Wednesday Reflection, September 30, 2020

Unwavering Faith

Make us strong, Lord, and help us to stand firm against temptation and wrong. Make us watchful, so that we may never be taken unawares. Make us ready to place ourselves in your hands, so that we may know your power. May we take to ourselves the whole armour of God, after the example of Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever.

Dearly beloved, I greet you well. As today marks the end of September, I pray that this reflection will help some of us to realign our belief, our trust, our confidence in the Lord God; enabling us to have and to maintain unwavering faith.

Daily I meet people who just can’t wait for 2020 to end. They lament about how awful this year has been and about all that has gone wrong. Their downfalls, disappointments and setbacks.

Perhaps, you too have simply had rotten luck this year right? No! Brothers and sisters, of this one thing I am confident, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Yes, there appears to be trouble on every side, and yes things appear to be going from bad to worse but remember that the trying of our faith brings about patience and that the believer ought to glory in tribulations.

Much of what I have said is so much easier said than done. We know the scriptures but it is ever a challenge to put them into practice. Jesus knew that we would struggle and that our limitations would seek to overtake us which is why He gave us the Holy Spirit the comforter to guide us or keep us grounded when we feel most lost/alone.

In today’s watchword, the psalmist affirms, “I kept the faith, even when I said, ‘I am greatly afflicted’. Psalm 116:10
Friends, the troubles of the world we live in will constantly seek to oppress us but James 1:2 reminds us, ‘blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

In closing, I join with LM Mills in praying, ‘Father, hear the prayer we offer; not for ease that prayer shall be, but for strength that we may ever live our lives courageously.

Be our strength in hours of weakness, in our wanderings be our guide; through endeavor, failure, danger,
Father, be thou at our side.’

Amen

Kerone Lamoth

Monday Reflection – September 28, 2020
A Word to the Youth

Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”. Ecclesiastes 12:1

How do we make sense of life? What do we need to do to make the best of the life that we have? How do we experience joy and fulfillment in this life? These are among many questions that we all ask ourselves. If we have not asked ourselves these questions, it is either that we have not lived long enough or we are not passionately pursuing life to make the best of it. People of every age and culture wrestle with these issues. Solomon was no different as he too tried to make sense of life. Though given wisdom from God, he outlines in the book of Ecclesiastes that he sought after joy and fulfillment and tried money, material possessions, sexual pleasures and much more, but as he puts it, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

Having experienced all that, Solomon offers a sound word of advice to young people as he concludes his book. He challenges them to remember Yahweh while they are young and before the evil days come. For him, youth must quickly recognize that they are God’s property, so they should serve him from the start of their years and not the end of it when service is very limited. There is the need to realize that God is our Creator who has beautifully fashioned us into his image and likeness. Sin has separated us from God, but through Christ’s death and resurrection we can all experience new life in God so life can be lived with God-directed purpose.   

But why this advice from Solomon? In verses 1-5 the reasons are outlined, as Solomon speaks of the sun and the light, the moon and the stars, that are not darkened, and follows this up with a poetic description of the effects of advancing age. So he speaks of:

      The keepers of the house tremble: The arms and hands that keep the body now begin to tremble

      The strong men bow down: The legs and knees begin to sag

      The grinders cease because they are few: Teeth are lost and chewing is more difficult

      The windows grow dim: The eyes get dim

      The sound of grinding is low: The ears become weaker and weaker

      One rises up at the sound of a bird: Sleep becomes more difficult and one is easy wakened

      The daughters of music are brought low: Singing and music are less appreciated

      Afraid of height, and of terrors in the way: One becomes more fearful in life

      The almond tree blossoms: The hair becomes white

      The grasshopper is a burden: The once active become weak and become dependent

      Desire fails: The passions and desires of life weaken and wane

Solomon follows this up with a final plea in verses 6-7. The youth should remember God before they die. Death is depicted as the irreversible shattering of a golden bowl when cut from the end of a silver cord and the similar smashing of a pitcher or wheel (verse 6). After death, we must all face the judgment. Let us all, young and old, live our lives in full surrender to God and to God’s glory, since we don’t know when our end will come.

Jermaine Gibson 

Saturday Reflection – 26 September 2020

“For I am with you, says the Lord, to save you.” Jeremiah 30:11

Since the ongoing pandemic, the world has been placed in a standstill. The things that we have been used to such as our way of worship, (especially in celebrating our Special Services) school, work and just our general way of living has been affected. And the thing is, many of us thought that this would be a six-month inconvenience, but it is clearer now, that life will not be the same again. and we now must contemplate a new normal.

As we read Jeremiah 30, we see just how the destruction and exile had affected the Israelites. In verses 5-6, Jeremiah says “Thus says the Lord: We have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace. Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his loins like a woman in labour? Why has every face turned pale?” There has been much anxiety and grappling fear over the rising number of positive cases; the resources needed for an effective teaching-learning environment, the constant need to wear masks and sanitize has brought on some uneasiness and apprehension.

Yet still, as Jeremiah preaches God’s message of hope and restoration, it becomes even more relevant as we confront the lasting effects of COVID-19. God had promised the nations of Israel and Judah that he will “…break the yoke from off his neck, and … will burst his bonds…” (vs. 8) And encourages his people saying “…have no fear, my servant Jacob, says the Lord, and do not be dismayed, O Israel; for I am going to save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and no one shall make him afraid.” (vs. 10) In the same way, we are today encouraged. For like the people, this disaster may seem unending and would just worsen as the days go on. But God reminds us that he will save us, will redeem us from captivity (even the captivity of our homes due to COVID-19) and we will return to quiet and ease and we shall not be afraid anymore.

And God will save us. Today’s watchword is a reminded that those footprints in the sand, are still evident in today’s world. That though we have tribulation, the one who has overcome the world, walks closely beside us. He is the one that will save us. In this resolve, we see our anxieties and perplexities, the uneasiness and fear being replaced with the power, the love and the sound mind given to us by his refreshing Holy Spirit. Allow his peace then, that passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Until next week, as we continue to journey through this pandemic, wearing masks, sanitizing, and constantly checking our temperatures. May we continue to place everything in God’s hands while we continually wash ours. For God is with us and will save us. Amen.

Dominic J. Blair