Thought for the Day - Friday 20 November

Message from Session Clerk Holytown On behalf of Minister: Holytown l/w Wrangholm Parish Churches Thought for the Day – Friday 20th November 2020 Hebrews 13 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. Acts 8 3But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. Galatians 3 22But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. It’s the final thought for the day in ‘Prisoners week’ and I just couldn’t leave Saul (who was converted and became Paul) out. Saul was infamous for the enthusiasm he had for persecuting, arresting, torturing and imprisoning those who formed part of the early church. Yet, after encountering Jesus on the Damascus Road he could well be described as ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’. This indeed was a dramatic conversion, and so dramatic that many of the early Christians were extremely reluctant to accept that this feared man had actually became one of their brothers in Christ. Paul and the other apostles were hated by most of the Jews because they openly and publicly taught that Jesus was the son of God. The Jews saw this as blasphemy against God and were more than willing to throw someone into jail over the issue. Some say imprisonment is a deterrent, but it certainly wasn’t for Paul. Writers disagree about how many times Paul was imprisoned because it was definitely not just once or twice. At one point, he was under house arrest for over two years. Most of the books of the new testament attributed to Paul were written during his imprisonment. I hope you have enjoyed the daily thoughts during ‘Prisoners Week’ and are maybe even thinking a little differently, not just about the men and women who are incarcerated but about the whole prison system, all those affected by imprisonment, all those who work within it and the work carried out by our national church in that area that often goes unnoticed by the majority of us. Remember all of them in your prayers. Prayer Heavenly Father, we thank you for the freedom you have given to us that we mostly take for granted Help us resist the temptation to be judgemental and leave all judgement to you We pray for those who have had their freedom taken away from them Help us to remember their families and relationships that have been broken due to crime Be with those who work within the system and bless them with empathy, honesty and patience We pray for all prisoners because, including ourselves, we are all prisoners of sin Help us all look to You Lord so that someday, we can also be with you in paradise Amen