Wednesday 1 June

2 Samuel 1:1-2:7

Flaming balls of fire, what are you doing man!  Do you not understand that the one who was trying to kill you is dead?  The oppression you were suffering is over!  It’s your time now; your long awaited and well-deserved time.  Finally you get to boss this joint.  So why are you lamenting, why are you striking down the Amalekite?  Have you really gone insane like you pretended to the king of Gath?  If his priority was himself then David’s actions would be quite, quite mad.  But his priority is the Lord; he seeks his kingdom first.  Then he is warm-hearted towards others - he is gregariously generous in his verdicts on Saul and Jonathan and full of grace and kindness towards the men of Jabesh Gilead.  In fact, in this passage it is hard to see David caring about himself at all.    He does nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  In humility he considers others as better than himself.  In this he shows us the way.  We would do well to see David and emulate him.  I want to become like David.  But for us to just try to copy David is the way of condemnation.  We cannot possibly succeed in our own strength.  Indeed, David did not succeed in his own strength.  But he found strength in his God.  In the course of time he enquired of the Lord.

John 20:10-31

Mary... peace... peace... peace.  He comes to comfort.  He comes to reassure.  He comes with unspeakable peace.  With one word he can turn a life.  With one word he eclipses dread with joy.  He is our Lord and our God and he does indeed give us life in every possible meaning of the word.  I’ve never come close to plumbing the depth of this peace, to experiencing even a fragment of this life.  I want to though; I really want to.  But he also says “do not hold on to me... go... I am sending you”.  He does not want us to stop at beholding him.  He wants us to take this vision of him, this life in him and to spread it to the ends of the earth.  He wants us to forgive sins and help others find life in his name.  He breathes on us to do that.  He gives us the Spirit to empower us to do that.  We simultaneously go to God, go from God and go in God.  It is a joy and a mystery.  It is a very rare privilege. Truly we are blessed by God.

Proverbs 13:20-14:4

Walking with the wise - that is what housegroup is meant to be about, sharing with and learning from others.