It seems as if 'weariness' is the name of the game these days. I find that this sentiment envelopes me every time February rolls around, but this time its worse. There's the business of the weather, of course, but also with having to basically either be locked down or very careful, it's easy to be wearied by all of it. And then all the flack and controversy of all the public discourse these days, plus the restrictions on worship and church activities, it is hard not get weary these days. This is something that the apostle Paul knew well and addressed in today's passage. I hope you find my meditation on this helpful and inspiring.

In today's meditation we see the other side of the coin, namely that whether we look at the personal side of things, or the corporate, we do have some responsibilities. And both of these injunctions stem from one source, that is, the mercies of God. Because of the mercies we should go lightly on judging, and because of the mercies of God, we should respond in certain ways--all of it, therefore, arising from what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

In today's meditation we get the idea that we should 'cut each other a bit of slack', for we all fall short (sin) and flub it from time to time. (And this is just for others, but for ourselves as well).

Today, I hear something similar to yesterday, namely that in all of life's little duties and responsibilities, Christ is always there for us and can be depended upon to help us in carrying them out. Indeed, we can throw our weight upon Him because He is everything we need. For me, as someone who often tries to be self-sufficient (and 'do it myself', thank you very much), a stubborn Englishman at heart, this is quite a wake-up call.

I am reminded that our very brokenness, sinfulness, and frailty as humans should serve as a reminder of just how much we need a Saviour. This realization should impel us to place our trust and faith in Him and rely wholly upon Him.

Today's meditation continues on the theme of how we should live, and can be taken in two ways. My own meditation, which I see as more positive, speaks of how our lives should reflect our thanksgiving and gratitude for what God has done for us and has promised to us. The Forward meditation, however, takes a different tack, namely of how our present behaviour should reflect a readiness to receive what God has for us, namely that we should be ready because we are 'running out of time'. Any way you look at it, its message is most timely and appropriate.

As someone who used to be a runner, both in track and field and in soccer, I have always been impressed with the image of a crowd of witnesses, a crowd of supporters in the stands, cheering us on. One of the things I have previously done, on or around All Saints' Day, is to remember my particular group of witnesses, my personal saints. And, not just to remember them by name and thank God for them specifically and individually, but on occasion, to also reach out to them in particular and thank them in person. We have no idea just what that can mean to people. Well do I remember doing this with one of my grade school teachers, Miss Henderson. I phoned her and thanked her, and I could tell, even over the phone, that she was deeply moved. In fact, she told me that no one else, in all her years of teaching school, had ever thanked her. So maybe, remembering what today's passage says about these wonderful folks, we can try to do the same--even if it doesn't 'happen' to be All Saints' Day.

in seeing that 'religious duties', even the old seemingly tired ways, the tried & true, can be mightily used by God.

in realizing that our small, seemingly significant, decisions and actions can have an incredible & far-reaching impact;

in trusting in the comfort, the strength, that God provides for us in our day to day problems and struggles;

One of the most blatant and serious lies of the enemy is that we are insignificant in and of ourselves and powerless to have any important impact in our world. We write ourselves off as being too weak in our faith, too compromised in terms of our words and actions, too ill equipped, to be of any use to the Lord. The truth is, however, that God can use each and every one of us. And, not only that, but that each of us can have an impact and make a contribution that is unique to ourselves and unmatched by anyone else on earth. So, be encouraged. Know that if we have faith and do our part, even if seemingly small and in significant, that God can use us mightily.

Far too often we mortals get 'stuck', stuck on working for things that simply don't satisfy in the long run, things like power, position, prestige, possessions, pleasure, and people (what I call the 'infamous six p's), whereas it is really only Jesus that satisfies. That is the message of today's Gospel reading and meditation, and one that is well-worth taking to heart in this frantic and overly crazy world.

Often, in reading the psalms, we find wonderful and seemingly glib pronouncements about how God will never let His people down, will never allow or permit to suffer adversity, problems etc. Today's psalm contains such talk from King David, yet we know well from his history, that he, like us, was not immune from problems or adversity. In fact, the justice, the intervention from God, that he hoped for, that he counted on, did not always come to pass. So, what are we to make of this?

To me, there are but three answers. Firstly, that God's permissive will is not always the same as His intentions. In other words, because of human free will and human choice, He allows certain things to happen that are not exactly what He desires. Secondly, it is my belief that in spite of this free will and the sometimes disastrous and evil choices it makes, God's ultimate will will never be denied or thwarted. And thirdly, as I mention in today's meditation, God's justice will ultimately win out and will be seen to be done.

And so, this calls for a trust in the love of God, that, regardless of how things happen to look at the present time, will still prevail. This, I have to admit, is what sustains me when all else seems to be in shambles.

The reaction of the folks in Nazareth in today's gospel reading reflects something all too often prevalent, all too often at work in today's world, and today's church, namely a case of lowered expectations. Something that really attracted me, and helped propel me to an adult commitment to Jesus Christ in the early 70s was the evidence all around me that God was present and at work in our world. Two of the formative influences in my adult life, the Jesus People and MRA (Moral Re-Armament), both gave abundant evidence of changed lives and changed situations, things that seemed all too absent in much of the institutional church. Back then, at least with the people I hung around with, was an expectation that God was here and at work, and that we might see evidences of this at any point.

It seems to be that today we have lost something of this sense of expectation, or, at very least, lowered (or blunted) our sense of expectation. I think that we need to recapture something of that. I think that we, our church, and our world, really need to see, once again, that God is at work here. Maybe, then, we just need to step out in faith and try Him out for size.

One of the frequent things we read in the Scriptures are stories of individuals saying to God, "Who me, how could I ever be used by God?" Moses thought that he was tongue-tied, Jeremiah that he was too young, and Isaiah that he lived among sinful people and was himself too sinful to be tasked with God's work. Today's reading and meditation pick up on this idea, the idea that God can use pretty well anyone and any situation for His purposes. That, by the way, includes you and me! May you read today's meditation and be inspired, and made more open, to what God might want to do in and through you.