Fast

In 2014 I am going to learn to fast. Well, I hope to learn a bit more about fasting...
The Prophet Isaiah writes about true fasting:

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
    Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

    and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 
For day after day they seek me out;
    they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
    and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
    and seem eager for God to come near them. 
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
    ‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
    and you have not noticed?’

“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
    and exploit all your workers. 
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
    and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
    and expect your voice to be heard on high. 
Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
    only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
    and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
    a day acceptable to the Lord? 

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke? 
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. 
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,

    and your night will become like the noonday. 
The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail. 
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
    Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. 

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
    and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
    and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
    and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, 
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.*

So I'm not going to give up eating. Maybe I'll have a day or two of that, but instead will just try and keep the Sabbath. In January I'm going to fast from facebook, and in February I'm planning to fast from meat. Throughout the year I'm cutting back from mindless TV, so only the news or movies or a set program (extra hours on weekends :p) And hopefully this will mean, no technology after 10 pm and more time focusing on God and others! :D

Jesus was asked by John the Baptist's disciples why his disciples didn't fast. Jesus replied, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast."**

Jesus, our Bridegroom, hasn't returned yet. Let us watch and be prepared for a long wait. I think fasting is a good discipline to have an understanding of, and exercise in this period; especially the fasting that seeks justice, freedom, welfare, peace and healing.

*Isaiah 58
**Mark 2:19-20

december 27: quiet

Go to a quiet place, and pray. In the last few days I have been enjoying the lull of this time of year, for me anyway. There is pause, maybe I should call it a calm before a storm. Nevertheless, I have had the chance to read a bit, watch a few movies, relax, do craft, eat food, listen to music all in beautiful stillness and calm. Few people have disturbed it. Doing nothing isn't bad or wrong, even if I do feel that I have been a bit lazy. Truth is, I am trying to come away by myself and get some rest, and despite it being interrupted at times, sometimes with pleasant things, other times very unexpected things, I am also aiming to get away from the crowds so I can be closer to God, more focused on God, listen to Him, pray to him. 
Listen to Jesus and see him at work. He seeks quiet and yet when it is disturbed does the task at hand lovingly and then finds what he needs....

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”

But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”

They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”

 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.*

*Mark 6:30-46

December 26: after

Another pet hate of mine about Christmas timing, is the amount of places where the shepherds and the wise men are at the stable together! I'm pretty sure the shepherds came pretty much the same night as Jesus was born... Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:11) 

But the wise men, well I'm more inclined to think that the star they were following appeared around the same time Jesus did, and the journey took a bit longer as they were traveling from the east. And Herod wanted to know how long the star had been around, as a way to guess how old this new King of the Jews might already be. Maybe Jesus was already smiling, or sitting up, or crawling, or even saying his first words by the time the Magi (wise men) arrived!??

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.*

*Matthew 2:1-12

December 25: Simeon's watchful patience

Waiting and watching for a promise to be fulfilled. Trusting that it's going to happen. Believing that it is worth being alive for. 

Simeon seems to me to have such hopeful faith that God will provide the "consolation of Isreal" who will be "a light for revelation to the Gentiles". And then, when he has seen Jesus, even as a little baby, he is satisfied and tells God "you may now dismiss your servent in peace"!! How crazy! What person would say that about seeing a baby!? What baby could bring someone to say such a thing? I'm sure Jesus' parents wondered there things!

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord  (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.  Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”*

*Luke 2:22-35

December 24: while they were there

A pet hate of mine at the moment is how often we trivialise and make fluffy poetry of history, especially concerning the birth of Jesus. 

Like, did Mary go into labor the moment she saw Bethlehem? 

Were all the people there truly so horrible that they turned out a woman about the have a baby? 

Maybe they stayed with some extended family from Joseph and slept in the main house, rather than the granny flat out the back that was full of other visiting relatives? 

And maybe the animals were kept indoors at night to protect them from wild animals or the cold? So the manger was actually a safe and warm place to keep a baby?

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. ....On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.*

*Luke 2:1-7.21

December 23: word became flesh

I am drawn to keep wondering about the Word that became flesh so that we could know God! (in bold are the bits I enjoy and am in awe of at the moment)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.*

*John 1:1-18

December 22: he has come

Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist, he was filled with great joy when his son was finally born and his voice was restored to him...

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

    in the house of his servant David 
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 
salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us— to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,     
the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear     
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
    through the forgiveness of their sins, 
because of the tender mercy of our God,
    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 
to shine on those living in darkness
    and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”*

*Luke 1:67-79

December 21: rest

I enjoy talking to God before you go to bed. I love to write Him letters, recorded in many a journal through out the years. Here's a prayer for the evening. "For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David." (I've highlighted the bit's that struck me today)

Answer me when I call to you,

    my righteous God.Give me relief from my distress;    have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

How long will you people turn my glory into shame?

    How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?

Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him. 

Tremble and do not sin;

    when you are on your beds,

    search your hearts and be silent.

Offer the sacrifices of the righteous

    and trust in the Lord. 

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
    Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy
    when their grain and new wine abound. 

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
    for you alone, Lord,
    make me dwell in safety.*

*Psalm 4

December 20: virgin birth

In bold are the bits that remind me just how much thought God puts into the story of life!

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”

Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 

He will be eating curds and honey 

when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 

for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 

the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.*

*Isaiah 7:10-16

December 19: praise

In bold are the bits that encourage me to keep praising the Lord and God of my life.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, 

whose hope is in the Lord their God. 

He is the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

he remains faithful forever.

He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets prisoners free,

the Lord gives sight to the blind,

the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,

the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the foreigner

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.*

*Psalm 146:5-10

December 18: be strong

In bold are the bits that I am constantly in awe of. God gives us gifts so that we can defend ourselves, he doesn't leave us alone in the cold and dark.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, 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 6:10-20

december 17: egypt

In bold are the bits that I am thinking about at the moment.

When [the wise men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, 

weeping and great mourning, 

Rachel weeping for her children 

and refusing to be comforted, 

because they are no more.”

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.*

*Matthew 2:13-21

December 16: chocolate

Kind words are like honey—

    sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.*

Dark Chocolate is my favourite kind, because it's so rich I can't eat it in large quantities. It's sweet but also slightly bitter, which I like. Too much chocolate isn't good, and I understand that each of us will have a different understanding of what that looks like. For me, chocolate can be around for months without being considered and then in a week I'll have 2 whole bars! :o
It is a nice luxury, sweet like honey? But not that amazing (debatable I guess) as to how healthy it is for the body and sweet to the soul. Christmas (and Easter) I find there is a LOT of chocolate around. It kinds of distracts from the true sweetness of the words which are the foundation of the celebrations. The sweet kind words of God's love. 

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,    make straight paths for him.’”

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with[c] the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”**

*Proverbs 16:24
**Matthew 3:1-12

December 14: pregnant pause

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.*

For about 400 years God was silent. The prophets had stopped warning, had stopped sharing God's promised restoration.

I'm sorry for blanking out for the last week! I have been away on a conference (which was awesome!) and then have been busy with pre-Christmas stuff. Nevertheless (for the week that I have missed) I'll share some great passages linked to the remembrance of Christ coming to earth and longing for his return.

When we wait for things we start to wondered what has happened, did we mis-hear what was happening, have we been looking in the wrong place, are they just delayed, what have we don't wrong, have we scared them off, have they decided not to come after all... The people back 2000 years ago in Israel were waiting for the Messiah, Roman rule wasn't that much fun and they longed for freedom. They looked for a warrior, for a king... someone to set them free -literally- from the situation they were in. Why didn't God give them exactly what they were looking for? Why would the Bible tell a story which doesn't fit what we would initially assume to be the promised King? How does Jesus fit into the Old Testament? Is He the fulfillment of many promises, or have Christians got it all wrong?

I'm learning that waiting is actually really healthy sometimes. Not answering a questions straight away means we have to really think about it all and wonder and wrestle. I don't have all the answers, I have part answers. I am happy to share them, but I also think I should be leaving more things open, asking more questions. How often do we hear kids ask questions, isn't it sad that we are trained to stop asking questions.
How does hail have the time to form before it falls? Why did God make humidity!? How are we supposed to say the "right thing" all the time? Why can't we talk honestly and bluntly with people?

Anyway, it might have taken a while, but in the end God did provide, he gave the world His Son. He loves the world, and although he might have left us hanging, waiting with all these questions and no immediate answers, the eventual answer was awesome! It IS awesome! There was, if I might use this phrasing, a pregnant pause in God's timing, which ended in a pregnant village virgin woman, in the baby Jesus.

*John 3:16

December 15: defend

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!*

There is so much pain and destruction in this world! So many tragedies; some man-made, some natural, some both! So many people with curable diseases, so many struggling to achieved the bare necessities. I find it really overwhelming. There is comfort though in the Bible, because there I read of a God who cares, provides, restores, delivers, protects...

For he delivers the needy when he calls,

the poor and him who has no helper.

13 

He has pity on the weak and the needy,

and saves the lives of the needy.

14 

From oppression and violence he redeems their life,

and precious is their blood in his sight.**

God values and loves the needy, the poor, the weak! 

"May his name endure forever,

his fame continue as long as the sun!

May people be blessed in him,

all nations call him blessed!***

*Psalm 72:4
**Psalm 72:12-14
***Psalm 72:17

December 13: father's house

As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”*

When you were a child did you ever wonder off from your parents? What were the rules for when you found yourself in that situation? I remember being told to stay where I was. In some situations I was advised to retrace my steps, this was more of a lesson as I got older and gave me more independence and responsibility for myself. So I learnt when I was going to new places to glance back and see things from a different perspective so on the return journey I'd know where to go. This is a skill I still use today! Then again, I was never one to rush away from my parents or lag behind, the more common situation would have me rushing ahead of the family assuming that I knew the way and could lead everyone. I have -I admit!- taken wrong turns and then wondered by no one was following anymore! But waiting for them to catch up eventually meant waiting for them to realise I was lost, and thankfully my dad figured it out and found me!

Where can we go to ask questions and learn and discuss? I love being at uni for the environment of open searching and honest discussion, the freedom to make claims and seek answers, the time to read and speculate with people. The freedom to wrestle with complex ideas or controversial topics. But I also really enjoy asking questions and discussion things over meals with people. Earlier this year I was in England and I visited for a week a place called L'Abri, it is a manor house in the country side and there they host travelers who are seeking a refuge to explore the claims of the Bible. It was a really welcoming and honest place, amazingly interesting and helpful, and not at all threatening! Anyway, my favourite time of the day was lunch time because there we would eat in groups of about 8 and for the entire meal talk about one topic; at the beginning of the meal the facilitator would ask if anyone had a question or issue they wanted to discuss. Someone would pose their idea and the conversation would launch. Only one person spoke at a time and everyone listened to each others views, there didn't need to be a solution or solid answer at the end of the meal. It was great!

Anyway, when Jesus was twelve, he and his family went to another city to celebrate a festival. As the whole community was probably very close and all traveling together it's not from parental neglect that Jesus wasn't discovered on the return journey to be lost for a whole day. They must have assumed that he was with one of their friends or relatives, probably playing with their kids or something. But he wasn't!

"After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” 

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them."**

All I want to say is, please feel free to visit a church, to see the great beauty of the architecture (some of my favourites in Syndey include St Mary's and St Andrew's Cathederal.) Enjoy the peace and reflective silence. Not only that, seek out friends or preachers/pastors/ministers who you can listen to and ask questions of. if the first person you find and ask isn't right for you, that's ok, don't give up. There will be people out there who will happily talk, listen, answer, explore with you. Be like the young Jesus and seek out those places, even if it's out of your comfort zone or people will be confused as to why you are there!

If we talk and discuss things, Jesus is bound to turn up on one way or another and ask what we are searching for, or give us more thought-provoking questions to discuss. Questions shouldn't be threatening, but rather truth seeking.

*Luke 24:15-17

**Luke 4:46-50

December 12: invisible

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”*

Science can't measure God. It can't put Him into a test tube or under a microscope. It can't measure His strength or mercy, it can't calculate his size, it can't locate heaven. God is the Author of Life, the Creator of the Universe, Maker of Heaven and Earth. We can look at His creation and learn about His character, and we can get to know him in person through his son, but we can't find him through scientific experimentation.

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"My God's not dead

He's surely alive

He's living on the inside

Roaring like a lion"

Just because God is 'living on the inside' and not able to be discovered and tested like the created world doesn't mean he's dead or imaginary! Why does everything have to be like us? Why do we have to put things in boxes and categorise and fully understand things?

The invisible God chose to reveal himself, and of all the ways he could have done that He chose to become a person! So that people could relate to him, understand him, recognise him, learn from him, imitate him. Back in the days of King Herod and the Roman Empire, you could have gone to Galilee and found him; Jesus of Nazareth. Now we have the Holy Spirit helping us to recognise the man who is God. We find Him in the Bible.

"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”***

The challenge is to learn to recognise the voice of God, the sound of Jesus, the tone of the Spirit. I want to follow the true Good Shepherd, who leads his sheep. I want to listen to his voice alone and never follow a strangers voice. I can't do that if I am not familiar to God's voice. How can we tell what is truth and what is a part truth, or an outright lie? Usually we have to see what the character of the person is, are they reliable, are they following through on what they say?

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”***

Jesus lay down glory to be a man, and he laid down his life freely for us! And he also took up life again, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in glory. If we convince ourselves that God is dead, that he is unreliable and cruel, then we can't learn to recognise his voice. I firmly believe Jesus is the Truth, but I am still learning to recognise and respond faithfully to it. He speaks, and is active today "on the inside".

*John 4:24
**Newsboys -"God's not dead" from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_OTz-lpDjw
***John 10:1-5, 14-18