Sunday 16th May 2021 – Irene Alderson
O God, our Father, our Redeemer and Friend. We come to you this morning in the privileged position of standing before your throne of grace.
We have not earned that privilege, we never could, but you honour us by allowing us into your presence, the King of Kings.
O Lord, enable us to come before you with open hearts to sing your praises, to worship you in spirit and truth, ready to hear your voice.
To come, not because that's what we do but, because we want to be in your presence, loving you and each other in the way you want us to. So be with us we pray. Amen.
United we stand, divided we fall
A few days ago the word unity was mentioned, I just heard the word. On my way back from where I was the phrase 'united we stand divided we fall' came into my mind. I don't know where it comes from or anything but, I couldn't get it out of my mind, it started me thinking. I thought ok Lord, are you trying to tell me something, I'd better listen. What I feel God has given me is very much for me and what I need to hear and work on. Perhaps it is for you also. So please take time to look at it with me this morning.
I started, of course, with the dictionary definition.
So, the word UNITY; Meaning Join together, make or be as one, combine, consolidate, agree, co- operate. All the things needed for good relationships in whatever sphere. We need to relate well in every aspect of our lives. This requires a lot of thought, patience, adjustment, wisdom, consideration, etc.
So UNITY is about oneness, parts that form a whole, coherence of parts, harmony, and concord. All required as we live in families and relationships.
So I went to the Bible to see what The Word of God has to say. It says so much, this is only a little of what we can learn today.
THE BIBLE talks about friendship and reconciliation, which is needed for UNITY.
So, 2 Corinthians 6 v 11 - 30 talks about giving and withholding love. Love is a main ingredient, often very difficult to give, something we often get mixed up with when we don't like someone or something that's been done. So, in terms of our relationship with someone, how often do we withhold love, from someone, in various ways, not necessarily considering the hurt we may be causing, and going against the guiding words of Scripture and God 's direction.
ROMANS 12 v 9 - 21 says this "Don't just pretend you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of good. Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve The Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner, or if they need lodgings for the night. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don't think you know it all!
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.
It says much more. Please read it.
I personally found it very challenging, and so need The Lord's wisdom and strength to follow through.
We have all been wronged by others, but, God's love allows us to forgive them and seek reconciliation. All of us have hurt others. Love enables us to ask for forgiveness, and seek to make amends for the trouble and pain we have caused. Not what we always choose to do is it. Love in action is not easy, it demands that we swallow our pride and admit our wrongs to others. It's a very painful experience.
What a wonderful passage that leaves us in no doubt of what is required.
2 Corinthians 5 v 18 - 21 talks about being reconciled to man and God, and doing the task/calling, of reconciling man to God. We need to be reconciled to God to do this.
The hymn writer talks about reconciling man to God, I questioned myself, how often do we sing these words and really take in what they mean.
Psalm 133 v 1 - 3 talks about how wonderful it is to live in harmony. Harmony.
Psalm 67 v 11 tells us to make our vows to our God and fulfil them.
In 2 Chronicles 10 v 18 - 19 we read these words. “when we seek reconciliation with the people we have wronged, we should do so wisely. We should look for common ground and build on it. We should not foolishly emphasise differences that will impair the recovery process”.
Reconciliation with God is asking for forgiveness, but requires repentance. We are told to "love our neighbours as ourselves." We all know who we mean by our neighbours. Loving is hard, but when we can love others 'as Jesus loves' it happens. But love goes beyond mere words. Sometimes it is spoken in silence, when we don't condemn someone who comes to us looking for help. Love doesn't just tell them what the problems are; it helps carry the weight of their burdens. We can be part of a support network to help carry our friends until their recovery.
In 2 Timothy 2 v 22 we read these words, "pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on The Lord with pure hearts. This means we have to encourage and support each other in our spiritual growth - to be there for each other.
So how do we create harmony and unity in whatever situation? Well, by respecting each other’s views. Basic Humanity, treating others as we would want to be treated.
Looking at all we have mentioned so far, feels very challenging and, perhaps making us feel we are far away from living up to this. But, we don't need to give up because we have our open line to our Father, who will give us all we need to be the people He wants us to be, doing the things He teaches us. We only have to get on the line, open 24/7 and ask for all that we and others need.
Of course there is another side to UNITY.
The dictionary says to divide is to impair the unity of. So division takes away harmony and creates separation.
What happens when we create disharmony, division and separation? Well, we create discouragement and rejection, real or perceived, as well as other things.
Finger pointing is something that comes up. This is when we ignore our own sins and problems, and point a finger at someone else, in our mind or actually. Or perhaps we avoid self examination by making moral inventories of the people around us. Sometimes we avoid our own problems by evaluating others, and criticising them. Jesus tells us, "and why worry about the speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own. " "Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye, then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." Ouch!
We must guard ourselves against blaming and examining the lives of others. There will be a time in the future for helping others after we have taken responsibility for our own lives.
So here are some thoughts it gave me.
Giving someone your full attention can make them feel of worth and value, but virtually ignoring them can feel like rejection.
Making ourselves aware of the people around us and taking note of how they seem to be can make us more approachable.
Showing an interest in other people and what makes them tick, can really lift someone up.
Spending time to chat with someone, instead of rushing away can give someone value
Send someone a card to show you are thinking of them, that they are worth thinking about.
And much more.
Deuteronomy 5 v 20 reminds us that healthy living before God demands that we are honest with and about others. Being honest in our relationships is a necessary requirement for reconciliation. Scary isn't it. Challenging. Sometimes it's hard to be honest with ourselves never mind anyone else. But, we can safely be honest with our Heavenly Father who is not there to condemn but, in His love and mercy is there to forgive us and lead us through. So as Philemon 6 says, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
So let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you love us so much, and so you only want the best for us. So please help us take on board what you bring before us even when that is painful, but nevertheless for our good. Thank you that our life in you provides all that we need in our lives.
Amen
Quite a long time ago Joan Parsons wrote this song and it comes from our Bible passage which Andrea read so well. I would like us to end our time together today by saying this to each other.
We shall be as one. We shall be as one. He the Father of us all, we His chosen one. And by His command, take each other’s hand, live our lives in unity. We shall be as one, and by this shall all men know of the work He has done. Love will take us on, through His precious Son. Love of Him who first loved us, we shall be as one. So be it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before you today happy to be in your presence, feeling you smiling upon us, and surrounded by your love.
We thank you that you promise your continual presence with us at all times, and in whatever situation we find ourselves in. You want us to seek you in the good times, and seek you in the bad times, knowing you are watching over us all the time, you are a wonderful caring Father.
Knowing that we can choose to live in dependence on you means we can live life as it's meant to be lived.
We can go in your strength, radiating your love and compassion to all we come in contact with.
Sometimes, Lord, we find it hard to be dependent on you because we want to run our own lives, and so make mistakes.
Please forgive us for our determination to sometimes go our own way. Help us whether we are strong or weak, to love in you, dependant on your guidance in every area of our lives. You are the one person we can trust with our weaknesses.
Lord, these days so many things vie for our attention, but you still say," Be still and know that I am God." Help us to do just that, and so be revitalised as you sit quietly with us. Thank you that when we do this, we and you are blessed.
Lord, to know that you are our friend, who walks hand in hand with us, means we face whatever the day brings.
When we share our pleasures, concerns, hardships, disappointments and adventures with you, then nothing is wasted, and everything g is of value. Help us to learn and grow through all our experiences.
Lord, to know that you approve us is amazing, that you see us closed in your light, arrayed in your righteousness. You, God, approve us. Thank you. Amen.