Thinking About Easter Already?

I've just popped to Sainsbury's and spotted that they already have hot cross buns in the bakery.  It seems that the moment Christmas ends, Easter - at least in the retail world - begins.  I even remember my brother buying a Creme Egg one year on Boxing Day.

 

This rushing to the next big event usually bothers me: why can't we just enjoy the moment?

 

But this evening, it got me thinking.

 

This weekend, we have celebrated Epiphany and have remembered the visit of the wise men to the baby Jesus. 

 

They brought gifts for Jesus which were symbols of great importance: gold, to reflect and acknowledge His Kingship; frankincense to show His purity and holiness and to reflect His role as a Priest, interceding on our behalf; and myrrh, an oil used to anoint dead bodies and a sign of what would happen to Jesus.

 

I always wonder how Mary and Joseph reacted to these gifts, especially to the myrrh.  They must have known what it was usually used for.

 

They knew that their Son was the Son of God and that He had come to fulfil what had been foretold about bringing peace and restoration to mankind.  But did they know that the way that this peace and restoration would be achieved was through the death of their child?

 

And if they did, would they really want to think of it, so soon after His birth?

 

Whether or not they thought about it, it is the reason that Jesus was born: to reconcile man to God, through His own death on the cross. 

 

 

        "Surely he took up our pain

        and bore our suffering,

        [...] he was pierced for our transgressions,

        he was crushed for our iniquities;

        the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

        and by his wounds we are healed."

 

        [Isaiah 53:4-5 NIV]

 

I am fully aware that Easter eggs and hot cross buns are appearing in supermarkets for financial reasons.  But perhaps, rather than complaining about them, we should use them to remind us what Christmas was all about.

 

Perhaps it's not wrong to turn our attention to Easter so soon after Christmas.  After all, there is no Easter without Christmas.

 

 

 

Silent Night

I can't help feeling that whoever wrote the Carol 'Silent Night' didn't have children or have any friends with young children.

 

       Silent night, holy night

       All is calm, all is bright

       Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

       Holy Infant so tender and mild

       Sleep in heavenly peace

       Sleep in heavenly peace.

 

Whilst not a parent myself, I am surrounded by friends with young children, all of whom can testify that the first few weeks following the birth of their child/ren was anything but silent.

 

All was not calm.

 

They did not all sleep in heavenly peace.

 

However, I have noticed that there is a sense of calm that descends on a room when there is a baby around.  All eyes will turn towards the child, conversations will peter out and a sort of hush descends on the room. 

 

There is something calming and soothing about the presence of a baby.

 

It's the same with Jesus - both the baby and the man.  There is something calming in His presence.  When we look to Him - really look to Him - we find that the other things in our lives fade away.  The everyday busyness is stilled and we find ourselves at peace again.

 

       "You will keep in perfect peace
       all who trust in you,
       all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
       Trust in the Lord always,
       for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."

 

       [Isaiah 26:3 NLT]

 

 

When we look to Jesus and put our trust in Him, all becomes calm and we can sleep in [perfect] heavenly peace.

 

 

 

 

 

Peace And Quiet

As a child, every year, at our village church Carol service, I would read the passage from Isaiah which foretold Jesus’ birth.
 

This year, I am back by popular demand.

 

It is one of my favourite Christmas passages and I probably know it off by heart. In fact, I even mentioned it on this blog just over a week ago.

 

       “The people walking in darkness

       have seen a great light;

       on those living in the land of the shadow of death

       a light has dawned […]

       For to us a child is born,

       to us a son is given,

       and the government will be on his shoulders.

       And he will be called

       Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,

       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

       [Isaiah 9:2, 6-7 NIV]

 

Last night, we were discussing this verse in detail and were considering the different names given to Jesus.  In particular, we considered what the title Prince of Peace meant.

 

When we think of ‘Peace’, we tend to think of it as being partnered with ‘Quiet’.  We enjoy a moment  of ‘Peace and Quiet’.  Peace is lying in the bath, relaxing with a glass of wine.  Peace is passive and still and tranquil.*

 

Or is it?

 

If we think of Peace in a war-torn land, or Peace between two fighting families, we find that Peace is something immensely valuable.  Peace is something worth fighting for.  Peace is the absence of conflict, it’s the end of a struggle.  Peace takes effort and sacrifice and intervention.  Peace doesn’t just happen.

 

Jesus came to bring Peace to men on earth.  Peace between men and Peace between man and God.  He came to bring wholeness and completion.  And He fought for it on the cross, until it was won.

 

Now, if we want it, we can have true, deep, lasting Peace, through a relationship with Jesus.  In the same way that a city can sleep peacefully because it knows its watchmen are vigilantly guarding the walls, we can have peace because Jesus is vigilantly watching over us.

 

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

[Philippians 4:7 NIV] 

 

 

* Or Peace is, as the 70s would have it, all-embracing, all-accepting, totally awesome.

 

Signs And Silence

I've been rewatching the first series of 'Jam and Jerusalem' this evening whilst I've been doing some work.

 

It's a comedy set in a small Devonshire town and centres around the Women's Guild.

 

In one episode, the vicar is struggling to hear God's voice.  Whenever he tries to find some space to sit in silence and listen to God, someone interrupts him or he keeps hearing loud announcements on the tannoy from a local event.

 

He is desperate for a sign from God, but he never seems to get what he wants.

 

The episode is full of people looking for different signs from God (including a potato with the face of Jesus - worth a watch if you haven't seen it), and the characters struggle to interpret them.

 

Instead of signs, most of them are met with deafening silence.

 

In the same way, the people of Israel were waiting for a sign from God for hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, but they were met with silence.  They knew that God had promised to rescue them from their exile and life of slavery, but they didn't know when this would happen.

 

What made it harder was that they knew exactly what the sign was and what they were waiting for and they were eagerly expecting it.

 

God had promised them a Saviour through His prophet Isaiah:

 

      "For to us a child is born,
      to us a son is given,
      and the government will be on his shoulders.
      And he will be called
      Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
      Of the increase of his government and peace
      there will be no end.
      He will reign on David’s throne
      and over his kingdom,
      establishing and upholding it
      with justice and righteousness
      from that time on and forever.
      The zeal of the Lord Almighty
      will accomplish this."

 

      [Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV]

 

They knew that God had promised to send a child - His own Son - who would come to bring peace and restoration to the world.  And that is what they eagerly anticipated.

 

In the same way, as we eagerly look forward to Christmas, let's remind ourselves of the sign that God has already given us through His Son and of the peace and restoration that He offers us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast in Bed

The problem with breakfast in bed is that it usually results in crumbs in bed.  And the problem with crumbs in bed is that they are too small to spot and you only notice them when they dig in and poke and scratch when you get into bed again at night.

 

It's incredible how something so small can cause such irritation. 

 

It's the same in life: sometimes something seemingly small can cause great irritation or frustration.  The frustration is completely disproportionate to the cause.

 

Thinking about all of this reminded me of pearls and the way that they are created: pearls are formed inside an oyster or other mollusk as a defence mechanism.  When a parasite  or other irritant enters the shell, the mollusk creates what is called a 'pearl sac' to seal off the irritation.  It does this by depositing layer upon layer of calcium carbonate over the irritant, until it is completely covered. 

 

What was a potential threat becomes a harmless, smooth pearl.

 

And what is more, these pearls [especially when formed naturally, as opposed to being harvested] are both beautiful and highly valuable. 

 

When we encounter irritants or potential threats, we can worry about them and let them scratch at us and hurt us.  Or we can take them to God and ask Him to cover them with layer upon layer of His peace, until they are no longer harmful.

 

We can ask Him to cover us with His peace and to protect us from the things that threaten us.

 

The Bible says,

 

         "Say this: 'God, you’re my refuge.
         I trust in you and I’m safe!”
         That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
         shields you from deadly hazards.
         His huge outstretched arms protect you—
         under them you’re perfectly safe;
         his arms fend off all harm."

 

        [Psalm 91:2-4 MSG]

 

God is our shield; He protects us and covers us from harm and He soothes the things that hurt our souls. 

 

We are safe under His outstretched arms.

 

And what is more, something that once caused us pain and distress, something which irritated and frustrated and hurt us, can be transformed into something beautiful and precious when we let God cover it with His grace and peace and love.

 

So when we face potential threats or irritating circumstances, when things 'invade' our peaceful lives, we need not fear.  Instead, we can ask God to cover the situation with His peace, and to guard our hearts and our minds in Him:

"The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

[Philippians 4:7 NIV]

 

As for the crumbs in bed situation, perhaps I should switch to cereal.

 

 

 

White Doves

Today, for the first time that I can recall, I saw a dove up close.


There were three of them in a dovecote and I was amazed at how close I got to them. I started off by tentatively tip-toeing towards them, pausing every time they looked up. But soon I was right underneath them and they didn't seem bothered by me at all.


I have always known that they were a symbol of peace (and sometimes hope too), but I was surprised by how busy they were, preening themselves and ruffling their feathers. They were peaceful, but not still.


It got me thinking about the real meaning of peace.


"Peace" is often partnered with "Quiet". We long for a moment of "peace and quiet" and seem to assume that to be peaceful requires being quiet, or that being quiet will result in a feeling of peace.


But watching the doves made me realise that peace is not so much to do with volume or stillness. It is about a deeper contentment and assurance. A confidence in who God is and who we are in Him. It is an internal confidence which cannot be shaken or altered by external circumstances. It is based on putting our trust in a reliable, faithful and unchanging God.


It is, as Paul said, the ability to feel content whatever the circumstances:

"I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am."

[Philippians 4:11-12 MSG]

In The Message translation, Peterson defines peace as "a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good" [Philippians 4:7 MSG]


God desires to give us this peace, to guard and protect our minds and to make us complete. But we have to stop worrying and fretting and put our trust in Him, instead of in ourselves.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

[Isaiah 26:3 NIV]