Every Day with Jesus

I have discovered that Jesus often surprises me. Despondent because of apparently unanswered prayers or engaged in challenging life circumstances, I assume that Jesus is nowhere to be found. My initial thoughts are to abandon my confidence in Christ and look to my own resources to get me out of a difficult spot.

Imagine the scene. There is a deep calm all around. It’s early, the day hardly started. The turbulent events of Holy Week have passed. I recall my own childhood when Sunday was a day of rest, and the quiet so loud you could almost hear it.

Taken from the cross and prepared for burial, Jesus is laid to rest in a stranger’s tomb. Despised by those who killed him, after death He is treated with dignity and respect by His friends. Here, emerging from the shadows not for the first time, we meet Nicodemus again. 

We are familiar with Jesus’ crucifixion, yet we must never grow comfortable with it. Whilst it grants humanity the opportunity for personal encounter with God, the price of forgiveness, both to God and to all responding to God’s offer, weighs heavily in the balance.

Today is the day of Jesus’ betrayal. He is deliberately exposed to harm through a trusted friend’s actions. There is perhaps no more bitter a pill to swallow than a friend’s disloyalty. Our safe space is destroyed and we must face unexpected consequences. 

The word ‘authority’ raises the issue of permission. Buried within it is the word ‘author’, the one who creates the narrative. In our democratic societies we have become accustomed to looking to the people to permission our politicians through an election. Yet, who gives Jesus His permission to make the promises He does?

This is an interesting story in the Scripture. Some assume Jesus was angry, yet the Bible never says that He was. But why does he feel the necessity to overturn tables and expel the money changers? The issue is most likely that Jewish coins were mixed with the Roman coins. The latter bore the image of Caesar, and Jesus made a clear distinction about giving to Caesar, or the world system, what it i...

Today we begin our walk with Jesus towards His crucifixion. Following his triumphal entry into the city, whose name means ‘foundation of peace’, Jesus laments the upcoming rebellion of the city and its people. Only faith in Christ can bring true peace; in rejecting Jesus we create conflict and chaos.

Today is Palm Sunday. It marks the start of Jesus’ journey to the Cross. Exuberant celebrations greet His arrival into Jerusalem only to give way to angry demands for his execution. So often the distance between exultation and despair is wafer thin.

Whilst we may not be familiar with using a traditional shield to ward off fiery arrows, we’ve become used to the concept of shielding ourselves. Covid-19 introduced the language and my wife was told to ‘shield’ herself due to underlying health conditions.

The best shoes offer comfort and protection, something that can prove hard to find. I like walking boots as I know they’ll tackle any terrain. And there’s one brand that’s exceptionally comfortable. Warfare by its very nature is fuelled by violence. It quickly escalates disagreement and before we know it, despite our best efforts, the core issue is lost and replaced. My desire is now to obliterate...

The greatest challenge in my Christian life are the three words, ‘Stand your ground’. Both in keeping my faith among my peers and acting with integrity, I confess to having lost ground to the devil more times than I like to admit. Often it’s simply a nudge in the wrong direction. Suddenly I’m sliding down a bank of my own confusion ending up in a heap of humiliation. Of course I can climb back. Bu...

It’s essential that when we get dressed for a job we put on all that we need to protect ourselves. When I first ventured into using a chainsaw I discovered that cut resistant trousers, a helmet, visor, boots and cut resistant gloves were recommended. Chainsaws have a habit of kicking back and injuring the user if they hit a knot in the branch.

Armour appears an antiquated word. We think of medieval knights riding to war, on horseback. In reality the word is still current as in the body armour police wear, offering them protection against assault. Paul invites us to take our discipleship seriously. The devil has one purpose which is to destabilise and misdirect us from our chosen goal: to follow Jesus. It’s the reason we are so easily di...

In our technological age of reason, such verses can strike a discordant note. Am I expected to believe in a world beyond the one I experience with my mind? My answer is a definite yes.

The final words of the psalm repeat its opening. The key difference is that we have discovered more of God and ourselves through its verses. We no longer simply look to the wonder of our natural world to catch a glimpse of God.

Many anguish over global imbalances. For some the inequality on our planet and in our society provides enough evidence to reject God. Yet, God has entrusted the world to our care. In other words I live in a society that is the product of human effort. Where there’s injustice it’s a product of human decision making. We’re asked to accept responsibility for the state of the world we live in.

Maslow, in his hierarchy of needs, places care as priorities 1–3. They include our physiological and safety needs along with our need to be loved. Data detailing peoples’ greatest fears highlight an inability to purchase food or provide a home, followed by a need for active relationships.

God’s concerned for the entire human race. Yet, remarkably, each of us can know and enjoy personal friendship with God. Only God has this capacity to include everyone and be intimately involved with each of us.

It was the cries of the infant Moses floating in a reed basket that won Pharaoh’s daughter’s heart. She didn’t realise this helpless baby would indeed silence the might of Egypt. Similarly, Jesus was dismissed with Nathaniel’s declaration, ‘Can anything good come from Nazareth?’* Then he became Jesus’ disciple. Never judge a book by its cover.

I note the word ‘glory’ is of uncertain origin. This is fitting for something that lies beyond our reach and comprehension as the heavens themselves. Glory indicates honour, splendour and fame. All of which are due to God. Yet, we discover God is never one to pursue self promotion. God’s promises are revealed through the pages of Scripture, and ultimately in Jesus.

The name of God is majestic; both beautiful and powerful. It commands our admiration, and while this is easily said, it’s not always evident in our lived experience. God’s majesty must be found. No wonder the Magi chose an arduous journey in search of the promised Messiah, the majesty of God. It’s only by panning through much river dirt that one can find a gold nugget.

Living with the consequences of poor decisions can prove challenging. Yet it requires the same mindset that we need for every one of life’s eventualities: looking at my situation from God’s perspective rather than my own.

Our popular image of right and wrong leads us to imagine right being rewarded and wrong punished. Yet, God doesn’t operate on this polarity. Certainly there are consequences from bad decisions, yet these are less a punishment than a simple reality. King David’s poor decision making had dire consequences, yet God still loved and blessed him with the title, a man after God’s own heart.

Within life there is a source of perpetual hope. While life is contested in so many ways, life is itself irrepressible. The circle of birth, life and death endlessly repeats providing chapter upon chapter of the invincible nature of the human spirit.