Harmony of Grace

Psalm 22:23-31 Today's Psalm is a reminder that all of creation worships God. We have the option to join in with the worship or to fight against the natural order and try to go our own way. Which option will you choose? You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honour him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you, I will fulfil my vows. The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— thos...

Romans 4:13-25 Today we carry on with our reflections on Abrahams story.  Many believe that Abraham was called and sent by God because he was such a good person. The apostle Paul reminds us, in his letter to the Roman church, that Abraham was seen as righteous because of his faith, not because of his actions. Paul goes on to remind us that Abraham's faith was not only accredited as righteousness to him personally, but to his descendants as well. Isn't it incredible how one person's faith can have such a tangible, lasting impact on generations of people to follow? Abraham's faith is praised because he "gave glory to God, even in the midst of doubt and unbelief" (verse 20). We are going to struggle with doubts and unbelief in our life, but to have faith like Abraham means continuing to trust in God and "being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what God has promised" (verse 22). If we have faith in God in this way, then even when we fail to li...

Genesis 17:1-7 Abraham was 99 years old when God called him and made a covenant with him. It is true that Abraham lived for longer than the average human today, but even he thought that he was too old to be of any use as a servant of God at his age. I think that too often we let age define what we are able to do, especially when it comes to God's work in the world. We constantly hear people say, "I missed my opportunity to get involved in that ministry," or "I wish I had signed up earlier in my life so that I could have made a greater impact here." It is never too late to answer God's call on your life.  Even if you are only able to contribute to a certain calling for a few months or years, the influence that you make could have a lasting impact for many future generations.  Abraham's main contribution to the story of God's people was that he was a pioneer for generations to come. Even though he doubted his ability, he was faithful to God's call ...

Mark 9:2-9 There are certain times during our lives where we feel closer to God. Perhaps it is during certain seasons such as Christmas, Easter or even Lent. Perhaps it is at a certain time of the day, when we set time aside to pray or read our bibles. It is great to have these special moments in our lives when we feel closer to God but unfortunately, we cannot stay there forever. In our reading this morning, while on the mountain and overwhelmed by the experience of Jesus’ transfiguration, Peter wants to set up tents to prolong the experience that he was having. Peter was perhaps the first of many to try and make this sacred experience more permanent. As much as we would like to, no-one gets to stay on the mountain forever. All of us that meet with God in special moments have to eventually return to the real world. Often, the real world is not a nice place to be. There is much pain, heartbreak and evil waiting for us at the bottom of the mountain. The good news of the Gospel story is ...

Mark 9:1 Jesus often spoke about the Kingdom of God. While I still believe that this phrase is a beautiful phrase to describe God's reign on earth, it can sometimes get lost in translation. We need to remember that when Jesus termed this phrase, he was addressing a very different context to what we live in today. The people of Jesus' time were living under the rule of the mighty Roman Empire. They were very familiar with what a Kingdom looked like and what values were important to a worldly kingdom. Therefore, when Jesus spoke about this new Kingdom of love, joy, peace and hope, the people would have immediately noticed the stark differences between the Kingdom of the world and the Kingdom of God. So this got me thinking... If Jesus was born into humanity today, what phrase would he use to describe the Kingdom of God  so that today's generation would better understand what he was talking about? Maybe, because of our fascination with consumerism and always wanting more, he w...

Mark 8:34-38 In our reading today, Jesus describes what it takes to follow him. In this passage, he presents one of the greatest challenges to people who claim to follow Jesus: "What good is it to gain the whole world, yet lose their soul?" (verse 36). This is a catchy line that has made it into many songs in recent history (my favourite being  Lose My Soul  by Toby Mac), but we need to be careful that our familiarity with a verse does not make us forget its meaning. While perhaps being at risk of generalising, I believe that there is a direct correlation between someone's wealth and how difficult it is to truly follow Jesus. The more wealth and possessions that someone has, the harder it is to be a true disciple of Christ.  The wealthiest nation in the world is the USA. The current population of Americans that does not identify with any religious affiliation is 28%. In South Africa, a much poorer nation, this figure is 5.2%. I think that the reason for this is because th...

Mark 8:31-33 One of the most common misconceptions about Christianity is that a Christian's life will be easy. Many people who come to faith in Christ are shocked when their life is not suddenly easier than it was before. Jesus himself spoke about experiencing suffering and his disciples did not like it. When Jesus told them that he would suffer many things and that he would be rejected and eventually killed, Peter took him aside and rebuked him. Jesus replies with possibly one of the greatest lines in all of Scripture: "Get behind me, Satan!" Obviously, Jesus did not think that Peter was literally the prince of darkness, but Jesus' response shows us that Peter did not understand the ways of God. This misconception about a Christians life becoming easier goes further in that many people claim that Christians should always put on a brave face and constantly be happy, no matter what is going on in their lives. This false belief that a Christian should always be happy is...

Psalm 25:1-10 Every Sunday of our Lenten season, I will post the Psalm reading of the week for us to reflect on in our own way. Today's Psalm is a beautiful poem about trusting that God's good and faithful ways will prevail over darkness. It is a powerful reminder for us during these trying times. In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teach...

Genesis 9:8-12 One of the biggest problems with modern evangelical Christianity is the focus on individualism. Salvation has become a personal experience; repentance is between an individual and God; we talk about defending me and my people; our worship songs sing about my  God and what God can do for me personally. Even when we talk about the great biblical stories like Noah's ark, we forget that Noah wasn't the only person that God spared and made a covenant with. Today's reading reminds us that God's love and care is for all of God's creation.  When God creates a covenant with Noah after the great flood, he makes it "with Noah and every living creature with Noah, a covenant for all generations to come" (v. 12). It then goes on to say that the rainbow in the sky is "a sign of the covenant between God and the earth" (v. 13). These are very important points to take note of because they remind us that God's covenant is not only with all of Noa...

 Mark 1:9-11 1 Peter 3:18-22 Just before Jesus retreated into the wilderness, he was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Peter compares this event to God's cleansing of humanity in the story of Noah that we looked at yesterday. While only eight people were saved in the ark during the great flood, God's offer of salvation through Jesus' life, death and resurrection is for all of humanity. The act of baptism symbolises the cleansing that takes place when we become children of God. As Peter notes, it is not a removal of dirt from the body, but the removal of our sins and transgressions against God. Peter also reminds us that it is not because of any doing of our own that we are saved. We are saved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we reflect on this story of Jesus' baptism, may we be reminded of our own baptism.  Being baptised with water is a sign that we have been made clean in Christ. All of our sins have been forgiven and we have been made new. It i...

Genesis 9:12-17 The beautiful image of the rainbow may seem like a strange symbol to reflect on during the often solemn, penitent season of Lent. But there is a profound joy and hope that we can experience as we partake in the season of Lent. In the story of Noah, after the great flood ravaged the Earth, God provided a sign of hope for future generations of God's followers. The image of the rainbow is an important reminder that even during times of turmoil and despair, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is a sign of God's steadfast love which promises not destruction, but hope and reconstruction. The story of the flood and the rainbow also reminds us that God invites us to partner with God and be agents of transformation in our world. As we rejoice in the rainbow, perhaps we can also be reminded to paint our own rainbows in the world. Against all the evil you see in the world, against all the injustice and corruption you observe in our nation, dare to paint a rainbow...

Mark 1:12-15 Lent is a season in the Christian Church where we relate to Jesus' time spent in the wilderness. After Jesus was baptised, he went out into the wilderness for 40 days. Here, he resisted temptations from Satan and prepared himself for his coming ministry to the world. Lent is a 40-day season that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Palm Sunday. In many church traditions, Christians will use the period of Lent as an opportunity to "give up" certain delicacies (such as eating particular foods or watching TV) as an act of fasting.  Fasting helps us draw nearer to God. As we crave that which we have given up, we are reminded of Christ's temptations in the wilderness and we are invited into a moment of prayer and sacrifice to God. Sometimes during Lent, instead of giving something up for 40 days, I like to commit to taking up a "good deed" during this time. This could be reading a few chapters of my Bible every day, handing sandwiches out to those in ...