The Micah Challenge
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: For the peace which the world cannot give
Eternal God,
from whom all holy desires,
all good purposes, and all just works proceed:
give to your servants that peace
which the world cannot give,
that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments,
and that free from the fear of our enemies
we may pass our time in trust and quietness;
through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
An Australian Prayer Book, 1978
Read:
Micah 6:6-8. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
6With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
with your God.
(Micah 6:6-8NIV)
Thought for the Day:
This passage is a contender for a summary of the Scriptures. (except that it leaves out the vital motivation that we love because God loves us first.) Why? Because it includes:
1. our attitude to relationships which is justice
2. our attitude to hurt and brokenness which is mercy
3. our attitude to God which is open to learning from God and is also a journey.
Often we read this and heart leaps at one of these three which is our favourite. I wonder which is was for you? But this is not a multichoice question but rather a statement that a balanced life in God’s sight includes all three. Are all three part of your life? Is there one that needs more attention than the others at the moment. Listen to the Spirit right now (humbly).
If you are interested in looking at an Australian Justice organisation based on this Micah challenge go to https://www.micahaustralia.org
Jesus, the Vine
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Sacred secateurs
O sacred secateurs, be quick
cut down the muddle of my ways
then burn the rubble where it lays
the remnants dead, of seasons gone
and growth that branched
too far from home
and when the winter’s worst is past
may buds of hope swell full and keen
upon my limbs of tender green
where once the deadwood
held its sway
may new fruit greet the awakening day
(Jennie Gordon in Dad and Daughter)
Read:
John 15:5-8 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Thought for the day:
Slow your reading and your breathing. If you can, spread your arms out wide. Imagine that your arms are vine branches, winter-dormant. Feel the sap of spring begin to flow, seeping to the very tips of the smallest twigs. Feel the awakening of life and energy. Become aware of the strong and vital trunk to which you are connected. As you breathe in, focus on the strength that comes from your connection to the vine. Breathe out the silent words “Thank you, Jesus”.
Then, as you slowly breathe in and out, dwell on the words of Jesus “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit”.
(Photo by Sophie Backes on Unsplash)
Jesus, the Way
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Loved into being
Loved into being,
hell, fen and field:
loved into being,
ocean flood and fish;
loved into being,
each plant and each tree;
loved into being,
you and me.
(Kate McIlhagga in The Green Heart of the Snowdrop)
Read:
John 14:1-7(NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Thought for the day:
John is writing to early Christians to share his conviction that Jesus is the way to God as Father. When we know Jesus, we know what God is like. Like Thomas we sometimes get confused and think that Jesus is talking about a physical path, a set way, with rules to follow. One of the many delights (and challenges) of Christianity is that there is no set way. Instead, by following Jesus, we grow into a relationship of love with God our Father. Be aware of allowing your day to be shaped and guided by the knowledge that we are “loved into being”. Praise God!
Image: Bibbulmun Track, WA, Wayne McDonald
Jesus, the resurrection & the life
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Signs of Life
Risen Christ,
as ice melts and rivers flow
when spring comes,
breathe your life-giving Spirit
into our frozen hearts.
Set our minds on fire
and our feet running,
to seek and to serve your truth.
Free us from all that captivates us.
Give us a deeper understanding of your truth.
Increase our wisdom.
Remind us that you have written our names
on the palms of your crucified hands
and help us to know that you call us by name.
(Kate McIlhagga in The Green Heart of the Snowdrop)
Read:
John 11:25-27 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
Jesus said to her (Martha), “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Thought for the day:
With Jesus as “the resurrection”, death has no power over us. With Jesus as “the life”, there is nothing in life that we need to face alone in our own power.
Jesus’ resurrection affirms that, in the words of Desmond Tutu,
"Goodness is stronger than evil,
love is stronger than hate,
light is stronger than darkness
life is stronger than death.
Victory is ours, victory is ours,
through him who loved us."
Finish by rereading the prayer.
Image: After the fire, Kinglake, Ros McDonald
Jesus, Good Shepherd
(Devotion compiled by Ros McDonald)
Prayer:
God our Father, we have long known you to be the shepherd of Israel, but in Jesus we know you know us. He has spoken and speaks now through the Spirit words of nourishment and guidance in the Scriptures, and in words of friendship and counsel by his sisters and brothers with us. He has bound us together uniquely to be his family in the world, loving and serving others as he has loved and aided us. Holy and Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ forever.
(Ron Gordon in Dad and Daughter)
Read:
John 10:11-15 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
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.
Thought for the day:
… - will you hear
the shepherd’s voice?
he calls, he cares, enfolds you
in his snares of love
he holds you, like a newborn child
then whispers; ‘this is what I give’
and lays his life down
so that you might live
(Jennie Gordon in Dad and Daughter)
Image: near Sille, Turkey, Ros McDonald
Jesus, gate for the sheep
(Devotion by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Gate for the sheep
Lord Jesus, gate for the sheep,
we thank you for the security we find in you and in you alone.
We ask your forgiveness for those times
when we have hidden away safely behind the walls of the sheep-pen
instead of walking the world in your name.
Lord Jesus, gate for the sheep,
we thank you for the fullness of life that you offer.
Forgive us when we settle for half measures or less,
thinking that eternal life is for the hereafter
rather than here and now.
Lord Jesus, gate for the sheep,
we pray for those who feel that they are not so much living as existing
and for those who feel vulnerable and alone at this time.
May they find the fullness of life and the eternal security that you offer to all.
(VirtualMethodistBlogspot)
Read:
John 10:6-10 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Thought for the day:
Slow down your reading and your breathing. Imagine a gate that separates an enclosed space from an open space. Jesus is standing at the gateway. In the enclosed space you are safe, for Jesus is close. When you are ready, go through the gateway and enjoy the freedom of the open space. Whenever you become unsure or frightened, you can return to the safety of the enclosed space. Know in the depths of your being that Jesus’ invitation is for you to have life and to have it to the full.
Finish by asking Jesus to watch over you this day.
Image: Sheepyard, Turkey, Wayne McDonald
Jesus, Light of the world
(Devotion compiled by Ros McDonald)
Prayer: Light of the World
Light of the World,
you dispel the dark shadows
which we fear in our lives,
and unmask what we conceal
and would rather ignore.
We founder on reefs of our own making
only because we choose not to journey
in the light of your truth.
Light of the World, you reveal new paths to us.
Light of the World, beacon of Calvary,
with burning hearts, we praise you.
(Jeff Shrowder, Scattered Seeds)
Read:
John 1:1-5 (NIV)
Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
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 people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Thought for the day:
Light in darkness is one of the most ancient and profound religious symbols. God as light is one of the most apt metaphors we have (with the added advantage of being non-gender specific). We are bodily creatures, living in this physical world, and we need concrete things like bread and wine, light and water, to remind us of God in all God’s extraordinary depth, beauty and unexpectedness. For Christians, prayer, with or without candles, is a practice grounded in the belief expressed in the prologue to John’s Gospel, ‘the light (of Christ) shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out’.
Sourced from Clare Boyd-Macrae’s blog http://www.clareboyd-macrae.com/
Clare works for the Uniting Church VicTas Synod.
Image: Photographed in Jerusalem by Chirag k on Unsplash
Psalm 15 Living Close to god
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: Prayer after receiving Holy Communion
Grant, O Lord Jesus,
that the ears which have heard the voice of your songs
may be closed to the voice of dispute;
that the eyes which have seen your great love
may also behold your blessed hope;
that the tongues which have sung your praise
may speak the truth in love;
that the feet which have walked in your courts
may walk in the region of light;
and that the bodies which have received your living body
may be restored in newness of life.
Glory to you for your inexpressible gift. Amen.
Liturgy of Malabar, 5th century
Read:
Psalm 15. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
A psalm of David.
1Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
Who may live on your holy mountain?
2The one whose walk is blameless,
who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from their heart;
3whose tongue utters no slander,
who does no wrong to a neighbour,
and casts no slur on others;
4who despises a vile person;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
and does not change their mind;
5who lends money to the poor without interest;
who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
will never be shaken.
(Psalm 15 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
David uses poetic language to express deep things. Of course, no-one could live in God’s Tabernacle/Tent; it was considered too holy for that. So what is David trying to express? He is imagining an ideal faithful follower of God who is so pure that God wouldn’t mind their company in the Holy of Holies. David is trying to imagine what this person looks like in their behaviour and attitudes. His list of behaviours is not meant to be exhaustive but it does reflect what he considered were key qualities in his culture and time.
I wonder if you were creating a short list of ideal behaviours for our time and culture what you would you write for your Psalm. Try writing your contemporary version of Psalm 15.
Ps What David could never imagine is what we now take for granted; that we do live in the presence of God’s Spirit within us 24/7 because of Christ.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
Psalm 3: Help!
(Devotion by Graeme Harrison)
PRAYER: For Divine assistance
We beg you, Lord,
to help and defend us.
Deliver the oppressed,
pity the insignificant, raise the fallen;
show yourself to the needy, heal the sick,
bring back those of your people
who have gone astray;
feed the hungry, lift up the weak,
and take off the prisoners’ chains.
May every nation come to know
that you alone are God,
that Jesus Christ is your Child,
that we are your people
and the sheep of your pasture. Amen.
St Clement of Rome, 1st century
Read:
Psalm 3. Read this 3 times, each time asking God’s help and thinking about those words or phrases that leap out at you.
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
1Lord
, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
2Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
3But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
4I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5I lie down and sleep;
sustains me.
6I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
7Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
8From the Lord comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people.
(Psalm 3 NIV)
Thought for the Day:
What a blunt unrefined Psalm this is. “Strike them on the jaw and break the teeth of the wicked”? But it is this very quality that should give us encouragement. God does not need our prayers to be fully worked out or even sound spiritual. Just tell it like it is and let the Holy Spirit sort out the theology.
King David is fleeing his adult son, Absalom who has staged a military coup because David would not punish Absalom’s half brother when he raped Absalom’s sister. Such injustice! But David was muddle headed when it came to family matters; not his strength. David’s cause is hardly innocent but nor is Absalom’s military solution. That often characterises family disputes and as a result often muddies our thinking when we try to pray. But our Psalm encourages us to just give it to God right at the outset while it is still muddy and urgent.
Photo by Chris Sabor on Unsplash