by Maria Rudolph
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Read James 3:1–12
I grew up in Germany, with today being St Nicholas Day. Now, it is my children’s turn to clean their shoes on the eve of 6 December and place them neatly outside their bedroom door. When they awake, they will find small goodies in their shoes - lollies, nuts and gifts. St Nicholas Day is a joyful event of giving and receiving.
Nicholas was the 4th-century bishop of Myra, located in modern-day Türkiye (Turkey). The stories surrounding his generous giving and godly conduct have somehow taken on a life of their own and curiously culminated in the modern-day creation of Santa Claus. While this is a far cry from the original person of Bishop Nicholas, it serves as yet another reminder of God, the giver of all things. St Nicholas is credited with this quote - ‘The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.’
How blessed we are with godly quotes from him and many other faithful Christians throughout the ages. How blessed we are with Scripture verses full of wisdom said and recorded by the people of old. Yet an observation and warning from St James in his epistle is true for all of them and us - ‘Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be’ (James 3:10). Even well-quoted people do not always use their tongues appropriately.
We already focus on giving gifts and sharing kind actions during this Advent season. But let us also focus on our tongues. Martin Luther instructs us in his Small Catechism on the eighth commandment:
Do not give false testimony. What does this mean? We should honour and love God and so we should not tell lies about other people, give their secrets away, talk about them behind their back, or damage their reputation in any way. Instead, we should speak up for them, say only good things about them, and explain their actions in the kindest way.
It takes effort to use our tongues appropriately, but with a focus on the giver of every good and perfect gift, we are on the right track. Let us all challenge ourselves to take note of our tongue and pray daily that we may use it solely for blessing.
Holy Spirit, living water, we need your help and guidance. We do not want to be a spring from which fresh and saltwater flow simultaneously. But we trip up and fail. Fill us with your living water so our cup overflows into our lives and the people around us from the spring of life inside us. Store the fruit of your Spirit in our hearts abundantly, so our mouth speaks of what our hearts are full of. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria is overjoyed to be a candidate for ordination as a pastor of the LCANZ while serving the St Johns Perth congregation and supporting the ministry of her pastor husband, Michael, at Concordia Duncraig congregation in Western Australia. They are parents to three children who are busy with primary and secondary schooling. Maria also serves the church as a member of the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
God never turns away
by Pauline Simonsen
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Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (Romans 10:17).
Read Romans 10:16–11:1
Think of the times you’ve turned your back on God in the past week. When he’s been speaking, and you’ve metaphorically put your fingers in your ears and started saying ‘la, la, la’ very loudly. Like turning over and going back to sleep when you wake early in the morning with an invitation to spend some time with God. Or ignoring the prompt to connect with the person who keeps coming into your mind. Deciding to indulge the bad habit, even though you know it’s wrong. Telling yourself you’ll read the devotion ‘later’. Yeah, me too.
God is always speaking to us, calling us to him, but humans seem to be hardwired to reject him and to turn away from his invitations to come to him. Even we who have been redeemed by him, reborn in our baptism, made his children – we still struggle with this old nature that doesn’t want God. The Apostle Paul knew the struggle too. He lamented: ‘I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate’ (Romans 7:15).
It’s not like we haven’t heard the word of God; we have, over and over, from parents, pulpits, podcasts! It’s not like we don’t understand who God is in Jesus and what God has done for us. The Israelites had the same struggle, as Paul says in today’s reading. They heard, they understood – but many of them still rejected God’s word about Christ. The problem is human wilfulness, our ‘old Adam’. Paul quotes Isaiah quoting God: ‘All day long I have held my hands out to a disobedient and obstinate people.’ That’s Israel in captivity; Jonah in the belly of the fish; failing, sinking Peter; you and me – we are all those disobedient, obstinate people. Surely God gets sick of our repeated rejections of him? Surely he will turn his back on us?
‘No!’ says Paul. God will not reject his people. God still speaks his beautiful message of grace, the good news: the word about Christ. We hear again that God’s mercy in Jesus never ends, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, we believe. We put our faith in the one who is grace incarnate – our Jesus, standing before us right now, saying, ‘Come.’
Beloved Jesus, we hear you now, calling us to yourself, like you called Peter out of the boat. O loving Lord, help us to come to you and follow you today. Forgive our wilfulness, and with your Spirit’s help, give us hearts to love you, Lord, and to obey you this day. Amen.
Pauline lives in sight of the ranges in the beautiful Manawatu region of New Zealand with her husband Roger and their two cats. There, she leads Emmaus Bible College and offers spiritual direction and supervision to people from a wide range of backgrounds and denominations.
The grace of Jesus
by Pauline Simonsen
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… they knew it was the Lord (John 21:12b).
Read John 21:1–13
The disciples are lost; they don’t know what to do. Their master was crucified, dead and buried, but now he is miraculously alive again. How can this be? And what are they supposed to do now? Confused and disoriented, they return to the one thing they know: fishing. But today, they’re not even successful at that.
And then: the man on the shore in the early morning light, the call to try once more and the catch of fish – so big they can’t get it on board and must tow it to shore.
Suddenly, the disciples’ heads are full of echoes and memories of another morning three years before, of a man on the shore and another enormous catch. John turns to Peter: ‘It is the Lord!’ And Peter can’t help himself; he leaps out of the boat into the water to go to Jesus. Like he did that night on the lake in the storm – ‘call me to you!’ he’d cried. And Jesus said, ‘Come.’ Peter, desperate to be with his Lord.
But there has been much water under the bridge in those three years. There has been ‘Get behind me, Satan’ (Mark 8:32,33)! There has been Peter’s overconfident declaration (Mark 14:29–31) and then his falling asleep in Gethsemane (Mark 14:37,38). There was his foolish attempt to defend against Jesus’ arrest (John 18:10,11). And, worst of all, there was Peter’s denial of his Lord three times (Mark 14:66–72). The Peter who jumps out of the boat to go to Jesus is heartsick, ashamed and humbled.
But see how Jesus receives him. With a welcoming fire and bread and fish ready to eat. No rebuke or condemnation. Instead, he tells Peter to bring some fish they just caught. Surely, as Peter goes to help the others bring the haul ashore, he is remembering when Jesus called him three years before: ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching people’ (Luke 5:10).
Perhaps the Lord still has a purpose for him?
As Jesus takes the bread and gives it to them, echoing another sacramental meal, Peter realises that above all else his master is grace. Jesus redeems failing humans like Peter, like us.
‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning’ (Lamentations 3:22,23b).
Bless you, loving Lord, for your endless grace for us failing humans. Thank you that every day I begin again in your merciful love. Walk with me today, and use me for your kingdom purposes. I go out now in your peace. Amen.
Pauline lives in sight of the ranges in the beautiful Manawatu region of New Zealand with her husband Roger and their two cats. There, she leads Emmaus Bible College and offers spiritual direction and supervision to people from a wide range of backgrounds and denominations.
God with us
by Pauline Simonsen
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It is I; don’t be afraid (John 6:20b).
Read John 6:14–24
Earlier this week, we meditated on Matthew’s narrative of Jesus walking on the water. John’s account contains some differences. After miraculously feeding the crowds, Jesus leaves them. He goes up into the hills alone to prevent the crowd from trying to force him to be their king. John’s account also doesn’t mention Peter’s experience of walking on the water and Jesus saving him.
John’s interest lies in Jesus’ supernatural authority over the natural realm and people’s different responses to it. The morning after the feeding miracle, when the crowd works out that Jesus didn’t go in the boat with the disciples, they pursue him to Capernaum, asking how Jesus got to the other side. They are fascinated with Jesus and his miraculous powers, a fascination Jesus isn’t interested in feeding, then or now (John 6:26,27).
What about the disciples? What do they learn about their master as they battle against heavy winds and waves in their small boat on the lake that night? They see the figure on the water walking out of the darkness towards them, and they are terrified. Then they hear the voice of their master calling out, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid!’
Perhaps Jesus’ declaration is preparing the disciples for his ‘I AM’ statements, the first of which John records in the next few verses: ‘I am the bread of life’ (John 6:35). At the very least, the disciples must be recalling Old Testament Scriptures that speak of Yahweh as the one who controls the seas.
‘The waters saw you, O God … and writhed; the very depths were convulsed … Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen’ (Psalm 77:16,19). ‘You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them’ (Psalm 89:9).
The disciples witness Jesus, their master, doing what only God can do. Whether they fully perceive it yet, the ‘I AM’ of the burning bush is among them! Immanuel, God is with us!
The God who led Israel through the waters of the Red Sea is the same God who walked over the Sea of Galilee to the disciples’ boat. And this is the same God who speaks to you and me in our storms, ‘It is I, don’t be afraid!’ Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
In the troubles of my life today, Lord Jesus, grant me to see you with clarity and trust as the God of my salvation. Let your word quell my fears, and your presence bring me peace, today and always. Amen.
Pauline lives in sight of the ranges in the beautiful Manawatu region of New Zealand with her husband Roger and their two cats. There, she leads Emmaus Bible College and offers spiritual direction and supervision to people from a wide range of backgrounds and denominations.