Category: Devotionals

Labyrinths

I am delighted to welcome Fay Rowland to my blog, as part of the blog tour for her new book 40 Days with Labyrinths. Here she explains what labyrinths are, why she loves drawing them and how you might like to utilise the labyrinths she provides in her book.

I launched my book at the beautiful Launde Abbey in Leicestershire. If you have a chance to visit Laude, I heartily recommend it as it is a place of peace and beauty, where 900 years of prayer have soaked into the very stones and give off a timeless scent of serenity. They also do fabulous cakes!

One of my favourite parts of Launde is the large grass labyrinth behind the kitchen garden. It’s based on the famous design in Chartres Cathedral, and it’s a delight to see it changing with the seasons.

Labyrinths explained

A labyrinth is different from a maze, although they look similar. A maze is a puzzle that tries to trap and confuse you. It has dead ends and wrong paths and you have to battle the maze and try to beat it. A labyrinth is entirely the opposite.

A labyrinth has only one path, which twists and turns, but always leads to the goal. Because of this, a labyrinth guides and relaxes you. You cannot make a mistake and you cannot get lost. Walking a labyrinth is similar to the soothing rhythm of knitting, as the path leads to and fro and you do not have to worry about where to go next; just follow the path and trust.

Utilising labyrinths in our spiritual lives

This aspect of labyrinths makes them an excellent model of the Christian life, where we cannot determine what the future may hold, but we can trust that God know what he’s doing and walk life’s labyrinth path in his company.

When full-sized labyrinths are not available, drawn ‘finger’ labyrinths are perfect for slowing down and giving ourselves the excuse to spend some time resting in God’s company.

The idea behind my book

I love to draw labyrinths. The act of creating the patterns is very restful, and afterwards I can trace the path with a finger or with colouring pencils and pause at the turns to breathe and reflect – a soothing walk with God. The above picture is a watercolour I made of Launde Abbey’s labyrinth and it was as much a delight to paint as to walk. Labyrinths work especially well with the intricate ‘zentangle’ designs you often see in grown-up colouring books.

I had the idea of combining my love of drawing labyrinths with gentle Bible reflections, allowing people to ponder as they ‘walk’ or colour the drawings. The lovely people at Darton, Longman and Todd have done a fabulous job of making the idea a reality.

Engaging with the labyrinths in the book

The book has 40 short Bible readings groups into topics (eg Bread, Water, Home, Wonder) each with a reflection and short prayer. They’re all written in accessible, relevant language that echoes the hopes, doubts and concerns of real people living real lives. The readings are accompanied by hand-drawn labyrinths, including the popular Celtic knot designs, traditional ‘classical’ labyrinths that have been drawn for thousands of years, and contemporary patterns designed especially for this book.

There are also suggestions for how you might like to walk the labyrinths, although there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way. Some people like to pause at the turns and say a short prayer; perhaps a line of The Lord’s prayer or a short phrase such as ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. Another way is to imagine placing your guilt and regrets along the path – you could draw them if you wish – and reaching the centre as John Bunyan’s Pilgrim, free of your burdens. Ask God’s forgiveness and walk back out of the labyrinth, leaving the rubbish at the side of the path. Or, very simply, you can use the labyrinths as an excuse to sit in stillness for a while and ponder the passage or listen to God – busying your hands to still your mind.

Fay Rowland is a mum and mathematician, Trekkie and theologian, scientist and sewing ninja. She writes intergenerational Christian resources, including a number of books, and her interests include the overlap of science and faith, children’s spirituality and beautiful algebra. She lives in the English Midlands with her pet dragon.

To find out more about Fay, and read more from her, visit her website.

Easter Sunday

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Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash

We have reached the day of celebration – Easter Sunday! On this day, Christians around the world gather together to thank God for Jesus’ resurrection and to joyfully proclaim their faith in him. But, just for a moment, I want us to take a step back to just before Jesus reveals he is alive, reflecting on John 20:1–29…

Confused and bewildered

Think about the disciples – what were they doing that first Easter Sunday? We have already noted yesterday that they didn’t hang around and help with Jesus’ burial. They must have been distraught to see Jesus die, and must also have been very confused, even though Jesus did tell them during the Last Supper what had to happen. (Let’s be honest – it was a very strange and difficult teaching to understand.) To their credit, however, they were nevertheless altogether when Jesus appeared to them (see v19). They may have been frightened, bewildered and still trying to get their heads around the possibility that what Jesus had said to them was true, but they couldn’t help but spend time together. 

The mystery of faith

If we go back to when Mary first discovers that the tomb is empty, Peter and John (the ‘other disciple’) run to check the tomb. When faced with the linen and cloth all lying so neatly the passage says ‘they believed’ – even though they didn’t fully understand. How often in our journey of faith does God ask us to believe without full knowledge? That is the mystery of faith.

Full of compassion

When Jesus does appear, first to Mary and then to the disciples, he is full of compassion. He speaks peace over their troubled and confused spirits, breathes the Holy Spirit over them (v22) and meets Thomas’ doubts head on (v27–29). Interestingly, in this first meeting with them since his resurrection, he also sends them (v21). He immediately involves them in his future purposes – their doubt and fear had not discounted them.

Prayer

Jesus it is so wonderful to celebrate your resurrection. I thank you that you dealt so gently with your disciples – and you do so with me too. Thank you that I am called and chosen by you.

Waiting

Garden tomb, Jerusalem by Mark Jones on Unsplash

I am always fascinated by the time of waiting we read about in John 19:38-42. In between Good Friday and Easter Sunday we are left with a day pregnant with anticipation. However, we don’t know a lot about what was happening – both to Jesus and the disciples. In John 2:18-21 Jesus had foretold that his body would be destroyed, but that he would raise it again. But Scripture doesn’t give us clear details of how that happened, and many commentators have argued over what was occurring during this time of waiting. 1 Peter 3:18–22 does indicate that Jesus’ body was put to death but that he was made alive in the Spirit.

Given a proper burial

Whatever was happening ‘behind the scenes’, Jesus’ body is taken away for burial. It wasn’t the disciples, or Jesus’ family, who went to Pilate and asked for the body. It was two ‘secret’ followers – Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, both members of the Jewish council. You may remember that Nicodemus had previously gone to Jesus in cover of nighttime to find out more about who he was. Both had been scared to associate with Jesus (although in John 7:51 Nicodemus did try to defend him in front of the other religious leaders). But they decided to risk their reputations after Jesus’ death in order to provide a proper burial for him. They gave him the care and prepared his body in the way Jewish custom dictated. Interestingly, they are the only characters mentioned here. Had grief and/or fear overtaken Jesus’ followers?

Sitting with the waiting

I believe it is important to own this time of waiting during Easter Saturday – and to be honest about our own feelings of bewilderment and grief about the waiting times we experience in our own lives.

Reflection

Too often we rush past Good Friday, looking forward with anticipation for Easter Sunday. Take some time today to sit with the uncertainty you have in your own life currently, offering it to God afresh as you talk with him about it honestly. Make space to receive from him too.

If you would like a further meditation on waiting, please click here.

On the cross

On Good Friday, we remember what Jesus went through on the cross. Reading through the start of John 19:17–37, I am struck afresh by the continued humiliation: he had to carry his own cross, was mocked with the sign ‘King of the Jews’, other gospel accounts say he had a crown of thorns placed on him, he had insults thrown at him while he was on the cross – and the soldiers took his clothing as ‘spoil’.

Fulfilling prophecy on the cross

We see in the details of what happened that Jesus’ death fulfils earlier prophecies (see vv24 and 28). Just allow that truth to sink in deeper: God had foretold what was going to happen through Old Testament prophets (see Isaiah 53). Jesus was fulfilling history through humbly submitting to such a horrific ordeal. His body literally broken for us; the agony both physically and then spiritually as his Father turns away (see Mark 15:33). He must have gone through such anguish – and remember: he did that for you.

Reaching out to family

There is such a poignant moment in this passage, which reveals Jesus’ compassion for his family (of which we are now a part). In verse 25 we are told of a small group of women close to him who are watching. Just think about the desperate agony they must have been going through too. Seeing her son’s body hanging there must have broken his mother’s heart into a thousand pieces. But what he does next is incredible. Even when he is suffering beyond our comprehension (crucifixion is one of the most barbaric, hideously slow ways to die), Jesus reaches out to his mother – and to his close friend John. He understands what they are feeling, and asks them to care for one another. That is what he asks us to do today too (John 14:34–35 and 17:20–24). Knowing that Jesus suffered so much for us, but also comes alongside us when we are in pain, can be such a comfort for those who are grieving or suffering in other ways this Good Friday. May we draw on that truth – and reach out to others with love and care too.

Reflection

Spend some time reading through Isaiah 53, and then turn to worship and prayers of thanks to Jesus for being willing, firstly, to come to Earth in human form, and then to be our sacrificial lamb. You might also want to utilise this meditation of thankfulness for the cross too.

The Last Supper

Image by Gini George from Pixabay 

Maundy Thursday is traditionally when we take time to consider the Last Supper, Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. These reflections are based on Matthew 26:17–35.

Preparing the Passover meal for the Last Supper

The Passover meal was part of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which commemorated the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. There would have been thousands more people in Jerusalem for this festival: Jesus’ disciples ask him where he wants them to prepare for their celebrations and, much like we saw on Palm Sunday, here there is another instance of him directing them to a person who will give them everything they need – as well as another indication that he is conscious all the time of what is about to happen.

The Passover lamb

Once alone with his disciples, during the Last Supper Jesus tells them about what will happen shortly. He indicates Judas’ betrayal, and the fact that he is about to shed blood and have his body broken. His disciples are confused, but the timing of this is not insignificant. The Passover meal remembers the time when the angel of death passed over the homes of the Israelites who had smeared their door frames with the blood of a sacrificial lamb (Exodus 12); Jesus was about to become the ultimate Passover sacrifice.

A lonely path

Jesus’ disciples are adamant that they will stick by him, but he knows the truth; one by one they will desert him after his arrest – even Peter, who protests the loudest. How it must have made Jesus’ heart heavy to contemplate the path of lonely sacrifice he was about to tread. Sometimes I wonder whether there are ever times when we, too, say that we are loyal to Jesus but our actions seem to show otherwise.

Prayer

Jesus I thank you that you were willing to become the ultimate Passover lamb. Help me to remain faithful to you in all areas of my life.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday photo by Brady Leavell on Unsplash

Today is Palm Sunday, a celebration of when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. My reflections are based on Matthew 21:1–11.

Fulfilling prophecy

Jesus knew that this was the last time he was going to enter Jerusalem before his arrest. It must have been quite sobering to know that he was getting ever closer to that moment. He still took the time to attend to details that he knew were necessary in order for him to fulfil Old Testament prophecies. This included, for example, sending two of his disciples to fetch a donkey for him (v2). He says to the disciples to simply let the owner know that the Lord needs them – the mention of his name was all the authority they needed. Matthew is the only gospel that includes both donkey and colt in his retelling, but this directly reflects what the prophet Zechariah said, which we can see in v5.

A statement of who Jesus was

What is amazing about this episode is how the crowds gather as soon as they see Jesus approaching. They spread out their cloaks and branches on the dusty road and praise him as he rides past. It is one of the few places that we see Jesus being publicly honoured and recognised. How sad that it was only a few days later that the same people would desert him. I’m sure many would have been in the crowd that called for his crucifixion too…

By entering Jerusalem in this public way, Jesus was declaring who he is (the messiah, heavenly king). But he was doing so with humility (on a simple colt rather than with great pomp and ceremony). Even so, this episode seemed to wake the city up to his presence. In verse 10 we see that everyone was ‘stirred’ and asked who Jesus was. I wonder how often we celebrate Jesus in such a way that those around us ask about him?

Palm Sunday reflection

The crowds threw down palm branches and cloaks to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. How can you welcome Jesus into your life today? And how will you ensure that yours is not a fleeting welcome, as theirs was?

Jesus shows us how to handle difficulties

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Photo by Stacey Franco on Unsplash

I am very aware that I haven’t managed to post my weekly Bible studies in recent months – I am sorry. Hoping to rectify that, as best I can, I decided to post today. There will be some Easter reflections starting on Palm Sunday. For now, I felt that what Jesus shows us about how to handle difficulties in the Garden of Gethsemane is so pertinent for today, when we can be overcome with grief, shock, bewilderment and pain at the state of our world. I will be reflecting on Matthew 26:36–56. For another reflection on the Garden, please click here.

Honesty and wrestling before his Father

Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, keeping his closest friends with him. When he is with just them, he is able to share freely the anguish he is going through (v38). He asks for his friends to simply be there for him while he goes and wrestles with his Father. What a powerful passage this is: we see Jesus’ humanity, but also his absolute determination to follow through with the plan of salvation. But how hard must it have been to carry the weight of that, then look to his closest friends for a bit of support … only to find they have fallen asleep. I wonder, do we ask for help when we need it? And are we faithful friends to others when they ask for help from us?

A model for us all

Jesus provides a really helpful model to us here on how to handle difficulties: pour all the emotion out to God, spend time waiting in prayer, then submit to him afresh. Too often we can try and work out the answers to our problems and difficulties without looking to God for his advice and direction. But, even before that, we need to take the time to be honest about how we are feeling, and process our raw emotions before God. It is too easy to either allow ourselves to be overwhelmed or dictated to by them, or to squash them down and hope they will go away. But God knows that we need time for processing – especially when we face the most excruciating of circumstances. Jesus’ actions in the Garden of Gethsemane provide a powerful guide on how to do that.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for your honesty, and for wrestling so openly with your Father. I take comfort from knowing that you too needed to be vulnerable in that way before God – and your friends. I pray that you will help me to bring before God those things that are troubling me today. Help me also to ask for support where I truly need it. Amen.

Jesus’ humanness

Photo by Hussein Altameemi from Pexels

I am delighted to welcome Jo Acharya to my blog today, as part of the blog tour for her devotional book Refresh: a wellness devotional for the whole Christian life (Do check out the details at the end for your chance to win a copy!) Here, she invites us to take time to consider Jesus’ humanness and what impact it can have on our lives today. 

She moves lightly around the small room. The baby she holds against her shoulder is whimpering, and she talks to him in a lyrical voice as she pats his back. Eventually the child lets out a small burp, and she brings him round to face her. She smiles, cradling his head in one hand while she wipes the milky mixture from his tiny mouth with the other. And then she kisses his forehead and begins to sing, a version of the song that first flowed from her lips in the early days of her pregnancy: “My soul magnifies the Lord…”

Imagining Jesus’ everyday life

We could imagine many more vignettes like this. Perhaps Jesus’ legs repeatedly giving way when he first tries to stand as a toddler, or mispronouncing difficult letters in his early words. Perhaps Joseph teaching him to cut straight pieces of wood with a saw or Mary showing him how to knead bread. We might picture Jesus diligently memorising passages of scripture as a boy, or laughing and eating with his friends as an adult.

In a way these scenes are easy to imagine because we’ve seen them a hundred times. This is the everyday stuff of human life. But thinking of Jesus this way can be mind-blowing. That God himself chose to enter fully into this human life, even confining himself to a physical human body, is one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith. That he came to us as a helpless newborn baby, totally reliant on an inexperienced young woman to keep him alive and clean and well-fed, is even more remarkable.

When the ordinary becomes sacred

One of the central themes in my devotional is that when we invite God into the everyday stuff of our lives, ordinary things become sacred; from our relationships and emotions right down to our very bodies. In Refresh I look at the complex relationships we all have with our bodies, and how Jesus’ unpolished humanness gives extraordinary dignity and worth to our own.

After all, our whole lives are lived in and through our bodies. Like Jesus, we are all physical beings in a physical world, and we can’t do a thing without using some part of our physical form. God created us this way, and he called his creation good. Despite the sin, the sickness, the damage we have sustained in this fallen world, to be human is still a precious and miraculous thing.

What Jesus’ humanness means for us

I sometimes wonder when Jesus knew he was different. Was there a lightbulb moment, or was the knowledge of his identity always there, gradually coming into focus as his self-awareness developed? And then I think of his parents. How do you mother the Messiah? I imagine this simple couple, the carpenter and his wife, simply doing what all good parents do. Loving their children, passing on values and traditions, making mistakes, giving their best.

Jesus’ human life was a real human life. It wasn’t a pretence – he wasn’t an actor playing a role. He didn’t resent his humanity, he embraced it. Even after his resurrection, his glorified body was a glorified human body. This matters. It matters because being human is good, and we need to know that God is glad to share in our humanity with us. It matters because being human in a fallen world is hard, and we need to know that Jesus has experienced that too. And it matters because being human is a team effort. We can’t do it alone, and we don’t have to. You and I have a team-mate in heaven with God, constantly interceding for us. This is what Jesus’ humanity means. The burping baby, the unsteady toddler, the compassionate carpenter. The great King and High Priest who is able to empathise with you and me.

Free copy!

Jo has generously offered to give a copy of her book away to one of my readers (she will send it direct). In order to be in with a chance of winning, do sign up to my newsletter by filling in the form here (I promise not to bombard you – I send a newsletter out around once a term/quarter), or if you’re already signed up just drop a comment below.

Jo Acharya is a writer and music therapist. Her first book, Refresh: a wellness devotional for the whole Christian life is available from all good bookshops. You can read more of Jo’s writing and buy signed copies of Refreshat ValleyOfSprings.com, and you can follow her on social media at Facebook.com/ValleyOfSprings and Instagram.com/ValleyOfSprings.

A companion filled with comfort

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As many of you will know, my mum went to be with Jesus just before COVID hit. It was a time full of pain, exhaustion – but also very little space to grieve. We were thrust into the pandemic and I was helping my husband move our services online and look after our church members as well as reaching out to my dad as he navigated the first lockdown so soon after being widowed.

But there was one companion that I found extremely helpful – and I am delighted to say that it is about to be published! The lovely Penelope Swithinbank shared an early draft of Scent of Water with me, as it is a daily devotional for the first six months of bereavement and she hoped it would help.

It certainly did.

Written out of her own experience of seeing her mum die suddenly and tragically, she generously shared it on her website but now, ten years on, she has found a publisher and created a book version that would be a wonderful gift for anyone who has been recently bereaved.

EXPERIENCING GOD’S LOVE

Penelope’s writing is honest – her experience of being broken hearted herself means she is able to empathise and offer comfort. She is certainly living out 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 through this book: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

As she says in the book: “This may well be the scent of water your soul craves. Even just a few moments might help you to know the love of the God who walks alongside you and loves you in and through your grief, your tears. As someone once said, there are some things that only become visible through our tears; things that the dry-eyed don’t see.  

“May you see, may you know, that this is the chance for God to put his arms around you and hold you in his love in ways you had never even imagined.”

That is a great description of how I felt when I dipped into the devotional – it felt like God was coming close and a dear friend was sharing what she had learned about grief.

A PRECIOUS GIFT 

The daily readings and reflections are short enough not to feel burdensome, but also contain such on-point descriptions of what grief feels like – as well as depth of truth, and life-giving words at a time when all seems lost.

Throughout the book Penelope leaves blank spaces in order for us to personalise thoughts and prayers. She also includes reflections on special days that are often difficult, such as birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas.

This is a thoughtful, precious gift of a book – and so timely as so many have been touched by grief this year.

Penelope Swithinbank is a chaplain at Bath Abbey and a spiritual therapist and counsellor for clergy (and some normal people too). Since becoming a vicar nearly 20 years ago, she has worked in churches in the UK and the USA, and has led pilgrimages in the UK and in Europe. She and her husband Kim have been married for more than 40 years and have three children and six grandchildren. Penelope rarely sits down, loathes gardening and relaxes by walking, reading, going to the theatre or playing the piano. She is the author of Women by Design, Walking Back to Happiness and Scent of Water. She also contributes to Bible reading notes for Scripture Union. 

Being content

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These reflections on being content are based on Philippians 4:10–13.

‘I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.’ (v12)

I am rounding off our study on ‘Self’ with these verses because I think they are really encouraging – and challenging. Paul is saying that he has learned the art of being content, whatever the situation. I really feel that that is a place that God wants to guide us to as well. Can we truly echo Paul’s heart? And what about how we feel about ourselves?

LEARNING TO ACCEPT OURSELVES

It is so important to remember that we are works in progress. Yes, we are daughters of the most high King, and are redeemed and perfect in His sight. We are also ‘being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory’ (2 Corinthians 3:18). There is a process involved; are we accepting of ourselves through that or are we highly critical and constantly longing to be someone we are not?* God accepts us exactly as we are, while continuing to mould and shape us through the work of His Holy Spirit. If He accepts and loves us at whatever stage of our journey we are in, surely we should too? 

SUSTAINED BY JESUS

Learning to be content with ourselves is a great springboard for us to then reach out to others and to embrace all that God has for us in this life. Sometimes that may include incredible opportunities that blow our mind. At other times it may involve difficulty and suffering. Through it all we can fix ‘our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith’ (Hebrews 12:2), He will sustain us with His strength throughout our lives if only we look to Him. It is through His finished work on the cross that we can cultivate a healthy sense of knowing who we are. In Him we can also learn to be content in our circumstances and love those around us**. 

Prayer: Thank You Lord for the reminder to love myself. I choose to fix my eyes on You today – help me learn to be content where I am currently. Amen.

* If you know self-acceptance is a something you struggle with, you might want to take a look at Insight into Self-acceptance.

** If you would like to explore the subject of being content further, I highly recommend the following books:
Liz Carter’s Catching Contentment (IVP) – Liz has also written a six-week Bible study course to accompany the book
Jennie Pollock’s If Only (The Good Book Company)

NB I have included links to the publishers of each book, but please do buy from your local Christian bookshop if you can.