Psalm of Praise: Psalms 84:1-2
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young,
a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Bible Reading: John 21:25
Jesus did many other things as well.
If every one of them were written down,
I suppose that even the whole world would not have room
for the books that would be written.
A Reflection:
Helen and I recently stayed on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland. There I bought a lovely picture from the Lindisfarne Scriptorium by the local Christian artist Mary Fleeson. The words on it are ‘And there are also many other things that Jesus did.’
These words are a paraphrase of John 21:25 (above). They made me wonder ‘What is Jesus doing today?’ and, perhaps more specifically, ‘What is Jesus doing in my life today?’
The events recorded in the four gospels, the miracles, the teachings, the death and resurrection of Jesus, are written, according to John 20:31, ‘That you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.’ They contain just a snapshot of his three years of ministry. Everything else was not essential for our salvation, but I wonder what else Jesus said and did.
Like many films today, the gospels have a sequel, the Acts of the Apostles. Here the Holy Spirit, working through the first Christians, continues the work and ministry of Jesus, taking the Good News to all the then-known world.
And the Acts of the Apostles also has a sequel and that is written throughout history and continued in the lives of the billions of Christians living today.
Jesus is still at work today when Christians tell others about the love of God, when Christians pray for others, when they forgive those who hurt them and when they give to those in need. Indeed Jesus tells us that he is present even when a cup of water is given in his name (Mark 9:41).
As John says, if everything was written down, ‘I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.’
‘Jesus did many other things as well.’ Let us then be part of what Jesus is doing today.
Pray:
Thank you Jesus for all that you have done for me in my life.
Keep me open to all that you want to do in my life today and in the years to come. Amen
It is the cry of my heart to follow you