Thoughts for the Day

John said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Have you a habit, like me, of believing your way is right? Well I guess we all do this occasionally, especially when it is not something important. I was reminded of this recently when I took up knitting again, and the pattern said to "cast on stitches using the thumb method", and then I watched a friend do exactly this. Until now I had always cast on my stitches by using two needles. Over the years I taught many people to knit, including my brother who was about to engage in a 24 hour knitting marathon to raise money for a church in Burgess Hill.

So in today's reading we have a man who is "casting out demons", that is, he is healing people. But he's not one of the disciples, and he's not doing it in the right way. As we have seen during the Week of Prayer for Christian unity recently, different Christian denominations do things differently, this does not mean we are right and they are wrong. It also reminds me of how children tell tales about one another to their parents. They always believe they have the moral high ground!

But look at the response the disciples get when they appeal to Jesus for judgement. Jesus says effectively that those who have enough faith to pray and worship in His name, are part of God's Kingdom, even if the disciples don't recognise this. If they can do "deeds of power" in the name of Jesus then they are already half-way to following him.

As we have seen again and again in the Bible there is power in a "name". Today may we not forget this power still exists when we pray in the name of Jesus.

Lord Jesus,
only You know the hearts of Your people;
and only You know what is true faith.
Teach us not to be critical of others who worship
in a different way to ourselves,
but to recognise that all who use Your name
in prayer and worship
are fellow-travellers
in the Way of Christ.
Amen.