“Proof that God is Within” - A Message from 1 John 3:11-24

How do we know that we are a Christian?

We might answer this by saying something like … that we have accepted God’s invitation of grace and received Jesus as our Saviour.

So I’d ask another question.

How do we know we are a growing Christian?

Possibly a harder question to answer! But this is the interest of this passage of John’s letter. Where is the proof that God is active within our lives? How do we measure this? Are we being effective followers of Jesus? How can we know?

When Raelene and I were on holidays in Bright in July, we were invited along to Bright Church of Christ. The pastor there, Ray Smith, (with his wife) also runs a little antique and Devonshire tea place in Wandiligong, which we’ve gone to a number of times.

On the Sunday this pastor preached from this passage in 1 John, and I was completely enthralled by this simple yet profound reality check. How can we tell that God is working through our lives, and we aren’t just part of an elaborate pretence!

Verse 14 answers our inquiry: "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death."

The credibility of our words of faith is proven by our capacity to love others.

This would not just be when it suits us or when we feel like it, but rather as the consistent pattern of our lives.

Having become a Jesus follower is indeed a shift “from death to life”, which is shown to be a reality through love. Receiving God’s gift of grace is the entry ticket into the spiritual life and the basis on which we build faith, but love is the evidence of this happening.

The central dynamic within the church community should be love. Glenn W Barker writes: “… love is the basis for life in the believing community”.

The story is told of a man who looked in the window of a second-hand bookshop and saw a book with the title “How to Hug”. This caught the man’s interest … fancy having a whole book written about the art of hugging! In fact so fascinated was he … he was really a bit of a romantic fellow … that he went inside the shop to purchase the book. Imagine how disappointed this man was when he found out that the book “How to Hug” was actually the seventh volume in a set of encyclopaedias that covered the letters HOW to HUG. What a disappointment! This is how it might be like for the person who comes to church looking for expressions of love, a place where you would expect to find them, and doesn’t really find any!

As a Christian Church, we cannot do otherwise than act in love.

Likewise, the central dynamic expressed by the church community to those outside of it should … not be judgement, not be condemnation, but should be love.

And of course, as John points out again, it is Jesus himself who provides the example of what it means to truly love. Verse 16: "We know love by this … that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another".

This is a massive call – that we should go beyond our natural desire to have our own needs fulfilled, to consider the needs of others to be greater than our own.

Jesus’ own desire to live became secondary to the service he felt called to bring to humanity.

So in relationships, families, friendships and communities, there will be many opportunities to make sacrifices on behalf of others. Positive responses to such opportunities will of course prove that God is within us and we are followers of Saviour Jesus. The reverse would be the case where the sort of refusal described in verse 17 is seen: "How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help"?

What is the only available answer to the question put here?!?
It [love] can’t!

Love is designed to go beyond word, speech and sentiment into action. G Campbell Morgan writes that, “Love in word may possibly be sincere, but it is of no real value if it stops short of the deed”.

And so love can be costly, just like Jesus’ love for us was costly to him. We learn to love by discovering how great the love of Jesus was for us. And this love will see past a lost of frustrations and disappointments in other people, to how God sees the potential in these same people.

In the world this level of active practical love will be noticed. This is because it can stand in such stark contrast to the individualism, the rampant commercialism, the self-serving behaviour, and the uncaring violent outbursts around us. This level of love could gain us great credit. On the other hand it may attract opposition, as it did in the day in which John wrote this letter, and on that day when Cain was affronted by his brother Abel’s right living and killed him. Yet the repeated emphasis of this text gives us no option but the life of love.

This passage does include some great encouragement for us (in verses 19-20). While we never get life completely right, and thus we can tend to get down on ourselves – as we endeavour to practice love on a daily basis, despite not always getting it right, God recognises us as belonging to Jesus. This is because, although we still struggle, our heart is in the right place. We might convict ourselves, or others might point the finger at us, but what really counts is what God thinks; and God honours the person who truly loves. God knows what makes us tick, and where we’re coming from, and when this is centred on active love, we are reassured of God’s favour. There can be nothing to fear.

And as we grow in love, and as our desires begin to conform more to God’s will for us, then life starts to pan out more beneficially. We are now not just plucking at God trying to gain some of His attributes here and there, but abiding wholly in God embracing everything that God is … and the most of what God is … is Love. We now know what to pray for, and our prayers are answered accordingly. But, it all starts with a heart of love for God and others.

Love is the unmistakable evidence that God has touched us and that Jesus has entered our hearts.

So we have to ask ourselves … Is there enough evidence to convict us of being a Christian?

I asked God to take away my pride.
And God said no.
God said it was not for Him to take away,
But for me to give up!

I asked God to grant me patience.
And God said no.
God said that patience is a by-product of life’s challenges;
It isn’t granted, it’s learned!

I asked God to give me happiness.
And God said no.
God said He gives blessings,
Happiness is up to me!

I asked God to spare me pain.
And God said no.
He said suffering was part of growing,
And brings me closer to God!

I asked God to help me love others as much as God loves me.
And God said … Ah, at last. Now you have the idea!

What Does It Mean To Be Church? - 19th Anniversary Celebrations

Here are some possibilities in answering the above question:
· The organised association of (local) people who profess to believe in and follow Jesus
· A community where its conscience is directed towards Jesus
· A spiritual reality made visible in a corporate form in the world
· A community that expresses its faith and worship as it listens, learns and follows God’s ways, as these are revealed in Scripture and by the Holy Spirit
· The place where Jesus unites people together in an environment of encouragement, support and challenge
· A community that does not exist for its own sake (or to conserve its own interests) but rather to share the love of Jesus (as experienced in the Gospels) with its neighbours.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul is keen to describe what a church would be like and how it might function. He describes this in terms of a human body. And it is the Church which forms and functions like the human body that truly takes the role of Christ’s physical body on earth. Let’s read together verse 4 to 7 and then 12 to 27.

A human body has a number of varying parts combined together to make a whole. It is necessary for all these parts to work together in a coordinated way to make the body function to its fullest capacity. The hands do this, and the legs work that way; the eyes see, and the ears hear; all the various organs have there particular role. All such parts are interrelated and interdependent in sustaining life and making it purposeful.

However it is the brain inside of the head that is the nerve centre or control centre that keeps all of these interrelationships effective.

So it is with the church. The church community brings together a whole of lot of diverse people and personalities, all with their own particular contributions to make to the effectiveness of the whole. Just like the body can’t easily do without any of its member parts, so too the church community is the lesser if there are missing parts, or parts that for whatever reason are functioning less than their best. Such interrelated and interdependent parts of a church community must realise the need to support all the parts, or we should say the members, especially any who are struggling under difficulty. This would be a mutual response to the need for individual and collective health.

This is all beautifully summed up by G B Wilson who writes: “As the healthy functioning of the natural body demands the harmonious working together of all its constituent parts, so it is also with the Church which is the spiritual body of Christ.

Again it will be the head that holds all this diversity and complexity together. And we have come to know that the head of the church is Jesus Christ. Jesus was sent to earth, having already been a part of creating it, to usher in the Kingdom of God, the realm in which the will of God was sought on earth as it always had been in heaven. There was then the salvation event of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the founding of a movement by Jesus’ first disciples which has become known as the church. For the church to be truly God’s church, she needs to have Jesus as the head, the One who in effect does the thinking, guides the life of the church – the planning, decision-making, activities, and the One who holds all the divergent parts together.

Why is this so important? Because the church has a purpose! And this purpose is not only the survival of its component members within a hostile environment, and not only to grow and mature such people in the image of Jesus, but also to be a missional body – to share the richness of its life in God with all those yet to experience the Kingdom of God, and to together represent Jesus on earth.

And so we in the church bring all our individual gifts to the table, some we were born with, some we have been gifted with over time by the Holy Spirit … we bring all these, those that seem mighty important, and those that seem a little insignificant … those that are loud, and those that are quiet … we bring all these gifts to the table – for the sake of the common good! When we look at what God has given to each of us in terms of abilities (and probably resources as well) we need to look to the heart of this passage from 1 Corinthians 12 which stands at verse 7: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good”. And the best way to interpret the “common good” is to think in the broadest possible terms.

Just for the ‘rev heads’ amongst us, would not another example be the engine in a car, that includes so many different components, which on their own don’t achieve all that much, but when properly assembled, and then tuned, can power four wheels to turn at an incredible speed.

When we come to the later verses of our reading, we see that Paul was addressing rivalries and jealousies in the Corinthian church. There is no room in a Jesus following community for any feelings of spiritual superiority, boasting over gifts, or judgementalism. Those things that tend to divide people in the world, like status, knowledge and background bear no importance in valuing people in God’s church. Quiet, behind the scenes, use of gifts, is just as important as the obvious out there giftedness. No role is inferior to any other role, it’s just different.

Many people feel unappreciated, unneeded or unwanted in the workplace – this should not be the case in the church. It is exactly because, the eye can’t brush teeth, and the ear can’t go for a jog, that we all need each other. Everyone can give something, everyone can receive something. At the same time as doing what we can do, we allow and encourage others to do what they are gifted to contribute.

Matthew Henry wrote: “Variety in the members of the body contributes to the beauty of it”. It’s purely a matter of how God’s grace has panned out in each person’s life, and how God blends that diversity together into a harmonious whole.

So today, in acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness through 19 years of church community, we want to express together some of this relational interconnectedness and mutual giftedness in ways that encourage one another and potentially reach out beyond ourselves.

(1) This very connectedness is shown in 3 jigsaw puzzles we have had made. These are pictures of this community at worship, a worship that seeks to draw others in from the neighbourhoods around us. Essentially these jigsaws picture us as a collective movement of God’s leading. Now hopefully we won’t find any pieces missing, for those who like jigsaws no how this feels. Every piece is crucial to unravelling God’s view of things. You may like to participate in putting together these 99-piece puzzles.

(2) Then we have the opportunity of creating a banner or quilt (call it what you will) that can be hung and admired, reminding us of the various elements of giftedness that we bring together, especially that creativeness, a creativity, that if we just have the courage and confidence to let it flow, will take us into areas we had never before imagined. Such an artistic display might also represent the inclusive and broadly welcoming nature of the church. And different ideas are brought together into one piece.

(3) Also along creative lines, but also along the lines of remembering key biblical concepts and promises of God, we have the opportunity for children and any others who want to, to colour sheets, and also have them laminated to serve as placements. These can go home and be used at the dinner table, reminding each family unit of the fact of belonging to a wider family – the family of God … expressed in a church community.

(4) Then we have a prayer elective. As people join together to seek God’s mind and blessing, we are reminded that the church is far more than a human organisation – the church is a spiritual movement in touch with the power of the Divine Trinity of God. And so we would pray for direction, we would pray for our needs, we would pray in praise and thanksgiving for the knowledge of God we have experienced. And through this we would listen to God and one another, and be encouraged about the future.

(5) Then we have card-making. The selecting (in this case creating) of cards, along with writing a sentiment and sending them off is a powerful example of how we can care for one another in the human community. Such cards can be very personal, and being so, can be so uplifting and encouraging to the receiver. It is also good for the sender as they have stretched themselves to find ways and words of expressing support – the sort of care that God has for us all – pastoral care.

(6) Then we have badge-making. When we wear a particular label, like say a Carlton Football Club emblem on a jacket, or a red, white and blue bulldog on a jumper, we are saying something … we are saying who we support. This is a statement of identity and belonging. Making a badge and putting on it something that represents our faith, makes a statement about who we are and what is important to us. This reminds us of the badge, which is really our whole life, that says we barrack for (or better perhaps, follow) Jesus.

(7) Finally we have the opportunity to have our face-painted. For me this reminds us that we are a witnessing community of faith – we testify what Jesus has done for us to the world at large. This also reminds me that we should be an attractive, good-looking community to those who take an interest. Whereas we can show hope and positivity in our body language, it is usually most in our face that we can reflect the light of Jesus (even in the face of adversity). Shine Jesus … shine your light through the smile in my face and the glint in my eyes.

Having involved ourselves in these activities for a while, we’ll come back together and just talk about those things that occurred to us about what it means to be church!

What did you learn from these activities … about another person, about the meaning of being church, about God???

"God's Covenant with Abraham" - Genesis 12:1-9 & Genesis 17:1-22

1. Introduction

An earlier covenant had been made by God with Noah, that God would never again be a party to destroying life on earth. This might have been a difficult promise to keep, because of the consistent and ongoing rebellion of humankind – their refusal to live according to God’s ways. Yet God was serious about this and would put a reminder in the skies, a rainbow, so that God would never forget this agreement with humanity. So, despite what God would observe in future days, and how God might feel about this, this covenant could be relied upon, God would honour it, resulting in a continual search for people to come into relationship with God – this was God’s longing from the beginning of time, to be in harmony with what has been created on earth.

I’m wondering whether you are feeling that God is committed to you?

I’m wondering whether you know that God longs for an ever deeper relationship with you?

After it rains, God looks at the rainbow in the sky, and is reminded that the greatest driving force behind creation is God’s own love. God was at pains to remind the ancient people of His availability to them … to bless their lives with peace, hope and purpose. Ultimately God’s commitment to this promise brought Jesus to the earth. There was no sacrifice too great for God when it came to reconciling with you and with me.

2. Covenant

Have you ever received a promise that seemed to good to be true, yet it was fulfilled?
On the other hand, have you ever received a promise and had it broken?
Have you ever given a promise and broken it?

Sometimes, with some people, the very words ‘I promise’ can be very empty even flippant (because of the track record that sits behind such words).

Have you ever made a pact with someone? How did it turn out?

I remember those pacts we used to make at school … like ‘we’ll be best friends for ever (and won’t let anyone else get in the way)!’

God is serious about the covenants He makes!

‘Covenant’ is basically an agreement between parties, containing promises concerning certain attitudes or action, binding each party mutually to those undertakings.

An earthly example could be a ‘marriage’ undertaken on the basis of wedding vows that have intimate and life-long components to them (this however would be an exclusive arrangement between two specific parties).

The biblical covenants are God’s gracious initiatives toward relationship with all the peoples of the earth. Such covenants express God’s heart of reaching out to humanity. This is a missional God, a fact often forgotten by people who would prefer to contain God to their own needs. This is a giving God, who is able to make such everlasting commitments. Such a ‘covenant’ is not a reward for obedience, but rather just quite naturally what God is about, seeking to lovingly motivate the right application of our freewill.

So, the ‘old covenant’ (given in the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures) reflects a cohesive and progressive plan for relationship between God and the nation of Israel (as a representation of God’s people), inclusive of all.[1] God offers mercy, guidance and blessing, whilst requiring commitment and faithfulness in return. This was a ‘two-way street’ of call and response, evoking relationships both vertical and horizontal.

The covenant God made in the time of Noah was unconditional, showing that God’s love is unconditional – there is nothing we can do that stops God loving us. We can disappoint God, offend God, oppose God; we can hurt others and hurt ourselves, destroy creation … and God will continue to love us, and be hopeful toward us. Never again would God bring destruction to the earth and its creatures by flood. The next stage of God’s covenant-making would concern providing descendants, giving land, and forming relationship.

What God desires, as we have said many times, is relationship with people. For any relationship to be real it needs to have at least two things:
(a) it needs to have been entered voluntarily (hence God has given us freewill), and
(b) it needs to have mutual appreciation, understanding and response (or you might say, effort). These facets of true relationship have already been expressed by God; now the call comes to the human side. The covenant made with Abraham calls for mutuality – the blessing that the covenant offers is tied to the faithfulness of the human party.

God’s love for us remains unconditional, and God’s covenanted care for humanity unfolds over time. Yet the covenant expressed in the days of Abraham reveals that God’s dealings with us through our every day lives are connected with our faithful, committed (even obedient) responses to God. Later, covenant expressed in the time of Moses took this further (with moral and ethical commandments attached); and then many centuries later, the ‘new covenant’ brought about by Jesus, tangibly offered a way through the mess of trying to be good enough and failing i.e. grace. Ultimately we would experience the forgiveness that maintains relationship through the gift of Jesus.

3. God and Abram

Abram was the son of Terah, who took Abram, Abram’s wife Sarai, and the son of Abram’s deceased brother named Lot, from their home in Ur of the Chaldeans towards Canaan, settling on the way in Haran. It was here that God spoke to Abram. This seems to just come out of the blue in Genesis 12:1, and we are not told that Abram had any particular qualities, yet we know that Abram was simply God’s chosen vessel. We don’t read about any shock or weighty decision-making (as we might expect) in the case of Abram; the story moves quickly to Abram’s obedience. What we simply get is a very clear statement of how faithfulness to God’s call will bring about God’s plans of blessing – not just individual blessing, much bigger than that, the blessing of a whole nation of people, a blessing that will indicate the sort of blessing that God wants to bring to all people at all times in all places on the earth.

Yet we still might read over this too quickly and fail to realise that Abram had to leave the known security of his settled life, and go out into the unknown, without knowing exactly where he would finish up. He may have had to convince his wife Sarai of the reality of God’s direction in this matter, putting aside the fear of criticism had everything gone pear-shaped.

This might be like a pastor I know who was led to move from Chelsea to Point Cook. This pastor’s wife was ultimately willing to move, even though it meant driving from Point Cook to Clayton every working day; but to make the transition easier … it cost this pastor jewellery, a new camera, and a Foxtel subscription. Sarai was possibly a little easier to get on board than this!

The very life of Abram was to build a picture of what relationship with God was all about and where this would lead. On the back of Abram’s faithfulness would a whole worshipping community be built … if only Abram would pack his bags and follow God’s leading into Canaan (and receive all God had to give them there)! Those who join the movement will experience like blessing, those who don’t … suffer the consequences of missed opportunity (truly a “curse” for them). For someone to be under the “curse” referred to here (12:3) is to be removed from the source of light and true community due to their refusal to recognise divine activity. Such a state is definitely to be pitied. On the other hand, those said to be under the “blessing” have recognised the source of Abram’s faith and thus begun their own faith journey.

This covenant included promises concerning nationhood (as a people of God) as well as reputation (“a great nation”), and then well-being (the provision of land – 12:7). “Blessing” means ‘well-being’ in all of life’s dimensions, but is best understood with a focus on the ‘spiritual’ and the ‘social’ aspects, with ‘material’ blessing being seen corporately rather than individually.

This statement of covenant would be a source of great encouragement to the many ensuing generations of God’s people, especially when faced with oppression at the hands of other powers or exile in foreign lands. It is of great comfort to us to know that God has always sought to guide and bless humanity. This is a never-changing characteristic at the heart of God. To know that God has made a ‘covenant’ with all humanity and completely followed through over the centuries, can be reassuring to those who are hard-pressed or overwhelmed with life.

As the Genesis stories of Abraham (as Abram became known from chapter 17) unfold, we see a broader and richer picture of this covenant relationship God was seeking with the people. At 17:1, we read about “El Shaddai” (God) again revealing himself to Abraham and saying, “…walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you…”; again showing that it would be Abraham’s example of faithfulness to God that would allow God’s covenantal promises to become reality across the earth – 17:4 reads, “… You [Abraham] shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations, and in 17:7 we read that God’s covenant will continue through Abraham’s offspring to the generations that follow. Later in 18:19 we read that God had chosen Abraham so that, “… he may charge his children … to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice – so that the Lord may bring about for Abraham what he has promised him”.

One might think that the possibility of such a covenant being maintained would nearly be impossible; about as impossible as a man of ninety-nine years fathering a child with a woman of ninety years. It sounds laughable, and both Abraham and Sarah laughed at this prospect, just like we might doubt at times, yet the resultant child Isaac would be the very line in which the covenant was passed through. With God, seeming impossibilities become realities. Later in the story of Isaac’s conception we read the beautiful verse “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” (18:14).

And whereas we are called to participate and be faithful, it is only God who can bring about good results in fulfilling God’s purposes in the world. We are called to be faithful … God will bring about the positive outcomes. Abraham, in considering the impossibility of Sarah conceiving his child, suggested to God another plan – using his younger son Ishmael (whose mother had been Sarah’s slave), but the text shows that it needed to be God’s plans alone (17:15-19), and not any substitute suggested by Abraham, that would fulfil God’s promises and take the nation forward.

What would it mean to ‘walk before God’ and be blameless??
· a life of trust (in God) as we see later in the Isaac incident – prepared to take a very tricky path knowing that God would not go back on His covenant promises (22:1-19); in fact Abraham was just as prepared to give up his son in sacrifice as God was willing to give up His Son;
· a life of reverence, a consciousness of God’s awesome presence, NB. “Abram fell on his face (17:3);
· developing our likeness to God, or we might say these days … becoming more like Jesus.

And why would this be important in the establishment of a covenant??
· God wants us to fully participate in the fulfilment of His covenant promises; to have a positive influence toward the blessing of others – in so doing receiving blessing ourselves;
· If we fail to ‘walk with God’ then the potential of this everlasting covenant can be delayed in reaching the people that it needs to reach.

The sign of this old covenant was circumcision (whilst the sign of the new covenant we are under is the presence of the Holy Spirit). Do we carry with us certain knowledge of the presence of God’s Spirit that others notice? Are we an active part of God’s covenant relationship with humanity.

4. Conclusion

God’s Eternal Promise is that Faithfulness brings Blessing. Other promises in the human sphere can get forgotten, and sometimes such promises seem conditional or negotiable or provisional. But God’s covenantal heart that seeks out relationships with His created beings is as constant as the universe itself. This has always been the case and continues to be the case today. Let us celebrate God’s faithfulness to us.

[1] Genesis 9:8-17, 12:1-3; Exodus 19:5-6, 24:1-8, 34:10; Deuteronomy 29:10-15.

Sermon on Mark 6:45-56 - "It Is I"

The disciples were terrified. If the rough waters and the strain of keeping the boat afloat were not enough, there was this apparition, this vision, this ghostlike figure walking across the sea. Their fear only grew; they could understand the feelings of the psalmist in Psalm 69:1-2 … “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me.”

At the time in which we read, these disciples are in the middle of something really big. They’ve attached themselves to Jesus, and crowds keep flocking around them. And Jesus keeps sending them off to share the message of his coming. Yet, they’re in a bit of a quandary, because they don’t really understand who this Jesus is. Here they are risking their lives in a boat travelling to a scary place across the sea just because Jesus said to go … and now look at the situation they’re in!

We ourselves have no doubt aligned ourselves with Christianity and accepted Jesus into our lives for a variety of reasons:

· Maybe our life was going really badly and Jesus seemed a good alternative;
· Maybe we had been thinking through the meaning of life and the claims of the Bible really made sense to us;
· Maybe we had grown up with really good Christian examples around us, and we just followed in the same pattern;
· Maybe we had a real sense of Jesus speaking to us and calling us to God.

Whichever route we came through, we find ourselves in the cut and thrust of life … referring to Jesus as our Saviour, Friend, Guide or Lord.

The disciples had left everything behind to follow Jesus, yet this it seems was more in hope and trust than it was in understanding who Jesus was.

Let’s refer back to the last time that the disciples were in trouble on the sea (Mark 4:35-41). On this earlier occasion of travelling by boat to the Gentile side of the sea, Jesus joined the disciples in the boat but went to sleep completely at peace about the journey ahead. When the windstorm came, and waves got up, and the disciples really felt in danger, they woke Jesus up. Despite being accused of not caring, Jesus calmed the wind and settled the waves, and the danger passed. With Jesus on board there would be no problem crossing and ministering on the other side. Yet for the disciples fear had got in the way of faith – indeed fear, or perhaps the unwillingness to take risks, gets in the way of faith growing into something substantial. But the disciples’ final thoughts are the real concern – “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him”? They know Jesus as a person they respect, but at this point, not much more!

Then we cast our minds back to the passage we studied last week, concerning the ‘feeding of the five thousand’. Here we saw the disciples’ reluctance to get involved with offering hospitality to the crowd because they thought they had too little resources. How could you have too little resources with Jesus around! You would have hoped that as these disciples participated in the distribution of loaves and fish to the crowd of five thousand in the form of the never empty packet of tim-tams, that they would have appreciated more what was happening and who Jesus was. The ‘feeding of the five thousand’ was a demonstration of God’s universal offer of hospitality to humankind.

But, today’s passage tells us that they didn’t get it – verse 52 … “for they did not understand about the loaves”. I guess 2,000 years down the track we find this amazing! But then it was all very new and different and ‘out there’ and unexpected. This lack of understanding is recorded for us so that we might just consider whether any of the disciples’ uncertainty (or maybe hesitation) resides in us. Worse than not understanding “about the loaves”, was the comment that followed in verse 52 … “their hearts were hardened”. This is something not previously said about any follower of Jesus, but rather only said about the opponents of Jesus (like the Pharisees) or said about ancient opponents of God (like the Pharaoh of Egypt)! Surely the disciples who had left everything could not possibly be seen in this light could they? How could they be!

What could possibly turn a follower of Jesus into an opponent of Jesus???

· Counting the cost and finding it to be too high!
· Fearing any repercussions that may come from expressing one’s faith!

Fearing repercussions in the human arena … is the enemy of faith. Or better said, when fear is allowed to close one’s eyes to a significant movement of God’s Spirit, the growth of faith is stunted.

It is natural to feel somewhat anxious when you are called upon to explain why your lifestyle is different, or your priorities clash with the prevailing culture, or why your moral position stands out from the crowd. I often feel anxious when I know that moment is approaching when there is no way back from sharing my faith position. The problem lies when that anxiety or fear gets the better of me.

And exactly that has happened to me more times than I want to remember. Do I then crawl into my shell to never surface again. I hope not … I rather learn from this, and seek to discover what I need to know to stand more firm in my faith in the future.

Jesus never gave up on seeking to demonstrate to his disciples who he was, and what that meant!! And we know that when they got it (after the resurrection), they really got it, and together with the later convert Paul, they changed the world! When we look at this text, and realise who Jesus is, and what this means, then we are whole … we are truly saved … we are really free!!

Following the big meal in that deserted cove, the disciples were “made” by Jesus to get into the boat and head for the other side. The Greek word translated “made” here indicates that Jesus ‘urged them strongly’, or ‘put pressure on them’ to go, or even ‘forced’ them; and off they went in the boat. For himself, Jesus needed to withdraw in prayer.

Possibly Jesus was going to see how the disciples went on their own ministering to Gentile peoples (after his success over there in 5:1-20, and the disciples’ own success on the Jewish side in 6:7-13). Possibly Jesus wanted to see how they would go on their own initiative. Possibly Jesus was going to catch up with his disciples on the other side the next day – but this is not that important.

What is important is that these disciples were never far from Jesus’ thoughts and prayers. And when Jesus knew that they were in trouble again with the wind and waves, he went out on the water (without the need of a boat) to draw closer to them.

Interestingly, we read that Jesus “intended to pass them by” (v.48). Was this perhaps because he felt they could probably still handle the boat in the storm and survive by themselves? Was this because Jesus felt that just the simple act of letting the disciples see him close by would be enough to restore their strength? It was not until they failed to recognise Jesus that he had to really step in. The sight of what the disciples thought was a ghost of some kind intensified their fear. So even though the disciples had slipped up here, Jesus was there to save them!

In the dull light of morning, the disciples didn’t recognise it was Jesus, indeed they weren’t expecting it to be Jesus for they hadn’t “understood about the loaves” – their eyes were closed to this possibility. Yet Jesus loved them, and in the midst of their faith denying fear, said “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid” (verse 50).

“It is I” from the Greek “ego eimi” meaning literally “I am”.

This is the Greek equivalent to the words that God used for self-identification through the Old Testament text; e.g. in Exodus 3:4 … when God spoke out of the burning bush to Moses, God said “Here I am”.

These are the words used in John’s Gospel where we read Jesus stating: “I am the bread of life / I am the light of the world / I am the good shepherd / I am the way the truth and the life”.

What Jesus was really saying in two little words was “I am God” or “God is here” or “Here is God” or “It is God”. “So here meeting your desperate need and fear is God”. “Take heart, God is here, do not be afraid” or “Take heart, I am, do not be afraid”. “Cheer up, have courage, do not fear, I am God”. “I know that you are feeling really disturbed and anxious, but I am here to help you, like no other can help you”. If Jesus is indeed the one in whom God reveals himself, it follows that Jesus can and will remove any hindrance that gets in the way of us doing God’s work … including fear.

Does anyone have an example of Jesus drawing close in one of your darkest moments???

Jesus entered the disciples’ boat and the windstorm ceased. And when the boat ultimately arrived on the other side of the lake all who encountered Jesus were healed. And Jesus continues to use and train these disciples despite the fact that they had so much to learn. Whatever frustration Jesus felt towards his disciples at times, he never went back and chose a new set!

We should neither:
· Give up trying to know Jesus better; nor
· Stop being active for Jesus because we don’t seem to know him enough.

Something else very interesting! There are two uses of the word translated “immediately” in this text.
· First in verse 45, there was the urgency to take Jesus’ message to the Gentile peoples on the other side of the lake.
· Then in verse 50, when the task at hand had become thoroughly difficult and fearful for the disciples, the saving presence of Jesus arrived “immediately”. The need for a ‘shepherd’ for those who are lost is urgent, and the presence of God amongst those who go out in search of the lost will be immediate.

"Ample Provisions" - a Sermon on Mark 6:30-44

I wonder what stands out for you as you hear and read this passage!! Various things occurred to me as I studied this passage, which I will tackle under five headings.

(1) Reflecting the Light of Jesus (v.30-33)

Jesus’ disciples, who he had sent out two by two on mission (6:7-13), were now reporting back on all they had seen, heard and accomplished. Jesus understood their tiredness, and that they had worked hard and made sacrifices, and led them away to a quiet place where they could rest and recuperate.

Raelene and I recently benefited from our time in Bright, we needed this, and we had two whole weeks. But it seems here, that no sooner had Jesus taken these disciples away from the hustle and bustle of ministry in the community, that the people complete with all their needs and expectations rushed straight back at them.

They obviously didn’t travel very far in their boat, nowhere near as far as Bright, probably just around to the next cove on the Sea of Galilee, because the crowd of people was already ahead of them on foot. The crowd might have been saying, “There they are, Jesus and those friends of his, they’re obviously heading for ‘Refuge Cove’, let’s get over there now!”

In some ways this would be very disappointing and challenging, yet in another way it is very complimentary. There was something about the way these disciples were carrying out their mission that was attractive and effective, and many people wanted a piece of this. Was it that they were exhibiting purpose and hope and peace in life that was way above what was normally seen? People with the light of Jesus in their lives will be attractive to others; which begs the question whether we sufficiently reflect the light of Jesus in our everyday lives, such that people flock to us for help?

Do people at work or university seek us out when they have an issue going on? Now some people will avoid us because of any number of reasons pertaining to our faith, yet God will be preparing some for contact with us. The question will be whether we are approachable enough or positive enough or patient enough to receive them? Do people in our street want to talk with us? Are we holding out the welcome sign?

Of course it’s alright to withdraw and take holidays, and make sure we get proper sustenance and rest; but the point is – we can never take a holiday from being a follower of Jesus, and being a light-filled follower of Jesus, we need to always be prepared to spend time with people and share the reasons why we are. Having had his plans upset, Jesus didn’t respond with agitation to the crowds of people, just with “compassion”, which probably reinforces their depth of need.

(2) The Overwhelming Need (v.34)

So, Jesus looked at the crowd that had gathered and had “compassion” on them.
What do you think it means that they were like “sheep without a shepherd”??? Obviously it has roots in the Old Testament texts. We could think about those people around us, who we may look at with compassion at times!!!
· fragile; vulnerable to all the dangers and pressures in life (Ezekiel 34:5-6 > "So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.")
· purposeless – without any real life goals that amount to much
· fragmented – without any worthy example to follow just going in a multitude of directions crashing into each other; or just following the loudest voice toward inevitable ruin (e.g. the film “Flicka”)
· weary (from just basically trying to survive with insufficient resources).

This very reality is what impels me in mission. Yes, I could think about their eternal destiny. But what I respond to mostly is the parlous state of their everyday lives. If Jesus is so important and so wonderful that we come Sunday by Sunday and at other times in the week to worship and serve him, then he’s just got to have something to offer right here and now to these others. Jesus is available to be the ‘shepherd’ of the ‘lost sheep’, and give them the resources they need, and inwardly teach them the truths to build a life on. This is what Jesus in person offered on that day at ‘Refuge Cove’.

(3) The Reluctance of the Disciples (v.35-37)

But then it got late, toward the time when the gathered crowd would normally be looking for something to eat. Jesus didn’t seem particularly disturbed by this, but his disciples certainly were. There was no McDonalds or Chinese takeaway on hand, so other measures had to be taken! From the disciples’ perspective, the crowd of people would have to leave this place and go off to various nearby towns and purchase food there. From Jesus’ perspective this was obviously a shame, because he had their ear, and if they could just pull it off somehow, here was an opportunity of offering some real hospitality – exhibiting the true welcoming nature of God.

So Jesus laid down the challenge to his disciples, “You give them something to eat”! How would the disciples react to this? What we get here in verse 37 reads like quite a sarcastic response, suggesting that Jesus really must be joking. There is a real sense of reluctance here? Why was this?

Clearly a lot of money was involved, more money than they could possibly possess, or even raise at short notice. “Two hundred denarii” would have been equivalent to about two-thirds of an average working person’s yearly salary. And the mere contemplation of such a task seemed a whole lot of effort. This sarcasm was born out of what seemed to the disciples to be an impossible ask! For all their good efforts in mission recently, the disciples were still only thinking out of human frameworks rather than out of faith. They’d missed the prompt that if Jesus was asking them to provide, then Jesus had already put into process the means by which the disciples could succeed. A better response would have been to ask Jesus what he had in mind, or perhaps even better … just gone about seeing what food was available amongst the crowd.

Dorothy A Lee-Pollard writes: “The disciples simply cannot comprehend the power of the kingdom. In a sense it is too big for them, too awesome. They are afraid of its implications in their lives, afraid of its power to change human reality.”

In Mark retelling the story, first, his own community in the 1st century, then we, the modern-day disciples of Jesus, are being asked to reflect on the actions of the disciples, and be challenged by this concerning our own times. Sometimes even though we are convinced about Jesus and love him, we can still prefer the status quo in and around us to something that we cannot really picture, imagine or control. Also, God can seem to be asking a lot of us at times. Maybe taking the gospel to the whole of Point Cook sounds a bit much. We might sarcastically reply about how few our resources are compared to the hugeness of the task. Yet if we are truly called, then God has already put the processes into place by which we can succeed. We just need to be prayerful and alert enough to see how God is leading us. Five loaves of bread and two fish didn’t sound too much to feed five thousand, but in the hands of Jesus … well we know how things turned out!

In the disciples’ defense they were probably still worn out and not at their best. But we could ask of ourselves, when are we ever really at our best, and if we waited until we were at our best to offer hospitality and friendship, would we ever actually offer it? As was said earlier, we are under a constant call to be light to our community.

(4) The Involvement of the Disciples (v.38-40)

Jesus persisted with using his disciples to do his earthly work … as he always does!! They were commissioned to feed the people! The community of people needed to be fed, and the disciples would have to find a way of doing it. They would have to go and look for some food. But ultimately they wouldn’t be left to achieve such a huge task on their own; in fact Jesus already had the plans in place by which the resources available were multiplied as the disciples began to distribute them.

Here the disciples (maybe still reluctantly, yet faithfully) stepped up. They collected the five loaves of bread and two fish from the willing donor, presented these to Jesus, and got the crowd to sit down in groups. Questions would have still been circulating in their minds, and perhaps these disciples were debating among themselves the point of all this. What they were about to witness would be a great lesson for them, and a great lesson for us, about the limitless power of Jesus to reach people!!!!

(5) Mass Satisfaction (v.41-44)

Jesus was committed to satisfying the needs of this large crowd of people, who had been so anxious to connect with Jesus and his disciples, even though they had to travel to do it. Along with the disciples, they would be witnesses to (and beneficiaries of) an extraordinary display of God’s hospitality. Opportunities abound … Doors are wide open … God has gone before us … We have ample provisions (to become shepherds of the ‘shepherdless’ people!

This is a famous story often remarked upon. But really the miracle is written in a very understated way, as though it was nothing out of the ordinary. Jesus was present, so of course everyone was satisfied, and of course there were basketfuls left over! Why wouldn’t that have been the case!!

Famine and physical hunger were a constant factor in Palestinian life and in the Roman world at this time. The original readers of this gospel text would understand the impact of such physical satisfaction, and then translate that understanding to the possibilities of satisfying the deep spiritual need around them. May we so understand God’s availability to touch people’s need, and also God’s choice of us to make the personal connections between God and our neighbours!