Faith and Faithfulness (3). Good and faithful or wicked and lazy?

Faith and Faithfulness (3). Good and faithful or wicked and lazy?

According to Jesus having faith in him leads to being a good and faithful servant.  Those who work diligently in God’s Kingdom until the Master returns for them, will hear his words: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  However, it is also true that those who do nothing with the wealth of the Good News about Jesus Christ, freely given to them, will hear:  You wicked, lazy servant! Throw this worthless servant into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The work of God – also called the kingdom of heaven – is like a man going on a journey (Matthew 25: 14 – 30) who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.  Then he went on his journey. 

The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put the money given to him to work and gained five bags more.   So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.  But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’   His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.   Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’  His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’  His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more and they will have abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Are we good and faithful servants, multiplying what we received on the grounds of the cross and victory of our Master?

Live harmoniously: Creation and the Law (Psalm 19)

Live harmoniously...

In Psalm 19: 1 – 4 the glory of God is seen as clearly declared in God’s awe-inspiring creation. It says:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.    Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.   They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

The "voice" of creation saturates every corner of the earth, and yet it cannot be heard with our physical ears. It is only heard by a heart filled with faith in the living God!  The skies, its beauty and wonder, interpret and reflect God's glory.  By reflecting on the wonders of nature, God’s wisdom and his might is revealed to us.

But the focus of Psalm 19 changes dramatically from verse 7, singing about the wonderful qualities of the Word of God:  (vv7-9)

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

Six separate words used in the original Hebrew language for the law and the Word of God are meant to show us the total effect of God's Word in our lives:  it is perfect, sure, right, clear, pure, enduring, true and altogether righteous. And It revives, makes wise, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes.

The Word of God brings life to us. It interprets how we ought to respond to the awesome wisdom and might of the Creator.

When we listen to the Word of God we are enabled to live in harmony with our Lord, with his people and his Kingdom, with our neighbour and God’s amazing creation.

The Word of God reveals the wisdom which can and will restore harmony to our lives! 

Liturgical prayers for Sunday 27 January 2013.

Liturgical prayers for Sunday 27 January 2013.  (Epiphany 3)

The glory of the Lord is revealed by his creation and his Word!

Call to worship:  Psalm 19: 1 and  2

The heavens declare the glory of God;   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.     Day after day they pour forth speech;   night after night they reveal knowledge.

Today, as you hear God’s perfect will for your life and rejoice in his gospel – declare the glory of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, our eternal God.  

Speak of the greatness of the Creator and rejoice in his knowledge.

Prayer of praise and for the forgiveness of sins.  (From Ps. 19: 7 – 14)

Glorious LORD, your law is perfect, reviving the soul;

Your decrees are clear in your mind and ours, our Lord, making the simple wise;

Your precepts are right, our God of righteousness, rejoicing the heart;

Your commandment, LORD, is clear, enlightening the eyes;

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;

and, o LORD, your ordinances are true and righteous altogether.

They are more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold;

They are sweeter also than honey, and the drippings of the honeycomb.

Glorious Lord, who can detect our errors and clear us from hidden faults, but you, the God of our salvation and the Lord of life and glory?

Forgive us our transgressions and cleanse us from all impurity by the blood of the Lamb and by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

Keep back your servants from proud thoughts; do not let our foolish pride, selfishness and ignorance of your glory and your light, have dominion over us.

But grant us the wisdom of repentance and life through your forgiveness, your grace and your mercy by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Then we too shall be blameless, and innocent of transgression.

We will live for your glory and according to your will.

To the glory of the Holy Trinity,

and in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen. 

Illumination:   (From Ps19: 1 and 14).

Glorious Lord, as the heavens declare your glory and speak without words of the grace of your creation, come and recreate in us your magnificence by the Word that speaks by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O LORD, our rock and our redeemer.

Through Jesus Christ and in his Name we pray.

Amen.

Prayer of adoration and intercession:

All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord!

Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord?

Forever You will be, the Lamb upon the throne.

I gladly bow the knee and worship You alone.

I will proclaim the glory of the risen Lord.

Who once was slain to reconcile man to God.

Forever You will be the Lamb upon the throne.

I gladly bow the knee and worship You alone. 

Hear our prayer, our Lord and Saviour, remember our needs and listen to our plea!

Today we pray for .........

And as we bring to you the needs of our hearts and lives, listen to us, your own people,  and have mercy on us as we pray for:

·         the beloved country, for a growing economy and jobs for our people;

·         our community and all who share our lives with us, for safety and progress, for joy and prosperity;

·         our congregation and all who worship with us, for remorseful hearts, forgiveness, for growth in Christ through the work of your Holy Spirit and for the joy of redemption and reconciliation with you and each other and for faith and faithfulness, dear Lord.

We pray, o Risen Lord, that as we demand the conservation of your glorious creation, you will preserve and protect in your mercy the works of your hands against greed and evil destruction and teach us to love what you have made even as you love your works through which life is sustained.

We pray, o Word who was made flesh, even our Lord Jesus Christ, that we will see your glory and listen to your wisdom that we too will speak the gospel wherever we are and by whatever we do, that many will come to the knowledge of the Son of God and gratefully embrace your mercy and your love.

Lead and guide our prayers and Holy Spirit, pray through our prayers and plead with the Father on our behalf with heavenly words that we can neither utter nor comprehend. 

Protect us and keep us safe, through Jesus Christ, and by the power of your Spirit, we pray!

Amen.

Faith and faithfulness (2)

As Protestants, and as Presbyterians, we are familiar with the phrase that we are saved by “faith alone”.  But we may ask, and must ask, which faith will save us?

The faith that saves cannot be explained other than in the light of faithfulness.  The story of our faith is the story of Jesus, the faithful Messiah.  Nowhere in the New Testament do we read about a faith through which we become children of God without an intimate relationship with Jesus.  And Jesus is more than the One we believe in. Jesus is the only valid term and condition of owning Christian faith.  It is only because Christ has “done it all” that the sinner’s faith is possible and can be a saving response to God’s offer of salvation.

Being followers of Christ, through faith, implies following him faithfully and reflecting his very faithfulness till the end and to the cross.  The Bible says that faith involves “looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2).   

Salvation involves  relationship with the Messiah and, through him, inclusion into the people of God.  Our relationship with Jesus involves being filled with the Spirit who shows us who Jesus is, and shows us his faithfulness and his power.  The same Spirit that nurtures the response in faith to the Good News of Jesus Christ, then continues to urge us to a life of joyful praise and obedience to God (Romans 1:5, 16:26), and loving service to our neighbour (Galatians 5:6, 13-14; 6:1-2).

When Christian faith matures, the story of faith is completed when we see that God’s faithfulness to his people reflected in the faithfulness of the people of God.

The question always arises, what kind of faith does God require?

The traditional answer from the time of the Reformation has been to point out that true faith is attested to, is proven to exist, by faithfulness. God is not interested in intellectual consent to the facts of the story of Jesus.  It always is and only can be a heartfelt trust in God and his promises of salvation, life and even eternal life as found in the Gospel.

This means that having the “only faith that saves” always results in being practically faithful in serving Christ with his people, in his Church, at worship, at his Table and in his service, all the time!

The Spirit gives us the mind of Christ!

No one knows the deep and divine thoughts of God, except the Holy Spirit.

If we allow ourselves to be lead by the spirit of the world, in other words the thoughts, ideas and ideologies of the unbelieving world, we too may fall into the traps that cause so much distress and the foolishness that plaque the world and the peoples of the world. We may personally suffer when we allow the foolishness of an unbelieving world to direct us and dictate to us.

But we do not have to fall into the traps of human error and misunderstanding.

Because we received the Holy Spirit who teaches us the thoughts of God. The Spirit shows us the wisdom of God and instructs us that we may speak the words of God.

The person who received the Holy Spirit is not subject to merely human judgments about what is important, significant and wise.

Because the Spirit gives us the mind of Christ!

(1 Corinthians 2: 6 – 16).

Liturgical prayers for Sunday 20 January 2013

Call to worship:

Ps 95:6, 7  O come, let us give worship, falling down on our knees before the Lord our Maker.  For he is our God; and we are the people to whom he gives food, and the sheep of his flock. Today, if you would only give ear to his voice!

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning, is now

and shall be forever.

Amen.

Prayer of praise and the forgiveness of sins:

Lord Jesus Christ, You came to us in the Name of the Lord of hosts. You have freed us from the slavery of sin, having being born as a man to die on a cross; You rose from the dead and You are exalted at the right hand of God. You have sent upon us Your holy and life‑giving Spirit and made us a people for Your own possession.

Holy Lord, Grant us a peaceful fellowship with You and with each other today.

The Lord is merciful.

As far as the east is from the west,

so far does he remove our sins from us.                           Ps.103:8,12

Holy God, forgive us the wrongs we have done

as we also forgive those who have wronged us.

Keep us from temptation,

and save us from evil.

Lord Jesus, crucified for us, help us to love, as you loved,

help us to live as you lived.

Father have mercy on us!

Jesus have mercy on us!

O Spirit of God, have mercy on us.

Amen.

Illumination.
Father, we cannot accept your gospel and your law,

unless you yourself inscribe them upon our hearts.

Therefore, we pray, as they are proclaimed to us today,

let your Holy Spirit imprint them upon our hearts.

So may you come to be our God, and we learn to be your people. Amen.

Prayer of Adoration and intercession:

O God and Lord of hosts, we come before your throne of mercy because you first loved us and to declare our love for you.

Father, through the work of your Spirit we received the good news,

in which we stand, and by which we are saved:

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day;

We believe he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 

He is our Lord and God.

God, bless Africa:

guard her children,

guide her leaders

and give her peace,

for Jesus Christ's sake.

Heavenly Lord, today, we pray for your church throughout the world and particularly in our country and our city, that it may be united in faith and in its witness to your gospel and your will.

We pray for the nations of the world, especially those facing war, famine or any other disaster.

We pray for our country that there may be justice, peace and a better life for all in our land.

We pray that you will protect us and grant us a time of fulfilment and peace. Strengthen all with authority and those responsible for law and order and guide them, and be near to our nation that everything we do may be for the best of our country and to the honour of your Name.

We pray for the poor, the sick, the suffering, the dying, the sorrowful. We pray for all who are anxious, or in doubt, despair or any kind of trouble.

You called the disciples to announce your good news to the whole world. Help your people to be your witnesses and to win others for Christ. Help your Church to proclaim your gospel and your will faithfully to all who will listen.

Lord Jesus, bring all people to repentance, reconciliation with you and each other, to peace, unity and harmony.

Lord Jesus, you were rich in heaven, yet for our sake became poor:

now move us all to share generously with those who are poor and be with all migrant workers and foreigners amongst us, and protect them and  their families.

Father, bring glory to your Name, bring glory to the Name of our Saviour and Lord; bring glory to your Name through the power of the Holy Spirit.

through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray.   Amen. 

Faith and faithfulness.

Do you trust God completely? So much so that you live according to your faith, to the point that the Lord is able to trust you too? When Jesus Christ returns, it will be the most wonderful of mercies to hear him say to us appreciatively:  "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

God is always faithful, and we should learn to take him at his Word. But do we trust in him unconditionally? Is the fact that we sometimes cannot be trusted not the result of not understanding the absolute integrity of God’s promises and his character to never be anything but faithful to his Word and to his people?

Proverbs 20: 6 says: "Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?"  It is increasingly difficult to find someone whose love and loyalty can be counted on. Too many people in our modern society are unpredictable and unreliable, to the extent that we rather expect people to break their word than keep it – and therefore not feel that we are doing something wrong when we too cannot be counted upon when we promised to make a difference.

Paul's list of shameful attitudes and habits "in the last days" (2 Timothy 3:1) is disturbing, when we think that he is talking about God’s people in his Church: "For people will be lovers of themselves...blasphemers... unloving...slanderers...traitors..." (verses 2-4). The consequences of these ungodly behaviours to society, and to the ability of the Church to do God’s work, are catastrophic.

God hates any form of unfaithfulness.

All significant relationships are built on the foundation of faith and faithfulness, in other words on trust born out of trustworthiness. Also our relationships with the Lord and with his people are incomprehensible without faith and faithfulness. Proverbs says that a good friend is a faithful friend, one who loves at all times" (Proverbs 17:17)

According to 2 Timothy 1: 13 – 14, to truly "hold fast" spiritually, we must have God's Spirit dwelling within us. And the "fruit" that God's Spirit gives us is composed of wonderful qualities. The apostle Paul listed some of the most important ones:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23)

Can you afford not to follow Christ?

Martin Luther said, "Discipleship that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing." Are we willing to pay the price?

While our Saviour does require a definite response to his call to follow and serve him, he does not seek a rushed response.  Because Jesus does not invite us to an easy journey.  He invites us to take up the cross and follow him. (Luke 14: 28 – 33)  This is why we have to calculate the cost of serving him! We cannot recklessly resolve to follow Christ, before we realize the seriousness of the matter.

To drive this point home, Jesus uses twin parables. One is of a man who builds a watchtower over his land.  To engage in such a task was an expensive undertaking.  The wise builder would not impulsively start to build without considering how much money it would take to complete the job, and end up with a half built tower.

Impulsive decisions do not normally end in success. What good is a half-built watchtower? Can it protect anyone? Does it even begin to accomplish the purpose for which it was designed? No — such a disaster would bring only ridicule and embarrassment. Rather than a mighty tower of strength, the builder would live with a monument to his own foolishness.

In the second parable Jesus tells of a king preparing to embark on a war campaign against another king. But the king has only half the troops of the enemy! If the king has any competence at all, he would not rush into battle despite the odds. To do so would be utterly stupid. The wise king who has planned appropriately, sends out a delegation, says Jesus, "while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace" (32).

These two parables are parallel, but they approach the issue of the thoughtfulness required for discipleship from 2 perspectives.

In the first parable, Jesus calls us to consider whether we can afford to follow him. Because a testimony abandoned because of failure to calculate the cost is tragic!

In the second parable, he calls us to consider whether we can afford not to follow him!  A true follower, after consideration, takes the wise approach of pursuing peace with God, on his gracious terms. A follower of Jesus realizes that nothing less than unconditional surrender is acceptable.

The Word challenges us with 2 vital questions, here at the beginning of the year:

Can you afford to follow Jesus? and

Can you afford not to follow him?

No more excuses, says the Lord!

NO MORE EXCUSES.... See Luke 14:15-24

The definition of an excuse is to make our sin seem less serious. An excuse is an attempt to justify doing what makes God angry.

Perhaps our biggest problem is that we hesitate to admit anything we did wrong in God’s eyes.

We have learned to justify being dirty, unfaithful sinners!

We all have excuses, and we make them at a drop of the hat.

But do we convince God with our rationalizations and justifications for being unfaithful?

God sees through all our excuses.

God knows us from the inside and not only the outside like people do.

You cannot con God.

Our excuses seem frail and feeble under the light of God’s Word and the searching of our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

Let’s consider that our excuses are keeping us out of God’s party, his kingdom, his presence and his blessings.  God can and will not help us or forgive our sins, as long as we try to convince him to sustain our excuses.

But, God listens to repentance.  

God is waiting for our repentance

 Jesus Christ came to show us that forgiveness is available. That God is merciful and full of grace.

What God wants is repentance and commitment. Yes, we all have sinned, the Bible tells us that, and God knows our hearts, our unpreparedness to serve him wholeheartedly and our unfaithfulness - and his desire is to forgive us, to restore us and to make us new!

Are you willing to quit making excuses, to repent, turn from your wicked ways and desire to serve God in every respect of your life with unreserved commitment?

Are you willing to live like you serve a living, holy God?

Are you willing to trade your excuses for repentance, forgiveness and newness of life - in Christ?

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday 6 January 2013 – Day of the Epiphany

Liturgical Prayers for Sunday 6 January 2013 – Day of the Epiphany

Call to Worship:   Psalm 29: 1 – 4 and 10 - 11

A psalm of David.

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

²Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;

worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the Lord is powerful;

the voice of the Lord is majestic.

And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

¹¹The Lord gives strength to his people;

the Lord blesses his people with peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning, is now

and shall be forever.

Amen.

Prayer of Praise and for Forgiveness of our sins:

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, our light and our salvation.

To you be glory and praise for ever.

You have made yourself known in a most amazing way,

coming in weakness, covering your glory and hiding your majesty,

born to a simple life to humble working parents, and yet announced in the stars of heaven,

and visited by kings.

For these and all your mercies through Jesus Christ our Lord, we praise you:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As we approach your presence today,

and as we behold your glory,

we sincerely repent of all our sins.

We are unworthy of the least of your mercies.

Yet, now, gracious Father, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

forgive us all our sins, cleanse us from all uncleanness of mind and body,

and help us from now on to serve you in newness of life,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer for Illumination

Heavenly Father,

Bless the preacher as he preaches your Word today.

Anoint him and anoint our ears and our hearts that we may know your Word and see your love.

Father, have mercy on us.

Jesus, have mercy on us.

God, have mercy on us.

Amen.

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession:

Heavenly Father, listen to our prayers as we come to you in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who, although he was born to a simple human life,  was announced in the stars of heaven, visited by kings and now is the King of kings, the Lord of lords and the Head of the Church!

And now we give you thanks,

                because in coming to dwell among us as a man,

                Jesus revealed the radiance of his glory,

                and brought us out of darkness

                into his own marvelous light.

                Reveal, o God, the great mystery
                of our salvation in Christ,

                the light to enlighten all nations;

                And now that he has appeared,

                incarnate in our mortal flesh,

                you have recreated us anew
                in the glory of his immortal life.

Hear our prayers and have mercy on us as we pray for

all who witness to the Good News about Christ in the world,

all who preach and teach today,

every missionary who brings the Word of salvation across the globe,

for those who broadcast the gospel to the least reached nations of the world,

for the Bible Society and all their projects to translate and print your Word into the languages of the all the peoples on earth,

and for your Church and all who maintain your work through sacrificial love.

Merciful God,

have mercy on us and

heal the sick and afflicted,

feed those who are hungry

comfort the sad, depressed and anxious,

protect and heal the abused, molested and abandoned,

love all the children of the world,

bring peace and happiness in every life

and show us your glory through revealing your love and mercy.

Listen to the silent prayer of every heart of all of us who came to fellowship with you today,

provide in all our needs, dear Lord, and in your mercy consider our desires and help us to bring about our dreams, if it would be a good and perfect gift for us!

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Day of the Epiphany: 6 January!

Many millions of Christians call 6 January, this year on a Sunday, the Feast of Epiphany. It is one of the major church commemorations in the Orthodox and Coptic traditions as well as Spanish speaking communities, but we now see that most western lectionaries also take note of this season that starts on 6 January and lasts till Ash Wednesday.

In eastern Christian tradition and in Spanish speaking communities, while the birth of Christ is celebrated on December 25, the arrival of the Magi is celebrated on January 6 and called the Feast of Epiphany. This feast is in Orthodoxy celebrated with even more magnificent festivities and church services than Christmas.

The Epiphany considers that the Messiah was revealed to the Gentiles, while Christmas, the birthday, is celebrated as the day when Jewish believers, such as the shepherds, worshipped the new born King. This is why amongst Gentiles in the East, where the Magi came from, it became such an important day of remembrance and celebration, inspired by the wonder that the meaning of the light and love of Christ was also given to the gentile nations. They also emphasize the revelation of Christ by the Father at Jesus’ baptism with the words: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt 3:17.) They traditionally remind each other of the first miracle, when Jesus turned water into wine, and the Bible says, this was to reveal the “glory of Jesus”. 

In many western households it is the day when Christmas decorations are packed away.

But it can be much more than that.  It is inspiring to, at the beginning of our calendar year, consider the glory, the power and the message of the Son of God, as it was revealed to his followers through his miracles, parables and teachings while he ministered on earth!

The final and complete epiphany of the glory of Christ can only be understood when we remember his suffering, and his glorious resurrection, focused on during Lent and Easter.

6 January, or Epiphany Day, is a day when we may pray that Jesus will not leave us (even though Christmas is packed away!)  but show us the fullness of his glory, through his kindness and his victory during every season! 

May the light of the Lord shine brightly and festively in the midst of the world’s darkness, setting us free by the truth that Jesus Christ brought to us, his children!

And to our brothers and sisters in the eastern church who celebrate this feast on 6 January with so much passion, ceremony and praise – may you and your churches be truly blessed with a clear and exiting epiphany of the glorious Saviour of the world!