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God
Praying With The Prayers Of The Bible – the prayer of National Confession SERMON NOTEBOOK: ‘People Like Us’ - The Centurion Discipleship: being the Body of Christ in the world I Am the Great Sun QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Marriage – what’s all this about submission? God said, No The Bible in 50 words Can you find 30 books of the Bible hidden in this passage? Customer Services
Praying With The Prayers Of The Bible
The Prayer of National Confession: Daniel 9:5, ‘We have sinned and done wrong … turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.’
In this chapter the prophet Daniel, an exile in Babylon, prays one of the Bible’s truly great prayers of national repentance. Knowing that Judah and Jerusalem had fallen to the enemy and that seventy years of exile lay ahead (v.2), Daniel set himself to seek God on behalf of his own people. With fasting and sackcloth and ashes (v.3) he turned to God in fervent prayer. Our nation, wherever we live, is in need of intercessors like Daniel. His praying has much to teach us.
For Daniel, prayer was a daily habit. Earlier, in chapter six, we read the well-known story of how he was thrown into the lions’ den. This happened because nothing could stop him having his daily devotions! When King Darius decreed that no one in the land should pray to any god except him for 30 days, Daniel ignored the order. As he had always done, he opened his window facing Jerusalem and prayed three times ever day. For this disobedience he was sent to the lions den. So here in chapter 9 the great prayer of national intercession is prayed by a man whose prayer life is sustained by daily devotion.
We also see that Daniel knew the character of his God. He is great and awesome, keeping covenant and steadfast love (v.4). To him belongs righteousness, mercy and forgiveness (vv.7, 9); He confirms his word (v.12) and He is the Lord who brought his people out of Egyptian slavery (v.15). Across the years, even in exile, Daniel’s consistent prayer life has revealed to him Who God is. With this confession of his glory and majesty and power is the glad acknowledgement of a personal God. Note ‘the Lord my God’ (v.4); five times ‘the Lord our God’ (vv. 9, 10, 13, 14, 15,); ‘my God’ (v.19).
Daniel’s knowledge of the one, true God is matched by his love of God’s people, his own nation. He identifies himself with his people, facing national judgement because they have forsaken the Lord. ‘We have sinned and done wrong’ (v.5). ‘We have not listened to Thy servants the prophets’ (v.6). ‘To us, O Lord, belongs confusion of face’ (v.8). ‘We do not present our supplications before Thee on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of Thy great mercy’ (v.18). Daniel makes himself confessor and spokesman and intercessor for his whole nation.
It is not surprising that this great prayer of intercession, grounding its confidence in God, received a speedy answer. Even while Daniel prayed, the angel Gabriel was sent to him with a message from God (vv.20-23). What an encouragement for all of us to become intercessors for the nation!
The Revd Dr Herbert McGonigle, Senior Lecturer in Historical Theology & Church History, Nazarene Theological College, Manchester
SERMON NOTEBOOK: ‘People Like Us’
Centurion: Matthew 8: 5-13
In the gospels we often find Jesus doing and saying things that surprise people. However, in this story of the Roman centurion, Jesus himself is surprised by the man’s faith! It wasn’t an abstract belief in God, but a simple confidence that if Jesus commands something, it will be done. How does this challenge our own faith?
The Centurion Although Jesus’ ministry concentrated on the Jews, here he is reaching out to a Gentile army officer. The centurion understood the nature of authority, as he himself received orders from a commander, and was responsible soldiers in his charge. He recognised in Jesus somebody who had authority over sickness and health. When we have a problem who do we turn to first?
The Centurion’s Request The centurion asked Jesus to ‘say the word’ (8) and heal his servant, for he was confident that Jesus could answer his request. In our own prayers, this encourages us to have no hesitation in our asking. Clearly God’s answer can be ‘no’, however he will always answer in that way that is right for us. What does this say about the way we pray?
Jesus’ Response Jesus is astonished by the centurion’s faith. Despite his lack of religious background, the man had grasped the truth that God was personally present and active in Jesus. Therefore, he is a model for all who come to faith from outside the Jewish race to share the blessings of healing and salvation. In what ways can we help our friends discover the truth of Jesus?
‘I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith’ (10). Here is real encouragement for those who have never seen Jesus, but trust his word and know his power in their lives.
Discipleship: being the Body of Christ in the world
Earlier this year we saw that discipleship means the church in action, spread throughout the community. And it also means becoming more Christ-like.
We aren’t going to do this overnight, or in one easy course of study. Discipleship means being prepared to act, to study, to understand what we are doing, and to reflect on it in the light of faith.
South African Christians have seen that we have to identify actions that express our faith in a God who cares deeply about the world He created. Study may deepen our understanding of human need and how we live out our lives in community. And reflection will be upon our faith as it speaks to us in the midst of this experience.
Being the body of Christ in the world means not only telling the world about him, but discovering what He is already doing there, and what He invites us to join in. After the resurrection, the disciples were told to look for Christ in Galilee. And Galilee was the ordinary everyday world of their lives.
This is a process sometimes called ‘doing theology’ and it means putting our understanding of God and his purposes right at the centre of our life and activity. So theology is not academic or theoretical; it is about the way we are and how we live as women and men, baptised into Christ.
In his book ‘To Love and Serve’ Jonathan Draper uses 1 Corinthians 12: 12-27 to remind us that a properly functioning body takes seriously all its many parts. And for him too, being the body of Christ in the world is a process of action and reflection. But we are grateful also to Leon Spencer, Dean of the North Carolina Diocesan School of Ministry, for sharing the South African view of it.
June is the time of the midnight sun – the Summer Solstice! It reminded us of this…
I Am the Great Sun (from a Norman crucifix of 1632)
I am the great sun, but you do not see me. I am your husband, but you turn away. I am the captive, but you do not free me, I am the captain you will not obey.
I am the truth, but you will not believe me. I am the city where you will not stay, I am your wife, your child, but you will leave me, I am that God to whom you will not pray.
I am your counsel, but you do not hear me. I am the lover whom you will betray. I am the victor, but you do not cheer me. I am the holy dove whom you will slay.
I am your life, but if you will not name me, Seal up your soul with tears, and never blame me.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Marriage – what’s all this about submission?
Q: I find words like ‘submission’ and ‘obey’ very unattractive, in the context of Christian marriage. Surely we’ve moved on from that?
A: It depends if we are culturally conditioned, rather than biblically taught! A key passage is Ephesians 5:21-33. In verse 33 the apostle Paul goes back to the creation principle that lies behind marriage – as Jesus did.
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
Your ‘unattractive’ comment in reality derives from the damage done to marriage as a result of our human fall. Genesis 3:16 sums it up: ‘To the woman (the Lord God) said: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”’
Here, desire is not to be seen as an attractive quality. It is the same word as that used in Genesis 4:7 where sin ‘desires’ to master Cain, in his murder of Abel. An ugly pattern in marriage, resulting from the Fall, is that of conflict – the wife with ‘desires’ of mastery over her husband, and the husband pursuing ‘rule’ over his wife. The loving, mutually submissive relationship thus degenerates into one of attempted mutual domination. That’s where marriage tends to go if we leave it outside the redeeming power of God’s good news in Christ.
This, says the New Testament, can be reversed. Wives are to submit to their husbands ‘as to the Lord’ (Ephesians 5:22), and husbands are to love their wives ‘just as Christ loved the church’ (v.25). Here is a mutual putting of the other first. ‘Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ’ (v.21). It means:
Wives submitting and not mastering Husbands loving and not ruling
In both cases this is patterned after Christ and the relationship He has with his church. The wife submits to her husband, as head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the Church. Christians do not have a problem with submitting to Christ as our Head – because as Saviour He has loved us enough to die for us. And husbands should not have a difficulty over doing everything for the benefit of their wives, if they are patterning themselves after Christ who died for the Church. To die for their wives? Yes, if necessary – but at the very least giving themselves in everyday living. The designed result is a ‘radiant’ wife…who radiates fulfilment.
It isn’t just Paul. ‘Wives,’ writes Peter, ‘in the same way be submissive to your husbands’ (1 Peter 3:1). In the same way? Peter is referring back to the example of Christ’s submission at the Cross, ‘entrusting himself to him who judges justly’. We can certainly say that there was no weakness in Christ’s submission to his enemies, and no inferiority. And there was no inequality, in submitting his will to that of the Father. Christ’s was a submission of great strength – and so, therefore, is the woman’s in marriage at its best.
From ‘The Top 100 Questions – biblical answers to popular questions’ by Richard Bewes (Christian Focus)
God said, No
I asked God to take away my habit. God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly pursuits and brings you closer me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, No. You must grow on your own; but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me. God said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
The Bible in 50 words
God made Adam bit Noah arked Abraham split Joseph ruled Jacob fooled Bush talked Moses balked Pharaoh plagued People walked Sea divided Tablets guided Promise landed Saul freaked David peaked Prophets warned Jesus born God walked Love talked Anger crucified Hope died Love rose Spirit flamed Word spread God remained. - anon
Can you find 30 books of the Bible hidden in this passage?
This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much that he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his John-boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it, she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column.
Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving that she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the books are not necessarily capitalised. Truthfully from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in these paragraphs. During a recent fundraising event, which features this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phil-Lemonade booth set a new sales record.
The local paper, the Chronicle, surveyed over 50 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "the books are all right here in plain view, hidden from sight". Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books Timothy and Samuel appear without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mass exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in these paragraphs waiting to be found.
Answers: Books as they appear in the quiz: Amos, Mark, Luke, John, Joel, Judges, Job, Hebrews, Esther, Acts, James, Ruth, Romans, Titus, Matthew, Genesis, Philemon (spelt Phillemon in quiz), Chronicles, Daniel, Nahum, Hosea, Lamentations, Revelation, Timothy, Samuel, Numbers, Malachi, Peter, Exodus, Kings
Quiz originally found in East Leicester Fellowship of URC Churches, June 2004.
Customer Services
Customer Service Rep: Yes caller, how can I help you today?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I’ve decided to install LOVE. Can you guide me through the process?
CS Rep: Yes, I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I’m not very technical, but I think I’m ready to install now. What do I do first?
CS Rep: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART, caller?
Customer: Yes I have, but there are several other programmes running right now. Is it okay to install while they are running?
CS Rep: What programmes are running?
Customer: Let’s see, I have PAST-HURT.EXE, LOW-ESTEEM.EXE, GRUDGE.EXE, and RESENTMENT.COM running right now.
CS Rep: No problem. LOVE will gradually erase PAST-HURT.EXE from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programmes. LOVE will eventually overwrite LOW-ESTEEM.EXE with a module of its own called HIGH-ESTEEM.EXE. However, you have to completely turn off GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM. Those programmes prevent LOVE from being properly installed. Can you turn those off, caller?
Customer: I don’t know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
CS Rep: My pleasure. Go to your Start menu and invoke FORGIVENESS.EXE. Do this as many times as necessary until GRUDGE.EXE and RESENTMENT.COM have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done. LOVE has started installing itself automatically. Is that normal?
CS Rep: Yes. You should receive a message that says it will reinstall for the life of your HEART. Do you see that message?
Customer: Yes I do. Is it completely installed?
CS Rep: Yes, but remember that you have only the base programme. You need to begin connecting to other HEARTS in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops. I have an error message already. What should I do?
CS Rep: What does the message say?
Customer: It says “ERROR 412 - PROGRAMME NOT RUNNING ON INTERNAL COMPONENTS.” What does that mean?
CS Rep: Don’t worry - that’s a common problem. It means that the LOVE programme is set up to run on external HEARTS but has not yet been run on your HEART. It is one of those complicated programming things, but in non-technical terms it means you have to “LOVE” your own machine before it can “LOVE” others.
Customer: So what should I do?
CS Rep: Can you pull down the directory called “SELF-ACCEPTANCE”?
Customer: Yes, I have it.
CS Rep: Excellent. You’re getting good at this.
Customer: Thank you.
CS Rep: You’re welcome. Click on the following files and then copy them to the “MY HEART” directory: FORGIVE-SELF.DOC, REALIZE-WORTH.TXT, and ACKNOWLEDGE-LIMITATIONS.DOC. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching any faulty programming. Also, you need to delete VERBALLY-SELF-CRITIC.EXE from all directories, and then empty your recycle bin afterwards to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My HEART is filling up with new files. SMILE.MPG is playing on my monitor right now and it shows that PEACE.EXE, and CONTENTMENT.COM are copying themselves all over my HEART. Is this normal?
CS Rep: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded at the proper time. So, LOVE is installed and running. You should be able to handle it from here. One more thing before I go . . .
Customer: Yes?
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Customer: I will. Thanks for your help. By the way, what’s your name?
CS Rep: You can call me the Divine Cardiologist, also known as The Great Physician, but most call me God. Most people feel that all they need is an annual check‑up to stay heart-healthy, but the manufacturer (Me) suggests schedule of daily maintenance for maximum efficiency. Put another way - keep in touch.
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