Be Still And Know

Revelation 2:8-9 These words introduce the second of the letters to the churches, sent to the church in Smyrna. There was no surprise that the first letter went to Ephesus because it was definitely seen as the most influential of the cities. However, Smyrna was a close rival. It was a fine and busy commercial centre having its own well protected port. It had been founded long ago as a Greek colony but in about 600 BC it had been largely destroyed by an invading army. Hundreds of years later it was reconstructed. What was produced was a fine city, planned with broad straight avenues and pavements. It had truly come back to life, and so it was more than appropriate that they received a message from the Lord who had passed from death to life. The Lord’s message was that he totally understood where they were coming from. He knew just how much they had suffered and how grindingly poor they were. The word that is used for ‘suffering’ is one that describes someone who is crushed under a heavy weight. And the word th

Revelation 2:7 All seven of the letters to the churches end with these words. They make it clear that the letters have been written not merely to these specific churches but to anyone who has the ability to listen. They are the words of the Spirit and are words of life for anyone who will hear them. Tuning our ears into the voice of the Spirit is vital for all of us. The Holy Spirit is the source of life and wisdom and without him we will never be able to discern God’s will. But the problem is that his voice is only one of the innumerable voices with which we are continually bombarded. Listening to the Spirit is an activity which will only happen when we deliberately give him our attention. It won’t just happen. It has been wisely and painfully said that most people don’t listen with the intention of understanding, but of replying. We are all looking for the opportunity to share what matters to us and often have no real interest in what the other person has to say. True listening is when we give our full

Revelation 2:4 Many of us will be more familiar with an earlier translation of these words which ran: “you have lost your first love”. The truth is that the Christians in Ephesus had done so well. They had been strong in the face of opposition but, in the process, they had lost their love for the Lord and one another. And without love, everything is lost. We don’t know what caused them to lose their first love, but we all know how easily it happens. The normal cause is simply distraction. Life gets busy and even the most important things can be crowded out by the business of everyday life. In Ephesus, the Christians had to work really hard to survive amid all the opposition. They had been infiltrated by false teachers, but they had tested them and found them out. The Lord commends them for standing up so strongly for their faith and particularly for the way in which they had resisted a group called the Nicolaitans. All of that was excellent but, in the process, they had lost sight of the love which they h

Revelation 2:2 These words come from the first of the seven letters to the churches, and they were addressed to the church in Ephesus. Pergamum was the capital city of the province of Asia, but Ephesus was in every way the greatest city. It had the largest port in the area and many major roads converged on it. It was particularly famous for its religious significance. The city was home to the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a vast structure, measuring 130 by 60 metres and with 120 columns. Ephesus was also a notorious centre for pagan superstition. In short, it wasn’t the easiest place to establish a church and the Christians were commended for their hard work and endurance. They could so easily have buckled in the face of the challenges, but they hadn’t. The word from the risen Lord to the Ephesian church was that he knew exactly what they had been through. He knew how tough it had been and commended them for the way in which they had endured. Much of the Christian li

Revelation 1:12-14 In order to understand these amazing verses, we need to appreciate that the Church at the time was very small and facing the brutal and powerful opposition of the Roman Empire. This must have been incredibly scary. It looked as if the Church would be crushed, and so it was vital for them to understand exactly who Jesus was, and the reasons why they could be confident in him. This whole book communicated the message that Jesus has won the final victory and so, even though there might be tough times ahead, they could be confident in him. The picture of Jesus that John gives us here sounds very strange to our modern ears. But what he was doing was bringing together lots of language from the Old Testament which showed that Jesus, the Son of Man, was nothing less than God himself. He wore a long robe like a priest, although no priest was important enough to wear a gold sash. And he had hair that was as white as wool, which reminds us of the picture of the Ancient of Days, God himself, as describ

Revelation 1:10-11 For many years after Jesus’ earthly ministry, his followers continued to meet on Saturday, and those from a Jewish background maintained their attendance at the temple or local synagogue. However, by the beginning of the 2nd Century, the special day for Christians had become Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of resurrection. John’s reference here to the Lord’s Day is the only time this expression is used in the Bible and almost certainly refers to his practice of worshipping on a Sunday. The first manual of Christian worship and instruction was called The Didache and it observed: “On the Lord’s Day we meet and break bread.” Ignatius of Antioch described Christians as “no longer living for the Sabbath, but for the Lord’s Day.” The practice of meeting on Sunday began in Asia Minor (which is roughly equivalent to modern-day Turkey) and that’s where John was living. As John worshipped, God spoke to him and directed him very specifically to write to the seven churches nearby. Of cou

Revelation 1:9 Unfortunately, we cannot be sure who this John was. Some people have thought of him as being the disciple who wrote the fourth Gospel, but that is highly unlikely. The style of the writing in Revelation is very different from that of the Gospel. However, what we do know is that he was clearly a significant Christian leader and, as a result of his ministry, was forced into exile in Patmos, a Greek island that lies off the coast of Turkey. It is probable that he was sentenced to work in the quarries on the island. John revealed himself both as a brother to his readers and also one who was a partner in their suffering. He was not writing this book from an ivory tower, but was standing among them, recognising that they were part of the same family and going through similar trials. In short, he understood their situation. He was encouraging them to stand firm and endure, knowing full well how demanding and costly that was. It’s always an incredible blessing when we meet people who understand us

Revelation 1:8 Everybody is interested in the future, and the book of Revelation is designed to help us as we prepare ourselves for it. If you are looking for a map, or a timetable of events, you will be sadly disappointed. But what this book does give us is a vision of God, who is so powerful that, however great and fierce the opposition, will be victorious. The book of Revelation is intended not to scare or tantalise us but to give us confidence in our God who has the whole of history in his hands. Our verse today beautifully describes the way in which history is embraced by God. Using the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, God is described as being the Alpha and the Omega. He was there before the dawn of creation, and he will have the final word. He is described here as the Almighty - a description that is used nine times in this book, and only once in the rest of the New Testament. Writing at a time when the Church was experiencing desperate persecution, John wanted to make it clear that all po

Psalm 113:5-7 When you hear that God is enthroned on high, it’s easy to assume that he must therefore be totally disconnected from the harsh realities of our world. The psalmist makes it clear that the opposite is true. Mighty and exalted as he undoubtedly is, God is also intimately concerned about what is happening here in the world. So much so that he not only looks down at what is going on but takes action to rectify the situation. The whole Bible shows a concern for the poor. The law of Moses insisted on the poor being protected and supported. The prophets continually reminded people of their duty to care for the most vulnerable, and Jesus went out of his way to reach out to the weak and marginalised. In every society there are poor people, and yet the majority of us try to get on with life as if they don’t exist. God calls us to care for the poor in our society. After a visit to the UK in 2018, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, expressed great conce

Psalm 112:4 I will never forget my visit to Ruby. She was dying and knew that her end was very near. It was late in the afternoon when I went to see her in her cottage and the light was fading. But my overwhelming memory of that visit is of her radiant smile. On paper, the situation seemed so sad and hopeless, but Ruby didn’t see it that way. She knew God as a friend and was looking to the future with genuine excitement because she knew that he could be trusted. Most people would have looked at that situation and seen nothing but sadness and tragedy but, for Ruby, the light still shone. Over the years I have had the privilege of meeting many people whose life circumstances looked dark and forbidding, but whose faith in God meant they simply didn’t see it that way. I think of prisoners, people with disabilities, those who had been thrown out of their communities because of their Christian faith and others who, through no fault of their own, were facing financial ruin. In each of their lives the light was shini

Psalm 111:1-2 It is, of course, possible to praise God anywhere. But there is something incredibly precious about getting together with others to worship him, and it is wonderful to think of God’s people doing that for thousands of years. Whether it is in a small remote village church, a vast cathedral or a tent, the experience of worshipping God with other people is inspiring, encouraging and unifying. The psalmist encourages worshippers to think about what God has done. That is to say, when we worship God, we need time to reflect carefully on what he has done in creation and throughout history. This isn’t something that can be done in a moment. We need to take time to stand back and mull over what God has done. I was interested to learn that this verse was placed over the entrance to the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, where some of the world’s most important scientific discoveries have been made. Researching and pondering are important activities. We need to find space to explore, see things in new

Mark 1:16-18 I will never forget the first time I saw the Sea of Galilee. I was with a friend and we had been travelling for a couple of hours up the Jordan valley. It was incredibly hot and our little car didn’t have the blessing of air conditioning. We greeted our first glimpse of the lake with great excitement. As we saw it, it was so easy to imagine Jesus walking beside the lake, coming across a couple of fishermen and inviting them to follow him. The truly incredible thing is that nothing has changed. 2,000 years ago Jesus invited people to follow him, and he still does! It’s the personal nature of Christianity that makes it so different from other religions and philosophies. They normally have a set of beliefs and rules that you have to subscribe to in order to become a member. But for Christians it’s all about a person, and living a life that follows and pleases him. Life is instantly redefined when you follow Jesus. Nothing looks the same. Someone once described the difference as being like seeing

Mark 1:14-15 We all know what we need to do when we are driving in the wrong direction. We need to turn around. I did it only yesterday! I was carefully following the instructions of my satnav but ended up taking the wrong turning off a large roundabout. The road I took led, very swiftly, to a dead end. I felt very silly but there was no point in me arguing with the road or the satnav. I just needed to turn around and find my way to the right road. That’s repentance. Turning from the wrong direction to the right one. Just like John the Baptist, Jesus preached a message of repentance, because he knew that it was the only way for people to discover the good news of God’s forgiveness. Repentance is much more than merely regret or remorse. Repentance is being sorry enough to stop and walk in a new direction. On the day of Pentecost, the punch line of Peter’s sermon was that the people needed to repent. That day saw the birth of the Church, as people turned to God in repentance and were baptised. And, as they di

Mark 1:12-13 We would all like to think that if our lives were totally led by the Spirit - like Jesus’ was - then we would be able to avoid all challenges and difficulties. Life would be one long succession of blessings and smiling, happy people. But the experience of Jesus shows us that this isn’t the way the Spirit works. Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus faced temptations, injustice, opposition and violence. But, as he did so, he was given the wisdom and strength to face every challenge. The New Testament is incredibly candid about the challenges which face those who follow Jesus. Jesus himself was very clear that his followers would face problems. He saw it as an inevitable consequence of living in a broken and sinful world. In Jesus’ teaching to his disciples before his death, he gave them lots of encouragement but he was also very straightforward about the problems they would face. He said: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. B

Mark 1:9-11 Here, in a gentle but spectacular way, we see God the Trinity at work. Having been baptised by John, Jesus saw the Holy Spirit descending upon him and God the Father spoke from heaven confirming his identity. As Jesus stepped into his new ministry, it was vital that it was clear the whole Trinity were involved, and that’s what we will see in the following chapters. Jesus continually sought to be close to his Father in prayer and was led by the Spirit. People often struggle to understand the Trinity, but it is in Jesus’ ministry, we see most clearly how they all work together. I believe that it is helpful if we are continually aware of the presence and blessing of God the Trinity in our lives. God is our creator, and we bring our worship to him through Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is quite clear that they are distinct from one another, and yet absolutely one. At the dawn of creation, all the members of the Trinity were present. God the Father spoke his word and, in his G

Mark 1:7-8 It’s always great to see people who know what their job is in life and are happy to get on and do it. I am thinking of the carpenters, car mechanics, ministers, nurses, carers, office workers and teachers that I know. All sorts of people who have discovered where their gifts are best used and who happily devote their time and energy to doing the very best that they can. That well describes John the Baptist. He knew exactly what his God-given role was. It was to prepare the way for the Son of God. He knew that he had a vital task to perform but that all the attention should go to Jesus, and not to him. Let me ask you a straight question. Do you know what your God-given role is in life? I’ve often found that people struggle with this question. They are not sure whether they have found God’s role for them and, very often, I find that people tend to be quite dismissive of what they are doing at the moment, seeing it as not very important. They imagine that God has something much more significant for th

When Mark put together his Gospel, he had a very clear purpose. You might have thought he was going to take us through the life story of Jesus, but he doesn’t. He totally disregards the first 30 years of Jesus’ life. He doesn’t tell us about Jesus’ birth, education, employment or relationships. We would be fascinated to know about all of those things, but Mark wants to get to the heart of the matter - which is that Jesus was nothing other than the Son of God. He was the Messiah, the one that the Jews had been anticipating for centuries. It is generally agreed that Mark was the first person to write a Gospel. Matthew, Luke and John’s were written in very different circumstances over the next 30 or 40 years but it was Mark who was breaking new ground. He was probably relying on Peter’s eye-witness account of Jesus’ ministry, and it is believed that he wrote it in Rome. Many scholars believe that he wrote his Gospel around AD 60, so that’s a full generation after the earthly life of Jesus. Mark devotes himself t

The psalmist isn’t merely talking about house building in this famous psalm. He is talking about everything we build – a life, relationship, family, organisation, city, or society. There is no point in building anything without God, because it is bound to fail. Throughout the Bible we are introduced to people who tried to go it alone. Adam and Eve are the supreme examples, but they were merely setting the pace for a succession of people who felt they knew better than God and who tried to build their lives without him. Jesus’ teaching about the vine is very similar to this verse where he concludes “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We simply weren’t created by God to act independently of him. It doesn’t work. The God who created us knows us better than we know ourselves, and it is only as we work in partnership with him that we can be confident of the future. This psalm is entitled a psalm of Solomon, and he was, supremely, a builder. He had the privilege of building the awesome temple in Jerusale

Psalm 126:5-6 If you know anything about farming you will know that it is hard work. But just imagine how incredibly tough it was in the psalmist’s day without the help of modern machinery. Planting was back breaking work, but year by year the farmer would sow his seed with the confidence of knowing that, one day, there would be a harvest. We cannot be sure, but it seems as if this psalm was written in celebration of the return from exile. After years in Babylon, the people finally had the opportunity to return to their homeland. They had had a tough time but now, at last, they were able to return to their beloved Jerusalem. Recently, I visited a minister and his wife working for the Lord on a tough housing estate. I hadn’t seen them for a few years and I was eager to hear their story. Quite apart from all the extra demands and pressures of Covid, they had faced a number of other challenges. There had been many tears and much hard work. But now they were beginning to see some significant signs of growth a

Psalm 125:1-2 I love these Psalms of ascent, which the pilgrims used as they travelled to Jerusalem. In this particular psalm, we almost get the feeling that we are travelling with them as they gazed at the mountains around Jerusalem. Even the mountains themselves spoke to them of the security they had in God. I don’t find it surprising that Christians throughout the centuries have found pilgrimages helpful as a way of encouraging them to focus on God. The psalmists were always incredibly honest about the threats of life, which seemed to come from all sides. There never seemed to be a shortage of enemies and there were also internal threats and doubts. But the psalmists were confident of their God and, time and again, they spoke about God as their rock, fortress and high tower. The threats might be real and scary, but God could always be relied upon to be much stronger. I am often struck by the speed with which people’s lives can change. It might be a heart attack, a road accident, a business collapse or the