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There is a phrase from the Greek of the New Testament: Kyrie Eleison which means, "Lord, have mercy".The phrase can be found in three places in the Gospel of Matthew. When a Canaanite woman pleads for Jesus to heal her demon-possessed and suffering daughter (15:22); when a father pleads for Jesus to heal his son who suffers from seizures (17:15) and when two blind men at the roadside cry out to Jesus to give them sight, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" (20:30). In each of these accounts the cry for healing is expressed as a plea for Jesus to show mercy to them.Kyrie Eleison is also used in many prayers and liturgies especially among the more traditional churches. It is a reminder that we are dependent on the Lord's mercy. It is because of His mercy that we have recieved grace and forgiveness where we should have received judgement and condemnation.There have also been a great many songs written with the the title Kyrie Eleison and one such song, written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend caught my attention because of its lyrics.  I really feel that these words capture the attitude that we should have as we seek the Lord's mercy to bring healing in this time of disease and brokenness. Instead of linking in the song I am just going to share the words themselves, like a poem, so that we can all appreciate their impact and we can make this our prayer for mercy.Kyrie Eleison (Getty, Townend)Kyrie Eleison have mercyChriste Eleison have mercyAs we come before You with the needs of our worldWe confess our failures and our sinFor our words are many yet our deeds have been fewFan the fire of compassion once againWhen the cries of victims go unheard in the landAnd the scars of war refuse to healWill we stand for justice to empower the weakTill their bonds of oppression are no moreIf we love our GodWith all our heart mind and strengthAnd we love our neighbours as ourselvesThen this law of love will heal the nations of earthAnd the glory of Christ will be revealedLord renew our vision to be Christ where we liveTo reach out in mercy to the lostFor each cup of kindness to the least in our midstIs an offering of worship to the throneKyrie Eleison have mercyChriste Eleison have mercy God BlessGraham

Guest Post Confidence16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. (Romans 1:16 GNB)It is in these dark days, when all seems to be falling apart, and we can so easily become discouraged, that we need to place our trust and faith in the Lord. Jesus said He will never leave or forsake us. He is in control, even if we can’t see how.The great apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit tells us to have complete confidence in the Gospel, because it is the power of God to save all who believe. For the Gospel tells us how God puts us right with Himself. It is by faith, from beginning to the end.Complete confidence, means just that, no further confidence needed. Confidence that when we believe in Jesus, and place our total faith and trust in Him, we need not be concerned about what is taking place in the world today, corona virus included. We use our God given common sense and stay safe, stay healthy, be careful and keep smiling. God loves you with an everlasting love. We are safe in His hands.Humble yourself, pray for forgiveness of your sins, pray for His presence in your life daily. Pray for all your neighbours. Then, whatever happens, we will see Him face to face, and everything will be wonderful.Dave Griffiths Sharing our FaithWe were reminded by Luke on Pentecost Sunday about sharing our faith with others, and the power we receive through God’s Holy Spirit when we in turn share our Faith story with someone.It reminded me of one of the Bushmen stories during one of my visits to New Xade in the Central Kalahari in Botswana. An encounter with a blind Bushman name Chatteque. It also is amazing how he believed and hung on to his Faith when he encountered God’s Holy Spirit and how he shared his faith.Faith is a challenge to live expectantly and to embrace the unknown… to travel a road with no address.Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG[11-12] It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.The story of a blind Bushman man called Chatteque. On one of our visits we were taken out by one of our guides to some distant tree some 2 km’s out of New Xade, like many of our visits turned out to be. Here we were met by an old man and woman, the man being blind. His name on introduction is Chatteque and he is very excited to have visitors. He tells us of his experiences and his blindness which was caused by a “rinkhals” snake spitting in his eyes. We encountered a few blind people, some with the same condition…

In this Peanuts cartoon the ever confident Lucy is of course displaying an unrealistic and rather elevated opinion of herself, but let’s consider for just a moment if the same could be said of each and every one of us. What if we were all genuinely trying to make the world a better place by letting the light of Christ’s presence in our lives shine wherever He has placed us? I’ve always enjoyed the late Eugene Petersen’s paraphrase of Christ’s words in the Gospel of Matthew where in The Message chapter 5 he says,“13 Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colours in the world.” (Matthew 5:13 MSG)  In the apostle Peter’s first epistle, he encourages us as believers to “12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see our good deeds and glorify God…” (1 Peter 2:12NIV). In other words, we can make the world a better place through our actions. In John Piper's commentary on this verse he comments that “This is Peter’s clearest statement as to how we can make a name for God … if we maintain good conduct and don’t grow weary in doing good.”  Just think for a minute about what a difference you and I can make in this broken and hurting world if we let our lights shine; if we live out this verse and those in our sphere of influence would testify that the office is a better place to work because you work there, your neighbourhood is a better place to live because you live there; the school your children go to is a better place because your family are part of it.Granted, none of us can change the world singlehandedly, but by God’s grace we can let the difference Christ has made in us individually, make a difference in the world around us. So my fellow love filled, life givers, let’s be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth, and light, bringing out the God-colours in the world. Let’s strive to live such good lives that those around us may see our good deeds and glorify God! Let us ask God to show us where we can splash some colour in a somewhat drab world. God bless you,Calven