St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“I will praise Your name increasingly, and gratefully sing its praises. And my plea was heard, for You
saved me from destruction, You delivered me from the time of evil. And therefore I will thank You and
praise You, and bless the name of the Lord.” Ecclesiasticus 51 v 10, 11, 12 TNJB
The most powerful force in the universe
Is God’s Word, be it written in sacred Scripture,
Or lived out in the Person of Christ Jesus,
The abiding Word of universal truth.
Faith is the decision, an emotion of mind and heart
Which takes God at His word,
Even when circumstances seem to deny Him,
Seemingly contradicting the truth of His promises.
What is necessary is our training,
Turning to the Holy Spirit of preparation
Asking for any correction required in our understanding.
Accepting His commanding to trust and believe,
To repent and receive of all the goodness of Jesus.
Our spiritual strength is found in sharing life
In each and every aspect, the good the bad, the ugly.
“And that day you will say, ‘I praise You, LORD, You have been angry with me but Your anger is now
appeased and You have comforted me. Look, He is the God of my salvation; I shall have faith and not
be afraid, for the LORD is my strength and my song, He has been my salvation.” Isaiah 12 v 1, 2 TNJB
We want to share with the Lord Jesus as our Saviour Brother,
Trusting that in Him, through Him,
Our Father is by no means powerless to protect us.
We must not disagree in any shape or form,
With God’s will, His wishes, His way, His agenda.
All resistant, rebellious thoughts and emotions
Are to be stamped upon, done away with by repentance.
We must seek correction, cleansing and obedience.
Continually examining our conscience preferably daily.
The Spirit will enlighten us to unacknowledged sin,
To cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Lent is a prime time for such as this,
Preparing to receive the Lord Jesus as life,
Life placed above the strife of sin as we begin anew
For our Lord God is the Father of every mercy.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the
darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and
His glory will be seen upon you. Come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
Isaiah 60 v 1, 2, 3

“You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land be termed Desolate. But you shall be
called Hephzibah and your land Beulah; for the LORD delights in you.” Isaiah 62 v 4
And the result, thankfully: “Joyfully you will draw water from the springs of salvation and,
that day, you will say, ‘Praise Yaweh, invoke His name. Proclaim His deeds to the people,
Isaiah 12 v 3, 4 declare His name sublime’.”
“Sing of Yaweh, for His works are majestic, make them known throughout the world. Cry
and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in Zion, for
v 5,6 the Holy One of Israel is among you in His greatness.”
We find this greatness in Jesus, the perfect reflection of Your goodness, kindness and all loving
faithfulness towards us, heavenly Father. Jesus is the living Word of Your truth, the universal,
incontrovertible truth.
We offer all praise and thanks for the mercy You show towards us in making Jesus to live and
die on the † of forgiveness for us. We could not ask for more. Amen.

Lent 2018