St Peters RC Church Hamilton

The fullest joy and complete contentment which are heavenly are none ending, This life is preparatory, a testing, experiential time.

“ ‘Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven.” (Matthew 6 v 20)

How do we do this? Saint Matthew provides Jesus’ answer,

“ ‘It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher’.” (Matthew 10 v 25)

Or in other words, we have to emulate Jesus’ way of life.

We have to live in, for and through the Lord Jesus,

Even when this includes suffering, this world being imperfect,

Which can be a time of sharing more deeply with Jesus.

We live to be a Christian, which means living Jesus’ way entirely,

For there is no other way to honour our Father.

We live to be another Christ, to carry His image.

That is why faith, hope and charity all count.

Christian love exists to give of the Lord Jesus.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though...I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13 v 1, 2)

“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13 v 12, 13)

O Lord, let all believers pray for the world at large to understand clearly, fully the universal call which You make to us, to become holy.

Thank You that You have provided the means for this as, out of the enormity of Your love for us, You offer us mercy because of the sacrificial death of Your Son, the perfect Man, the fully obedient One.

We live according to the merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ascribed to us by grace, making us righteous in Your eyes, according to Your loving mercy, thank You.

“Mercy and truth belong to those who devise good” (Proverbs 14 v 22) You wisdom tells us “In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence.”(v 26) For this fear, or I prefer to say, reverence, “Is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” (v 27)

We discover such truth when we call on the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the saving grace of Your mercy, dearest Father, allowing Your Son to live and die for us, to become our righteousness. How indebted we are to You as a Trinity.

Thank You that our Saviour Brother is not only the Divine healing that we need, so as not to be contaminated by worldliness, the Lord Jesus is an inspiring, charismatic Teacher, the like of which the world has never seen at any other time.

How richly, how fully we are blessed by the One who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the final and full authority over all that is evil. The Lord Jesus convinces us that “The pure in heart are blessed”, (Matthew 5 v 8 The Truth) because that is our experience.

We pray. We learn from the Spirit. We seek the Lord Jesus as Saviour, Your merciful, kindly offer of saving help, Father God, and we serve You “God, the Holy One” (Cont) as in fact, Three Persons, a Trinity.

We need to establish and maintain our friendship with each one of You separately, and as a community of perfect love, of profound mercy, willing, wanting and able to offer us a new life to be led through loving

Jesus.

Love which is holy, has such far, far, reaching effects. Jesus alive in us result in holiness, all thanks ever be.

“Those who make peace with You, Lord God, and with others are blessed, for they will be known as Your sons (and daughters)” (based on Matthew 5 v 9 The Truth)

Let us pray to “Hold unwaveringly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10 v 23, 24 NIV)

To heed the Spirit is to draw closer to the Lord Jesus, and in doing this we delight and honour You, Father of love and mercy. Thank You for making this possible, through the forgiveness found at the Lord Jesus †.

May we each in true humility, admit to our faults and failings, repent and genuinely seek to right the wrongs, so as to live to glorify You by a life reformed by love. Let love be the very essence of our Christian journey, our feet on earth, but our gaze upon heaven.

“Those with gentle spirits, the meek” the biddable, the teachable, learners, seeking after the holiness the Lord Jesus offers to us once we believe in Him as Saviour. “They also are blessed...” (Matthew 5 v 5 The

Truth)

There is no greater blessing than living to give of the love of the Lord Jesus, that which we are so blessed to experience having “...the earth as our inheritance,” (based on Matthew 5 v 5 The Truth) that kingdom of

love the Lord Jesus established.

We are to maintain this kingdom, so as to follow the Lord Jesus’ instructions. “ ‘I tell you to go and make disciples in every nation. Baptise them in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

(Matthew 28 v 19 The Truth)

“ ‘The truly humble, those who are poor in spirit, are blessed, because the Kingdom of heaven is given to them’.” (Matthew 5 v 3 the Truth) Given because we are taught to obey all the commands the Lord Jesus gave to us.

Thank You that all the commands can be summed up in the request to love one another and to offer this love in service, the Lord Jesus always with us, by means of the Spirit, who purifies and sanctifies us for this vital

work of love.

“Your spiritual light is to be evident to all around you; so that they can see the good things that you do,” (Matthew 5 v 16 The Truth) we do in the name of the Lord Jesus, the name that denotes active, effective love, that the world be enabled to praise You, dearest Father.

Father God, You call us all to be saints, acquiring this standard by our life given over to serving out of love in the name of the Lord Jesus. May the Holy Spirit ever equip and enable our efforts to do good, to be

generously loving, ever self-serving.

You look for devotion to the cause of love, that love freely, generously given, that we being made holy live to give lovingly. “ ‘Be holy, for I, the Lord Your God, am holy’.” (Leviticus 19 v 2)

All holiness emanates from the Trinity working so mercifully with us, thank You dearest Father. The love of Jesus, herein is our holiness, that which comes from Your perfect laws, Your trustworthy rule, Your wise

guidance.

It is in the light of Jesus love for us, reflecting Your love by the ever loving Spirit, we experience love shining across our world. “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever” (Psalm 19 v 9) for Jesus’ love for us

is the same forever.

All Your judgments are true, are good for us for they secure holiness. “Who can understand his (her) errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your Servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” (Psalm 19 v 12, 13)

We are born to be happy and holy, to be with You, forever Lord God. “ ‘The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” (Daniel 7 v 18) Thank You for this blessed fulfilment in true love Lord Jesus, Your love Father, as made known and shown to us by the Holy Spirit of faith.

Father of glory, please continue to impart to us the Spirit of wisdom revealing who You are, who Christ Jesus is and who we are, recipients of such a blessed grace and favour as salvation gifts us.

May the power of holy love let us experience the hope of heaven to which all the saints are called, the holy purpose of Jesus’ life and death fulfilled, that glorious inheritance love accomplishes.

This power at work in us as we focus on Jesus, and daily pray for the Holy Spirit’s involvement in everything, this is the incomparable power, all praise, all thanks ever be. Love which is holy, mercifully saves and sanctifies us “Fear the LORD and serve Him in faith with all your heart, for consider what great things He has done for you’.” (1 Samuel 2 v 24) We are a redeemed, restored family, the Lord Jesus’ good works in progress.

May we all achieve the goal of heaven, that which is at the heart of faith’s journey.

May the life fulfilling Spirit of love ever shine the light of the love You offer us dearest Father, combined together with the willing, reverent, full obedience of the Lord Jesus to accomplish all the blessings of holiness.

We must all learn life’s most valuable lesson, which is to live by that power of holy love which casts out all manner of fear or doubt. “(S)he who ploughs, should plough in hope...” (1 Corinthians 9 v 10) working

always in the closest association with Jesus, Your Word of life and offer of love and mercy, as we venture to live according to the leading of the Holy Spirit empowering the fulfilment of the law of grace and love.

All highest praise in our worship, all warmest thanks in our praying, and worked out by our way of life, and all the brightness of glory be to the Holy Trinity, of our life being so very richly blessed as we share the

love with each other. Amen.