Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord
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Lay preacher Gordon Hay shares the message with us on the first Sunday of nation-wide lockdown.
Read MoreThe Lord looks at the heart
/Preacher: Lincon Hardouin
Verses: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
I was reading a fascinating article some time ago about ‘first impressions’ – a part of the human life that every single person to ever exist has some level of experience in. Whether it is us who are making the assumptions or others making assumptions about us, the first impression is something that we can never escape. According to the study I read found in this article, the first impression is made within seconds. Some suggest that is as quick as a few milliseconds, others say that it takes about thirty seconds to form a first impression although, the most accepted and widely acknowledge estimate is that it takes only seven seconds – for most of us, that is not even enough time to introduce ourselves. It is seven seconds from the first time you see someone to forming your first impression on them.
We testify to what we know
/Preacher: Lincon Hardouin
Verses: John 3:1-17
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus. Undoubtedly, this was no ordinary man, he was not a common member of society, he was not what we would call ‘an average Joe’. I am sure that Nicodemus enjoyed many of the privileges that came with being a high flyer, an influential member within his community, a leader of the Israelite people and not just any leader, but as John tells us, a member of the Jewish ruling council – that is a member of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was of course an assembly of seventy-one ‘elders’, also known as rabbis or as judges, appointed to sit as a tribunal with the role of acting as a political and judicial council headed by the high priest – in essence, they had the role of a Supreme Court. I would imagine that any single person found to be a member of the Sanhedrin would be well known, powerful, and influential and would be considered to be an all-round ‘good leader’.
In the chapter before this one, Jesus makes a very clear statement, not only to the leaders of His time but also to all the people who had witnessed this statement when He walks into the temple, is disgusted and heartbroken by what He sees, clears it out and then, as John records in 2:16, says, “How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” I am certain that Nicodemus had witnessed this, or at the very least, had heard about the actions of Jesus. We also know that Nicodemus was well aware of the miraculous signs and wonders Jesus had performed while in Jerusalem, and so he seeks out Jesus under the cover of darkness, and it is in this moment that Nicodemus’ understanding of faith is challenged far beyond what I think even he, a well-educated, influential and well-respected man, expected.
Lent: A Downward Descent to Humility; Christ’s Temptation a Call to Humility!!!
/Preacher: Wayne van Heerden
Verses: Matthew 4:1-11
Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen, the famous German First World War fighter pilot was better known as the Red Baron -because he flew a distinctive a red Fokker aircraft.
He shot down more enemy combat planes than anyone else on either side and his known kill tally was 80.
On 21st April 1918, he began chasing a Canadian plane that was trying to escape the battle over the Mor-lan-court Ridge, near the river Somme.
As the Red Baron pursued his prey behind Allied lines, he didn’t watch out.
He dived too low into the enemy lines and he also missed a Canadian pilot (Arthur) “Roy” Brown coming up on his tail to help his comrade.
Whether it was a shot from the ground - or a shot from Brown that killed Richthofen, we will never know.
But what we do know is that the end of the “Red Baron” came because he made the mistake of pursuing that Allied ‘plane “too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory” (as one report so succinctly put it)
And chasing temptation for too long, too far, and too low into enemy territory has caused the downfall of many good people.
And as with Richthofen – they are then caught unawares with the consequences.
