MAC KIRK

Ascension " the day in which He was taken up"  Acts 1:2 1:11- " This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." Creed says " He ascended into heaven" Sundays , WED and Fridays during penitential times the use of the Litany prays " By thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension- Good Lord, deliver us." Where did He go? 1.  Luke 24:51 "...and as He was blessing them he was separated from them and was carried up into heaven." We prayed " Grant , we beseech Thee,  Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son our LORD Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell..." We have an anchor of the soul. Hebrews 6:19 in which we believe it is " impossible for God to lie... a sure and steadfast hope, and which enters the Presence behind the  veil." A good anch...

The 3 s of Spiritual Lives  James " Swift to hear, Slow to speak and slow to wrath" As those who are recipients of new life called a " a good gift"  as well as a " perfect " gift from above , we have the new life in a body.  This new life is because God or the " Father of lights" gave us new birth through " the word of truth" that we " should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."  From that great Anglican classic by William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy life we hear," Bended knees while you are clothed with pride; heavenly petitions while you are hoarding treasures upon earth; holy devotions while you live in the follies of the world; prayers of meekness and charity while your heart is the seat of pride and resentment ; hours of prayer while you give up days and years to idle diversions---are as absurb, unacceptable services to God."   Swift to hear. Swift that is fast...quick.  But swift to hea...

John 16:16-22   …”   A Little While and You shall see Me”       As Christians we have the hope based on the certainty of the record of Holy Scripture that Easter is true.   But we do not live that way, do we?   We live more as the world where our lives seem empty, hopeless and bereft of the comfort of God.   We seek those things that can never give us what we need.   The things of this world are temporal but the things which are unseen are eternal. 2 Cor 4:18 .   Of course we have sorrow that our loved ones are no longer here with us.   And that is human and natural for us to have that reaction.     Jesus wept , but He also rose again from the dead.        Listen again in this Eastertide to His words.   “ A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go the Father.”   “ Your sorrow shall be turned into joy”   ...

John 10    Shepherd Talk       Not having been raised on a farm or in a rural setting I cannot say I know much about sheep, but I have been looking at the stories of people that are Shepherds and reading about sheep as well.   You Tube has a wonderful video of a Shepherd in the hills calling his sheep in what looks like fog and they respond after he calls them repeatedly.   I learned that herding sheep is not so easy.   They have to be led to the pens with care, and be protected from poisonous plants and wolves or other predators as well as get routine medicine and vaccinations.   Shepherds also have herding dogs much like the border collie or perhaps even like the dogs we have, “welsh corgies” to get the sheep and herd them from one place to another.   It seems that it can be a very messy business but very rewarding.       Sheep are able to see color but have poor depth perception and their perip...