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Yesterday, we reflected on the depth of repentance. It must be from the heart. Today, we see that heart felt repentance cannot remain hidden. Repentance always expresses itself in honest words. Take words with youand return to the Lord.Say to him:"Forgive all our sinsand receive us graciously,that we may offer the fruit of our lips.Assyria cannot save us:we will not mount warhorses.We will never again say 'Our gods'to what our hands have made,for in you the fatherless find

Over the past week we have been looking into the bleak darkness of sin. Yet there is hope. Into this darkness, light shines. "Even now," declares the Lord,"return to me with all your heart,with fasting and weeping and mourning."Rend your heartand not your garments.Return to the Lord your God,for he is gracious and compassionate,slow to anger and abounding in love,and he relents from sending calamity.Joel 2:12-13 These two short verse burst forth with hope. There is still t

Yesterdays reading left us in a pretty hopeless place. If I am judged by what God knows of my deeds and sees in my heart - what hope do I have? Answer: A new heart. One which knows and beats in time with God's law 'This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israelafter that time,' declares the Lord.'I will put my law in their mindsand writ it on their hearts.I will be their God,and they will be my people.No longer will they teach their neighbour,or say to one anot

A few weeks ago an ITV drama told the story of Major Charles Ingram, who was convicted for cheating on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The drama was based on a stage show, during which the interval comes in between the case for the prosecution and the case for the defense. Each night at the stage show a poll is taken in the interval and at the end. In the interval the vast majority of the audience find Ingram guilty. By the end of the show, the audience has swung, with man

We've made it! We've reached the end of the New City Catechism. Well done if you have stuck with me, and kudos to those who have made a good go at learning the catechism too. I must admit, I started with good intentions, but haven't managed to commit these questions and answers to memory - not even the short (kids) answers! I shall rely on my book, app and blog going forward! The final question, speaks of our ultimate end - our eternal home. Q52. What hope does everlastin

What is God saying today? How do we read the signs of the times? These are big questions, which we long to answer. I don't think we can give a definitive answer. Indeed it is simplistic to think that we can. God never does one thing. He is doing many things right now, we each have lessons to learn. So let's avoid the danger of simplistic answers. And it is with that in mind we come to today's verse. "The day of the Lord is nearfor all nations.As you have done, it will

Jesus has triumphed - what on earth will he do next? Well, he doesn't hang around for long - he ascends to heaven. He leaves his people, the church to carry out his mission. But don't worry, he makes sure we are perfectly equipped for this task. Q51. Of what advantage to us is Christ's ascension?Christ physically ascended on our behalf, just as he came down to earth physically on our account, and he is now advocating for us in the presence of his Father, preparing a place

What does it mean to love someone? All of us have become like one who is unclean,and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;we all shrivel up like a leaf,and like the wind our sins sweep us away:No one calls on your nameor strives to lay hold of you;for you have hidden your face from usand have given us over to our sins.Yet you, Lord, are our Father.we are the clay, you are the potter,we are all the work of your hand.Isaiah 64:6-8 We turn our backs on God. We stain ourse

Guilt increases with knowledge. If you know more, then you are bound to act on the knowledge you have. If you don't your are guilty. A trivial example could be if someone asks two people for directions, the first is a local, the second is a tourist. You would expect the local to know the correct and best way. On the other hand, you couldn't hold anything against the tourist - they can innocently say, I'm not from around here. Keep that principal in mind as we come to to

Last time in the catechism, we considered how every moment of Jesus life has significance for us. We continue to explore the implications of this as we look at the resurrection. Q50. What does Christ's resurrection mean for us?A. Christ triumphed over sin and death by being physically resurrected, so that all who trust in him are raised to new life in this world and to everlasting life in the world to come. Just as we will one day be resurrected, so this world will one day

The role of the prophet is to speak God's word, to a particular people. They don't chant aimlessly on street corners. They take aim, and like an expert archer they do not miss. Isaiah aimed his arrows at God's people around 700BC; the same arrows still hit our lives today. Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,nor his ear too dull to hear.But your iniquities have separated you from your God;your sins have hidden his face from you,so that he will not hear.For y

Yesterday, we read the opening words of this chapter. You could sense that something big was going on... and it involves each one of us. This is personal. Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?"The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."Genesis 3:13 The serpent deceived, but the woman ate. This was her action. This is personal. And she stands guilty before God. We all make excuses. We can all come up with reasons. We know how circumst

The opening chapters of any book set the scene about what is to come. They introduce us to the main characters, revealing a little about who they are. Genesis 3 is such a chapter. The interactions between the three characters here will play out through the rest of the book, and continue to be played out today. Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in th

Tomato sauce; red wine; oil and grease - stubborn stains that are hard to remove from our clothes. When it comes to these stains, the best thing to do is to avoid getting them in the first place! Other than that, ask your granny what she would have used! Joking aside, there are some stains, which we can't avoid. Each one of us is stained by sin. The things we have done. The actions of others against us, leaves a mark upon us which we long to, but fail to remove. The Bibl

Over the past week our readings have dipped into Isaiah 53. A song, written 700 years before Jesus, which speaks so clearly of his brokenness. We come to the climax today. Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his live an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord with prosper in his hand.Isaiah 53:10 This verse moves us from brokeness to hope. Jesus did suffer - he was broke

When you go on holiday, do you come back with a lighter or heavier case? I guess it depends where you went and what you travelled with - if you went self catering and brought a load of food, the hope is the way back you won't be carrying any. Or to switch the image, there is something wrong if the delivery driver or postman comes back with as much stuff as the set out with! Keep that image in mind as we come to todays verse. He was delivered over to death for our sins and

Whenever you think of Jesus, how do you picture him? Do you think of his cross or empty tomb? Do you speak of the manger? Do you consider his teachings and miracles? Do you think on what he is doing now? What is the most important part of Jesus ministry? At Easter time, we think about the significance of Jesus death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. It is true that this was the highpoint of Jesus ministry, it was the very reason why he came. Yet, the dan

Who do you trust? What does that look like and mean for you day by day? When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.' For 'you were like sheep going astray,' but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your

Sometimes we look on and ask - why doesn't he say something? That question has never been more appropriate than in today's reading. He was oppressed and afflicted,yet he did not open his mouth;he was led like a lamb to the slaughterand as a sheep before its shearers is silent,so he did not open his mouth.By oppression and judgement he was taken away.Yet who of his generation protested?For he was cut off from the land of the living;for the transgression of my people he was pu

We continue to see how foolish it is to disregard the wisdom of the cross. As today's reading shows, what took place at the cross transforms us now. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he m