GadgetVicar

Reading 1 Kings

The pastors' Bible reading group continues to meet weekly in Starbucks on Byres Road. This morning we were on 1 Kings. My shares: Wise Solomon being not so wise (too many wives leading to too many gods: "his wives turned his heart after other gods and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God" - Chapter 11:4), the difficulties of surrounding ourselves with "Yes" people and the responsibility of the prophet to go against the flow, risking a slap in the face of the process (Chapter 22).

It's such an encouraging time. We meet for an hour, do the business, and maybe share briefly other matters, though most of the time we rush off to get on with stuff. Helpful this morning to linger and hear of a mission trip to India and discuss what the best time strategically for a Sunday service is (my answer - there isn't one - too early misses the long-lie-in people, too late means the day is taken up by church. However, if I was starting from scratch, I'd go with early - 9 or 10am).

Get The Right Focus

This is for the miserablists who lash out at others, stick verbal knives in backs (and fronts), resent the support others receive (show a little compassion, why don't you?), are so self-absorbed with their own project or agenda and who generally make Church such a downer. I do count myself among them.........

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people.

So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient.

Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong,

just as Christ has forgiven you.

Love is more important than anything else.

It is what ties everything completely together.

Each one of you is part of the body of Christ,

and you were chosen to live together in peace. 

So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. 

And be grateful.

Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives,

while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other.

With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus,

as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.

Colossians 3:12-17

 

Not Just Idle Words

"Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." Deuteronomy 32:46-47

In our pastors' Bible reading group we've been in Deuteronomy this week. Coincidentally, I've heard the following said several times this week; "I'm glad that the God of the Old Testament is not the one we worship today". So, there are different Gods in the Bible? Who'd have thought it? Try this for size. This is the same God. The blood and the tough judgement that we read of in Deuteronomy, shows that sin has serious consequences and must be dealt with, but also points to the Father doing that through the blood of Jesus Christ. Yet again, we were all humbled by the enormity of this.

Last weekend was the thirtieth anniversary of the day I consciously decided to follow Jesus Christ. Amazingly, I've been reading Deuteronomy this week. The church where I came to faith spent what seemed like an eternity studying this book in 1979-80. It's my first memory of taking the Bible seriously. How good it has been to be reminded of God's love and grace seen in what seems at first glance to be a difficult book.

Prayers of Preparation for the Election of a Bishop

Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

to whom you revealed your power and might and promised your presence and blessing,

be among us during this special time in the life of our church as we pray for a bishop to shepherd us.

Reveal your power and might to us in our ministries, in our ministers,

in our planning and in all our deliberations. 

Bless and guide our prayers and our labours that our mission and witness might be strong in you;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Send forth your Holy Spirit, O Lord, and raise up for us a shepherd of your own choosing:

a bishop to lead and guide us, a shepherd of wisdom and strength,

compassion and grace, holiness and learning,

with vision and the commitment to build up your Church and unite your faithful people around

the love of him who offered himself for us and for all the world, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

O Wise and Gracious God, when your chosen people Israel prayed for a leader,

you sent the prophet Samuel to discern your will, not with the eyes of the faithless,

not with the ears of the popular, not with the wisdom of humanity,

but with the insight of faith and trust in you alone. 

As we prepare for the election of a bishop for our church, make our conversations holy,

our listening attentive, our prayer fervent, our trust in you strong,

and our insight filled with faith and knowledge of your will for our lives;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Reading the Bible

One of the highlights of this year and something of a spiritual lifeline has been the weekly Bible study at Starbucks every Thursday morning. Six pastors have read our way throught the New Testament together and it has been most edifying and a good discipline. We start on Genesis in the New Year.

Beat Attitude is the brains behind another Bible-reading scheme, which we are encouraging St Silasites and friends to engage with. The details can be found here. It's another good way of reading the Bible regularly. The resources needed are available on the internet, which should make it accessible to most people in the congregation.

Bible reading is one of the things that has sustained me most in the darker days of 2009. Why not give it a go too?

Pray Also For Me....

Last week, I was pole-axed by some kind of flu, which was ironic given that I was due to get a flu jab on Thursday. Coughing, sneezing, sore limbs, upset stomach and exhaustion have marked life. I felt unable to do anything, whether that was work, reading or even watching much telly.

A saint came round with health supplies, including enough fruit to keep my five-a-day level going for a few weeks. But the thing that meant more than anything else was when he asked if he could pray for me. Which reminded me that I (and I suspect most of us) don't ask for prayer often enough. Yes, we want tender-loving care and a listening ear for our tales of woe, but how often do we ask one another to pray? It's way too personal, implies a dependence on God and reminds us that the trials we face may well have a spiritual component. If it was good enough for the first church leaders, I guess it should be good enough for me too.

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:19-20

Get Yer Bible Out (In Starbucks)

Five pastors met in Starbucks, Byres Road before 8am this morning in order to share what we had discovered or rediscovered in the New Testament. The idea is to read through a book a week before Christmas, meeting up every week to share together what we are learning.  Today it was Matthew; I shared some thoughts on the historicity of Jesus, the pastoral nature of Jesus teaching ("Hey, disciples, the church will be rough and you need to live with integrity"), and the sheer inconvenience of following Christ. The others had better nuggets than those and all-in-all it was a very good time of spiritual nourishment. I had my big shiny new ESV with me (and was duly slagged for it) - our  church of Scotland colleague had a tiny little New Testament (some humility there).

I will have to read through Mark this week........

New Study Bible

I've been thinking that I need to step up my personal Bible reading. Too many pastors rely on their preaching preparation or saying of the daily offices for their diet of Bible study. Of late I've been conscious of a need to study the Bible more, and wondered how I might go about it.

My first step was to get a new Bible: the English Standard Version Study Bible. I ordered it last night and it arrived this morning. A meaty doorstep of a book at 2750+ pages. It's beautifully presented and the single column layout makes it easy to read. I'm impressed - now I simply have to get reading it.

I went to the church later in the morning, and there was a letter inviting me to join with other pastors for a weekly early morning Bible study, to help us be more disciplined in our engagement with scripture!

I think I might be going along the right lines here....... 

Lost & Found

"Either we are children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ, or we aren't. There are not preferred children and second-class children. There are just children of God." Gene Robinson in The Guardian, 29th August 2009

Yes, but children can get it wrong and go their own way. Sometimes loving parents have to wait patiently for errant offspring to come to their senses and return home. At which point there is much rejoicing!

The Counsel of Friends

I've been marvelling at the counsel of friends over the last couple of days as I face some pain in life. Family and dearest/oldest friends have listened patiently and gently (and not so gently) offered wisdom. I am very grateful for them and have been reminded of what is written about friends in the Book of Proverbs:

•  "Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)
   
• "A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Proverbs 24:5)
   
• "Every purpose is established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war." (Proverbs 20:18)
   
• "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counsellors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22)
   
• "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days." (Proverbs 19:20)
   
• "Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge." (Proverbs 19:27)