[Wednesday's Devotional] - Between Breaths

Between Breaths God, who created the world, rested. We need that rest and renewal too, this means spending time in God's presence so that we are ready to join in with his mission in our world. And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning - the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.  By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 1:30b-2:3 [NIV] Try to take some time today to rest in God's presence and pray that you feel renewed to join in with his work and mission. Pray for your third friend today, for an opportunity to share your faith with them. If you have time, watch the video by Justin Welby: How to talk about your faith: part 3 https://vimeo.com/208692201 [4min: 23 sec]   Emma Higgins   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Between Us Two

Between Us Two As we continue on the journey to Pentecost we're back with one of our typical Advent readings - Mary and Elizabeth. 'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.'  Then the angel left her.  At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfil his promises to her!' Luke 1:39-45 [NIV] Our reading today reminds us that God is with us from the very beginning of our life, he is with us when we feel alone and he knows our thoughts before we speak them (see Psalm 139 for more of this!) Mary's 'yes' to God shows her to be a woman of great faith, her obedience to God takes her to places way beyond her comfort zone. Pray for the second of your five friends today, ask God to give you courage to go outside your comfort zone in sharing your faith with them. If you have time, watch the video by Justin Welby: How to talk about your faith: part 2 https://vimeo.com/208690530 [10  min: 29 sec]   Emma Higgins   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Monday's Devotional] - Between Chaos and Courage

Between Chaos and Courage This week is Thy Kingdom Come : https://www.thykingdomcome.global , a global wave of prayer initiated by Archbishops Justin and John, which focuses on praying between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to know Jesus.  During these next five days we will take readings from the Nine Days of Prayer booklet and our focus for prayer each day will be praying for five people we know who we want to come to know Jesus. I have also included a video link for each day, How to talk about your faith, a conversation between Archbishop Justin and friends. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.  They said to Moses, ' Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?  Didn't we say to you in Egypt, "Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians"? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!' Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.' Exodus 14:10-14 [NIV] The Israelites were between chaos and courage - they looked back in fear at their time in Egypt, but were looking forward with trembling. Moses reminds them that when we are in that place between chaos and courage we need to stop, be still and wait. Think of the first of your five friends and pray for them today.  If you're not sure what to pray, try this: Lord, I pray that you will lead .... to you. Thank you that you love them. I pray that you would break into their life and show them your love, grace and peace, for Your glory. Amen. If you have time, watch the video by Justin Welby: How to talk about your faith: part 1 https://vimeo.com/208690039 [14  min: 15 sec] Emma Higgins   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Friday's Devotional] - Small Army, Big Faith

Small Army, Big Faith Finally the day of battle arrives, God is with Gideon and so is his army of 30,000 men.  Were God to allow Gideon to go up against the armies of the enemy with this number, then they might think it was all human endeavour and overlook the miracle of God's actions. 20,000 of the men are "trembling with fear" so are allowed to leave the battle-ground.  Another 9,700 fail the "drinking test" and are dismissed from the army leaving a small force of 300 (1 out of every 100 of the original army).  With 300 against the huge enemy army the odds are surely now against any "strength of numbers" argument.   Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.  "Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do.  When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the Lord and for Gideon.'" Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.  The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!"  While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. Judges 7: 16-21 [NIV] This is a perfect illustration of our equation from Tuesday: Weakness + God = Victory Do you trust God enough to work miracles with a very small army? Is the fear and trembling of the army diminishing your faith? Are you confident that God is faithful and unchanging, to claim new victories today? Pray for the faith and the army to achieve all that God wants you to do this week, this month and this year. Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!

[Thursday's Devotional] - Are You Really Sure?

Are You Really Sure? Gideon has already obeyed God and been covered by his protection as we saw yesterday.  Now the Midianites, Amalekites and others are no longer content to make raids on the Promised Land, they are set for a battle and gather their forces beside the Jordan. Gideon wants to check that God is really all-powerful and on his side: Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised - look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said."  And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew."  That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. Judges 6: 36-40 [NIV] It is natural for people to look for a sign that it is really God speaking, and Gideon famously wants to perform a double check on the miracle asking for first one miracle then the opposite.  Perhaps he felt doubt that the first miracle was just some natural phenomenon that he hadn't experienced before? Do you hear God speaking to you?  How do you test and discern that the voice is from God? Can you turn your doubts into faith like Gideon, and later Thomas the disciple? Pray for faith the size of a mustard seed that is capable of moving mountains and defeating armies. Dave MacLellan   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!