It would be easy to read ​​​​​​today's passage from Isaiah 58 as touching only on 'big things', like social justice and inequalities, and problems with a lack of food or clothing or housing, and conclude that because these things are so very big, and seemingly so far beyond our reach or our capability to do anything, that this passage has nothing to say to us. However, while it does indeed touch on these big things, it also suggests some very small things, things like kindness, things like listening to each other, or things like speech that is respectful towards one another, that can contribute to rebuilding our society and our world. So, be encouraged: it is often the 'little things' that make all the difference in the world.

The 23rd Psalm is so widely known, and loved, that it is easy to take it for granted--and decide, almost by default, that it has nothing more to teach us. However, today I was taken aback by it, by its first verse, in fact. To me, it spoke loudly about independent we human creatures often like to be, and how resistant we can sometimes be to receiving help or direction from anyone else--including from God. And, in the process, it also posed the question to me about whether I am really willing to trust God to take care of me. Anyway, I hope that this gives you some 'food for thought', just as it did for me.

What can we say? Even the apostle Paul spoke rather tearfully--and vulnerably--about the war that is wages within each one of us (see Romans 7:21-25). But in today's passage from Galatians he gives us hope that we might actually come out on top. That is, if we enlist the work of the Holy Spirit, chose to make use of and incorporate His gifts, and chose to listen to Him and obey Him. And, oh yes, there is also the question of saying 'no' to 'the other side'--or as one person put it, the matter of which one we will feed.

Today's passage reminds me of the importance of the little things in life, the little practices, the little duties--and, especially those that pertain to our personal and spiritual lives. Anna and Simeon, together with Mary and Joseph, were all faithful, faithful to a T, in keeping the age-old traditions of their people--and yes, even Anna and Simeon, when they might well have been excused from such duties because of their age. These things, such things as prayer, Bible study, church attendance and participation, are important to our faith in God, and so too are our words of appreciation and thanks, whether to God or to each other. None of these aforementioned folks gave up on these things--and neither should we.

Today's psalm seems far-removed, and totally unrelated to our everyday lives, and indeed, in its original context (it was probably written for a coronation or its anniversary), but given its use and application over the years, is strangely and remarkably pertinent, especially to us who are Canadians. Verse 8 was chosen as Canada's motto, with its framers knowing almost certainly that it was often taken as pertaining to God's rule and the kind of standards that He sets for His people. Indeed, it is quite probably that they saw it this way.

So, then, it gives us ample room for self-reflection and examination: just how are our leaders doing? And, perhaps more to the point, how are we doing? I think that there is plenty of room for thought here.

Today's passage and meditation touch on the question of where or to whom do we turn for help when in times of trouble. The kicker is that we often fail to even think of God and try, instead, to find help from purely human sources, either from others around us or from ourselves. I'm afraid that far too often I'm (here I'm speaking for myself only) say, like one of my boys, in refusing any help or direction, "Daddy, me do it. Me do it." I suspect that we are all like that from time to time--even with God--and probably much oftener than we would care to admit.

In today's passage the apostle Paul touches on a rather timely but sensitive topic. He suggests that it is quite easy for people, Christians included, to become slaves to certain things. In my meditation I touch on several of these, but since pegging it all sorts of other things have come to mind, food preferences or diets, for instance, or habits in general, or our self-concepts, or our desires or ambitions, or our past experiences. All sorts of things can bind us and hold us back from being the wonderful people that God created us to be.

I guess that it is one of the painful realities of life that none of us like to be held accountable for our actions. Well do I remember my own experiences of this, final or departmental, end of the year exams for instance, or having my annual social worker performance review with my boss. Scary times indeed. Or, on the other foot, accompanying someone to court where that person had a very reasonable and believable explanation for what happened--or a reasoned account of why it didn't actually happen, in spite of someone's report otherwise. In those cases the person was quite comfortable in his or her situation and could be quite relaxed in telling their story or explaining things. A far different feeling than the instances I mentioned!

But what about our accountability with God, or towards God? I'm afraid that we really don't measure up very well. We have all fallen short of what God expects and demands of us. (That's what sin is.) Fortunately, we have someone to speak up for us, a defence lawyer (namely the Holy Spirit), and we have someone who has already 'paid our penalty' so that our inequity, our wrongdoing is gone, forgotten, forgiven and erased.

Even so, we still have a job to do, still have those things that God demands and expects of us, even if our salvation isn't dependent upon them. And so, God still expects us to 'measure up', to obey, and to keep the faith--and, indeed, He will ask us to account for how we have done. So, remembering what Micah says about what God requires of us is most helpful.

Unfortunately, it can so happen that people of faith, Christians included, can become subject to certain ghettos or silos. They can become absorbed with their own individual faiths or with their own church and denomination, and forget that none of us is meant to live for or unto themselves. We are meant for a wider purpose, that is, for the entire world. Becoming insular and isolated from the rest of the world was a problem that beset the Jewish people at the time of Christ, and it is likewise something that can happen with us. So, let us always remember our purpose, and that is, to live as Christ's people in this broken and hurting world.

Today's passage and meditation highlight a problem that besets probably every single one of us. We say that we believe in God and in the power and ability of God, but 'when the tire hits the road', when it comes down to actual circumstances or situations that require His help, we have doubts. Take, for instance, the situation with Russia and Ukraine: do we ever think, seriously think, that God can, and should, do something about it, and then pray to that end? Or take something as mundane and 'usual' as having a touch of the flu or a cold: do we ever think to pray about it and ask God to intervene? If you're like me, you don't, don't in either case.

So, what I see here is a need for increased faith, faith that God can actually do something, and not just in theory, but in practice. Please join with me in praying for this. Amen.

I was quite uncertain—and somewhat conflicted—about where to go with this all-too familiar passage. But then it struck me that Jesus, even though He obviously cared about and was concerned about people’s physical well-being, He did not allow Himself to be defined by it or limited by it. And likewise, though He could well have taken up any number of worthy causes or issues—there were plenty of them in His world and time period--and run with them, He did not do that either. To me, that is a real problem with today’s church, especially the mainline ones: we can get so caught up, so preoccupied, with the latest cause or issue—usually ones of a generally physical or social nature—that we forget or at least lessen the priority of people’s spiritual needs. Jesus did not allow that to happen with Himself, and neither should we.

Obedience: it is a rather tricky question, especially when it comes to obeying God. It is tricky, because as Mary and Joseph of Nazareth discovered early on, and as the apostle Paul discovered later, God is free to disrupt our well-laid, carefully constructed plans for our lives. And, even when God's plans and agenda aren't quite so disruptive, are we so ready to change our plans at His bidding. If you are like me at all, you have probably resisted this, at least a wee bit, and sometimes delayed obeying, somehow hoping that He would change His mind. But God, being God, doesn't change His mind. So, the question remains: can we be like Mary and Joseph and Paul and do what God says--when He says it. It is a good question, and a faith-challenging question at that.

In today's passage the apostle Paul relates something of his call to ministry--though not the explicit details, see Acts 9 for that--and something of his concern that he be 'on track' in terms of his message and duly be recognized by the wider church. I think that both concerns are highly relevant to our world today. There are many versions out there of what is purported to be the Gospel, especially on the internet and social media, and there are many people, some of which are quite dubious and even flaky, who are coming out as supposedly authentic and truthful teachers and preachers of the word.

However, let me suggest that anything that is 'new and improved' or is given out as a 'new' understanding, should be treated with great care and caution--and certainly, to be examined and compared with the written word of God, the Scriptures, and with the wisdom of the church as received over the ages, and if deviating from either, to be seen as definitely suspect. And as for pastors and teachers, anyone who doesn't fall under the authority of a church body and submit to it, be accountable to it, is likewise to be treated with caution. As the apostle Paul once said, there are many gospels and many preachers, but only one gospel that can be trusted.

Perhaps it is easy, or normal, to bask in God's loving kindness, and trust in it, when everything is going well and we are encountering no issues or trying problems. But what about things are not going our way, when our troubles or difficulties seem overwhelming, and God seems to be nowhere to be found? That is when trusting in God can be a bit more difficult. But this is exactly when we should trust in God, as today's psalm relates. I hope you can trust Him no matter what.

It is interesting, and highly instructive, to see how and where Jesus began His ministry. It was a relatively remote area, distant from the centres of power, and uniformly stigmatized by those in power as being uneducated and uncouth and backwater. But it was also a place that was open to new ideas and resistant to being controlled or 'set upon' by others. And who did Jesus chose? Only some local hicks, some ordinary and common place fishermen.

It makes me wonder about our mission fields, and about the unlikely people--including you and me--that Jesus might choose to be His ministry partners. In reality, I think that He already has done just that, chosen you and me. The trick is to discover just what that is, how it is to be done, and then to do it.

If you are at all like me, sometimes you wonder what is 'up' with the world and wonder where it is going. Sometimes the news seems so bad and so ongoing, and the 'players' so evil or bizarre that we can wonder whether there is some sort of deliberate plan or strategy behind it all. Actually, there is, and it isn't human. There is an opposition force at work which is far more pervasive, deadly and powerful than any human one. It is orchestrated by the devil and involves a myriad of spiritual forces--and yes, sometimes human 'agents' (pawns) as well. This can come across as terribly unsettling news, but the good news is that God is fully aware of it and has, indeed, come up with a strategy and resources for us to repel these attacks. And, so we are not to be subject to doom and gloom, but to be confident in what God has and is doing in our world, and confident in the strategy He has devised for us and the resources He has provided. That is what today's Scripture passage is all about.

A presence in times of trouble: just how welcome that is to us. I still remember the first time that I went to a barber to have my hair cut. I was somewhat older by then as my parents loved my blond locks and shied away from having them cut for the longest time. So I was old enough to know that any time one's body is cut, there normally is some pain involved. However, to alleviate any hesitation or fear I might have anticipated, my dad came and stood alongside the barber's chair for the whole time. Somehow that seemed to make it better.

Likewise, knowing that Christ is with us simply from reading it in the Scriptures is likewise very powerful, and reassuring. I have just read something from the Canadian Bible Society relating how welcome the Scriptures are to Ukrainian soldiers serving on the front line of that terrible and unnecessary conflict. Knowing that God is with them, and understands, is a great help to them.

I'm praying that today won't be the kind of day that necessitates such a thing, but know this, that whatever you're going through, God in Christ Jesus is there with you.

Someone once said that worry is like a rocking chair: 'it gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere.' And yet, if you are like me, worries and concerns are your constant companions. So the advice of today's psalm--and Philippians as well--to simply give all our worries and concerns over to the Lord and trust Him to take care of them, is most needed, and helpful. Or as Peter (1 Peter 5:7) advises, "cast all your cares upon the Lord, for he cares for you.'

Wishing you a great and wonderful day, with Him watching over you and caring for you.

Something that I have never been quite able to put my finger upon is why so many of us--me included--are so hesitant, so reluctant about talking openly about our faith and about the Lord Jesus and what He has done in our lives. Perhaps it is because people--us included--have been turned off by the seemingly over effusive, gushy verbal witness or pushiness of door to door missionaries. Or perhaps because it is seen as too personal, too unseemly, to share such intimate things? Or perhaps because it is not seen as 'properly' inclusive, or as seemingly arrogant and 'better' than others who do not share that belief? I really don't know.

Anyway, Peter and John, in today's passage, had no such reluctance, and we are the better for it. In fact, if it had not been for the witness, verbal or otherwise, of numerous others in the past none of us today would have even heard of Jesus, much less moved to place our faith in Him.

So, maybe we need to 'pull up our socks' in this regard, and discover how we can share Jesus without being rude or obnoxious. Hope you get some answers. Please feel free to share them with me if you do, as I suspect that none of us are 'very good' at this sort of thing.

Today's Scripture passage begins with two misunderstandings, one from Jesus' family and one from His opponents. One of these misunderstandings clearly turned out to be unintentional, the other most definitely intentional. But, from both of these we learn one very important thing, namely that to be related to Jesus in a familial relationship of obedience, of submission to His will, or, put another way, of submission to the Holy Spirit, is what is crucial. And, as I would suggest, it is something that needs to be 'worked on', exercised, every single day by the decisions we make and the actions we take.