Monday, May 27, 2013

"My Parting Gift"

If we look at John's Gospel, Chapter 14, we read that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit, the comforter and the advocate.   In the light of this he goes on to say that his parting gift is peace.   I have read this passage countless times over the years, but only recently given more thought to that parting gift.

After a long career in Local Government, I retired and eventually found myself in a position I never thought I would face, redundancy.   I had bought a small business and found it was not viable.   There was nothing for it but to make myself redundant and start to look for a job.   Even though I trained myself to a point where I was computer literate, it still was many months before I found employment.   Even then, my services were no longer required after three years, and I had to look around again.

Having signed on with an employment agency, I was sent to work with a large health products company where I took telephone orders for a new product.   I remained there for five months, and, when I left, the staff presented me with half a case of wine as a leaving present.   I was astounded!   I had worked for 21 years in my last post with the local council and my retirement gift was £30!   The case of wine was valued at slightly over that after only five months.   Soon afterwards I was working as a temp again for a well known information technology supplier and once more received a valuable leaving gift.   I was so pleased!   In 2004, my wife and I left Lancashire to live in Anglesey in North Wales.   At my final Church meeting in my United Reformed Church, where I had been Church Secretary, I was presented with a gift of cut glass wine glasses.   I had been a member of that church for 30 years, so it meant a great deal to me.   As I accepted the gift I also received the Aaronic blessing: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace."

Such a special gift will never be forgotten.   For almost 9 years we have drunk wine from those glasses and remembered our old church friends.   Yesterday, Trinity Sunday, I was back preaching there and told them how highly valued their gift remained.   I told them how I was certain that the peace of God remained at the heart of their fellowship.   You can find it everywhere.   Never judge a church by its numbers worshipping.   The level of faith is a far higher percentage these days.   In the supposed "good old days" there were many people at church each Sunday who would never become believers.  

When you consider that we have been presented with the two greatest gifts - Jesus' and God's peace - we are extremely fortunate.   It equips us so well to face the future and move into it with confidence and faith.   In Hebrews 11 we hear "faith makes us certain of realities we do not see."   How true this is.   We need to encourage each other by talking about faith and what it can achieve in the name of Jesus.
 
There is no need for us to be following Jesus blindly.   We should have our eyes upon him the whole time, confident that he is leading us forward to continue the work he started 2,000 years ago.   Don't forget the old hymn: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full on his wonderful face."   We are the recipients of that holistic peace that is unique to Jesus.   It is not just the absence of war or other troubles.   It is the provision of all that is good for us.   What a gift!  

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