What to do?

J.I. Packer: "More Catechesis, Please" says this great man of the Church.
"Biblically challenged Overcoming scriptural illiteracy" is the title of another recent article that I have collected and read.
Similar concerns are presented and my sense of the situation here in Australia is that there is a serious illiteracy among Christians even though the resources are manifestly available to address this.
"Bless and save me now and then Heaven" is the substantive notion of today. To take up your Cross and follow Christ is an optional concern. ( I reread this and found it totally out of order. Yet sadly it does seem to be an attitude which prevails. )
That the Gospel is the proclamation that Christ the Messiah by His Death and Resurrection is LORD over ALL and that because of this He calls us Home Now in order that in this life we might by our lives be signs that the Kingdom has come and is coming. We are Light ..... Salt
( sign of the Covenant ) and living as sheep among wolves. A VERY CHALLENGING BLESSING.
Until a change occurs the label for this post remains.

The General Thanksgiving

General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

How could I not commence the new year without this prayer.

Why CONNECTIONS? I could have included this under POETS SPEAK but this prayer connects all sections of this blog in a special and unifying way.

Time Stood Still

SABAWI: Where time stood still - December 31, 2009

Gaza one year after operation cast lead
Shadowsmodified

Don’t tell us a year has passed…
We don’t measure our lives by this calendar
Time has stood still for us so long ago
Punctuated only by loss and grief
And the in between moments of quiet reprieve
We don’t count on Christmas, nor Eid for cheer
We don’t fool ourselves with “happy new year”
No occasion is ever taken for granted,
When it comes to tomorrow, there are no certainties
Our yesterday is our today
Time is frozen here
And one calendar year
Will never contain our lives,
Our collective misery,
Our yearning for humanity
Don’t tell us a year has passed
Our clock stopped ticking when justice collapsed
Eclipsed by decades of repression
Hush… don’t speak of time
We have endured the absence of time
We don’t measure our lives by days like you
We measure our lives by the number of embraces
Our worth by a lover’s heartbeat
Our existence by our persistence
So, don’t tell us a year has passed….

Samah Sabawi is a writer playwright and poet. She was born in Gaza and is currently residing in Melbourne Australia.