Daily Devotion 30 December 2020

Create a peaceful space to pause, and allow yourself to feel God’s presence alongside you, as near to you as your own breath. In following the reflection below, as a church we will draw closer to God and to one another as we grow in faith and deepen our sense of belonging to God.
‘How Good is the God We Adore!’
Joseph Hart (1712-1768)
How good is the God we adore!
Our faithful, unchangeable friend:
his love is as great as his power
and knows neither knows measure nor end.
For Christ is the first and the last;
his Spirit will guide us safe home;
we’ll praise him for all that is past
and trust him for all that’s to come.

John 14: 1-4 ‘Jesus the Way to the Father’

Listen!
1 ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Believe in God,
believe also in me.
2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places.
If it were not so,
would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again and will take you to myself,
so that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.

The grave of Baden-Powell
in St. Peter’s Cemetery in the Wajee Nature Park.
Nyeri, Nyeri county, near Mount Kenya

We are at that time of year when we weigh up the activities and memories of past occasions and look forward to events yet to come. During my period of national Service in 1951/52, I was posted to Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising. While out there I was in Nyeri and had the opportunity to visit the grave of Lord Baden-Powell. As you will see on the tombstone (above) there is a circle with a black dot at the centre. This is a symbol of the Scout Movement, the trail sign for ‘going home’, or ‘I have gone home’.

One of the lasting memories of 2020 will for many thousands of people be allied to the grief of the loss of family members and friends. I like to think that expression of ‘going home’ can be applied to all who are trusting him ‘for all that’s to come’ as Joseph Hart wrote in the hymn above. Rev. Paul produced a memorable ‘A-Z’ item in the magazine which also engulphed 2020.

Our devotions today can remind us of the resurrection power that awaits all who believe that ‘going home’ is something to look forward to and not be afraid like the old Biblical Sadducees!

Prayer:

Loving Heavenly Father,
we give thanks for all that ‘Emmanuel’ means for us
as the New Year beckons,
as we continue our journey through this short, uncertain life and earthly pilgrimage.
May we be ready, when the time comes, for ‘going home’. Amen.

Reflection and Prayer © 2020 Derek Scott.
Hymn words no longer in copyright.
Images freely available online.

A printable version of this Daily Devotional can be downloaded from here
All material within this order of worship is reproduced by permission under CCL 1226356