"Plenty to be thankful for" - a sermon on 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Paul was a grateful person – for he had plenty to be thankful about!

Where was this gratitude directed, we ask? Who was this source of blessing that Paul wanted to thank?? Of course it had been God who had brought about such a huge change in Paul’s life – both in the way Paul felt internally, and also in the way Paul operated relationally.

Paul had so much to be thankful for, that we read these expansive words of praise (in verse 17):

"To the King of the ages, immortal and invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever."

Let’s see how Paul got to this point of such assured thanksgiving! For don’t we wish we could express our gratitude like he did!!

The record of Paul’s journey to gratitude is recorded for us in 1st Timothy. This would be important for all future leaders (like Timothy) and every follower of Jesus to understand.

The first thing that Paul was thankful for is quite significant – his “strengthening”. As we shall see, the second thing Paul is thankful for is even more significant – “God’s mercy”.

1. Strengthening of Character (v.12-13)

The first area mentioned in terms of Paul’s thankfulness is that he had been “strengthened” (v.12). Now we would be wise to consider what is meant by this “strengthening”. Because, as we go on to read, Paul didn’t lack confidence or commitment to a cause in his former life (albeit an evil cause), before he became a follower of Jesus.

We read in Acts 8:3 that, “Saul [Paul’s name before conversion] was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison”.

Paul admitted here (in 1 Timothy 1:13) to being a “blasphemer”, in that he denied that Jesus was God and actively tried to get others to deny him also. Paul also admitted to being a “persecutor”, in that he opposed and attacked those who met together in the name of Jesus and brought physical pain and death to those who spoke out in support of Jesus. And Paul admitted to being a “man of violence”, which means more than just committing random acts of violence – it means being consumed by the sort of hate and fear that leads to continual violence.

So this “strengthening” that Paul needed after his conversion to Jesus, was a “strengthening” of character; the sort of “strengthening” that would touch his problem areas – the weaknesses that had so often been previously exposed.

And this “strengthening” was so vital, because of God’s calling upon Paul’s life – if these character issues could be dealt with, then Paul would indeed be faithful enough to address the work God had for him to do. Part of this would be God’s assurance that Paul had been forgiven for all of his past offences, liberating Paul to embrace all of what God wanted to do through him.

When we decide to follow Jesus, a lot of change can happy quickly, especially if we have been learning about Jesus for some time leading up to our decision. However, sometimes there is a multitude of character issues for God to deal with. This happens through the Holy Spirit continually pointing things out to us. We pray for something, and the Holy Spirit says ... “but what about this”! We listen to a sermon, hoping that we’ve already made it, and we can just say ‘Amen’ to the very wise words being spoken – then we realise that actually something is not quite right about us! We, in some way or other, need a “strengthening” of character.

Now, our “character” is the basis of how we live and interact – it describes who we are. Our outward “character” interprets what is happening on the inside with our thought processes and motivations.

The good news is ... and this is what we jump up and down with thankfulness about ... even someone who has confessed to be a “blasphemer, persecutor and man of violence” can have their character transformed (and become fit for service in the Kingdom of God)! Paul provides a great example of the possibilities of a complete turnaround. Anything we might think is too set in concrete to ever change ... well, that’s not the case! And the fact of this for Paul was amazing ... and led him into great thanksgiving to God (who had brought it all about).

The “man of violence” has become wholly compassionate; the “persecutor” is now into brotherly love; the “blasphemer” now sings songs of praise to God.

2. Receiving Mercy (v.13-16)

The second significant matter that Paul is thankful about is what happened to him previous to this strengthening ... the events that had led up to this strengthening, and made it possible. Paul had received “mercy” and “grace” which then overflowed with “faith” and “love”! Wow!! Let’s read together from the second part of verse 13 into verse 14:

"But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus".

In Paul’s case, he sinned against God and others, because, in a sense, he didn’t know any better – he didn’t actually know what he was doing – he was living in “ignorance and unbelief”, purely living in the way that he had been brought up to think was right. He didn’t know who Jesus was. So, Paul thought that it was the natural thing to do to oppress and destroy this Jesus movement who sought to upset the applecart of everything he had thought important.

Paul would strike back in “ignorance”. That was ... until he met Jesus! I think that, through all this, Paul was actually always looking for the truth, and so when the resurrected Jesus revealed himself to Paul on the Damascus road, he was ready for a dramatic change. You can check out that story in Acts chapter 9.

There are many today who deny Jesus through “ignorance and unbelief”. Yet the “grace” described here in verse 14 is still available to them. But first, they will need to be introduced in some way to Jesus. I remain convinced that there are people out there who are ready to embrace the truth ... the gospel of Jesus ... if we can just present it well – showing that it makes sense and makes a positive difference in everyday life. This is what I’ve committed the rest of my life to!

No-one, not even this chief persecutor and opponent of Jesus, not even this blasphemer, is out of God’s reach. And stunningly, like happened with Paul, it is often the most vocal opponents who become the most effective missionaries, when touched by mercy, grace, faith and love. For Paul understood the gravity of his wrongdoing, later referring to himself as the “foremost” of sinners (v.15).

When in “ignorance and unbelief”, Jews and Romans sent Jesus to the cross, Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

In our humanity, we are all fragile or broken in one way or another. Some are proud, hard-hearted and self-centred. Others harbour much bitterness and violence within them. Yet the conversion of the “foremost” of sinners shows us, that there is not one of us, or anyone that we know, who is out of God’s reach – because God can turn people around from anything toward a new experience of life.

There is not one thing that we have done that prevents us from receiving Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. We don’t have to wait to be good enough before we accept Jesus; in fact that is a useless exercise, because in our own strength, that will never happen. People don’t have to endlessly grapple for faith ... they just need to open themselves to the possibility – for the grace of God brings enough faith and enough transforming love with it.

Indeed “faith and love” overflowed into Paul’s life when he became open to it. The “faith and love” that reside in the heart of Jesus become implanted in the one who responds to God’s offer of grace.

It’s worth highlighting that other word used in verse 14 – where it says that “the grace of our Lord overflowed”. Commentators suggest that this indicates God’s grace being ‘superabundantly bestowed’ or even ‘poured out recklessly’. Being ‘poured out recklessly’ would further suggest that this offering of grace goes far beyond what we mortals would consider proper, necessary, or even wise. So, God’s grace can never be limited, and reaches places we might find hard to imagine or accept. How many in Paul’s day, having been so brutally persecuted by people like Paul, would have been ready to acknowledge the grace being given to Paul, let alone receive him as a leader amongst them?!?

3. A Life Transformed (v.15-16)

We keep asking the question as to why Paul is so grateful, and why do we have plenty to be thankful for?? Look at verse 15:

"The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the foremost".

So here is the central basis of our thankfulness ... that Jesus’ coming into the world 2000 years ago, and the redemptive action that he took, actually transforms our life today! Jesus entered the human condition and thus fully understands it. Jesus died on a cross, taking upon himself the sins of all humanity. God raised Jesus from the dead, thus offering people new life through following Jesus.

We are not alone. We do not lack purpose or hope. We need not despair over our failures. We are not limited by our past. The future is not so scary. Our wrongdoing can be forgiven. We have a caring friend, available to guide us (or carry us when necessary) through the travails of life!

Paul’s life was radically revolutionised by Jesus, causing this attitude of gratitude. As we have said, Paul was “strengthened” from the sort of low character that oppresses and destroys, to the sort of high character that loves and encourages. In this way, Paul was enabled to accept and pursue his missional calling.

We read in verse 16 about God’s patience concerning Paul; eventually the results came. God patiently waits for us too, to receive God’s “mercy” and “strengthening”, and to take up our God-given cause!

The story is told of a person of faith who sat down to a meal and found that there was only a little bread and some water available. Their response though was different from what you might expect: “What! All this, and Jesus Christ too”! This might sound a bit trite, but it does offer us some perspective on the level of thankfulness we should feel (in knowing Jesus).

Famous Bible commentator Matthew Henry was one robbed. Afterwards he wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful ... first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my wallet, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who [was the robber]”. He didn’t go so far as to write, that he was thankful, that it was he who was robbed rather than anyone else ... could we say that?

Returning to verse 15, “... that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” is a saying that is “worthy of full acceptance”. This means that we should totally buy into this reality, or perhaps better, we should be totally sold out on this – this ‘dynamic’ becoming our framework. And then certainly there will be plenty to give thanks for. As we read in verse 16, those who are sold on the concept of Jesus’ earthly activity, can become an example of the result of God’s patient care for all humanity. Another way of looking at this “full” acceptance, is that this ‘salvation dynamic’ is worthy of every single human being’s attention.

With all this in mind, we can find ourselves being able to be thankful in all circumstances, like Paul asked the church to be in his first letter to the Thessalonians (5:18). This doesn’t deny that we have various problems and challenges; rather it actively testifies that we know where our strength lies. Even as we experience sadness when events turn in certain ways, we can maintain an attitude of overarching thankfulness that God is with us. We remember, and come to know well, who God is, and that God can be absolutely trusted; that God is personally interested in our well-being, and that God gives us faith, love and peace.

In her book “the Hiding Place”, Corrie ten Boom relates the time when she and her sister Betsy were transferred to the worst German prison camp they had ever seen – for when they entered the barracks, they found them not only over-crowded, but also extremely flea-infested. As the sisters had read that they should give thanks in all circumstances, Betsy said that they should deal with the situation by thanking God for their living environment, however Corrie flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas. Eventually Corrie did thank God for the fleas, and then found out later, that the reason why they could so freely hold bible study and prayer meetings in their barracks, was because the guards didn’t want to go anywhere near that flea-infested place.

4. Spontaneous Thankfulness (v.17)

As we overview this passage: first, there was a need for change in Paul’s life; second, there was, through Creator God, a way for change to happen; third, Paul opened himself to such change, and the ensuing transformation was remarkable. One thing left to do ... one thing to solidify this new being that Paul had become ... a necessary attitude and practice to remind us of what we have committed to and to whom our life belongs ... ongoing expressions of thankfulness!

This text asks us whether we have become blasé about our experience of God and have lost that excitement that leads to spontaneous thankfulness and praise!?! We are asked here, whether we are keeping our faith alive and vibrant?!? After all ... we have plenty to be thankful for. For Paul, bursting into thanksgiving had become the most natural thing, even when his own life became difficult under opposition and imprisonment.

"To the King of the ages, immortal and invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever."

May the One who holds the whole universe in his hands, yet is a personal and recreating God, be lifted up for all humanity to gaze at in wonder. Amen!

"Encouraging Potential" - a sermon based on 2 Timothy 1:1-7

1. Potential recognised

Timothy was obviously someone who Paul had seen a lot of potential in. If this is the same Timothy that we read about in other parts of the ‘new testament’ as we suppose, then Timothy became one of Paul’s travelling companions and highly valued co-workers. We read that Paul had constantly prayed for Timothy night and day. This is what you would do for someone in whom you recognised great potential ... because potential IS ONLY potential. And as human behaviour and decision-making is fragile and often on a knife-edge, we know that potential can easily be wasted. Potential is something there within a person, but to actually be effective in any way, potential has to realised – potential has to one day be turned into action.

You know that many footballers, when they’re young, promise a great deal ... you hear the supporters say, “... when they get 100 games under their belt they’ll help us win a premiership”! But how often does it work out that way; how often is all that promise actually realised in the heat of battle (especially when setbacks like injury occur)? There will never be an easy ride – all of life’s potential has to be realised in the midst of difficulty and opposition.

And we sense that this was the case for Timothy, because in verse 4 we read about Timothy having shed tears. These were likely to be tears of frustration as Timothy faced opposition, and the challenge of trying to find a way forward through this. Timothy would have to adapt to the reality of resistance to the unpopular yet necessary messages he would have to give. No wonder why Paul desperately wanted to get to see Timothy and encourage him. And no wonder why Paul prayed for Timothy night and day! Such tears would indicate that Timothy was trying hard to undertake the responsibilities Paul had given him, but obviously under some strain.

Yet there is great credit to Timothy here! If one wasn’t so committed to their cause, they wouldn’t be so prone to cry, but rather just quietly walk away. So we see in Timothy one who was trying to turn his potential into a reality!

2. Prayers of Gratitude

We also read that part of Paul’s prayers concerning Timothy, were expressions of gratitude. For Paul knew that he couldn’t carry on his mission to the Gentiles alone, nor forever. So the fact that God would put potential within (and a calling over the lives of) other up-and-comers, was for Paul a source of joy (and a reason for thankfulness). Paul would be able to invest some of his experience in Timothy and others, so that God’s good work would go on uninterrupted. So indeed Paul was very grateful to God (for what God was doing within Timothy).

And I’m sure, with this type of example, Timothy would learn to be likewise grateful. I’m grateful to God for all those who have prayed and invested in me over the years. For me to hear at a very young age that I was heading in the direction of ministry was very daunting ... I even viewed this as a bit of a curse. I spent a bit of time rebelling against this. Yet the patient and caring support of many people got me over the line towards what God would have me doing. God not only calls and raises up people into God’s own mission, but provides supporters, teachers and mentors along the way. This indeed should raise up prayers of gratitude.

3. Sincere faith

We get a glimpse here, in verse 5, of what lay behind Timothy’s potential ... “sincere faith”.

This faith had earlier been clearly evident in both Timothy’s mother and grandmother, which had obviously laid a great foundation for him. G Campbell Morgan has written that: “It is very difficult for some children not to believe, because of what they have seen of the power of faith in their parents”. This is certainly true of my experience and my upbringing, for which I feel very privileged (but also I am very conscious of what is expected of me because of this great advantage I’ve had). There was never a moment that I doubted God’s existence, because of the consistent application of faith by my parents.

Parents cannot bequeath faith (like you leave things to your children in your will), but parents can make it much easier for their children to embrace faith. If this is possible, so of course is the reverse ... making it harder for our children to have faith! Sadly the reverse of what Campbell Morgan wrote has been true where ‘Christianity’ has been applied in an iron-fisted and totally inappropriate way – parents completely destroying any hope of faith in their children.

The other comment to make on this is that no young person can rely alone upon the faith of their parents, but must come to ‘own’ and develop their own faith and their personal relationship with God. A ‘borrowed’ faith will not survive the test of time!

Returning to Timothy’s situation ... it was not as easy for Timothy as it might sound here, for we are led to believe in Acts (16:1) that his father was a Gentile and an unbeliever in God. This no doubt led to some dissension in the home over issues of religion and spirituality – to the extent that Timothy had not been circumcised in the normal Jewish pattern. So Timothy had to carve out his faith in the midst of dissenting voices. Yet when Timothy did embrace a faith in God, we read that it was a “sincere” faith. This again shows that potential was set to blossom.

How would you define/explain/describe “sincere” faith?

“Sincere” faith is “un-hypocritical”; it is faith that does not pretend; it is genuine and real; a good Aussie definition would be “fair dinkum” faith.

But we know that faith, especially in a young person, or someone who is new to Christian commitment, can be very fragile. We can’t ever expect that they’ll make it on their own; and we can’t ever expect that they’ll maintain faith without it becoming “sincere” or “fair dinkum”! And the way for faith to become more mature and be regarded as “fair dinkum” is by putting it into action. We can’t sit on our own potential (endlessly); and we can’t let others just sit on their potential (endlessly)! For it just might fizzle out!

4. Potential realised

This “potential” might simply be life oriented, i.e. the potential to be the best husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, friend or neighbour imaginable. Or this potential may be career orientated, i.e. to do the best work you can and progress as much as possible. Or this potential might be in the area of a person’s spiritual giftedness. This latter situation was the case with Timothy. And we read in verses 6 & 7 the strong and direct advice given by Paul to Timothy about maximising his spiritual potential. But, of course, in maximising his spiritual potential, this would benefit Timothy in all facets of his life. In fact, here is a lesson on the importance of dealing with our spiritual needs as a priority.

Timothy was to “rekindle the gift of God that is within you”. This refers to making the most of the gifts given by God’s Holy Spirit through which Timothy would minister amongst others. The reference to the “laying on of hands” (in verse 6) must refer to Paul’s action of commissioning Timothy to his special missional cause.

Each of us have been given grace-gifts that are to be “used and cultivated through diligent effort” (M Griffiths). Such spiritual gifts do not work automatically, just because they have been given, irrespective of the attitude of the receiver. Such gifts have to be actively unleashed! There is a lot of potential contained within a box of matches, but of course this is of no value unless they are utilised properly. And this box of matches becomes useless if it is doused in a whole lot of cold water!

To “rekindle” gives the picture of putting small thin pieces of wood on a fire that looks like it is about to go out. Sometimes this needs to be done desperately as the fire looks a bit grim in the face of some adverse weather. And we know that some people’s faith certainly gets shaky at times and needs a new injection of fuel. Yet this is not just a once-off “rekindling” of the fire, but rather a continual maintenance so that the fire never goes out – a picture of continually adding whatever wood the fire requires to stay ablaze! We need to keep ‘stirring-up’ that inner fire (Griffiths).

The beginning of verse 6 is often translated “fan into flame the gift of God”, which gives the picture of frantically waving a fan of newspaper (or something like that) over the smoke, hoping to get enough oxygen moving into the right places to get the fire going better. Such activity begins with the faith that, such procedures as applying new dry kindling or waving a fan over the little glowing embers, will actually work. But there will also be effort required, like looking for and collecting the little sticks and the bigger logs, and bringing them over to the fire, and then working on and building up that fire as big as it can go towards being a raging inferno (well just short of the need of having to call the CFA to come and get it back under control).

We act on our potential by having a go, by taking a risk here and there, by trying some new things, by getting involved.

We grow in our potential by trusting in God, through listening to the feedback we’re given, by evaluating what works for us and what doesn’t, through undertaking some training to hone our skills.

We reach our potential when we experience our various gifts and abilities complimenting the gifts and abilities of others in effective mutual service to the wider world.

5. The Holy Spirit’s undertaking

For, as Paul goes on (in verse 7a), fear is not an option for us ... or shall we say that, giving in to fear is not an option! “Cowardice” is not part of the Jesus following life – following, as we do, the One who was so committed to his cause that he did not avoid any challenge, nor did he seek to avoid the cross. Nor is the softer translation often given here “timidity” something we should give in to. Yes, some of us are naturally shy or introverted or conservative or a bit on-the-back-foot naturally. We can lack a little confidence in approaching people or dealing with controversy; but we can no longer hide behind this.

It seems from other ‘new testament’ passages that Timothy lacked in confidence, perhaps because he was so young (refer 1 Tim 4:12). We read Paul saying to the church in Corinth: “If Timothy comes, see that he has nothing to fear among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am” (1 Cor. 16:10).

God asks us to find ways of building our confidence through (“sincere”) faith and trust, and also gives us the resources we need to do so. So, we don’t seek to act on our potential alone, for we have been given, and will continue to be given, all that we need, as we sincerely embrace and express our faith – that is, the Spirit of power, the Spirit of love, and the Spirit of self-discipline (verse 7b).

The Spirit of “power” means having God’s effectiveness within us, and God’s resources available to us ... this is where things happens, as a result of our prayers and faithful activity, that previously we would have never dreamed of being possible.

The Spirit of “love” is becoming able to love people beyond the limitations of our human prejudices ... seeing each human being as God sees them (it is now God’s eyes that look from behind our eyes, and thus we see differently). This then releases us to offer free service to others.

The Spirit of “self-discipline” enables us to make the right moral and ethical decisions, so that we can make a positive contribution in each of our human interactions; also leading us toward a serious development of our belief and value systems. Such “self-control” will allow Timothy to properly focus and be sound-minded, and thereby accurately and creatively share the Word of God, without drifting off into trivialities, error or personal agendas.

This all should fuel our fire, should it not!!

So if we experience fear, lack of confidence, tiredness, or discouragement, this may indicate that we have just momentarily forgotten to rely on God’s Spirit. Because there are so many difficult and distracting circumstances around our daily lives, we should make it a habit to often recall the Holy Spirit’s resources implanted within us.

May each of us, I pray, experience the realisation of our potential, and take the time to encourage others in their journey of discovering and acting on their potential. And in this way, may God’s Kingdom come; may God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!

Reflection on Luke 2:21-52 - "Jesus brings parenting challenges"

We have here in Luke chapter 2, the only biblical material that deals with Jesus as a child and young person. I today just wanted to reflect on these verses with the thoughts that came to me as I read and studied them. These verses first and foremost bring the reader’s attention to the identity of Jesus as the long awaited Son of God and Saviour. But we might also sense some interesting insights concerning family relationships, if not mentioned directly, then still able to be raised as a result of just reading this text.

First, at 8 days old, we have Jesus’ circumcision and naming. We should note here that the parents of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, follow God’s leading in giving their child the name of “Jesus”, meaning ‘God saves’ or ‘God is salvation’. Clearly God spoke and continued to speak to Mary and Joseph about the upbringing of Jesus, and of course they were wise to take this counsel very seriously and act upon it as best they could. They would no doubt also involve trusted others to help them fulfil this particularly challenging task of parenting – and not just because this was the Son of God, but that this was a child (like any other) that was loved by God. We have heard many times that it takes a village to bring up a child.

Then we read about Jesus’ presentation in the temple (which would have occurred about 32 days later ... 40 days after birth). According to custom, as the firstborn male in the family, Jesus would be dedicated there to God’s purposes. This commemorated God bringing the people out of slavery in Egypt. Today we would want all of our children, first-born, last-born, middle-born, girls and boys, to be dedicated to God’s purposes; for to miss God’s best would be a tragic outcome.

While at the temple this young family encounters two characters by the names of Simeon and Anna. Simeon was a Jew who was completely dedicated to God and expectantly looking for the new ways that God would interact with his people (as indicated by prophets such as Isaiah). Before we even read of the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost, we read that the Holy Spirit was already a part of Simeon’s life (just as the Holy Spirit had been evident in many of the heroes of old testament times) – the point being, that we should carefully listen to whatever Simeon says. The words that Simeon offers (from verse 29 to 32) identify that this child named Jesus is the bringer of salvation for all people – bringing the glory of God’s intimate presence to Israel, and the light of understanding to the Gentiles. They also state that God had certainly been faithful in fulfilling his long-abiding promise to the nation of Israel (v.29).

We then read of Mary and Joseph’s ‘amazement’ at these words of Simeon (v.33). Why were they ‘amazed’?

‘Amazed’ that this stranger Simeon knew all this stuff maybe? But then those so committed to God’s cause and in such deep relationship with God as Simeon was, tend to grasp or rightly identify such happenings better than others do. Mary and Joseph had heard similar things before from the angel sent by God, also from Mary’s relative Elizabeth, and from the visiting shepherds!

‘Amazed’ maybe at such a direct mention of the “Gentiles” ... which certainly broadened God’s plan a whole lot for those who hadn’t interpreted “all people” beyond the boundaries of Israel? Well sometimes, even though told, it takes a while for the full significance of such things to sink in. After all, healthy noisy baby boys were born everyday – and it would be hard to see or admit or publicly suggest that there was anything so special about their child, especially at such a young age!

The bigger difficulty for Mary and Joseph now, was to accept the further things that Simeon had to say about Jesus’ future.

Firstly, that Jesus would face opposition! Mary and Joseph would have been forgiven for thinking that bringing the Son of God and Messiah into the world ... well that everyone would celebrate this – that this will turn around their nation fortunes for good ... everybody will jump on board with this! But alas, the coming of Jesus will bring out the dark side of many: those who were unwilling to contemplate change, and those who were unwilling to experience God working in new ways. But even more amazingly, how people react to Jesus, yes this young child Jesus before them, whether positively or negatively, will determine how their lives ultimately pan out ... whether they will receive salvation or not.

Secondly, Simeon says to Mary (in verse 35) that, “a sword will pierce your own soul too”; indicating that whatever opposition Jesus attracted – this will personally touch Mary as well. This expression indicates future sorrow and grief for Mary. To see your beloved son rejected time after time is a bitter pill to swallow. And we know from John’s Gospel that Mary stood at the foot of the cross where Jesus hung. So, from this early point of Jesus’ life, his mother Mary would have to live with the prospect of her son Jesus facing many complex challenges and difficulties in life. Probably this would be akin to the mother who has to watch their son or daughter go off to war zones or military service whereby their life would be under threat every day.

Mary would even have to deal with her son Jesus showing preference for his true followers (because they were doing the will of God) as against his sometimes doubting and resistant family (Luke 8:19-21).

This Luke 2 text clearly reminds us that Jesus is a child of great significance. But so too are all our children, not in the same way that Jesus was divinely significant, but each of our children are unique and special, and God has a particular future in mind for them. They have a cause! And sometimes that God-given cause is going to bring us reason to be concerned, but nonetheless it is their cause! We also know that when we bring children into the world, beyond all the excitement and all the happiness, lies all the challenges that life in this world brings. This is not a reason to stop having children, rather an opportunity to work out how best to prepare our children for what lies ahead.

And first and foremost, above and beyond whatever other good parenting principles we can find, there is the need to create the framework of faith in God around our family. I think there is room in this scripture passage for us to see that this is exactly what Mary and Joseph set out to do! They put God first, fulfilled their religious obligations as they understood them, and made sure that Jesus felt at home in the temple. As a result of this, we see that Jesus, reading on to verse 40, “... grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him”.

Yet you can imagine Mary’s distress to hear that her son’s life would not be an easy one; although now we probably wouldn’t look at it this way, for Jesus’ life was one of purpose and service and healing to others, despite its torturous end. But even then, this sacrificial life of Jesus was vindicated by God raising him from the dead. So even with the very real fears of parents concerning the future, a committed and grounded faith in God is the greatest tool for day-by-day survival.

Yet we still cannot underestimate the very real heartfelt concerns of Mary and Joseph at that moment of Simeon’s short but heavily impacting speech (v.34-5). God did bring a voice of encouragement though. Anna, a woman with a background of many many years of single-minded and constant worship and prayer, having also identified who this child Jesus really was, brought a ministry of praise and witness to God for all to hear. This was not just some tragedy in the making, but God was right in the centre of this ... acting to bring salvation to the world!

We next read about Jesus at age 12 years. Luke has not included any reference to this family’s flight to Egypt because of the threat of Herod (that we read about in Matthew). The intervening decade or so in Jesus’ life is summed up in one verse, which of course is highly complementary to his parents and any others involved in Jesus’ upbringing, the verse that we just read: “The child grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him” (2:40). Here is good physical, mental and spiritual development, that we would all aspire to with our children. We read later in verse 52 of Jesus’ social progress as well – the 12 year old boy Jesus increasing in “human favour”.

Jesus was with his parents when they, as usual, went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. We might immediately think that it was during this same festival some twenty-one years later that Jesus was crucified right there in Jerusalem. How much of this destiny did Jesus already know about ... well we don’t know. But we do know that Jesus was brought up with a love for theology. Jesus would have been read and told the stories of the old testament heroes of the Jewish faith, and Jesus was clearly interested in figuring out what their lives had to say to current generations.

Some level of self-awareness in Jesus was seen when he was able to speak of the God of heaven as his real or ultimate Father (v.49). In any case, Jesus was well prepared for when his time of formal ministry would arrive. Just the enlightening touch of the Holy Spirit that would come at his baptism in eighteen odd years time and he was away!

We read that, back when he was 12 years old, Jesus went missing. When returning home to Nazareth from Jerusalem, Mary and Joseph had not yet missed Jesus, assuming that he was with other members of their travelling party. It wasn’t until they were camping for the night, that Mary and Joseph realised that Jesus was nowhere to be found. So they returned all the way to Jerusalem and looked for Jesus for some time. You would think that at some point panic must have set in.

Mary and Joseph kept looking and finally found Jesus in the temple, listening to the theological discussions, asking questions as they came to mind, and providing some of his own incredibly wise insights (v.46-7). You would think that Mary and Joseph would have looked in the temple earlier, but they still thought that he’d be playing footy or something rather than spending his time discussing the scriptures.

Any 12 year old who goes missing for three to five days from a loving home is likely to be first hugged and kissed, then screamed at for quite a while through pent up anxiety and imagined worst-case scenarios, then hugged and kissed again in absolute relief. Mary though it seems was quite restrained in her obviously emotional comment, “Child, why have you treated us like this”?

Jesus’ response to this, if we set aside his true identity, could be regarded as “brattish” and insolent: “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Precocious Jesus suggests that his parents should have known him well enough to know where he would be. We do need to get to know our children, for they will always be more than just the sum of their parents. It seems that the parents had underestimated this 12 year old, and his capacities to engage with and contribute to community life. We must always be looking for the virtues and giftedness within our children in terms of the contributions they can make to family, church and community, lest these be missed and wasted.

Parents must also be diligent in finding ways to correct and transform negative behaviour patterns, for this is their responsibility before God. Yet the overriding notion is that each child is born in the image of God and has a potentially valuable role to play in the world. And better to have a huge stone tied around your neck and be thrown into the sea than to hurt one of these children.

There seems also to be a shift here in who Jesus identifies as his father (v.48-9). When Mary refers to his father Joseph’s anxiety along (with her own), Jesus as much as says that he was about his real Father’s business now. We might feel for Joseph here and all the effort he had put in, and Luke continually honours Joseph’s fathering role by continuing to refer to Joseph as a parent of Jesus along with Mary (e.g.2:27). But Joseph must have known somewhere in the back of his mind that this day would someday come. And the day comes for all parents when their children are ready to launch out on their own and decide upon their own allegiances.

Mary and Joseph, through their priorities and loving care, had prepared Jesus well for his life’s work. We can only all pray that when our children launch out that they will seek their Creator’s purpose for them, and in turn appreciate that it was their parents and extended family that so well-positioned them to embrace their future. We can only pray that our good efforts of preparation will be enough for the right decisions to be made.

We spend our time well working out how we can encourage the children of our families and our church to be aware of God’s love for them, sacrifice for them and also His call upon their lives.

The words in Luke 2 verse 49, albeit from a twelve year old, are the first words from the mouth of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus identified his call – to do God’s work in God’s world! That in general terms is what each of us is called to, and what each of us is called to model – to do God’s work in God’s world!

Despite the anxiety that Jesus had caused his mother, and although Mary did not yet fully understand the meaning all of these remarkable events, we hear the beautiful words ... that Mary “treasured all these things in her heart”. I’m sure this mothers’ day that many mothers are continually storing up in their memories the remarkable deeds of their children so that they might be treasured all the days of their lives. But we should also pause with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and treasure the revelation of Jesus, and all that this means to each of our daily lives.

Reflection on Psalm 21 - "Joy in God's Presence"

I really love the words in Psalm 21 verse 6 ...
“you make him glad with the joy of your presence”.

This refers to God making the king glad with the joy of God’s own presence.
So this starts and finishes with God, who brings a gift that turns out to be a great blessing.

So, I need to ask some questions, and then try to address them:

What is it like to experience the joy of God’s presence?
When can we feel joy in God’s presence, and in what circumstances?
What is joy in the first place?

1. Structure

Psalm 21 has three distinct sections. Although probably written by one person, David, this psalm is written as if being spoken by multiple voices ... the voices of the congregation or community; and is written this way so that people could repeat it together.

· Verses 1 to 7 – where the congregation or community speak to God about the king; and these are the verses I shall come back to and centre on.

· Verses 8 to 12 – where the congregation or community speak to God about their enemies. Note these are human sentiments toward their enemies, not God’s sentiments. Human inclinations toward violence and retribution are here forced upon God. This is the unfortunate mindset where total annihilation of enemies was seen as the only option. For the people to speak in this way they must have felt embattled and under a great deal of strain, threat and fear. E.M Blaiklock calls this “hot language” (uttered under pressure)! And we can understand how they felt, for we too have sometimes felt that God should just dispense with all opposition to him and us.

These words are extreme, but at least they do point out the seriousness of rebellion against God and the dire consequences that can follow opposing God in our life behaviour. There is at least a desire here that evil will not gain the initiative. Sometimes we are too tolerant of evil that brings disruption to our life and injustice to society. Sometimes we are too tolerant of ourselves, rather than seeking to grow and change and produce fruit. By taking sin seriously, we participate in God’s ultimate victory over evil and darkness.

But, when reading this psalm, and looking at such words as found in verses 8 to 12, we must now do so in the light of Jesus, and know that our proper response to persecution and opposition is really to come to that point where we can love our ‘enemies’.

· And the concluding Verse 13 – where the congregation and community speak to God about God. The people seek to lift God’s name high in word and song, due to God’s creativity, mighty effectiveness and strength.

2. The king’s trust

Back to the first seven verses ... where it is seen that the people’s king has been successful in his endeavours through his relationship with God. His efforts have saved the nation. This king has sought after God and has received his “heart’s desire” and the “requests of his lips”; i.e. his prayers have been well and truly answered. The king’s life is on track, his role and purpose have been clearly established, his integrity is there for all to see, and his future is secure.

Yet the community and also the king himself are well aware of where this blessing and undertaking comes from – the required help and strength come from God. The king cannot boast, for the people know that he is only human – any of us who take up leadership and succeed in things that count, have only been able to do so through the gifts of God. It is in this context of understanding God’s provision that the people celebrate – God has been active in the life of their king.

Though the king must have done his part, i.e. must have made himself available to God ... he must have taken some positive attitude for his life to be able to be described and celebrated in this way! It just doesn’t happen out of thin air that things go so well for someone. There is actually a statement made on this in the psalm – a statement of cause and effect – that begins “For ...” (verse 7). There are two factors behind this happy reality described in that verse. What are they???

What two things in verse 7 do you think would make a big difference???

· The king has wholly put his trust in God – for the present and the future, in the big things and the small things; God is the centre of this king’s life ...
· And nothing will deflect him away from this (or at least this is his current attitude) – “he shall not be moved”. The king will keep to the foundation he has established and on which his life is built. Even though failure was not far away, this foundation will allow him to quickly confess his guilt, be forgiven, and get firmly back on track. Even though threats and challenges often confront us in life, these can be endured through a knowledge of the steadfast and complete love of God.

3. Questions for us

So this is all preliminary to answering the questions we started out with ...

What is it like to experience the joy of God’s presence?
When can we feel joy in God’s presence? In what circumstances?
What is joy in the first place?

For I want to argue, that ‘joy in God’s presence’ is not just something for later on in some other place, but also something for now. Sure it will be perfectly enjoyed in heaven, but for those who follow Jesus, eternal life has already begun.

(a) What is “joy”?

The dictionary defines “joy” as pleasure, gladness, delight; but surely biblical and spiritual “joy” is bigger and better than that!

And “joy” is surely not just happiness when things are going easily. In fact, we may not really experience "joy" until we have it in the midst of difficulty. It's easy to feel happy when Carlton is ten goals in front in the last quarter (everyone should feel pleased about that)! But real “joy” only comes as we are part of an experience of overcoming obstacles, or are making a difference in someone else’s life against the tide, or experience God working in our lives in tangible ways. Joy is found within the dynamic of being shifted out of the mundane and out of our routine, above and beyond our basic humanness, limitations and normal constraints.

“Joy” then, it may seem, is almost out of our grasp ... almost ... but then that reminds us that “joy” is more a gift of God than something we can artificially or accidentally obtain.

(b) So, when can we feel “joy” in God’s presence??

· In worship – to the God who lovingly created us and redeemed us. We come together as a worshipping community and focus on God and God’s greatness, and we read the Bible and wait expectantly on God to teach us something. There is here the joy of spending time in something that really counts, has tremendous purpose, and can be life-changing. Singing praise to God takes us out of ourselves and focuses us on God’s love and effectiveness, and on what God wants to achieve in the world.

· In our thanksgiving – acknowledging what God has done for us along the journey, especially through Jesus. Being an Easter people ... saved from sin and given new life ... we join together with thanksgiving as our song (Frances Hogan). Jesus is our source of “joy” these days, for right back at his birth, we hear an angel from God saying to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day ... a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). Matthew tells us that the “wise men”, when that “star” that they were following stopped over the place where Jesus was to be found, were “overwhelmed with joy” (2:10).

· In prayer – personal and corporate – as we sense God participating with us, leading us, and responding to our concerns. As we focus on how God has answered our prayers in the past, on what God might be doing in the present, and as we wait expectantly for all the surprising and wonderful things God will do in the future ... well ... this should be a joyous experience!! Our faith builds on the back of the positive vibes of other people’s faith.

· In service to others – as we sense their appreciation; and even if we don’t (even if we’re not thanked), we can see the face of Jesus in the one we have helped. There was an opportunity to respond to, and we didn’t hang back! It should be a “joy” that we have become the hands and feet (and the laughs and tears) of Jesus throughout a number of our daily interactions.

· In witnessing to Jesus – the disciples expressed joy when they were successful in their mission (e.g. Luke 10:17); and even when they were persecuted, because they were still making an impact for Jesus (e.g. Acts 5:40-42).

Speaking of witnessing ... we have a clip from a special Resurrection Sunday Dance from Budapest in Hungary in 2010:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5dSIL358NM

On April 4, 2010, over 1,300 young people, all of them members of Faith Church celebrated Resurrection Sunday in Budapest.

The 'bridge' of the song in this clip commences:
“Joy in this life time, utterly free;
More than the world gives, beyond what you see”.

· In relationship – perhaps there is just a “joy” in knowing that God knows us and that we know God, and in knowing that God is ultimately looking after us, and should the worst happen, we will certainly be in God’s presence. When the disciples finally understood that Jesus had risen from the dead, and that they were to have an ongoing role in the Jesus movement empowered by the Holy Spirit, we read that, “they worshipped [Jesus], and returned to Jerusalem [where they were to receive the Spirit] with great joy ... and they were continually in the temple blessing God” (Luke 24:52-3). There is surely joy in knowing that God is our constant companion and that not even death can upset that!

(c) What is it like to experience the “joy of God’s presence”???

Well there is no doubt that “joy” is a positive, it feels good. I just discovered Isaiah 12 verse 3 ... what do you think of this verse?? “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation”.

The depths of the salvation that God brings to us are inexhaustible. This reminds me that, because of the “living water” that Jesus has given me, I will never be thirsty again (John 4).

The “joy of God’s presence” also looks good too, because we are not only redeemed, we also look redeemed! For “joy” puts a radiant smile on our face, even at times when you normally wouldn’t expect that to be the case. In this way “joy” is connected to “peace”, because we know who we trust, and we trust who we know, and there is great security, hope and purpose in that.

Even when things are not going well, we can still rest in the knowledge that God is with us in our suffering; for we read in Habakkuk 3:17-19:

“Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls
[a picture of abject desperation];
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will exalt in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
and makes me tread upon the heights”.