Christmas Day 2025

Posted on by korgrocker

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIVUK

When we pilgrims celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating far more than a holiday, tradition, or season. Christmas is the story of God fulfilling His promises, drawing near to His people, and sending the Saviour the world had been longing for. It is a time to slow down, open the Scriptures, and let the Word of God remind us why the birth of Jesus matters so deeply. Christmas is rooted not in sentiment, tinsel, turkey and trivia, but in Scripture—God’s living testimony of His love. Long before the manger, God promised that a Saviour would come. For believers everywhere, Christmas is the fulfilment of these ancient prophecies. Isaiah declared, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Centuries later, Matthew quoted this verse when he wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet” (Matthew 1:22). This is why Christians celebrate Christmas with such awe: it is a divine reminder that God is faithful. Every detail of Jesus’ birth echoes God’s promise-keeping nature.

“Immanuel, God with us”

At the heart of Christmas is the name Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Matthew writes, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23). This truth is central to Christian faith: God did not remain distant. He came close. The Gospel of John describes this mystery with breathtaking words: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14). The God who created the universe stepped into time, wrapped Himself in humanity, and lived among His people. For us pilgrims, Christmas means that God understands our struggles, walks beside us, and never leaves us alone.

The Saviour Has Come

Christmas is the celebration of the Saviour’s arrival. The angel told Joseph, “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus’ very name means “The Lord saves.” Christians believe that the manger points toward the cross. From the moment of His birth, Jesus came with a mission: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). The birth of Christ is God’s announcement of salvation, not just for a nation, but for the whole world. The angels proclaimed this good news to the shepherds: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people… a Saviour has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10 11). This is the heart of Christmas joy: salvation has come, wrapped not in royal garments but in swaddling clothes.

Light in the Darkness

We see Christmas as the arrival of God’s light into a dark world. Isaiah foretold, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2). Jesus later confirmed this prophetic promise: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). For believers facing discouragement, grief, or uncertainty, Christmas proclaims hope. The Light has come, and “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Peace on Earth

One of the most cherished themes of Christmas is peace—God’s peace offered to humanity through Jesus. When the angels announced Jesus’ birth, they praised God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favour rests” (Luke 2:14). This peace is not temporary or shallow. It is the peace Jesus promised His followers: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:27). For us, Christmas renews the promise of a peace that anchors the heart in every season of life.

A Call to Worship

Every figure in the Christmas story responds to Jesus with worship. The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem, where “they found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger” (Luke 2:16). Then “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God” (Luke 2:20). The wise men traveled from afar asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). When they found Jesus, “they bowed down and worshiped Him” (Matthew 2:11). Christians today join in that same worship—lifting their voices, their hearts, and their lives in adoration of the newborn King.

Christmas shapes how Christians live. Scripture calls believers to reflect the heart of Christ: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). The generosity, humility, and compassion seen in Jesus’ birth become daily invitations to walk in His footsteps.

Because God came near, we draw near to others.
Because Christ brought light, we shine that light.
Because the Saviour came, we share His good news

For Christians, the meaning of Christmas is summed up in one verse: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16). Christmas is God’s love in action—His promise fulfilled, His presence revealed, His salvation offered, His light shining, His peace given. It is the story of a God who came near so that we could come home.

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank You for coming to this world, and we celebrate Your coming today, this Christmas Day. We pray for our friends and families today that the real meaning of Christmas will penetrate through the day’s distractions. In Your precious name. Amen.

Head Covering (1)

Posted on by korgrocker

“A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. But a woman dishonours her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.”
1 Corinthians 11:4-6 NLT

In the next few verses in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul continued his teaching about headship. To recap, 1 Corinthians 11:3 reads, “But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God”.  The principle that everyone has a “head,” or someone to whom they are accountable, is fundamental to believers, and Paul wrote that men are accountable to Christ, who is their Head. So, how is this to be shown? In the Corinthian culture, there was much importance given to honour and shame, with a person’s behaviour significantly contributing to this. In our societies today, there is little that outwardly shows a man is a Christian. However, for those in leadership or a position of authority in some denominations, there is a dress code. For example, a minister or a priest can be distinguished by something we call a “dog collar”, a white band that goes under a shirt collar and covers up the top button. In a church service, individuals with a particular role can be seen wearing a cassock, a long, black or red-coloured garment. Senior members of the clergy also have a particular style of hat, which is worn in ceremonial circumstances. In the Church of Scotland, an elder can be seen wearing pin-striped trousers with a black jacket and tie, or, in previous years, wearing a suit with tails. But all of this applies in professional religious environments. In non-conformist churches and denominations, there is no such uniform, and leaders are indistinguishable from the laity. 

So, in public, what is there to distinguish a man who is a Christian from the rest of society? There are certain dress codes that a male believer should not adopt, of course, and one of them is the modern tendency for some men to dress as women. In recent years, much has been made in some Christian circles for men to be men, standing up and portraying the role that God has given them. But Paul particularly addressed the situation in a church service, when a man should display his reverence for his Head, Jesus, by not covering his own head. This level of strictness has been abandoned in some contexts, with baseball caps appearing in worship bands, etc., but this probably displays a lack of teaching rather than a deliberate attempt to dishonour Christ. 

Another thing worthy of note is that men had the opportunity to pray and prophesy. Paul wrote, “A man dishonours his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying”. For us men, our head is Christ, and we must have an attitude that is befitting and honouring to Him. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to” (Philippians 2:5-6). Sadly, today, the attitude of humility before God can be hard to find. Often, there is a matey-ness present in our relationship with God, regarding Him almost as an equal, a friend, but without an attitude of awe and a holy fear. 

It may be a time for us men to do a spiritual check-up, and consider how we honour Jesus with all that we are, our minds, our bodies and our souls. Psalm 96:8-9, “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour. Let all the earth tremble before him”. In that context, we should never bother to cover our heads. They would not be seen because we would be on our knees, our heads bowed, worshipping Jesus.

Dear Lord Jesus, our Head in the Godhead. Please forgive us for our lack of reverence, we pray, and instead we worship at Your footstool today. Amen.

God is Jealous

Posted on by korgrocker

“What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?”
1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NLT

Paul asked two questions: “Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?” Taking the first, Paul had already stated that it is impossible to worship demons, in the form of idols, and worship God at the same time. Doing such a thing, Paul said, would be in danger of rousing “the Lord’s jealousy”. Many years before, the Israelites had been told: “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you” (Exodus 34:14). 

However, we know that jealousy is a sin; so, what does it mean when the word is connected with God? In a human sense, jealousy is a negative emotion we feel when we look at something someone else owns and express a desire to own it ourselves. Jealousy can lead to theft or worse, just for the opportunity to own something we cannot afford to buy. Or jealousy can apply to how we feel about another person’s job, or their ability to do something we can’t. Earlier in Exodus, we read, “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. …” (Exodus 20:4-5a). Notice that God is jealous when someone gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him. Worship, praise, honour, and adoration belong to God alone, for only He is truly worthy of it. Therefore, God is rightly jealous when worship, praise, honour, or adoration is given to idols.

The second question Paul asked was: “Do you think we are stronger than he is?” Of course, the answer is that we are not. But the implication is that by thinking we can involve ourselves with the worship of demons, we are effectively putting ourselves in a place where we think we know best, leaving God out of the situation. This is a dangerous place to be, because our God will not tolerate this, and, with His anger aroused, we are facing a slippery slope that could ultimately end in hell. 

What do we pilgrims make of these two questions? We should first remember our place as God’s children and who our Heavenly Father is. We read Psalm 147:4-5: “He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!” We only have to read Genesis 1, and we find how great God is, so we can never say we know better than He does. God knows more than anyone the importance of worshipping Him, because if we don’t, we will find ourselves worshipping something that ultimately could turn out to be a demon. Those of us who are a bit older will remember Bob Dylan’s song ”Gotta Serve Somebody”, which uses the phrase to mean that everyone must ultimately serve either “the devil or the Lord”. 

We worship God, not because He needs our worship, but because of who He is. Within us is an inbuilt desire to worship, and all because we are created in God’s image. We must never forget who God is and why we need to focus our worship and praise on Him. We turn to Jesus, God’s Son, and remember what He did for us. We remember the time when we nailed our “old man” to the Cross of Calvary, so that Jesus could release our “new man, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”. How can we not turn our praise and worship, our awe and adoration, to our Heavenly Father?

Dear God. Please help us refocus our hearts and minds on You today, so that we can give You the worship You deserve. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Great Assembly

Posted on by korgrocker

“I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfil my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations.”
Psalm 22:25-28 NLT

Psalm 22 has always been considered Messianic, a prophetic declaration of that poignant end to the life of Jesus, an ignominious end to the Son of God on a Roman cross, but, to those who believe, a door opened into Heaven with salvation accessible to all people. But in verse 25, David wrote about being in the midst of a “great assembly” where he will “fulfil [his] vows”. Is that also prophetic or was it something about to happen in his lifetime? It all depends on what was meant by the word “great” because “great” implies a large number of people. But if we consider this to be a prophetic statement, then the “great assembly” is yet to happen. We get a few hints of this in the Bible. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 17, “For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. … Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever”. Imagine the scale of that meeting, with the numbers of souls so vast that there will be no stadium large enough on earth to even hold a fraction of those present. It will only be a three-dimensional space “in the clouds” that will be large enough to hold this “great assembly”. Imagine the excitement! But I don’t think our minds are capable of truly grasping the impact of that occasion, and the fact that we pilgrims will be there as well. There will be no disappointed people, unable to see Jesus because of all the others getting in the way. By some miracle He will be accessible to all and we will enjoy His presence forever.

What will we do in that “great assembly”? If we turn to Revelation 7:9-10 we read, “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”” That’s what we will be doing. Again, by some miracle, we will know that we will be standing in front of Jesus, enthroned in His rightful position as the One who brought salvation to mankind. We will be clothed in white and holding palm branches, reminding us of a previous time when the people waved them as He passed. John 12:12-13, “The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”” In that “great assembly”, the air will be full of “Hosannas” and “Hallelujahs” as the praises of all reverberate around the Heavens.

But who will be there with us? I’m sure that we will know the great saints of old, like Moses or Paul. David will be there I’m sure. But I think it was Martin Luther who said that he will be surprised who we will find in Heaven, but also surprised that some who he thought should be there are missing. And he finished by saying that if he gets there it will be a miracle. However, in that “great assembly” we won’t really care who is, and isn’t, there because it will be all about Jesus.

David wrote that he will fulfil his vows “in the presence of those who worship” the Lord. We all will fulfil our vows, in a sense, because we have all vowed, promised even, to follow Jesus, believing that only He has the words of eternal life. All those years of the struggles between our fleshly natures and the spirit within us will all be gone. All the doubts and fears, the accusations and ridicule emanating from the unbelievers, all gone, because they will be gone. For many living in oppressive and restrictive anti-God regimes where they are persecuted, they will be free at last and able to worship Jesus as they have always wanted to. For our time on earth, the vows we have made will have been hard to keep, but as Jesus said, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13).

We pilgrims need to hone up our worship skills in the university of life in God’s Kingdom here on earth. we need to get into practice for that great and wonderful day when the worship of the One who deserves all the glory and all the power goes on for eternity. Perhaps we think the we can’t hold a tune or sing a note. Perhaps we think we will never remember all the words. But the reality will be a “great roar” from the “great assembly“. If we listen hard enough we might hear the praise band already tuning up, with the angels humming the tunes. As the lyrics of the old hymn say,

“What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon His face
The One who saved me by His grace
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me to the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be
What a day, glorious day that will be.”

Dear Father God. We look into the future, glimpsing that great assembly in Heaven. We pilgrims will be part of it I’m sure, and we will see You at last. Forever and ever. Amen.

In the Assembly

Posted on by korgrocker

“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honour him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!”
Psalm 22:22-23 NLT

A distinct shift in perspective from David, now that he has moved on from writing about his enemies, the “bulls of Bashan”. After declaring that God was his strength and writing down his prayer for salvation “from the horns of these wild oxen”, David moves on into the realm of praising God. He starts with a proclamation about the name of the Lord to his “brothers and sisters”. What would he have said? It would not have been just a straight mentioning of the word “God”, or “Lord”. There is so much more behind the “name of the Lord”. To the Jews, there was something so sacred about the “name of the Lord” that they wouldn’t say it out loud, instead using some other reference. So sad that today the name of God has been degraded to become a swear word, a ubiquitous utterance to many. Exodus 20:7 means nothing to such people, “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name”. But we pilgrims know the implication and significance of God’s name, as did David. In Proverbs 18:10 we read, “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe“. Paul wrote in Romans 10:13, “For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved””, and Paul was under no illusions about the name of Jesus when he wrote, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).‭‭ So, all those people who misuse or denigrate the “name of the Lord” are in for a nasty shock one day.

We pilgrims have much to say about the name of God, and we proclaim His name at every opportunity, realising and understanding what it means. We speak of God with reverence and awe, with a “fear” that acknowledges that we are in His presence continually, human beings created by God and walking in and upon God’s creation wherever we go, and of course aware that He is all-powerful. And that’s the thing. People, in particular those who have rejected God, generally think, with an arrogance that is breathtaking, that their Godless ideologies can exclude God from their lives totally. They think that they were born by accident in a world that accidentally happened, with life upon it again the result of an accident, thus reducing God to the margins, to be rejected and considered the domain of the feeble and unintelligent. And in that environment of lies they, of course, have no time for God, let alone His name. Jesus warned about disregarding God when He said, “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear” (Luke 12:4-5).

But we pilgrims have much to say about God’s name. There are all the wonderful Old Testament names of God, such as Elohim, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Jireh, and many more, each displaying and proclaiming a truth about God, and His many character facets. We will never, this side of eternity, ever fully understand God and our feeble attempts to name Him are just that – feeble. But on our journeys through life we find new things about God almost daily, as we ponder His name, through reading His Word, through our interactions with His people, through prayer, through meditation in the Word, and more.

It is sad that many Christians lack the opportunity to proclaim and praise His name in the assemblies because they have perhaps given up on churches and fellowships or lack the opportunities to get to one. In some parts of the world, there are no churches because the authorities have closed them down or don’t allow them to exist in the first place, for example in North Korea. But here in the UK we have plenty of choice and it is sad to find fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who have denied themselves the privilege of being able to worship God in a corporate setting. But David was always seeking any opportunity to “praise [God] among [His] assembled people”. In fact, David was so keen to be in God’s presence that he wrote, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God” (Psalm 84:1-2). He continued, “What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises“, and verse 10 reads, “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked”. I think David liked nothing better that praise God with his brothers and sisters!

I would encourage all pilgrims to heed Hebrews 10:25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near“. Of course God can speak to us on our own and in isolation – with Him all things are possible – but He also brings His Word through our brothers and sisters. And there is something special about worshipping with fellow believers, “praising [God] among [His] assembled people”.  After all, we will have to get used to it as Heaven will be full of corporate worship (Revelation 7:9-10).

Dear Father God. For those of us without a spiritual home, please help us find the church or fellowship You want us to join, so that we too can spend time praising You with our brothers and sisters. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayerful Assurance

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies.”
Psalm 17:6-7 NLT

David expressed his assurance about his prayer life. Put simply, he prayed because he knew God would answer him. There is something about prayer that people misunderstand. We have our liturgical prayer books such as the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Or we can soon find books of prayers overflowing with feel-good poetry. And of course we have the Psalms, a wonderful God-inspired resource written many years ago. A dignitary might write down a prayer when asked to open an assembly, and we have the time of prayers at a school assembly. But prayer has become to many a stilted and flowery statement rather than what it should be – part of conversation with God. In a human setting, two people will engage in a conversation and will talk to each other in a way that communicates their thoughts and feelings, opinions and fears. Human communication is very much a two-way process of talking and listening, as issues are discussed and even problems resolved. But somehow we struggle to communicate with God. It could be that we can’t see Him. Or because He may not respond in a way that we need Him to, so that the conversation can continue. And so we have devised a process called prayer, a one-sided verbalisation of our needs and wants that we launch into the air like paper aeroplanes in the hope that one of them will fly all the way to God’s throne and He will pick it up and answer. Some people get quite good at praying, with long monologues full of “thee’s” and “thou’s”, spontaneously spoken out in a church meeting, and afterwards they feel quite good about themselves, considering the job done. A cynical view? Perhaps, but even Jesus’ disciples struggled with prayer – it’s not a new thing that only modern believers suffer from.

Conversation with God is what prayer is really all about, and, like any other conversation, it is two-sided. David was assured of that, because he knew confidently that God answered his prayers. But what do we pilgrims expect when we pray? Are we equally as confident that God will answer our prayers?

Part of a conversation between two people is a getting-to-know-you process. The way another person responds to a question, or reacts to a statement, exposes their inner person and contributes to a relational process that either grows well, even into friendship, or it brings the conversation to a speedy end with incompatible differences. We can’t ask God direct questions about Himself, but all the information we need is contained within His Word, the Bible. And the more we read it, the more we will find out about our wonderful God.

Jesus taught about prayer in His Sermon on the Mount. We read in Matthew 6:5-6, “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you”. Jesus continued, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” And then we have what we call the Lord’s Prayer, a template for praying the God way. Matthew 6: 9-13, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one“. How many times have we recited that prayer in a church service, words that we know from memory, but what do they really mean in practice? Jesus didn’t say that His prayer was all that there was. He said “Pray like this …”. There’s worship here, gratitude, expression of needs, an appeal for God to touch earth once again, a confession of sins, and protection from evil. Not a complete list of tick boxes, but an outline to which we add our own flavour, seasoned by our relationship with God.

With regard to his prayer life, David was a simple soul. He spoke out his fears and his needs. He reminded God of His obligations. He ranted and raved at God when under duress, emotional outbursts that we wouldn’t dare repeat in case we upset God. But David knew His Lord, and could confidently say that his prayers were answered. How about us pilgrims? Are we just was confident or merely going through the motions? But one thing we do know is that at the start of the day we need to get close to God. It may not always be convenient. Some days we won’t even feel like it, preferring to have extra time in bed. But the more we spend time with God in prayer, the more we will find that he respond to our stuttering verbalisations, giving us the assurance we need in times of need. The assurance we receive from God is indeed blessed.

Dear Father God. Once again we come to You in worship and with thankful hearts. We know that You are there for us, each and every moment, leading, guiding and assuring us on every step of our pilgrimage to Heaven. Amen.

Flagrant Sinners

Posted on by korgrocker

“Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honour the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts.”
Psalm 15:1, 4 NLT

David lists three more character necessities for those who want to worship the Lord in His sanctuary. We must “despise flagrant sinners”, “honour the faithful followers of the Lord“, and “keep [our] promises”. To be clear, we pilgrims can worship God anywhere but there is a sweet spot where we can do so from a position of having a clear conscience, free from the little accusing whispers in our minds that get in the way of true worship. Once there the sweet spot takes us to a connection with the Lord that somehow seems to take us into Heaven itself. 

But who are these “flagrant sinners” that David warned us against? Other translations refer to a “vile” or “evil” person but however we consider these words, there is something or someone here that we must avoid. The word “vile” describes a deliberately wicked, morally worthless person. “Despise” comes from a term which can also mean “to hold in contempt” or “to disdain.” These are strong words and highlight the importance of our being set apart from contact with such people, as we continue to journey on our walk of holiness. But Paul said “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” so does that mean we should despise everyone, because everyone sins? Of course not, because to do so would turn us into monks, shut away in a monastery away from contact with other human beings. The key word here is “flagrant”, describing those people who are open in their sin and who flaunt it in everyone else’s face, impervious of the offence that they are causing. We can find many examples of this on social media, where disgusting sinful rants emerge far too frequently, rants that abuse our political leaders, rants that target the sexuality of people they think they know, and so on. 

The word “despise” can mean that we should avoid, as a general rule, contact with these “flagrant sinners”. I say as a general rule, because there are some who find that they have a ministry of grace to these people. It depends on how strong their faith is. We read in Jude 1:23, “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives”. There are many who have dedicated their lives to working with the “flagrant sinners”, people like Jackie Pullinger working with drug addicts and dealers in Hong Kong. But we must be careful. Paul wrote, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). So it makes sense to beware of places where we know there is a temptation too great for us to avoid. Think of a person who is an alcoholic entering a bar with a pocketful of cash.

David advised that those who want to worship God must avoid anything or anyone that gets in the way, even if it means taking an extreme position in the process. Whatever we fill our minds with, such as what we watch on TV, or listen to on the radio, or during conversations with people we meet, or find on YouTube or elsewhere in the Internet, will divert us away from the ability to worship God in the way he desires. There will be nothing sinful present in God’s presence or in His worship.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please help us to avoid people and places that will divert us away from worshipping You in spirit and truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Preparation for Burial

Posted on by korgrocker

“But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” … Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.””
John 12:4-5, 7-8 NLT

Mary caused quite a stir amongst the disciples. To recap, she poured a very expensive quantity of the perfume nard all over Jesus’ feet and then wiped it all with her hair. Judas was outraged and told everyone present that this was a missed opportunity and that Mary had wasted her resources on anointing Jesus’ feet. 

But as an aside, this probably brought into focus Judas’ relationship with Jesus. His opinion of the Master was lacking integrity and he had obviously failed to grasp who Jesus really was. But before we condemn him, think about this. Although we would all have liked to be present with the Son of God, the question of us all is this – would be willing to waste something worth a year’s wages on anointing Jesus’ feet? Hmmm…

Back to John’s account. Jesus came to Mary’s defence and He said something that must have appeared strange to the disciples – “She did this in preparation for my burial”. The disciples were probably having trouble keeping up with events, and what was going on before them was puzzling to them. Why was Jesus thinking about His own death and burial? After all, He was still a relatively young man, and anyway no-one knew when they would die. After death, a person in those days was buried wrapped in shrouds of cloth and heavily anointed with perfumes. But as we know, the smell of a perfume, even an expensive one, fades away over a few days, so, the disciples thought, was Jesus’ death and burial so close? With the benefit of hindsight, we know that it was but the disciples didn’t.

Jesus then said something that superficially seemed a bit callous, and dismissive of the problems of being poor. The rest of the disciples may have agreed with Judas, that surely benefiting poor people was more important than “wasting” all that perfume. But Jesus knew what was happening. The next few days would have been marked by one significant factor as the smell of the perfume followed Jesus everywhere He found Himself. In the Garden, before Pilate, abused by soldiers, and lastly on the Cross. And through it all was Mary, smelling of nard herself, reminding everyone of her act of worship at Jesus’ feet. Jesus was telling the disciples that poor people could have been helped at any time but  Mary’s act alone would not have made even a dent in the overall problem of poverty. Jesus wasn’t dismissive of the poor. He was focused on His mission “and that was not to feed the poor”to seek and save the lost“. 

By the way, we mustn’t take from today’s verses the thought that the poor don’t matter. Of course we must help those in need, in every aspect of their poverty, natural or spiritual. The Apostles James wrote, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you” (James 1:27). And there are other impoverished groups in the world today who need our help. And we may even need that help ourselves. 

Perhaps one day we will meet Mary in Heaven and will still be able to smell the perfume. But on the other hand, we will be too busy worshipping Jesus, I’m sure. Mary knew who Jesus was and she was prepared to lay down her life and possessions for Him. Her example has travelled through the centuries ever since, as a reminder that we truly do worship at Jesus’ feet with all that we are.

Dear Lord Jesus, we worship You today with all our beings. You are our Lord and Master and before You today we bow down, unworthy even to be in Your presence. Amen.

Perfumed Feet

Posted on by korgrocker

“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honour. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.”
John 12:1-3 NLT

Jesus was back in Bethany again, at the home of Lazarus, and his two sisters, Martha and Mary. And John recorded that there was a meal “prepared in Jesus’ honour”, served by Martha as usual. But after the meal, Mary did a strange thing. She took a jar of perfume, expensive perfume, and tipped it over Jesus’ feet. What followed was also strange – she wiped His feet with her hair. And as we might expect, it was impossible to go anywhere in the house without being able to smell the perfume. 

Why did Mary do something so extravagant? Again, John wrote the account of what happened in his usual dispassionate terms, but we can imagine the consternation on the faces of those present. Perhaps Martha and Lazarus were a bit embarrassed about their sister’s behaviour. The disciples and others who were present might have been distracted from their conversations as they looked on. Women in those days were supposed to stay in the background and not bother the men with anything. Perhaps Mary committed a social gaff but there was something far more important going on. Mary left us with a picture of an act of worship of Jesus with a gift that mattered. We don’t know what Mary was keeping this jar of perfume for, or where she had acquired it from, but it was obviously a very precious possession. It was important to her.

What do we pilgrims consider important and precious to us, and would be be prepared to lay it down at Jesus’ feet in an act of worship? The perfume would have run over Jesus’ feet and the floor, and Mary mopped up any stray liquid with her hair. It was then gone forever, never to be returned to the bottle. There were others gifts that Mary could have offered to Jesus. Perhaps a lamb that was important to her, or a sum of money, her life savings. But in every other possibility, the gift stayed intact. 

The Apostle Paul wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1). We pilgrims lay our lives down at the feet of Jesus, in an act of worship that ties us to Him for ever. The smell of Mary’s perfume would have stayed with Jesus all through the rest of His short life, and in our cases, our lives must stay with Jesus for the rest of our earthly days. According to Paul, by laying down our lives before Jesus, we too are a wonderful fragrance. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15a, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. …“. By the grace of God we will never change from a pleasant perfume in God’s nostrils, to becoming an unpleasant stench. Will we?

Dear God. In everything we do and say we want to be pleasing to You. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The Good Shepherd

Posted on by korgrocker

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.”
John 10:11-13 NLT

Just a few verses ago in John 10, Jesus declared “I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7b), and now He said “I am the good shepherd”. It is noteworthy that Jesus said the rather than a good shepherd. There was only One who was worthy enough to claim that unique position. But the picture is emerging of Jesus being the protector of His flock, first by protecting them in the sheepfold by preventing wolves, thieves and robbers from stealing them, and then by looking after them as they followed Him towards good pastures. Sheep are incredibly helpless animals and need a lot of looking after, but all they had to do, to ensure their health and safety, was to trust and follow the shepherd.

This parable however was mainly devoted to building a picture of human needs and God’s provision. Faced with the human equivalent of wolves, thieves and robbers, a person is relatively helpless, and this is even more true in the spiritual realm. Without God in their lives, a person’s spirit will wander aimlessly through a life that leads to a nasty end, but beforehand will experience attacks from all and any evil sources. But those who enter through the Gate, that is Jesus, will find a place of safety and comfort. God’s spiritual sheepfold is a place unreachable by the devil’s wolves, thieves and robbers. 

But we should also note that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, was prepared to sacrifice His life in the protection of His sheep. The death of a shepherd protecting his flock was not an unusual event in the days of sheep herding in Palestine two thousand years ago. But as we know, Jesus was prepared to give His life for the sake of His sheep., and he did so at Calvary just a year or two after He told this parable to the people round Him. Jesus could have run away from the sheep, as a hired hand would most likely have done when the flock was faced with a wolfish attack or some other danger. But instead, as the Good Shepherd promised, He sacrificed His life so that His flock at that time and down through the following generations, would be protected. The power of the enemy was defeated at Calvary and through Jesus we sheep have eternal protection for our souls.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship our Good Shepherd today and every day, with grateful hearts. Amen.