URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 19th November 2024

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Tuesday 19 November 2024
Safeguarding 8 Let us build a (safe) house

Psalm 46 
 
God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. 
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. 
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
    see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations,
    I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. 
 
Reflection 

Marty Haugen’s popular hymn Let Us Build A House Where Love Can Dwell  is an exhortation to the Church reminding us to build a place where people can flourish, all are welcome, and diversity is a hallmark.  It contains a compelling vision of the Church many warm to.  If we are to build such a house we also need to ensure it is safe. 

We know all too well the dreadful consequences of abuse, bullying, silencing, prejudice, and misogyny in church.  I grew up, for example, simultaneously believing that the Church would be a safe place to grow and that it was not a place where I could fully be myself; Church is not always as safe as we think. 

We work hard, in the United Reformed Church, to ensure that all are safe and welcome; we are good at ensuring that the contact details of safeguarding coordinators are prominently displayed.  We are clear that, whilst we differ on whether same sex couples can get married in church, no one should be excluded from our life or ministry due to sexuality.  We have rejoiced in women’s ordained ministry for over 100 years – something, amazingly, most Christians around the world still wrestle with.   
 
There’s more we can do to be a safe house of prayer.  We could: 

  • pray for those whose ministry includes safeguarding in the Church
  • put posters for Women’s Aid or domestic abuse service on the inside doors of toilet cubicles
  • pray for those who have yet to speak out and name their abuse
  • collect for the local Refuge where both men and women flee
  • pray for those struggling to understand and control their compulsions
  • pray for, and model, ways of being male which honour and respect women
If we managed this then we would be nearer to the vision the Psalmist offers; a place of refuge where God dwells, offering safety, wholeness, healing and peace. 

Prayer 

God our refuge,
You shake the mountains of our world,
You cause the Church to tremble 
in the face of life’s foaming waters,
yet You offer calm in the storm.
Guide us to make Your Church 
a place of refuge and safety, diversity and difference;
a place of growth and grace,
where we model what the world could be,
and proclaim Your coming Kingdom.  Amen.

Today’s writer

The Revd Andy Braunston is the URC’s Minister for Digital Worship and a member of the Peedie Kirk in Orkney.

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.