Thought for Friday, 6 January 2023

 1 Peter 1:13 (New Living Translation)

So think clearly and exercise self-control.  Look forward to the special blessings

that will come to you at the return of Jesus Christ.

I remember quite a few years ago if you wanted to see a film, it involved either  a trip to the local cinema or video shop.  After that, we had dvd’s and now we can stream films on demand and the choice is almost limitless.  The current trend among my circle of friends is to watch a series like Game of Thrones, Outlander, Yellowstone, Peaky Blinders etc. etc.  You get a number of episodes making up a season and, in turn, many of these series have quite a few seasons.  In can take quite a while to work through these series and when you get to the last episode in the last available season, this means either that the series is finished, or it can mean that the next season is in the process of being made and will become available sometime in the future.  At present, our house is waiting impatiently for the next season of two of the series we’ve been watching and in the interim, looking for some new series to check out.  In the weeks before the new season is due to begin, I have seen us go back to season 1, episode 1 and watch the whole lot again just so we’re properly ready for the next season.

Time and time again from the beginning of advent, between writing these thoughts and preparing the services of worship I had to cover, there was a repeating theme that kept coming to me.  That theme is that the Christmas story or season, is not an ending, it is a beginning, like the first chapter in a new book or the first episode in the first season of a new series.  Easter is not an ending.  It is in itself an important new beginning and another important season in the series.  The story isn’t over, there are still prophecies to be fulfilled and until that day, we just need to pray for your intervention in the day-to-day matters that concern us and turn to our bibles to re-run all the episodes that lead up to the new season that is still to be revealed.

Prayer – Heavenly Father, how we praise Your holy name for the privileges that come from knowing and loving you. We pray that we may consider our actions and the things we say each day so that we cause you no offence.  Help us not to be tossed about by the storms of life or unsettled by the things that are happening in our world today. We pray that we may resist the temptations to take the ungodly options that are all around and may we do our best to prepare for the day when you will return to this world, the day when every knee will bow knowing who you are.     Amen