Happy (Heavenly) Father’s Day

Andy Jarvis
 musings  No Responses »
Sep 042011
 

Well, happy Fathers’ Day to all you dads out there!  By the time you read this I shall (hopefully) have been fed breakfast in bed and discovered what delights Sarah and Matthew have been manufacturing at school over the last couple of weeks. They’ve been very excited about the surprise they’ve prepared for me!

This morning we come together to celebrate our heavenly Father and I wonder if this engenders the same excitement within us? We are coming to worship the living God, and as we do so it should take our focus off ourselves – all our busyness, worries and concerns – and place it firmly on Him. This is a good thing. As we spend time celebrating who God is and what He has done we are re-oriented. Our priorities are shaken up, our worries are put in perspective.

Just as my kids will derive a great deal of excitement (and benefit) from Fathers’ Day, so worshipping God should be an exciting prospect, after all it is a foretaste of heaven!

I am often overwhelmed with love for my kids, and it fills me with joy when I see the effort they put in to make a day like today special. It’s not about the product, it’s about the heart behind it. In the same way God is overjoyed when we come to Him in worship, turning our hearts towards our Father and celebrating Him. It’s the best thing we can do.

Enjoy the Father’s love today,

Andy

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God uses humility! Doesn’t He?

Andy Jarvis
 musings  No Responses »
Mar 202011
 

It can be quite a daunting prospect writing a musing, trying to sound wise and insightful when feeling completely uninspired! But that got me thinking, who am I trying to impress? Do I want people to be dazzled by my brilliance or God? I’ve been reflecting a lot recently on Paul’s words to the Corinthians: “I came to you in weakness, with great fear and trembling.” What a strange statement from someone who was used so powerfully by God. What does that really mean? It can’t mean I can sit in a corner and hide, overcome by my sense of uselessness.  Paul may have been trembling but he still went! I think it’s more about attitude. It means an end to arrogance and pride. When I go into a situation, I don’t go with all the answers or with a sense of superiority or, even less, still thinking I’m going to change the world! Paul relates later in Corinthians, what God told him when confronted with his weakness: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”.  It’s not about me, it’s about Him. Whatever he has given me is to be used for his [continue reading...]

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Andy’s Musing on Easter Bunny

Andy Jarvis
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Apr 112010
 

I had my first encounter with the Easter Bunny last week. It started when Sarah came back from school convinced said Bunny had provided the chocolate eggs she was enjoying. To be clear, I have nothing against bunnies, eggs and particularly not chocolate, but something bothered me. This feeling of befuddlement was further compounded by various enquiries as to what EB would be bringing on Easter day. “What are you talking about?” I felt like screaming. Maybe I’m getting cranky. Bunnies and eggs came into Easter celebrations due to their symbolisation of new life, but somewhere along the line they seem to have overtaken popular thinking to the point where this is all Easter is about. Easter has been trivialised, stripped of all its significance and turned into a nice non-threatening, non-confronting fairytale for kids. Thankfully Easter is so much more. It is a time of remembrance, a time when we commemorate God’s sacrifice for us. It is the single most significant event in human history, the culmination of God’s plan of redemption for humankind, Hope unleashed. If we are to put the bunny back in his box we need to embrace Easter in all its glorious significance. We need [continue reading...]

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