GEOFF'S DEVOTIONAL MUSINGS

Click on any of the 4 Categories above to read the posts for that genre. These are some songs, prose and poems that I have written during devotional times

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  • Resurection

    Resurrection 3rd Nov 2024 Geoff

    It was early morning. The sky still black. But no stars shone as if in mourning.
    Heavens Creation. Muted. Awestruck. Earth was in darkness. In silence, in awe.

    Then, through the gloom, two women stumbled. Picking their way down untrod paths.
    Their steps were hindered by the tears that fell down.
    Blurring eyes. Tears anointing their feet.

    As dawn was breaking, they stumbled onward. with jars of water and spices fresh.
    They had a duty. with such a sorrow, to anoint a body stone cold in the grave.

    But drawing near their thoughts alarmed them. How can we two roll the stone away?
    And will the soldiers who guard the graveside, let us come, or force us away.

    But wait, what has happened? Where are the guards? And why the stone so heavy rolled away?
    And then in splendour, shining in glory, an Angel sat, to show the way.

    In fear and trembling, they fell before him. Faces flush to the ground in awe.
    But with a voice so strong and gentle. Do not fear. He’s not here anymore.

    The one you’ve come for, the one who died. The one they laid here in the tomb.
    We’ve come to tell you, the Lord is risen. He’s shattered all deaths, darkest gloom.

    Go take the message. Go shout it out, to his disciples, so full of doubt. He is risen. He told you so. So run and tell them, so all will know.

  • The Blind Man

    The Blind Man. By Geoff. 30th of December. 2024.
    I could never understand how a helpless, defenseless baby growing in its mother’s womb could sin. Could do something so dreadfully wrong that before they were even born, God’s curse was upon him. And yet that accusation has been thrown at me ever since I could remember. You see, I was born blind. Instead of coming out of my mother’s womb into the brightness of day, I emerged in darkness. I suppose it was less of a shock for me because I had come from darkness into Darkness. Nothing changed. Except the noise. The shriek of my mother’s pain. When they realised that the beautiful miracle of a baby was in fact cursed blind by God. Rumours spread fast through the village, and I’m told that the local priest came and pronounced that I could never ever enter into the inner court of the Temple in Jerusalem. Either one of my parents had sinned in God’s eyes, or else I had in the womb. No matter which of these was true, from that day on a spiritual barrier separated us from the rest of our village. Stigma fell on us all.

    As I grew. I began to realise this more and more. What people hadn’t realised was, that deprived of sight meant that I relied heavily on my other senses, especially hearing. It seemed I could hear things from a distance far clearer than anyone else. And so, I could clearly hear the muttered comments as people passed me by. And even more hurtful were the comments whispered by my parents when they thought I couldn’t hear. I was rejected by my village, the priests, my parents, and even by God himself, condemned to stand on the street corner and beg.
    The die was cast. I could never work in any beneficial way. I had no prospects to marry or have children. All I was fit for was to join the other outcasts of Society and beg for a living. Over time. I had mapped out in my mind the streets and alleys of Jerusalem, especially the best places to beg, including the temple which was the number one spot for begging. The temple, however, was a mixed bag of benefit. Being blind. I could never know what was placed in my begging bowl, and I soon learned from the bakers that some of my coins in my bowl were worthless bits of trash. Day. I suppose that if you’re prepared to cheat God by bringing a crippled animal for sacrifice, then you will have no concern in pretending to give to a blind man just to be seen by others.

    Day merged in to day, month into month. Until the day that I heard the excited crowd surround a visiting rabbi. I couldn’t see him with my eyes. But I could catch some of his words from a distance. And I immediately knew this rabbi was different from all the others. And then it happened. It was Sabbath. Suddenly, as I was begging by the road, the crowd that was passing by all stopped right in front of me. And then I heard the rough tongue of some Galileans asking questions to someone. But my heart just dropped as I heard once again those familiar words spoken about me. “Rabbi who sinned? This man or his parents, that he was born blind”. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard those words in my pitiful life. And I know the hours of discussion that they generate as they debate and try to guess the obvious sins of myself and my parents. It is always the same and inevitably the local Priests and teachers of the Law, the Scribes and the Pharisees all have their say in condemning me. So, I expected nothing more from this rabbi. But wait. Did I hear him right? Did I just hear him say? “Neither”. Neither. All my blind years I have never heard that word said about me. Neither. And then the rabbi went on to say that it had happened to display the work of God. Oh what a crushing let down. I went from elation to despair it in an instant. How could my years of blindness display the work of God, when all the priests had told me it displayed the work of the devil. But then he went on to say something about night and day, something that I’ve never visually experienced. And then he called himself the light of the world. I just thought that he was making fun of my blindness to score a point with the crowds. I thought he would then just pass me by.

    But I heard footsteps approach. And as he stood before me, he spat on the ground by my feet. I’m used to that reaction, it happens all the time. Sadly, this rabbi was no exception, and I fully expected the crowd to do the same as they passed me as well. But instead of walking on by. I heard him kneel down on the ground, and it sounded like he was mixing something with his finger in the dirt. And then suddenly, I felt his finger rub something sticky and pasty over my blind eye. I’m used to people poking me and making fun of me, sometimes smearing me with excrement from the road. Normally. I would hit out blindly with my hands trying to defend myself. But somehow I felt that my arms wouldn’t move. So I stood there as he smeared my other eye as well. But then he spoke again. “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. And then he was gone. Along with the Galileans and the crowd. Most of them laughed at me as they passed me. I must have looked a sight. But some in the crowd were moved with compassion, and dropped a few coins in my bowl.

    When they had all gone, I did as he said. And went to the pool of Siloam and washed the sticky mess from my eyes, plunging my head below the water. As I did, something absolutely amazing happened. Suddenly, instead of darkness, a new sensation hit my eyes. Before my very eyes were shapes and movement. For years I had built up mental ideas of my surroundings based on touch, but now suddenly my eyes were filled with life. Instead of banging into things, I could now see them. It was a miracle. I once was blind but now I can see. Yes, I could see.
    As I reached my home, I caused quite a stir. Neighbours who had known me all my life were aghast. They knew I had been blind since birth, but now it was obvious that I could see. Some of them called out “It’s a miracle”. They knew me as a desperate beggar. But now I could see. But others shouted out that “he looks like the blind man. But it can’t be him”. So I shouted out at the top of my voice, “Yes, it’s me. I can see. Praise God.” “But how?” They shouted. “What happened?” So, I told them a man called Jesus came and put mud on my eyes, and told me to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. And I can see. So they shouted even louder, “Where is the man that did this to you?” But I couldn’t answer. I had been blind when he spoke to me. So I have no idea what he looks like. But I’d know his voice anywhere.

    Then things began to get unsettling. I was grabbed by the crowd and marched into a meeting of the Pharisees. I was familiar with these religious men, having encountered them many times before. I can’t even remember ever hearing a kind word ever coming from their mouths. Usually, they hurled accusations against me and my parents. Now that I could see them for the first time, the looks on their faces confirmed nothing had changed. I was thrust into the centre of the room and told to recount how I had received my sight. So I told them, leaving nothing out. I told them about the man called Jesus and all he had done and said. Well, that set the cat among the pigeons, and soon everyone was shouting. For some, a blasphemous act had taken place because it was the Sabbath. Obviously God would not have been involved. Others, found it hard to deny that a miracle had taken place. I was well known from birth as being blind. Then they all looked at me and demanded to know what I thought. So out loud, I said. “A prophet”. That didn’t go down well. Many of them suspected trickery. And so a call went out to drag my parents here. For the first time in my whole life, I saw my parents. I’d known their touch, their embrace, their sadness. But now I could see them. Trembling in fear, they spoke out to confirm that I was indeed their son, who had been blind from birth. But they could not say how or by who the miracle had happened. I can’t blame them. The Pharisees had made it very clear that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue and shunned by society. So finally they said for the Pharisees to ask me. And again I was called before them. But this time the question was loaded with hate. I was told to give glory to God, and proclaim the man who healed me to be a Sinner. Suddenly the words came into my head. I told them that I didn’t know anything about the man. But what I did know without any shadow of doubt, was that once I was blind, and now I can see. But still they demanded to know how it happened and in frustration I said to them, did they also want to follow him? Well, that was it. All sorts of insults were hurled at me. Accusing me of turning my back on Moses and following a Sinner instead. Over the years, I’ve learned to back away from trouble. But I suddenly felt as if I had been filled with the courage of a lion. I told them straight. That God doesn’t listen to sinners. Instead, He has done a mighty miracle through this man Jesus, and opened my eyes. Case proved. Well, that was it. The anger boiled over. And they accused me of being steeped in sin since birth and they hurled me out onto the street.

    As I lay on the ground catching my breath a man came and sat down beside me. And instead of asking me how I was, he asked me a question. “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” As he asked it, I immediately recognised his voice. It was the same man that put mud in my eyes. His voice was so gentle, so compassionate. But his question puzzled me. So, I asked who this Son of Man was so that I could believe in him. I think I knew the answer as soon as I had spoken the words. He was standing in front of me. But his words confirmed it, and I fell on my knees and worshipped at his feet. Then the man who I now knew to be Jesus said that his purpose of coming was to help those who are blind to see. And those who plainly see to become blind. I realised that he was talking about the hearts of men and women. Were they open or closed to the Son of Man? I knew mine was open. But as he was saying this, some of the Pharisees came out of the room where I had been thrown out from. As they heard Jesus talking about the blind refusing to see God. They accused him of saying that they were blind to the truth. “Quite right”, said Jesus, “ By your own mouth you have condemned yourselves.”

  • Part 3 of my Devotional Commentary on Mark (Ch 1 verses 35 – 44)

    Mark Chapter 1 v 35 -39
    What a night. You certainly deserved a lay-in. I would imagine that You and Your disciples were exhausted with all the people crowding around the house and with all the amazing things that had been happening. But as they slept – so You rose before dawn, left the house where You were staying and went off to a solitary place to pray. We can sometimes get so involved in things, so busy, that we forget to pray – to our own cost. And yet You never once forgot that special relationship with Your Father.
    Having given out all day and then all night as well You spent time soaking up that relationship – recharging as it were Your spiritual batteries. There is a lesson for us all to learn here. We marvel at the teaching, we marvel at the miracles, but do we pray? Your life was in perfect balance with Your heavenly Father.
    When they finally awoke and discovered that You were missing, they came searching for You, and finally when they found You they urged You to come back to the town because word had spread and everyone wanted a piece of the action. But Your agenda was already fixed by Your Father and there was no room to be controlled by crowds marching to another tune. “Let’s go somewhere else”. And so many others were able to hear Your teaching and preaching and be touched by Your power.
    Mark Chapter 1 v 40 – 42
    What a fallen world we live in. Everywhere we look there are problems and lots of these concern our health. Already we have seen in the first few verses of Mark that You had a compassion for those who were sick, and this case is no exception. Leprosy was a disease that struck fear into people’s hearts to such an extent that the leper was shunned by society. In many cases lepers would be kept outside the towns or banished to the wilderness places to fend for themselves, often only with other lepers for company.
    So maybe it was on one of those journeys travelling from one Galilean town to another to preach the Good News of the kingdom that You came across this leper. I can imagine the disciples withdrawing in horror as this man approached You and fell on his knees at Your feet. He wasn’t begging for money but for healing. He pleaded to be transferred from an outcast to an ordinary member of society and he had seen in You the potential for that to happen. Had Your father drawn him to You? Nothing ever happens by chance and You were always prepared for each encounter because You allowed Yourself to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Were You willing? Of course You were: and filled with compassion You reached out and touched the man. I can almost hear the audible gasps from the disciples as they recoiled in horror. No one, just no one touches a leper.
    But You did, and in an instant he was healed. Immediately the leprosy left him. But I’m sure it wasn’t just the cause of leprosy that You healed but its effects as well. I’m sure before their eyes the disciples saw the missing flesh restored and the skin once more take on a glow of health.
    “If you are willing?” – of course You are.
    Mark Chapter 1 v 43 – 44
    The Old Testament Law of Moses made provision for the restoration of someone with leprosy and it involved showing themselves to a priest to check their healing and also bring a sacrifice to say thanks to God. And so it was natural for the man to abide by the law. However, it was probably such a rare event that the priests were glad that they didn’t have to do this task, after all, leprosy was a feared disease. It was only natural to say thank you in the proper way but that man had other ideas. Despite a strong warning from You not to talk about this dramatic healing he couldn’t wait to tell others.
    If it happened today I’m sure it wouldn’t be long before the media got involved and people would come streaming to the place of healing. But You said ‘don’t tell anyone’. It made sense really. As soon as the man left You, instead of being grateful and going to the Temple to give thanks, he ran off and told everybody he met what had happened to him.
    I can see why he did it. I probably would have done the same.
    But it hindered Your ministry as crowds were drawn like a magnet and it wasn’t long before there were so many people crowding around waiting to see more miracles that it actually hindered Your ministry. People had come to see the miracle but You knew that they needed to discover You, not just a quick fix for a problem.

  • Part 2 of My Devotional Commentary on Mark’s Gospel (Ch 1 verses 16 – 34)

    Mark Chapter 1 v 16-20
    I can picture the scene as Lord Jesus as You walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This lake, surrounded by hills and fed by streams from the hills of Lebanon, was the home for many communities making a living from the lake’s resources. And there You came across Simon and Andrew casting their nets into the lake. This was no chance meeting, but a divine appointment planned before the beginning of time. What did You see in their hearts and lives that led You to choose them to come and follow You? Was it their energy, their enthusiasm, their ability to fish? We will never know, but what we do know is that You walked along the shore, called them to follow You, and immediately they left their nets and did so. What had You seen in them? What have You seen in us? to call us to come and follow You in the same way. Little did they know that You would turn their lives upside down on a roller coaster ride of faith that would end up with a martyr’s deaths for both of them and countless millions impacted by Your ministry.
    They were experts at catching fish but You would use them to catch men. At once they left their nets and followed – no hesitation, no weighing up the pros and cons, just followed You. It’s the same a little farther along the shore line when James and John were fishing with their dad and hired men. You called, they followed straight away and then there were four.
    Mark Chapter 1 v 21-22
    Oh to have heard You teach. It must have been amazing. I’m sure it wasn’t the political oratory, like President Obama, or the passionate oratory of Martin Luther King, or the clever oratory of the salesman, but whatever way it was that You spoke to the people, they all sat up in amazement. These were people used to the droning of the teachers of the Law discussing the minutest of details of an obscure aspect of the Law. They probably approached the Sabbath day with trepidation rather than joy, gritting their teeth through another sermon.
    And then You spoke – and suddenly every ear was tuned to Your every word. The people were amazed because they knew who You were. They knew Your background as a humble carpenter. And yet suddenly You were speaking, not as one who had studied the Law. But as one whose very life embodied the living Law. You spoke reality – and it flung open the doors of their dusty hearts and came rushing into their dusty hearts like pure oxygen. This was no airing of opinions, but teaching with authority – something that they had not heard in their entire lives. No wonder they sat up and lapped up every word and couldn’t wait to tell others about what they had heard.
    This was certainly Good news at its best. But there was one present who wasn’t pleased – not one bit.

    Mark Ch 1 v 23-28
    I expect this man had been in the synagogue for years. Every Sabbath he had recited the prayers, heard the scriptures read and listened to the arguments about the Law, but it had done nothing to provoke the evil that had an influence on him. But suddenly You came into the synagogue and there was nowhere for the man possessed by an evil spirit to hide.
    I sense the crackling of a stormy situation arise. And just like thunder clouds that form rapidly and suddenly discharge their energy so this man suddenly calls out. It must have come as a shock for all those gathered but this man has little control of his own vocal chords and it seems that the evil spirit speaks directly to You. I can sense fear in the voice, “Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God”. I expect you could have heard a pin drop in that crowded room and all eyes would be focussed on You. Your Father always encourages us to proclaim Your name and to shout out Your praises, But He never allows satan’s minions to do the same. And so immediately You rebuke the spirit and immediately it comes out with violent shakings and screams. And then the man was still, and calm, at peace, at Your feet.
    If the people thought that Your teaching was amazing then they were blown away by this act of power. Wow, what authority. It’s hardly surprising that news about You spread like wild fire.

    Mark Chapter 1 v 29-31
    It’s all go. First the teaching in the Synagogue, then the casting out of an evil spirit and now You walked the short distance to Simon’s house – the disciple that You had called to follow You only days earlier – only to find that there is more work to do. Of course this was all known by You already but as You reached Simon’s house the two brothers tell You about Simon’s mother in law. So he’s married with a mother in law at home. And his wife? Perhaps he’s a widower? Curiously neither Simon or Andrew have spoken to You about her fever before, but now as You enter the house she is laid up in bed burning up with fever.
    It never ceases to amaze me how people coped with illness before the discovery of modern medicine. Presumably there were local remedies, plants and extracts discovered over the years, but no quick fixes like we have today. So, a fever was dangerous, life threatening. But You just went in, took her hand and helped her up as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do and in that very instant the fever left her. Miracle part 1.
    Now I know that on the occasions when I’ve been running a very high temperature that once it is passed then I’m fit for nothing – exhausted, drained of energy. But not Simon’s mother in law. Not only did You heal her of the fever, but also of the consequences of fever. So she was instantly full of energy. Miracle part 2.
    You never do anything by halves.
    Mark Chapter 1 v 32 – 34
    What a day! There certainly hasn’t been any time to rest and relax. And now the sun has set. The fishermen in the community would be getting ready for a long night time session of fishing on the lake. But I would imagine that the rest of the community would be ready for bed, rising early with the sun in the morning.
    But it is not a normal evening. You are here. And word has spread like wildfire in the town about Your teaching with authority, and the authority of Your actions in casting out the evil spirit. And then on top of that the healing of Simon’s mother in law from the fever. And so they came. First ones and twos bringing the sick and infirm with them, but steadily the numbers swelled until the whole town was gathered at the door where You were staying. There were many needs, many who were ill with various diseases and physical injuries and there were also many who, like the man in the synagogue, had allowed an evil influence in their lives. You healed so many that night and cast out evil from many more. But unlike the synagogue You refused to allow the evil spirits to protest.
    What a scene. I would imagine that with each healing or with each merciful release from evil influence it would have caused amazement and wonder. How long into the night this continued we are not told. But You had begun Your ministry in power – in Word and deed.
    And lives were changed.

  • Part 1 of My Devotional Commentary on Mark’s Gospel (Ch 1 vers 1 – 15)

    Mark 1 v1
    I can think of many times when I have had to write an essay, letter or email and I have struggled with how to begin. Sometimes it is the first words that are the hardest but once I’ve got them onto the page then the rest seems to flow. Mark didn’t have that problem when he set out to write an account of your life Lord. He went straight to the point and declared his heart in the first few words. His gospel, or ‘great news’ shouts out who you are right at the start. There is no fudging around the issue. Jesus, the Messiah (Christ), the Son of God. It’s a bit like the TV news channel that splashes the breaking news banner across the screen – Great news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
    Of course, Mark knew the end from the beginning and writes about You from his experience, but even more so You know the end from the beginning. The Alpha and the Omega is such a great name. Nothing, literally nothing, has come before You and nothing can come after You because You have said that there will be no end. We will spend eternity with You.
    This certainly is Good News.

    Mark Ch 1 v 2
    From the dimensions of timelessness, You have set a messenger in time. For us, we look back in to the dim recesses of history – back nearly 2700 years ago, back into the Iron Age to see the time when Isaiah spoke his message of prophecy. But for You, You have always known that he would speak that message. It was planned before the dawn of time, before the first breath of creation. How must Isaiah have felt as he proclaimed the message to a wayward nation? Mystery? Anticipation? Expectation? And yet it was some 700 more years before the message was fulfilled as You came into this world and waited, as it were, in the wings for the warm up act to come on. What an awesome responsibility for John, chosen to prepare the way for You.
    And yet You give us the same responsibility as we tell others about Your coming.
    Mark Ch 1 v 4a
    There had been a gap of nearly 400 years from the prophet Malachi, who had spoken publicly on Your behalf. Of course, there were the events surrounding Your birth and events of the escape into Egypt, but perhaps they were more private, with few realising what was happening apart from the mysterious visitors from the east and the murderous events in Bethlehem. But now, 30 years on, You are ready to unveil Your plan of salvation. And so John steps onto the stage.
    It seems such a natural fulfilment to Isaiah’s words spoken over 600 years earlier. But for john, it was his life purpose. His whole life had existed to prepare for this role. And yet we know so little about him. Of course we know that he first sensed Your presence when he was in Elizabeth’s womb, and leapt for joy. There must have been times when You played together as children, but Scripture remains veiled. You were sinless, a life of perfection, and I sense that John would have been very aware of his own imperfections and failings. But I also sense that he would also be conscious to walk in ways that were holy to the Lord. Did he study Your word? Did he spend time in prayer? All is unknown.
    And where did he start his ministry? – In Jerusalem? – the very centre of Jewish faith, the place of the temple containing the holy of holies? No – he went into the wilderness where few people lived. He didn’t set himself up in a corner of the temple and confuse the message – instead the people had to come to him.
    Sometimes we want to be popular, to preach to big churches and events – but just as You chose the role of a servant, so John chose the desert place.
    Mark Ch 1 v 4b
    There are so many echoes. Noah stood out in a generation of wickedness and urged people to repent, to turn from their ways and be saved – literally by entering the Ark to survive the coming flood. Moses stood by the Red Sea and the water parted before him and all the people passed through and were saved. But John wasn’t just looking for an outward sign, but an inner response, a change of heart. We read in other places that John was a fierce preacher. This was no soft option, baptism was for real. It marked the person out as having done something already in their heart

    In the recent elections in Asia all the people who voted had their finger dipped in indelible ink. It showed that they had voted and could not repeat their action again. Baptism is an indelible mark on our lives; it is not something that we keep doing. Repentance is a change of heart. There is no going back

    Suddenly the memories of Malachi made sense. The words of dusty scrolls read in temples and synagogues, expounded by Rabbis and scholars, suddenly took on a sense of fire and power. Revival does that. Suddenly there is an awareness of God as never before. The words of Scripture burn in the heart and instead of feeling smug or self righteous there is a sense of the penetrating, awesome presence of God.

    There can be no other response. First one, then more and more came out into the desert to listen to John. Word spread, lives were changed and as they went under the water there was a real sense of sins being washed away reflecting the reality that had taken place in their hearts. (Ezekial said “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you a heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh 36v35)
    Instead of John going to the city, the city came to him. And yet John was just the messenger (the prophet Elijah, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord – Malachi 4 v 5)

    Mark Ch 1 v 5
    There’s nothing like an unusual news story to create interest and get attention. And John certainly was unusual. Somehow, I get the impression of someone wiry and rugged with wild hair and fierce eyes. He certainly ate differently. I could cope with the wild honey but not the locusts. It’s curious how these two items would have stirred up memories in people’s minds of scriptures that they had been taught. A thousand years earlier Jonathon, the son of the first king, Saul, had nearly lost his life because with pangs of hunger he had thrust his staff into a bees nest and ate the honey that clung to it. It brightened his eyes. Even earlier Samson had come across the carcass of a lion in which was a swarm of bees and honey and it became the basis of a riddle “Out of the eater, something to eat. Out of the strong, something sweet”. And of course in Egypt, God had held out the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. However, there is nothing pleasant about locusts and they were viewed with fear – the deadly enemy that brings famine and destruction.
    But John combines the two in his diet. It’s so easy to allow the good things in life to get in the way of our service to God. But John allowed nothing to hinder him in his urgency to preach the message. We know from Lukes’ account that as the crowds flocked out to see him in the desert. Hhe didn’t welcome them with open arms. “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3 v 7) But instead of being offended or entertained, the message struck home with deadly accuracy deep in their hearts and they knew that the only way to respond was to confess their sins, turn from their ways (repentance) and be baptised.
    When revival swept Wales in 1904 there was such a conviction of sin that hardened miners came out of the pits at the end of their shifts with tear-streaked faces, people pleaded with God for salvation, desperate to put their lives right with You, and all normality and daily routine was washed away.
    And John was just the messenger, preparing the way. There was greater to come.

    Mark 1 v 6 – 8

    John was the perfect messenger. He never once thought that he was greater than the message that he proclaimed so forcefully. From humble beginnings, unknown childhood and desert obscurity he rapidly rose to be the most sought after person in the whole of Israel. People had to make a real effort to get to see him, passing through hot and dangerous territory out into the desert and away from civilisation, and yet they came in their thousands. If it happened today he would have been hounded by advertising executives, financial backers and a whole myriad of people wanting to hitch their business to his fame and get a piece of the action.
    But John was different – a perfect messenger. He knew that it wasn’t his powers of persuasion that were having an impact – it was God at work. And so amongst the powerful preaching he also proclaimed the whole purpose of his existence – that one was coming who was even more powerful than he was. One to whom the mere act of loosening the thongs on his sandals would be an act that he would be unworthy to perform.
    And who was coming? – it was You Lord. There must have been such a huge anticipation in the crowds as they looked around to see the coming messiah that John was proclaiming was already here. Would they recognise You as You waited in the queue in the water to be baptised. I doubt it. A mighty warrior clad in armour ready to rout the Romans? No. A king with a crown? No. A humble servant? They were all looking in the wrong direction. It’s the same today sadly.
    Mark Ch 1 v 9 – 11
    And then You came. The very starting point of Your ministry here on earth. For 30 years You had led an almost anonymous existence, but now all that is about to change. I picture the scene: It’s hot, especially in the bottom of the desert valley where John had chosen to preach and baptise. It’s crowded. Everywhere You look there are crowds of people jostling and pushing, many in tears, some pressing forward to catch every word. Some wading out into the water, where John’s disciples were plunging people under the surface only for them to come up with joy and praise bursting forth from their mouths.
    And then You came. Mark is so matter of fact. Suddenly You are there and are being baptised. We have to look to the other gospel accounts to see the fuller picture, to see the reaction of John when he realises that the one that he has been proclaiming as greater than himself is now standing humbly before him waiting to be baptised. John (the apostle) in his account tells us that John the Baptist did not know who was about to come. One of the purposes of baptism was that it would reveal the true messiah. (I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that He might be revealed to Israel. John 1 v 31) In Matthew’s gospel we learn that John protested his unworthiness to baptise You, indeed he urged You to baptise him instead. But this was Your father’s plan, and John relented. Not that You needed to be baptised for the forgiveness of sins because You have never known sin – the perfect, spotless lamb of God.
    And so You prayed, and as You came up out of the water so Your Father could not contain Himself any longer and the heaven split open and the Spirit descended like a dove. And a voice from heaven said “You are my Son, whom I love. With You I am well pleased”. Who heard the voice? Definitely You did because Your Father was speaking to You. Did anyone else hear? We are not told. We do know that at least John saw the Spirit descend because he testifies that it is this very sign that he had been told to look out for.
    And so fittingly, right at the beginning of the gospel we have the Father, Son and Spirit all working in unison. One day, some day in the future, those of us who know Christ as saviour will hear a similar voice welcoming us into His presence.

    Mark 1 Ch 12-13
    There is a lovely picture of obedience and servant hood shown here. Mark is fond of using the words “at once” and there is a sense of urgency here as Your ministry begins. One of the hymn writers put it wonderfully when he said “God, contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man” And now You walked among us here on earth but there is no time to explain everything to John for the Spirit that rested on You at baptism now sends You out further into the desert, away from the crowds, away from civilisation, away from any human support. Right at the start of Your ministry You faced a period of testing and temptation by the enemy, Satan, of old a shining angel in the hierarchy of God’s created order. But now fallen, he comes to tempt You and try to cause You to stumble from the task and the path set before You. The other gospels again fill in the details that Mark so hastily passes over in his urgency to tell the wonderful news. Satan used his wiles to trick and tempt and to get You to worship him and each time You quoted memorised Scripture back at him. And yet knowing the full power of the spoken Word of God I fail to do the same and commit verses of Scripture to memory.
    Needless to say Satan failed in his task and withdrew to bide his time for later periods in Your life. And so after 40 days and 40 nights of testing and temptation the angels were finally given permission by Your Father to come and minister to You. You had passed the first of many tests that were to follow in the next 3 years.

    Mark Ch 1 v 14-15
    Isaiah said he was to be the messenger. John himself said, “he must increase but I must decrease”, but now it has happened. The fiery preacher has had his fire snuffed out and he languishes in jail awaiting execution at the whim of a dancer. The stage is set and all the pieces are in place. You must have walked in Galilee many times but now it becomes the backdrop to the most amazing three years that this world will ever see. You came on Your own, amongst a people living under an occupation army and proclaimed Good News. “The time has come. Repent” The message was the same as John’s – “Repent”. The message is the same today. “Repent. There is Good news”. These are the first words that You utter in Mark’s gospel. First words, like last words, always hold a special significance and these were no exception. “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news”. Curiously no one in the gospels ever attempts to describe Your voice or its characteristics or tone, Neither do they give a detailed description of Your appearance. But every writer focuses on Your words. It is Good News. So we need to do something about it whilst there is still time at hand.

  • THE RIVER JORDAN

    30/11/24.   The River Jordan.

    A father led his son down to the river.

    Remembering the journey he took long ago.

    On one special day, they journeyed to Jordan.

    And stopped by an old pile of stones by the road.

    .

    These stones son, are special. These stones have a purpose.

    They speak as a witness of a time long gone by.

     When God led his people through the raging river Jordan.

    On dry land made possible. By God’s sovereign power.

    .

    The Ark of the Covenant was carried into the river.

    But at the first step, a miracle took place.

    God held back the waters which piled up beside them.

    And a million people walked through on dry land.

    .

    And as the last person walked up on the bank.

    So 12 special men were chosen to return.

    Back to the middle. And hoist up a large stone.

    Bring them back to the bank and pile them there.

    .

    These stones are a witness of God’s holy power.

    How he held back the water to let the people pass.

    So whenever you see this powerful symbol.

    Stop. And remember, you serve the same God.

    .

    With memories of boyhood, he now led his son.

    To show him the stones and tell him the tale.

    Our God so powerful. He stopped the raging waters.

    The whole tribe of Israel walked through on dry land.

  • I’M FALLING DOWN BEFORE YOU

    I’m Falling Down Before You Lord   29/11/24 Geoff    (Version 2)

                              

    I’m falling down before You Lord, I’m down upon my knees

    I’m giving all I have to You, to do with as You please

    Holding nothing back Lord, I put my life in Yours

    I want to serve You truly, so speak Lord, set me free

    V2

    Equip me Lord, I need Your help, wherever I should go

    I need to know You leading me, not where I want to go

    You see my life is nothing, an empty shell to fill

    So pour your power into me Lord, so I can do Your will

    V3

    And when I go, I’ll need to trust that You will light the fire

    So take my words, empower them Lord, and help me to inspire

    A faith that puts all hope in You, standing people on the rock

    You’ll never ever let them go, held fast by Your great love

    ‘V4

    So, Lord I want to do Your will, follow in Your footsteps

    To walk each day upon the way, trod by You Lord before me

    To see the people realise that God is on their side

    To show each one You love them, that this is why You died

    V5

    So, I’m falling down before You Lord, I’m down upon my knees

    I’m giving all I have to You, to do with as You please

    Holding nothing back Lord, I put my life in Yours

    I want to serve You truly, so speak Lord, set me free

  • GOD of MERCY

    God of Mercy         Geoff Wallace    23/10/24

    Ver 1A

    God of Mercy, God of Love

    Tune my heart to Yours

    Your Compassion, Freely given

    Make it mine to give

    Ver 1B

    Cause my heart to, Melt before You, Empty all my sin

    And then fill me, with Your compassion

    A heart to reach the world

    Ver2A

    I see Your mercy, touching others

    Help my eyes to see

    Your loving kindness, spilling over

    Your arms stretched wide to heal

    Ver 2B

    In Your creation, it wasn’t like this

    You made all things good

    But sin then entered, It pierced perfection

    It broke Your heart to see,     that..

    VER 3A

    We turned from You, Your empty arms wide

    Ashamed of our own sin

    Your heart was broken, we never noticed

    Intent on our own things

    Ver 3B

    But still You sought us, Your voice was calling

    Come back to me again

    My son died for you, Because I love you

    Just turn and follow me again

    Ver 4A

    My child I’ll fill you

    With my compassion

    Reach out and touch the world

    My Spirit fills you, to overflowing, Where you go I’ll go

    Ver 4B

    Go to the lost now, the broken hearted

    The ones who need my touch

    Take my compassion, and give it freely

    That is why I died

    Ver 5A

    Just tell of my love, My life a ransom

    So they can be set free

    To shine my glory, To see my kindness

    Now, and for all eternity

  • THE BOY

    7/12/24    The Boy    by  Geoff Wallace      Matt 8, v 1 to 4           

    It happened first when I was just six years old. Playing out the back of my father’s Potters shop, I cut my toe on one of the discarded shards of broken pot. My father was a skilled Potter, and rarely made mistakes but occasionally a pot would crack in the kiln and was discarded. It wasn’t till I’d noticed the blood, that I realised I’d cut my toe badly. But then relief. It didn’t hurt. I hadn’t felt a thing. Not like my other friends who cried when they stubbed their toes or caught their hands on the thorns of a Bramble. When I ran to my mother to clean it and told her that I hadn’t noticed cutting it, a shadow of worry passed over her face. But then her warm smile and comforting hug made-up for all the time spent not playing. Over the next few months, the cuts and scrapes became more frequent. And yet each time there was no pain or discomfort. Finally, the dreadful day came, when the village priest came to our house. and declared publicly that I had leprosy. Under the threat of punishment from God. and the anger of the village elders, I was forcibly pushed and prodded with sticks at arm’s length out to the boundary of the town and left there. It was the worst day of my life. Six years old and abandoned by my parents, my friends, the villagers, and worst of all, by God

     Tearfully, I headed up into the hills where I knew others with leprosy scratched out an existence. And they welcomed me with open arms. They all knew what it was like to be abandoned and rejected because of leprosy. Hands with stumps for fingers. Toeless feet bound in rags and soaked in blood. This was to be my fate. A descending cycle of destruction ending in death. Shut off. cut off from everybody I held dear. My new friends shared scraps of food they’d managed to beg or been given by former family who left gifts of food at the edge of our colony. My new friends gave me shelter in their caves, warmth from their fires, and a small bell to wear whenever I ventured away from the safety of the camp. No one would be of any doubt when they heard the bells that a leper was nearby. Even the Levite’s and priests would turn and hurry away. So, I was left realising that even God himself had turned his back on me.

     Childhood disappeared and years passed in a daily fight for survival. Caught between a God who didn’t care, but who also would eternally punish me if I tried to escape the miserable existence by taking my own life.

    Then it happened. Out on the hills near our caves, a rabbi had been drawing huge crowds to hear his teaching. People streamed to him, giving a wide berth of our colony. Of course, I would never been able to join them. My leprosy prohibited coming near them. So I watched from a distance, beyond any ability to hear. I must have dozed. Because suddenly the noise of a crowd woke me and to my horror, just a few feet away stood the rabbi who had been the one speaking to the crowds. He just stopped and looked at me. I’ve never seen such love and compassion in anyone’s eyes. I was so used to seeing anger, to spitting, to stones and mud being thrown. But this man was different. Trapped between a God who ignored me, but also threatened me, I had nothing to lose. Slowly. step by step, I shuffled on my stumps towards him. Watching his eyes for the look of horror as he realised my plight. But compassion never melted. It burned even brighter. So I fell on my knees before him. And words spilled out from my heart. “Lord, if you are willing. You can make me clean.”. Not since Naaman, in the scriptures read in the synagogues when I was a boy, had a man been healed of leprosy. I don’t know why I thought he could heal me, but somehow I knew he could. Then to the horrified gasp of the crowd that was following him, he reached out and touched me. Touched me. No one touches a leper. No one wants to risk becoming one of the living dead. But with compassion still burning in his eyes, he touched me. “I am willing. Be clean”. And there and then. In an instant, not only did I feel a wave of cleansing and love pour through my body, but I saw fingers and toes bursting through my blood-soaked rags. And with those fingers I touched my face. The scabs and the scars had gone, and the memory of my soft face as a child came flooding back. I was healed. With newfound strength, I rose to my feet, flung out my arms and hugged him. The horrified crowds were now cheering and waving and shouting out his name, “Jesus”. In that hug, a revelation poured into my heart. God had never been against me. His love had never stopped reaching out to me. If the Levites and priests shunned me, God didn’t. Above the noise of the crowd, Jesus whispered in my ear, my new ear, to not tell anybody. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that. He also told me to go to the priest, the one who’d cursed me and thrown me out of my village.” Go to him. Make the offering Moses commanded”. This he said. “Would be a testimony to them”. The power of God to heal and make whole. And then he was gone. The man who changed my life, who healed my body and restored my faith and love of God, was gone. And I am whole. And eternally grateful.