Prayer Series Sermon Two - "Conversing with God" (Matthew 7:7-11)

1. Question – What do you find hardest about prayer?

2. Prayer – a Conversation

It’s best to keep this as simple as possible and see prayer as a conversation. Basically, prayer is turning one’s heart and mind toward God, and then beginning a conversation. This conversation would be much like the conversation we would have with a trusted friend, except that, as we are communicating with our Creator and Saviour, we would speak with a much greater sense of thankfulness, devotion and faith.

Rosalind Rinker writes: "Prayer is the expression of the human heart in conversation with God" (pg. 23). Our mind is ticking over all the time, and life continually brings its challenges, so we should pray as often as we can, wherever we can, and certainly whenever we feel the need. Keith McClellan (in “Prayer Therapy”) wrote: "Prayer begins in a restless heart. Listen to its stirring".

Just like a conversation we would have with a close friend, where there is no need to impress, we don’t have to be eloquent or find all the right words, rather just talk from the heart and then listen. Indeed, sometimes the issues are so deep … words won’t come at all, yet even silence in the confidence of God’s presence will surely still help us. We can be encouraged by the words of Paul here who writes: "God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter! [God’s Spirit] does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans" (from “The Message” version of Romans 8:26-27).

As we begin to relax in this trustful appreciation of God’s company, we can allow God’s Spirit to lead us into our own verbal expressions. Yet we will still need to remember that any real conversation involves a two-way street and therefore requires as much hearing as speaking. We need to become aware of ways in which God can reveal to us things that we didn’t previously know or understand. Our minds should be expectantly awaiting new insight to emerge. Suddenly this overwhelmingly difficult problem has a new solution that was previously unthought of. Conversing with God can change us from people who know about God into people who experience God.

3. Ten Reasons to Pray

(a) WHO GOD IS – Because God loves and cares for us, is on our side, is our personal cheer squad, is committed to our welfare, even knows us better than we know ourselves, values us, and desires the best for us. Indeed, God is already working in our best interests from the moment we turn to him. Because God is God, God is constantly available to us. God, in his enormity, can also wear easily our expressions of confusion, frustration and anger, helping us process our issues toward understanding and growth.

(b) RELATIONSHIP BUILDING – To develop, strengthen and deepen our relationship with God! This is because, just like human to human relationships, we can’t get to know someone without having communication or interaction with them! Prayer allows us to express our love and commitment to God, and in return discover that our life has meaning and purpose. Even when the nature of God’s answer isn’t evident, and we still have the same issue or pressure concerning us, our relationship with God has grown such that we have the capacity to wait.

(c) COMPANIONSHIP – To remind ourselves that we are not alone. This removes the feeling of having to deal with life’s difficulties on our own. Isolation, and the anxiety and depression this produces, can be addressed by understanding that there is a caring presence ready to hear about one’s plight. This tends to moderate our human tendency to worry.

(d) REASSURANCE – We can also talk to God about those things, especially our deepest fears, that we find too hard to talk to anyone else about, knowing that this will help us be more open and honest with other people in the future. We can do this because God already knows about this fear that tends to debilitate us, also knows from where it derives, and wants to deliver us through it and from it.

(e) CHANGE – Prayer can make a positive difference in the present dynamics of our lives and bring about much better outcomes than currently seem possible. Even what seems impossible (either very personally or on an international scale) may just come to be, where this lines up with God’s purposes. The tangled webs and problems of life, together with our disappointments and failures, can be transformed in the creative and healing hands of God. When the reality of our situation is just that – the reality (which likely won’t change a whole lot), it can be how we feel about this and how we react to it that can be refreshed through the practice of prayer.

(f) INSIGHT – God is the fount of all wisdom. Abraham Lincoln wrote: "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day". In times where we need direction and new insight into the way forward, especially when we are at our wits end, God says to us as he said to Jeremiah (33:2-3) long ago: "Thus says the Lord … Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known". All significant decisions we need to make should be referred to God for guidance and confirmation.

(g) THANKFULNESS – Expressing our thankfulness to God takes us out of ourselves, and helps us to realise that God is indeed active in and around our lives, in our community and around the whole world, desiring to bring change and renewal. This takes the focus off ourselves and on to the bigger picture. We would particularly express our thanks for what Jesus has done, and also the availability of the Holy Spirit to us (to speak when we cannot).

(h) FORGIVENESS – To seek and receive forgiveness – for those things we’ve done that we shouldn’t have done, and for those things that we should’ve done that we haven’t done. This will allow us to access God’s great pool of mercy, and continue unimpeded on our growthful journey of following Jesus.

(i) CHARACTER BUILDING – In spending time conversing with God, we can’t help but be transformed, with some of the rough edges being rubbed away, and some of those negative traits being dealt with. We can grow some of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-3) and more easily adopt the better attitudes (‘beattitudes’ of Matt 5:3-12), thus becoming more like Jesus. In prayer we invite God to do deep transforming and igniting work in our life.

(j) WITNESS – To testify to God’s existence and relevance to all those who notice. Prayer shows where we stand, and that there is a much greater power available to us than is sometimes accepted. Prayer also tends to transform the mind toward more positive assessments of other people (and their potential through Jesus).

4. Text & Context

The “Ask, Search, Knock” verses (7 & 8) are very powerful and cast a very high expectation upon prayer. There will be remarkable results, what seems lost will be recovered, and doors that seem firmly closed will fly open. This is magnificent news for those praying, because previously unthought of outcomes could be possible. For example, both Kelsey and my sister-in-law Anne got their phones returned after they were lost when there was real fear they would never be seen again.

James understood the potential of prayer when he wrote: You do not have, because you do not ask (4:2c). Of course James understood the necessity of asking for the right things with the right motives as he continued: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures (4:3). The Matthew 7 text before us says “ask”, but doesn’t say “ask for anything”! To get what is meant here, we have to backtrack a bit, and see that the context demands first aligning ourselves with God’s Kingdom agenda.

This ‘asking, searching & knocking’ would first need to line up with God’s will and purposes for it to be answered in the affirmative. For instance in the Lord’s model prayer cited in the previous chapter we are taught to pray: Your [that is, God’s] Kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (6:10). Then we are advised to store up “treasures in heaven” rather than “treasures on earth” (6:19-21). And then Jesus teaches about not worrying about little things, but that when one strives first for the Kingdom of God, all of life’s other true needs will follow (6:25-34).

So therefore this “ask, search, knock” type praying would likely begin with seeking to discern what should be requested, rather than simply bringing our own wish-list. This is important because often we don’t really know what it is that we truly need … the answer to our current situation has proven to be a little illusive. Also, as said earlier, prayer should never be allowed to become entirely self-focussed, but recognise and resonate with the bigger picture in which we function (and nothing is bigger than the health and welfare needs of the people in so many impoverished countries around the world; and nothing is bigger than the need for people in our neighbourhoods to know and experience Jesus).

Also this praying would have to be a consistent pursuit, and not spasmodic just when personal need arises. The three verbs here are ‘present imperative actives’, indicating that what is required is regular ongoing prayer activity – “ask and keep asking, search and keep searching, knock and keep knocking”. This is not to harass God, nor wear God down, nor to bargain with God, but rather to stay continually in the process of conversation. God should not be treated like a ‘butler’ who you can wave away when unwanted and ring a bell whenever you want attention!

Then there would need to be a close connection between our prayer-life and our general lifestyle. Prayer should not be little spiritual watershed moments amidst a life lived for itself in disconnection with God and others. Rather prayer is life and life is prayer, where even the simplest aspects of daily life can be seen with spiritual significance. Philip Yancey quotes an old ancient definition of prayer as simply: "keeping company with God". This means that all our daily observations, interactions and experiences (those that bring joy and bring sorrow) are automatically part of our prayer-life. As we encounter the happenings of the day, so does God in partnership with us!

Verses 9-11 use the analogy of good wise ideal parenting to show how God would only bring helpful things to those people trusting in him, which is the case even when the answer to our prayers is very different to what we envisaged or preferred. God doesn’t bring counterfeit blessings, only the real thing, eg. the “stone” referred to as a possible substitute for bread … this could have been a limestone readily found on the local seashore about the same shape and colour as the common little bread loaf … yet of course of no value as food. God just would not do this! God, like a good parent, will not put harm (depicted as a dangerous snake) in our path when our real need is already known.

5. Conclusion

So, as prayer is an ongoing conversation with God, we have to be prepared to discern what we should be asking for as we pray, and also open to receive an answer that is very different to where we began. The more we are listening as we pray, and the more expectant we are that God will respond in the best possible way, the more ready we will be to recognise God’s response. God may not answer with what we wanted or when we wanted it, but rather with what is in our long-term best interest and through which we can fulfil the role in the world God has for us.

How might we want to respond to this prayer series? How might we better discover our individual and collective roles in God’s world? Some places to start might be to:

· read a book on prayer and put it into practice, or
· find another two people and form a prayer triplet, or
· organise a prayer walk around our neighbourhood, or
· join our Monday morning prayer group or one of our small study groups (when they restart for the year), or
· volunteer our home for a special purpose prayer meeting.

May the conversation continue.

Prayer Reflection

“Praying to Whom for What?”

What a privilege
What a blessing
To be able to talk to someone
Who loves and cares
God loves and cares for you
Lord, you love and care for me.

We speak to God
In the name of the Son
Who has given us access
Who has opened the lines of communication
Who has rescued us
Jesus, you died for us.

If we are honest with ourselves
We remember what God has done
And we bring our praise
We bring our thanks
For the big things
And for the small things.

If we confess
Forgiveness
If we are weary
Comfort
If we are ready
Direction.

Then there are so many things more that we need
But do we really need this or that
What does God want us to have
God wants to give it to us
Only believe, and do not doubt
And the mountain will be thrown into the sea.

Lead your Church, Lord
In the ways of righteousness, justice and salvation
Lead your People, Lord
To a deeper understanding
Lead me, Lord,
To a closer walk with you.

W.W. Hodge (August 1989)

Prayer Series Sermon One - "Are You a Mary or a Martha?" (Luke 10:38-42)

1. Question

With which sister, Martha or Mary, do you generally relate to?

2. Text and Context

This is one Eastern text that certainly resonates with contemporary Western life. Life in the West is hurried, busy and complicated. This is the culture that has people at crowded shopping centres at 2 o’clock in the morning looking for that perfect present. This is the culture that has tended to obscure the celebration of Jesus’ birthday with all sorts of other agendas. This is the cultural reality into which the church has to promote spirituality, not just as an aside, but as the centre of people’s being. If we, those who are numbered amongst the followers of Jesus, don’t promote the notion of a personal relationship with God, then we can’t be too critical about any decline in society.

We see in this passage, one woman, Martha, who, despite all her qualities and desire to serve, had lost her sense of priority. Her labour in itself wasn’t wrong – it’s just that it had become the ends, not just the means. Martha’s attitude suggests that this perhaps was activity for its own sake, rather than out of a heart full of love and purpose. So important had her practice of hospitality become, that she had lost focus on what was most important. I have to ask myself the question everyday about why I’m doing a particular thing, especially when it’s a more stressful thing, lest my life becomes all about tasks, rather than caring about people.

Yet, we should not be too critical of Martha for several reasons.
Firstly, Martha seems to have eagerly enough welcomed Jesus into her home. There was no reluctance to receive Jesus, and indeed her feverish activity that followed showed that she was keen to show Jesus the best hospitality she could.

Then, Martha was only doing what her culture would have normally expected of her – providing comfort and refreshments for her male guests. If all the disciples were present with Jesus, then there would have been at least thirteen men to provide for, and this would be enough to send any host into overdrive.

Thus we can understand Martha’s attitude to Mary’s seemingly less than helpful and culturally unacceptable attitude. Don’t we respond similarly when someone doesn’t seem to be pulling their weight! This was a very human and natural and perhaps even reasonable response from Martha.

And, even though it may be hard to grasp in the English translation, Jesus’ response (in verse 41) beginning with the compassionate repeated “Martha, Martha” is not so much an admonition or a criticism, but rather a plea for Martha to seek for the best of life – that which leads toward freedom rather than oppression. Jesus is not so much criticising Martha, but more so commending Mary and pointing to the good example she is setting (in terms of priority).

As we have already indicated, it was not all of Martha’s activity and her desire to offer good hospitality that Jesus seemed so concerned about; but rather that all this had “worried and distracted” her, so much so, that when Jesus, who was known to and loved by Martha as her Lord, came to spend time with her, she couldn’t just stop for a second and listen to him. The desire to perform her duties had closed her mind (and ears) to what was really most important in the here and now. Putting performance first, as the most important part of our lives, will always lead to disappointment and loss of real opportunities.

Mary, on the other hand, had shown herself ready to hear, appreciate and learn. Martha’s restless heart sent her into action, whereas Mary’s restless heart brought her to the Lord’s feet. Where there is a spiritual need in the individual, in the family home, or in the community, nothing would have a higher priority than positioning oneself at Jesus’ feet.

As we see at the conclusion of this passage, what Mary had invested in pure devotion to Jesus, would “not be taken away from her” – meaning that it was of ultimate eternal worth; and unlike the things that can be stolen or will rust away, this attachment will hold her in good stead forever.

Now having said this, the context in which this incident from Jesus’ life is placed by Luke is very interesting. Have a look! Luke places this narrative right between a story about selfless neighbourly service and a teaching passage on prayer!! This shows that you can’t really divorce prayer from service nor service from prayer. Keith McClellan in a little book called “Prayer Therapy” wrote that, “If prayer makes you passive and indifferent, it isn’t prayer. True prayer will bear fruit in care and service.”

So with the huge challenge of the parable of the “Good Samaritan” before us, we are quickly reminded (then taught) that service for our neighbour, for it to be effective and redemptive, should come out of a heart connected first and foremost to God.

With this in mind, the point of the Martha / Mary comparison must be, to not to let the complexity and difficulty of the task to get in the way of hearing from the source of all light and good guidance. Otherwise the outcomes of the work will likely drift further and further away from where they should have (and where God would have wanted them to go).

3. Making a Moment Count

It’s just that Martha had become so distracted and overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, that she had missed the moment to also sit at Jesus’ feet and soak up all he had to offer. Martha was fulfilling her traditional and cultural duties, but sometimes following Jesus has to be counter-cultural. And it would be deemed counter-cultural, yet it would be right and proper, for us to spend time in the midst of our busyness, service and mission … in prayer. Mary may have got busy later on, when the still hungry disciples were looking for their pavlova – but first and foremost … the place to be was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening. Perhaps Martha learnt, and left the dishes for later, while she too gave her best attention to Jesus for awhile.

If we were to say that we reckon that God didn’t speak to us much – then it is this point about Martha being so distracted that we would have to take note of. I would have to be the first to admit that my ever-present to-do list can be a very persistent distraction to being able to hear God’s gentle whisperings. But there is hope for me as well, as I drop the excesses of Martha’s frenetic activity and develop more of Mary’s basic attentiveness (well, maybe). Quite often I think that if we cannot hear God’s gentle whisperings because we have the volume control up too high on our distractions, God is forced to get our attention in other (perhaps more dramatic) ways.

4. Sitting at the Lord’s Feet

To sit at the Lord’s feet and listen is not something that is easy for us to do. Yet, as we shall see next week, prayer is a conversation, in which we can hear as much as we speak, and this is something that can occur at various times in many places. But to sit directly under the teaching of Jesus today we will need to refer ourselves to the Bible – to read it, and seek to hear God speaking through it to us. Then we are in a position to bring our discoveries to others within our church community, so that the implications of what we have learned can be broadly assessed and addressed. Even while I’m attempting to bring understanding to this passage today, you can be praying for personal and corporate applications to be given to your mind.

I hope to make this series on prayer as practical as possible. Today I will share a five-part exercise for those who would like to try some prayerful reading and reflection on scripture.

(a) READ – Choose and read a passage of scripture. Read it both quietly and out loud. As time permits, try to find out as much as you can about the background behind the text and the context in which it sits. If this is new for you, let me suggest that you select passages from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John (where Jesus is the central character), and if anything confuses you, that you ask for help from someone you trust.

(b) IMAGINE – Then try and step inside the passage and broadly imagine the scene and the impact. You could perhaps imagine yourself in the particular narrative – in the crowd as an onlooker, or as one of the characters, or even as Jesus or God. You could also place yourself as the one being directly addressed by the text. Examples of this could be:

· imagining yourself personally present when Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28); or,
· imagining yourself as one of the traders in the temple when Jesus came in and pushed your table over, seeking to restore the place of prayer (Mark 11:15-19); or,
· imagining yourself as an onlooker at the foot of the cross and hearing the various words Jesus said from there; or,
· selecting the passage from today, and imagining that you are Martha or Mary or Jesus, and waiting for what God might reveal to you. [When I read this passage again, this time out loud, imagining that I was Mary, I felt strongly the impact of the words about Mary listening to what Jesus was saying – the intimacy and nearness of this interaction.]

(c) QUESTION – Now ask yourself questions, like … “how does this relate to me?”, or, “What area of my life will this help with”? If nothing immediately comes, don’t give up – just sit quietly, try to dismiss distractions, and reread passage if necessary.

(d) RESPOND – Speak out to God what you have learnt and what difference this might make to you. Thank God for this new understanding. Have a conversation with God (and maybe others) about the particular applications you have been challenged with, and pray that you might have the strength and wisdom to put them into action. Some people benefit from journaling through this process, and noting progress and changes, not relying upon memory, nor expecting good things to happen without effort.

(e) REST – Know that God loves you and has your best interests at heart. Even though the world can be tough, know that God will never do anything to bring you harm. Be at peace, knowing that you are getting to know God more bit by bit, and that you will know even more tomorrow through reflectively reading the Bible. These restful, peaceful thoughts could happen while lying in bed, or when going off for a quiet walk, or simply through appreciating the wonder of something God has created or done.

5. Conclusion

Today we are promoting the concept of allocating time and priority to sitting at Jesus’ feet. This is important for us individually, and equally important for us as a church collectively. At our church meeting in November, deciding on the wording of our goals going forward, prayer was put at the top of the list. We will need as a church to work through the practical implications of this – the conversation should begin now as to how this might happen.

Next week we will study Matthew 7:7-11. You might like to look at this in advance, or even use it as a scripture reflection sitting at the feet of Jesus. Amen.

"Making Room" - Christmas Day Message 2009

(1) Garage Sales everywhere

Everyday as you drive around you see many signs about upcoming “garage sales”. And often when you pass an op shop you see boxes or bags of stuff left outside the front door as donations. People talk about having too much stuff, or that their house feels cluttered. Others think about the need to ‘downsize’ and get rid of things they no longer require.

Such people could perhaps be making room for new belongings, which might include the incoming hoped for gifts at Christmas. Others might truly be looking for new space in which to simply breathe. For others, downsizing is part of a new life orientation. Put simply, where there is ‘no room’, there is need to ‘make room’.

‘Making room’, then, when faced with the challenge of ‘no room’, would be about priorities. What are the most important things going forward that I need to retain, and what are those things that can be sent to the op shop, sold at a garage sale, or thrown into the rubbish bin? And indeed if we need to move something new into our house, what is it that has to go, so that we won’t be over-cluttered?

(2) No Room – Luke 2:7

Back in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, whether it was a hotel motel type place, or more like a bed & breakfast guesthouse, there was “no room” in the main accommodation area for Mary and Joseph. This meant they were relegated to the barn out the back. Whereas this might be considered a kindly act by a desperately stressed innkeeper, this is not really the point Luke is seeking to make.

There is certainly a negative tone in Luke’s description that suggests that this was an inappropriate disappointing occurrence. Yet at the same time it is highly significant in painting the picture concerning the level of response that Jesus would encounter as his ministry unfolded. Even though Jesus ‘pitched his tent’ in the centre of public activity, he was generally pushed away toward the margins. He didn’t fit the expectations, so the door was often closed to him – “no room” for Mary & Joseph … “no room” for Jesus.

Despite the prevalence of the innkeeper story, this is the only biblical reference we have to that popular tradition (and you can see how these simple stark words in verse 7 have been read into over the centuries). We are used to this by now, and thus perhaps we have been a bit immunized against the full significance of Luke’s comment about their being “no place” for the impending birth of Jesus. This could be viewed as just a quirky part of the Christmas story, but I think we can dig a little deeper.

Why was it that there wasn’t any room for the poor young woman who was so obviously very pregnant. Was it truly the busyness of this census period, where so many were descending upon Bethlehem all at once? Or was it more that the rooms were being kept aside for the important and well-off; where the good accommodation would not be allocated to such a poor seemingly insignificant family? Or was the prospect of childbirth and having a crying new baby in the place way too inconvenient?

Was this all the innkeeper’s fault? After all, there should be no reason for the ‘innkeeper’ to know the identity of the child to be born (although, having said this, any bias against the poor that led to this outcome would have to criticised)! Perhaps though, the target of Luke’s disappointment in this turn of events is actually directed elsewhere.

(3) Making Room for Jesus

Luke was writing looking back. In its written form, Luke’s Gospel dates several decades after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Luke was bringing together the incidents of Jesus’ life and his dramatic teaching (under the Holy Spirit’s guidance) for the good of his community. Luke was looking at the contemporary lives of the people he knew, and was wondering where Jesus fitted in for them.

The closest thing to this “no room” concept in the other gospels would be from John’s first chapter: [The Word] was in the world … yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him (1:10-11). This was also a comment made looking back on how the world of Jesus’ time responded to the Son of God – that he in fact was largely rejected.

For Luke, in the face of the rejection that Jesus himself later experienced, this mention of their being “no room” for Jesus from the very beginnings of his time on earth, was intended as a challenge to all readers, as to whether they were making room for Jesus in their current lives.

This of course was the first of many such challenges. Jesus was rejected early days in his own home town of Nazareth (4:28-30). The rich young ruler was just unable to give up his wealth in order to gain the spiritual well-being that he was so much searching for (18:18-25). Jesus was plotted against by the religious leadership, and then tortured and crucified by the Roman governing authorities. Jesus was betrayed by a disciple and denied by a friend (22:47-62).

There was of course good news in Luke as well – those who did indeed make room for Jesus. However, these were unlikely candidates which further challenged conventional wisdom. These were: the prostitute who bathed Jesus’ feet in her tears, dried them with her hair, and further anointed them with ointment (7:36-50); the Samaritan “leper” – the one of ten healed who came back to thank and worship Jesus (17:11-19); the crooked tax collector Zacchaeus who having met Jesus, completely changed his ways and gave away his wealth (19:1-10); and the criminal on the next-door cross to Jesus who acknowledged Jesus’ innocent sacrifice and was thus promised paradise (23:39-43).

In each of these four positive cases there is a common denominator – a humility that has allowed for an inventory … a clean-out or a ‘garage sale’ if you like … which has made room for the entry of Jesus into their lives. These were all people in extreme despair who then experienced revolutionary transformation; yet we should not have to get so low before we wholly open ourselves to Jesus’ entry into all the areas of our life. The time is actually now … as we are.

That Luke’s words were not first and foremost written as a statement to the world at large, but rather primarily as a theological statement to the early church, must get our attention. Luke was writing to the early Christian communities wondering if these people were actually living up to their name and truly making room for Jesus in their lives; or, on the other hand, possibly putting up the ‘no-vacancy’ sign (just like the ‘innkeeper’ had).

This would mean an ongoing daily assessment of our priorities and allegiances. Without proper attention being given to this, Jesus can so easily be squeezed into small convenient compartments, or ultimately, right out of the picture altogether. If you catch yourself acting in ways that disappoint you, or find yourself offending others, perhaps your life has been too overly cluttered with other things besides Jesus, this tending to squeeze the breath of life out of you. If we find ourselves resistant to Jesus, what fears lie behind this … we would need to do some deep thinking here! Are their areas of our life that we can’t seem to let Jesus into, why is this?

(4) Making Room for Others

This is not to say that we shouldn’t make room for others. In fact quite the opposite! It is in wholly making room for Jesus, and centring our priorities there, that we also make room for other people, especially those with special needs. Remember Jesus’ statements about loving our neighbour – having made room for Jesus is demonstrated by our willingness to make room for other people.

What Jesus follower could not be moved to make room for the Karen refugees coming to this country from the camps just on the Thailand side of the Burma (or Myanmar) border! These are people who have been rejected by their own country, forced to live in appalling and dangerous conditions. We in Australia have a God-given opportunity and responsibility to offer such people a new home and a new start … to put out a real ‘welcome sign’ to them.

We can be thankful that in the West the Westgate and Newport Baptist churches have wholistically embraced these Karen people (even though they would be likely outnumbered by them). In the past they have been rejected in their homeland just as Jesus was, but are now being accepted just like we have been.

Who could not also feel compassion for the Sudanese people coming to this country, following the terror and violence that these people have endured. Yes their brokenness brings us big challenges, but we should want to address such challenges out of our feelings of tremendous advantage. The North Melbourne Football Club must be congratulated for, amid all of the available talent, drafting a young nineteen year-old Sudanese boy onto their Rookie list, in a wonderful act of welcoming.

In this way, Christmas should be much more about giving than receiving! As we accept the offer of Jesus taking up residence in our lives, making sure we have made adequate room for him to do his stuff, we will be free to give of ourselves to others. Despite the gifts we receive today, that we have to find a place for somewhere in the wardrobe, pantry or garage, it is also a good day to consider de-cluttering our lives and truly making room for Jesus.

"Pitching a Tent" - a Christmas reflection on John 1:1-18

And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory,
the glory as of a father’s only son,
full of grace and truth (v.14).

Here is John’s magnificent statement on Jesus’ incarnation – John’s Christmas message.

Following the Gospel of Mark having nothing particular to say about the birth of Jesus, both Matthew and Luke gave us rich nativity stories from which we draw the wonderful and meaningful traditions of the miraculous pregnancy, Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, the birth in the barn behind the inn where there was no room, and the baby in the manger being visited by wise-men and shepherds. The various visitations of angels made clear that this had been all orchestrated by God for the benefit of all humankind.

But by the time the Gospel of John was written, the Jesus-following community were ready to hear an even broader and more comprehensive concept concerning the origins of Jesus. The “Word” pitched his tent in the world. More on this soon!

But first, let’s take our minds back to “Christmas by the Lake” two weeks ago. It was great to walk away from our marquee back over towards the lake, where the scouts were selling their food, and then look back across at our great new marquee, with its prominent signage and with all the busyness of the face-painting and stress-ball making – and just appreciate the statement being made by all this.

But some may still ask, whether it’s one of us or a member of the community … ‘Why would we set up the marquee and do all this stuff”? And not just once a year at a Christmas event, but another eleven times a year at the Point Cook Market! So, let’s try to answer that question for ourselves!

The obvious answers would be along the lines of making ourselves as a church known, and to be obviously present in the community – a bit of a marketing exercise really. Then there would be likely responses like making a bit of a contribution to community events, and being seen to care. We could extend this to offering a safe and special place of gathering for children and families, where we can show that God is alive and that God loves people. We could also say that this gives us a forum through which to share our lives with our neighbours.

Thus we start to see the truth of the statements on our sign: “Your Church in Action” and “Sharing Community”. But I think there are more reasons than just these, and I hope that you’ll see how they connect with John’s Christmas vision. Setting up a marquee in the midst of a community event also shows that people don’t need to come to us where we are, where we like to hang out together for worship and fellowship (although we’d love it if they did); it shows that we will make ourselves vulnerable and go to them wherever they are, meeting with community members on their own turf. And just like Jesus, we will not be deterred by any sense of rejection. [In this way we are seen as authentic witnesses to what we believe, because we are really committed to it!]

There were many joys experienced at Sanctuary Lakes that day. But the greatest joy is the way this activity links with our text – And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth (v.14).

God’s principle action in the incarnation was leaving his home, adopting human vulnerability, going out to where people were camped, and pitching a tent there.

Here, within all the complexity of human life, Jesus arrived through the dimension of human birth, and took up residence in Palestine. This was where all the theory concerning the extent to which God loves all the people he created was proved to be true. God’s glory was revealed in the merciful and compassionate actions of Jesus over three years of ministry and on one traumatic day just outside of Jerusalem.

How far would Jesus go to reveal God’s glory … as far as it would take! Jesus would touch people with his healing and transforming effectiveness, confound popular wisdom with teaching that would turn certain societal attitudes on their head, and become the suffering servant of all who would just believe. Jesus would also endure much temptation, rejection and abuse, such that he could certainly identify with the broad range of human need and then lift people beyond it. God, through Jesus, entered into the depths of our life, sounding the invitation for us to enter into the heights of God’s life.

Yet, given what was going to happen, would the whole notion of this transportation from Heaven to Earth be easy for Jesus to wrestle with (especially considering the difference in conditions between the two places)? Despite his strong commitment to the cause, we know from Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that it certainly wasn’t an easy mission.

As we consider challenging options of involvement in mission today, we may be very much less ready than Jesus was to comply with God’s will.

As mentioned earlier, John’s vision and understanding was much broader than Christian theology had known before. Such concepts as we read here tend to boggle the mind, and somewhat remain a mystery beyond the limits of our intellect. But if we can just capture at least a small part of it, we will be strengthened in our faith and more resolved in our witness.

Jesus was and is the “Word”, which comes from the Greek “Logos”. This is an all-encompassing term that to the Hebrew thinker meant ‘the self communication of God’ or the idea of ‘God revealing himself’, and to the Greek thinker meant ‘the rational principle behind all reality’.

Jesus, as part of the triune community of God, was present with God and the Holy Spirit in the very act of creation. One Divine Purpose, Three Personalities, involved in the creation of humanity!! There are all sorts of implications of this, but today we’ll just follow through on one of these.

As verse 1 pointed out, Jesus “was” God (thus part of a unified whole), and also, “with” God (thereby carrying a particular unique and separate role). And it would be Jesus’ eternal role to redeem for God what became lost as the history of the world unfolded. Where people sell themselves off to life pursuits divorced from God, Jesus repeatedly makes himself available to purchase a pathway back to God for them.

The means of this occurred through one particular event on a cross 2000 years ago, yet the offer is open for all time. And so it is that Jesus has pitched a tent in our backyard offering us new life in God, undeterred by any of our disinterest. The “Word”, Jesus, keeps coming to us.

And this was all according to God’s grand plan that we can glimpse in verse 12. All of Jesus’ work of service was aimed at something that had been lost. What did God desire that we become again? What could we truly be again if we respond to Jesus??

This was not just about feeling good about ourselves or escaping the penalty of sin – much more than that! This was about the restoration of a lost relationship!!

Where the complexities of life and our subsequent poor decision-making had broken the child-parent relationship we had been created to enjoy, receiving Jesus’ gift to us and wholly believing in him restores that parent-child relationship for us for the rest of time.

To know we are a child of God gives us the ultimate feeling of value and belonging that is so desired by human beings whether they recognise it or not. This is a relationship providing nurture, guidance, protection and growth. Therein is peace … because we are connected to our creator, our future is secure, and surely with God we can reach our potential.

So let’s not forget that the baby in the manger is the eternal “Logos”, who has set up God’s marquee in our community, offering a new way of life to those struggling without hope and purpose. And where we have the opportunity, we would surely want to join with Jesus in inviting people to once again become the children of God they were intended to be.

When the Shepherds Visit Jesus - Luke 2:8-20

There were the shepherds minding their own business about their normal duties of caring for the sheep and protecting them from predators. Along came an angel and their whole life changed immediately! No-one would have expected such a sound & light show to be turned on for shepherds, as these were not highly regarded people, partly because, due to their occupation, they were not able to observe the Jewish ceremonial law and synagogue attendance. These were people on the margins of mainstream society, the lowest paid of the working class, thought to be at the bottom of the heap.

The shepherds didn’t realise straight away, but they were about to witness the greatest event in the history of the world … this would rank ahead of the moon landing, ahead of Carlton’s miraculous win in the 1970 Grand Final, ahead of the fall of the Berlin Wall. So, it would be a natural human reaction to be scared at such an unexpected occurrence – a hugely bright sky in the middle of the night. I imagine this was even more spectacular than the recent fireworks display over Sanctuary Lakes at Christmas by the Lake, and in this case, came without any warning.

Then added to this was the angelic words coming to them as plain as day, followed by multitudinous voices exclaiming “glory to God”. What ever did all this mean?! But the shepherds didn’t run and hide, nor did they just go back to their jobs unaffected; rather they talked together and decided to go to Bethlehem and check this all out. These shepherds were open to the possibility of something different and new and outstanding, and accordingly were enthusiastically responsive and active … “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place…” (v.15b).

And as we read on, we see that they did so without wasting any time – the shepherds felt that something so potentially important as this should be responded to without delay! After all, what had they heard?! There were certainly two or three things that would have caught their attention (v.10-11). That this was “good news” that will bring “great joy” – and who, maybe even especially a lowly shepherd, would not want such a measure of joy! Then there was this mention of the long-awaited Messiah, so much a part of the mindset in ancient Israel. The mention of a Saviour, one who could offer rescue and freedom, would also have caught their attention from a very personal viewpoint.

We don’t know how hard it was to find Mary & Joseph, but, with determination and expectation enlivening these shepherds, find them they did. Many who observed the shepherds entry into the town would have been shocked at how they dared to come among respectable folk, but maybe it was alright when they headed out to the back of the inn to the shed where the animals were kept. And when the shepherds saw the child lying in the manger and connected this with the words that they had heard earlier, their fear turned full circle towards understanding and awe, and they told everyone within hearing distance about what they had experienced.

You’ll note that, unlike the wise men referred to in the Matthew nativity story, the shepherds had no gifts to offer (as likely they were very poor). But they could offer themselves – their presence, the true testimony of their recent experiences, and a conviction about the importance of what had happened. As the angel had said (v.10), this “good news of great joy” is for all people, and this is evidenced in such vital information not being delivered to the elite and powerful, but rather to lowly humble shepherds. We offer gifts to family members and friends at Christmas, and many of these gifts will be in response to previous requests or wish-lists (or subtle hints being left for us); but when it comes to God, what God desires for Christmas is just our availability.

God has “good news of great joy” for us as well, and what he desires is for us to make haste to the side of the child who has become the Saviour of the World. We don’t need to bring material gifts, for whatever could we come up with for the One with everything; just offer ourselves … in all our brokenness, feelings of hopelessness and fear … to that source of “great joy”. Your personal heartache is possibly closer to God’s heart than you have ever before imagined.

This nativity scene shows that there is no person and no situation that God will not reach into to offer an invitation to experience the love and compassion that can set us free and raise us to life in all its fullness. Our concluding Verse 20 reflects what a positive impact this had on the shepherds as they returned home thanking and worshipping God.

"The Coming King" - a Sermon on Isaiah 9:1-7

1. Introduction

2,700 years ago Isaiah saw the gloom in which much of humanity existed. But Isaiah also knew that God would not leave humanity in such a state, without options, for very long. There was the prophetic word itself from Isaiah, and his contemporaries like Amos and Micah, that offered insight into the way forward, which always relied on a change of heart and a new focus on dealing with societal injustice.

Then would follow God’s ultimate answer to the plight of humankind – that being God’s own incarnation into the world through the birth of Jesus. Through Jesus, and all that he was and is and lived and taught, the people of the world would have the chance of reclaiming their inheritance – an open and ongoing relationship with their creator. Such a relationship would not only be for personal advantage, but would be guided and directed toward impacting communities for good.

In following the Prince of Peace, we would become the peace-makers the world so desperately needed. As Jesus followers, this Christmas, we can reconstitute in our minds the concept of the coming King. We prepare expectantly, enter into the majesty of the narrative of Jesus’ birth, celebrate joyfully, and commit ourselves again to the baby who becomes the Saviour of the World.

2. What did Isaiah see?

Isaiah lived in a time when Israel was divided into separate kingdoms – north and south (ruled by different kings). The north was especially being threatened by the growing power of Assyria – Isaiah seeing this as being a result of an entrenched social and economic corruption, where the poor were being cheated of their land and sold into slavery, while the rich lived in unrestrained luxury. This was a disintegrating society, imploding from within, which was, through their behaviour, ignoring all of God’s offers of relationship. This ultimately led to broad loss of land, and the people’s exile.

Isaiah also, from his own testimony in chapter 6, despite knowing the clear call of God upon his life, understood his own faults and shortcomings … “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips”. Societal gloom, injustice and violence on a national scale commences in the individual hearts of those who either only care for themselves, or who don’t care enough about others to work for change.

That is one side of what Isaiah saw. The other side is a God who, no matter how much is ignored, will not be dissuaded from loving humankind and will actually go to extraordinary lengths to achieve reconciliation with people. As verse 7 puts it … “The zeal [or, the passionate commitment] of the Lord will do this”. God will not abandon us!

Such a prophet as this, who could so deeply empathise with the dire state of his nation and people, but at the same time repent of what lay dark within him, would be well positioned to visualise how God would act and actually think God’s thoughts. Isaiah went on to say … “Yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”. A transformed Isaiah was seeking a transformed society through religious or spiritual renewal.

Isaiah would seek through the words that he spoke (so impactingly that they have been recorded and preserved for our illumination) to facilitate the people of Israel’s return to God and a renewed trust and confidence in their Creator; which in turn would be evidenced in a change in the way they lived in their interpersonal relationships and societal responsibilities. If the people would just change their focus toward God, then the gloom and anguish of the past would be no more, and the occupied lands around the Sea of Galilee (mentioned in verse 1) will be liberated, for foreign aggression will diminish and peace and security will be restored. Such things will be a sign of God’s redeeming and transforming power.

As we see with the verses that follow, a whole new mindset emerges when steps are taken by human beings toward God, and God has been found by them to be present … light dawns, joyfulness is born, new resources are discovered, oppression is broken, and intimacy with God is experienced.

Sadly though, for the most part, this message of Isaiah, in his own time, fell on deaf ears. The people of Israel did not experience the glorious potential of such a vision. Isaiah, in speaking the words of verses 6 and 7, may have been envisioning that the next or a future king in the line of David might lead such a renewal, yet in this, at least at the political level, he would have been disappointed. Good kings and bad kings alike came and went, but none brought the significant change necessary.

3. The Spiritual Fulfilment

In the post-new testament era in which we live, we see how God ultimately acted to bring about restoration of God/ human relationships, and how intuitive and knowing Isaiah was 700 years before Jesus. There would indeed be a king, humanly speaking, in the line of David, yet also be the divine Son of God. This will be the ultimate kingly figure who will reign over a superb kingdom, consisting of all those who will believe in and follow this king. And this king’s name is Jesus; and authority will rest easily and assuredly upon his shoulders.

Jesus is indeed the Light of the World, who illuminates new possibilities within the context of many levels of darkness and difficulty. Jesus is indeed Saviour of the World, who brings freedom from many levels of oppression. And Jesus would not perform such a ministry from on high from an exalted throne, but rather as the Suffering Servant … amongst the people, in the press of the crowds, in a fishing boat, in the leper colony, on a cross. Indeed that area around the Sea of Galilee referred to by Isaiah (v.1) has indeed been made “glorious” by Jesus’ presence there.

Jesus fulfils Isaiah’s dream of the ultimate leader in four others ways as well.

· “Wonderful Counsellor” – meaning a ‘wonder of a counsellor’, who would offer and live out divinely inspired wisdom and sensitive care. Jesus is the ultimate reference point for guidance, but also the one who can carry our burdens and calm our fears.

· “Mighty God” – Jesus was and is fully divine, a member of the trinity of Father, Son & Holy Spirit, which is the divine community of God. Jesus’ particular role in this was to be the ‘redeemer’, to bring about salvation through an act of sacrifice on behalf of all people … this being a “mighty” act of grace.

· Jesus is at one with Father God, and in all ways represents God to humanity. If we want to know what God is like, then we need wonder no longer, because we can look at Jesus. What does God think about this or that issue or happening – well we look to the Jesus of the Gospels as our reference point. In this way Jesus fulfils Isaiah’s dream of the coming of the “Everlasting Father”. Jesus befriended and guided disciples on earth indicating that God sought personal, purposeful, permanent and loving relationships with people (that would be ongoing into eternity).

· “Prince of Peace” – meaning an ‘administrator of peace’ in people’s lives or the one who makes peace a reality. Jesus makes it possible for us to have peace with God, be at peace within ourselves, to have peace within our relationships and with other people, and to become peace-makers in the world. Even though sometimes it seems other people make it almost impossible for us to live at peace with them, and the conflict in the world is so rampant we just want to give up altogether on this concept of peace, a crucial part of being a follower of Jesus is to persist in pursuing peace at all levels, and also living with integrity in the midst of any ongoing disharmony.

4. Our Challenge

King Jesus came 2000 years ago, yet many didn’t recognise him in the terms that Isaiah foresaw, and oh so many don’t recognise him now. In a way, Jesus comes again each Christmas celebration looking to be recognised for who he is. We know who Jesus is!!! Others, sadly, don’t know who Jesus is!! Possibly some people have had some exposure to the Gospel and Jesus-followers (sadly not all of this may have been positive); yet will need more good seeds to be sown into the garden of their lives before something begins to really take root.

In this way there is much of Isaiah’s grand vision for us still to witness, especially as we consider verse 7, and even more especially the first phrase!!! The full potential of what God has provided through Jesus has still to be maximised: in me, in you, in everybody around us, in society generally.

Yet even with the responsibility give to us as Jesus-followers to care for each other, the community and the earth, and aid the cause of salvation, it will not be our efforts that bring about the endless peace, justice and righteousness that Isaiah sees, it will be “the zeal of the Lord” … the passionate commitment of God … that “will do this”.

God working through us – what an extraordinary concept!