Daily Reading: 4 April

(from www.christianaid.org.uk)

Act out of love and respect people of other faiths.

Something to read

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.

- 1 Timothy 3: 14 – 16.

Something to think about

The mystery of God is a marvellous thing. So often we try and pin down God to a few 'facts'. Yes, we know about Jesus’ life and death. Yes, we have the Bible. But do we really know God? In the Old Testament we are told that we cannot speak the name of God. This is not so much because we are not allowed to but because God is so big and mysterious we literally are not able to describe or name God. God is so vast and mysterious that every name we try out for Him/Her is just a stab at clarity.

To paraphrase Paul, God has been revealed in the flesh, proclaimed by the most unlikely of people and believed throughout the world. Something (for want of a much better word) that can be seen and proclaimed by so many, in different places and contexts, has to be vast and ineffable. There has to be a possibility that people of different faiths and cultures have some vision of the truth, too.

It is far too arrogant for my liking to assume that Christians know it all and people of other faiths are lacking the truth. Yes, Jesus revealed God to us but rather than providing us with a sole ownership of truth, he showed us how to live and be a pillar of truth.

The bottom line is people may believe in different things (even within our own faith) but we know how to live; truthfully, with integrity and justly. It can be a tricky mix but if we act out of love, the rest often falls into place.

Something to do

The Holy Land is a source of much mystery, confusion and, believe it or not, love.

Read more about our work in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

Something to pray

Repeat these words several times and let them settle in your mind.

'If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.' (1 Corinthians 13:2)

Today's daily reading was provided by Charlotte Haines Lyon.