no ordinary year

This coming year will almost certainly be an important and significant one.

In exactly what ways, and precisely why - well, I'm not entirely sure I could tell you that. I'm simply aware of a God-given burden that's laid on my heart that these next twelve months are going to be hugely important.

I suspect it has something to do with events taking place in the life of the church at large. I'm not naive. I'm aware that issues arising, and decisions being made, next May (when the Church of Scotland meets in General Assembly again) will potentially have major ramifications.

I suspect, as well, it has something to do with the state of the country itself. This is not as unrelated to the life of the church as some might like to think, of course. There's a connection. There always has been in this our land, for long generations back.

The clear and deliberate departure from our spiritual roots is there for all to see. We have turned our back on the rich, Christ-centred heritage which our forbears sought to secure. We are at least far on in the process of becoming an essentially godless nation; if we're not already there. We have chosen, and presumed, to become the masters of our own fate; to run our life ourselves.

The whole thing's getting messier by the minute.

Rembrandt's painting of 'Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem'

I feel more and more like my namesake Jeremiah as the time goes by. I'm drawn to the man, sensing a certain affinity with this giant of a prophet from the past. Our times are far too close for comfort like the times in which he lived. Our call, as the servants of God, is more and more like his.

We live, I suspect, in the end times of a favoured nation's life. Just as Jeremiah did, in days long past. We've a lot to learn from the man.

And one of the things we will need to learn is just what following Jesus Christ really means. We will need to learn what it means to be a member of the church of Jesus Christ. We will need to learn discipleship.

So one of the things I've been praying is that the Lord would indeed, in his mercy, be opening the eyes and opening the hearts of many folk to respond to the message of grace in Jesus; that there'd be many who are brought by the Lord to faith in these days - and strengthened thereafter as new believers in Christ.

There's a part we have to play in that, of course. But it's the Lord who alone, in his sovereign mercy, effects that in people's lives. I believe he means to do that. I believe he longs to do that. I'm praying with real urgency that he would do that.

It was, you'll appeciate, therefore, a real encouragement today when, walking through the local shop, I got to talking with a lady whose daughter's at the primary school. It was the daughter who saw me and called out after me, "Hello, Mr Middleton."

I think the whole shop looked around. Such is the price of celebrity status a local school chaplain can have!

It wasn't like meeting a stranger, of course. I know the mother a bit. But there in the shop, in the midst of a whole crowd of shoppers, she was wanting to know both whether and how she might come to be part of Christ's church.

It seemed like a sign. A gentle indication from the Lord that this is what he will indeed be doing through these coming days.

Lord, have mercy upon us.