Renew Your Mind

God's grace is so great that He can allow us to be ourselves- in fact, He made us all different so maybe He actually delights that we respond to Him in different ways! Some of us find it easy to obey Him, while others struggle. Some of us are in a season of walking closely with Him, listening out for His voice and experiencing real joy from obedience- and others feel dry, far away from God and full of doubt and questions. Paul was certainly far from walking in God's ways- even though he thought he was acting with obedience. A clue to the fact that his obedience was misplaced was in the fact that it did not bring him joy or peace. He describes his behaviour in Acts 26 like this: Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.                               ...

Have you ever wondered why God took the risk of entrusting the birth of His son to a young unmarried Hebrew girl? What would have happened to Christmas if Mary had said no to the angel Gabriel? Did God have a Plan B?   ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.'                                                                             Luke 1:38 Painters, song-writers and poets have tried to imagine what Mary was thinking. Here's one of the most recent versions- Dai Woolridge and his wife Cath re-imagining Mary's song for The Bible Society Mary's Song- Spoken Truth When God called to Mary, her response was 'Yes'. Paul's story, too, hinged on another response to God's call made out of obedience and trust that God knows what He is doing, even if the ca...

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace that you have been saved.                                                                       (Ephesians 2: 4,5) The Bible tells us stories of all sorts of people being called by God. Some have been waiting, praying and seeking Him, like Simeon and Anna who would go to the temple every day, expectant that they would hear God's voice. When a young couple came to bring their child for purification, what made them recognize that this child was special, that this was the One they had been waiting for? Surely it was because they were so close to God, so tuned in to how he was working, so used to hearing His voice. Then there were others, like Paul, who had to be shouted at ...

The stories of Christmas tell of God's call. Ordinary people are called to do extraordinary things- perhaps none more so than the teenage Mary, visited by an angel. The early chapters of Luke's gospel shimmer with angels- speaking to Zechariah in the temple, announcing the birth of Jesus to Mary and filling the skies above the Bethlehem shepherds. Unmistakeable signs that God was at work in His world, speaking to his faithful people. Calling them to lift their eyes from their everyday tasks, from their plans and their purpose, from what disappointed them and what they thought would get them through the next day, to a bigger vision of what life could be. Simeon says 'For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all the nations: a light for the revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.'                                        ...

People of God: be glad! Your God delights in you, giving you joy for sadness and turning the dark to light. Be strong in hope therefore; for your God comes to save. You are God’s children. Lord, make us one in the love of Christ today and for ever. Amen. ( Advent resources ) The Church of England's prayer for the second Sunday of Advent could be Paul's prayer, as he looks back over his experience of transformation. The light that shone on the Damascus road showed him that his zealous pursuit of righteousness had in fact blinded him to the startling truth that God was offering not a reward, but grace! Our God delights in us, and has come to save us in the person of Jesus. Paul's darkness turns to light as he learns that this Jesus is God's anointed one, and our hope is not based on our background, our education or our behaviour but God's love for us. Therefore, since we have been justified   t...