Be Still And Know

Genesis 17:5-8 It’s a big moment when you enter into a binding agreement with someone. Whether you are thinking of marriage, buying a house or starting a new job, it is a time to stand back from life and take a deep breath. This was just such a moment for Abram as he entered into a covenant with God that was going to change everything – including his name! The word “covenant” is important throughout the whole of the Bible. It’s an amazing word. The idea that the God of Creation wants to enter into a relationship with human beings is enough to blow your mind. The first covenant that God made was with Noah, and he set a rainbow in the sky as an eternal reminder of it. Then, in the New Testament, we see the way in which Jesus’ death on the cross ushers in a new covenant, as he throws the door open to the world. A covenant has two sides to it. On one side, there is God, who has freely chosen to enter into a relationship with us. The only explanation for this is love. He doesn’t have to form a relation

Genesis 12:2-3 Never forget that God is in the business of blessing people! That’s what he loves to do and that’s what Abram was just about to discover. At a time of life when most people would be seeking to take things more slowly, God calls him to be the father of a nation. Nothing suggests that this is remotely likely. One practical problem was that Abram and his wife Sarai had no children and were well past childbearing age. But with God around that wasn’t going to be a problem! In life, we face many challenges but God doesn’t want them to have the last word. Amid the bumps and difficulties, God’s desire is to bless us so that, in turn, we can bless other people. I love seeing that in action. I can think of many friends over the years who have had to face significant problems in life, including severe, life-limiting disabilities. They could have spent their lives moaning about the challenges they had to face every day. But, instead, they chose to thank God for his blessings and then generously to

Genesis 12:1 I wonder what your life looks like at the moment. I would guess that, for many of us, there are plenty of aspects that suit us really well. Life isn’t perfect, and we can easily come up with some suggested improvements, but the thought of it all changing completely would come as quite a shock. Well, if that’s true for us, imagine how much greater the challenge would have been for Abram. God was taking him away from the security of his wealthy and his comfortable home and leading him on the most incredible adventure, into a land of which he knew nothing. We would be able to reach for our computers and find out information about where we were going, but not Abram! Added to that, Abram was 75 when this happens. Most people would hardly consider that the time of life to embark on a daring adventure! But that’s not how God works. Living the life of faith is one long adventure and, whatever our age, we need to be ready for change, because that’s how God works. The writer to the Hebrews us

Genesis 11:4-8 God hates arrogance because it is a complete rejection of him. Here, the story of the tower of Babel could be described as an ultimate example of arrogance. The people decided to build a tower that would reach to the heavens. This would be the final proof that humankind was in control. In response, God acted decisively. He scattered everyone and, as a result, people no longer spoke one language but many. Division was the inevitable result of men and women putting themselves in the place that is rightfully God’s. Although these early chapters of Genesis describe an ancient world, they offer a powerful commentary on life today. As humankind grows in self-confidence and believes that it is in total control, division is the inevitable result. Having largely forced God out of the equation, the world is in a state of constant brokenness and despair. It is only when we acknowledge God as Lord of all that we see ourselves – and our world – with the right perspective. The constant challenge

Genesis 6:22-7:1 I am sure most of us have heard about Noah from our earliest days. Genesis gives us an amazing account of this heroic man. In short, Noah is asked by God to produce an enormous boat and fill it with his family and a wonderful collection of animals and birds. We don’t know where he lived, but it may well have been in the desert, where the whole idea of building a boat would have seemed laughably absurd. But Noah trusted God and was happy to do exactly what God told him to do. He is described as being ‘righteous’, which literally means he loved doing the right things. I thank God for the people I’ve known who, just like Noah, have been happy to do apparently crazy things because they believed that God had called them. I think of the many doctors and nurses I’ve known who have headed out to poor parts of the world where their skills were desperately needed. The income they received was a tiny fraction of what they would have earnt in this country. But, like Noah, they were happy to be ob

Genesis 4:8-9 This is the world’s first murder. Isn’t it terrible that, so early in the Bible, we have to confront such an appalling evil? If you have ever known a family that has experienced a murder, you will know the awful impact that it has – for years to come – on everyone concerned. It isn’t clear why Cain’s offering to the Lord was unacceptable, but he is furious about it and determined to do away with his brother. After the murder, God caught up with Cain and his response to God was a bizarre one: “Am I my brother’s guardian?” he asks. The translation that you may be more familiar with is: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”, although I quite like the Living Bible paraphrase of: “How should I know? Am I supposed to keep track of him wherever he goes?” Whichever version you choose, it is a crazy response. God’s reply might well have been: “No, Cain, you don’t need to know everything about your brother and everywhere he goes, but that doesn’t mean you can kill him.” God tells Cain that Abel’s bl

Genesis 3:11-12 This account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden has a very contemporary ring to it. Blaming others is as much a way of life in today’s world as it was for Adam long ago. He knew he had done wrong in eating the forbidden fruit, but he was desperate to wriggle out of the situation and place the blame on Eve. However, he even went further than that, suggesting that God bore some responsibility, too, because God had given Eve to him. We all know the temptation to blame others. Our parents, children, teachers, employers and the governments under which we have lived are all far from perfect, so we generously heap blame on them. But that isn’t good enough, and we know it. We need to take responsibility and recognise that, although we are certainly not the only guilty party, we must accept responsibility and own up to the fact that we have done wrong, too. I know people who continually blame others. That is so sad. Their attitude not only makes their own lives miserable but spreads mise

Genesis 2:2-3 The French revolution turned everything upside down, including the arrangement of time. They used decimalisation in a thoroughgoing way, dividing each day into ten hours and each week into ten days. But it didn’t catch on. After only a few years, they returned to the seven day week that we find in Genesis. Rhythm is deeply important in life. The importance of taking regular rest is crucial. People have often told me that they are much too busy to have a day off. But the rhythm God sets in creation is of foundational importance. We cannot disobey the fundamental rule of nature. We need time to recharge our batteries and to renew our commitment to God. The Old Testament law gave a great deal of attention to the importance of the Sabbath. It was a holy day, set apart for God, and was not to be trifled with. People who worked on the Sabbath were put to death (Exodus 31:15). This all sounds very extreme to our ears, but it emphasises the crucially important nature of this special day in G

Genesis 1:27 I can happily sit people watching for ages. It fascinates me that we are all so incredibly different from one another. In size, shape, colour, height, age and ability, we are all absolutely unique. However, we have one thing in common – we are all made in the image of God. This is a very interesting way of describing human beings, and not least because the second commandment tells us that we should never create an image of God. That’s understandable because if you make an inanimate image of God, there is every possibility that you will focus your worship on the image and forget about God himself. And yet God has made you and me as images of himself. Isn’t that amazing? What we learn from this is that we resemble God. In our creativity, our loving, our kindness, our need to communicate, and in many other ways, we reflect the nature of God. I have found these insights particularly powerful and precious in the last few years as I have spent a great deal of time with people with disabilit

Genesis 1:3-4 It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of light. Without light there is no life. It’s as simple as that. So it is not surprising to discover that, on the first day of creation, God created light. With the introduction of light, life was able to burst out in all its amazing variety over the following days as God created vegetation, fish, animals, birds and human beings. I love the way in which John begins his Gospel. He plainly had these opening verses of Genesis in mind, and makes it clear that Jesus was with God, his Father, in the act of creation. He writes about Jesus as the Word of God, the one through whom God spoke to the world. In John 1:4 he wrote: “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.” Sadly, however, the light that Jesus brought into the world wasn’t what everyone wanted. In one of the most agonising verses in the Bible, John notes that even Jesus’ own people did not receive him (John 1:11). The light of Jesus sti

Genesis 1:1-2 It is important not to rush past these verses. They may be so familiar to us that it would be easy to skip over them. But don’t! These words are foundational for the whole Bible and, indeed, for each of our lives. They are telling us that everything began with God – and so our understanding of the world, human history and our own lives needs to start with God. As we start a New Year, no message could be more important. We will be given every encouragement to believe that our thinking needs to begin with the economy, education, health, world peace, our family, community or church. But as good and vital as all of those things are, the most important of all is to start by looking at God. As we do so, we are reminded that without him there is no order, no purpose, no life. When God is ignored, everything becomes disordered, confused, formless and empty of purpose. As you reflect on all the different aspects of your life today, start your thinking with God and let his Spirit hover over al

Luke 2:29-32 Eight days after Jesus’ birth, his parents took him to the temple for his circumcision. There is no suggestion that the people of Jerusalem understood the significance of this moment. All that the people saw was a poor young couple presenting their baby in the way that people did every day. But two elderly people did understand what was going on. Simeon and Anna had been longing for this day and it had finally come! Our verses today form what is known as the ‘Nunc dimittis’, Simeon’s famous prayer of thanks for this miraculous moment. He had been looking forward to this day for so long that he could now die in peace. As a Jew he recognised that this was a glorious moment for the people of Israel. But it was much, much more. He recognised the Messiah who had come not merely for the Jews, but for the whole world. Simeon and Anna understood what was going on because they were people of prayer. They had devoted their lives to waiting on God. Anna was 84 and had been a widow for many years

Luke 2:19 This sentence is what I would call a piece of considerable understatement! Mary, who was probably a teenager and who almost certainly knew very little about the world, had just given birth to the Messiah. She had certainly been given plenty to think about! Older versions of the Bible translate this verse as “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” The truth is that no one, however old or mature, could possibly have taken it all in. What had happened to Mary was a turning point in human history and stands at the centre of God’s loving plan for his world. No one could have claimed to have fully understood what had happened, and theologians 2,000 years later are still reflecting deeply on it all. So Mary was wise to ponder. There is much that we understand about our world, but always much that is still beyond us. When we see the wonders of creation, we can offer a description of what we see, but we will never be able to describe completely its beauty and intricac

Luke 2:16-18 Just imagine if this was happening now. Bethlehem would be swamped with news reporters and film crews, and all the shepherds would have microphones thrust in front of them. The world would be hanging on their every word and the details of their amazing story would be cross examined with forensic care. As it is, we have to rely on Dr Luke who sums up the whole story in just a few dramatic words. In short, the shepherds confirmed that the words the angel said about Jesus’ birth were absolutely true, and they then went out to tell everyone the astonishing story. Good news cannot be hidden. I always love watching new Christians. You rarely need to tell them that it is good to share their story with other people, because it’s so obvious. What else would they do? I remember Jimmy becoming a Christian. His life had been turned upside down by Christ and so, obviously, he sat down at the lunch table at work the next day and told everyone. A crowd formed because it was such a gripping story and wit

Luke 2:13-14 The shepherds received the news of Jesus’ birth from a single angel who was then joined by a vast crowd of angels to sing an amazing chorus of praise. The language used recalls Job 38:7, which states when God created the world “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy”. With the coming of Jesus into the world there is a new creation and so the whole population of heaven needed to join together in bringing a triumphant act of worship. I am sure that artists through the centuries have been right to depict the whole sky being alight as the angels sang their praises to the surprised shepherds. The message of the angelic host is interesting and it begs the question: “Who are the people with whom God is pleased?” It’s not an expression that we often find in the New Testament, but it reminds us of the words from heaven that were spoken over Jesus at his baptism: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22, NIV). God’s peace is the experience of

Luke 2:10-11 The angel’s message is fascinating because its content is both incredibly Jewish and yet embraces the whole world. The angel made it clear that the baby was the Messiah, the one who came to fulfil the Old Testament scriptures. But, at the same time, the coming of Jesus was for everyone. Although Jesus was to focus much of his ministry on his own people, the Jews, he consistently made it clear that he had come to bring salvation to the world. The responsibility of those of us who call ourselves Christians is to do everything in our power to make it clear that Jesus came for everyone. Sadly, churches can be extremely unfriendly and intimidating places, and people often get the impression that they are full of old people who do things in strange, old-fashioned ways. That is so sad, but happily far from the truth. Churches are often full of people of all ages and most churches seek to ensure that they worship in a way that is welcoming and understandable to visitors. There is no doubt tha

Luke 2:8-9 The shepherds would have been well used to facing dangers in the desert. They were constantly threatened by wolves and other wild animals, but angels were a different matter! This was completely outside their experience, and they would have had no expectation of receiving such important heavenly news. Shepherds were widely despised. They were considered to be unreliable and for that reason they were not allowed to give testimony in the law courts. Although it is likely that they were caring for sheep that would be used for the temple sacrifices in Jerusalem, their way of life made it impossible for them to comply with the requirements of the law. They were outsiders. Time and again the gospels show us how Jesus gave special attention to the people whom everyone else considered to be outsiders. Children, women, lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes and foreigners were all given special attention by Jesus and his harshest words of criticism were often directed at the religious people. So the fa

Luke 2:6-7 When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, they found that it was heaving with people who had arrived for the census, which the Romans had demanded. In the Jewish law, censuses were forbidden and so the holding of a census was a further reason for the people to resent the occupying power. However, Joseph was a law-abiding man and, if required to go to his family’s ancestral home, he was willing to comply. The fact that there were no lodgings available when they finally arrived in Bethlehem must have been a horrible surprise for the young couple. We are told nothing about the exact location of Jesus’ birth. All we know is that he was placed in an animal feeding trough, a manger, when he was born. That makes it clear that he was in a place where animals were kept and, in Bethlehem, that usually happened in caves. The fact that there was no room for Jesus at his birth serves as an agonising summary of the lack of welcome that Jesus received throughout his life. In his Gospel John summed up the

Luke 2:4-5 If you travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem these days it is a relatively easy journey. The roads are good, and you should get there by car in about two and half hours. Mary and Joseph’s experience would have been completely different. On foot the 90-mile journey would have been arduous and dangerous. They would probably have gone down the Jordan Valley which, at the time, was heavily wooded and was home to wolves, lions and wild boar. They posed a significant threat to the young couple but, in addition, they had to face the ever-present threat from robbers. The journey would normally take walkers about five days but, because Mary was in the last stages of her pregnancy, they may well have taken a few days longer than that. The weather would also have been a challenge. During the day it would have been hot and at night it would often have been freezing. The young couple must have been absolutely exhausted when they finally arrived in Bethlehem. It is valuable for us to remind ourselves of the

Matthew 1:22-23 Loneliness is one of the greatest problems of our society and it is on the increase. This matters because loneliness is incredibly dangerous. It increases the risk of death by 26 per cent; is more damaging to health than obesity; and increases the risk of high blood pressure. Loneliness, living alone and poor social connections are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. But the person who knows Jesus personally need never experience loneliness, because he is Immanuel “God with us” and, when we live with him day by day, we are instantly connected to a worldwide family of his people. The difference between our relationship with God and with other people is that God never leaves us. He is always by our side. We may have the warmest of relationships with our friends, colleagues and family but, because they are human, the experience is constantly changing. They have good days and bad days. They have holidays and illnesses, and are often distracted by other calls on their tim