Be Still And Know

Acts 2:37-38 A sermon is worth nothing if it doesn’t lead to action. Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost powerfully described the reason for Jesus’ death. In words that would have shocked many in his audience, he pointed out that they had been responsible for it. It was their sin that had driven Jesus to the cross just five weeks earlier. Having heard this, the people were deeply challenged and knew that they needed to take action. Peter’s response is interesting because of the way in which it speaks of the covenant partnership that God wants with us. There was something that the people needed to do, and then a response that God would make. Firstly, they needed to repent. They needed to recognise they had done wrong and head in a new direction. This would be powerfully symbolised by baptism and would show their clear intention to live a new life. The result would be that their sins would be forgiven, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. God loves to bless us, but he will only do so w

Acts 2:16-17 When Peter spoke these words, he was addressing the huge crowds of Jews who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the festival known as Pentecost. On that day, the first fruits of the wheat harvest were offered to God. It was known as Pentecost because it occurred 50 days after the sabbath that followed the Passover. It was one of three annual pilgrimage festivals, and Jerusalem would have been heaving with people. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus’ 120 followers. He had previously told them to stay in Jerusalem until the Spirit came and, so, they must have been wondering what was going to happen. When the Spirit arrived, there was the roaring of an enormous wind, and flames appeared to settle on all the believers’ heads. As the Spirit filled them, they started speaking in tongues, which meant that the pilgrims, who had come from many neighbouring countries, were all able to hear God being praised in their own language. It isn’t surprising that onlookers were strug

Luke 6:38 The metaphor used here would have been clear to Jesus’ listeners, but may mean little or nothing to us today. Let me explain: at the time, a person’s outer tunic had a large fold in it, which could be pulled out above the belt to make a pocket. Jesus is asking people to imagine a huge amount of grain being poured into this pocket. His message is clear: if you learn how to give, you will receive generously in response. Giving is the language of love, and is characteristic of all of Jesus’ ministry. He came as a servant to pour himself out for other people. This was what marked his ministry as he taught and healed people. Then, as he hung on the cross, we see the full extent of his love. As we walk in his footsteps, giving is still his way for us today. Churchill put it well when he wrote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Jesus’ teaching about giving runs completely counter to the materialism of our society, where the assumption is that acquisition is what rea

Luke 6:27-28;32 I could be wrong, but I suspect that most of us will struggle to identify any enemies. But I suspect that most of us can readily come up with a list of people whom we find difficult or awkward. Jesus very strong command means not just putting up with these people, but choosing to love them. Loving will involve us in deliberately going out of our way to help and encourage them. It will cause us to pray regularly for them, so that we know how to bring blessings into their lives. And if they turn into out-and-out enemies, bent on destroying us, we need to pray harder, and continue to show them love. You may need a moment to gulp, because this is really tough teaching! In practical detail, Jesus spelt out what his command involved, so that no one could misunderstand what he was saying. If someone slaps you on the cheek, you should offer them the other one. If someone asks for your coat, give them your shirt as well. Those specific situations may never happen to us, but Jesus’ point is clear. I

Luke 6:24-25 These words would have come as a huge surprise for Jesus’ hearers. They had been taught that being wealthy and well fed now were signs of God’s blessing. Jesus was seeking to wake his disciples up to the fact that you can’t have it both ways. If your single goal is to be wealthy now, you can’t expect to have God’s blessing. If becoming materially rich is your god, there is no space for the one true God, and disaster will inevitably result. This teaching was entirely consistent with Jesus’ revolutionary message. He was turning everything upside down. The key question for us is a persistent one: What is our goal in life? What are we really seeking to achieve? It isn’t wrong to earn money and to seek success in our work. It isn’t wrong to have possessions or to seek to own more possessions. But when those things become our reason for living, we have missed the boat, and we put ourselves in a dangerous place. These are important issues for us to be clear about. Our society will continually peddle

Luke 6:22-23 These are amazing words and, once again, they turn our normal human thinking upside down. That’s what Jesus did all the time. The idea of being hated, excluded, mocked and cursed is a horrible one. We spend much of our lives deliberately seeking to avoid such terrible experiences. But if we face those reactions because of our love for Jesus, we should be supremely happy. Jesus said we should “leap for joy” because we are living in obedience to him. And, as usual, he reminded his followers that they would be generously rewarded for their trouble. For many of us, these words may feel very remote and disconnected from our present circumstances. But for some, these words accurately reflect daily life. Perhaps your family, work colleagues or neighbours are continually unkind about your Christian faith. They take every opportunity to belittle Christianity and laugh at the way in which you waste your time going to church with that “bunch of hypocrites.” If this is your experience, first of all, I want t

Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.” These words are a shorter version of the Beatitudes that we find in Matthew’s Gospel, and they show that Jesus came to turn our normal human thinking upside down. Nothing less. This is the purest form of revolution. He wasn’t saying that it is good to be poor, hungry or sad, but that God is able to do wonderful things for those who recognise their poverty, hunger or sadness and seek his help. The only people whom God can help are those who come to him with an awareness of their need. That’s the problem with arrogance. The Bible tells us that God hates pride because such people are so full of themselves that they don’t want anything from him. He would love to bless them, but he can’t get close because they are so stuck up and self-confident. God wants us to come to him with open hands

Luke 6:12-13 This was a big moment in Jesus’ ministry. He didn’t come into this world to set up an organisation, but to share a message. And for that, he needed people who would work closely with him; people who would get to know him and his message and pass it on to others. Because of his status as the Son of God, one might assume that he automatically made brilliant decisions but Luke often emphasises his reliance on prayer. In the previous chapter, Luke recorded that Jesus “often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer” (Luke 5:16). Here, as he prepared to call the twelve apostles, we find him spending the whole night on a mountainside with God in prayer. If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to spend so much time with his heavenly Father in prayer, how much more do we? We may have a regular rhythm of prayer but, even so, there will be times when the decisions we need to make are so major that we need to set aside special time to meet with God. Heading into the wilderness or up a mountain are optional but, th

Luke 5:37-39 Wine skins, usually made from goat hides, were the normal way of preserving wine in Jesus’ day. As we all know, skin dries out with time and so it would be absurd to put new wine into old wineskins. It would soon be completely lost. Jesus’ point was clear: he was introducing new wine and there was absolutely no point trying to contain it within the old wineskins of Judaism. He was ushering in a completely new age, but this was exactly what many people didn’t want to hear. They wanted to stick with the familiar. Through the centuries, the Church has been famous for resisting change. We like to hang on to the old, familiar ways and are often resistant to new ideas. But Jesus has called us to be like children; to have an adventurous spirit in which we are continually learning, growing and discovering. I thank God for the godly older people I have known, whose love for the Lord has led them to be generously open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. We should never embrace change for change’

Luke 5:29-30 Levi the tax collector is better known to us as Matthew. There were many kinds of tax at the time. There was a poll tax, which men aged 14 to 65 and women aged twelve to 65 had to pay. There was also a ground tax: one-tenth of all that was grown, and one-fifth of wine and oil, to be paid in kind or in money. And then there was income tax of one percent. However, that was only the start of the taxes and duties that had to be paid. There was a tax payable for the use of roads, harbours and markets, and people using a cart had to pay for each wheel and each animal that pulled it. In short, tax was a complicated and extensive part of life, and tax collectors could become very rich. Nobody takes great pleasure in paying tax but, at the time, tax collectors were particularly disliked. They worked closely with the hated Roman administration. Consequently, they were barred from attending synagogue and were viewed as the dregs of society, classed together with murderers and robbers. The Pharisees and

Luke 5:18-19 You can imagine the scene. Jesus had become an incredibly popular preacher and healer, and huge crowds were eager to meet him. At the same time, he was arousing the interest of the religious leaders who were anxious about his growing reputation, and had come to question him. On this particular day, he had decided to speak in the house in which he was staying, possibly because it was so hot outside. All of that meant that it was impossible for this group of men to get their paralysed friend anywhere him. But they were determined that he shouldn’t miss out. The men climbed up onto the flat roof and started to dismantle it. At this point, it is wise not to think of the roof as being similar to your own! It would have been constructed out of mud and branches. The mud was as hard as concrete, but it would have been relatively easy to break through - although I am sure the owner didn’t appreciate the mess they made! It was an imaginative (and successful!) way of getting the paralysed man to the fee

Luke 5:10-11 So far as we know, this is the first time that Jesus had ever met Simon. We have learnt that Jesus had borrowed his boat to use as a convenient pulpit, and then gave Simon orders to fish in a new area, which resulted in an enormous catch. In the very next moment, Jesus informs Simon that he wants to change his life around! I find that amazing. If it had been me, I would have wanted to get to know Simon better and then, gently (and probably after a few days) I may have suggested he help me with some recruiting. Jesus’ bold approach tells us that recruiting disciples was right at the heart of his ministry. And he wanted them to know that, from day one, he expected them to be just as eager to recruit people, too. Over the years, the Church has often been tempted to leave recruitment to the ‘professionals’. Ministers and evangelists are seen as the people who should be fishing for new disciples. However, that clearly wasn’t Jesus’ intention. Ministers and evangelists may be very effective at evang

Luke 5:8-9 If you have ever talked to fishermen, you will know that they have a great sensitivity for their work. It is dangerous and demanding, and they are eager to be successful. They are often very good at anticipating where the fish are and how they are likely to respond. So when a complete stranger offered Simon Peter and his friends some advice, they were bound to take it with a pinch of salt. But how wrong they were. Jesus’ advice to head out into deeper water resulted in a huge catch, to the complete amazement of the experienced fishermen. Simon Peter’s response is really interesting. He was so overwhelmed by it that he didn’t know how to cope and asked Jesus to go away. The amazing blessing of the great haul of fish drew attention to his sinfulness. He didn’t feel worthy of such an incredible success. As we read through the Gospels, we get to know Peter really well and what is most striking about him is his honesty. In this first encounter, we see that very clearly. Meeting God is always an am

Luke 5:4-6 People have fished in the Sea of Galilee for thousands of years. There are 27 types of fish found in the fresh water lake, the most famous being the Tilapia Galiliea. When it is mature, the fish can be up to 40cm long and 1.5kg in weight. It’s often known as the St Peter’s fish. Jesus’ ministry was largely based around Capernaum, one of the main fishing communities on the lake and so, from the beginning, he had a lot to do with its fishermen. On this particular day, Jesus decided that a boat would make a convenient pulpit. Spotting an empty fishing vessel, he asked its owner, Simon, to push out from the land. At the time, Simon was mending his nets after an unsuccessful fishing trip. Once Jesus had concluded his preaching, he told Simon to head out into deep water to make a catch. Simon pointed out that their last trip had been a complete failure, but he took Jesus at his word - and the result was incredible. He landed such an enormous catch that his nets were on the verge of breaking. This amaz

Luke 4:42 Jesus’ public ministry had only just begun, but he was already in great demand. People found his teaching compelling because he spoke with such authority. He was quite different from their Jewish leaders. And his healing ministry was also drawing great crowds, winning him much attention and admiration. But Jesus couldn’t keep going without having time away from the crowds. Early in the morning, he went to an isolated place - and Mark tells us that he had gone to pray. He needed time alone with his heavenly Father. We are all tempted to focus attention on our activity. We are eager to achieve things and make an impact. But crucial to our activity are our times of quietness and reflection. We all have times which are so relentlessly busy that we may be tempted to see quiet spaces as a complete waste of time. We’re far too busy for such luxuries! But they are not luxuries. We all need time to stand back from life and gain a bigger perspective, and that is best done in the context of prayer. When t

Luke 4:18-19 These are the words that Jesus read in his home synagogue in Nazareth. They came from the prophecy of Isaiah and Jesus read them from a scroll during the sabbath service. So far so good. But he didn’t stop there. Having handed back the scroll to the attendant, he informed the congregation that the scripture they had just heard had been fulfilled that very day. Everyone spoke well of him, but they were amazed that these words should come from the mouth of Joseph’s son, a mere local lad. Jesus then went on to speak of how, in the time of Elisha, many people in Israel had leprosy but only Naaman, a Syrian, was healed. The congregation did not appreciate Jesus pointing out how God had blessed a non-Jew, and they mobbed him, forcing him to the edge of a nearby hill. Jesus’ ministry brought good news to people, and these verses remind us that it took many forms. Jesus was a preacher, but also a healer, and he came to set people free from many types of oppression. On the face of it, you would ex

Luke 4:13 When we talk about Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness, it might sound as if those were the only times when he was tempted. However, Luke makes it clear that this was not the case. The devil was always looking for his “next opportunity” to get at Jesus. It was an inevitable part of being fully human. As the writer to the Hebrews put it: “he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The truth is that Jesus had a greater experience of temptation than we will ever do, because sadly we, at times, give in to temptation. Jesus never did, and so he experienced the full power of it. And this continued throughout his ministry. Even on the cross he was tempted by the words of the soldiers, who mocked him, saying: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself” (Luke 23:37). There is no doubt that he could have done precisely that, but he knew he had to resist the temptation. This topic might sound incredibly negative, but the reason for reflecting on it is completely posi

Luke 4:6-8 All three of the temptations which Jesus received from the devil involved short cuts. Jesus didn’t deny that the devil had real power, or that the world was in his hands. But Jesus knew he had come to defeat the power of evil - and that the only way to achieve this was by going to the cross. There could be no short cuts. Jesus had a mission given to him by God his Father and he had to be faithful to that calling, whatever the cost. We will all face temptation and, in one way or another, all temptations involve us in being encouraged to compromise, to lower our standards in order to fit in with the alluring voice of the tempter. We all want to succeed and to be loved and it is inevitably very tempting when we hear a quick way of getting there. But there are some firm principles which mustn’t be broken. There was no way in which Jesus could worship the devil and, once again, it was through quoting scripture that he dismissed the temptation. Since he had been a young boy, he had heard the scriptur

Luke 4:3-4 The devil will always try to exploit our weakest places. Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days. He would have been hungry in a way that I have never experienced. Every sinew in his body was surely longing for some food, so the thought that he could miraculously turn a stone into a loaf of bread must have been extremely attractive. But Jesus knew that he must resist the temptation and he did so by using scripture. Jesus had been brought up on the Old Testament and so, immediately, he was able to rebuff the devil’s attack. Jesus knew that his priority must be for spiritual food; he couldn’t allow the devil to lure him into going for second best. It is important we do not merely read the Bible but become familiar with it, so that in moments of pressure and challenge, we can recall verses that are precisely relevant to our situation. When I worked in India, I remember it being said of a former bishop that it really wouldn’t have mattered if he lost his Bible, because he was so familiar with its content

Luke 4:1-2 I think some people imagine that if you follow Jesus, all your problems miraculously disappear. With him on your side, you will be sure to have a life overflowing with peace, joy, love and smiling people. But the truth is different. When you follow Jesus, you can be sure that there will be challenges. That was certainly Jesus’ experience. Having just been baptised in the river Jordan, Jesus was led by the Spirit into a time of prolonged temptation. He was going to be tested to the limit. 40 days without food is an incredible challenge to face in any environment but, in the wilderness, it would have been even more demanding. The Judaean desert would have been desperately hot during the day and uncomfortably cold at night. In addition, there would have been the challenge from wild animals. But this was all part of God’s perfect plan for his son. I believe that the Holy Spirit wants to guide us each day in all that we do. He wants to be part of our family life, work, relationships, sport and hobbi