Daniel 11

As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to support and strengthen him.

‘Now I will announce the truth to you. Three more kings shall arise in Persia. The fourth shall be far richer than all of them, and when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a warrior king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and take action as he pleases. And while still rising in power, his kingdom shall be broken and divided towards the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted and go to others besides these.

‘Then the king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his officers shall grow stronger than he and shall rule a realm greater than his own realm. After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to ratify the agreement. But she shall not retain her power, and his offspring shall not endure. She shall be given up, she and her attendants and her child and the one who supported her.

‘In those times a branch from her roots shall rise up in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall take action against them and prevail. Even their gods, with their idols and with their precious vessels of silver and gold, he shall carry off to Egypt as spoils of war. For some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north; then the latter shall invade the realm of the king of the south, but will return to his own land.

‘His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall advance like a flood and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. Moved with rage, the king of the south shall go out and do battle against the king of the north, who shall muster a great multitude, which shall, however, be defeated by his enemy. When the multitude has been carried off, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall overthrow tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, larger than the former, and after some years he shall advance with a great army and abundant supplies.

‘In those times many shall rise against the king of the south. The lawless among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfil the vision, but they shall fail. Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siege-works, and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, not even his picked troops, for there shall be no strength to resist. But he who comes against him shall take the actions he pleases, and no one shall withstand him. He shall take a position in the beautiful land, and all of it shall be in his power. He shall set his mind to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of peace and perform them. In order to destroy the kingdom, he shall give him a woman in marriage; but it shall not succeed or be to his advantage. Afterwards he shall turn to the coastlands, and shall capture many. But a commander shall put an end to his insolence; indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him.  Then he shall turn back towards the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

‘Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an official for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he shall be broken, though not in anger or in battle. In his place shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue. Armies shall be utterly swept away and broken before him, and the prince of the covenant as well. And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully and become strong with a small party. Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province and do what none of his predecessors had ever done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and wealth on them. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. He shall stir up his power and determination against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south shall wage war with a much greater and stronger army. But he shall not succeed, for plots shall be devised against him by those who eat of the royal rations. They shall break him, his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall slain. The two kings, their minds bent on evil, shall sit at one table and exchange lies. But it shall not succeed, for there remains an end at the time appointed. He shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. He shall work his will, and return to his own land.

‘At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but this time it shall not be as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall lose heart and withdraw. He shall be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt-offering and set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with intrigue those who violate the covenant; but the people who are loyal to their God shall stand firm and take action. The wise among the people shall give understanding to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by sword and flame, and suffer captivity and plunder. When they fall victim, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join them insincerely. Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed, until the time of the end, for there is still an interval until the time appointed.

‘The king shall act as he pleases. He shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and shall speak horrendous things against the God of gods. He shall prosper until the period of wrath is completed, for what is determined shall be done. He shall pay no respect to the gods of his ancestors, or to the one beloved by women; he shall pay no respect to any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all. He shall honour the god of fortresses instead of these; a god whom his ancestors did not know he shall honour with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall make more wealthy, and shall appoint them as rulers over many, and shall distribute the land for a price.

‘At the time of the end the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He shall advance against countries and pass through like a flood. He shall come into the beautiful land, and tens of thousands shall fall victim, but Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites shall escape from his power. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the riches of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow in his train. But reports from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. He shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.

Reflection

In recent readings we have worked through some grim material. Today’s chapter is a relentless recital of power politics at work. How many techniques did you spot that were also deployed by medieval kings and used in the plots of Shakespeare plays? Of course our generation is more sophisticated, so today we mark the 23rd anniversary of two passenger jets being used as guided missiles to fly into New York’s Twin Towers, ending 3,000 innocent lives.

It is intriguing to map this chapter onto the Middle Eastern history of the Greek, Persian and Roman Empires between the time of Daniel and Jesus. But perhaps there is another code to crack too.

First, notice how often these kings have to work themselves up into a fury before launching their wars. They know as well as we do that a state of war is not how human relationships are meant to work. It is easy enough to condemn any war as absurdly destructive and futile when you have no emotional investment in it. Those of us who have hosted Ukrainian refugees will have learnt that it is not so simple when your husband, your community and your country are at stake.

Secondly, the chapter is relentless because each war provokes retaliation. Pacifist and Christian soldier can agree that violence begets violence; even when violence is the least evil route, on its own it does not beget peace.

Thirdly, amidst 45 verses soaked in bloodshed just three verses mention the contrasting “wise” people. Enthusiasts for healthy Church Meetings rather than powerful Prince Bishops will spot these are not kings. Wherever the “wise” voice comes from, it can expect two consequences: persecution and that God will ultimately honour it.

So amidst whatever torrents of wrath pollute the news today, do not turn away. Sometimes kings do win battles but ultimately, somehow, God will ensure the wise will win the war.           

Prayer

“The king…shall exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god.”
True God,
we hold before you those who have power over nations.
We confess our small failings, those which when found in them can cause catastrophe.
We thank you for that Christian heritage which has placed accountability structures around those tempted to think they are gods.
We pray for the wise, that their victory is not too long delayed.    
Amen        

Daniel 10

In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The word was true, and it concerned a great conflict. He understood the word, having received understanding in the vision.

At that time I, Daniel, had been mourning for three weeks. I had eaten no rich food, no meat or wine had entered my mouth, and I had not anointed myself at all, for the full three weeks. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris), I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude. I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; the people who were with me did not see the vision, though a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone to see this great vision. My strength left me, and my complexion grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words; and when I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a trance, face to the ground.

But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands and knees. He said to me, ‘Daniel, greatly beloved, pay attention to the words that I am going to speak to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.’ So while he was speaking this word to me, I stood up trembling. He said to me, ‘Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, and have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further vision for those days.’

While he was speaking these words to me, I turned my face towards the ground and was speechless. Then one in human form touched my lips, and I opened my mouth to speak, and said to the one who stood before me, ‘My lord, because of the vision such pains have come upon me that I retain no strength. How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For I am shaking, no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.’

Again one in human form touched me and strengthened me. He said, ‘Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!’ When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.’ Then he said, ‘Do you know why I have come to you? Now I must return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I am through with him, the prince of Greece will come. But I am to tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth. There is no one with me who contends against these princes except Michael, your prince.

Reflection

I wonder how different our society might be if it were less profit-driven and more prophet-driven. In Joel 2, that prophet describes how God will pour out the Holy Spirit on everyone; that the older generation will dream dreams and the young will see visions, just as Daniel does here. We often think of Daniel as the young man in the lion’s den, but this is nearly seventy years later. He’d have been well into his eighties, at least. 

It’s a bit of a weird dream, to be honest, and its effect on Daniel is overpowering. But repeatedly the angel reassures him: Do not be afraid, God loves you very much. The vision, prophesying what is to come, is granted to him because of his prayerful lifestyle, his desire to know and follow God. 

So what about us? Joel states that God’s Spirit is for everyone: young, old and in between. But in our modern day world we’ve become cynical and sceptical. Talk of dreams and visions and people will look at you as though you’re crazy. We’re conditioned to consider these things fantasy, tricks of the imagination, signs of mental illness even. But might we therefore be risking closing our ears to a message from God?  How do we discern when that dream, that vision, really is God-given? 

And who are we prepared to listen to? I would hazard that we hold slightly more regard for the prophecy of the middle-aged than we do for the very young and the more elderly. I recall in my first staff meeting as a new teacher having a good suggestion quashed: “My dear young lady, when you’ve been teaching as long as I have, you’ll realise …. ” Are we open to hearing God speak through our children? Our young people? Our elderly? And how would our priorities change? 

Prayer 

Pour your spirit on me, Lord.  May I discern your will. 
Open my ears to your word: 
Through dreams and visions, through scripture, through experience, 
In the stillness and in the busyness of life. 
May I not be skewed by prejudice or cynicism,
But open to expect your words through whomever you choose, 
considering prayerfully and faithfully 
What you might be saying to the church, to society, to me. 
Amen
 

Daniel 9: 20 – 27

While I was speaking, and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God — while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in a vision, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He came and said to me, ‘Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding.  At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to declare it, for you are greatly beloved. So consider the word and understand the vision:

‘Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.  Know therefore and understand: from the time that the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the time of an anointed prince, there shall be seven weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with streets and moat, but in a troubled time. After the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing, and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.  He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.’

Reflection

We are deep in history and deep in mystery. Those who know far more than I suggest these verses take us to Seluicid (Syrian) kings who overtake Alexander the Great’s empire after his death in 323 BC. One, Antiochus IV, wrought havoc and horror for the Jews. Our text ends with Jerusalem’s devastation; “an abomination that desecrates.” Antiochus, like so many before and since, weaponised religion for empire. He personally walked into the Temple’s Holy of Holies and ordered gold and silver to be stripped. Later, he banned Temple worship, replacing it with an altar to Zeus; a Greek idol worshipped at the heart of the Jewish world’s holiest place. The second commandment obliterated. Jewish rebellion and massacres followed.

History unfolds its horrors as it always does across the Bible’s pages. And into the story, as always, comes the word from God. That word comes in conversation as Daniel prays the evening prayers. There is confession, “my sin and the sin of my people…” There is comfort, “you are greatly loved.” And there is judgement, “to the end there shall be war.” This is strange, alarming faith. Maybe its fury and fear feel impossibly remote. 

But what if this text wants us to learn to discern God at work in the events of history? What if Daniel’s conviction that the world is God’s arena far more than humanity’s stage needs to shape our vision and conduct more and more? What might the messengers say into our prayers as we look to our times? What might we hear from God as climate catastrophe unfolds and habitats collapse? How might our prayers dig ever deeper into wars’ realities and causes? Where might God point us as we debate migration and asylum, empire and racism, injustice and greed, identity and voting?

What might we need to confess? How might we see God judging us? And, crucially alongside both of these, how might we discern that we and all creation are also greatly loved?       

Prayer

Daniel’s world is not the world we know.
But other empires captivate and control us.
We live where money, 
and the power money brings,
works to bless and to blind us.
We live with plenty of violence
and much anguish.
Living God,
in your judgement, 
forgive us.
In your love and mercy,
set us free.
Inspire in us your holy habit
of listening for your voice,
and acting upon it.
In Christ’s name.
Amen
 

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Martin Knight

 
Welcome     

My friends, you are warmly welcome to this service of worship, as we sing and pray and engage with God’s word, and are embraced as bread and wine are shared. My name is Martin Knight and in June, I moved, to serve as Chaplain to the Brighthelm Centre and as a Pioneer Minister with and alongside the LGBTQIA+ community in Brighton and Hove. It’s a new and exciting post rooted in simply showing God’s open and welcoming love, and it is a roll alongside people who have so much to teach the church, should we be open to learn!  Today we will participate in God’s word of bias for the poor and those on the edge, heard so directly in Proverbs and Isaiah, and then in Mark the way Jesus learns through his encounter with the Syrophoenician Woman.

Call to Worship

As we gather to worship the living God: may the name of the Church be “God’s love”. As we live out our faith together and alone: may the name of the Church be “justice and hope”. As we rediscover who to serve may the name of be church “plead for the poor”. We come to worship our living God: active in every generation, inspiring in every tongue,  calling from the edge. Alleluia! Let god’s holy revolution reign!

Hymn     Jesus Calls Us Here to Meet Him  
John Bell © 1989, WGRG c/o Iona Community, GIA Publications performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.  OneLicence # A-734713  

Jesus calls us here to meet him as, through word & song & prayer, 
we affirm God’s promised presence where his people live and care. 
Praise the God who keeps his promise; praise the Son who calls us friends; 
praise the Spirit who, among us, to our hopes and fears attends. 

Jesus calls us to confess him Word of life and Lord of all, 
sharer of our flesh and frailness, saving all who fail or fall. 
Tell his holy human story ; tell his tales that all may hear; 
tell the world that Christ in glory came to earth to meet us here. 

Jesus calls us to each other, vastly different though we are; 
creed and colour, class and gender neither limit nor debar. 
Join the hand of friend & stranger: join the hands of age and youth; 
join the faithful and the doubter in their common search for truth. 

Jesus calls us to his table rooted firm in time and space, 
where the Church in earth & heaven finds a common meeting place. 
Share the bread and wine, his body; share the love of which we sing; 
share the feast of saints and sinners hosted by our Lord and King
 
Prayers of Thanksgiving

Let us pray:
    
for the first peek of the morning light as the outline of the day emerges thanks be to you, O God! For the gorgeous blanked of the dark and the insight of the light, thanks be to you, O God! For earth’s colours flaunting variety. For shimmering waters and swaying trees displaying your presence, thanks be to you, O God! Show to us this day, amidst life’s streaks of wrong and suffering the potential that endures in every person. Renew in us the joy of your upside down, chaotic kin-dom. Dispel the confusions and fears that cling close to our souls. Recreate in us a spirit of justice and mercy, that we may see ourselves and all people with eyes cleansed by the freshness of this new God-given day.

The Lord’s Prayer

And so, we are bold to pray, using the version below by the late Rev’d Jim Cotter:

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain Bearer, Life-Giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be.

Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom 
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, 
now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination

Prepare our hearts, O God, to hear you Word.  Open us to hear your voice and the songs and cries of all people, that we may accept your Word and live it.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading     Proverbs 22: 1-2, 8-9, 22-23

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favour is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Reading     Isaiah 35: 4-7

Say to those who are of a fearful heart ‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,  the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

Hymn     Help Us, O Lord, to Learn 
William Watkins Reid © 1959, Hymn Society in the US & Canada Hope Publishing. Sung by the St Mary Magdalene, Taunton Choir  OneLicence # A-734713  

Help us, O Lord, to learn the truths thy word imparts,
to study that thy laws may be inscribed upon our hearts.
        
Help us, O Lord, to live the faith which we proclaim,
that all our thoughts & words & deeds may glorify your name.
 
Help us, O Lord, to teach the beauty of thy ways,
that yearning souls may find the Christ, and sing aloud his praise.

Reading     St Mark 7: 24-37

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet.  Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’  But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’  Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Sermon    

I am reliably informed by the website ‘bump’: a site for all things babies, that my name is of Latin origin and means ‘God of War’ or ‘dedicated to Mars’. I’ve never really wanted to be considered as war-like, but then I’ve considered some of my namesakes such as Martin Luther King and Martin Luther, both of whom fought to stand up for what they believed was right, for social justice, for other people and for God’s love. I would venture to hope to be something like that. Go on – take a look and see what your name means?

The opening of Proverbs describes the purpose of the book as including ‘receiving instruction in prudent behaviour, doing what is right and just and fair’. In today’s complex and untrustworthy world I could so benefit from exactly this kind of guidance – thanks be to God for these proverbs! Chapter 22 begins with the line ‘A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches’ and it has really stuck with me; this idea of a ‘good name’. Not least because the so-called Syrophoenician woman from Mark’s gospel is remembered and is noteworthy because her name and favour are contextually ‘bad’.

I’ve never been a particular fan of my first name. For some reason I’ve always felt closer to my middle name, Edward – but I’d struggle to articulate why. My surname is a status name from the middle English ‘knyghte’ (if I were to use phonetics), denoting someone who was a knight or from their household. Once upon a medieval time, it was a good, solid, honour-worthy name – that is until I was given it! For generations, our family names have said something about how we are recognised and respected (or not) in the community. Thankfully much less so now. I have been left wondering what a ‘good’ name; a good reputation might be. The other lectionary verses from Proverbs 22 and Isaiah 35 are fertile ground for an answer. ‘Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity’ proverbs says in vs.8. Part of being of good reputation is to sow honesty and integrity, not injustice.

‘Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate’ says vs.22. Part of what makes a good name in the eyes of God is to have a preference for the poor. In Isaiah 34, which is part of the second book of Isaiah with its focus on the returning exiled community, we share a good character if we struggle alongside those who seek to escape tyranny and empire. There is firm ground to stand on throughout scripture that justice and hope for those on the edge is part of what we should be known for as God’s people – as Christians – as church. I wonder what those wonderful folk who walk or drive past our church buildings think about us and about the God we worship and proclaim, by what we say and how we act? What is our name and reputation in community, in the UK, globally?
We might even try asking! 

In Mark we encounter a woman not known to us by a name, but by cultural/historical reputation. We know here by her geopolitical title ‘Syrophoenician’. She is from the area of Trye and Sidon in today’s Lebanon. It was a major seaport, technically of the Tribe of Asher, but known as a place of vice and idolatry, placing it outside of the law of Moses and thus ‘gentile’. Jesus is not in the area around Tyre preaching or teaching. He’s desperately trying to find some alone time. But he is too well known, even here. The unnamed woman reaches out to the beleaguered Jesus, begging for healing. There is real humanity here. Desperation from a mother. Tiredness and stress from one who can’t escape and who is focused on his mission. And as they engage, perhaps all this humanity clashes. And we can’t forget that years of history and culture collide as well.

Her despair is met with severity from Jesus.  She’s not having it, even from him, and gives a great answer back. And Jesus is brought up, he learns, he grows, and there is healing and growth. Such a rich and honest human encounter. All kinds of boundaries are crossed: gender, history, cultural, life and death, Jew or gentile. There is discomfort here and I’m not about to soften it – for we all know that crossing boundaries is uncomfortable and that’s ok, for we might learn and grow. Her name. Her reputation was dominated by her background and culture. Jesus’ perception of her was dominated by the same. All of that became less important when two people came together, one of them begging for healing.

The discomfort of this story challenges us to examine how we treat the ‘gentiles’ around us?  In part of my new role as Pioneer Minister with the LGBTQIA+ community in Brighton & Hove, I am blessed to be alongside some whose given name has never spoken of who they really are. Names are mostly gendered. When I hear the name John, what we might call the gender-character of that person feels known and fixed. There is something safe in that knowledge. Assumptions about that person fill our minds. For some God-created humans, these names do not match who they really are. Neither does societies assumptions about two sexes and genders, which are false. The discomfort (or freedom) of this reality can help us to discover who and how we ‘other’ and how we might be open enough to learn a new way and to grow in how we care for and treat one another – just as Jesus did. He was challenged, he learnt,  and a more expansive mission to all that God has made, burst into life! Thanks be to God when our human interactions, even if uncomfortable, cross boundaries, presumptions and names; teach us more about each other, and therefore about God’s love!

If your church likes conversation in worship or bible study, or you’d like something to think about at home or as you go about your week.  Maybe these thoughts will help.   What is the name of the church you are part of?  What makes that a  good name?  How might you love ‘the other’, so loved by God?

Hymn     Have You Heard God’s Voice? 
© Jacqueline G. Jones performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.

Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred?
Are you still prepared to follow?
Have you made a choice to remain and serve,
though the way be rough and narrow?

Will you walk the path that will cost you much
and embrace the pain and sorrow?
Will you trust in One who entrusts to you
the disciples of tomorrow?

Will you use your voice; will you not sit down
when the multitudes are silent?
Will you make a choice to stand your ground
when the crowds are turning violent?

In your city streets will you be God’s heart?
Will you listen to the voiceless?
Will you stop and eat, and when friendships start,
will you share your faith with the faithless?
 
Will you watch the news with the eyes of faith
and believe it could be different?
Will you share your views using words of grace?
Will you leave a thoughtful imprint?

We will walk the path that will cost us much
and embrace the pain and sorrow.
We will trust in One who entrusts to us
the disciples of tomorrow.
 
Affirmation of Faith

As with any affirmation of faith, you are invited to share these words as you feel able.

God is love.  God is the cosmic creativity present everywhere and in everything. God gently urges all toward the good. To transcending love, we raise our awestruck praise! Jesus embodied the love that is God. Jesus loved the poor, the sick, the outcast. He loved the unpopular. He loved even his own enemies. He loved so completely, he loved so dangerously, that it cost him his life. As Christians we aim to serve humbly as Jesus did, resurrecting his life of love through communion with others. The texts and traditions of Christianity give voice to our souls, so that we may support each other in our quests of love. So, we pray for a Holy Spirit of discernment to express our faith afresh in new times and places. These are our truths. This is what we believe.

Prayers for others

Gracious God, as we learn through your Word, and the prompting of your Holy Spirit, may we be open to following your way.

Let us dwell alongside those on the edge of society, in all its grit and intolerance, and learn from them more about you and each other.

Let us sit with those in despair and grief, in all its emotion and confusion and learn from them more about you and each other.

Let us live with the poor, in all its struggle and ridicule and learn from them more about you and each other.

Let us seek to identify with those in war and conflict, in all it’s graphic horror and tragedy, and learn from them more about you and each other.

Let us go to those who are not like us, in all its discomfort and fear and learn from them more about you and each other.

Let us be but one part of creation, in all it’s diversity and natural balance and learn more from all things about you and each other.

Let us look within ourselves, to all the joys and disasters and learn to trust that you are lovingly with us and with all others.

Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness

Great God, in the silence we lament our brokenness,  not to weigh ourselves down with guilt but to acknowledge our limits, to name them with you, and to seek the mercy that leads to new life.

Silence is kept

And so, we use a confession from the Iona Abbey Worship Book,  in which I confess and then you confess:

Before God, with the people of God, I confess to turning away from God in the ways I wound my life, the lives of others and the life of the world.

May God forgive you, Christ renew you,
and the Spirit enable you to grow in love.

Amen

Before God, with the people of God,
I confess to turning away from God in the ways I wound my life,
the lives of others and the life of the world.

May God forgive you, Christ renew you, 
and the Spirit enable you to grow in love.

Amen 

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, may the money we offer
and the gifts you have given us to use for your service,
be a blessing to our community, in your name. Amen

Holy Communion

Introduction 

Everyone who seeks to follow Jesus Christ is welcome at this table. This is a place where we gather  and we model the community God would have us be.
    
The Peace

As we come to this meal, we seek peace for each other and for the world.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.

Hymn     I Come With Joy, a Child of God  
Brian Wren © 1971, rev. 1995 Hope Publishing, unknown choir on YouTube  OneLicence # A-734713  

I come with joy to meet my Lord, forgiven, loved and free,
in awe and wonder to recall his love laid down for me.
        
I come with Christians far and near to find, as all are fed,
the new community of love in Christ’s communion bread.
        
As Christ breaks bread and bids us share each proud division ends.
The love that made us, makes us one, and strangers now are friends.

The Spirit of the risen Christ, unseen, but ever near,
is in such friendship better known, alive among us here.

Together met, together bound, by all that God has done,
we’ll go with love, to give the world the love that makes us one.
 
Invitation 

Jesus was often a guest. He shared many meals with his friends, and they long remembered his words at the table. Though some disapproved of the company he kept, Jesus ate and drank with all kinds of people and showed everyone the love of God. Wherever people met together Jesus was glad to be welcomed and to be fed. Today, we are the guests of Jesus. He welcomes us, whoever we are and whatever we bring, and he will feed us at his table. Old or young, rich or poor, joyful or in sorrow, Jesus invites us to share bread and wine with him, to remember the story of his life and death, and to celebrate his presence with us today. On the night before he died, Jesus shared a meal with his disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem. The Gospel writer tells us what happened that night.

The Story 

While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body’.  Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them,  and all of them drank from it. He said to them,  ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I tell you, I will never again drink the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’ 

We are the friends and disciples of Jesus today. He invites us to break bread together, to remember him and to pray that God’s Kingdom will come – and so we pray as he did:

Great Prayer 

God is with us!  We give thanks and praise to God!

Loving God, the world you made is beautiful and full of wonder. You made us, with all your creatures, and you love all that you have made. You gave us the words of your prophets, the stories of your people through the generations, and the gathered wisdom of many years.

You gave us Jesus, your Son, to be born and to grow up in difficult times when there was little peace. He embraced people with your love and told stories to change us all. He healed those in pain and brought to life those who had lost hope. He made friends with anyone who would listen and loved even his enemies. For these things, he suffered. For these things, he died. And he was raised from death and lives with you forever. You give us your Holy Spirit, to teach and to strengthen us, to remind us of Jesus Christ, and to make us one in him. For all these gifts we thank you, and we join with all your people on earth and in heaven, in joyful praise:

Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

We praise you that we are here today, around the table of Jesus. We have heard the good news of your love; the cross is the sign of your arms stretched out in love for us and the empty tomb declares your love stronger than death.

Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

Send your Holy Spirit upon this bread and wine, and upon your people, that Christ may be with us, and we may be made ready to live for you and to do what you ask of us, today, and every day to come. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, in the love of the Creator, One God, to whom be glory and praise forever, amen!

The Sharing

These are the gifts of God, for the people of God.
‘The body and blood of Christ given for you’

Music for Communion     Sanctus from Missa Luba

Concluding Prayer

In gratitude, in deep gratitude for this moment, this meal, these people, we give ourselves to you. Take us out as changed people because we have shared the living bread and cannot remain the same. As much of us, expect much from us, enable much by us, encourage many through us. So, Lord, may we live to your glory, both as inhabitants of earth and citizens of your growing kingdom. Amen

Hymn     Sent by the Lord Am I 
Words from the Nicaraguan Oral tradition, tune arranged by John Bell,  sung by members of St Michael’s Church, Chiswick OneLicence # A-734713  

Sent by the Lord am I; my hands are ready now 
to make the earth the place in which the kingdom comes.
(repeat)

The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
into a world of love of justice and of peace.
The task is mine to do, to set it really free.
Oh, help me to obey; help me to do your will.

Sending Out & Blessing 

Having gathered for worship
we go, strengthened to live our faith as church in the world
and to dwell with each other in community,
and the blessing of God
Creator, Son and Spirit, goes with us. Amen
 

Daniel 9: 1 – 19

In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for the devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Then I turned to the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying,

‘Ah, Lord, great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love you and keep your commandments, we have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

‘Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this day, falls on us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. Open shame, O Lord, falls on us, our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by following his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

‘All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against you. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a calamity so great that what has been done against Jerusalem has never before been done under the whole heaven. Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favour of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and reflecting on his fidelity. So the Lord kept watch over this calamity until he brought it upon us. Indeed, the Lord our God is right in all that he has done; for we have disobeyed his voice.

‘And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made your name renowned even to this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become a disgrace among all our neighbours. Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord, let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!’

Reflection

Like me, you may have got to the end of this passage and felt thoroughly depressed.  There is a lot going on and not much of it is good.  As prophets often say, despite all that God has done, the people abandon God and in response God brings disaster on the people.   

Yes, there is a lot going on and much of it is familiar.  Just look at our news headlines – things in our world and our times are not good, and certainly not as God intended.  Whether it’s the climate crisis, war, refugees forced from their homes by these events, and countless other crises of which humans tend to be at the root. 

But what is familiar is not only events and how the prophet is feeling but also, and perhaps more importantly, the prayer that is offered in response.

Our prophet speaks from the heart when he looks at all the people have done and says simply, ‘God, we’ve messed up’.

Our prayers are similar, we offer thanks and praise to God and then turn round and say, ‘God, you’ve done so much for us and we’ve thrown it back in your face.  We’re sorry, help us.’

I’m not sure whether to be comforted by knowing that similar prayers have been said for millennia, or to be disheartened that nothing has changed.

But there is something about actions as part of confession.  The prophet speaks of fasting, and sackcloth and ashes to go with his confession.  I wonder if we can be accused of paying lip service to our confession.  We offer words but do little else.  Now I’m not suggesting we go around wearing sackcloth, and for many, fasting would not be healthy, but how can we respond to confession? 

Perhaps we can make Kingdom building part of our prayers of confession – peace-making, social justice, consciousness raising …  

Prayer

Loving Lord, we’ve messed up, forgive us, and spur us to action to make better our world, as we work for your coming Kingdom.  Amen

Daniel 8: 15 – 27

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried to understand it. Then someone appeared standing before me, having the appearance of a man, and I heard a human voice by the Ulai, calling, ‘Gabriel, help this man understand the vision.’ So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I became frightened and fell prostrate. But he said to me, ‘Understand, O mortal, that the vision is for the time of the end.’

As he was speaking to me, I fell into a trance, face to the ground; then he touched me and set me on my feet. He said, ‘Listen, and I will tell you what will take place later in the period of wrath; for it refers to the appointed time of the end. As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.  The male goat is the king of Greece, and the great horn between its eyes is the first king.  As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

At the end of their rule,
    when the transgressions have reached their full measure,
a king of bold countenance shall arise,
    skilled in intrigue.
He shall grow strong in power,
    shall cause fearful destruction,
    and shall succeed in what he does.
He shall destroy the powerful
    and the people of the holy ones.
By his cunning
    he shall make deceit prosper under his hand,
    and in his own mind he shall be great.
Without warning he shall destroy many
    and shall even rise up against the Prince of princes.
But he shall be broken, and not by human hands.

The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. As for you, seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.’

So I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days; then I arose and went about the king’s business. But I was dismayed by the vision and did not understand it.

Reflection

It’s been a long time since the death of Daniel’s ‘king of Greece’, Alexander of Macedon aka Alexander the Great, who, when he died in 323 BCE, left an enormous, powerful, empire and an almighty power struggle.

In the centuries that followed Alexander’s demise the region that included what we now think of as Iraq, Iran, Syrian and Lebanon, eventually came under the control of the Seleucid empire.  Around 200 BCE the Seleucid monarch Antiochus The Great had a son called Mithridates who, by means of plentiful deceit and cunning, ultimately became Antiochus IV. He was indeed a king of bold countenance, and definitely skilled in intrigue.

Antiochus IV was also known as ‘Epihanes’ which means ‘God manifest’: declaring himself to be Zeus incarnate (in his own mind he was great) he went on the rampage. Of all the villains in the Bible, Antiochus Ephiphanes is one of the very worst. A supervillain of epic, Biblical, proportions.

Among his various villainies Epiphanes sacked the Jerusalem temple. He stole the holy things stored there and slaughtered many Jews (the people of the holy ones). He destroyed scriptures and outlawed sacred practices – he caused the civil war you can read about in the books of the Maccabees.

Many miles and years separate us from this dreadful scoundrel, clouding the meaning of the texts written about him. Echoes of his destructive reign, however, reverberate through history and, tragically, continue to shape current conflicts.  

Imperial baddies like Antiochus should represent the antithesis of a loving, relational, God. Somehow, though, we seem determined to claim for the divine the capacity for the kind of dominant power and military might that characterises supervillains like Epiphanes. When we do this, we encourage the destructive myth of redemptive violence.

Prayer

Living God
we fetishise power, idolise absolute authority,
make false deities out of leaders, empires and ideologies,
and even ascribe to you the same characteristics,
as if true, divine, love, would ever – could ever, force, compel or coerce.
Oh love that lives in, among and beyond us,
lead us to live reflecting the lustre of your light.
Steer us towards paths of peace,
let us walk, talk, and trust no more the ways of war.
Amen

 

Daniel 8: 1 – 14

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me at first.  In the vision I was looking and saw myself in Susa the capital, in the province of Elam, and I was by the river Ulai. I looked up and saw a ram standing beside the river.  It had two horns. Both horns were long, but one was longer than the other, and the longer one came up second.  I saw the ram charging westwards and northwards and southwards. All beasts were powerless to withstand it, and no one could rescue from its power; it did as it pleased and became strong.

As I was watching, a male goat appeared from the west, coming across the face of the whole earth without touching the ground. The goat had a horn between its eyes.  It came towards the ram with the two horns that I had seen standing beside the river,[e] and it ran at it with savage force.  I saw it approaching the ram. It was enraged against it and struck the ram, breaking its two horns. The ram did not have power to withstand it; it threw the ram down to the ground and trampled upon it, and there was no one who could rescue the ram from its power.  Then the male goat grew exceedingly great; but at the height of its power, the great horn was broken, and in its place there came up four prominent horns towards the four winds of heaven.

Out of one of them came another  horn, a little one, which grew exceedingly great towards the south, towards the east, and towards the beautiful land.  It grew as high as the host of heaven. It threw down to the earth some of the host and some of the stars, and trampled on them.  Even against the prince of the host it acted arrogantly; it took the regular burnt-offering away from him and overthrew the place of his sanctuary.  Because of wickedness, the host was given over to it together with the regular burnt-offering;  it cast truth to the ground, and kept prospering in what it did.  Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one that spoke, ‘For how long is this vision concerning the regular burnt-offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled?’  And he answered him, ‘For two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.’

Reflection

Whatever else you might say about Daniel you cannot but admire his graphic description of his vision. Weird as the result may be you will easily have a picture of what he describes. There is an urgency about the narrative where everything is larger than life. The ram enraged, the goat moving with savage force, the new horn growing exceedingly great. From time to time there are little glimmers of hope that all the horror may stop. When four new horns grow and there is that little horn which points towards a beautiful land. Could this be the start of a journey to something more peaceful?

No, is the answer for it is not long before the goat was throwing down the host and some of the stars and trampling on them.

But what can we 21st Century Christians take from this vision? As I read the verses my mind, probably inevitably, turned to the two places in the world which most seem to mirror the descriptions in this vision. The  terror and the misery of those caught up in conflicts, in Israel/Palestine and in Ukraine. The inability of anyone to stop the violence and injustice are all mirrored in this vision from Daniel.

It is so easy to translate this vision into today’s conflicts but to be left no more hopeful about the future than when we began.

Daniel wrote for his time and was seen as someone whose major purpose was to offer hope and encouragement to Jews being persecuted. There is no support for armed resistance, he advocates acceptance and trust. Trust that knowledge and power lie with God alone.

Prayer

Life giving Son,
we pray for everyone caught up in conflict
and imagine that they would want us to pray for peace.
Guiding Spirit,
we pray for the wisdom to follow your leading
the patience to trust even when it is hard
the faith to believe that the sanctuary will be
‘restored to its rightful state’.
Amen

 

Daniel 7: 15 – 28

As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me.  I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter:  ‘As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth.  But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever—for ever and ever.’

Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped what was left with its feet; and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn that came up, and to make room for which three of them fell out—the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that seemed greater than the others. As I looked, this horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them, until the Ancient One came; then judgement was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones gained possession of the kingdom.

This is what he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth
    that shall be different from all the other kingdoms;
it shall devour the whole earth,
    and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
    and another shall arise after them.
This one shall be different from the former ones,
    and shall put down three kings.
He shall speak words against the Most High,
    shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High,
    and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law;
and they shall be given into his power
    for a time, two times,[i] and half a time.
Then the court shall sit in judgement,
    and his dominion shall be taken away,
    to be consumed and totally destroyed.
The kingship and dominion
    and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
    shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High;
their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
    and all dominions shall serve and obey them.’

Here the account ends. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly terrified me, and my face turned pale; but I kept the matter in my mind.

Reflection

I love the imagery in Daniel (though perhaps not reading it on a dark night sitting alone!).  The meaning of Daniel’s imagery is no less frightening.  His four beasts represent major empires taking over the known world and wreaking havoc – none worse than the Roman Empire, set to destroy everything in its quest for power.  The one glimmer of hope is the small horn mentioned that would take over to challenge the holy ones.  This according to some early commentators is the Papacy.  The Church would rise up to challenge the Empire and would take over.  Has the Church allowed itself to be overtaken by the love of power that we have formed a new kind of empire?

What impact do we as the Church have today?  We are small, but do we punch above our weight in what we try to do for justice, for truth, for the Gospel today? 

Thinking back to scary – I would not recommend listening to War of the Worlds on your own in the dark – but (sorry spoiler alert) for a microbe to cause the end of the invasion shows what is possible by something so tiny faced with something so big.

How can we be that sting in the arm of empire? How can we speak up for the voiceless; stand up to the powers who would choose power over people?  How can we use our vote (too late now for the General Election), our influence, our principles to change a corrupt world?

Daniel was affected greatly by his visions – when we look at our world, so should we.  May we not be so overwhelmed by what we see that we fail to act to be the change needed.
 
Prayer

Lord of all vision to you be all praise.  May we see in your visions the hope for our future and the work needed to bring your love and peace to your world.  Use us to speak out, speak up, or use silence and prayer to bring your kingdom values to all we meet.  Shake us in our complacency and comfort us in our shaken-ness that we may be the change that is needed today.  Amen.

 

Daniel 7: 1 – 14

In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea,  and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.  The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being; and a human mind was given to it.  Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks in its mouth among its teeth and was told, ‘Arise, devour many bodies!’  After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four heads; and dominion was given to it.  After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns.  I was considering the horns, when another horn appeared, a little one coming up among them; to make room for it, three of the earlier horns were plucked up by the roots. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn, and a mouth speaking arrogantly.

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
    and an Ancient One took his throne;
his clothing was white as snow,
    and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames,
    and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued
    and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousand served him,
    and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgement,
    and the books were opened.

I watched then because of the noise of the arrogant words that the horn was speaking. And as I watched, the beast was put to death, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. As I watched in the night visions,

I saw one like a human being
    coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
    and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
    and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
    that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
    that shall never be destroyed.

Reflection

We all dream, whether we can remember them or not.  Sometimes our dreams recur, particularly where we are confronting our deepest fears (Don’t worry, I’m not going to share my dream life with you!).  The second half of the book of Daniel is a collection of dreams and visions.  Reading them may leave us confused, perplexed and anxious.
 
The sea was always something to be feared by the Jewish people as it represented chaos.  Four beasts emerge from this chaos to terrorise the earth often thought to represent empires.  The final beast has horns, which are often interpreted as rulers of this empire.  They are characterised by power, terror and arrogance.
 
The second section of the passage is a complete contrast.  We are introduced to an Ancient One who will bring judgement on behalf of his people.  In the Old Testament, a judge was someone who would put things right – it was a much wider remit than just listening to a case and finding in favour of one side.  We learn that the last beast is totally destroyed while the other beasts or empires lose their power.
 
A study of history shows that empires come and go, regardless of the terror and chaos that they leave behind them.  Set against this is the permanence of the heavenly kingdom represented by the Ancient One (God) and the son of man (a foreshadowing of Jesus).  No matter how much chaos, confusion, violence and disruption the empires of the earth cause God is in control and will triumph in the end (even if it takes extra time and penalties).
 
Prayer
 
Dear God, 
eternal and all powerful, 
when the chaos of the sea 
brings up powerful empires who threaten the world, 
help us to remember that justice will eventually prevail 
and help us also to stand against tyranny 
and work for that justice and peace. Amen.

 

Daniel 6: 19 – 28

Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions. When he came near the den where Daniel was, he cried out anxiously to Daniel, ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?’ Daniel then said to the king, ‘O king, live for ever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.’ Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. The king gave a command, and those who had accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. Before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Then King Darius wrote to all peoples and nations of every language throughout the whole world: ‘May you have abundant prosperity! I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel:

For he is the living God,
    enduring for ever.
His kingdom shall never be destroyed,
    and his dominion has no end.
He delivers and rescues,
    he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth;
for he has saved Daniel
    from the power of the lions.’

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Reflection

So we left the Daily Devotions on a cliffhanger on Saturday… is this the end of Daniel. How can he survive?

Daniel is devout and trusts God, even when facing what may seem like certain death. So this could be a simple morality tale, Daniel trusted God and was saved, so if we trust God, we too will be saved… but it’s not as simple as that, others have been as devout as Daniel and haven’t been physically saved.

There is a harshness, especially to our ears, to the punishment that follows, those who accused Daniel are thrown to the lions but also their families in line with the Law of the Medes and the Persians, an unchangeable and often brutal edict.

The thread running through this passage is that God (Daniel’s God) has authority much greater than that of a King, and this King Darius acknowledges God as a living God in contrast to the other gods of wood and stone worshipped in his Kingdom.

God saving Daniel from the lions inspires King Darius to make a new decree. He declares that the God of Daniel is eternal and powerful, it is a statement from a King bordering on humility, talking about how God can rescue, a sense that wouldn’t sound out of place in the New Testament.

I wonder if we find it easy to worship God when we are saved or spared from disaster like Daniel is. Dramatic testimonies are inspiring. But if our story isn’t as dramatic, do we recognise and bear witness to God being with us day by day?

We aren’t exempted from trials, they may not be lions, but we can be a little like Daniel. We can trust God and do what we know to be right in God’s sight. If others try to trap us and mock us for not conforming to the way the world works can we stand firm?

Prayer

God of power and rescue
Help us to stay true to you
And the people you call us to be
We man never be thrown to the lions
But rescue us from any pit.
Amen