Easter 2024 Devotion

“When Fear, Faith and Grace Meet! “

This was the title for our CWCI Summer Retreats this year. Beth our speaker shared the story of Gideon to help us to understand that struggling with insecurity, fear and not feeling good enough does not mean there is something wrong with our faith. Through this real live story of Gideon we learned that God has chosen to reveal to us what we are like and what He is like when it comes to our fears and faith.

When reading the story of Easter, it is these truths that again are revealed as two men experience fear and faith in their encounters with the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were ‘secret’ disciples of Jesus and there was much to lose in their publicly acknowledging their belief in Jesus, as the Messiah, the Son of God. But God’s perfect timing had them strategically placed in the right positions, to act at just the right time.

It was in the darkest moment of Jesus’ death on the cross, when all hope seemed to be lost, that God prompted Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, to respond together to honour Jesus. Joseph could gain an audience and speak boldly to Pilate because of his position as a member of the Sanhedrin. He could do what the other disciples could not. And Nicodemus was well regarded by the people and could influence the crowds, Joseph was no longer concerned about concealment, the injustice that he saw caused him to act, and step out of the shadows.

Previously, Nicodemus had gone to meet Jesus at night, and he had spoken out and challenged his fellow Pharisees on a point of law when they sent the Temple guards to arrest Jesus. He could now see their hypocrisy, how their insistence in observing the law did not prevent them from breaking it, in their desire to see Jesus arrested.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus together moved out of the shadows and into the light. It was a defining moment to choose – they considered the cost and realised the worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord surpasses all else.

What did it cost them? It cost them in that preparing the body of Jesus they would not be ‘clean’ to celebrate the Sabbath, it cost them a new family tomb and about 30kilos of spices and aloes. But they willingly gave up what was familiar to honour the one who had given His life for them.

They put their fears aside and in faith while the women watched from a distance, no doubt in amazement, these two respected members of the Sanhedrin gently lowered the body from the cross, wound it in linen clothes, applied the spices and aloes, laid the body in the tomb and departed. This act of faith no doubt cost them their positions, their possessions and possibly their lives.

This Easter time we ask the question what will it cost us to publicly show that we celebrate Jesus, His life, death, resurrection and His unfailing grace? Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:16

“For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die 

but have eternal life”

A Christmas Devotion

All of us count – this Christmas!

Earlier this year we were counted! We were informed that by participating in the nationwide census it helps
to create a clearer idea of our personal needs, the family and community needs. This data then helps the
government agencies to plan how they can respond to these needs. They affirm that the more data they
have the more positive changes they can make.
However what would your reaction have been if they had added the following? You must return to your birth
town to be counted? Can you imagine trying to get flights, travelling on the busy roads, booking
accommodation, finding special meals, let alone dealing with all the stresses that go with travel? BUT, what if
you were pregnant and due to give birth in just a few weeks?
The first census of the Roman world, included Israel and everyone had to go to their hometown to be
counted. In Luke 2:1-7, we read the story of how this affected Joseph and Mary.
“About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record
books. [  These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.   Everyone had to go to their
own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long
ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’;s
family. Mary was engaged to Joseph and travelled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a
baby,    and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and
laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Joseph was a descendant of David, so by law he and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem for the census. It would
take a good week to walk the hundred kilometres from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
How would you react in Mary’s case, what questions would you be asking not only of Joseph but God as
well? Do you think she experienced doubts and fears? Would her faith in God sustain her through this
challenging time ahead?
A few months before this journey, Mary sang a beautiful song that revealed her firm faith in a faithful God,
Mary’s Song of Praise:

“With all my heart, I praise the Lord, and I am glad because of God my Saviour.  God cares for me, His humble servant.
From now on, all people will say God has blessed me.
God All-Powerful has done great things for me, and His name is holy.
He always shows mercy to everyone who worships him.
The Lord has used his powerful arm to scatter those who are proud.
God drags strong rulers from their thrones and puts humble people in places of power.
God gives the hungry good things to eat and sends the rich away with nothing.
God helps His servant Israel and is always merciful to His people.
The Lord made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his family forever!”
Luke 1:46-55.
Mary rejoiced, and she chose to worship and rejoice in God despite not knowing what the future held for her
and the Son who would be born to her.
This Christmas let us stand firmly in the Lord and be counted! Celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ,
sing songs of praise to our wonderful God and thank Him.

Let us respond to our “Christmas” situations with joy, praise and worship?
“The Lord has blessed you because you believed that He will keep his promise.” Luke 1:45 

Easter 2023 Devotion

A Gift So Great –
freely there for all who accept it

Over the past few months many in our wonderful country have suffered from the effects of natural disasters, the effects of crimes committed without thought for others, health needs, the rising cost of living, and so much more. 

The response in acts of generosity and self-sacrifice to assist the suffering through these difficult times has been so heart-warming. People have looked and seen, listened and heard and responded in love. One friend told of how they sent their mini-digger to the East Coast to help with the recovery. A small but loving sacrifice. Many others have responded with gifts and their presence. 

However even though there are many heart-warming acts of generosity and self- sacrifices in this world, none can compare with the one we celebrate at Easter. We marvel that God the creator of the universe, loves us so much that He sent His Only Son to die a cruel death of a condemned man on the cross. Not only condemned to die, but deserted by His friends and mourned only by His nearest and dearest. Yet painful as that lonely death and rejection was, it was almost an unimaginable act of reconciliation between God and His created people. 

Human nature has changed little since the time of Christ. The suffering, the cruelty, the rejection and the indifference of that original Good Friday is with us still and the need for forgiveness is as great as ever. 

The sense of new life, the knowledge of redemption, the chance of a fresh start, all of which are implicit in the resurrection, are as real and necessary for faltering mankind today as in the past. 

Christ’s life and death opens the door to a new dimension to our lives as revealed in His sacrifice and triumphant resurrection at Easter: 

Christ was truly God. But He did not try to remain equal with God. Instead He gave up everything and became a slave, when He became like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored His name above all others. So, at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree,

“Jesus Christ is Lord!” Philippians 2:6-11

Lorraine Harvey