Ballygawley and Ballyreagh Presbyterian Church

18/06/2026

ISAIAH 53:7–9

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

REFLECT
The Servant of the Lord: Like a Lamb to the Slaughter
I went to see a shepherd in Romania. I, along with my colleagues in Exodus, was intrigued by the fact that in Romania they still shepherd sheep the way they would have in Jesus’ day: with the sheep following the shepherd, with wolves posing a threat, and with the shepherd as protector – staying out all night with the sheep. It was quite an experience staying with him overnight. The next year we brought some young people with us to meet Ioan (John).

I asked him why he thought the Bible uses sheep as a picture for both us and for Jesus. He answered, “Because the sheep is the humblest animal on earth.”

And, of course, within the song, we are “like sheep” (Isaiah 53:6) and now the suffering Servant is described as a lamb (v7). A lamb being led to slaughter – silent. Humble. Just like Jesus before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:9). Jesus gives his life as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). It is everything the temple system was pointing to. It is everything we need to be right with God.

The one word that encapsulates this sacrifice is worthy.

This is the word revealed to John in Patmos as he is shown the heavenly chorus. Though Jesus was quiet, there is a ‘loud voice’ in Revelation that will resound for eternity, saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12).

And every creature will one day say:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13).

The Lamb was silent in sacrifice; heaven is loud with praise.

RESPOND
If you’re interested in what our visit to the shepherd looked like, we have a wee video of it here.

Lord, you are worthy, to receive all our praise. And we echo the words of the late British missionary, C.T. Studd, in our prayer this morning, “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.” Lord, we present ourselves before you as a living sacrifice.. Amen

17/06/2026

ISAIAH 53:1–6

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

REFLECT
The Servant of the Lord: Pierced for Our Transgressions
Would you like to know how you will die? I wouldn’t.

We know Jesus read Isaiah; he quotes from it when announcing his ministry (Luke 4:17–21). But imagine Jesus, as a young man, reading Isaiah. These four songs are the blueprint for his life. And in today’s passage, he would read the plans for his death.

I want to do no more than leave that thought with you and repeat the words of this passage again. This time using The Message. Let it sink in a little deeper today.

Jesus came for you.

There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried –
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him – our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.

RESPOND
Lord, forgive us when we take for granted the life you lived and the death you died. I’m sorry. Forgive us. Amen.

16/06/2026

ISAIAH 52:13–15

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him – his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness – 15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.

REFLECT
The Servant of the Lord: My Servant Will Act Wisely
Today’s passage begins the fourth and final of the ‘Servant Songs’ in Isaiah. Is that phrase new to you? Here’s where they are. (Oh, and if you lead a home group or family time with God, they make for a worthwhile read together.)

First Servant Song, Isaiah 42:1–9 – which introduces us to the Servant of the Lord who is chosen by God and delighted over by God. “I will put my Spirit on him” (v1) is fulfilled when the Spirit descends on Jesus at his baptism (Matthew 3:16).

Second, Isaiah 49:1–13 – tells of the splendour of the Servant and his work: “that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

Third, Isaiah 50:4–11 – which is introduced in Isaiah 50:1–3 by speaking of Israel's sin and then contrasts that to the Servant who has “not been rebellious” (Isaiah 50:5).

Now we come to the fourth and final Servant Song: Isaiah 52:13–53:12.

This is the climax. The Servant, who has the Spirit and splendour of God and has not yielded to sin, will, this fourth song tells us, suffer and be exalted.

What we are reading this week, is, as far as I can see, the most detailed passage in the Hebrew Scriptures pointing to the death and resurrection of Jesus. In this introduction we hear of extreme violence enacted on the Servant of God – the Servant is disfigured, yet exalted.

And…

“He will be raised” (v13).

RESPOND
If you want to get the most out of this week's readings, it would be helpful to read the whole fourth song today: Isaiah 52:13–53:12.

Lord, we stand on holy ground. We want to marvel at your Servant. Amen.

14/06/2026

12/06/2026

ISAIAH 51:1–8

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; 2 look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. 3 The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

4 “Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: instruction will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. 5 My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm. 6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last for ever, my righteousness will never fail.

7 “Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: do not fear the reproach of mere mortals or be terrified by their insults. 8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last for ever, my salvation through all generations.”

REFLECT
The God Who Delivers: My Salvation Will Last Forever.
Isaiah invites us to remember before we try to endure. God calls his people to “look to the rock from which you were cut” (v1) – to trace their story back to his faithfulness. Remembering God’s past work in our lives strengthens our ability to trust him in present uncertainty. When fear grows loud, memory becomes a spiritual anchor.

This reflects how our minds often work. When we are anxious, we naturally focus on threats and worse-case scenarios. We forget evidence of God’s provision, faithfulness and care. God interrupts this pattern. He tells his people to remember Abraham and Sarah (v2) – a barren beginning transformed into a flourishing promise (Genesis 12:1–3). In other words: You have seen me work before. I have not changed.

Then God lifts their eyes even higher: “My salvation will last forever” (v6). Everything else fades – nations, systems, even the earth itself – but his deliverance remains. Our focus is shifted from temporary thinking to eternal perspective: holding lightly to what fades so we can cling more firmly to what lasts forever.

The God who delivered before still delivers now. His righteousness is not temporary, and his salvation is not fragile. While circumstances change, his faithfulness remains steady.

RESPOND
Today, you may feel surrounded by uncertainty. But God invites you to practise remembering. Recall the times he carried you, provided for you unexpectedly, or gave peace when fear seemed far more reasonable. These memories quieten fear and strengthen hope.

Rest in this truth: the same God who shaped your past is already holding your future.

CONTRIBUTOR THIS WEEK
Clare Watton, West Church Bangor, Mission and Outreach Associate.

11/06/2026

‼️Just one week to go!! 🎤🎸🎶

Join us for an evening of great music with Second Chance, Kenny Paul and Billy McFarland

📅 Thursday 18th June 2026
🕢 7.30pm
📍 Maghera Presbyterian Church Hall

Everyone welcome. Donation at the door.

Please share and bring a friend!💙

11/06/2026

Disciples Developing Daily Patterns

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READ

The Mission of God: Isaiah 40-55
In Isaiah 40-55, God’s people hear words of comfort, hope, and salvation in the midst of exile. These chapters reveal the Servant of the Lord, the God who renews, delivers, and reigns over all nations. They point us to the everlasting salvation found in Christ. Join us as we journey through these chapters in Isaiah and rediscover the mission of God to bring light, freedom, and joy to the world.


ISAIAH 50:4–9
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.

REFLECT
The God Who Delivers: The Obedient Servant
In this passage, the Servant is awakened each morning to listen like one being instructed (v4). The movement is quiet but profound. Before obedience comes attentiveness. Before courage comes listening.

I invite you to enter the scene. Imagine the stillness of the morning. The Servant is not rushing or reacting, but receiving. He listens to the Sovereign Lord so that he may sustain the weary with a word (v4). This is significant: we cannot offer presence, comfort, or care to others unless we first cultivate it ourselves. Emotional resilience begins with being anchored in God.

The Servant also faces resistance in the form of insult, shame and opposition (vv6–8). Yet he does not turn back. This is not denial of pain, but a steady and purposeful response. He acknowledges suffering while holding on to truth: “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced” (v7). His confidence is rooted not in circumstances, but in his relationship with God.

The Servant sets his face like flint (v7) – not rigidly, but with clarity and resolve. Courage grows when purpose becomes stronger than fear.

God’s deliverance here is not the absence of struggle, but his presence within it. The Servant trusts: “He who vindicates me is near” (v8). This is the quiet strength of obedience – grounded, attentive and resilient.

RESPOND
Notice your inner responses today. Where do you feel resistance? Where do you sense God calling you to obedience, even when it feels uncomfortable?

Pray
"Lord, awaken my ear today. Teach me to listen before I speak, to trust before I react, and to follow you with steady courage. Amen.”

10/06/2026

ISAIAH 49:13–18

13 Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. 17 Your children hasten back, and those who laid you waste depart from you. 18 Lift up your eyes and look around; all your children gather and come to you. As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride.

REFLECT
The God Who Delivers: Can a Mother Forget Her Child?
God asks a question that reaches into one of the deepest human bonds: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?” (v15). The expected answer is, “No, of course not.” Psychologically, attachment between mother and child is one of the strongest relational bonds known. From pregnancy through infancy, a mother’s brain is literally shaped by caregiving – neurologically wired toward protection, responsiveness and compassion. This is why neglect feels so unnatural; it violates something deeply embedded in human design.

Yet God goes further: “Though she may forget, I will not forget you” (v15). Even the strongest human attachments can fail because of trauma, stress, or brokenness. But God’s love is not dependent on human stability. His care is not reactive – it is covenantal. He delivers not because we hold tightly to him, but because he holds firmly to us.

For Israel, this promise came in exile, when they felt abandoned and unseen. Many of us know that feeling – when prayers seem unanswered and circumstances suggest silence. But God answers with a powerful image: “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (v16). This is not temporary memory; it is permanent belonging. Being seen and remembered restores hope and resilience. Spiritually, knowing that God remembers us anchors our soul.

The God who delivers does not forget. When fear says you are overlooked, God says you are engraved. When circumstances say you are abandoned, God says restoration is coming. His love is deeper than instinct, stronger than circumstance, and faithful beyond human limits.

RESPOND
Pause for a moment today and look for a gentle reminder of God’s love. It might be the warmth of the sun resting softly on your back, a quiet breeze brushing your face, or a small patch of blue sky breaking through the clouds.

Let these simple moments become sacred reminders.

“You are my child, whom I love. I see you. I am with you. I will never forget you.”