Saturday, December 17, 2022

 

Saturday, December 17, 2022


Psalm 86

Isaiah 17:1-11

Mark 10:46-11:11


Observance: Third Saturday in Advent


“Take heart; get up, He is calling you.”


One of the (many) wonderful things about God is that God gets to decide what happens. The Psalms sing about God controlling the weather and the planets; our readings through the prophet Isaiah reveal how God gets to decide which empire is on top at any given point in history. In previous readings through Mark, we have heard Jesus talk explicitly about what He is going to go through when He gets to Jerusalem. This control Jesus wields over His own destiny is revealed in greater detail in John’s account of the trial and crucifixion. Jesus is God; God is in control; God gets to exercise His will however and whenever He pleases.


Just as God decides on whether the sun will rise or not, who will win the next election, or whether the fridge will keep our milk cold tonight, God also gets to decide who is drawn into His presence. Jesus rebuked the naysayers, and exercised His divine, sovereign decision-making authority when He called the blind man to His side. The voice of Jesus has that authority; the authority over everything and everyone else. When He speaks, He is heard, and no-one can go against His will.


When Jesus calls someone to Him, that someone cannot say no. There are two reasons why: first, because Jesus is Lord (whether we like it or not), and He has the authority of the King. Secondly, it is because the voice of Jesus is the voice we have wanted to hear our whole life (whether we knew it or not). His voice is like His nature: gentle, loving, and irresistible.


This little story, tucked away just before Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, teaches us what a couple of the doctrines of grace look like in action. God chooses those who are to be His eternal friends; and God’s decision on this matter cannot be restricted or denied in any way.


Such is the grace of God in our own salvation. God calls us, and we are humbled and also joyful, because in spite of who we were, God wants us to be with Him forever. And this call from God cannot be rejected. God’s calling is effectual. Any will of our own that we may wish to exercise in denying God’s call is ultimately in vain, because God gets what God wants. Do you hear the voice of Jesus calling you? Then take heart, because He will never leave you.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more