Search and rescue 14 Oct 12
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Search and rescue
Have you ever lost a person in a crowd? Sometimes it is another adult who is in no danger but it is just annoying that you have to spend all that time finding them again. More annoying if they are the wandering type who don’t tell you where they are going.
It is a quite different matter to mislay a child in a crowd, horrifying if it is in a strange country. The emotion that surges both in the search and then in the finding is very powerful. The anger and fear that stirred up thoughts such as “I’ll murder the little blighter” turn to joy and relief when the lost is found, more so when the child is afraid and upset.
The intensity of feeling comes from the loving relationship we have with the lost person. We dearly want them back. We fear for their safety. We bend every effort to find them. We make unrealistic demands on others to help us, All for love.
Are you coming? 7 Oct 12
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Are you coming?
Was Jesus angry when he told the story of the great feast? He was at lunch on the Sabbath at the home of a Pharisee. He had already given a couple of pieces of advice about pride, status and self-interest. He seemed a bit unhappy with the general behaviour at the dinner.
His reference to the resurrection of the righteous, evoked an bit of enthusiasm from one of the guests: “Won’t it be great to be at the feast in the kingdom of God?!” Indeed. But what if you refuse the invitation?
Someone asked me this week about whether unbelievers who had died could be saved by the faith of the living. The unhappy truth is that people need to respond to what they hear when they hear it.
Jesus’ story is about this.
Do the greedy get rich? 30 Sep 12
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Do the greedy get rich?
Do the greedy get rich? Is there a link between greed and wealth? Is it only wealthy people who are greedy? And what is greed anyway?
It does seem that some greedy people get rich. And they get rich because they are greedy. But not all greedy people get rich. There are lots of poor greedy people. Or are we just talking about wanting more? Or wanting what others have? Or just wanting what is available.
“Would it spoil some vast eternal plan, if I were a rich man?” Or if I had an iPhone 5? If you want something and can’t afford it life is a bit more stressful than if you want something and you can afford it.
How long? 23 Sep 12
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
How long?
How long does it take to get to know someone? That’s a bit like asking, “How long is a piece of string?” How well do you want to know them? How well do they want you to know them?
Some people are talkative and want you to know a lot about them. Others don’t talk much about themselves and getting to know them can take some time. Others seem like undercover spies whose identities remain a hidden secret. I was part of a youth group for a while where one of the long term members was called Mr X because no one even seemed to know his name.
The ones who talk a lot about themselves can be a bit tiring at times – and confusing, especially if they don’t include very good time markers in their stories. But you do get to know them better. A bit like God.
It’s an answer to prayer 16 Sep 12
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
It’s an answer to prayer
Could it be an answer to prayer? Someone last Sunday thought that our really good beginning was. Well, probably more than one person thought this. Could it be true?
What prayer? Your prayer. My prayer. Our calling on God to do his work in bringing people to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Our prayer that Jesus will build his church. Our prayer that a simple thing like distributing cards would alert some people to the opportunity to connect with God’s people again.
So those who have been praying: keep it up. What a great blessing it is to be part of a praying church. A praying church is a believing church. It is a family that believes in the Father. Believes to such an extent that it keeps on calling out to him to do his work, to show his love, to stretch out his hand to heal and bless.
6. Sower and seeds Luke 8.1-15
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Luke
{podcast id=205}
Sower and Seeds Luke 8.1-15
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 9 September 2012
Hearing and speaking the Word of God and how it works
Is this a set-up? 9 Sep 12
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Is this a set-up?
Well, it could be. If God is involved. On Wednesday we read about Peter finding his way to a town only 15 km from where a notable Christian woman was dying. He was there in time to be summoned to Joppa (now Jaffa, a suburb of Tel-Aviv) where Tabitha had died. This was a set-up. God planned the occasion to show his power and mercy through Peter to this godly woman and her community.
Peter soon found himself involved in a more ornate set-up. This one involved a foreign soldier up the coast having a vision of an angel, telling him to send for Peter. Meanwhile Peter himself had had a vision (he probably thought it was more like a nightmare at first). It was about eating food he had been brought up to consider out-of-bounds – disgusting really.
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