Yesterday I read of Carrie-Jade Williams: The rest of the world was coming to terms with Covid-19; Carrie-Jade, a woman in her late 20s, was told she had ‘Huntington’s disease’; she may have five years left to live.
She expressed positivity and her strong faith in God:‘It was through some quiet prayers… that changed how I saw my diagnosis and made me more determined to use my time well. I determined to build a lasting legacy and create an impact, even if only a small one.
Somehow everything became more urgent. I no longer put things off because the option of tomorrow was no longer a guarantee… my diagnosis cemented my faith as I drew closer into a relationship with God.’
I read more of Pete Greig coming to terms with his wife’s illness: ‘Living with unanswered prayer, I need a big God, and awesome, unspeakably amazing God; a death-defying, eternal God; a God who dies in Siberian concentration camps and senseless car crashes in order to destroy death and release indestructible life…
This then is the confession we cannot afford to compromise, even when it propels us into the realms of mystery and confusion: our God is our Father, loves us completely, is all powerful and will ultimately make all things new.’
This morning I read Paul and Barnabas – preaching in Pisidean Antioch (Acts13).
- Radical: It was a new message; through Jesus the Jewish God was now for everybody.
- Receptive & rejoicing: Many, especially Gentiles, believed Paul’s message.
- Resistant & rejecting: Some of the Jews were resistant and abusive, stirring up trouble.
Musing…. The inclusive nature of Christian faith makes it available to all. Those who opt into belief do so not always because it is the easy option, rather that in the ‘mystery and confusion’ it bring strength and makes more sense than opting out.
malcolmsmusings.org 