Daily Worship

Where to place my cross

Albert Bogle April 19, 2017 0 1

Isaiah 25:6-9

6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine –
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8     he will swallow up death for ever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

9 In that day they will say,

‘Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’

The resurrection of Jesus threw everything and everyone into a spin. No one was expecting what happened. No doubt the disciples were asking all sorts of questions. Is Jesus going to physically challenge the Roman occupation? Will our agenda now change from being spiritual to becoming political? They had to learn that Jesus had come not simply to sort out injustice in one time-bound location. Instead his agenda was much larger. It was about redeeming the whole of time to make it fit for eternity. His resurrection was signifying a new creation had started. The time will come when swords will be beaten into ploughshares. Meanwhile we are called to live in such a way that we display the signs of the new creation in our everyday living. 

Yesterday the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom announced that there will be a General Election  in seven weeks time. Surely this is an opportunity for all of us to look at the various political parties and cast our votes for the political party we think will take us a step nearer God’s kingdom here on earth. Let's remember we pray for the Kingdom to come daily - in the words of the Lord’s prayer.

 

 

Lord,

I was wondering if you agree with referendums?

Would you have been a Brexiter or a ‘stay and fix it’ person?

Would you vote at all?

Then I was thinking 

You’d say something profound

Like, ‘Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s etc”

And do something clever  to pay your tax

Like, finding a coin in the mouth of a fish.

How did you do that?

 

Lord,

The more I think about all this 

The more I realise

You care as much about the causes

As you do the symptoms.

 

I think you’d ask me

Will your vote help the vulnerable?

Will your vote help bring peace?

Will your vote create community?

Will your vote open or close doors?

Will your vote  give others freedom?

Will your vote benefit others rather than you?

Will your vote cost you something?

Will your vote help you become more generous to others?

Will your vote be a sign of my Kingdom coming on earth?

Lord,

Help me over the next few weeks to decide 

Where to place my cross 

in order to make a difference.