St Luke 15: 1 – 7

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.  And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he told them this parable:  ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?  When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.”  Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

Reflection

I have two roles in my life. First, I serve as a URC minister in the North West of England. Second, I work with motorcycle groups as part of a specialist ministry. This lets me connect with bikers who, except by divine providence, would likely never visit one of our churches.

We all have different roles in life. One role might be our spiritual or religious life, which I’m guessing is important to you since you’re reading this Daily Devotion! We also have other roles in our everyday lives, like our jobs, family responsibilities, or hobbies.

When we really think about this passage, it reminds us to represent Jesus in everything we do every day, particularly with life’s fragile and marginalised people. This isn’t just about Sunday church – it’s about how we live our whole lives. People learn about Christianity by watching us., Whether we like it or not, we are walking adverts for Jesus.

So wear your faith on your sleeve. Show it through gentleness and kindness. Be ready to share your faith when asked. Remember to share this warmth with everyone you meet – both friends and strangers who might never think of going to church. Who knows? Maybe your friendship, prayers and caring spirit might help someone journey closer to the God of love.

Prayer

Creator of all,
Your presence is like gentle rain.
Guide our eyes to seek You
in shadows others pass by,
in corners where hope seems dim,
in hearts that wait in silence.
Let us be Your vessels of light,
carrying Your endless love
to paths less traveled,
only to discover,
like dawn breaking over mountain,
You’ve been there all along
arms open, heart waiting,
in every space we dare to tread. Amen

Transfiguration Psalm 71

In you, O Lord, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, free me;
pay heed to me and save me.

Be a rock where I can take refuge,
a mighty stronghold to save me;
for you are my rock, my stronghold.
Free me from the hand of the wicked,
from the grip of the unjust, of the oppressor.

It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,
my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
On you I have leaned from my birth;
from my mother’s womb you have been my help.
My hope has always been in you.

My fate has filled many with awe
but you are my strong refuge.
My lips are filled with your praise,
with your glory all the day long.
Do not reject me now that I am old;
when my strength fails do not forsake me.

For my enemies are speaking about me;
those who watch me take counsel together.
Saying: “God has forsaken him; follow him,
seize him; there is no one to save him.”
O God, do not stay far off:
my God, make haste to help me!

Let them be put to shame and destroyed,
all those who seek my life.
Let them be covered with shame and confusion,
all those who seek to harm me.

But as for me, I will always hope
and praise you more and more.
My lips will tell of your justice
and day by day of your help
(though I can never tell it all).

Lord, I will declare your mighty deeds,
proclaiming your justice, yours alone.
O God, you have taught me from my youth
and I proclaim your wonders still.

Now that I am old and grey-headed,
do not forsake me, God.
Let me tell of your strength and justice to the skies,
tell of you who have worked such wonders.
O God, who is like you?

You have burdened me with bitter troubles
but you will give me back my life.
You will raise me from the depths of the earth;
you will exalt me and console me again.

So I will give you thanks on the lyre
for your faithful love, O God.
To you will I sing with the harp,
to you, the Holy One of Israel.
When I sing to you my lips shall rejoice
and my soul, which you have redeemed.

And all the day long my tongue
shall tell the tale of your justice:
for they are put to shame and disgraced,
all those who seek to harm me.

Reflection

Until opting to write this Devotion, Psalm 71 was one of those I scooted over, instead preferring the more muscular and butch (eg 27), the reassuring (46) and the triumphant (124) alternatives. After all, 71 reminds me of WB Yeats’ poem ‘When You Are Old’. Rather crepuscular. A little wearying. Somewhat sad.

But on closer inspection, it is far more complicated than that.  It’s a marvel of competing and all-too human emotions being worked through in the mind of someone who has seen and done a great deal. We read of fear, vulnerability, defiance, recollection yet, ultimately, hope and trust in God. It urges me to put things into proper perspective.

I must admit to being ambivalent about the ageing process. I enjoy the reasoned, classical assurances of Cicero’s A Treatise on Old Age, although I cannot shake off the manner of his demise. Yet, my own atheist parents are grimly belabouring under significant health burdens – whilst remaining feistily independent. I wonder if their striving for independence is another and unnecessary weight for them to carry?

The Psalmist’s theme here is surely dependence? His dependence throughout his life on God. He recalls that God has provided safety, and this proven reliance gives hope for whatever the future holds.

In our fellowships we are also dependent or interdependent on each other. Most of our churches are undergirded by those of advancing years. In our keenness to try out new forms of worship or to reach out to newer, younger people, we musn’t sideline those who’ve lived long lives. And sometimes long lives in faithfulness to God.

I think that we need to do more to record and share the Psalm 71 life and faith stories of our older brothers and sisters-in-Christ. I think we are missing an evangelistic opportunity by not reinforcing our muscle memory by listening more closely to others’ life of challenge, faithfulness and true hope. In them, lies real hope.
 
Prayer

O Lord, we thank you for the gift of the older members of our fellowships and wider society. Attune us to listen to their stories. Of faith. Of challenges. Of bad times. And of good. Ensure that we do not forsake them, but recognise our mutual interdependency as we strive to witness to your glorious Love. Amen.