Lift Jesus Up

'The Son of Man must be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.'    Jn.3:15

Jesus is talking with Nicodemus, a Pharisee who is intrigued with Jesus and trying to understand what it is that Jesus is saying. Jesus uses the metaphor of Moses' bronze serpent, raised to give life to all who were bitten by serpents in the desert. This Nicodemus would have understood.

Jesus being lifted up so that people may believe is on my mind a lot lately. This is exactly what the Alpha course aims to do. How can people believe if they are not told?

We have a tentative team of nervous Nellies who are not sure if they're up to the task. Jesus will use anyone who is willing. I'm praying the team will be transformed into bold proclaimers as Peter was and as Nicodemus was. They key for both men was the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit...

Come Holy Spirit. Embolden us so that we can lift Jesus up and people will believe.
Saint Nicodemus, please pray for us.

Heart Surgery

Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread.    Lk.24:35

Two disciples are dejectedly walking away from Jerusalem, their dreams of all they thought Jesus could be smashed. They meet Jesus unrecognised on the road who reignites their hearts. Their encounter with the risen Lord is confirmed in the breaking of the bread.

What impresses me with this well known story is how Jesus doesn't try to turn them around on the road. He actually walks along with them, away from Jerusalem where they should be with the other disciples. Jesus meets them where they are at, lost in their grief, then changes their hearts so that they turn and run back to Jerusalem from their own volition.

Heart surgery. That's how Jesus worked with me. Rather than forcing change from the outside in, he worked on my heart, changing me from the inside out. That change is far more effective, far more permanent.

That's how I see Alpha working, from the inside out. Meet people where they are at, no matter how far away that is from where they should be. Walk alongside them, change their hearts and then watch them run back to where they should be. What could be more exciting!

Jesus, thank you for accepting me with all my misconceptions and brokenness. Help me have the same compassion for others who have had their dreams broken and who are lost.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Called by Name

‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master.    Jn.20:15-16

Mary of Magdala has arrived at Jesus' tomb to find the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She is distraught and doesn't recognise the risen Jesus until he calls her name. She then becomes the very first person to receive and tell the Good News... Jesus is alive!

Mary of Magdala is known as the apostle to the apostles. She was the first to tell them that Jesus had risen. Peter and John run to the tomb and the rest is history. Mary is mentioned twelve times in the gospels, more than most of the other apostles. She was one of the women who financially supported Jesus' ministry. She witnessed Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

The woman from whom Jesus drove seven demons was at the epicenter of early Christian life yet she didn't recognise Jesus until he called her by name. It was her personal relationship with Jesus that finally made her recognise him.

That's how Jesus works with people. That's how Jesus works with me, on a first name basis. My faith is in a personal savior who gives me personal relief. And he is alive and with me today. Alleluia!

Thank you Jesus for calling me by name. I am yours and you are mine.
Saint Mary Magdala, please pray for me.

This is What I Recieved

This is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread...      1Cor.11:23

Saint Paul is writing to the Church in Corinth, instructing them on how Jesus instituted the Mass at the Last Supper. It's a gift he received and is now passing on to others.

Holy Week reminds me why I love being Catholic. The very core of our faith is spotlighted by the Church. Today, Maundy Thursday, the focus is on the institution of the Mass and the washing of feet. The Mass feeds me and gives me life, to do what? To go out and wash feet.

This beautiful faith has been gifted to me and I pass it on to my children and grandchildren. That's how it worked two thousand years ago and it's how it works today. I'm hoping to extend my foot washing by starting an Alpha course in our parish, passing on faith in Jesus to people as yet unchurched. What a privilege...

Lord Jesus, thank you for my precious gift of faith. Help me pass it on to others.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

One Step at a Time

Peter said to him, ‘Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ ‘Lay down your life for me?’ answered Jesus. ‘I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.’    Jn.13:36-38

Judas has just left to betray Jesus. Jesus foretells his Passion. Peter, typically not comprehending, blusters his pledge of allegiance. Jesus clinically tells Peter what his "allegiance" will shortly do.

This is leading to Peter's low-point, his denial of Christ. To underscore the betrayal, Jesus openly predicts Peter's cowardice in front of the others. It was recorded for all time. It seems the depth of Peter's betrayal laid the foundation for the height of his profound courage and loyalty that grew from that point on.

Have I denied Christ? Yes, many times. Each time I've chosen sin for a start. Does this mean I'm a hopeless case? No. Just as Peter rose from the ashes of his failures, so can I. Holy week is a time not to deny Jesus but to accompany him, stand by him through his Passion and death. My advantage over Peter is that I know what follows on the third day....

Jesus, forgive me for the many times I have denied you. I'm wary of making bold pledges. My spirit is willing but my flesh is so weak. But I can be reasonably sure of my next step alongside you. And then maybe the next... and the next...
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Believe in His Works

'Even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’    Jn.10:38

The Jewish leaders are again getting the stones ready. Jesus says at least believe in what I have done, the evidence is before you. But those who are determined not to believe get what they are determined to get... unbelief.

I'm looking out of our lounge window as I'm writing. The rising sun paints a soft, golden light over green grass and trees. In the distance a lone Tui is singing. I look at this beauty and see the fingerprints of God. I believe.

A couple of months ago a granddaughter was miraculously saved from harm when falling down a bank onto rocks. I recall that miracle, smile and believe.

The works of Jesus are seen where ever there is faith in Jesus. I step out into this day in faith. Here comes the works... Exciting!

Thank you Jesus for the works you do in my life. I place my trust in you.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Timing

‘I tell you most solemnly, before Abraham ever was, I Am.’ At this they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself and left the Temple.    Jn.8:58,59

The Jews interrogate Jesus, not to know him but to judge him. Jesus speaks plainly in a language they understand. He gives himself the name of God, "I Am". Formal judgement is pushed aside as they lift stones to kill Jesus on the spot, but Jesus slips away. His time has not yet come.

Jesus wasn't avoiding his death. He was delaying it. He still had people to heal, Lazarus to raise from the dead, the Mass to institute at the Last Supper, his passion to witness before Peter and the others and his cross to climb onto for the payment of my sins. It was a matter of timing.

We're approaching Holy Week, a time to focus on what Jesus considered important enough to delay his death so he could achieve all that happened in those last hours. And all that he did in those last hours he did for me. There's something to contemplate....

Jesus, your timing is always perfect. My timing is haphazard. You kept your eye on the big picture. I get obsessed with the minutiae of now.  Help me gain your view on what is important and when it is right.

Freedom

‘If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples, you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free.’     Jn.8:31,32

Jesus is explaining to the Jews who he is and what it is he brings... freedom.

The person with the heaviest chains is the one who thinks he isn't shackled at all. I've been thinking lately of my life prior to getting married. It was a hedonistic world I lived in. If you'd asked me did I regard myself shackled in any way I would have scoffed. I was free to do what I liked, get what I liked. My pleasure was my primary pursuit. Only after getting married and allowing someone else's happiness to be more important than my own did I realise how narrow and confined my self centered world was.

The truth that Jesus brings elevates freedom to a higher level again. It's the freedom that comes from recognising sin and turning away from it. When I fall and commit a sin I feel the shackles around my feet again. Walking out of the confessional... Oh I'm free indeed. Time for another visit....

Thank you Jesus for the freedom you give me. Help me make your word my home so I may be free indeed. 
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Lift Him Up

‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing of myself: what the Father has taught me is what I preach;'Jn.8:28

The Jewish leaders are interrogating Jesus, trying to find out who he is. He keeps telling them but they keep not understanding. Jesus says you will know me when you lift me up.

I'm hoping to run an Alpha course in our parish. If Alph does anything it lifts Jesus up. Not surprisingly, many people have come to know Jesus as a result.

How do I lift Jesus up in my daily life? I must say that many would not know or even guess I was a Christian. This doesn't mean I need to preach more. What it does mean is that I need to "be" more. I need to be Jesus to those placed in my path, lift him up so-to-speak... starting today.

Jesus, I came to know you because others lifted you up before me. Help me lift you up so all may be drawn to you.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Green Pastures and Still Waters

The Lord is my shepherd;

 there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

 where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

 to revive my drooping spirit.

Ps.22

This famous psalm expresses a complete trust in God. God is described as a shepherd in his role as protector and provider.

Whenever I am in green pastures and beside still waters I am reminded of this Psalm. In the part of the world where I live still waters and green pastures can be found everywhere. The Psalmist acknowledges even a man trusting in God can have times when his spirit droops. But God promises he will revive me in such times.

I often have my lunch sitting beside the Waikato river that flows through town, The grass is green up to the river's edge, the waters are restful. Today when I am there I will acknowledge God my protector, my providor, my shepherd.

Thank you God that you revive my drooping spirit. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. 
Little Flower, please pray for me.

A Generous Heart

Gospel AcclamationPraise and honour to you, Lord Jesus Christ! Happy are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance. Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus Christ!    Lk.8:15

Today's Gospel Acclamation is taken from the parable of the sower where Jesus describes the seed falling on good soil. These are people who hear the Word of God and live it with generosity. They are the ones who yield a great harvest.

Just as there's something repulsive about mean-spiritedness, there's something very attractive about generosity. Generous people are fun to be around, not just because I might benefit from their generosity but because of their uplifting character. They tend to be people who are compassionate, merciful, who laugh a lot. They're generous not just with physical goods but also in relationships, overlooking my weaknesses. They're people I can relax with.

The good soil of a generous heart is something I can work on today.

Jesus, generosity of heart is what drew people to you. Lord, help me develop generosity in my heart that I may yield a good harvest for you.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

The Lord Will Rescue

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. Many are the trials of the just man but from them all the Lord will rescue him.    Ps.34:18,19

King David wrote this Psalm after he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away. It was a low point in David's life but he recognised God's hand of protection and blessing.

Authentic faith sees God at work even in the low times. I witnessed brokenheartedness in public gatherings after the recent Christchurch slayings. The mourning for those killed was palpable yet it was also a time where God felt very close. There was a softness in people in our shared grief. In our repulsion towards the inhuman act of the killings we naturally drew towards the humanity of each other, comforted each other and I saw God at work.

We are told our trials will be many but we will be rescued from them. This takes the long term view. What happens here on earth is not the end of the story, for the righteous or for the wicked. God will have the last say and my hope lies firmly in that truth. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.

Jesus, you experienced the broken heart of abandonment, yet you waited, trusted and then came the resurrection. Help me in my times of despair to wait and trust in God's rescuing hand. 
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Turn Back your Anger

For this he said he would destroy them, but Moses, the man he had chosen, stood in the breach before him, to turn back his anger from destruction.    Ps.105:23

The Israelites have apostatised and worshiped a golden statue of a calf. God's rage threatens to destroy them but Moses intercedes for the people and God's anger is diverted.

Intercession is powerful. Much of my prayer life is taken up in intercession. My family are regularly lifted up along with friends and colleagues. The Gospels are full of instances where Jesus responds to the intercession of friends and family.

What does this tell me about the nature of God? That he is compassionate, he is merciful, he is ready to listen. What does this tell me about who I am meant to be? I am to be compassionate, merciful, always ready to listen.

Lord Jesus, help me become the man of God that best reflects who you are. Let compassion, mercy, a willingness to listen be my hallmarks as they are yours.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Let's Hang Out

‘Do you want to be well again?’ ‘Sir,’ replied the sick man ‘I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I am still on the way, someone else gets there before me.’ Jesus said, ‘Get up, pick up your sleeping-mat and walk.’ The man was cured at once, and he picked up his mat and walked away.    Jn.5:6-8

Jesus is in Jerusalem and sees a a long-term invalid alone and unable to walk.  The cripple was in a hopeless situation. Alone, always missing out and with no chance of healing. Jesus instantly and miraculously heals him.

Jesus heals in many different ways. Sometimes people beg and shout for healing, sometimes people are silent but friends and family petition on their behalf. In this instance Jesus simply walks up unbidden and POW, heals the man instantly.

There's no set formula with Jesus. There's no ritual to follow, no difficult act of devotion, sometimes no devotion at all. The initiative is always his. How do I relate to a God like this? Just love him and follow him and talk with him and walk with him. Just hang out with him I guess. Invite him into my day and hang out with him.

Jesus, sometimes... no, often I put you in a box and open and close the lid when I feel like it. I invite you out of the box. I'd like to hang out with you today. 
Little Flower, please pray for me.