Archive for the ‘Easter’ Category

Thank you for joining us this Easter

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Thank you for journeying with us throughout the Holy Week. We hope it has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to you.

If you have benefited from these reflections and if you would like us to continue connecting you with the Bible’s life words, please donate to support our work. Thank you in advance!

The SGM Lifewords team

Dead Man Walking

Saturday, April 11th, 2009

There is a time for words, and a time for silence.

A time to reflect, to dissect and understand, and there is a time to just stand and look. To behold.

Later comes the thankfulness, the future and the promise. Thankfulness for this bruised reed not broken, this smouldering wick not snuffed out; that our fragile hopes have not been crushed, and we are still standing when the lights come back on.

But first, there is a time to just stand and look.

What does new life mean to you?

Watch This Space

Friday, April 10th, 2009

Now the freefall and the whirling darkness.

There can be no talk of the future here. Nor talk of the past. No talk at all. There is only falling.

You can’t pick yourself up if you haven’t hit the ground.

What do you feel, when you think about death?

Finished

Thursday, April 9th, 2009

What’s the trick? What’s the secret? Who’s ready with the twist, the final reveal?

But there is no trick, no secret. This is it.

Where then are the optimists among us? Who’s going to tell me it’s going to be okay? Where are the prophets, the wise men, the ones who can explain? Has anyone worked out what happens next?

Where is everyone?

What does Jesus’ death mean to you?

Remember Me

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

It feels like the end, as though the hands have gripped, the muscles have tensed, and any second now the rug will be whipped out from under us all. I feel overshadowed, undermined. I am afraid. I am afraid that my hopes were in vain, that everything will fall away and I will be left here with nothing, alone.

Nobody told me I might have to go alone.

If you knew you were eating your last meal with your Master, what would you like to talk to Him about?

Uncharted Territory

Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

It shouldn’t be this confusing.

Everything is couched in vagueness, all the instructions are cryptic. I start out one way with confidence and a clear direction in mind, and always end up lost. Or not so much lost, just always travelling and never getting any closer. Always journeying and never arriving. Wouldn’t it have been so much easier if you’d given us a destination?

What challanges do you face following Jesus every day?

Beautiful Things

Monday, April 6th, 2009

A gesture of love so extravagant, so over the top, so extraordinary. The audacity of it, something so valuable, so irreplaceable, dashed at Jesus feet – it’s just the sheer ‘all or nothing’ attitude of it all. There’s no going back; once it’s done it’s done.
So why do I feel uncomfortable? Is it that I just wouldn’t dare? I don’t dare. I just don’t know if I’m prepared to take what is precious to me, and dash it at Jesus’ feet.

I’m just not prepared.

What are you going to dash at Jesus’ feet?

Praying through holy week

Monday, April 6th, 2009

This week, we remember together Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Join us in praying that this Easter story will impact the lives of individuals, churches and communities.

  • Give thanks to God for Jesus. Praise God that in the life of his Son, we see life as it is meant to be lived and that through his death and resurrection, God worked out his plan and purpose; restoring us to relationship with him and providing hope for a renewed creation. Pray that as we celebrate Easter together this week, we will encounter this ancient story in fresh ways, and be equipped to play our part in the coming of God’s Kingdom.
  • Pray for your community this Easter. Pray for those who haven’t encountered the story of Easter before, or who have failed to understand its significance. Pray for opportunities to retell the story with family and friends.
  • Join with us in praying for churches up and down the country, that as we celebrate this story together, regardless of denomination, we will be united in our desire to live out the Bible’s life words in our communities, being the bearers of love, hope and compassion to those around us.

Don’t forget, you can take part in our Easter Journey online throughout the week, either here on the blog or on our Easter website, where you can also download the films to show at your Easter events.

Destroy This Temple

Sunday, April 5th, 2009

This isn’t what I expected.

Give me the conquering hero, someone I can fight for, a man I can be proud to serve. Give me a movement to be part of, a rule to live by, a cause. Give me a mission, a challenge.

But you ask me to die.

This is not what I expected.

Lay Down Your Cloak

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

Bring on the revolution!

We’ve seen too many years of stagnation, resignation – a country occupied, a people oppressed, a faltering and compromised leadership locked in endless cycles of pointless debate. It’s time for action. Let’s turn some tables. We’ve got a radical new hope, we’re coming through your gates, and there’s nothing you can do about it. We’ve got a man worth following, we’ve got the hearts and minds, the public vote, and they’re throwing down their cloaks in the street. Here comes Jesus and we’re right behind him.