When I can't sleep or when I'm feeling sad, Or if the pain is getting really bad, Silently little Poppet snuggles up And lays her pretty head upon my lap.
If I have food, whether plain or sweet, Little Poppet sits and begs at my feet. If there's a drink she shouldn't have Don't leave it or that drink she'll lap.
She'll herd the cat, she'll herd the sprogs, She'll even try to herd a frog. She knows if you have got her treats, Even if your still way down the street.
But hugs are what she loves the best, And hugs are what she does the best.
I believe for every drop of rain that falls A flower grows (normally a weed). I believe that all through every night The boy's light glows (why can't they turn it off). I believe that Freddie likes to go astray And steal sweets and biscuits away, Eats them all, then wants more. He will whinge, oh he will whinge!
I believe for every treat given to Jack Poppet wants more. She will beg and beg and beg For evermore. Then she'll zoom around and round the grass and fall Fast asleep with doggy snores. Tired little fluffy dog. Dreamy snores, oh dreamy snores!
Dog full of hopefulness, Dog full of joy. You like to eat snacks And all treats you enjoy. You like to go walking, You do not like rain. But you have a cute grin And a very smart brain.
Dog full of hopefulness, Dog full of love. You love to give kissses, You love to give hugs. You are good company All day and all night. Your coat is so fluffy And your eyes are so bright.
This passage from Luke teaches us a lot about truth and faith. It is, in both a literal and a spiritual sense, about journeys. Literally, it is about two disciples (followers of Jesus) walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Spiritually, it is about their and our journey from not knowing Jesus to truly knowing Jesus and sharing our experiences of Jesus. It is about rediscovering Christ’s presence in our lives, gaining a fresher understanding of God’s transforming grace, allowing our hearts to be ignited with the Holy Spirit as we too walk with Christ.
The Bible makes very clear and specific statements about Jesus. As the disciples walked along they were discussing the scriptures and the recent events that had happened. When Jesus appeared to them they were walking the wrong way – away from Jerusalem. They were preoccupied with their own difficulties, overwhelmed with sadness, grief and hopelessness. They were unable to identify God’s purpose in what had happened.
Humans like to know reasons for…well everything. We ask (both aloud and to ourselves) why? We analyse, we interpret, we assume, we conclude. And we use the answers as a Sat Nav! What we decide the answers are determine/direct what and where we do/go next.
The disciples did not fully understand the Scriptures or the meaning of what had happened to Jesus. They had knowledge but it was incomplete and not understood. It was not true knowledge of the right information.
Jesus appeared and started to walk with them. They did not see Jesus. They were kept from recognising him. The Risen Christ walking with them on their journey, but unrecognised, igniting the fire of God’s love in their hearts. Like the Footsteps poem when there is only one set of footprints (because Jesus is carrying us).
But, this enabled Jesus to impart true knowledge. He explains and interprets for them. This teaches us that the key to interpreting the Old Testament is Jesus.
Jesus explained everything from Moses to the prophets, how the Messiah would save God’s people through His death and resurrection, rescuing a sinful, unholy people by reconciling them with The Holy God.
Jesus is the Messiah whose life, death and resurrection grants us salvation. Jesus Himself told us “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me”.
God cannot be near sin. The only way for us sinners to be reconciled to Him was for Jesus to become sin, be punished for our sin, to die and defeat death; so that through His resurrection we could, with faith and repentance, be forgiven and have a relationship with God.
But it is not sufficient to just know the facts. We must also believe in that knowledge, we must truly believe in Jesus and in what He taught. Like the disciples recognising Jesus (when He broke the bread) and rushing back to tell the others, we have to open our eyes in faith. If we believe in Him then we strive to be in His image and this is shown in how we live. We need to believe in God’s word and be motivated by faith. We know God fulfils His promises but we also need to believe this. We know He is always with us, all the time, especially those times when we only see one set of footprints. But, we also need to believe this.
There is a story that gets quoted a lot so apologies if you, like me, have heard it used before:
There was a young boy caught in a house fire and forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you”. He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see was flame, smoke and darkness. The boy was too afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling “Jump! I WILL catch you”. The boy protested “Daddy, I can’t see you” The father replied, “But I CAN see you and that’s all that matters”.
Reece Sherman’s Faith Lessons
Do we understand truly? Or do we rely on our assumptions? Do we truly believe and trust in God? I pray that we do.
God is always there for us and will catch us. He can see us even if we cannot see Him. Do we have enough faith to jump into those life saving arms? I pray that we do.
Poppet's running round the garden. She thinks it's the bestest thing. Running round and round in circles, Then running around again! Running around, Running around, Then running around again!
Poppet's worn her little self out, So she snuggles herself up. Dreams of running round the garden Once again once she wakes up. Running around, Running around, Then running around again!
Just because 