Darkness and Light

The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12).

We are fast approaching the longest night of the year.  Since the leaves started turning, we've all noticed that the porch lights in our neighbourhoods have been illumined just a little bit earlier, that the neon signs have popped up in the distance just a little bit sooner than the day before, and that ability to see our breath has become an increasing reality.  Darkness is falling on us faster and faster. 

Though it's a long drive from my home to the university I attend, I do enjoy the fact that I get to watch the sun chase away the darkness from the world.  Last week there was one day in particular where the skies just light up with an unusual cheerfulness, filling our part of the world with beautiful colors. 



Christ has come as the light of the world and chased away the darkness from our midst.  Though we can find ourselves, at times, surrounded by it and it temptations to do things we know aren't beneficial (knowing they will be well hidden in that darkness), the light of the Gospel still burns.  Even if we only have a flicker of that light in us, knowing that even the smallest, dimmest light can break darkness gives us hope. 

Christ coming into the world is much like that sun shucking the dark of night; the advent of the messiah helps us to see more clearly what is before us, aiding us in our attempt to keep from stumbling. 

In XP,

Terry W. Gatwood

Wednesday, December 1st. Nicholas Ferrar Day, Deacon of the Church

NICHOLAS FERRAR

DEACON, MAN OF PRAYER (1 DEC 1637)

Nicholas Ferrar, born in 1592, was the founder of a religious community that lasted from 1626 to 1646.
After Nicholas had been ordained as a deacon, he and his family and a few friends retired to Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire, England, to devote themselves to a life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (Matthew 6:2,5,16). They restored the abandoned church building, and became responsible for regular services there. They taught the neighborhood children, and looked after the health and well-being of the people of the district. They read the regular daily offices of the Book of Common Prayer, including the recital every day of the complete Psalter. (Day and night, there was always at least one member of the community kneeling in prayer before the altar, that they might keep the word, "Pray without ceasing.") They wrote books and stories dealing with various aspects of Christian faith and practice. They fasted with great rigor, and in other ways embraced voluntary poverty, so that they might have as much money as possible for the relief of the poor.
The community was founded in 1626 (when Nicholas was 34). He died in 1637 (aged 45), and in 1646 the community was forcibly broken up by the Puritans of Cromwell's army. The memory of the community survived to inspire and influence later undertakings in Christian communal living, and one of T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets is called "Little Gidding."

by James Kiefer   

Galatians 6:7-10

7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. ⁸If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. ¹⁰So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

Terry's Thoughts:

What would the world be like if it weren't for people praying at all times?  I'm not sure I'd ever want to know a world like that.  Nowadays, it seems that prayer is something that people just don't want to do.  It's a practice reserved for time in corporate worship, meals, and just before bed.  I know of many people who just can't pray in front of others.  But as we know of Ferrar's community, praying without ceasing took on a literal meaning. 

Many of my friends who are Protestant, particularly those who come from a more Calvinistic branch, dislike greatly the idea of monastic living.  They make good arguments as to why this is not proper, but I usually have to disagree with them.  Monastics are in prayer no less than seven times per day, and there are monastaries scattered all over the world.  That means, at every hour, somewhere in the world, someone is praying for everything under the sun, including you, me, and those who do not have a relationship with Christ.  They are praying for peace, justice, and the whole lot.  I praise God for this. 

Thank you, God, for leaders like Nicholas, who stepped out in obedience to you to see that the whole world is under the influence of prayer.  May his memory be an everlasting tribute to your goodness and faithfulness towards us. 

In XP,

Terry W. Gatwood

PRAYER (contemporary language)
   Lord God, make us so reflect your perfect love; that, with your deacon Nicholas Ferrar and his household, we may rule ourselves according to your Word, and serve you with our whole heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Tuesday, November 30th. Gentleness

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12

Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

"2You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,^* that our coming to you was not in vain, ²but though we had already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. ³For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; ⁶nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, ⁷though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle^* among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
9 You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters;^* we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was towards you believers. ¹¹As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, ¹²urging and encouraging you and pleading that you should lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory."


As a parent of a small child, you understand what it is like to have someone completely depend on you for everything.  Love, food, drink, clothing, etc.  This is a person who cannot do anything for themselves.  They have complete faith in the parent to give them everything they need, even without knowing what faith is in an academic sense.  All they can do is trust and hope. 

The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Thessalonicans that he came to them like a parent, treating them gently and giving them what they needed because of thier hope and trust in the Lord, and that it was God giving them what they needed in truth, not him.  That's why the glory and praise belong to God, not to him. 

When we encounter people who are still babies in the Lord, it is often frustrating when they do not understand what it is we are trying to teach them.  It is similarly frustrating at times with Children when they do not understand why you keep telling them no when they attempt to stick something in an electrical outlet in the wall.

Understanding how to be gentle with those who aren't as experienced as yourself can be difficult, but it is something we should understand and practice.  You wouldn't get upset with an infant when he or she can't understand what a past participle is.  Don't be upset by the babe in Christ when they cannot understand deep theological points of doctrine.  Stick with the basics, and work up from there. 

In XP,

Terry W. Gatwood

Preparing the Way For the Lord

From Luke's Gospel, Chapter 1:

76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77to give his people the knowledge of salvation

through the forgiveness of their sins,

78because of the tender mercy of our God,

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79to shine on those living in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Christ is coming.  He is coming.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

John's mother was told by an angel that he was coming.  His father, likewise, was told the same thing.  His mother at once responded in faith accepting the gift of God, and Zechariah, after first questioning, responded in faith.  And thus John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, came into being because of God's good purpose.  

Rufus M. Jones, in his book The Double Search writes, "He can be received only through appreciation and conscous appropriation.  he comes only through doors that are purposely opened for him.  A person may live as near God as the bubble is to the ocean and yet not find him.  he may be 'closer than breathing, nearer than hands or feet,' and still be missed.  Historical Christianity is dry and formal when it lacks the immediate and inward response to our Great Companion; but our spirits are trained to know him, to appreciate him, by the mediation of historical revelation.  A person's spiritual life is always dwarfed when cut apart from history.  Mysticism is empty unless it is enriched by outward and historical revelation.  The supreme education of the soul comes through an intimate acquaintance with Jesus Christ of history."

Are our doors purposely opened to God at the moment?  Are we tuning our ears to hear and our eyes to see what it is God is laying before us at the moment.  I know that personally, I miss many opportunities because I'm too caught up in the worries of this life to understand that God is moving me to do or say something, and I just skip right over it.  It's tough, but the fact is we hear what we have trained ourselves to hear. 

If you haven't been attending corporate worship in a local body of believers, this is your invitation to do so.  Get in there and train to see and hear how the Lord God wants you prepare for his coming, because he is coming again. 

Blessed be the name of the Lord. 

In XP,

Terry W. Gatwood

P.S.  I will not be blogging on Sunday's during Advent.  Take that as an opportunity to do some writing for reflection on your own. 

Advent 2010

Advent will soon be upon us.  This year, as a form of spiritual discipline, I will again start journaling on a regular basis.  As a ministry to others I will place my reflections on the daily Scripture reading here on blogspot. 

For 2010-11 I will be using the book A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants by Shawchuck and Job.  I would encourage anyone who would like to experience this with me to contact your local bookstore to get a copy, or check out http://www.cokesbury.com/ to find one. 

In XP,

Terry W. Gatwood