Tag: HopeForToday

Hope for today #24

Isaiah 56:12
‘Tomorrow will be like today, or even better.’

 
Reading this verse in context we discover the speaker is shamelessly spreading a lie. The truth is, we cannot presume tomorrow will be like today, or even better. We can, however, place our trust in the one who promises to bless those who walk in his ways.

Reflection
Jesus said, ‘If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.’ (John 15:5)

QUOTE FOR TODAY
Christ the risen is how we know that it will not always be this way.
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p.2)
 

Hope for today #23

Hebrews 13:8
‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’

 
Jesus, the shepherd of our souls (1 Peter 2:25), is unswerving in his loyalty and steadfast in his love.

Reflection
‘As our own life unfolds, Jesus is ever on the move with us as our utterly faithful leader who will not abandon us.’ (Anthony C. Thiselton)

QUOTE FOR TODAY
From the beginning, Christian hope was Christ centered: it was an expectation of a sure future secured by Christ’s death and resurrection.
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 83)
 

Hope for today #22

Luke 19:9
‘Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”’

 
Jesus ‘came to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10). Also Jericho’s chief tax collector, Zacchaeus.

From his vantage point up the sycamore-fig tree, Zacchaeus catches sight of Jesus as he passes by. More importantly, Jesus catches sight of Zacchaeus and offers him a radical welcome and the saving grace that he so longs for.

Reflection
Jesus offers Zacchaeus a way out, a way back and a way forward.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ have brought about a new and firm reason for hope.
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 61)
 

Hope for today #21

Jeremiah 1:10
‘See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’

 
This verse marks the day God officially appoints Jeremiah as ‘prophet to the nations’, in accordance with his holy plans for Jeremiah’s life. God will give him the words and authority to reshape the world.

Reflection
What is the significance of this day in the light of God’s holy plans for your life?

QUOTE FOR TODAY
Drawing on historical Christian affirmations of hope, the most succinct line from early Christian communities is the one which ends the Nicene Creed: “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 85)
 

Hope for today #20

1 Samuel 25:32
‘David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me”.’

 
David and his men have been good to Nabal, respecting his property and keeping his shepherds safe. It is shearing time and David requests an invitation to the feast, but Nabal refuses to acknowledge David and his contribution and insults him instead. David feels his only option is to retaliate. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, steps in to make amends for her husbands’ indiscretion. David praises God and her for her wisdom and generosity. Her ministry inspires him to be a better man.

Reflection
‘God is faithful … when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.’ (1 Cor 10:13)

QUOTE FOR TODAY
[Hope] is orientated upward and forward.
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 84)
 

Hope for today #19

Psalm 95:7b
‘Today, if only you would hear his voice.’

 
This is certainly a Psalm of two halves and today’s verse is the dividing line. Verses 1 to 7b is full of praise, worship and adoration for how great God is. From verse 8 to 11 the singer is taken back to the Exodus experience where the people did not always listen. Or if they did, it did not always result in obedience. Our worship needs to connect to our behaviour.

Reflection
‘So the worshipper singing this psalm is reminded to ask himself how he hears – will it be obediently? – and for whose voice he listens.’ (Derek Kidner)

QUOTE FOR TODAY
Our worship together is a way of rehearsing our hope in order to embed it deep within us.
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 3)
 

Hope for today #18

Exodus 14:13
‘You will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.’

 
God’s people are on the move from Egypt and being pursued by their captors. As they look back and see the dust clouds being thrown up by hundreds of chariots, they begin to lose heart and fear for their lives. They complain to Moses and are on the verge of surrender. Moses encourages his people to stand firm because God is coming and will rescue them in their moment of danger.

Reflection
Sometimes all we have to do is stand firm and trust God.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
Drawing on historical Christian affirmations of hope, the most succinct line from early Christian communities is the one which ends the Nicene Creed: “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 85)
 

Hope for today #17

Luke 5:26
‘Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”’

 
It would be a remarkable sight to see a paralysed man, who had been lowered down through a roof, restored to physical health walking home. For the man it would mean a dramatic change in his life going forward. But it was not just the physical that had been changed. There was also a spiritual transformation for his sins had been forgiven. A life had been transformed by the words of Jesus.

Reflection
Give thanks for every life that has been changed by the presence of Jesus.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
Christ has come and the kingdom has begun, even here, even now. We glimpse signs of this new creation as we see transformed lives, most poignantly when the baptized emerge from the waters – restored relationships, reconciliation, reversals of injustice, and more.
 
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 2)
 

Hope for today #16

Nehemiah 1:11
‘”Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favour in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.’

 
It is the mid-5th century BC and although the Jerusalem temple has been rebuilt after the Babylonian exile the city walls lay in ruins. It was a source of shame for the returning exiles, and for Nehemiah. As a cupbearer, checking for poisoned drink and food, he had privileged access to the ruling foreign king, Artaxerxes. However, the request for leave and resources to rebuild the walls was preceded by mourning, fasting and prayer.

Reflection
What should we do to prepare for our own important ‘today’?

QUOTE FOR TODAY
… we wait with hope. We work with hope. And we worship with hope.
(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 2)
 

Hope for today #15

Luke 2:11
‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’

 
I am sure that the shepherd’s night shift had begun normally enough. The handover from the day shift, a reporting of any issues and the building of a fire against the cold. But today was going to be unlike any day before or since. This is the day that the sky was cracked, the day that the darkness gave way to light, the day that made the angels sing, the day that shepherds trembled, the day that God’s promise has arrived.

Reflection
Just ordinary shepherds open to the things of God, are we?

QUOTE FOR TODAY
The ultimate hope of the world is the fully manifest presence of God.

(Glenn Packiam, Worship and the World to Come, p. 181)