One Church One Day Reflections – August 2024
‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’
How wonderful that at least 40 of us, children, young people and adults, several of whom are no longer able to attend CCD or have moved on from CCD, united in 24 hours of prayer at the weekend.
So good that whilst a dozen of us gathered for Prayer & Praise Together at the start
of OCOD, with the Mission Focus of Haven Home India, Luke, the new Mission
Champion for Haven Home, was flying to Delhi, enroute to Haven Home. Great to
pray for Luke and Eloise and for the ministries of Haven Home. If you would like to
keep updated on Luke’s and Eloise’s mission trip, but the blog is not working for you,
please let me know. Luke was very grateful for answered prayers in his travel.
So wonderful to hear stories from the mission field from Jamie, Richard and Jan,
Alex and Anne-Louise and be able to pray into them. A privilege and very moving to
pray God’s power into situations all over the world. Before closing, by leading us in
the blessing, Ruth described our times of Prayer & Praise as a ‘precious oasis’.
Graham kindly shared his OCOD reflections:
‘My response is that the prayer time together was helpful in particular as
Friday was a testing time for me. Then the verse for me was Jer 29 v 13
Jer 29 v10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for
Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to
this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then
you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will
seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jer 29 v 13
Then I focussed on local individuals to pray for.’
Mavis kindly shared her OCOD reflections:
‘John 1 v5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it.
Living in the city, we do not experience total darkness, because of artificial
light. I experienced complete darkness when we had a holiday in the heart of
mid Wales. No streetlights, no moon, cloudy, no stars. In Christ Jesus, we have
light within us, a shining light stretching out into the world. Psalm 119.v105.
Your word is like a lamp for the feet and light for my path.’
How awesome to see the power of prayer at work through Graham’s and Mavis’
reflections. To hear that promise that the Lord listens as we pray. To hear that much needed message of hope from Jeremiah. And then to be transported to Wales by Mavis with a wonderful message of encouragement.
My hour of prayer with the Lord flew by as usual. My reflections on John 5:1 are as
follows:
I think of Jesus, the light shining in the darkness, baptised, aged about 30, at the
beginning of his three-year ministry, then sent into the wilderness where he shone,
then into his hometown synagogue where he shone in sharing his message of love
and liberation, before being chased out by all the angry threatening people. But
Jesus escaped, he walked away and continued to shine.
I think of Jesus sending his disciples out to be lights shining in the darkness, like
sheep among wolves, he warns of wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. Jesus tells his
disciples to shake the dust off their feet, that they should simply leave those places
where they are not welcomed or listened to and move on to shine elsewhere.
I think of the apostles, lights shining in the darkness, and of the many occasions the
people, often the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, planned and plotted to
mistreat them, stone them, kill them, but the apostles escaped and fled to continue to
shine in demonstrating and teaching the love of Jesus.
Our OCOD verse says, ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not
overcome it.’ Although it doesn’t always look this way, in a world with so much
injustice, where darkness often appears to win; within the perspective of eternity, I
believe this verse to be true, a source of strength and encouragement and a message of hope.
However, some versions of the Bible interpret the verse, ‘The light shines in the
darkness and the darkness has not understood it.’ Throughout the New Testament,
the darkness was often the Pharisees, or ‘brood of vipers’ as Jesus describes them.
Their hearts and minds were full of jealousy, jealousy of Jesus’ and the apostles’
fruitful ministries. This jealousy manifested itself in anger and fear, their anger and
fear of losing power, status and money. If only they understood that the light is the
power of love that comes from the true God, and that love is worth so much more
than their perceived power, status and wealth. If they had understood the light, then
they would not have planned and plotted to put it out. They wouldn’t have been
jealous; they would have been faithful, and servant hearted. They wouldn’t have
been full of anger; they would have been full of the Spirit. They wouldn’t have been
full of fear, they would have been full of love. This deeper insight into this verse
makes me feel sorry for the Pharisees/darkness.
We keep shining wherever the Lord guides us.
I’ll end these reflections with a link to the 2024 Blessing which we closed Prayer &
Praise with. Thousands of people from all over the world united in prayerfully singing,
‘The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be
gracious to you; the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
Love and prayers,
Diane x
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