St. Andrews Lutheran Church

09/09/2026

Daily reflection: Wednesday 9 September 2026
The Gift of Presence

📖 "Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was” Job 2:13.

🕯️ When we find ourselves in a difficult situation, it is easy to become so focused on the darkness that we stop noticing the little lights around us.

Job was suffering deeply. His friends could not take away his pain or explain what was happening. But they came. They sat with him. They stayed.

Sometimes we can become so overwhelmed by what we are going through that we don't notice the people God has placed in our lives. The person who calls to check in. A friend who listens. Someone who sits quietly beside us. These things don't make our problems disappear. But they remind us that we don't have to face them alone.
Perhaps one of the little lights of grace we most easily overlook is simply the presence of another person.

Jesus often brings His love to us through ordinary people. Their presence may not change our circumstances, but it can remind us that we are seen, loved and not forgotten. And perhaps today, we can also be that little light for someone else. Sometimes we don't need the right words. Sometimes simply being there is enough.

🙏 Lord Jesus, thank You for those who support us. Help us recognise their presence as Your gift and be a loving presence to others. Amen.

🩷 Today, notice one person whose presence is a gift to you, and simply say: “Thank You, God, for them.” (HPvF)

08/09/2026

Daily reflection: Tuesday 8 September 2026
The Gift of Enough

📖 " The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 1 Kings 19:7.

🕯️ The great prophet Elijah is exhausted. These days we might say he has burnout. He has reached the point where he has had enough. And how does God react? God does not tell him to try harder. He simply gives him what he needs: food, water and rest.

We sometimes expect God’s grace to arrive in dramatic ways. But Elijah reminds us that God’s care can come through something as simple as food and rest. It makes me wonder how many little gifts of grace we walk past every day. A good night's sleep. A meal prepared by someone else. A quiet moment or a friend who makes us laugh.

These things do not make our problems disappear. But grace does not always mean that God removes the problem. Sometimes grace means God gives us enough for today. Elijah still had a journey ahead of him. Nothing had magically changed. But God gave him what he needed for the next part of the journey.

Jesus knows our weakness and weariness. He does not despise the moments when we have had enough. Perhaps today's little light of grace is simply recognising that God has given us what we need for today. Not everything. Just enough.

🙏 Lord Jesus, thank You for the ordinary gifts I so easily overlook. Give me what I need for today, and open my eyes to recognise Your grace in the small things. Amen.

🩷 Today, notice one ordinary thing that sustains you, and simply say: “Thank You, God, for this.” (HPvF)

07/09/2026

07/09/2026

*Daily reflection: Monday 7 September 2026*
*When God Makes a Way*

💡 Life can sometimes feel very dark, and it is easy to miss the small ways God is still at work. This week, we will slow down and notice those quiet reminders of His grace. Even in the darkness, there are little lights of grace still shining.

📖 " I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them.” Isaiah 42:16.

🕯️There are anxious moments when we simply do not know what to do next. We wonder, “Which decision should I make? What happens now? How am I going to manage this?”

Sometimes we wish God would show us the whole road ahead. But often, He gives us just enough light for the next step. Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture of God leading people along an unfamiliar road, perhaps one they would never have chosen. And yet God says, “I will lead them.”

Sometimes the little light of grace is not seeing the whole way, but being given enough light to take the next step. Perhaps through a conversation, an offer of help, or simply finding the courage to take the next step. These moments can seem ordinary, but God often works quietly, a step at a time, a person at a time, a day at a time.

And this points us towards Jesus. He does not give us a map showing every detail of our future. He simply says, “Follow me.” We don't have to see the whole road before we take the next step.

🙏 Lord Jesus, guide my next step and help me trust You. Open my eyes to Your guidance today. Amen. Amen.

🩷 Today, don't look for the whole road. Look for one next step. Where might God be quietly making a way?
(HPvF)

06/09/2026

Trinity XIV

04/09/2026

Friday, 4th September – The Result of Faithful Service

"And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith." (Acts 6:7)

The result of the apostles' wisdom and the seven deacons' faithful service is remarkable. The Church did not shrink because the apostles delegated—it grew! Serving the poor and preaching the Word are not competitors; they are partners. The gospel became believable when the community cared for its own.

Growth follows unity, and unity follows a willingness to listen, adapt, and serve. When we care for the vulnerable, when we break down divisions, when we empower others, the word of God spreads. Practical love opens the door for the gospel.

Do you believe that your acts of service contribute to the growth of God's kingdom? Do you see your hospitality, your kindness, your generosity as part of the gospel witness? Today, remember that when you serve, you are not just helping people—you are making the gospel credible. Your service is a sermon.

Father, help me to see that my service matters. Use my acts of love to make the gospel believable and to draw others to You. May Your Word increase through my hands and heart. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria AAHollas

03/09/2026

*Thursday, 3rd September – The Dignity of Service*

"They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip... These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them." (Acts 6:5-6)

Stephen is described as "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." Philip, too, later becomes a great evangelist, preaching to the Ethiopian eu**ch and planting churches (Acts 8). Yet their first ministry was serving tables.

There is a tendency in the Church to elevate "spiritual" ministries (preaching, teaching, leading) above "practical" ministries (hospitality, administration, service). But the apostles did not see it that way. The seven were not merely good administrators—they were Spirit-filled leaders. Serving is a spiritual calling, and faithfulness in service opens the door to greater ministry.

Philip started by serving tables and ended up being an evangelist. Stephen served faithfully and became the first martyr, seeing the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). When we serve with humility and faith, we are not just doing a job—we are preparing for whatever God has next.
Do you see your service as spiritual?
Are you serving "full of the Spirit and wisdom"?
Today, offer your service to God as an act of worship.

Lord Jesus, You came not to be served but to serve. Help me to see all my work—whether humble or prominent—as an offering to You. Fill me with Your Spirit and wisdom. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria AAHollas

01/09/2026

Tuesday, 1st September – Knowing Your Calling

"It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom." (Acts 6:2-3)

The apostles' response to the complaint is remarkable. They did not say that serving tables was unspiritual or beneath them. They recognized that it was simply not their primary calling. They were called to prayer and the ministry of the Word. If they abandoned that calling, everyone would suffer.

There is no suggestion in this passage that one role is more important than the other. Prayer and serving the Word, and distributing food, are equally necessary for the body to flourish. But clarity about calling is essential. The apostles knew what they were supposed to do—and equally importantly, they knew what they were not supposed to do.

This week, take time to reflect on your own calling.
What has God specifically entrusted to you?
What are the "tables" you are serving that someone else could be empowered to serve?

Knowing your calling is not about pride or status—it is about faithfulness. When we do what we are called to do, and release what we are not called to do, the whole body is strengthened.

Lord, help me to know my calling and to guard it. Give me the humility to release what others can do, and the courage to embrace what only I can do. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria AAHollas

31/08/2026

Monday, 31st August – When Growth Brings Growing Pains

"Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution." (Acts 6:1)

The early Church was experiencing extraordinary growth. Thousands were coming to faith. The community shared everything in common. It must have felt like a golden age. Yet even in this season of blessing, a complaint arose. The Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

It is tempting to idealize the early Church, but here we find tension between the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Diaspora immigrants) and the Aramaic-speaking Hebrews. The apostles could have ignored the complaint or dismissed it as ingratitude. Instead, they listened. They acknowledged the injustice. Growth, it seems, brings not only blessings but also challenges. When we grow—as a church, as a family, as individuals—we encounter new pressures and problems. The question is not whether challenges will come, but whether we will face them with wisdom and humility.

As you begin this week, ask yourself: Are there "complaints" in your life or community that you have been ignoring? Perhaps God is inviting you to listen, to acknowledge, and to seek a constructive solution.

Heavenly Father, when I face challenges, give me the wisdom to listen and the humility to respond with grace. Help me to see difficulties as opportunities for growth. Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria AAHollas

28/08/2026

Daily reflection: Friday 28 August 2026
Grief: F - Faith holds onto God

📖 "How long, O Lord?” Psalm 13:1

🕯️ This may seem like a strange verse with which to end the week. But it is a prayer of faith. The psalmist is hurting. He does not understand what God is doing. He asks, “How long?”

Faith does not mean having all the answers. Faith means bringing our unanswered questions to God and refusing to let go of Him. We are to cling to him like a “black-jack”. There may be things about our grief that we will never understand. There may be prayers that seem unanswered. There may be days when our faith feels strong, and other days when it feels very small.

But even a small faith can reach out and say, “God, I don't understand. I don't know what tomorrow will look like. But I am putting my hand into Yours today.” That is enough. We may not know what lies ahead, but we can trust the One who holds us today and takes us by our hands and leads us step for step.

🙏 Lord, we do not always understand why things happen. When our faith feels small, help us to keep holding onto You. Give us the courage to bring our questions, fears and pain to You. Hold us when we cannot hold ourselves. Amen.

🩷 Today, open your hands and hold them out in front of you. Name before God one thing you do not understand, one thing that hurts, or one thing you are afraid of. Then pray: “Lord, I don't have the answers. But I place this in Your hands. Hold me today.” (HPvF)

As we come to the end of this week, remember the word GRIEF
G – God is with us.
R – Remembering is part of grieving.
I – It is okay not to be okay.
E – Each other.
F – Faith holds onto God, even without answers.