Author: Carol Purves

‘Just as I Am.’

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Charlotte Elliott was a poet of humorous verse born in South London in 1789. Her grandfather, father and brother were eminent preachers. At the age of 32 she was struck down with a debilitating illness, probably M.E. which meant she was mostly confined to bed. Her frustration was great as she felt she couldn’t do anything for God.

One day a friend, Cesar Malan explained to her that God could use her just as she was. This helped to calm her rage and she began writing hymns. Eventually 150 of these were printed with the help of her brother. By far her most famous hymn was ‘Just as I am, without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me.’ Every verse concludes with the words ‘ O Lamb of God, I come.’

More than a hundred years later this hymn was used by D. L. Moody and Billy Graham as well as John Stott. It re-enforces the words of John 6:37 ‘All that the Father gives me, will come to me and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.’

Charlotte felt she was useless and of no good to anyone, but the fact was just the opposite. The words of her hymn have accompanied many a soul to Christ.

Watchful and Thankful

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‘Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.’ Colossians 4:2

We know that we need to devote ourselves to prayer and we can never pray too much. Jesus gave us an example of how to pray and James exhorts us to pray always without ceasing. Numerous books are written about the subject, many sermons preached. But in this Biblical quotation, do we only keep the first part of the quotation? What about the rest?

‘Being watchful,’ We need to be on our guard as we have been told the devil stalks about seeing who he can devour. We don’t want to be devoured! The wiles of the devil are, well wily. He would have us for himself and then destroy us. We need the protection of the Holy Spirit to warn us and keep us safe.

So in this verse we are asked to be thankful. There is always the temptation of treating God like Father Christmas. ‘Please may I have .. ‘ Please heal this one one or the other’ Are our prayer self-centred? No doubt we all have friends who talk only about themselves. Do we do that with God? God wants a relationship with us, He desires fellowship. It isn’t as if we don’t have plenty to be thankful for. Beginning with salvation, right through to eternal life are things to be thankful for, as well as every day blessings.

Give Time

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We have ‘survived’ Christmas, the shopping, the giving and receiving of presents, the services, the relations. In this flat season we can look forward to the New Year resolutions and the finish of the turkey. Could 2026 be a year of giving.

There are many charities and good causes to which we can give financially, but what about giving our time? This is the most precious commodity and there are 365 days before us. Could we visit those who have had a ‘quiet’ Christmas. Although there are some who want to be alone at this time of year, there are those who don’t but are forced to do so with no choice. It might be they have no relatives, relatives who never visit or a lack of friends.

Wall to wall television dulls the brain but for some this is all they have. Maybe those who have had this quiet Christmas are difficult people. Jesus knew and interacted with plenty of people like that. We might not know what to talk about but it doesn’t really matter, just visit and talk about anything, maybe the television programmes.

People with short-term memories will be able to talk about the past and will love to think about the ‘old days.’ People like talking about themselves. You will be visiting in the place of Christ, what a privilege! Visit with the heart of Christ.

The Year of Our Lord – 2026

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My mother died in the year 2000. She would not recognise the world as it is today. Computers, mobile phones, on-line shopping were all unknown to her generation. Possibly throughout history, society has never changed so quickly as it does today. Our human minds are struggling to catch up plus we don’t like change.

One thing has not changed and never will – our God. God is the same yesterday, today and for ever.’ Habakkuk 13:8. God is the same as the God who created the world and mankind so very long ago. All the promises in the Bible are true, either they have happened or they will happen. God is our source of hope.

As was quoted in a speech by the late King George VI in 1939, ‘I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, Give me a light that I might go safely into the unknown.’ He replied, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.’ Minnie Hoskins.

Hope

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I wish a happy New Year to all my readers Just think, the year 2026 has never happened before. What exciting things it might hold.

The Israelites had hope that they would be freed from the bondage of the Egyptians. It was in hope that they also travelled hoping they would reach the promised land, though disobedience dashed that hope. The disciples waited in the upper room for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Christians through out the decades have waited in hope for the return of Jesus.

This is a hope that will not be dashed. Most of the time these people had hope because they had read the scriptures and believed what they read. In 2026 we too can have hope because we have the same scriptures and more, the same God and the same promises. Our God is faithful, He will care for us throughout this year. Therefore we have hope.

The world may struggle around us, nations be at war, poverty, natural disasters happen but our God is faithful. He is walking beside us.

Green pastures are before me which yet I have not seen,

Blue skies will soon be o’er me where the dark clouds have been,

My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free,

My Saviour has my treasure and He will walk with me.

Anna Letitia Waring

No Crying?

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‘The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.’ author unknown.

The Baby has been born, the mother is exhausted from the journey and birth. The shepherds, whose visit was so unexpected have returned to the fields .The landlady, having done what she could to help, has returned to her other guests and bed. Joseph beyond tiredness with worry and amazement has sunk into deep slumber. Then it started.

The noisy cattle are making a racket and at first we hear just a whimper, then full-blown yelling. Maybe the straw was irritating the baby’s tender skin, maybe He was just being a baby. Sleep for Mary and Joseph was now impossible. I know the hymn says ‘the little Lord Jesus no crying He makes, but He was 100% human and human babies cry. He would grow up to graze His knees, play boisterous games with His friends and eventually be crucified.

We can sentimentalise the Christmas story but the stable was noisy, smelly and overcrowded with no room for visiting humans. The Son of God came down to our broken, weary world to eventually make it clean and holy because of His love for us.

We can only repeat the last verse of this carol,

‘Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask You to stay,

close by me for ever and love me, I pray.’

The Prophecy has Happened

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Christmas Day is over, Christ has been born to die for our sins and bad mistakes are forgiven (I know all mistakes are bad!) Now the future lies ahead of us. The New Year is less than a week away. What are we going to do with it. We will soon be making new year resolutions, in less than a month they will be broken.

Rather than broken resolutions what about making a God-directed list and finding out what He has on His list for us. Of course, the future is unknown to us, but we can pray for Him to guide our minds. We can pray into that situation which is now upsetting us most. What will He have us do about it? What revelations can He show to us. If we don’t ask Him, we won’t know.

What about our friends and family who are sick or even dying. We can ask God what He wants us to do about them, how and if we can comfort them. Should we be doing anything? We need to ask Him.

Then there are those friends and family who don’t yet know God as their Saviour. We have been praying for them for years. Is 2026 the year to give up? No, maybe God could reveal to us a different approach to those people in our prayers. May we have a future with a closer walk with God.

Christmas Day

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‘Trumpets sound and angels sing, listen to what they say. Man will live for every more because of Christmas Day,’ written by Jester Hairston. These are some of my favourite words of all the Christmas carols. We can live for ever and ever with our God, because He came to earth in the year nought AD and lived and died in our place to cover our sins. It doesn’t matter whether it was 25th December or 6th January as some have worked out. It doesn’t matter whether our country exchanges presents on this day, Christmas Eve or any other time. He came, that’s what matters.

In spite of our secular world, carols are still sing, the baby is worshiped as the Son of God, He is our Immanuel, God with us. While in some places Christianity is being squashed, it is springing up in other places, unexpected places. He is worshipped in cathedrals, massive arenas as well tiny village churches, kitchen tables and secretly.

Two thousand years hasn’t dimmed the message or lessened the significance in our lives. Our increasing years has not changed the message, troubles have not blunted it. The message ‘Good will to men on earth,’ and ‘Glory to God in the highest,’ is still is the message to us. Let us rejoice in it today.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

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Tomorrow Advent turns into Christmas; which is the eve of the eve of Jesus coming to earth. It had long been foretold, the prophets were expecting it but the people were not ready. It was the season when God broke into time from His timeless world. In many countries children will put up their stocking and the bells will ring.

As Christians we can be ready, the importance of our festivities can fade into the background and the wonder of Christmas itself burst into our souls. As the years go by some are ready, some are not. It will be the same with the second coming of God to earth. Some will be ready and waiting, some will not be ready until it is too late.

When we see the troubles and wars round the world, we can long for the day when Jesus will return. But no-one knows when that will be, soon or far into the distance. What we know is we have today, let us not waste that. Every day we have is a gift from God. It is a day for living, not only for waiting. I believe that expectant waiting should be an action-filled time.

Wise Men

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When it comes to the writers of carols, I think the wise men have a poor deal. I know chronologically they came after the birth, manger and shepherds, maybe even a few years afterwards, but even so they are important. The only ‘kings’ carol we sing regularly at this season is ‘We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we travel afar. (my childlike mind used to wonder what ‘orion tar’ was! A special kind of tar perhaps!). Being a lover of alliteration I love the first verse ‘field and fountain, moor and mountain.’ The wise men certainly travelled a long way.

Three verses deal with the three gifts – ‘gold I bring to crown Him again.’ And ‘King for ever.’ Then frankincense ‘God on earth yet Priest on high.’ And finally myrrh. ‘Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in a stone-cold tomb.’

The centre of the carol seems to be the star. ‘O star of wonder, star of light.’ But of all the written words connected with the kings the most memorable are Christiana Rossetti’s.

‘What can I give Him, poor as I am,

If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him, give my heart.’