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Avatar photoJane Coates

Married to Phil Coates for the past 42 years with 4 adult children and three grandchildren. A Graduate with both social work and teaching qualifications and CELTA and TEFL also. 24 years of teaching experience in Leeds Primary schools.

Jane Coates – Thoughts and Prayers. Perfect timing…

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Perfect Timing
 
Have you ever felt that you have just walked into the right place at the right time and met the right people? The timing feels to be perfect and precise, -as if it was always meant to be.
 
In the narrative of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2 I was challenged by the two elderly prophets, Simeon and Anna. Clearly, their arrival on the scene, just as the family arrived for Jesus’s dedication in the Temple at Jerusalem, was no happenstance. It was no coincidence or just good timing, because they were frequent attenders to the Temple Court. No. These two faithful worshippers were directed by the Holy Spirit to that very point, on that very day, at that very time, when Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus arrived in the Temple Court.
 
The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and prompted by the Holy Spirit he came into the Temple enclosure at the perfectly planned, precise time. ‘Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple enclosure; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him the custom required by the Law, Simeon took Him into his arms, and blessed, praised, and thanked God’. Luke 2 v 27-28 AMP. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Simeon spoke prophetic words over the child, calling Jesus a Light for the revelation of the Gentiles, and God’s salvation. Simeon then addressed Mary with prophetic words. Simeon had been promised, again by the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Simeon’s arrival, actions, and words at this point, were all directed by the Holy Spirit. He had waited many years for this precise moment in time.
 
Anna spent her days at the Temple serving and worshiping night and day, with fasting and prayers. But, at the precise time that Simeon was speaking with Joseph and Mary, she came along to that very spot, at that very time to the Temple enclosure. ‘She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she also began thanking God and telling everyone in Jerusalem who had been awaiting the coming of the Saviour that the Messiah had finally arrived’. Luke 2 v 38 TLB.
 
The Message version says, ‘At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.’ Anna sang an anthem of praise to God. Anna had waited patiently for many years for this precise moment in time.
 
Simeon and Anna were two faithful worshippers, filled with the Holy Spirit, waiting for the arrival of Messiah. The Holy Spirit prompted their attendance at the Temple when the timing was perfect. They had listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
 
The Holy Spirit will prompt us too, with His peace, and His Presence. We need to be patient as we wait for God’s perfect time. God is never in a hurry and though the waiting is hard we should not rush on ahead. There may be something that we have longed for, prayed for and we have become impatient and even discontented. But trust His timing. He knows the perfect time.
 
 From long ago no ear has heard and no eye has seen any God besides You, who works for those who wait for Him. You meet him who finds joy in doing what is right and good, who remembers You in Your ways. Isaiah 64 v 4-5NLV
 
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3 v 11
 
PRAY for God’s perfect timing and for patience in the waiting.
 
Jane Coates
16 December 2024

Jane Coates, Thoughts and Prayers… WAITING

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WAITING…
 
Waiting can be hard, long, and frustrating. I could not begin to add up the number of hours that I have spent in my adult lifetime to date, waiting – waiting for the birth of a child; waiting at the doctors, clinic or hospital; waiting at the school gate, activity club, church hall; waiting for the production or concert to begin; waiting for the children’s exam results, decisions after interviews; waiting for the much needed holiday, or for long expected news. Waiting involves the expectation or hope that something will happen, being in readiness for its beginning or coming, and waiting with patience during the indeterminate period before the arrival or completion of the expected hope. I am well practised at waiting. But for many people, waiting is hard.
 
In the accounts of the birth of Jesus, there is a lot of waiting by a lot of people – Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, and the elderly prophets at the Temple gate, Simeon, and Anna. For these people, their waiting was longed for, prayed for, and anticipated.
 
Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for and longed for a child. In their old age, Gabriel was sent to them with the news of the birth of their child, John. ‘But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.’ Luke 1 v 13
 
Gabriel was also sent to the young Mary with news of the promised Saviour that she would bear. Mary’s pregnancy and waiting could have been a troubling and anxious time as she no doubt faced the questions and quizzical looks of neighbours and villagers. But she would take comfort in the company of her cousin Elizabeth as they waited together. Mary would later endure a journey to Bethlehem, an anxious search for a safe place to deliver her baby, followed by a hurried escape to Egypt. There, Joseph, Mary and Jesus would be strangers and refugees for two years until they were able to return to their hometown. Waiting. Waiting for the right time. The safe time.
 
Simeon, a righteous and devout man, living in Jerusalem, ‘was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.’ Luke 2 v 25-26 Simeon was led to the Temple by the Holy Spirit, at the exact time that Joseph and Mary arrived with the eight-day old infant, Jesus, at the Temple for the ceremony of purification and circumcision. Simeon’s long wait was at an end.
 
Anna, an 84-year-old, widow, and prophet who worshipped daily at the Temple in Jerusalem, was also waiting, as were other worshippers, hoping for God’s intervention in Israel. ‘She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem’. Luke 2 v 37-38
 
From infant to child to man, John and Jesus waited until the time was right for them to begin their appearances and ministries on the world’s stage. We believe that Jesus was about thirty years old before He began His ministry. ‘Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God, saying, “The time has come at last—the kingdom of God has arrived. You must change your hearts and minds and believe the good news.” Mark 1 v 15
 
Waiting and perfect timing. The time had come at last. God’s timing is always precise, and perfect. He steps in at the right time-the ‘Kairos’ time- “the appointed time in the purposes of God.”
 
Song
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord.
Our God, you reign forever
Our hope, our strong Deliverer.
Chris Tomlin
 
Hymn
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Charles Wesley
 
PRAY For those who are waiting-for news, for appointments, for surgery, for an answer to a longing prayer. Help us to trust God’s perfect timing in our waiting.
 
Jane Coates
13 December 2024
 

Jane Coates. Thoughts and Prayers. Passion and purpose

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Passion and Purpose
 
Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily, from the soul, as something done for the Lord and not for men. Colossians 3 v 23 AMP
 
And don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Colossians 3 v 23 MSG
 
We recently attended a very formal School Speech Day, with the distribution of prizes awarded to many of the students. Awards are given for the different academic subjects taken at school but there is another prize which is called the School Award for Inspirational Contribution to School Life. This award is for those students who have been involved in school life in a very wide sense-in Music, Choirs, Bands, Scouts, mentoring younger students and being involved in outside of school activities also. These students can inspire others.
 
The students were addressed by the Headteacher and a visiting Speaker who in her long career had worked for the Foreign Office, Ministry of Defence, been an Advisor to a Prime Minister, a Governor of the BBC, is a Peer in the House of Lords, and who had learned several languages during her illustrious career. But both of their messages to the students emphasized one thing-the importance of ‘going with your passion’. They were encouraged to choose the subjects, the courses, and the career path that would ‘give them a buzz’, that they were fascinated by, and not the things that teachers, parents or peer group would wish you to do. This is a very different message to the one that I received at A level. The path may not the easiest, traditional, may be out of the ordinary, but if it is your passion then you will succeed. It will be the thing that you can put your heart and soul into.
 
In the words from Colossians, Paul was addressing servants- those who had few rights, choices, or entitlements, if any, but he instructed them to work with heart and soul, as if they were working for their God and not for their masters.
 
One of the books that has had the greatest influence on me is The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. At the very beginning of his book, Warren states that God uniquely created each person- skills, looks, personality, temperament, abilities, and that each person is created for a purpose. “I am your creator. You were in my care even before you were born. Isaiah 44 v 2. Nothing in our life is arbitrary or accidental. God had very specific purposes for us that would allow us to be fulfilled, secure and happy. He knows our passions. But we must link in with Jesus.
 
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. Ephesians 1 v 11-12 MSG
 
PRAY Father, I am not like anyone else. I don’t have to try to be like anyone else. Your design and purposes for me are good. I can trust you with my passions, my  heart, and my soul.
 
All Thinking
 
I would rather be what God
Chose to make me
Than the most glorious
Creature that I could think of.
 
For to be born in
God’s thought
And then made by God
 
Is the dearest, grandest, and
Most precious thing
In all thinking.
 
C. S. Lewis
 
Jane Coates
5 November

Jane Coates, Thoughts and Prayers. Footsteps on the moon.

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Sunday 20th July 1969 was a memorable and momentous day. It felt as if the whole world was watching. It was the day of the first moon landing when the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle landed on the moon. On that day, mankind achieved something that many had previously thought to be impossible. You may remember watching Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon and then listen to his legendary words, “that is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” You may remember seeing the landing crafts trundling over the moon’s surface leaving their tyre tracks in the moon’s surface. The amazing thing is, that as there is no atmosphere on the moon as there is on earth, there is therefore no wind, rainfall, other atmospheric changes or movement on the moon to disturb those footprints. Those footprints and tyre tracks are still there. Footprints, from more than fifty years ago, are there and will continue to be there.
 
Thinking again about those footprints made me realize that we all leave our unique footprints. We all make a mark that is visible to others, and which may last for a very long time, and may have a deep impact on others. The phrase, ‘the world is watching’ is a very significant phrase for me as it reminds me that we are often ‘on view’ to others. People around us, friends, neighbours, work colleagues, other parents at the school gate, notice and observe our actions and reactions, and make judgements about them. Even people that we do not know at the supermarket, the gym, the garden centre, the library may be silently observing how we speak to others, smile, and conduct ourselves.
 
As Christians, we may sometimes feel that we are judged more closely and perhaps more harshly than other folk. The world loves to find fault and to criticize. Therefore, the standards that we may hold to can often feel to be higher. We are following in the steps of Jesus and so we reflect Him. When Paul wrote to the young man Titus, he made it clear to him that he had to be above reproach in everything. But not just that, Titus had to demonstrate in his words, his attitudes, his relationships, his walk, the graciousness of Jesus.
 
“And in all things show yourself to be an example of good works, with purity in doctrine having the strictest regard for integrity and truth, dignified, sound and beyond reproach in instruction, so that the opponent of the faith will be shamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
Let no one disregard or despise you. Conduct yourself and your teaching so as to command respect.” Titus 2 v 7-8 AMP
 
He who walks in integrity and with moral character walks securely, Proverbs 10 v 9
 
PRAY Jesus, please guide my footsteps. I want to walk faithfully in your footsteps. Wherever I go this week, help me to leave a footprint of love, care and grace, considering the other rather than myself. Amen

Jane Coates. Thoughts and prayers. Safe and Sound

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         Safe and Sound
 
The idiom ‘safe and sound’ is a wonderful phrase that conjures up other words such as secure, home, free from anxiety, safety, settled and established. I love going away on holiday, but I am a ‘home bird’ now and at the end of a break I am ready to come home. When our own teenager with the group of Scouts returned from ten days of camping, trekking, and glacier walking in the Alps, we were thankful to have him home ‘safe and sound’ at the end of the expedition.
 
In the very familiar story of the prodigal son, we read that when the younger son was alone, without means of support, hungry, with no one to give him either help or food, he came to his senses and then he came home to his father. The phrase ‘safe and sound’ stands out in the story. One of the servants explains to the elder brother, the reason for the music, dancing and celebration. “Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.” Luke 15 v 27 The father also explains his reasons for the feasting, the best cloak, the ring and the shoes gifted to his son. “We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’ Luke 15 v 33
 
We do not know how long the prodigal had been away from the family home, but the impression would be for an extremely long time-certainly months or even years. Without news of the son, the father in his worst moments, may have assumed that his son could have died in some far country. But he was now ‘safe and sound’, secure in the family and the home.
 
I often think of the story title more as ‘the waiting, loving father.’ The father who is constantly on the lookout for a returning son, his eyes monitoring that road home. The father who never gave up hope and who longed to wrap his arms around his youngest child. The father who ran towards his returning son to welcome him back-home before anyone else, such as the town elders could turn him away.
 
Our Heavenly Father is constantly on the lookout for us to come home to Him, -to be safe, sound, and secure in Him. He welcomes us back no matter what kind of condition we are in. He wants us to be free from all fear, and anxiety, and simply to come near to His heart of compassion.
 
As Moses, the ‘man of God’, was about to die, he gave each of the tribes of Israel a special blessing. His blessing to the tribe of Bejamin is particularly poignant. Let us claim this blessing for ourselves. Know that you are beloved of God, surrounded with His loving care and preserved from harm. You are safe in the father’s embrace.
 
Concerning the tribe of Benjamin, Moses said:
“He is beloved of God
And lives in safety beside him.
God surrounds him with his loving care,
And preserves him from every harm.”
Deuteronomy 33 v 12 TLB
 
Jane Coates, November 4th 2024

Jane Coates. Thoughts and prayers. Sadness, and a change of perception

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Today, Friday, is a sad day personally, as it is the funeral of a very good High School friend of longstanding. Her husband was the best man at our wedding and Phil was the best man for their wedding. We were nurtured as young Christians in the same church and had many happy days and challenges together. So today is a time of remembering those happy memories of school days, of post exam days, of catching up days and holidays, of shared meals, and life events, of looking back at photographs, and sharing the struggles of illness and final days.
 
Today, her partner of many years, will release her and see her go into safer hands. For all of us it is a change of perception. We let her go and say goodbye for now, as she goes to her destined port, where other voices welcome her home, and she is free in the welcome of her Saviour.
 
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says, “There, she is gone.”
 
Gone where?
 
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me — not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, “There, she is gone,”
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”
And that is dying…
 
By Rev. Luther F. Beecher (1813-1903)
 
He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever. Revelation 21v 4 NLT
 
PRAY for those who have said goodbye to loved ones. May their memories be full and joyous and bring peace of mind and soul.
 
Jane Coates
17th October 2024
 

Jane Coates. Thoughts and prayers. LIGHT.

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He wraps himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, Psalm 104 v 2 NIV

You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light. Psalm 36 v 9 MSG

Children are fascinated by light, rainbows and colour. The concept of light is challenging for small children, especially the idea that white light can be separated into rainbow colours, or even bent by passing the light through a glass prism. Yet, when I was teaching in primary school, the children loved to explore and have fun with different shaped prisms, making rainbows. The scientific explanation of different wavelengths or colours of light being refracted or dispersed by different amounts, causing them to separate, coming out of the prism at different angles, creating that wonderful spectrum, was often way beyond them. That would come later. But for now, it was fun to make rainbows.

We have some wonderful colourful light objects at home which delight the grandchildren. A multi-faceted glass crystal, a multicoloured lamp, and a magic book that opens with different kinds of light. These things delight and give joy.

Our early understanding of the God who created light from nothing, and Jesus as the Light of the world, are perhaps childlike in some ways. Some concepts are very hard to grasp. I love the description of our Creator God in Psalm 104, a Psalm which is very reminiscent of the Genesis creation account. Our Creator God wraps Himself in light. He made moon to mark the seasons, and the sun that knows when to go down. He set the earth on its foundations; and the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He is a fountain of cascading light.

We are now the children of light, and we live in the light of Christ. “You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord’s people, you are in the light. So, you must live like people who belong to the light.” Ephesians 5 v 8 GNT

The God who said, “Out of darkness the light shall shine!” is the same God who made His light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God’s glory shining in the face of Christ.

2 Corinthians 4 v 6 GNT

May we reflect the light of Jesus, as children of light. May our words and lives be attractive, winsome, so that others notice something rather different in us and be attracted to the source of that light and energy. May our lights shine in the shadows and the dark places. May our lights point out the way for others.

A Celtic Circle Prayer

Circle me Lord, Keep hope near, And evil afar.”
Circle me Lord, Keep light near, And darkness afar.”
Circle me Lord, Keep peace within, Keep fear out.”
Circle me Lord, Keep hope within, Keep doubt without.

Mighty God,
My protection be
Encircling me.
You are around
My home, my street
Encircling me
O Sacred Three.

Jane Coates

7th October 2024

Jane Coates. Thoughts and prayers. Grace in the place – the place of testing.

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Unanticipated trials and challenges are generally not welcomed. We may hope that we will somehow be saved and protected from these kinds of things and yet often this is not the case, and the road in front of us may suddenly become difficult, discouraging, beyond our understanding, and perhaps also beyond our usual coping mechanisms. Yet we try to keep walking in trust along with our faithful God. It would be easy to harbour negative thoughts, to complain, go into avoidance mode, or even begin to doubt our trust and confidence in the God who loves us. But on this kind of journey, we need to know and to depend on the God who will be there with us. We need to know that in that time of hard testing, He will keep us safe. Can we trust that He will give us the resources and strength for whatever we need on any testing journey?
 
Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.
1 Corinthians 10 v 13 GNT
 
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus modelled a prayer marked by a relationship and a trust in His Father. We may pray for protection against the ills, trials, tests and challenges of life in our own lives and that of our families, but there is no guarantee of this for us. What He does promise to us is to keep us safe and to walk with us though the experience and the trial.
 
Do not bring us to hard testing but keep us safe from the Evil One. Matthew 6 v 13 GNT
 
I have learned from experience that it can be helpful to prepare for the unexpected, the twists and turns in life, the shocks and the shadows. This is not to be gloomy or fearful of the tests and trials that may come, but not to be shocked by them. Anticipation and preparation are two significant things that we can build on. So, how may we prepare ourselves for the bumps in the road? For they will surely come at some point. They are the kinds of tests that’ normally come.’ We need to safeguard and grow that close relationship with the Father, trust His faithfulness, and grace and curb that desire to rely on our own strength and ability.
 
I have just watched Sunday’s Songs of Praise, and the closing hymn was the beautiful hymn written by George Matheson. The hymn assures us that Love will not let us go, that he will seek us through the pain and trials, and that there will be a rainbow after rain.
 
O Love, that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
 
O Joy, that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to Thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain
That morn shall tearless be.
 
PRAY
I am safe in the deep waters, the shallows, the turbulent, crashing waves, because you are holding me. Help me to trust you.
 
Jane Coates
20th September 2024

Jane Coates. Thoughts and prayers. Do not say I am only…

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Do not say I am only…
 
Dear God
please untie the knots
that are in my mind,
my heart and my life.
Remove the have not’s,
the can not’s and the do not’s
that I have in my mind.
 
Erase the will not’s,
may not’s
might not’s that may find
a home in my heart.
 
Release me from the could not’s,
would not’s and
should not’s that obstruct my life.
 
And most of all,
Dear God,
I ask that you remove from my mind,
my heart, and my life, all of the ‘am not’s’
that I have allowed to hold me back,
especially the thought,
that I am not good enough
Amen
 
There are many characters in the Bible accounts who felt inadequate, unworthy, felt too old or too young, who were powerless with words, were unloved, were of the wrong cultural group or nationality, who were childless, or heart broken. There were those who felt that the task that God was giving them was too much and that they were surely not the right person for the job. They did not have the skill set or aptitude for the role. But God reminded them of who He was and His grace.
 
Jeremiah “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do pnot know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1 v 6-8 NIV
 
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Exodus 3 v 11 NIV. 
 
Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. Deuteronomy 31 v 2 NIV
 
Leah felt unloved and sidelined. When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, He gave me this one too. Genesis 29 v31-33
 
Hannah “I am a woman who is deeply troubled.  I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 1 Samuel 1 v 15
 
John “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  Mark 1 v 7
 
We can perhaps identify with many of the characters in the Bible who felt that they were not up to the mark. But, whenever we feel inadequate, have made a mistake, wonder what on earth we think we are doing, have a crisis of confidence, worry that we have made a wrong choice, feel a failure at our given task, then remind yourself of who you are in Christ. Remember that you are loved, you are chosen, you are forgiven, you are accepted, you have the peace of Christ, and you are His workmanship. He has not finished with you yet.
 
PRAY
 
Oh God of second chances and new beginnings, here I am again. Nancy Spiegelberg
 
God be in my head, and in my understanding.
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end, and at my departing.
 
A Medieval Prayer 1538

Encounters: I can see clearly. Mark 10 and Mark 8. Jane Coates’ “first person” take on two sight miracles

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Bartimaeus of Jericho. I live in Jericho. I spend my days sitting by the roadside, unable to work or provide for myself. It is lonely by the roadside, but I have learned to listen carefully, to read the mood of passers-by and to know if they will help or ignore the blind man begging at their feet. I have learned to listen to the crowds, to the children with their games, to the mothers scolding or singing to their children. I have also heard tales of the Teacher Jesus, the Jesus of Nazareth who people called the son of David and who they hope will be the One to save Israel. I will never forget the day it happened. On that day there would be a breakthrough in my life that I could never have thought possible. Let me tell you how it happened. I was begging by the roadside as usual when I heard the noise of a very large crowd. Someone shouted across to me that it was Jesus of Nazareth and His followers on their way out of the city. So, I started to shout out for help. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” I got louder and louder. “Son of David, have mercy on me!” The crowd tried to shut me up. They told me to stop, to leave the roadside. They would have kicked me into silence if they could have. But I shouted even more and called out even more loudly. I would not be silenced. I would not be rebuked or held back. He had such a gentle voice. I heard Him say “Call him.” He had heard my cries and called for me. I was helped up to my feet and throwing off my cloak I was directed into the presence of Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” He asked. My words were brief. “Rabbi, I want to see.” He simply said, “Go, your faith has saved you.” It was instant, dramatic, life changing. I saw the crowd. I saw the face of Jesus, the Teacher, the One who had healed me and at that moment I made the decision to leave everything and to follow Him. The man of Bethsaida. I live in Bethsaida. One thing that you should know about me is that I am blind and so I depend on others to lead and to help. One day, news spread in the town, with great excitement, that Jesus, the healer was travelling through with His disciples. He had been this way before and so His reputation had gone before Him. The news was now out there and could not be silenced. My friends had heard of this Jesus and were determined to get me to Him. “Surely He will heal you” they said, “as He has healed others”. So, they almost dragged me out of my home, leading me hurriedly to the Healer. They brought me before Him and pleaded with Him, begged Him, urging Him to consider my situation and to show mercy and to heal. What happened next was strange beyond words. The Healer gently took hold of my arm and carefully led me out of the town to a quiet place, away from prying eyes. I am used to this kind of help, but His hand, His touch was different- gentle, sensitive, loving. What happened next was even stranger, almost bizarre and totally unexpected- a shock really. I was aware of Him spitting on my eyes and gently touching them. Then He asked me “do you see anything?” Things at first seemed to be blurred, unclear, hazy and indistinct. Once again, He touched my eyes and as I looked intently into the far distance I could see clearly, perfectly and the realization of what had just happened began to dawn on me. I could see men. I could see clearly. And I could see Jesus. But the strangeness continued as He told me not to go straight back to town. “Do not enter the village,” He said. I believe that He did not want me to immediately broadcast what had just happened to me. But surely within days the news would spread? How could I keep this quiet? Thoughts It was after this event that Jesus took His disciples to one side and asked them some very significant and searching questions. “Who do people say I am?” and then “Who do you say I am?” Jesus. I believe that He was asking them to deeply consider what kind of Christ they thought Him to be. What was their understanding of Jesus as Saviour or Messiah, and could they understand the nature of the suffering that He would encounter? Often, I lose sight of Jesus. I don’t have my eyes fixed on Him. Quite often my vision is blurred, out of focus or just short sighted. Like the man of Bethsaida, I need to look intently, carefully and to keep looking. I need to see Jesus for who He is and to keep Him in my sights. The Message version puts it this way. “The man looked hard and realized that he had recovered perfect sight, saw everything in bright, twenty-twenty focus”. v 26 May we have Jesus in twenty-twenty focus and follow Him. Jane Coates

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