Daily Worship

WAKE UP!

Albert Bogle March 18, 2017 0 2

Rev 3: 1-6

To the Church in Sardis

3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victoriouswill, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

We started the week contrasting the world of the Peruvian father breaking stones in order to buy bread for his children with our world here in Scotland where the children’s fingers work hard to create words not on tablets of stone but of technology. 

Today I thought we might consider our final passage in light of the temptation narratives. It is the letter to the church at Sardis.  Here is the third temptation Jesus faced only dressed up in another way. The Church at Sardis was completely complacent. They had a great reputation. The truth was what they once had was slowly dying. I wonder if we all need to look in the mirror this morning and make an honest assessment of our actions perhaps of the past weeks and months. What is it that is dying in your life that God continually invites you to revive ? What is it that you are ignoring in your life that God will not let you forget? Who is it that you are avoiding, what situation are you sleep walking into.  Its time to wake up, and strengthen whatever still remains. Perhaps you’ve been looking at the problem, when in fact you are the solution?

 

 

Lord,

When I look in the mirror

I sometimes think - is that really me?

Today you ask me to look in a mirror metaphorically

To look closely at what I’m doing

To ask why I’m doing what I'm doing?

Have I been self centred? 

Seeing only what suits me?

Making decisions that make me comfortable?

Lord you called me to serve

Regardless of the cost

You called me to walk with others

And uphold them in their time of trouble

Forgive me Lord, I lost sight of the plan

I got caught up with the detail

 

Lord,

I’ve  been asleep

I misread the signs?

Today wake me up

Give me your insight

Open my eyes wide to see the big picture

I’ll let you work out the detail.

 

Lord

When I look in the mirror

I sometimes think - is that really me