no more night

The Bible begins with darkness - a darkness that was over the surface of the deep. As the Bible draws to a close, a future is promised where “there will be no more night” (Revelation 22:5); no more darkness or chaos. But that darkness will be dispelled without the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. How so? “The LORD God will give them light.”

The creation of sun, moon and stars for light on the earth is seen to have been a temporary and prophetic provision, pointing forward to a day when the whole creation will be ablaze with true light, the light of a glory that is full of grace and truth, a glory that banishes the curse, that brings to an end the old order of things, that presages a future without pain, that ushers in a future healed of sorrows - the glory of the eternal God, seen in the face of his Son, Jesus Christ.

And so we say, with longing and hope, “Amen; come, Lord Jesus.”

not praying for revival, but

still praying for it. David Murray links to this post by Mike Leake and says he would add to it, ‘Send Holy Spirit-led revival’ but then adds, “Or maybe these five prayers would be a revival.” Seems to me he’s onto something there - praying for those things that would, when they occur, constitute revival. It makes our prayers much more specific and focussed and, I’d argue, more biblical.

the sanity of repentance and praise

Terrific quote from Jack Miller to end one year/begin another in ministry:

“One thing that can be hard for a minister is just the enduring. After you have been in the pastorate for a decade or more, you begin to see many weaknesses and sins in yourself, many failures in the ministry, and become increasingly aware of the resistance in God’s people to change. As our insights grow, so do our temptations to increase in despair. As a friend in Christ I would urge you to resist that temptation. Frequently take time to look over the church, your ministry, your family, and give God thanks for each good thing you see. So not only endure in the ministry but blossom with thankfulness and praise. Perhaps you have heard me say this before, but I like to think of repentance and praise as allied to each other - both forms of sanity. Repentance is a return to God as my centre. Praise is the lifting up of God in honour as my centre. But to move out away from the centre without repentance and praise is to be eccentric, irrational and insane. But what a simple thing it is to humble the heart and return to sanity by repentance and praise.

(The Heart of a Servant Leader, p.56)

A Bonhoeffer Advent Reflection: “Nazareth”

A Bonhoeffer Advent Reflection: “Nazareth”

So why does Matthew say they said he would be a Nazarene? HT: Mike Bird