Author: Carol Purves

Would I have Believed?

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I often wonder what type of person I would have been if I had lived at the time of Jesus. In those days I would probably have obeyed my husband but as i live in this modern age, I’m always a little a wary of new types of worship or ‘forward-thinking’ ideas on religion. I like to wait and see what happens. What would I have thought about this itinerant young preacher named Jesus. Would I have been one of those who was sceptical?

It is easier for us today, we know of the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. We know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose again and ascended up to heaven. We have the New Testament which tells us of the adventures of the early church, we have the apostolic letters which help us in our knowledge. But It is only by God’s grace that we do believe.

Zacchaeus

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I’ve found Zacchaeus a most interesting Biblical character. He was obviously a cheat and a fraudster. To be a tax-collector and rich, no way was he honest. Yet his desire to see Jesus was so great that he climbed a nearby tree to do so. Having had time to amass wealth, he would not have been a young man.Then when Jesus ordered him to come and invite Him to tea, Zacchaeus had no problem in obeying Him quickly and ‘gladly.’

After his generous offer, I imagine this tax-collector could have ended up quite poor. Straight away ‘here and no, he gave away half of his possessions and then paid back four-fold to anyone he had cheated.

If I gave away half my possessions my house would be quite empty (and I’ve not even cheated anyone financially!) I wonder what happened to Zacchaeus later on in his life.

Less is More, Slow is Fast

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This is not a popular message in the world these days. More and more action is being poured into less and less time. The Guinness Book of Records is overflowing with, well records, who or what is fastest, highest, largest or most expensive.

For our God less is often more; the tiny flower in the field is worth more that Solomon in all his glory. The demise of a single sparrow is noted by God. The humble servant who achieves little in His name is favoured over world-breaking records. Slow is Fast as Fast misses so much that Slow can appreciate. To be fast can to miss God’s gifts strewn along our way. Slow notices the handicapped and lame. the Fast lumps everyone together.

I’m glad that God makes less, more and slow, fast. That includes me in His spectrum.

All’s Right with the World

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As this phrase had been going through my head I decided to do some research into it. It is a phrase from Robert Browning’s poem which commences with the words ‘The years at the spring and day’s at the morn.’ It seems it was inspired by seeing a young silk-winding girl on her one day off a year. The various people she met were influenced by her attitude to life and often turned away from their evil designs.

I know poetry has to be very succinct but the last two lines have always made me wonder. ‘God’s in His heaven, all’s right with the world.’ Yes, God is in His heaven, but He doesn’t stay there. Plus I don’t think it’s accurate to say ‘all’s right with the world,’ even in 1841, I now think of these words as, God is on earth as well as in heaven, but because of His presence here, He is making a difference to the evils of this world.

No Snow Here.

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I was looking out of my window when it suddenly started to snow heavily. Not a strange thing in the middle of March in the north of England. Just as suddenly the snow stopped. Later in the day I was speaking to my friend Mary who only lived 100 yards away. ‘There’s been no snow here,’ she told me in no uncertain terms

That got me thinking. My experience had been so different from Mary’s. I had had the snow, Mary hadn’t. In the same way my highs and lows of life are different from Mary’s and also from my other friends. We are all individuals and the wonderful thing is God treats us all according to our needs. He doesn’t treat us the same. He answers our own particular prayers, sees our own worries and rejoices in our different joys. It is true to say ‘The Lord is MY shepherd.’

Crumbs!

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As I blogged to you the other, Jesus didn’t just do miracles, He did them over the top. Jesus and His disciples were faced with five thousand hungry people. I know we’ve read it many times before but the five loaves of bread and two fishes were turned into a meal for everyone and ‘they were satisfied.’ We know that’s not the end of the story. ‘Twelves baskets of broken pieces were left over.’ Did the people drop crusts of bread and pieces of fish in their eagerness to eat? At least there was no plastic in those days so there was no litter!

Twelve baskets of pieces left over, another miracle. Jesus didn’t just give enough food, He gave over and above. In the quiet of the evening did the birds come down for their evening meal and did the lepers come out of their hiding places? Both would have been fed. I praise God for the abundance of His feast.

No Mud

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I remember as a child playing out for hours in the lanes and fields round my house. We seemed quite safe in those days. One of our favourite pastimes was damming up a small stream. It took a lot of hard work to stop the flow of water. Then we would scrabble about in the remaining mud getting our socks and shoes very dirty. My mother must have despaired of my daily muddy socks.

There was no such trouble with Joshua and the Jordan. As soon as the priests carrying the ark stepped into the water the flow stopped and built up at the town of Adam. I wonder whether the water flooded the town or whether it stood there like a block of ice. Then the Israelites walked through on dry ground. It seemed to dry up immediately. Not like my dammed-up stream. Can you imagine how muddy the ground would have been trampled on by thousands of Israelite feet! When God does a miracle, He does it 100%.

St Patrick’s Day

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I am struck by the fact that Patrick went back to Ireland to minister to the very people who had held him as a slave. How often have would-be missionaries have said to God ‘I’ll go anywhere in the world to be a missionary except Africa.’ And that was the very place God sent them. I had this experience when there were two people in my life whom I found very difficult to get on with, only to find that they were the very people who I had been teamed up with. In due course both these people became good friends.

It is as if God is saying to us that He wants all of us with nothing held back. I can only pray that I’ve learned this lesson and make myself more available to Him.

The Water Carrier

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“It’s Passover time again. My master has asked me to prepare a room for thirteen people. The next instruction he gave me was a strange one. I had to walk through the city carrying a jar of water. I would be approached by two men who would follow me to the house and then would ask my master ‘ The teacher asks where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples.’ “

“It happened just as he said and I recognised the two disciples of the man who they are calling the Messiah. So we had this great man dining in our house. I didn’t actually see him that day but I was terribly sad later when I heard he had been crucified. I thought he was a good man.”

“The rumour was, or was it the truth, was that he had risen from the dead on the third day. I am now seriously asking, was he the Messiah? I few weeks later I heard that he had ‘gone up into heaven’. I think I need to find out more about this man, or maybe Messiah.”

Anointed

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As Jesus travelled up to Jerusalem for the last time before His death on the cross, because He was both human and divine He would have had double dread and agony for the trials that awaited Him. His earthy part would have shrunk away from the coming horror; His divine part would have set His face steadfastly towards Jerusalem; God’s will would be done.

Then at Bethany He was met by the woman with an alabaster jar of this very expensive perfume. Because of her extreme love and devotion towards Jesus she broke it open and poured it over His head. With her overwhelming love I can imagine she shook the jar so that Jesus received every last drop of the fragrant perfume. She had found the Messiah, nothing and no-one would stop her.

In this story we often think about the woman, but this morning I want to think about the difference this act would have meant to Jesus. In this very last week before the crucifixion, He went to the cross having received this great love. As He hung on the cross I wonder if He remembered the action of this woman as the aroma of the perfume mingled with the sweat ran down His face.