sadly, that most liberating moment for the entire family is threatened by evil frustration. The religious authorities interrupt the victory celebration of persistent hopes and unrelenting prayers, with supposedly superior enlightenment. Consequently, in the face of undeniable evidence of the efficacy of the words and actions of Jesus, self-manufactured doubts and the fear of injured egos breed frustration. ” This man Jesus is an imposter,” they pronounced. ” He doesn’t even observe the Sabbath,” offered another.
Then, as it typically does, the malignant frustration metastasizes. “Are you sure that your son was born blind?” inquires the ruthless interrogators of the man’s parents. ” We know that he is our son and that he was born blind,”  answered the man’s bewildered parents. ” but we do not know precisely how it has come to pass that he can now see; ask him!”

The unquenchable flames of misinformation spread frustration like wildfire. So consequently, Jesus confronts the same dilemma again in the chapter immediately following. ” This man is demon-possessed and raving mad!” hisses another over-confident expert concerning Jesus. Yet, another would-be defendant said,” These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” ‘ ( John 10:21)
The nightmare of frustration continues its journey!

But what finally, is the way revealed to us to halt frustration’s malignant progression?
In the first instance, holding firm to God’s revealed truth to you and never abandoning it for someone else’s opinion is most important of all. Nevertheless, one must be critically aware of the ease by which one may portray the will of the Eternal as the perfect reflection of one’s personal, whimsical behaviour. Love is forever the identifying characteristic of God. Therefore, as God’s ambassadors, we will approach the world and its people with Love and compassion.

Notice how the line of questioning by the experts concerning his healing must have been frustrating for the one who now celebrates the unspeakable gift of sight. But listen to the trumpet note of his powerful retort in response to their tricky philosophical prodding! “One thing I know, once I was blind, but now I see.” At which point, frustration slinks away into the shadows!

 The second truth for the defeat of frustration is this: Commitment to someone and something big enough to demand everything you have and are. Thereby, frustration can find no place to gain as much as a feeble foothold! But in the meantime, the incidents following this blind man’s cure, frustration continues to pursue him.
In the course of their heated debate, his interrogators refuse to accord Jesus any relationship to God. ” We don’t even know where he comes from,” they aggressively assert. But,” Love’s blind instinct makes him bold’ ” so the tormented one boldly challenges them,” Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will”. Frustration bristles for a brief moment of victory as the trouble-makers chase the most insightful man among them from the doors of his synagogue. Then finally, frustration falls into the dust when Jesus, encountering him once again, receives from the formerly blind man an absolute surrender. ‘ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped Him.’
(John 9:38)
Finally, consider that frustration cannot abide in the same space as Faith, just as light and darkness cannot co-exist. Frustration results from false, negative messages from the world arriving at your door, with the caveat that this is the unchangeable future that awaits you. But on the contrary, in the basic understanding of Faith, stand still and permit God to answer the door to your heart and mind. And then, because of the Divine Presence, you will see frustration hastily retreat and, you will rejoice in the salvation of the Lord.

    A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

Gracious Father,
Author of Faith,
The final word to be spoken in all things
 on earth, as well as in the hereafter;
Please hear our prayer to increase
the measure of this Faith in us.
Then in the darkness of our frustrating experiences here,
we hear Your intervening command,
“Let there be light.”
Father, may the light of Your heavenly wisdom guide us through the tangled hinterland of these pandemic experiences.

“Keep watch over the lips” of those whose virulent criticism is causing hurt and pain to the very ones You engage to help You banish suffering and death.
Father,
Teach us to be patient and reasonable in our demands when crises and confusion reign. The current path is all unknown.
Father, amidst the throes of this raging storm, strengthen our ability to Trust, that we will soon hear above the tumult, Your gracious words, “Peace Be Still.”
Lord, keep each of us mindful of the rights of others before demanding compliance with those perceived to be our own.
Father, now and forever, ‘Blest be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian Love.’ In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen

Hymn: Peace, Perfect Peace

The photo was taken at our summer place  ‘SHALOM’  in Michael’s  Harbor, Newfoundland.

May your Christmas celebrations quicken your assurance that you are in God’s Everlasting embrace. With that knowledge, may you experience peace, hope, comfort, and abiding love.
As the Holy Child of Bethlehem is born in our hearts anew, God is preparing us to fulfil His greatest desire to change our present world for His glory.

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas, And for the New Year, hands firmly held by the Hands of God.
Frank and Vera Curtis

The following meditation is a personal (recently revised) attempt to convey the timelessness of the Christmas Event.

        THE CARPENTER

Suggested Scripture Reading: Luke 2: 1 – 20

Scripture Emphasis: Luke 2:7

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.”
The setting for the story is the town of Bethlehem in the land of Judah. The time is the first Christmas Eve.

Everywhere, crowds gather to discuss the latest happenings on everyone’s mind! The royal decree from Emperor Caesar Augustus, levies taxation on all the world. That edict touched everyone, the young, the elderly, the born, and the yet unborn, from every corner of the known world. Indeed, the hopes and fears of all the years are mingling unavoidably in Bethlehem’s crowded streets tonight! The atmosphere was heavily ladened with all the latest gossip.

” Well, have you heard the latest news?” one displaced migrant started:
” Someone told me that a woman who just arrived in town is about to give birth, but she can find no shelter anywhere in town.” “Well, I say, too bad.” snorted another, “but can you imagine taking a chance like that? Good enough for everyone who takes chances like that! Even when I arrived here early this morning, a notice posted at Bethlehem Inn read,” No Use Knocking! There Is NO ROOM IN The INN”. ” I say blame the corrupted government for all this,” offered another bystander, ” scores of us could find no place to lay our heads. The wild and starry sky will be the only ceiling many of us will know for as long as this thieving scheme lasts: and nobody cares”. And so, the various testy opinions continue.

However, most of the crowd were not interested in hearing about someone else’s plight, enough for each to think of his own.

      But such is the prevailing tone on Bethlehem’s streets tonight. Everyone is too earthbound by personal concerns to permit the entry of thoughts about God, and angels, and the long-awaited Messiah. So instead, this night is more suited for discussions of greed, betrayal, and idle dreams about warrior kings and corrupted schemes.

Aside from the uproar of the crowded streets, many of the town’s residents settle down for their usual night of peaceful rest. Gradually, stars become more visible in the darkening world, as from the windows of one cottage after another, lights disappear.

But, one exception stands out distinctively.

 A single light shines in the home of one, Zachariah Ben Ezra, known among the town’s citizenry as the carpenter. The light announces that Zachariah’s devoted and dearly beloved wife, Rachael, continues her untiring vigil. For a fortnight, Rachael and her sons have been waiting to hear the footfall of the angel of death! They expect that this will, most likely, be the night!

Earlier today, the Family gathered around Zachariah’s bed at his bidding. Silence falls, as the older man, summoning his resources of failing strength, speaks:

  “Before the chariots of the morning ride on the eastern rim of the world, I shall go to the God Of our Fathers. Therefore, listen well, and always honour our Faithful God, just as I sought to do, to this present hour.
There will be many trials and heart-wrenching experiences for all of you. However, be certain; God will always come through, and His Holy purpose will prevail.

 Along with faith and trust in God, I leave you, my sons, the tools of my carpenter’s trade. Twenty-three years, six months and, five days ago this very night, I used my carpenter’s tools for the last time! The memory of that night still gives me the pain to recall.

I was finishing my last shift at the stable at Bethlehem’s Inn. The very next morning, I was to begin a new job. I was engaged to be the carpenter in charge of building our Holy Temple. That was quite an honour, a prestigious position. Indeed, it was quite a promotion from constructing a manger in the stable at Bethlehem’s Inn to creating ‘The Holy of Holies’ in the Sacred Temple. For me, it was the dream of a lifetime. And It was on the verge of becoming my reality! 

 Suddenly, hopes and dreams ground to a torturous halt! My right arm became severed from my body. Consequently, it was several days later before I realized just what this accident meant for me! I must admit to you, I cried! But through it all, I could not determine whether the tears were my own or God’s! Of one thing, I remain certain: I was never alone! Not then! Not now, Not never will I be! My hope in this life was to accomplish something good for God, Who has done so much for me! But I have learned that it is not my feeble hold on God that counts; instead, it is His powerful hold on me! Therefore, I now place this broken instrument in God’s hands, and I know that the touch of His hand will produce a tune befitting for the courts of Heaven!”

Death lingered for Zacharias. It was about midnight when a friend of many years hastened to Zacharius’ bedside. Ecstatic with excitement, he stoops to whisper into Zacharius’ ear, “Zacharius, my dear friend, Your Friend, Israel’s Messiah has come! He is lying in your manger bed in Bethlehem’s stable! ”                           

   Prayer To Follow This Meditation

O glorious Light of Heaven,
 Shine upon the pathway that will bring us to the manger of Bethlehem at this Christmas time.

Kneeling there before the Light Of The World, who arrives again this night into our midst, fix in us reflectors that we may show by word and deed the message of this Season, ‘Emmanuel, God is with us.’ Fix in us, though humble, a dwelling place so that we may prove ourselves to be ambassadors of Thy Peace on earth. So may we add to the legend of how the beasts of the field offer all they had to honor the Baby. Even now, He lies helpless in our crowded world, waiting for humble hearts to become His dwelling place.

O Light of Heaven, send Your effulgent rays into the far reaches of our world, so that people of all nations, coming to its rising, will constitute One Family for the glory of God! Amen.

   Hymn: O Holy Night

https://youtu.be/hJw-ey1DPRA

FIRST THE CLOUDS AND THEN THE GLORY OF GOD

Supplementary Reading: Romans 8: 18 – 27

Scripture Emphasis,

Exodus 16:10 “While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.”

“I’ll walk with God,
From this day on.
His helping hand I’ll lean upon.
This is my prayer, my humble plea,
May the Lord be ever with me.

There is no death though eyes grow dim
There is no fear when I’m near to him
I’ll lean on him forever
And he’ll forsake me never
He will not fail me as long as my faith is strong
Whatever road I may walk alone

I’ll walk with God.
I’ll take his hand.
I’ll talk with God. He’ll understand
I’ll pray to him
Each day to him
And he’ll hear the words that I say

His hand will guide my throne and rod.
And I’ll never walk alone
While I walk with God.”

“I’ll Walk With God” is a popular song written for the motion picture “The Student Prince.” The film’s title character,
‘the student prince,’ sings this song at his grandfather’s casket, the king of Karlberg. (1)

The most admirable resolve in all the world, that!
And it remains equally so for the myriads of people who set out each morning with that resolve. 

When you meet them, they appear as fresh as the morning itself; talk with them, the air of refreshing faith embraces you. In their voice is the sweet music of innocence. The whole world seems vibrant with hope.

If only this view of life became the hope for all, then the world, now grown cold with fear and suspicion, would be young and vibrant again. 

But, as yet, that reality remains elusive. So instead, we see a world of threatening desert expanses with their mirages that may attack our longed-for dreams.

Why is it that one day it’s easy enough to believe that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.”
( Ps.24:1) KJV.
But the next day, the same world emits the vision of
“an infant crying in the night,
an infant crying for the light
with no language but a cry.” (2) 

Where does one begin to understand such diverse experiences? Is it that faith’s realities are less solid than the realities we experience? The Old Testament story of the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt suggests this.
A constant expression of faithless discontent and constant grumbling by the journeying Israelites results in a summons before God to answer their behaviour.
 “While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the clouds.”
The desert and the ominous clouds become the exclusive focus of the Israelites, not God and His glory.
This conversation between Aaron and the Israelite community follows an arduous struggle with the desert, prompting poignant questions about God’s role in this exodus undertaking. But yet, there is no doubting that there is a strong relationship between God and the people of Israel while enslaved in Egypt. “I (God) have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their crying out because of their slave drivers.”

The Israelite community experiences the glory of God, as with child-like faith, they move towards the open doors to freedom. Not at all physically overburdened with worldly possessions, the spirit of trust in them reigns supreme. But, tragically, the reality of physical needs and fear for the future changes everything!
Consequently:
-The glory of the Lord becomes replaced by that malignant fear.
-Their cups, once overflowing with gratitude, now are filled with demands for more physical sustenance.
-Submission to the continuing guidance of God’s hand becomes replaced, instead, with blame towards humans.
Physical needs and immobilizing fears must never overshadow God’s Presence with us. Faith knows that God remains with us even when life’s desert experiences threaten imminent dangers!
Learn again that life’s puzzles can never find solutions in our more intense personal logical efforts but in faith alone.
 Faith is God coming to assist each person on a voyage of discovery that He already is at home in our spirits. What we now endure can in no way compare to the Glory of God that ever awaits us!

  A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION

Dear Father, we bow amazed at the tenderness that greets us as we approach Your heavenly throne. We are children of the earth. Yet, here we are welcomed as loyal subjects of Heaven’s Kingdom.

Father, here on earth, we often miss the brightness of Your glory when threatening clouds capture our attention. Teach us, dear Father, to remember that just as the evening star still shines in splendour, although invisible through the covering clouds, Your presence remains constant day and night with Your children.

Unfortunately, there are many worldly distractions for us!  When coupled with the world’s threats associated with our non-compliance, they serve to energize our physical needs while blinding us to the essential requirements of our spirits. 

In this matter, we are still much like the ancient Israelites; the appeal of Heaven’s glory becomes lost in the needs visualized in some fearsome desert. Yet, ours is an even greater fallacy than the Israelites. Our concentration upon the likelihood of hardships is despite the manifestation of God’s supreme glory to us in Jesus Christ. He came to accompany us every day, even when life’s deserts stretch in front of us.

Father, in mercy, hear the prayer that Jesus left with me when He faced life’s most cruel desert, “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.” Amen.

Hymn: I’ll Walk With God

https://youtu.be/_OQ2Cc6yFz4

References

1. Wikipedia The free online encyclopedia, for info and lyrics to “I’ll Walk With God.”
   2. In Memoriam, Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
   Tennyson’s Poetry “In Memoriam” Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes3. YouTube