Canny Granny's Advice to the Young

 Recently I've been taking a little dog for a walk each morning.  He's not mine but I enjoy doing this without the full responsibility of owning a dog. I've learnt many lessons from these walks and I want to share them with you. First of all this little dog needs to be on a lead. This is really for his safety.  Of course I would not be happy if he ran away and so I keep him on a lead.  He pulls against the lead, but if he would just stay in step with me he would not even know that the lead was there.  He would be free.  It seems to me that this is how we are in relation to God.  He puts us on a lead, his commandments and if we keep them we are free, our lives work perfectly,  but just like that little dog we pull away. It is in our very nature to want to break the rules.  If there is a sign saying "Keep off the grass!" What do we want to do? We want to walk on it.  If we see a sign saying, "Wet paint!" we want to touch it. It is easier t...

  It was time for me to stop chattering on, thinking I knew so much and could teach the World how to believe.  Just like everyone else I have had a time of thinking things through. Suddenly the world changed over night and we were left alone with our own thoughts.  What IS the meaning of life? What really matters to me? How important is family? How important are friends and those people who are more than acquaintances? Can I live without them?   I'm beginning to realize how isolated I had become.  Most of my meals were alone, that is before Covid. We crazily live our lives in isolation and find that this means throwing away so much good food because you can't eat a whole cauliflower on your own before it's too far gone.  A tin of baked beans is too much for one and you don't fancy sardines on toast two days running. Life is built around being together, even if it's only two of you.  You don't have to live in the same house, you can share with a neighbo...

We see Mary at the cross. Jesus although suffering greatly on the cross tenderly asks His disciple John to take care of Mary as if she was his own mother and tells Mary to treat John as her son. Mary is with the disciples at the time of the resurrection and also at the Ascension and Pentecost. From then till end of the Bible through all the epistles of Paul, Peter and John, James and Jude there is no mention of Mary. There is mention of a Mary in the book of a Romans but there is no reason to believe that this is Mary the mother of Jesus. There is reason to believe that the James and Jude who wrote epistles were children of Mary and Joseph, but they do not mention her. Mary was a lovely woman who was obedient to God but she should not be elevated to the position many put her in. She should not be prayed to, because only God should be given our prayers. By God I mean, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Bible gives only examples of prayer to God except where non-bel...

Now we are looking at John 2: 1- 11. Jesus, the disciples and Mary are at a wedding. Mary tells Jesus that the wine has run out, an embarrassment for the hosts. Jesus says, “Dear woman why involve me, my time has not yet come” He is the one in charge. Mary then says to the servants at the feast, “Whatever He tells you to do. Do it.” I believe this is what she would want us to do, to do whatever her Son tells us to do. She does not say whatever she says He will do as some say, but we are to do whatever He says.

Luke 2: 40- 52. This is the account we are looking at today. Here the family go to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. It seems that it was the usual thing for many families to travel together and naturally the children would have spent much of the time together. You would have thought that Mary and Joseph would have checked that Jesus was with them before leaving for home, but no they travelled for a whole day before looking for him. They then went back to Jerusalem and it took three days before they found him. They found Jesus in the temple courts talking to the teachers and asking them questions. Mary worried but no doubt relieved, but also astonished says,”Son why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” He answers ,”Why were you searching for me ? Didn’t you knowI had to be in my Father’s house?” These are not the petulant words of a near teenager but a gentle rebuke to rather negligent parents who should have known that He would be...

Jesus was talking to his disciples, the twelve and others when He was told that His mother and brothers were outside wanting to see Him.  His response was to say, "Who is my mother and who are my brothers?" And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said,"Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother." Matthew 12: 46-50 I'm sure Jesus had the normal respect of a son for a mother but here he makes clear that she was on a level with anyone who is His follower. We can admire her faith in God but we may not exalt her above other christians. Next time we will look at an account we have of when Jesus was 12 years old. Luke 2: 40- 52. If you read it now remember this that Jesus is the Son of God and never did anything wrong.  If Jesus ever did anything wrong we are all doomed, but He did no wrong and if you put your trust in Him alone you will be saved.  Whoever honours the Son honou...