Bay West Blog

"Standing Firm" (Daniel 6)

2011-09-23T12:49:00.000+10:00

Sometimes when we reflect on the events of Daniel chapter 6, we might simply focus on the miraculous deliverance towards the end of the chapter and miss a very important element of the story earlier on. This is the part that most excites me ... what we read in verse 10:

Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously.

Daniel was standing firm in his faith no matter what he would have to face. But he wasn’t doing so passively, for prayer isn’t passive – prayer is an active response to the complexity of life. As we shall see, this habit of prayer was something strong in Daniel’s background that he brought into his present challenges. When difficulties came, Daniel had the necessary survival tools at hand!

Let’s look at some of the events surrounding Daniel’s commitment to prayer and worship.

Things were going okay for Daniel. In verse 3 we read of Daniel that, “an excellent spirit was in him”, and he been given a high position in the government. We also read that those who opposed Daniel for their own reasons, “could find no grounds for complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful ...” (v.4). Daniel had made that stand back in chapter one, where he had refused to partake of the “royal rations” on offer because this would have tended to suggest that he approved of all of the palace’s agenda, rather than standing somewhat separate from its excesses and violations. Subsequently, King Nebuchadnezzar had grown in his respect for Daniel and for Daniel’s God.

Yet, to many within the officialdom of Babylon or Persia (as this area later became known), Daniel was still a vanquished foreigner who had no place in the king’s court. There was jealousy towards Daniel’s position, which led to murderous intent. There might have been thoughts as well, that Daniel, with his impressive character, was showing all the other leaders up.

These leaders manipulated the current king Darius into legislating against anyone praying to any god apart from the king himself. Anyone who could not restrain themselves from praying to their own God for at least thirty days would be thrown to the lions. These leaders stroked the king’s ego by lifting him even higher on his pedestal and thereby got their way.

Having been initially oblivious to the scheming that had gone on, King Darius would now regret all of this, when it was Daniel who was the one in the firing line ... we read that King Darius was “very much distressed” (v.14), and he tried to find a way out for Daniel. But it was too late, too late for a leader who had been caught up in his own ego and been manipulated by those with evil intent. Darius was left hoping that Daniel’s God might act on Daniel’s behalf (v.16), and then Darius spent a sleepless night fasting (v.18). This seems very like the no-win situation that Pontius Pilate was left in.

But there was a choice, there is always a choice. Yet here in King Darius it seems that we have a political leader who couldn’t publicly admit that he was wrong and then change his mind (not until he witnessed the miraculous anyway). This would be too much of a back-down, way too personally embarrassing, too politically damaging it seemed. Darius had become tied up in knots by his own rules and regulations, rather than doing what was right and just and good. When this happens in any type of community, it’s likely that it will be the most vulnerable or innocent, or the minority or the voiceless that gets hurt. And so Daniel must be thrown to the lions. And Jesus must be nailed to a cross.

As we see the complexity of community and political leadership, people trying to balance a whole lot of agendas at the same time as maintaining their position, this should motivate us to pray for all those who hold such responsible positions – that they might seek (as Micah would have it) to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.

Now Daniel knew about the threat against him (“the document had been signed” – v.10), and likely knew that this was a concerted conspiracy against him, but could do no other than maintain his pattern of prayer. Thirty days without prayer ... unthinkable ... that would be a disaster!! More than one third of a single day without prayer would have been too long! We read that Daniel hit his knees “three times a day”, which was likely to have been his traditional habit. For us we might interpret this to be a constant attitude of prayer or connectedness with God, with regular more formalised and focussed times of direct thanksgiving and intercession.

And we sense that Daniel did not try to cover his ongoing worshipful activity, just went about this as if it was oh so normal. Thus his prayerful witness to God was both open to observation and completely unashamed.

Daniel, with windows open, faced Jerusalem, the place from where he had drawn his unshakable trust in God – the Creator, the Redeemer, the Sustainer. Daniel did this, “just as he had previously”, indicating, as we have said, that this indeed is his pattern, what his life was about, where his central focus was. For Daniel, not to pray would have been a betrayal of himself and who he was. It was so natural for Daniel to worship God, that there apparently was not even the briefest second thought (about whether this was what he should be doing).

One wonders what Daniel prayed about? Simply about personal survival ... his personal needs ... I really doubt it ... based on what we already know about him. More likely, having dealt with a previous king Nebuchadnezzar, and knowing the complexity of community life, Daniel was praying with the big picture in mind, that things could turn around (to the good), that hearts would change, and that he himself could make whatever contribution God would have him make. Daniel, like Jeremiah, sought the welfare of the city.

This is where the relevance is for me in my future journey ... praying, then acting, toward the welfare of the city of Wyndham (and all of its residents). For this is not a place of isolated quarter-acre blocks with private houses on them, or at least it shouldn’t be. This is a place of interactive relational community, where people may just come together to understand (and then celebrate) the spiritual component of their lives.

One wonders what Daniel got out of his prayer-time? Refreshment, inspiration, clarification; maybe just the thrill of being caught up in the reality of the Divine presence with him (R S Wallace). Certainly there could have been new insight on the problems he faced. One could add that, certain unsettling experiences, like what Daniel was facing, are often helpful in getting our attention and changing our attitudes where we have been stubbornly wrong in the past (idea from David McCasland in “Our Daily Bread” Thurs 22/9/11). We can learn afresh what it really means to follow Jesus (in terms of the life of Jesus we discover in the Gospels).

Definitely Daniel’s resolve was confirmed and he thus became stronger. Even if God seemed silent for a period, there was enough reason to return in a few hours time. With the windows to the outside world being wide open, surely this prayer would touch real life situations.

With this attitude, and with this behaviour, Daniel was certainly prepared for God to act miraculously in his life ... to offset in some way the danger he was facing and to allow for some real impact. Daniel had come to know God well. With Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in chapter 3, Daniel would have been expectant of God’s deliverance while at the same time accepting of God’s will either way. Daniel could enter the lion’s den knowing that God entered with him. The result was so impressive to King Darius that he was liberated from his political straight jacket and changed his approach.

This gives great hope to the modern day Jesus-followers who act according to their God-given conscience and their Spirit-led wisdom, in the face of selfishness and injustice, difficulty and despair. We can’t just bemoan what we don’t like, because we have been given the capacity to facilitate change for the good. Daniel, I reckon, grew to love the opportunity of serving in Babylon, even though it was not his first or favoured option. How many of us have exactly the job we’d desire, or precisely the life situation we’d prefer! Yet we can grow to see the opportunities anyway, and then grow even more in embracing those opportunities. Daniel’s great asset to bring to Babylon was his faith in the true God Yahweh, with the caring human-honouring and creation-respecting attitudes that this meant.

In my upcoming work in wider Wyndham, I can only pray that I can make a difference in people’s lives through the blessed hope I carry in Jesus. I will seek with God’s help to unleash the potential for good that lies within many, which may currently be repressed by many things including discouragement or fear or lack of opportunity. As I leave my formal role as pastor with you [at Point Cook Community Baptist Church], I commit to seeking the welfare of Wyndham by bringing the love of God to the neighbourhoods and streets and homes that I become able to connect with.

If there is to be success in this mission, I and Raelene, and others who join us, will need to continue to pray and praise God with the windows open. My particular open windows, rather than facing to Jerusalem, will first face to my parents, and then to those others who have taught me, pastored me, mentored me and supported me; and then those windows will always at least partly face Point Cook, where I have been given a great opportunity and been deeply encouraged for these seven years.

God will then lead us into God’s own future, where previously closed doors will suddenly open, and connections will be made with people who have already been prepared by the Holy Spirit to hear the good news of Jesus, and participate together in a variety of community building activities.

"Standing up when the heat is on" - a reflection on Daniel 3

2011-09-16T12:44:00.000+10:00

Let us examine the broad impact of the statements made in verses 16 to 18 of Daniel chapter 3. I have been recently fascinated by these verses as never before!

It seems that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego believed that God would likely deliver them from the threat of being thrown in a burning furnace. As they had proved their total commitment to God in their resolve to not worship the idol of the “golden statue”, they thought that God would in turn vindicate them. But there was also an understanding here, that, perhaps, God may act differently to what they expected ... there was a bit of an “if” concerning what the outcome would be ... it could be that they wouldn’t survive. Deliverance was rightly desired, was even to be expected, but it was not a certainty. One does not have the right to presume how God will act (not without knowing the full picture)!

This was not in any sense faithless, but rather acknowledged that sometimes God’s view of things is different to ours, and that it is God who sees the end from the beginning, and indeed knows best. And as we look at it today, this view would be fair and reasonable, and this would be good theology – because we know many people who have stuck their necks out for God across the centuries, and who have suffered greatly and lost their lives as a result ... many whom we could not even begin to doubt their sincere commitment to God.

Stephen, in Acts 7, was an early example of what happened to an uncompromising God-person in the Jesus-following movement who stood against the tide. Many others have followed around the world. Why would God not save them. What could God’s purpose have been in not intervening. Sometimes we can hazard a guess ... like the good that can be brought about across a whole community following such loss. We know that God can bring good out of all sorts of tragedy. Other times though we can still be left scratching our heads (for we cannot ever see as broadly as God sees)!

But the important thing to acknowledge, lest our faith becomes diminished, is two-fold:

(i) we live in a fallen world, where the consequences of human sin have led to a pain and violence riddled world, in which we can suffer; and secondly,

(ii) that God is committed to us, and actively involved in bringing his purposes to be (and God’s greatest purpose is finding relationship with people through their response to Jesus).

So sometimes God’s people are delivered, other times God’s people perish. Yet we know, ultimately, that all of God’s people find their blessed eternity!

Under the tutelage of Daniel, the three heroes of this story, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, have a good grasp of all this. Because they are able to concede that God may not rescue them, but that this will not change nor lessen their resolve. The outcome will be as God would have it – but Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego will not serve nor worship Nebuchadnezzar’s false gods. These three leaders, like Daniel, are happy to serve the king in the best interests of the people of both Judah and Babylon, but they will not compromise their central spiritual connection to the true and living God in doing so.

You might remember that, in chapter one of Daniel, these leaders, transported from Judah to Babylon, would not accept the royal rations of palace life, because, amongst other reasons, this would not distinguish them enough from the over-consumptive and power-hungry rulers. Just like someone who wears an orange jacket and orange socks, they will stand out from the crowd, rather than being absorbed by the crowd.

Now, in chapter three, the nation has generally accepted that they should bow in worship before a god of King Nebuchadnezzar’s own creation. Was this apathy we ask, or was it the threat of a fiery end if they didn’t? Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be open to a variety of god options. Especially important would be the worship of an idol representing his own kingly rule. The “golden statue” that Nebuchadnezzar had made was ridiculously large. It would have been obvious to all that such an idol as this was just self-indulgent and misguided. Yet nearly all the people lined up (follow-the-leader style) to worship it. It seems that no one (except our three heroes) was prepared to say or do anything that would question this grotesque creation, its dedication, and the worship of such a thing.

And Nebuchadnezzar would never had expected that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego would have felt so committed to their God (as the supreme and true God) that they would stand up for this God in the face of such a deadly threat – and seemingly they did so with no hesitation (and no bargaining space for compromise). Here was trust and commitment matched by remarkable courage! This was impressive to all!! We could assume that these three didn’t find such trust and courage in this moment, but this had already been a practiced behaviour in their recent past in smaller matters (allowing for this level of response on the big stage).

Now, some of the king’s advisors thought it would be a good idea to pressure any dissenter into conforming ... under this threat of being burned alive if they didn’t. This was quite a threat of course!! What would we do? Cave-in? Or, stand up ... even when the heat is on! With all the rest of the peoples bowing down and worshipping the “golden statue”, it would be natural that the king would be enraged that the unanimity was broken by just these three upstart exiles from Judah.

In the world of today there is not just the false gods of materialism and secularism and individualism ... that we could be asked to bow before, but also many false ideas that we are asked to go along with. In a world political system that first thinks revenge ... should not the Jesus-follower be thinking differently (in terms of peace-making)! Where so many people have parochial nationalistic mindsets of us and them ... should not the Jesus-follower live with open arms to the stranger! Where the poor, hungry and sick are depersonalised into statistics ... should not the Jesus-follower actively promote greater consideration of their needs!

Despite the threat of the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, would not just cave-in to conventional thought, community norms or political pressure. Yet, there was no point in arguing with this angry megalomaniac king. In verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego say to Nebuchadnezzar, “... we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter”. Sometimes people’s irrational thinking is way too unreasonable to debate with them. No words will be found that will convince someone so opposed to the truth. And ultimately, God will have the final word anyway in his own defense. These three will simply rely upon their actions, their resolve, and their faith.

And of course they were not alone in this stand. In the midst of the heat of the furnace, there was a fourth figure. God here fulfils his ongoing promise to be with his people in the midst of their tribulation. And it was Nebuchadnezzar himself, on the basis of all he had seen and heard from these great witnesses from Israel, who was able to recognise that this was a supreme God who had been present in a remarkably saving way with his three servants. This king saw that any possible reward or threat that existed for Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego while they lived in Babylon, was as nothing to them. Look at verse 28, and the impact this resolve had on Nebuchadnezzar!

Just note one further thing. We read in verse 25 that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (along with the fourth figure) were “unbound”. This, despite the three references to the three men being “bound” before being thrown into the furnace, and the further references to the fire not affecting any part of their person including their clothes. Draw the conclusion that you would like about this, but I think them becoming “unbound” depicts the freedom and liberation that results from holding one’s resolve (under pressure).

So it is, that it is not the possible outcome, either good or bad, that should guide us; but rather our solid commitment to live in God’s ways no matter what ... trusting that Jesus journeys with us. It is in this way, and really I think in this way only, that we will have the impact on society God wishes we would have. It is only the fair-dinkum followers of Jesus who can change the things that we all bemoan when we watch the news. It’s only when we are serious enough about our faith to practically bear witness to it, that we can hope to restore the sort of communities we wish to live in.

These verses are all about an absolute trust in God that cannot be undermined. We can still wonder and at times feel alone (for this is what we read in the psalms). We certainly grow and change, and come to understand things better as we go along. But ultimately we should just stand with God along the journey no matter what comes across our path! Amen!

"Standing out from the crowd" - a sermon on Daniel 1:1-21

2011-09-02T12:13:00.001+10:00

Having lost a power struggle, the Israelites had been taken into exile in Babylon. There, King Nebuchadnezzar sought out certain distinguished young Israelites to be trained for three years to serve in the king’s palace. This was not a benevolent act by Nebuchadnezzar, but rather smart politics to try to utilise and incorporate some of the talents that he had militarily acquired. One of these recruited young men was Daniel.

Having forcibly to live in a foreign culture brings all sorts of challenges. For the person who seeks to serve God above all other, in a place where the God of the Bible is not generally known, there has to be careful thought and prayer given to how they will relate to their living environment. What personal connections will be helpful, and what situations should be avoided? As a small minority grouping, how will they cope with both the threats on the one hand and the seductions on the other. What might a person have to be critical of no matter the cost? Where will the boundaries have to be drawn? On the other side, where might God be wanting us to engage?

This is complicated even further in Daniel’s case, by his recruitment into the public service ... into the service of the King of Babylon. How could Daniel effectively serve this foreign king, while still maintaining his complete commitment to God. His decision-making dilemma is all played out in chapter one of the book of Daniel.

As a result of Daniel (and the other three young men) being recruited to service the palace, they were assigned a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine (1:5), as some sort of sign of special favour. These would be the same elaborate provisions that the king himself would enjoy.

But, we read in verse 8, that Daniel refused this daily portion of the royal food and wine on the basis that these rations would “defile” him. Then we read in verse 9, that “God allowed Daniel to receive favour and compassion from the palace master”. We are clearly supposed to see a connection between Daniel’s decision not to allow himself to be “defiled” and the subsequent favourable position that he then occupied. Certainly God will work in and around and alongside the one who makes such strong resolutions.

For me this seems to be the result of a test that we only read the last part of. Was Daniel prepared to make a stand, and dedicate himself wholly to God, and not let anything else get in the way? As the answer was ‘yes’, now Daniel had proven himself to be trusted with great responsibility. God would continue to work in Daniel’s life (and in the circumstances surrounding Daniel’s life), “allowing” or ‘facilitating’ him to receive favour and compassion from the normally hostile ruling authorities.

We are often tested – the question is how we react to that test, and how ready we are for God to take us to the next level of effectiveness in God’s Kingdom. After all, God would not want us to be given responsibility before we are ready, and then at the first hurdle make a laughing stock of God. Tests come upon us to prove our loyalty and our maturity.

Now we might think that it would have been best if Daniel did not have to serve this foreign king at all – yet this was the political reality that Daniel just had to face up to. His nation of Israel had become weak and an easy prey for powerful Babylon. But in spite of this tragedy, there will remain for Daniel an opportunity to credibly represent the true God right within the walls of highest decision-making in Babylon.

Daniel could have sought to avoid this royal appointment and thus not been under such pressure. Yet he understood both his God-given abilities and the opportunity he had to positively impact a whole nation of people, and boldly took the tougher option. To receive “favour” and “compassion” (v.9) from otherwise hostile opponents would suggest that Daniel would be viewed in a good light, and that he would be treated with due respect, and that he could make a real impact for God.

Wise and insightful Daniel understood the depth of the opportunity that had presented itself, and would not want to blow it! So he recognised something that might “defile” him, and he wanted to resist this. He continued to resist even when pressured by the “palace master” (v.10); and also being under no illusions concerning the danger of refusing the king’s hospitality. So, what was it about the “daily portion of royal rations of food and wine” (v.5) that was so problematical to Daniel?

It has been argued that this is about Jewish dietary rules, where to be true to the faith of his forefathers, Daniel would need to stick to these, and not eat meat that wasn’t regarded ‘clean’ or prepared properly, or had been first sacrificed to idols. And this could be part of the reason. But this wouldn’t fully explain why it was particularly the “royal rations” that Daniel would refuse, as against any other food which was just as likely to infringe such cultural food regulations.

Daniel would likely stick to these traditional dietary requirements anyway (as seen by his “vegetable” diet in verse 12), but there was something else about the “royal rations” that worried him. Here are some suggestions:

1. Solidarity

Perhaps it was the lavishness of this “royal” food and wine compared to what his own people would be having (or not having) outside the palace or back in besieged Judah – a feeling of solidarity with his less well of brothers and sisters.

Some of us have done better resources wise than others within this unjust and unequal world. Those of us who are better off than others should not flaunt their good fortune (or hold on to them too tightly), but rather find ways of making contributions to balance the scales a little more. In a way we would not want to profit from such an unjust system. The great leveller in all this, is that none of us can take anything but our character and our soul into the next life.

2. Discontent

Perhaps it was that possible sense of doing so well, even profiting, from a situation that had begun by his own people being so rebellious to their God and thus putting themselves at risk of defeat in the first place. There could have been a sense of national regret and repentance here for the misdeeds of his people. Even if Daniel didn’t feel personally responsible, he didn’t want to feel or be seen to be profiting from such a state of affairs.

We shouldn’t ever feel too comfortable in a material sense when there so much inequality and need, and thus there is so much to do in the world in partnership with God (fulfilling the responsibilities God gave us within his acts of creation). We should actually never feel content, but rather disturbed that there are so many people living without knowing Jesus and living without purpose and hope, and in some cases living with poverty and death hanging heavily upon them.

3. Heavenly Citizenship

Perhaps it was that Daniel didn’t ever want to be regarded (by anyone) as a real member of this royal court, as if he had completely sold out to it or allowed himself to be adopted into it. After all, the royal palace of Babylon was hardly to be regarded as a godly place, indeed quite the opposite. Daniel could perform a role there, but not ever be regarded as belonging there or beholding to it. To accept the king’s food would have been an act of total commitment and loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, how seductive would it have been for Daniel to have accepted all the perks of the palace, thereby leaving God behind!

Certainly the king was very keen that Daniel and the other young men obeyed his every command (e.g. v.10), which would of course bring great risk of compromise to their closely held beliefs. Indeed there were big dangers in serving the palace that had been such an enemy of his native people – not just for his long-term safety, but also for the maintenance of his good character; yet, if the temptations could be resisted in maintaining humility before God, there would be great opportunities to change a whole nation. Isn’t this the dilemma that any Jesus follower faces who enters politics or political debate.

We, having encountered and been saved by Jesus, are first and foremost citizens of heaven, of God’s Kingdom, even while we remain physically living on earth. Thus we should not be seen to be so entrapped by allegiance to things of this world that lays any doubt upon this. We are really members of God’s international spiritual community. On earth, we now simply play out our God-given roles. We can be seduced by all sorts of dazzling lights and acts of earthly flattery, but it is only the light and acceptance of Jesus that really counts for anything. As Larry Richards put it, we need to have what Daniel had, i.e. “a strong sense of identity as one of God’s people”. Daniel never sacrificed his inward conviction that in body and soul he belonged to another Kingdom and not to Babylon (R S Wallace).

Now, we should also note Daniel’s good example to his three colleagues – Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, or as they became known – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three followed Daniel in not accepting the “royal rations” and thus also shared in the blessings of standing firmly with God. Firstly each of the four men remarkably appeared in better shape on “vegetables and water” than those who partook of the “royal rations”. Secondly we read (in verse 17) that these four young men received from God a special measure of knowledge and skill.

I don’t think our growth and spiritual maturity in life comes by accident. We grow, develop and become more spiritually mature and effective, because we first make ourselves more available to God, and because we allow ourselves to be open to the transforming work of God’s Spirit. So if we are not growing, then likely we are ourselves putting things in God’s way!

What might these things be???

· personal agendas, desires and goals

· secret behaviours and attitudes

· bitterness, or the lack of forgiveness and compassion.

Daniel and his three friends received from God very useful “knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom” because they had decided to guard themselves and put the things of God first. This obviously includes placing a high value on other people, and wanting to live in a way that would influence them towards knowing God personally themselves.

You might think that particular “knowledge and skill” towards “wisdom” is alright, but why “literature”. The “literature” referred to here would have broadly included material that would aid Daniel’s understanding of his new living environment, e.g. various religious beliefs, myths & legends, astrology, and handbooks on trades like glass-making. “Skill” in interpreting “literature” was obviously important in Daniel’s situation so that he could effectively relate with people from a different mind-space.

We might consider that the important lesson here is to be able to be good interpreters of our current culture, thus better discovering how we might communicate the love of God within that culture. Such “literature” can be studied without harm, as long as the eternal Word of God (the Bible) is kept as the foremost reference point. And, no one should spend more time studying any other discipline or reading material than they spend on their own spiritual and theological discipline.

Now, in verse 17, we notice one other skill that Daniel was given. We might now call this a gift of the Holy Spirit – the gift of ‘discernment’. Daniel now had special insight into other people’s visions and dreams. This would be applied with great effectiveness with King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel had shown himself trustworthy and available to God’s purposes, and now he would be used in mighty ways to bring strong witness to this God that he loved and served.

Daniel could have moaned and groaned about being taken off against his will to a foreign country and forced into the king’s service, but rather he quickly realised that this gave him an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and make a difference in other people’s lives.

The guard, and the palace master, and then the king himself, began to see something different about Daniel, that certainly needed to be reflected upon. The “guard” saw that Daniel and his three colleagues were doing better on “vegetables” than were other people on the “royal rations” (v.16); all symbolic of performing much better according to specific commitments made to God, rather than just floating along like everybody else.

We read in verse 19, that according to King Nebuchadnezzar, “... among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel [and his three friends]; therefore they were stationed in the king’s court”. Now not many of us would like to be “stationed” in the prime minister’s office (although some might), but each of us should want to be “stationed” in the places of significance and influence of God’s choosing for us. This might be in our workplace, in our community, in our place of learning, or in our place of recreation. It will certainly be in our church community, and in our family, that we are “stationed” to share the knowledge, wisdom and giftedness we have been given.

Now there are many options in today’s society for people’s allegiances. Don’t you just hate walking around markets and shopping strips and seeing the evidence of belief systems that will cost people money, and purport to offer them hope, but actually take them nowhere. This includes the false god of materialism, but also the fortune-tellers and the tarot cards and the crystals; and also includes those religious pursuits that don’t point toward a living and personal God.

We read of Daniel, and of Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah (in verse 20), that, “In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom”. So it’s no use bemoaning all those new-age type people who seem to be getting people’s attention; it’s up to us to know and present our message better than they present theirs. No wonder then we keep highlighting the need to study God’s Word together and pray for understanding. This is how we will stand out from the crowd!!

If you read into chapter 2, you will see Daniel become the king’s ‘go to man’ when it came to interpreting his dreams; but Daniel did not use this situation to rise personally above the pack and just draw attention to himself. Rather Daniel pointed to where all his knowledge and wisdom came from – “the God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (2:28), and also showed God’s heart of compassion by praying and arguing strongly against the destruction of the failed dream interpreters.

Daniel was a true leader for all the community. It was in a constant attitude of prayer and faithfulness, that Daniel and his friends were able to make a positive difference within a very alien culture.

"Building our Ministries" - a reflection on Hebrews 10:19-25 (in light of our church expo on Aug 14)

2011-08-05T09:26:00.000+10:00

1. Relationship with God

Verses 19 to 23 of our reading from Hebrews 10 basically encourage us to confidently grab a hold of our relationship with God and run with it as effectively as we can.

We can be assured of our salvation because of what Jesus has done for us. As we have sincerely accepted God’s grace-filled offer of forgiveness, then we know that we have moved from the old into the new, and that God’s own Spirit abides with us. Because our heart has been fully turned toward God, we are in the process of being changed into the person we were designed to be in the image of God’s Son Jesus.

This is our state of being now – we are still human with all the fallibilities and vulnerabilities, yet we are fully inclined towards God’s ways, and all our hope is centred, not on the material and temporary, but rather on the spiritual and eternal.

If we are struggling in any way with experiencing life with this mindset, then here and now is the time to correct this. The way forward will require prayer, bible study, as well as various support and accountability mechanisms ... and an absolute desperation to get the right result; for, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for right living, for they will be the ones who are filled” (Matthew 5:6).

Once upon a time it seemed that the presence of God was restricted. There was a curtain in the temple that only the high priest could go behind on specific occasions. God was seen as fearsome and distant. People were naturally tentative in their approach to God (Brown). Yet this was a concept that humanity imposed on themselves, for God was always seeking close relationships with people (both individually and collectively). Sometimes it has been our own sense of shame that has been the most significant thing that has created a point of separation and distance from God. This is where we think that there is no way that we can honestly face God.

But when Jesus, in his great love for us, died on the cross for us, that separating curtain in the temple was torn asunder and rendered redundant. God is only a breath away. What hope this gives us! Sometimes the difficulties of life really press on us; but we should not waver in our hope, because God has not changed or moved, and God can never love us any less than has always been the case. We should feel completely at home with God.

2. Belonging to the Family

So this is all good news, not only for us, but for the ailing world we live in. This is because God has adopted us into his family, and united us into a ‘body’ with Jesus being the head. The way we are able to express this reality in everyday life is through participation in a church community. This is where a great diversity of people come together with their own variety of backgrounds, personalities, resources and giftedness with one thing in common – Jesus is their Lord.

Yet at the same time, these people are at different stages of the Jesus-following journey, some just starting, some having been on the road for a long time. Also, at any given time, some of these brothers and sisters will be struggling with life (more than others are) for any number of reasons, e.g. illness, employment and financial issues, loneliness etc. So this is where a high level of mutual concern will be necessary, and this is where cooperative forms of ministry will need to be built.

So for this reason, it was a good idea to arrange next week’s expo ... to try to celebrate and develop our various ministries within the church. We ourselves become more familiar with the opportunities and responsibilities we share in a variety of forms; and also we offer the opportunity to a wider audience to understand the nature and purpose of being the church. If we can encourage one another to grow in love and good deeds, we would be fulfilling the biblical mandate contained in Hebrews chapter 10.

3. “Provoking” love and good deeds

There is a very curious word in verse 24 ... “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds”! The word “provoke” is normally used in a negative sense, where people are unfairly threatened towards a reaction that might not be in their best interests (like provoking someone through harsh words into a fight). Yet clearly the word is used here in a positive sense toward a positive outcome.

Other translations use the word “spur” – “spur one another”, or “stimulate one another”, but these don’t have the same edge that the original Greek word (“paroxysmos”) brings. Closer might be “stir one another” or even going further “incite one another” or what about “ruffle one another” or even “irritate one another to love and good deeds”. Clearly this activity that we are supposed to have among one another, that promotes “love and good deeds”, is meant to be particularly proactive and provocative.

One old commentator writes: “We are to affect each other acutely to love and good works [and to the joys and privileges of public worship]” (Hastings). So “love and good deeds” don’t just happen, they have to be worked at. So “awaken one another...” might be a worthy translation, with the idea that “love and good deeds” lie deep within all of us but need to be actively drawn out. So we could also translate, “call forth” or “bring out” from one another “love and good deeds”.

Now “love and good deeds” can become a very powerful sign of faith with integrity. This is how important the writer to the Hebrews thought this was. Many churches of old, and this is something being revisited now in many places, adopted covenant statements to describe the nature of their communal life. One such statement read: “We engage to watch over one another in love” (Brown). How we do this in practice requires considerable thought, prayer, wisdom and commitment.

4. Communal activity

Highlighted in verse 25 is one particular element of collective church life, i.e. “not neglecting to meet together”. One wonders what got in the way of people gathering together in the first century church that was being addressed here. This would not just concern attendance at formal worship gatherings, because these were very different then than they are for us – for they met in homes (and sometimes in secret because of possible persecution). This is more about the desire to be together, and the thought of not missing out on being together, as a local expression family of God.

Now we have other friends to spend time with, and also family responsibilities to attend to. Now with a more 24/7 society, and a lot of part-time, casual and shift work, simply earning a living can put restrictions upon our availability. Yet what is being addressed here in Hebrews is deeper than that. These verses are testing where our heart really is. We have all the assurances of God’s availability to us – but what will be our (true) response?!? Where will our priorities sit? Does this text ask us to re-evaluate ourselves, to make sure that we are giving enough priority to meeting together ... for the purpose of encouraging others and being encouraged.

And this is where this scripture goes broader than just a weekly gathering. Of course the early church were meeting on a daily basis. And there are many options and opportunities for members of the modern church to connect in between weekly worship services (for the purpose of growth and encouragement).

Now I admit that I am largely talking to the ‘converted’ here, but this may still help us all consider the impact of Hebrews 10:25, and thus, where helpful, assist other people in their understanding. Let’s go back to the question of what might have kept people away in the first century of the church, and see if there would be any connection to the present day:

(a) Fear of persecution would have been a real issue then, as it is for thousands if not millions of Christians today in other countries; and we can understand how putting one’s life in danger is a real deterrent to leaving home. This is not the case in Australia, but even if it was, I reckon that it would be worth the threat involved to offset the isolation of staying away and trying to go solo. I can say this on the basis of those many thousands who do risk their lives across the world today just to gather for worship.

(b) “We don’t need them” > There are those who have not yet come to understand that, although there is the very obvious personal element of faith, Christianity was never and will never be a solitary pursuit. In coming to Jesus you are, by definition, joining a family and a movement. This is in line with God creating us as relational beings. And it is only as God’s people join together that God’s mission in the world can be addressed. The gifts of the Holy Spirit divided amongst the Jesus followers are brought together in the church community for the common good (refer 1 Corinthians 12). The same tie that binds us to God, binds us to each other.

(c) “I’m all right the way I am” > Those who try to remain separate will eventually lose their way – their faith will lapse toward non-existence. There is no support for the notion of lone Christians in the new testament (Guthrie), therefore there are no guarantees applicable to them either. John Wesley often quoted, “The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion” (Brown). Close fellowship in the church is an absolute necessity for the development of true Christian values (Guthrie).

(d) “We don’t get anything out of the gathering” > Of course, “meeting together” is not just about the content or style of any given worship service, but more so about the nurturing of the relationships that exist within the church family. The “love” that verse 24 talks about “provoking” is never self-seeking and tied to one’s own agenda. This “agape love” is much more interested in the needs of others and involves sacrifice (just like Jesus “love” from the cross), and can only really be experienced in community. It is the best interests of the whole (not any individual) which needs to be primary. It is often true that the more you put into something, the more you get out of something; and also the more open you are to something good happening, the more likely it is to work out that way.

(e) “It’s not that important” > When you unite together with others in the bond of common faith, I don’t think you can consider it unimportant to participate in the occasions of meeting. One can only be alert to the needs of others by spending time with them. I think we can clearly draw from the book of Acts (and from Paul’s letters) that collective worship and gathering together were always meant to be an integral part of the Christian life. Not discounting the most precious times of personal devotion, we all need the rich stimulus that comes from communal gatherings.

(f) “We are too tired” > Now I know that I’m very old-fashioned, and my parents were even more old-fashioned, but for what it’s worth, I’ll tell you how I was brought up ... and you can do with this what you want. If what I planned to do on a Saturday night in anyway put at risk my presence at Sunday worship, then I wouldn’t do that thing on a Saturday night. That’s why you’ll find me sneaking off home from events early on a Saturday night. Or, if it happened that I did get home late Saturday night, I got myself out of bed anyway! We often talk about the great privilege we have in this country to freely meet together and offer ministry, but of course such ease can be taken for granted.

(g) “There’s something better on” > Well I’d want to assume by that you mean that you have a real opportunity of helping somebody, which is why Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man made for the Sabbath! We are not talking about law or rules or attendance registers, for Jesus has brought a freedom that operates in grace, but rather this Hebrews text is talking about our heart attitudes.

(h) “Life is too hard at the moment” > In reality, the harder life gets, the more you need collective worship and encouragement, not less. If you find the complexity of your life drawing you away from the gathered church, this is when you need to do a major re-assessment. A whole week of watching the news on television would certainly provide enough despair to need a fresh injection of God’s love. Otherwise you put yourself on a very slippery slope (with no brakes). Ray C Stedman writes: “We (too) need to gather to encourage each other and renew our hope by sturdy reaffirmations of the eternal truths of God’s Word”.

If the responses though are more along the lines of “we don’t fit in”, or “we’re not sure we belong”, or “we are not wanted”, then we have to assess whether we need to adjust the way we operate in the church to address this. When God’s people gather in the church, whether it be for worship, decision-making, bible-study, ministry or social reasons, each occasion should be uplifting, encouraging, purposeful, challenging, and absolutely inclusive.

5. Encouragement

Now the thought here behind the need to meet together is the need we all have to be encouraged. How else will we survive, and how else we will have the resources through which to share our faith. This is why we develop areas of ministry within church life to try where possible to meet the variety of needs that present in human lives.

Indeed, building such ministry areas, although sometimes seen as a burden, and sometimes seen as just another thing needing volunteers, is actually the source through which we receive our encouragement. It is in getting involved, and trying things, and mixing with other people, that we start to feel a greater sense of worth, and a greater sense of hope, and a greater sense of being gifted, and a greater sense of being involved in something worthwhile.

There are certainly endless opportunities for encouragement within a church community; and although some will have the special gift of encouragement (and will become known for this), everyone is called to be involved in the encouragement of others (in whatever ways open up). And certainly, a “full house” will better provide for the encouraging, strengthening and energising of all who attend (Montefiore). As well, since it is God who actually builds the church, God will need access to all the bricks (so that the mortar can be applied and the walls solidly built)!

Encouragement involves a kind word, a supportive action, a good example. Encouragement operates in the context of people’s struggling faith, developing of skills, and coping with life’s trials. Encouragement is about sharing life in all its ups and downs in the knowledge of God’s love.

This passage closes with a reference to “as you see the Day approaching”. For all the new testament writers there was a sense of the imminent return of Jesus, the end of things, and the “day” of judgement ... such was the state of their society. God’s people within most generations since have probably felt the same way.

Although we don’t know what “day” it will be, and we aren’t to waste time wondering too much about it, it is not unhealthy for us to consider the general concept of “the Day approaching”, as this adds a little urgency to our thinking. Do we want to be thinking about that missed opportunity after the moment has passed?!? This reference to “the Day approaching” would have suggested the “day” of giving an account for one’s actions or inactions (in terms of love, good deeds and encouraging others). We are to live our lives as if this “Day” is just around the corner.

"Life in the Spirit" part 2 (Romans 8:26-39)

2011-07-29T10:07:00.000+10:00

1. Prayer & Provision (v.26-30)

Last week we talked about the freedom God had offered us through the sacrificial death of Jesus. As we identify with Jesus in his death and resurrection, and as we walk in the Holy Spirit, we are drawn into the family of God, where we are described as co-heirs with Jesus. All good news, very good news; but then comes the obligations. This all means that we are participating in God’s mission in the world, to work towards the redemption of all humanity and all of creation.

And this will involve suffering, for two reasons. Firstly, we are likely to experience opposition to our faith. Those around us are likely to be uneasy and disturbed by the fact that we can so confidently put our trust in Jesus. In many cases they will not have the background information necessary to understand our faith, and so they may remain at “arms length” from us. Does this mean that we hide or underplay our commitment to Jesus? I hope not! Some will be threatened by our ethical and moral positions that mean that we don’t just go along with the crowd or the cultural norms. We might be talked about behind our back; but that’s alright – as long as our light is shining!!

Then we also suffer because of the darkness that exists in this fallen world, involving behaviour that hurts and distresses even the innocent. And then we suffer too in solidarity with all the suffering encountered by others (in this disrupted and unjust world), like those in Norway and Somalia – we feel grief and discontentment (for the situation they are in).

So no wonder we are drawn into prayer. And no wonder at times we just can’t put into words what we are feeling and thinking. The pain is too great and the problem seems so large. There are longings and aspirations too deep for words (F F Bruce). We don’t know what to ask for, and we don’t know what might be the will of God for resolving our situation (P T O’Brien, G R Osborne).

Yet the desire to pray is already a prayer. For the desire to pray is an invitation for God to commune with us in our feeling and in our thinking. God’s Spirit draws deep and speaks within us ... in encouraging and uplifting ways. God’s mind mingles with our mind. God also agonises with us over the matters that worry us. We can then realise that no matter how troubled we are, our faith in God can see us through, for God is surely with us.

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.”

Through the presence of God’s Spirit within us, God knows exactly what we feel and think; those wordless sighs are well interpreted. The Divine Spirit within us appeals to the Divine God above us (A M Hunter, C H Dodd). So in the presence of suffering, both ours and others, God hears and understands all our thoughts and concerns, as well as the needs that lie behind the tears and our cries for help. With this reassurance, words often do come eventually, and such words, being inspired by God’s Spirit, can also become a great encouragement to others.

This all reminds us to be open to how God will answer our prayers, and that God’s response may be very different to what we first imagined (of course, not only different, but better). And when we hear a “no”, this should be seen as God’s big “yes” ... in terms of our real need and the big picture of our lives. That God would say “no” proves his faithfulness to our best interests.

In this very dynamic of faith-filled communication (called prayer), we experience things turning toward the “good”. This may mean at certain times that circumstances change for the better; and we would naturally be happy and thankful for that. Yet we have to be careful not to take this often quoted verse (Romans 8:28) out of context. In context, what verse 28 really means, is that God has been allowed, at our invitation, to work within all the complexity of what is going on for us, and bring about “good”. It’s not that everything that will happen now is “good” in itself, far from it, rather, it’s that God can turn things toward the “good”.

In the context of this faith-filled prayer relationship, no matter what circumstances exist, we will become better people, that “good” will be done in us! This means that we will become more like God would have us be, we will become more like we were created to be – we will become “conformed to the image of [God’s] Son! God will actively work with what is happening in and around us for the “good” development of our character and future ministry.

The NRSV translates verse 28 as: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God...”, which is a fair translation of the Greek text, except that it has led to ideas of simple fate or karma, where people think things will just turn out the way they are meant to in the end no matter what. Yet the context of prayer here demands that we see God as the one who is bringing things together, not fate. God is the active force involved! Yet, I have to quickly add that, we are not just passive recipients here, but rather heavily involved seekers of God’s intervention – where we actively desire this “good” being brought out through our prayers.

So we often read the better translation: “We know that God works together all things for good for those who love God...”, or, “We know that God causes all things to work together for good for those who love God...”, or, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love God...”. The main point here is that it is God who is taking the action, and it is us who are seeking it!! This is co-operative and effective prayer. And when all this occurs we will likely begin to recognise the value to us of the experiences we have endured.

And as I said earlier, the chief end of this prayer is, as is stated in verse 29, that we will become “conformed to the image of [Jesus]”. What God is doing in response to our human difficulties and our resultant prayers, is working towards us becoming more like Jesus. This is so that the family of God (in which Jesus is the “firstborn”) becomes, very obviously, a bigger family day by day.

For from day one, the beginning of the creation of humankind in God’s likeness, and from when God deduced the way of salvation (in the face of humanity’s rebellion and lostness), it was always going to be God’s purpose for us, to not just stagger or crawl into the back door of his kingdom, but to embrace the concept of becoming like Jesus, to be fully re-made in God’s image (refer Genesis 1:26a). This was God’s grand vision for his people. And, challengingly, this is also an unconditional requirement for the true Christian!!

I know that I look a lot like my eldest brother, and not much like my middle brother. This often depends on which parent we physically take after more. I also have some similar behavioural traits to both my brothers. [Although being the youngest, there is one way in which I’m certainly superior to both my brothers ... I barrack for Carlton!] In the family, we are adopted into, the family of God, we have to allow for some re-creation and renovation, so that we can become like our older brother Jesus.

As we sincerely pray, sometimes wordlessly, God will work all things together for “good”. It is most comforting to know that the Originator of the awesome creation we live within, wants to be very personally involved within the details of our lives; there being no situation, however desperate, in which God cannot be found (C H Dodd)!

2. Victorious Living (v.31-39)

God’s love is invincible and unbreakable! God’s faithfulness to us is complete. The resources we have in God are actually so vast, that any opposition is well and truly outnumbered! “If God is for us, [then] who [or what] is [left] against us”? We have the resources of prayer, and an indwelling Spirit, and a transforming dynamic is happening for us. And we can certainly wholly and completely put our trust in God because ... would the One who did not even hold back his Son from dying for us, ever sell us short!?! We will receive everything we need to become like Jesus and fulfil God’s purpose. God is totally committed to us.

Mud might be thrown, but ultimately, where it matters, it won’t stick! God will come to vindicate members of his family. God is our champion defender, and our older brother Jesus will stand up for us in the schoolyard. When we become isolated in our human weakness, and fingers are pointed at us ... what about him, what about her ... Jesus will say, “that is my brother, that is my sister, they are my kin”! “How can that be?”, some detractors might say. Then Jesus will say, “When I offered them a free gift of grace, these ones humbly accepted”! When we look like a failure, Jesus intercedes and says, “it’s okay ... I know him, or I know her – and I know what they are in the process of becoming”!

There is nothing on earth that can separate us from God’s love (unless we allow it to). There is nothing that life can throw at us that can ever remove us from the arms of Jesus (against our will). Not persecution, not violence, not pain, not any sort of hardship. In fact, it could be that we even experience more of God’s love simply because we sense God’s presence in the midst of our struggle. We would surely learn new values. When I have been down and disconsolate, it is the knowledge of God’s call on my life that has kept my head above water, and a strong sense of God’s love that has catapulted me forward.

The psalmist (from Psalm 44), who Paul quotes in verse 36, felt oppressed from every side, despite being an innocent and faithful worshipper of God. And Paul knew how that psalmist felt, as his own life was under constant threat. Yet Paul had learned that the events of earth could not take God away from him; indeed, they may just bring Paul a closer and more intimate appreciation of God’s glory. We just have to be prepared to stand on these assurances. We just have to persist through times of trouble. We just have to become convinced, like Paul was, that we are secure in Jesus. Can we all look back to a time in our lives when we suddenly discovered how God had worked at something troubling in our lives toward the “good”?

Now I would have to say that sometimes we don’t help ourselves very much. We could say that we leave too much to God, just like the rest of the Carlton players leave too much to Chris Judd to do. Raelene and I watched a film during the week where the mother of the family went on strike at Christmas because yet again everything had been left for her to do. There are things that we should take to heart, just so things might roll along a little smoother. Paul mentions some negative forces that can impact us through verses 38 and 39, and for sure we will make God’s job less complicated, and life easier for those around us, if we fully appreciate some of the threat here.

Certainly implied here are the powers both spiritual and earthly that will tend to take us down. Ultimately these cannot separate us from God’s love, as I’ve already alluded to, but we would be much better off if we dealt proactively with any pressure on us. There are certain attractions in the world (mainly material and sexual), there is the weakness of our own flesh, and there is the scheming opposition of ‘the devil’. At times this trio of realities may seem hugely problematical, but we have another trio on our side – ‘the Trinity’ (David Coffey). There will also be people who set out to control us, to make us a prisoner to their desires, to make themselves our ‘god’, and thus rob us of our freedom in Christ. And we need to say a big “no” to that! The employer who wants to own us, or the family member who wants to manipulate our priorities, have to be resisted.

And we need to also claim the victory over ‘Satan’ that Jesus won for us on the cross, without giving any ground that could be reclaimed. When temptation strikes, call on God’s strength through which you can stand firm. Billy Graham tells of the little girl who says that whenever the devil comes knocking with temptation, she sends Jesus to the door. The book of James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (4:7b), then goes on, “Draw near to God, and [God] will draw near to you” (4:8a). And 1 John says, “for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (4:4b). Jesus himself, when tempted a third time by ‘Satan’ in the wilderness, this time with ‘Satan’ wanting Jesus to worship him, replies, “Away with you, Satan; for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’.” That was enough of a statement to get rid of ‘Satan’ (Matthew 4:10-11).

There are certain places we don’t go, and certain things we just don’t get involved in. Want some examples: séances, tarot cards, so-called “mediums” and the like. I think we best avoid Halloween altogether. We certainly don’t get involved with anything that is spiritually dark. We don’t want to open up vulnerabilities to attack. Let God guide your pathways. Live in the light. Our life is lived with the Holy Spirit and no other spirit. Just as Jesus said, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only”. As we take this journey, we might come to recognise some of the ‘close shaves’ we had or the disasters we narrowly avoided.

And so we can be “more than conquerors” (v.37), which could be translated “super-conquerors”. This is because, in God’s love, and in God’s provision, we have been able to subdue the negative, defeat various attacks, and gain a masters degree in discipline. This is overcoming and “conquering”, but why “more than conquerors”, why “super-conquerors”? This is because we have been able, not only to survive, but to learn and grow and thrive and reach our potential ... and become more like Jesus! The siren goes ... the scoreboard says that we are at least one point in front ... we are declared victors (hopefully we are more like 100 points in front)!

God has already invested so much in us, he is not going to easily let us slip from his grasp. Ultimately it will never be our resources that will be sufficient to survive the journey, for we will surely need God’s resources through which to endure and become “conformed to the image of God’s Son”. Yet we can (I’m sure) co-operate with God towards the “good”. So let us be prayerful and invite God to work all things together for “good” in our lives. Amen!

"Life in the Spirit" part 1 (Romans 8:1-25)

2011-07-22T09:42:00.000+10:00

1. Freedom (v.1-4)

God created the world to share his grace. This wonderful offering of God’s grace would necessarily bring obligations for human beings to live their lives in a Godly way. Yet, basically from day one, human beings have sought to do things their own way; and in so doing have brought great distress upon themselves, others, and the whole of the world environment. We look outside our door and we see all sorts of violence, pain and disorder. We look inside our own hearts, and we see things that are too dark to easily to admit to.

God tried many times to set his people back on the right path and re-establish close ties with them. There were laws given to assist in the promotion of authentic life, but these could not adequately deal with the accumulating misuse of human freewill. Ultimately, what we really needed was a Saviour. So God sent his Son Jesus, an eternal member of the Holy Trinity, to earth, in human form, to live a human life, yet a Spirit-inspired perfect life, to give us a vision of what living according to God’s ways looked like.

But still, how would we ever (as broken humanity) be able to address this (holy) vision. What we needed was the weight of guilt and sin to be lifted off us, so that we could start afresh. Sin could never be trivialised or just simply forgotten, for it has too many dark and evil outcomes connected to it. So Jesus took all of that sin and guilt and shame upon his shoulders, bore the weight of it all, and took it to his grave. Then, in the power of God, he rose in victory, calling all those who wanted forgiveness into a new experience of life.

As we admit our misdeeds, and identify with Jesus’ act of sacrifice on our behalf on the cross, and sincerely commit ourselves to a process of change, then we are set free! “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” “No condemnation” ... what does this mean?? If a person is found guilty of a crime, they are “condemned” to suffer a penalty determined by the lawful authorities. Therefore “no condemnation” would indicate escaping or being absolved from that penalty.

For those considered “in Christ Jesus”, this means that we no longer live under the judgement of sin; but rather live in the realm of ongoing forgiveness. We have received complete forgiveness for the past, and have daily access to further forgiveness as necessary. Ultimate death has been replaced by eternal life. God sees what we are becoming, and this is such a positive thing, that he quickly forgives and forgets our daily transgressions as we confess them.

Of course, this does not mean that we abuse such generosity (by acting however we like according to the ‘old nature’), for if we did, that would certainly bring great doubt upon our sincerity. But it does mean that we can live with a certain freedom and joyousness, knowing that Jesus walks beside us, not as our judge, but as our friend. So the biggest thrill we can get out of their being “no condemnation” for us, is the removal of any fear that is attached to the outcome of our lives.

We are God’s people, for God has declared it so! We no longer are measured according to any impersonal code, but rather have the very Spirit of God as our travelling companion. We are freed from the horrible negativity that often surrounds us; we don’t need to feel a failure or defeated because Jesus has given us victory. What a completely different dynamic that is! Unfortunately though, many people who want to be Christians just don’t grab a hold of this freedom tightly enough, and look like they still live under “condemnation”.

Yet for those of us who do grab this salvation with both hands, whenever we fall short, as we often do, we can be immediately put back on track, having learned a great lesson in the process. Whenever life gets really hard, we can know that (our loving Creator) God is present in our pain, confusion and hardship, and will stay there for as long as it takes.

In a former life we have been ‘slaves’ to sin, just like the ancient people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. There was no way out (or so it was thought), and that was all we knew. But now God has liberated us into a new form of being, where we are completely aligned with God’s mission of grace in the world. I started by saying that God created us in the first place to share his grace with us; now that we have experienced that grace for ourselves, we are God’s grace-bearers to the rest of the world.

2. Focus (v.5-13)

This passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans chapter 8, does suggest that our new found ‘freedom’ needs to find some focus. We need to find out what are the “things of the Spirit” that we need to set our minds on (as opposed to the “things of the flesh” that we leave behind). That’s essentially what I talked about last week from Colossians 3.

The “things of the flesh” are those things that are based on our own ego and self-interest (and in some cases, greed), and neglect the needs of others and the priorities of God. We need to resist the ‘natural impulses’ in favour of more wholesome attributes, through the power of God’s spirit within us.

We can see from Romans 8 verse 5 ... that where our thoughts are, and where our minds are at – that is where our life will head. So we have to have our minds “set” on the important spiritual dynamics of life (and the ways of God) if our life, in all its component parts, is going to go in the right direction.

So no matter if we’re talking about what career to pursue, or what relationships to nurture, or what house to buy, or how we spend our social time, or what book to read, or even what to eat, we need first to have our mind set on God’s Spiritual leadership if any of these things are going to work out properly.

It is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, that sweeps into our life when we accept Jesus as ‘Saviour’, being available as our new reference point in life. The Holy Spirit is not an occasional visitor but a settled permanent presence (David Coffey). This is the same Holy Spirit which ‘descended’ upon Jesus at his baptism empowering his great ministry, and dramatically turned up on the Day of Pentecost revolutionising the life of the first disciples.

The Holy Spirit will aid our understanding of God’s Word (the Bible), so we can adequately apply it to all the dimensions of our life. More and more our instincts turn to where the Spirit of God is leading us. And when feeling challenged about necessary change or a new area of service, through the presence of God’s Spirit, we can say affirmatively – “yes ... I can do that”!

It will actually be our right living (“righteousness” – v.10) that will prove that the Spirit of God is residing in us. We will be known for who we follow through the evidence of the ‘fruit’ of our lives. This is despite continuing to make mistakes, because of the way that we actually deal with such setbacks: i.e. we don’t deny or lie about our faults, we don’t try to shift the blame or deny responsibility, we don’t seek to avoid necessary legal consequences; and in all cases we ‘own up’ and apologise to all offended parties.

And we more frequently experience inner peace, because the decisions that need to be made become so much clearer and less complex, as competing elements are brought under a basic singular focus = what does God want me to do!

3. Family of God (v.14-17)

The closeness that God seeks in his relationship with us is seen in verses 14 to 17. The forgiveness and freedom we have, combined with the necessary focus on the leading of God’s Spirit, means that we can be termed God’s children.

In one sense all people are God’s people, because they exist through God’s original initiation of life. And God continues to love all people, despite the fact that they are often ungrateful and unresponsive. But in a very important contrary sense, we can only really be God’s children through a personal decision to identify with God and accept what Jesus has done for us.

In so doing, we are “adopted” into God’s family ... we become sons and daughters of God. Under Roman law, when an adoption took place, all the adopted child’s previous obligations were completely broken off, and that child became fully responsible to his new parents (L Richards). So again, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”; “Blessed are the merciful” etc (Matthew 5:9,7). It will be acting like children of God that will prove that we are indeed children of God.

Children of God will become more and more like Jesus, and at the same time, become more and more like each of us was designed to be. Thus we are more alive than ever before. It’s a great and wonderful thing to be chosen to join a family. As we have already said, God initiates the invitation through Jesus, and we get to accept the offer. Then we learn to appreciate the depth of God’s love for us, and respond with adoration and thankfulness.

“Abba Father” or “Daddy” is the most intimate way of responding to God. We can embrace this level of trust and intimacy with God; at the same time understanding that we are communing with the ‘Creator’ and ‘Sustainer’ of the universe. This is not a fearful relationship, like in the case of a slave and their owner. And this is not a distant hands-off relationship, like it is with an absent human father. Rather, this is a mutually loving, close-by, hands-on relationship.

We “adopted” children are deemed just as welcome and just as rightfully present as Jesus himself is in God’s home. Through this, we are recipients of all the resources we could possibly need to live life to the fullest, and then subsequently gain entry into God’s eternal home.

4. Future Glory (v.17-25)

Well that sounded really good, being a co-heir with Jesus of all God’s blessings; but being that joined or familiar with Jesus may also have other implications. Quickly Paul moves in verse 17 from his joyful statement of family connectivity with God to a condition statement beginning with “if”. This doesn’t sound so good ... “if, in fact, we suffer with [Christ] so that we may also be glorified with him”.

In other words ... as Jesus’ own path to glory was through suffering, so must ours (if we are to be co-heirs). To fully identify with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and thereby receive our forgiveness, may mean copping some suffering of our own through the process of following Jesus on earth. This is certainly what happened with the early disciples. This is certainly what happened for Paul. This is certainly what is happening around the world today in various countries where Jesus followers are being persecuted because of their faith.

Apart from this, life itself, as it is lived in a fallen world, where there is much strife and feelings of hopelessness, can bring much suffering. The death of an innocent child through a drunk or speeding driver. The struggle of a beloved relative with cancer. The loss of a job. Indeed, the whole of creation is suffering because humanity has neglected its (God-given) responsibility (Genesis 1:28) to care for it; and the accumulation of humanity’s greed has done great damage to the earth. The destruction of forests. Animal cruelty. Pollution.

Yet all this suffering will not last. We just have to endure; not denying God, but continuing to point to the hope that is found in God. God loves us and is available to us and will hold us in his arms. This is the hope that is so evident to us, but not generally seen by others. It will be our endurance and patience through hard times that will help to prepare for the revealing of God’s glory. And such suffering will provide the context through which God’s Spirit will reform us into the image of Jesus.

In time, according to Paul, God, in his own wise way, will bring all of his re-creative love to bear on his earth, and liberate it from all the evil that has been imposed on it; and then we will rejoice with all our hearts. In the meantime, we will rightly remain dissatisfied and incomplete (C H Dodd), and thus work and pray for better outcomes. Richard B Hays suggests that God’s children will stand in solidarity with the pain of an unredeemed creation.

So, we have to take every opportunity to put right some of the wrongs and injustices we meet – things that have oppressed people and destroyed living environments. It is patiently and creatively living through hard times, together with taking action against unjust practices, that will share God’s glory in a suffering world. The transformation of people into true children of God through God’s Spirit will no doubt have a positive effect on the total human environment.

"Heaven's life on earth" (Colossians 3:1-17)

2011-07-15T14:58:00.002+10:00

I know that it is sometimes inconvenient and annoying to hear this, but becoming a Christian (i.e. becoming a Jesus follower) requires us to allow for changes in our lives. Now notice I said “allow” for changes. I could have said ‘make’ changes, but this unbalances the dynamic for change too far our way, as if we were the only one involved. Our living God actually facilitates the necessary change as part of our ongoing relationship.

We know, and God knows, how hard it is to change; and the further we are along the journey of life, the harder any substantial change becomes. So, it is actually God who makes such change possible – our role is to “allow” for that change to happen i.e. not block it, or resist it, or oppose it. Maintaining and developing the health of our relationship with God is the path to becoming the person we were created to become.

Now we are not talking about change for change sake, or superficial meaningless change; and we’re certainly not talking about appearance management. Rather the Bible talks about significant deep-reaching change, that potentially makes a tremendous difference in our own living patterns, and, as a by-product, the living conditions of others.

Whereas our close connection to God has been broken through sin, God will be at work restoring our lost image (A G Patzia). The Jesus follower has begun a process by accepting the forgiveness offered by Jesus on the cross and being raised into new life in Jesus. The process, like symbolised in baptism, is a dying to self-interest, and a rising to a God-centred future. This involves leaving behind the things that work against God’s purposes (sometimes referred to as the things of the world), and replacing them with characteristics that are of more “heavenly” origin. It will God’s own attributes that God will implant in us.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we ever become distant from real everyday life on earth – it simply means we are no longer owned or controlled by the “world”. And, it is through a thorough understanding and application of the things that are “above”, that we gain a more Godly perspective and clearer discernment concerning the value of those things we encounter on earth.

I love that phrase in verse 3, “your life is hidden with Christ in God”. We still look human, we still have flesh and blood, skin and bones; and without a close inspection we may not appear any different; yet we truly belong to Jesus and have the Spirit of God residing within us. And when the light of Jesus is seen in us, shining through us, then we can be seen to be more than just skin and bone – we are indeed a child of God. Our ambitions and whole outlook are focussed on Jesus. And so we live now as we expect to live in heaven, because we already live in Christ whose home is heaven. As we have Jesus in the most central part of our lives, we are fully at home in God. And so this text is almost saying to us, ‘become who you are’!!

I don’t know what you were thinking as Colossians chapter 3 was read ... sometimes when we’ve heard all this before, such scriptures can lose some of their power and influence. But this passage highlights that, as part of our experience of being raised to new life in Christ, there are some behaviour patterns to be dropped off, and other attributes to be adopted in their place. Having received salvation, our standard on earth is actually the standard of heaven!

Accepting Jesus to avoid the penalty attached to sin is just a small part of the Christian gospel. Taking up the cause of living out the life of heaven here on earth is the largest and longest part, and also tests the sincerity of any (one-off) commitment or decision we make.

Now the things we have to deal with may not be the same as the ones listed for the Colossian church to deal with, but the principle of taking off soiled clothes and replacing them with clean ones remains. Some of us might think that we will need less new clothes than others, but in reality, when God replaces self at the centre of our life, then it might be surprising to see what all of what needs to be sent off to the op shop and replaced.

We are told in verse 5 to “put to death” whatever is in us that is “earthly”. To “put to death” is to utterly eradicate, to wipe them out never to be seen again! N T Wright says that we must “cut of [the] lines of supply” when faced with serious temptation. In verse 8 the words used are “get rid of”. So this is not like trying to just paint over the rust on your car, and expecting that to work; rather it is stripping the duco right back, getting rid of all the rust particles, and working up from there.

This “putting to death” and “getting rid of” need to be decisive, with the mindset of not going back; and there is a tenseness toward urgency in this text. Also, this is not merely a promise (or type of new year’s resolution) to behave differently, but real determined action toward change now. For what is “earthly” are the things that doom a person and a society, but from which we can be set free.

Things that are termed “earthly” are those things that are opposed to God’s ways and undermine healthy life. The world’s ways of thinking and doing things can be very magnetic, and of course sometimes we are very subtly drawn in. But when such soiled clothes are thrown on the floor or, as I have learned to do from when I got married, put in the washing basket, why would you pick these dirty clothes back up and put them on, when there are clean ones available in the wardrobe.

Colossians 3 goes on to list various possibilities, that are obviously not out of the question, because they had to be mentioned to the Colossian church. There are firstly the four-fold sexual sins, which deal with not only the actual behaviour, but also the deep-seated motivations that lie behind such behaviour. Here there is unrestrained self-centredness, immorality, infidelity, disloyalty, unfaithfulness to vows that have been made, and the depreciation of the value of others – both in thought and in deed; together with the resultant contamination of character. Inclinations in this area need to be immediately “put to death”.

Then there is “greed”, which means “to crave more” or “desire what you don’t have”, which therefore could easily be associated with the sexual sins, but also seen in more broad terms. “Greed” is singled out and highlighted as idolatry because it means that certain personal desires are central in a person’s life, displacing God from that position which only God should have. “Greed” also accepts that others deserve less, that other people are only there to be used, that everything exists for personal exploitation; “greed” in fact entirely disregards the rights of others (C Vaughan). These are serious matters, for they bring the threat of self-destruction, or as G Campbell Morgan puts it, “these ... activities always react upon the soul to its own undoing”.

Then follows a list of other anti-social sins, behaviour that destroys relationships: persistent unrestrained anger that is allowed to act out in destructive ways and desire harm to come to certain people; using language that abuses others, puts others down, or spreads untruths about them, thus bringing great hurt. Our own insecurities are let loose to oppress and dominate others (turning us into bullies).

And as verse 11 seems to be pointing out, difference is never an excuse for anti-social behaviour! Obviously the Colossian church needed to be reminded that all people in God’s eyes were equal, all created in God’s image, and all people were equally being invited into God’s family. So no matter what national or cultural background, no matter how bad a person has been in the past, no matter what end of the economic scale they come from, Jesus seeks to unify them together in the new life of faith. This will likely be the diverse and complimentary community that best forms the context for living out the new life in Christ and all its positive qualities.

What is it I need to “put to death”, to be “rid of”? Will I determine to do that now, knowing that I already have God’s help in being successful? And what other help am I going to seek?

Now there is some room for some new attributes! And they are so radically different from the ones dispensed with ... they are worlds apart (N T Wright)! The former way fragmented human community, the new way enhances and integrates human community. The former way showed a preoccupation with self, the new way has the well-being of others as its prime goal (A G Patzia).

The fact that God has loved us and accepted us, makes it so natural that we would respond by being open to new levels of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience toward others. This involves a deep sensitivity to the needs and sorrows of those around us. If we refuse to be “rid of” those “earthly” behaviours, then we just lack the capacity to embrace these more “heavenly” qualities; yet in this world there is so much need for the new nature to shine through.

This list of new qualities are very relational and social – replacing the anti-social vices referred to earlier. Our relationship to God as a “chosen one”, holy and beloved, needs to be seen and expressed in the public sphere, through practical responses to those who are last, least, lame and lost (R W Wall). Wherever one looks, one sees Jesus ... in the ignored elderly person, in the wayward teenager, in the lost child, in the struggling neighbour! To be fully human is to find, in the service of God, an integration of thought and action ... of belief and behaviour (N T Wright).

The list goes on: forbearance (which takes us into the area of creatively relating with more difficult people, making some concessions); forgiveness (which takes us into the area of reconciling with people who have offended us); and love (which of course binds all good human community together). And the list also includes thankfulness, which causes us to think about the many blessings we have enjoyed, especially in comparison to so many others; the most important of these being our faith – which we have received through the opportunity of hearing and appreciating the good news of Jesus (that so many others have not yet had the benefit of hearing). We should also express gratitude to all those who help us along.

What will most appropriately replace the anger and frustration that often rages, is the “peace of Christ”. This is both the “peace” that Jesus has within his own being (and that exists within the Trinity), as well as the “peace” that Jesus is able to give us as part of our salvation experience. This “peace” settles us down, both individually and collectively, in an unwavering trust in God, that overrides any negativity that comes to us. This “peace” brings an inner harmony and addresses our daily fears. This “peace” allows for the settling of disagreements and for new forms of unified cooperation.

What new garment do I need to “clothe” myself with? Will I determine to allow God to develop this quality within me now?

Our life, our new life, then ‘breaks out’ in so many exciting ways. Verses 16 and 17 give a vision of the life of heaven being lived out on earth. The “word of Christ” or the ‘good news of Jesus’ or the ‘teachings of Jesus’ are held deep within us, are allowed to impact us often, and are on the tip of our tongue. We are able to easily dialogue with one another about God’s Word, and through this people gain important new insight. We are easily able to respond to what is happening in the world through the lens of God’s Word.

And we naturally lift our voices in heartfelt worship. Our whole life is dedicated to honouring the name of Jesus. To “do everything in the name of Jesus”, is to represent Jesus in all that we do. It also means claiming Jesus’ presence and strength in all that we do. This is a life that points toward a God of incredible grace. The ultimate life is the one through which Jesus is showing himself to the world (L O Richards).

The Colossian church were faced with certain soiled clothes to dispense with and certain styles of new clothes to wear. While certain areas were listed, more could have been said. We might have come up with our own list of old and new. But the end result of this process of ‘killing off’ the old and ‘adopting’ the new leads to the vision of verse 17 – that everything we say and do honours the name of Jesus. Wow! That’s a big ask! And sure, we won’t absolutely achieve this any day soon. But this certainly defines the journey.

Sometimes we too readily make excuses for ourselves, along the lines of our own weak humanity, or the overwhelming influence of the culture we live in; while failing to understand God’s ability to work effectively in our lives. Worse, some people think that they do not need to change anything (when surely if we look at Jesus, we could never really feel content). Sometimes we give up because we think the ‘bar’ (as in the high-jump ‘bar’) has been set way too high for us to ever reach, failing to realise that we are always going to be ‘works in progress’ and only in heaven ‘finished articles’.

On the other hand, sometimes we are trying too hard in our own limited strength to make change, and ignoring God’s availability to enact change in us if we just simply allowed that to happen. If we trust that Jesus is able to save us, then we must be able to trust that God can transform us so that we can live the life of heaven on earth. For Jesus has already won the ultimate battle over evil and invites us to access his victory dance.

This is all part of our lives properly reflecting the One in whom we believe. If our value system accepts that the central ethic in life is to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbour, then it should follow that we embrace whatever change is necessary that works towards that end. In Christ, we not only are forgiven and redeemed by God, but are also transformed into new persons, capable of knowing and doing the will of God (R W Wall). To concentrate ourselves around the character of Jesus, on that unique blend of love and strength (revealed in the gospels), is to begin on earth to reflect the very life of heaven (N T Wright).

"Eternal Life Now!" (John 3:1-21)

2011-07-08T09:14:00.000+10:00

1. Darkness and Light

John chapter 3 commences with a religious leader named Nicodemus approaching Jesus with an enquiring mind. Now, the religious leaders were, generally speaking, lining up in opposition to Jesus, for Jesus had already upset the applecart of their privileged and influential position, and shown much greater God-like characteristics than they ever had. Yet, here was one “Pharisee” who had been impressed enough by Jesus to approach him seeking a bit of an explanation.

Now, most interesting is the reference to Nicodemus approaching Jesus “by night”. In John’s Gospel there is a lot of light and darkness imagery – there is the constant theme of Jesus as the light entering into the darkness in the world. For Nicodemus to approach Jesus at night, is to suggest that, despite all his religious background and upright life, Nicodemus is actually in the dark when it comes to spiritual matters. “Night” or ‘darkness’ represent the absence of God, while ‘light’ represents God’s presence.

It is possible for a person to believe in the existence of God, and even in the worthiness of God’s law, but still remain in the dark. Why is this so??
· They lack a personal relationship with their Creator!
· They lack full understanding of who Jesus is!
· They lack the experience of being forgiven and being “born from above” or “born again”!
· They lack a proper understanding of what it means to be a Jesus follower!
· They lack being ‘spiritually switched on’!

Having met Jesus though, if Nicodemus is actually willing, Jesus will take him on a journey out of darkness and into the glorious light.

As we will discuss shortly, living in the light provides evidence (or proof) of one’s sincerity as far as receiving salvation is concerned, and allows one to enjoy the experience of “eternal life” here and now. For as we saw last week (from Revelation 7), the worshipful experience of heaven will be wonderful – yet we should be seeking that level of connection with God here and now on earth ... as a sort of apprenticeship for what will follow. If we are not emotionally and spiritually and cognitively and physically and socially tied into the worship and service of God now, how will we ever be ready later on?!?

The transition to “eternal life” does not happen at death, it happens here. Later, having served our apprenticeship, we receive our papers, and become fully qualified. And as we read in John’s Gospel, gaining entry to “eternal life” happens through being “born from above” or “born again” or “born anew” on earth.

2. What Nicodemus needs

Before we talk about what being “born from above” or “born again” means, let’s go back and consider Nicodemus’ enquiring statement in verse 2, and how this leads to Jesus’ response in verse 3. Nicodemus’ enquiry centred around Jesus being an inspired teacher, prophet and miracle worker sent by God – a bit of an intellectual question concerning events and facts. Jesus could have agreed with this statement because for the most part it was true or at least going in the right direction. But what it lacked was an acknowledgement of how this would affect Nicodemus personally ... that the coming of Jesus actually addressed Nicodemus’ own personal need. So this is precisely where Jesus headed with his response > as a result of Jesus’ coming, Nicodemus would need to put aside his past and be “born again”. Intellectual agreement with a set of propositions wouldn’t do it ... only a personally transforming experience would (do it)!

This did get Nicodemus’ attention, because we read he then tried to understand what this “born from above” thing was about. Jesus answer in a nutshell revealed that those who wanted to receive salvation and participate in the Kingdom of God needed to experience a rebirth, that is, a new start in life, a fresh experience of birth, generated by the Holy Spirit. So as we talked about two weeks ago, following repentance and receiving God’s forgiveness, we become a Jesus follower empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Whereas our first birth came about through physical means, this time we are “born again from above” (God bringing this recreation about). At some stage of life following on after our natural birth into a human identity, we have another experience of birth where God’s Spirit engages with and transforms our human spirit. Everyone needs to come to that place where they lay their lives open to the Spirit of God ... so that the Divine can break into the human.

Nicodemus’ question in verse 4 is quite interesting, because you would have thought that he would already have known that the answer to such a proposition was obvious, that there must be another explanation. It has been suggested that what this question really indicates is that Nicodemus was actually reflecting his doubts that anyone so set in their ways (as perhaps Nicodemus himself was) could ever change as radically as Jesus was indicating – i.e. a totally new life orientation. The impossibility of such change seems to be reflected again by Nicodemus in verse 9: “How can these things be”?

But it is possible, and it has happened ... millions of times! As we know well from John 3:16, this has all occurred out of the love that God has for the whole world (and each one of us). And we know from the surrounding verses that this love of God played out through the sacrificial willingness of Jesus to be “lifted up” onto a cross. And also we know that this all opens up to us the dynamic of “eternal life”.

All what I have said so far today leads to where my interest really lies at the moment. In what ways can we experience “eternal life” now?
· Through worship
· Through participation in Jesus-centred community (where all the gifts of the Spirit are shared in the common good)
· Through mutual encouragement and support
· Through service to God in serving our neighbour
· Through witnessing to our friendship with Jesus (however you want to put that)
· Through alleviating abuse, injustice and poverty
· Through expressing joy, purpose, hope and peace (as we make a difference for others).

Sure various cracks appear (in our lives) from time to time and rough edges do emerge under pressure, yet while we are still open to God-induced change, such cracks can be filled and rough-edges smoothed over. We still have our fickle freewill to deal with, complicated by pressures and temptations, which sometimes sees us going backwards, or at least our progress being thwarted ... and this is what I’ll deal with next week. Suffice to say at the moment, that this fresh birth experience has the potential of overcoming all past experience of failure and defeat and remaking all that has been previously broken.

3. Discipleship and Non-discipleship

Now we know that the world is a troubling place full of darkness which plays out in many negative ways. Yet the spirit in which Jesus came into the world and died for the world was NOT a spirit of condemnation or judgement, but rather a pure offering of love ... “God so loved the world...”. So this is the blueprint for us as well – a positive offering of God’s love to the world around us. It is then a matter of how people respond to this that determines their destiny.

But how can they respond warmly and positively if they are not told and shown in appropriate and credible ways. There is a sad description of the rejection of Jesus contained in verses 19-20; but I wonder whether the scandal here is more about the negligence of the potential bearers of the “light” ... whether they were active enough or credible enough (after all there is nothing deficient about God’s love).

The concept of people being condemned by their own inaction and thereby perishing should really convict us. For people to “perish”, means that they have wasted away their life, become dead spiritually, and then been lost to God eternally! In God’s love, Jesus came and died so that this would not happen!!

I’m currently reading a book by David Platt (an American) entitled “Radical”. In the early part of this book he talks about the ‘cost of non-discipleship’. Now we have heard all about the ‘cost of discipleship’ – that whole take up your cross and follow Jesus thing ... needing to lose our life if we are to find it ... and that’s all true. But for someone like me who understands all that fully, even if I continue to battle to live it out, to read the ‘cost of non-discipleship’ is still very confronting. ‘Discipleship’, simply put, is following Jesus. ‘Non-discipleship’, then, is the failure to follow Jesus when given the opportunity. Any ideas what this author lists as the ‘cost of non-discipleship’??
· That billions of people will die without hearing about Jesus
· That millions of people will live in poverty and under oppression when they should not have needed to.

It is a very interesting assumption for this author to make, that if people were wholly committed to following Jesus, then poverty would be significantly alleviated. But he’s right; for adopting the priorities of Jesus and his Kingdom would naturally lead in this direction.

In reassuring, encouraging and challenging the early church concerning their responsibility to the world, Peter wrote: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9). These are concepts Peter has drawn from God’s Old Testament relationship with Israel and reapplied to the church of Jesus who are now God’s representatives on earth.

Our “eternal life” experience, which has already begun, is the most wonderful and purposeful way of life; in fact it is the only way through which God’s original plan for life can be found.

"A Glorious Vision" - a sermon on Revelation 7:9-17

2011-06-30T12:35:00.000+10:00

When it comes down to it, we don’t know very much about the after-life, and what it will be like in heaven. And this is well and good, for we have so much responsibility here on earth, that’s enough for us to deal with. Eternity will look after itself for us, if we fully put our trust in God, receive the gift of salvation, and follow in the way of Jesus. But sometimes it’s just nice to think what heaven might be like, especially at times when life (on earth) is getting us down. We read in Revelation chapter 7 (v.9-17) a glorious vision of life, such as it will be for those who enter heaven.

But, as I will argue over coming weeks, we should also seek to experience, as much as we can, this sort of connection and relationship with God here and now. We are worshipping apprentices here on earth, in preparation for an eternity filled with opportunities to commune with God (without distraction), so a bit of practice, better ... a lot of practice, would no doubt be a good idea! And given our freedoms here in Australia, we have unending opportunities and forums through which to express our worship and service to God. So, for this reason as well, we are given a bit of a view, a vision, of what eternity might be like.

Now, as I said, this ‘vision’ is very important for those who are struggling in this life. Here they see what a glorious time awaits them. The struggle will be replaced by beauty; sadness given over to joy. The Book of Revelation was primarily written to encourage Jesus followers suffering under the varied challenges of life and in some cases being persecuted for their faith. There was certainly degrees of distress and harassment in the churches that this document was addressed originally to (the churches referred to in chapters two and three), being marginalised communities trying to exist within the general Greco-Roman culture.

This book reassures us that God will have the last word and that Jesus has brought the victory. When I was a young boy, I thought that the crowd of over 121,000 at the MCG for the 1970 Carlton versus Collingwood Grand Final was huge. But that was nothing compared to the vision we have in Revelation 7. John sees a vision of the biggest crowd imaginable, incorporating people from all nationalities and language groups, standing in awe before God and Jesus, clothed in transformed perfection, waving palm branches acknowledging their king, and singing together “Salvation belongs to our God”.

To say “Salvation belongs to our God ... and to the Lamb”, is to acknowledge that our total well-being is found in our relationship with God made possible through Jesus. Now, on a much smaller scale, we have already rehearsed for this today; just without the palm branches. What will it be like to sing that song in such a large gathering, simultaneously in thousands of languages? As we look at our society and shake our head and wonder sometimes, this glorious vision should encourage us. We are part of something big, huge, immeasurable, and eternal; all the children of God that span all the centuries, the cultures and the continents are together (M Eugene Boring).

Where at the “tower of Babel” (Genesis 11) God dispersed people into different language groups so that they would never again be tempted to think they could usurp God from his throne, now those who have responded positively to God over the centuries will happily and enthusiastically gather around God’s throne in thanksgiving and praise (without any thought at all of rebellion). This was foreshadowed on the day of Pentecost when people of many varied cultures heard the gospel of Jesus (from the mouths of the disciples) in their own language.

All the angels and heavenly beings will be there, and “elders” too – which perhaps represent all of God’s true leaders and prophets that have been so foundational to our faith – the patriarchs like Abraham and Moses and the apostles like Peter and Paul. These provided an example for us as they “fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God” (v.11-12). For God in “wisdom” and “might” has brought them (and us) through from birth to death to eternity; or we might say – ‘from birth to spiritual re-birth to physical death into eternity’.

In verses 13 to 14 we have a very interesting dialogue between John and one of the “elders”. John hears the “elder” say to him, “Who are these [ones] robed in white ... where have they come from”? John replies to the effect, ‘well I could guess but I reckon you are the one who already knows’! This dialogue sets the scene for we listeners and readers to hear the important identification that follows. Our attention has been gained and we hear: “These are [the ones] who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.

Now sometimes this “great ordeal” is interpreted to mean some future ‘end-time’ period of great persecution, or perhaps a specific time of persistent persecution back in the first century of the church, and each of these may be true; but I still think it best to see this “great ordeal” as generally representing each of our testing journeys of life on earth in a fallen world environment, or if you like, the violence and terror and evil that can afflict any generation. If we over-analyse the symbolism in the Book of Revelation we tend to get bogged down in a multitude of different opinions and in so doing miss the basic message.

Using such terminology as the “great ordeal” will serve to wake up any of those who were complacent about their faith and saw no contrast between their Christian commitment and the surrounding culture, making them aware of the critical situation in which they lived and the threat they faced (M Eugene Boring) – i.e. the danger of compromising themselves out of their salvation experience.

Life is difficult, especially if you are abused, neglected or oppressed on the one hand, or you make an unpopular yet righteous stand against the tide on the other hand. One brings poverty, the other brings persecution. Yet, hang in there, God will have the victory, and you can be a part of it. “Who are these ... and where have they come from” is the question. The answer is: ‘these are the ones who have received God’s gift of forgiveness through accepting what Jesus did for them on the cross – these are the ones who have had a change of heart and direction, and allowed God’s Spirit to transform them – these are the ones who have taken their burdens to the foot of the cross and left them there – these are the ones who have emerged from the threat of evil clothed in the righteousness made possible by Jesus’.

To loudly sing “Salvation belongs to our God” suggests that we know that we have been lifted out of the mire and been cleansed; we understand that something remarkable has happened to us and continues to happen to us ... leading us to such gratefulness. Our state of being “robed in white”, as we have it in verse 9, has occurred because we have washed our robes (ironically in the blood of Jesus) – verse 14. This has happened as we have received Jesus’ forgiveness and then actively kept ourselves away from the perversions that ‘dirty’ life.

The ones who have “come out of the great ordeal” have been interpreted by some to be those who have died (or will die) for their faith and become martyrs. But equally, we could consider such ones as any whose faith has been found genuine through times of trouble. Their lives have equally been given up for Jesus and his cause – they have truly ‘taken up their cross and followed him’; and even in this life they have “irrepressibly” risen above their ordeals (Michael Wilcock). Of course, such generous commendation of these “martyrs” (and their resultant celebratory state) is because they never took the ‘easy way out’.

“For this reason”, we go on to read in verse 15, “they are before the throne of God”. I’m excited! I’m really excited!! Again this knowledge and this assurance of what lies ahead has a very real impact on how I live now. The “temple” referred to here (in v.15) is strange because we read in other places that there will be no such “temples” in heaven. Even the mention of “shelter” is interesting, for why would we need to be “sheltered” in the perfect climate of heaven. I think this reference (in verse 15) is reflecting back to our life here and now in this world, and asking us to apply the strength of our faith to our current circumstances, before it reflects back to the eternal security we have with our Good Shepherd Jesus (in v.16-17).

It is our internal and our eternal security that helps us deal creatively and properly with our current struggles and trials. And so we are not only confident in the future, but also in the present, for God is with us here too. The same Jesus that awaits welcoming us at God’s throne, provides thirst-quenching water and 30+ sunscreen and divine consolation now. While we wait patiently for our eternal peace, the love of God “superintends” (or manages) our misfortunes (Richard B Hays).

Ultimately there will be no thirst nor hunger nor heat nor cold to worry about at all. This doesn’t just happen through a perfect environment, but more so through the ongoing loving shepherding of Jesus. And we also read that “God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (v.17), which suggests that all the grief, shame and weariness that we have carried through life will be lifted off us completely! How could this be when we carry our sorrow so deeply? Think about that! Do we leave all our emotions behind ... or become like a robot? I’m sure we don’t!! The passion of the worship seen here would also deny that! There just must be something so remarkable about being so tightly in God’s presence like this, that our various sorrows all roll away. Problems, disability, anxiety, loneliness, hardship, pain, even missed opportunities, will be things of the past. There will be nothing to fear anymore.

We will be able to put all of life’s disappointments aside, and simply worship God in the company of our brothers and sisters. Nothing now separates us from enjoying perfect harmony with God. Our own sin has been dealt with, and evil cannot touch us anymore. It is not those who have selfishly and callously sought power and wealth who are here; it is not the unrepentant abusers and oppressors and bullies who have waged war on us that are here; it is you and I who John sees here ... in this glorious vision of heaven. This passage challenges any thought that the church of Jesus Christ is on a mission to nothing and cannot survive the forces against it – quite the opposite – the ultimate success and vindication of committing to God’s service is seen in the mass international celebration of Revelation 7.

"Godly Authority" by Julie White

2011-06-27T16:53:00.002+10:00

This is the sermon preached by Julie White at PCCBC on Sunday 19th June, posted here by request. Warren's sermon entitled "Experiencing Salvation" preached on 26th June appears below it, or can be accessed on the side menu.

GODLY AUTHORITY

The purpose of ‘Godly Authority’ is to –

PROTECT
NOURISH
& LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Today we will look at Godly Authority from the viewpoint of one who has been given authority and also those who are under authority.

Firstly, let’s look at the difference between Godly Authority and this world’s authority. Simply put, this world’s authority is driven by EGO and POWER, but Godly authority is driven by LOVE and is powered by SACRIFICE and SERVICE.

Now, let’s look at how much value God places on authority and therefore how much we need to respect those who have been placed in authority over us. This will cover husband’s authority over their wives, parent’s authority over their children, pastors authority over their congregation and bosses having authority over their employees. If you feel that you don’t fit into any of these categories, then how about the fact that we are all under Christ’s loving authority.

Our first example is the biblical record of King David. Before David became king, Saul was anointed King, but Saul became disobedient to God’s authority. Samuel then anointed David as king, but God left Saul on the throne for a time, to test David’s faith and in particular his obedience to authority.

Let’s look at the background to this story. After David’s anointing, he was called into service to play the harp for Saul, to calm him. Then he volunteered to kill Goliath. Eventually he was called into service as a leader in Saul’s army. He then began a series of war campaigns for Saul, which ended in great victories. The Israelites began to sing his praises and Saul became jealous. Saul tried to kill David, but failed. He then thought the Philistines would kill David for him, but that didn’t work either. Saul then became very active in seeking to kill David.

In this example, Saul shows the worldly type of authority, affected by ego and power. You think that David could have rationalised to himself that he had the right to forcefully take Saul off the throne, after all he had been annointed as king by Samuel and Saul had proven himself to be a wicked and selfish king. However, this was not the case. Let’s look at David’s attitude to Saul and the authority he held.

1 Samuel 24:1-7 & 1 Samuel 26: 5-12

Please note in the first example, David’s men pushed him to take the opportunity, that they believe God had given them, to take Saul’s life. David resisted the temptation and instead only cut off a section of Saul’s robe. Even so, he repented quickly of what he had done, considering this act one of disrespect to Saul’s office of authority. If you read on, you will notice that when David did speak to Saul, it was with great respect, despite the fact that Saul was out to kill him, even though he was innocent.

In the second reading, there is another example of David trying to show Saul that he did not want to cause him any harm and in fact was innocent. Again David’s men tried to tempt David into taking Saul’s life, but he rebuked them and led them by example into not committing this sin.

Let’s now look at another example of Godly Authority and Worldly Authority. Let’s look at Moses. Moses, was an example of Godly Authority, he risked his life to enter Egypt to confront Pharoah. This was leading by example and obeying God, no matter the risk. He tried to nourish Israel to the point of exhaustion, until finally his father-in-law encouraged him to get help by selecting men from within Israel to help rule and guide the people. He was a willing instrument to protect God’s people, through his faith. Remember his courage at the ‘Red Sea’ when Phaorah’s army was in pursuit. He did not run and abandon the people, instead he stood his ground and the people were saved. God can do mighty things through faithful leadership. Therefore, Moses protected, nourished and led by example.

Now, let’s look at the other side of this subject. An example of disobedience to Godly Authority.

Numbers 12: 1-15

Miriam and Aaron began talking against Moses, behind his back. It really doesn’t matter what their problem was here, what matters is the way that they went about it. Instead of going to Moses and talking with him privately and with great respect about their concerns, they condemned him and talked amongst themselves. They could have taken their concerns higher up the chain of authority and directly laid them before God. Notice how forcefully God dealt with them, especially Miriam. Authority is an important part of God’s Kingdom and he has put great value on authority, not only the giving of it, but also the expectations of those under it. Notice that the way God disciplined Miriam was very public. All of Israel knew what had happened to Miriam. God wanted it to be an example that would be remembered. Not just for Israel then, but for spiritual Israel now.

Talking about spiritual Israel, let’s look at an example from the New Testament of how Godly authority works over the spiritual nation of Israel (or, God’s Church, the body of Christ).

Ephesians 4: 9-13

The authority that God has established in the Church, (spiritual Israel), is again created to protect, nourish and lead by example. Notice the scriptures are saying that those in leadership have been put there to build and unify the Church. In other words, to nourish. If you read on in v. 14, it talks about this leadership being instrumental in protecting God’s people from those who would try and take the truth from their hearts. Furthermore, in other scriptures, it condemns leaders who do not lead by example. Remember what Christ said to the Pharisees and Saducees about their conduct witnessed by the people.

As further evidence that God’s leaders must lead by example and in turn be obeyed, let’s look at – Hebrews 13: 7, 17.

Part of the protective aspect of Godly Authority is one of discipline. Discipline carried out in love is meant to protect us from the outcomes of sin.

2 Corinthians 12:20 – end and 2 Cor. 13: 1-2

This was obviously a heavy burden for Paul who appeared to prefer not to have to discipline the Church. However, he made certain that it was made clear to the people, that he would do what was necessary to protect the spiritual lives of those under his authority.

Now, let’s have a look at the authority God has set up in the family.

Ephesians 5: 22-33 [ed. note - actually start reading at 5:21]

Notice that in the first few scriptures it talks about wives being under their husband’s authority in everything. There is no exception to obedience mentioned here, other than the obvious one, which can be easily found in other scriptures, including those on the 10 commandments. I am speaking of the command to put God first in our lives, before all others. Therefore, if a husband asks his wife to do something that is in direct disobedience to God, she could respectively refuse. Also, remember, that although we are no longer under the law in the New Testament Church, we follow the spiritual principles of the law, as directed by Christ, when he stated that he had not come to do away with the law, but to enhance the law into the realm of the spiritual. If a wife is having particular trouble with the way her husband is using his authority, she has the option to discreetly talk with her pastor, or an older spiritually mature man in the Church. Both of these individuals may be able to encourage her husband to lead in love and consider his families needs. Ultimately, we can always go before the throne of God with our concerns. Remember, God honours a pure and meek spirit.

Also notice that God commands husbands to use their authority in love, manifesting it by sacrificing their desires for the sake of their wives wellbeing, as Christ sacrificed his whole being for the Church. In verse 26 it mentions the ‘word’ being used to cleanse the wife. Husbands, are you using God’s word to promote the spiritual holiness of your wives and children? Are you leading the family spiritually? If your wife refuses to be led, then hand this over to God, after that there is nothing further you need to do. However, God will still judge your efforts in this area and I encourage you to continue doing what you can to nourish your wives and children spiritually. Remember, Godly Authority is driven by love and powered by sacrifice and service.

Speaking of children, what does God say about the authority that is given to parents over their children.

Ephesians 6: 1-4

Please take special note of verse 4, which encourages the father’s authority to be given as a careful balance of training and admonition. In other words if you are forever criticising and berating your child, they will grow to despise themselves (and quite possibly the parent) and only be able to see their mistakes and failures. Instead, encourage them whenever possible by speaking of your love for them and of their worth in Christ. Guide them into doing the right things. When you do need to discipline them, make sure it is done with plenty of consideration and respect for the value and future dreams that God holds for them. Choose the words that you speak over your children wisely, remembering that words can be used as a weapon, or a protective shield of love that acts as a wall between them and the world’s negativity.

Some of the great leaders of Israel began their training for leadership as shepherds (remember David and Moses). This is because shepherds are a fantastic example of leaders who protect, nourish and lead by example. Shepherds were known to fight wild animals to protect the flock, (remember what David said he fought to protect his flock), take the sheep into the best pastures to nourish them and lead the sheep from the front of the flock through the sound of their voice. Sound familiar, remember the scripture that says that the sheep know the sound of their shepherds voice. Referring to God’s people knowing the sound of Christ’s voice in their lives.

Let’s now have a look at what God says to those shepherds who do not lead their flocks with Godly Authority.

Ezekiel 34: 1-10 and v. 23

Notice in verse 23, that David will be a shepherd over spiritual Israel in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Also notice how much passion God has for the role of authority being carried out as He created it to be.

Who is the ultimate shepherd? Christ our Lord.

John 10: 14-18

If you would like to read more about how Jesus feels about His role as our shepherd, read from verse 11-16.

I encourage all those who have been given authority, whether it be authority in the Church over God’s people, a boss over employees, a man over his family, or parents over their children – to exercise this authority in a Godly manner. To sacrifice and serve for the sake of those they are in authority over. So that their leadership can be a blessing, as they protect, nourish and lead by example.

Julie White - Chaplain

"Experiencing Salvation" - an interactive sermon based on Acts 2:37-47

2011-06-24T10:19:00.003+10:00

1. Jesus brings Salvation

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit had come upon the first disciples with great effectiveness and power. Then the newly equipped Peter spoke the church’s first sermon, and we read that people “were cut to the heart”. Why so emotional? Well ... they had suddenly made the realisation of their lives!! From this moment their lives would never be the same.

Some of these may have previously cried out “crucify him” when Pilate had produced Jesus to the crowd some 53 days earlier, and now were feeling very complicit in the crucifixion of not only an innocent man, but also the Son of God. To live at a time of great injustice, while doing nothing about it, can raise much guilt in a person. They may have been there that day some years earlier when Jesus was rejected in his own home town of Nazareth.

Peter, in his Pentecost sermon, had spoken about how Jesus of Nazareth was actually sent by God to usher in a new kingdom rule. At the one and the same time, Jesus’ death was both an injustice to be regretted, and the perfect gift from God to bring about salvation. Jesus died because of these people, but Jesus also died for these same people! This man who they had put on the cross was offering them both forgiveness and a new start. And the resurrected Jesus had made the way clear for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Here was salvation – Jesus was indeed the answer to the whole world’s problems – so people “were cut to the heart”. Some no doubt through guilt, for reasons just expressed, but others maybe through joy – for their life was such that they needed a new start, something hopeful ... someone they could absolutely trust in and never be disappointed. Here was Jesus – so interested in their welfare, that he did not shrink from going to the cross to bring them freedom.

Now we know that some people can be emotionally moved at some tragic event or major news story, but then quickly change the channel to something more trivial and less disturbing. And we know that in reality, some people would have walked away from Peter’s sermon that day unchanged. But that there was a really serious and sincere response is shown by the question that was asked: “Brothers, what should we do”? The proof that something is important to someone is seen in the action they are willing to take.

These people might have rejected Jesus in the past, or they might had stood by apathetically, but now they see the truth, and want to know what they needed to do. And they realised that just believing in an intellectual sense was not enough ... they needed to respond in some active way. They had become aware of the void in their lives and the bankruptcy of many of their actions, and were now willing to respond to this good news about God’s forgiveness.

2. Repentance, Baptism, Forgiveness & the Holy Spirit

The answer they received was to “repent”, and “be baptised” – so that their sins would be forgiven; and after this happened, just like happened for the original followers of Jesus at Pentecost, they would receive the Holy Spirit. Salvation is about the redeeming forgiveness of sin and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit within a life.

The first required response was to “repent”, which means to admit that you have acted wrongly and been on the wrong path, and commit to a new life orientation ... which basically centres on following in the Jesus way. This is not just mental agreement to wrongdoing or simple remorse. To “repent” is to have a change of mind, do an about face, and head in a new direction. This is a change of heart that leads to a new brand of decision-making and behaviour. To “repent” is to actively step away from that “corrupt generation” (mentioned in verse 40) and start living for God’s kingdom.

Why do we need salvation many will ask!?! It’s because once a person’s conscience is activated concerning their behaviour, there will be conscious or sub-conscious feelings of regret, guilt and shame. Without these feelings being lifted, they will accumulate into a very destructive and burdensome package. We can try to better ourselves and make up for our mistakes, but ultimately, we need the power of our transgressions lifted from us; and this is exactly what Jesus has done for us (through God’s grace).

It is God’s offer and our acceptance of forgiveness that starts the process of salvation. How else will we escape the slippery slope of soured conscience and shame that heads to corruption and darkness!! Where else have we to go than to Jesus? As Paul put it in his letter to the Romans (6:23) – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Salvation is God’s ‘search and rescue’ mission! Salvation brings the freedom from spiritual oppression and mundane lives that so many are searching for (and so little are finding).

John the Baptist had been the forerunner of such a call for “repentance”, taking people out into the Jordan river to be baptised. And so it was very natural for people once they “repented” like this, to understand that they should be “baptised” to publicly show that they had truly repented and been forgiven. Now with Jesus’ resurrection in view, and being baptised “in the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 38), baptism will clearly signify that a person has died to their sin and risen to new life. “Repentance” and forgiveness will be a continuing dynamic through this person’s life as needed.

In later times there has often been much more time taken between “repentance” (or we might say ‘conversion’) and actually being baptised. This is usually for the purposes of further instruction, or to make sure that this ‘change of mind’ is going to be permanent. But we should not get too far away from the point that baptism is the biblical symbol that designates a follower of Jesus. To be baptised “in the name of Jesus” signifies that this person now puts the Kingdom of God first and takes up their Holy Spirit inspired role in the church.

The forerunner, John the Baptist, preparing the way for the coming of Jesus, said, “I baptise you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming ... He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). And so it is, that this mindset for change and public witness to this life transformation leads to ultimate forgiveness and an experience of the Holy Spirit firing up our lives.

What are the two conditions on which we receive forgiveness??

(a) We should see in verse 38 that forgiveness does depend upon truly wanting to change, and taking the actions that lead to change and prove that change is taking place (baptism being seen as part of this process).
(b) If we read the “Lord’s Prayer” again in Matthew chapter 6, we will also remember that our forgiveness also depends upon our willingness to forgive others (following Jesus’ example). These conditions on our forgiveness actually coincide, because the one committed to change, will also be committed to seeing other people in new more transformative ways.

3. A Gift for Everyone

Now this salvation is an offer to everyone, for God continues to reach out in his love to all humanity ... everyone can experience salvation by coming to Jesus. And I want everyone here to truly experience salvation; and everyone out there to experience salvation as well.

As we have already mentioned, once Peter had established that this ‘salvation’ (and the promise of the Holy Spirit) was available to everyone, he implored the listeners to, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation”. The particular “generation” that Peter referred to, was the generation that Jesus had come to personally, and had largely rejected him. They were again being asked to change their allegiance from an old outmoded religious system to a living dynamic movement (based on personal relationship).

For us, we might interpret this as a call to change our allegiance from a faulty and fractured world system to this same living dynamic movement built around Jesus. To remain attached to the world as our primary reference point, causes the further “corruption” of life where people try to live without the God who created them in the first place to have a relationship with Jesus. This then brings all sorts of struggles. Where God is not on the throne, that only leaves self; and where there a large collection of selves fighting for supremacy ... well, we know how that turns out! Yet God continues to mourn for those affected by turmoil, violence and suffering, and remains hopeful that there can be a reconciliation.

Sometimes, we who have accepted the truth and follow Jesus, can just (temporarily) forget about the inheritance of empowerment we have received, and regress a bit, living like we don’t actually know Jesus. We need to quickly recognise this before we are overwhelmed by the negativity this will bring to us or we get entangled in things we can no longer control. Old habits are hard to break ... but we have no excuse not to keep trying (for we have God’s help).

This leads to making two very important points about ‘salvation’:

4. Salvation is not just a one-off event

Salvation is not just a one-off event – it only begins with a one-off decision. Then it requires an openness to growth and fruitfulness and giftedness and ministry and mission. Salvation is a journey from the beginning of a new start on earth, right through to taking up a position in the eternal kingdom. So let’s never see “salvation” as a word on a tick-off list ... done that! ... but rather as a progressive journey towards God. God has got a whole lot more of ‘God’s-own-self’ to give you yet! But are you “cut to the heart” enough to want it?

5. Salvation is not just an inward personal thing

Salvation is also not just an inward personal thing – it is certainly that ... the most poignant and significant of internal dynamics, but it’s not just that. Salvation is also an outward thing, affecting all of our decisions and behaviour. And as well, salvation, if it’s real, should positively affect all our interpersonal relationships and dealings.

Salvation should draw God’s people together, for their own sustaining and strengthening, and for the integrity of their collective witness to the rest of society. Salvation is a journey to be taken with company. As God exists and creates in community (“trinity”), salvation also operates in the context of community.

We read from verses 42 to 47 some of the collective activity of the early church groups. Part of their experience of being saved (from corruption) involved:

(a) Learning together (from those who had acquired understanding of the good news of Jesus)
(b) Mutual care, hospitality, sharing and generosity (social responsibility)
(c) Regular communion, worship and prayer (we commune with God ... Father, Son & Spirit ... as we commune together); and as a result ... as a natural outcome ...
(d) Witnessing (the missionary God creating a missionary church).

6. Now if you had to describe what you read from verses 42 to 47 in one word, what would that word be???

· For me, “togetherness” – together in dialogue we learn better, we discern God’s will more clearly, we have more collective resources to share and give away (including both material things and the various “gifts” of the Spirit), and make a bigger impact (in terms of gaining goodwill). This would be in the face of real differences and difficulties, where diversity and struggle were seen as opportunities through which to build effective unity and purpose.

· It is in being together that answers to prayer can be celebrated and joy can be multiplied; also, those with sorrows can share their discouragement and be supported. Genuine interest can develop in the progress of others, with a growing feeling of responsibility towards the well-being of one another. Jesus followers will want to worship God ... spontaneously, enthusiastically, regularly and corporately with their brothers and sisters in the local church. I hope that I am cheering for God much louder than I am cheering for Carlton!

· It is very unfortunate that some people, because of feelings of disappointment with life and God and God’s people, distance themselves from other church people ... physically, emotionally, or both. This will never help anybody; and many are irretrievably diverted. The Christian life was never going to be plain-sailing for anybody, not in this world – God’s promise concerns his presence with us through the long challenging journey.

· The early Jewish Christians carried on their daily worship and prayers in the temple as per their traditional religious obligations, but also met in each other’s homes, which became house churches, from where they grew the Jesus movement, that eventually cut the ties with the temple due to the new movement’s singular focus on Jesus as the Messiah. It was in this context that the church grew, with “the Lord” adding to “their number those who were being saved”. You’ll note (in verse 46) how often they were meeting together in some form or another ... “Day by day”!

· It is God that brings the increase, but it is God’s people that help create the stir through their everyday activity. And it is us that need to warmly accept and welcome the newcomers in. Wherever there isn’t growth, questions need to be asked as to why not.

"Creating a stir - Pentecost for today" (Acts 2:1-13)

2011-06-09T14:27:00.002+10:00

At the conclusion of Luke’s gospel story, Jesus asks his disciples to remain in Jerusalem for their promised gift to come. This would be the gift that “clothed [them] with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). This “gift”, when they would experience it, will answer all the disciples’ fears about the time ahead! Yet, given all that had recently happened, with Jesus’ crucifixion, Peter’s denials, Judas’ betrayal, and the real danger of being identified as an associate of Jesus, this may not have been an easy request to follow. Indeed Mark’s gospel story concludes with the disciples and other followers of Jesus dispersing in fear. Yet, there was something about Jesus’ resurrection that really impacted these Jesus people. John’s Gospel has the famous incident where Peter, who in guilt and confusion had returned to his fishing business, was confronted by the resurrected Jesus and was forgiven, and was also restored to his role of ministry.

So, there they all were, in Jerusalem as requested, on this special day, seven weeks following Jesus’ resurrection and ten days following Jesus’ ascension (back to heaven). According to Acts 1:15, there would have been about 120 believers by this time, including the eleven disciples plus the newly elected one Matthias, the various women who had encountered and followed Jesus, Jesus’ mother Mary and his brothers (who had now also come to accept Jesus to be the Son of God). They were there to receive the Holy Spirit!!

I’ll be happy to take any questions on the Holy Spirit at any stage.

What was the purpose of that gift?? You can read about that in both Luke 24:48, and again, as Luke continued his narrative, in Acts 1:8 ... “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. So there is the purpose statement concerning the Holy Spirit ... to be witnesses to Jesus ... everything about him which could transform lives.

The conclusion of Matthew’s gospel (28:19-20a) has a bit of a results clause that adds to this (often called the ‘great commission’), “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you”. Disciples of course are much more than converts, because they have gone on to exhibiting a day-by-day adherence to their Master; which can be solidified by an obvious public commitment through baptism, and by being dedicated to learning the scriptures in dialogue with others.

The Holy Spirit is part of the diverse yet unified community of God we have come to call the ‘Trinity’. The Holy Spirit was active in the creation of the world, and then was active in guiding God appointed leaders (like Moses) and prophets (like Jeremiah). The Holy Spirit was active in the recording of the stories of people’s encounters with God (that we now have in the scriptures). The Holy Spirit had been connected with significant characters in the gospel story e.g. Mary, Simeon, John the Baptist, and of course Jesus (who himself experienced the ‘descent’ of the Holy Spirit to acknowledge his unique ministry on earth).

But now the Holy Spirit was going to be available to all ‘believers’ – by that I mean, all those who have accepted Jesus as ‘Saviour’ and ‘Lord’ and begun to live their lives in the Jesus way. And as we have seen, the purpose of such an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Jesus follower, is to be a witness to Jesus in such a way as that others become disciples, are baptised, and are taught and nurtured. In other words, to create a bit of a stir!

In terms of the diversity of background, culture and language we talked about last week, this was the long awaited way that such broad diversity could find unity in the Kingdom of God. Here, God’s call to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, will find the beginning of its spiritual re-unification. There will be a conjoined voice of praise and service to God, as people reach out to other people in the name of Jesus. And this is what happened as these few disciples became numbered in the thousands, formed house churches, and grew right across the Roman empire despite severe persecution.

William J Larkin Jr. writes: “This multilingual witness coheres with the universal offer of salvation in the church’s message and its consequent worldwide mission”.

Ultimately, in good time, there will be that unified chorus of praise in heaven, everyone well understanding all the various tributes being offered to God, as all diversity is brought into perfect harmony (Revelation 7:9ff). Research done in the 1980’s showed, at that time, the Christian faith was known in over 7000 languages.

In verses 2 to 4 of our text, we read about “heaven” reaching down and touching mightily those gathered in faith. There was a loud noise something like a huge wind event (perhaps like a spinning tornado), and out of this came some form of fiery vision representing the personal presence of God impacting enough to set these disciples’ tongues on fire. Some will know of God’s earlier personal appearance to Moses in the ‘burning bush’. There is the suggestion here of hearts being kindled and minds being inspired. What is really pertinent here, is that three key human senses were affected by this event – the ears (our listening), the eyes (our perception), the mouth (our communication).

Remarkably, as a result, these disciples’ were able to speak in such a way that those who had gathered as a result of all the chaos were able to understand. Our minds are being led to picture the collective disciples [“the entire house” – v.2] being impacted by climatic events which bring remarkable outcomes, which in turn, because of the unusual and dramatic nature of all this, bring many from the wide neighbourhood wondering and questioning. You could imagine all the disciples spilling out of where they were and interacting in the street/s with the crowd that started to press in on them.

According to verse 5, among those who gathered that day as a result of all this drama, were Jewish residents of Jerusalem who had originated from far flung nations and who spoke a variety of native languages (from families of origin that had been dispersed across the Greco-Roman world because of invasions in previous centuries). There were also “proselytes” (referred to in verse 10) who were converts to the religion of the Jews. As this was the time of the annual festival to celebrate the ‘first-fruits’ of the grain harvest held fifty days after Passover, this could have brought many visitors to Jerusalem, increasing the spectators even further.

We read that all these people were “amazed” to hear these simple “Galileans” speaking in a variety of languages that surely would have been unknown to them. These were not the “tongues” requiring specially gifted interpretation if spoken publicly (that we read about in places like 1 Corinthians 12), but rather, the actual known spoken languages of those that had gathered (as a response to all the noise). A stir had been created, then the good news of Jesus was being broadly shared in language that could be easily understood!

Some thought that these “Galileans” talking about God and Jesus were crazy or drunk, and that was probably an understandable response. And some people will always misunderstand, or not get it, or be interferingly resistant. But there will also always be those who are seeking truth and are open to new belief. God and the disciples had certainly caused a stir, and got people talking. There was a collection of bewilderment (v.6), amazement and astonishment (v.7); and people were “amazed and perplexed” (in verse 12). Certainly there was the opportunities for many conversations and much follow-through here. Reading later in Acts 2, thousands became believers that day, following Peter’s inspired sermon.

Negotiating our way through these dramatic happenings toward something that might connect with our experience – these otherwise fearful, timid and somewhat reluctant ordinary human beings, were given the ability to effectively communicate across cultural boundaries, where previously they would not have been able to even contemplate this. Fear was being replaced by faith and courage; confusion was being replaced by spiritual insight.

We have to remember that this “Pentecost” miracle was just as much a miracle of hearing as it was speaking. Thus if God is preparing us through the Holy Spirit for what we are going to say in words and in actions, then God is also preparing the hearers and observers for what they are about to hear and see.

How could we create a stir like that??

Well this “Pentecost” event is the forerunner of all believers in Jesus receiving the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to wait in Jerusalem (or anywhere else) until a certain day arrives – this same “gift” has been available from that day on to all those who take on the name of Jesus. We mightn’t hear such a loud noise, or feel the heat of the flames, or speak in languages we haven’t ever learnt – but we can express joy and thanksgiving, enthusiastically embrace worship and fellowship, and live with freedom and courage. We can develop in our ability to share our faith in ways that connect with where the general person around us is at ... for we hear better, see more clearly, and speak more effectively.

And as we learn from other parts of the New Testament, there are even more facets to this Holy Spirit effectiveness than just the ability to communicate well across cultures. There are a variety of mutually cooperative “Spirit” gifts given to all Jesus followers through which to work together in a common purpose for the common good of the community. And then also, so that we may mature in our personal lives, there is the fruit of the “Spirit” that we can aspire to and attain (refer Galatians 5:22-3). As we review those areas of ‘fruitfulness’, we can see how they might bring a contrast and create at least a little ripple if not a stir ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!

Hopefully the integrity of our lives will convince many that the Jesus following life is worth a further look.

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus has filled his followers with suggestions of his nearness. The thought behind this “gift” is to see the life of Jesus continually re-enacted on earth.

Sometimes though, it might seem like that we don’t have the Holy Spirit in our life at all. But what is more likely the case, is that we are allowing the Holy Spirit’s effectiveness to be blocked or hindered because our focus is off the mark. Each one who has accepted Jesus has been given the Holy Spirit, but sometimes to activate this ‘power’ we have to deal with certain disruptive and distracting elements in our life ... or we might say ‘persistent sins’. And this is where we pray that we might be changed.

But don’t doubt the Holy Spirit’s availability; rather read the scriptures, and pray to discover what is blocking your progress, and take any necessary remedial action with determination. If this doesn’t immediately work, don’t give up, but rather seek the good counsel of a trusted helper. Sometimes this blockage is caused simply by not thinking through something in the right or best way, or through responding to certain pressures in the wrong way.

Jesus said that we would receive “power” when the Holy Spirit comes upon us (Acts 1:8), and quite often we’ll use the word ‘effectiveness’ to explain the word “power” in this context, for the word “power” can conjure up a whole lot of negative emotions for those who been abused by the misuse of power. Yet we should not underestimate the positive brand of “power” made available to us – to tackle the most complex challenges imaginable. The Holy Spirit brings the capacity to be creative in the face of daunting realities ... to create a bit of a stir!

"Diversity is Good" - a prequel to Pentecost (Genesis 11:1-9)

2011-06-03T11:39:00.004+10:00

1. God’s Plan for Diversity

In Genesis chapter 10, the descendents of Noah start dispersing around the world. This is in line with God’s creational call to humanity to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen 1:28), a call which was reinforced to Noah following the flood (Gen 9:1). The multiplication of humanity across the earth was God’s unchanged plan before and after the fall. The Bible then centres its attention on God’s relationship with those people groups who came to form Ancient Israel. These people would provide a backdrop for an understanding of God’s love, commitment and care for all humanity, as they were guided by a succession of leaders and prophets beginning with Abraham.

Then, in time, God’s love was epitomised in the life and ministry of Jesus. Eventually, through the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, people from all the dispersed nations and cultures across the earth will be touched by the good news of Jesus and offered a place in the Kingdom of God.

See how easy that all is ... how much sense it all makes!! God creates humankind in a way that they can disperse all over the earth, undoubtedly involving different culture, language and religious forms. People do go astray in all sorts of deviant behaviour and unhelpful belief systems – but ultimately God seeks to deal with the fallen nature of humankind by sending Jesus, so that no-one has to miss out on a relationship with their Creator.

So why is life on earth all so antagonistic, self-seeking and violent? Genesis chapter 11 gives us a clue. People were resistant to God – it seems people are always resistant to God; especially when God’s way doesn’t suit them.

2. Human Resistance

There was a resistance to this spreading out, this dispersal across the earth. The people thought they knew better than God. They thought that if they could stay in their own defined place, build their own idealistic city, with the greatest and largest and most elaborate sky-scraper ever built, while determining their own agenda, and relying on their own abilities, then they would be better off. In a nutshell, they preferred being their own god! They preferred the easy life defined by one culture and one language.

But this is not the way of the God who willingly created us all with very different personalities and looks and interests and abilities and weaknesses. And this is not the way of God who has determined that the most creative way forward for humankind is to find ways of bringing unity of purpose out of such diversity, so that we might fully grow. Uniformity is not unity; true unity is only found in bringing together diversity.

These misguided people, preferring their own agenda to God’s, said, “... let us make a name for ourselves” (Gen 11:4) – wanting to be able to say, “we are the ones who single-handedly built the tallest and best tower in the world ... look at us”. Humankind cannot seek to make their own name great by their own ways and means – really only God’s Name can be deemed great. There may be those who God lifts to that status ... like the promise made to Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation ... and make your name great” (Gen 12:2), but this is because of God’s blessing, not human achievement.

The only name we should want to promote for praise is the Good Name of God, the rest of us are far too fragile to be placed on any pedestal. What danger these people were bringing on themselves and everybody else! Undoubtedly, with the complete rejection of God’s ways involved here, whatever plans they would conjure up and implement would not be in humankind’s interests – far from it (refer 11:6), and would not succeed! These people would think that they were all-powerful, all-knowing and unstoppable, and such absolute power would no doubt absolutely corrupt them. They built a tower to heaven to try to throw God off the throne. Derek Kidner writes that, “The narrative captures the simultaneous absurdity and gravity of it”.

All such plans are completely misguided and ill-conceived. God given boundaries (like happened previously in the ‘Garden of Eden’) are again being crossed. “Our human sin is that we fail to recognise that God is God, and we try, both individually and corporately, to take God’s place ... [this is] an assertion of human autonomy without God; a refusal to live in dependence on the Creator who is the Covenant Lord” (D. Atkinson, p.177-8).

It seems that this city and tower project (in Gen 11) was viewed as the ultimate achievement to show than humankind could live without God and find their salvation from within themselves – and such projects have been repeated over the centuries for the same reason. For, there are already ‘hints’ in this incident, of the negative impacts of political power and technological advances (Atkinson/Westermann). Perhaps then, we should learn, that the only major projects (and political structures) we should attempt are those where God has laid down the blueprints.

3. Diversity is a gift / the Gifts of diversity

This passage in Genesis 11 has sometimes been simply interpreted as God bringing the punishment of scattering because of human pride, but this misses the point (from the context in Genesis) that the scattering of peoples and languages was part of God’s command for the people to be fruitful and fill the earth. This passage is essentially a challenge to any behaviour pattern that resists God’s will. This scattering would always be necessary as God’s preventative approach to the very real threat of human beings getting above themselves and self-destructing (in arrogance), or seeking to dominant others (through their own insecurities). God responds caringly to the threat that this building project posed, seeking the welfare of his people; God has actually bestowed the deliberate gift of diversity as a, “creative step for the enrichment of humanity” (“A Garden of Many Colours”, p.32).

We know that such diversity is good, because of the way Paul embraces this in his first letter to the Corinthians (chapter 12 verse 7). Here Paul talks about the diverse gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit being brought together in unity for the common good (of all humanity). Then Paul uses the example of the human body and all its different component parts being brought together to make a complete whole. Without each component part having a specific role and purpose, then there wouldn’t be any sort of functioning collective whole. If everyone was the same, then there would be no medium for everything to fit together in a complimentary way. See how God has always known best! Like with a car, when things don’t work out as they should, it’s always one or more of the components that are at fault, not the idea of the car itself.

4. Being Peacemakers

So the dynamics of God’s creativity are perfect, it’s just that human freewill has played havoc with it. The major area of disruption in the world, is individual people and whole people groups failing to get on with one another. Instead of difference being embraced and celebrated, again and again it has been resisted and rejected. Dominant cultures have sought to undermine and destroy minority cultures. Certain splinter groups have terrorised citizens, all in an attempt to gain power and control. Nations defend their right to avenge themselves. Some have tried to take actions like these in the name of religion, when actually all violence can only be regarded as demonic. When we put aside all so-called ‘worldly wisdom’ and bring ourselves back to Jesus, we can only say this, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

5. Welcoming Others (Romans 15:7)

Paul writes, in his letter to the Romans, the sweeping and radical statement, “accept one another” or “welcome one another”. Romans 15:7 says, “Welcome one another ... just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God”. Because of the grace we have already received, we should be well and truly prepared to ensure that such ‘grace’ is accessible to all those who need to hear the gospel message. We can’t pick and choose who we welcome or accept, because the context of this verse in Romans, is our responsibility to put ourselves out for the sake of the needy neighbour, and not to be put off by any of their more undesirable traits.

There are at least two areas in which we can fulfil this idea of “welcoming” or “accepting” one another. The first is to “accept” one another’s faults, because we all have human fallibilities. The second is to “accept” one another’s differences. There are different backgrounds (both national and economic), different cultures, and certainly different life orientations, belief systems and behaviour patterns. We don’t have to like the way some of this difference plays out, and certainly we have to critique and legally control some behaviours. But this very attitude sometimes blocks our way to embracing diversity; a diversity first generated by God.

The next stage of accepting one another’s differences is to be able to celebrate such difference (as being of God’s creation) and then find ways of drawing people of difference together in human and spiritual community. To learn to accept each others' faults and to choose to celebrate each others' differences are two of the most important aspects in the Jesus following life. In this way we can show to our community and the world that embracing God does make a positive difference. Through embracing diversity, and loving people as they are (despite how different they are to us), we will be much more credible sources of light and hope.

Certainly when Paul said, “accept one another”, he was first thinking of the Christian community’s inner workings, and their need, if ever they were going to make a positive difference in their society, to “accept” one another’s shortcomings, idiosyncrasies and personality differences. But then of course, this self-same attitude, needed to be expressed to neighbours and family and other contacts through life, if such as these were going to be encouraged to accept Jesus into their life and adopt the Jesus way of living. But at the same time, the Jesus following community would always have to stand against evil and abuse and violence (in all its forms).

6. Living in the Light

But having said this, we can’t let the prevalence of darkness around us, make us miss a hurting person just trying to find their way. We all would want to find ways of breaking the pattern of violence of certain misguided young people lashing out against vulnerable others. Yet we can never agree with a policy that utilises the word “retribution” in all its current vengeful overtones, for, like it or not, this is not consistent with the gospel. All legal measures taken against those guilty of crimes must have an element of rehabilitation and an opportunity of repentance, or it ceases to be human and ceases to be Godly. Let’s not let our frustration and fear give way to vengefulness (Romans 12:17).

7. The Challenge of Post-Christendom

Now there are those in our society who are becoming very vocal in their opposition to Christian influence in places like schools and in the political process. Now we can regret this – not so much because it makes our life harder, but more so because children and families may miss out on some of the God honouring values that have served our society so well. And so we can pray for continuing opportunities to share the love of God in public forums ... and we shall pray for this, and we shall go on praying for this. But the time has gone for the church to have an easy ride. If we are going to make a difference we will now have to stand against the tide, not bemoaning that the past has gone, but rather living out credible caring creative lives ourselves.

This is the very situation the early disciples, then the fledgling house churches, and then the growing Jesus movement faced. And under decades of persecution, the church grew remarkably and strongly and widely. They gained their credibility, and earned their influence, for not just looking after each other, but by looking after those in the community that had been left behind and were lost on the margins on society.

Yet from the 4th Century, when Christianity became the recognised state church around parts of Europe and Asia, it soon became difficult to recognise the true believers from the hangers on. Children were just baptised into the church as a normal everyday routine cultural rite, in some cases just on the basis of some sort of token acknowledgement of God’s existence, and from that day were regarded as Christian. How close to the gospel message do you think that is? I’m not unhappy with the death of that style of Christendom.

It might just be that the death of cultural or nominal Christianity ... by that I mean people who claim to be Christian just because they were born in a certain place but don’t actually put any of its key teachings into practice ... means that the real Jesus followers will rise up, the ones who are thoroughly committed to the Jesus cause will emerge, and the presentation of the true gospel message will be stronger and more convincing. When the gospel of Jesus is shared effectively in cohesion with caring acts of social justice and reconciliation, people will take notice – for these are the ones who will have the blessing and the empowerment of God. These are the ones who have the true prophetic voice of God’s kingdom, as against those more convenient and rebellious “Tower of Babel” type deceptions.

8. Looking Forward (Acts 2)

It will be on the Day of Pentecost that people gathered in Jerusalem from various nations will remarkably hear others speaking about God in language that they can fully understand. Many from far afield respond and are added to the band of believers. This shows that the Gospel of Jesus can break through all cultural boundaries, and that people with very diverse backgrounds can join together in the Jesus movement.

So diversity begins and completes itself with the God who creatively operates in that diverse “Trinity” of Father, Son, & Spirit – of Loving Creative Parent, Living Redeeming Lord, & Giving Guiding Spirit – where these particular roles are brought together in perfect unity for the benefit of all humanity and all creation. Amen!

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

2011-05-27T10:24:00.003+10:00

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

2011-05-20T14:29:00.003+10:00

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"

2011-05-06T11:36:00.002+10:00

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"

2011-05-02T09:30:00.005+10:00

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”.

(Engaging in) Resurrection Life - a sermon on Luke 24:36-49

2011-04-29T16:57:00.003+10:00

How can we best live out our lives in the knowledge that Jesus is alive? Obviously our lives should show something for the trust that we have put in Jesus. I’m tempted to say that our lives should be spectacular, but it seems that the reality of life on earth continues to dent that possibility for all of us. Spectacular joy and worship seems to be reserved for heaven. But should that be the case? Should we give in to that?? Even given how difficult life now can be, can’t we just find at least a little bit of resurrection and eternal life to embrace now!

1. Astonishment and Fear

Things can come to us out of left field. Things that surprise, things that scare us; things that we just don’t know how to deal with! Even being presented with something potentially wonderful can frighten us if we are not ready for it. Despite having this previously explained to them, the disciples were still not expecting Jesus’ resurrection. They didn’t know how to respond because they were not prepared for this great happening. In their defence of course, was the fact that they hadn’t had the chance to get over Jesus’ death yet. This too had taken them by surprise, and they were suffering from sudden and deep grief, not only because of Jesus’ loss, but also that they were not able to stop it!

Having come into their presence, Jesus identifies himself through the wounds that were inflicted upon him at his crucifixion (verses 39-40). He is no ghost, he is a mortal human being brought back to life. But sometimes things that are plainly before our eyes, still allude our understanding; the disciples still had trouble recognising that Jesus was alive again. Excitement was building, the disciples started to feel that something amazing was happening, but we read that, “in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering” (verse 41). It seemed too good to be true, and they just couldn’t process properly what had happened.

And I can’t blame them given what had happened on that cross. And Jesus didn’t blame them either; rather, he helped them out of their disbelief – first he ate some fish right there in front of them (something only a physical person could do), and then he “opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (verse 45).

2. Having Our Minds Opened

Jesus fully and wholly represented the attitudes and interests of God in his life on earth, especially in the last three years. Everything that God had done, and in each of the ways God had communicated with humankind over the centuries, had led up to this dramatic point in time. Thus, all of the Scriptures, all of the holy writings used to teach the people of Israel, if read correctly and with understanding, pointed towards God acting in this remarkable way with the Messiah Jesus. Jesus was the absolute fulfilment of all God’s desires to connect with and liberate all people. Look at Jesus ... reconsider these scriptures ... ah ha!!

It’s not that obvious sometimes, but it’s certainly there to be found. Jesus and his gospel brought the new hope first promised in Genesis and the new life typified in the Exodus liberation experience. The heart behind the old covenant foreshadows the new covenant that Jesus inaugurates. Jesus and his gospel are the ideal which all the judges and kings either inclined towards or rebelled against. Jesus and his gospel add the necessary insights to the life experiences of David, and certainly fulfils the visions of prophets like Isaiah, Hosea and Joel (Michael Wilcock).

These disciples had actually heard before ... many times ... that Jesus would “die and on the third day rise again” – but they hadn’t understood it. But now was the moment for them to really get it, for the penny to drop, so Jesus “opened their minds” to new understanding. Why?? Why was this so important?? Verse 48 tells us – they were to be “witnesses of these things”. The future of the Jesus movement in the world depended upon them being able to witness to the reality and meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

It seems that the disciples’ minds were opened whether they liked it or not ... I’m sure in hindsight they appreciated that this has happened. I think for us though, we have to allow our minds to be opened – we have to be ready and willing to receive new insight. We have to be listening well, and prayerful, and expectant; and then we will recognise and understand all sorts of things that will aid our level of influence and true witness to Jesus.

Once the disciples’ minds were opened, they fully appreciated that the Jesus whom they followed through his public ministry, and then saw crucified, had been raised from the dead; and that all of this was central to God’s desire and plan to offer salvation to all people. Wow!! They had witnessed the cross, knew Jesus was dead and buried, but now they’re seeing him back with them in person, touching him, and watching him eat lunch.

3. The Message of Repentance and Forgiveness

What was that third thing that Jesus was opening their minds to (as you read verses 45-47) – the third thing that the disciples would need to witness to? Here it is in verse 47, “... that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations ...”. Jesus’ death and resurrection had a purpose – a real tangible and worldwide purpose, i.e. change ... personal, collective and cultural transformation.

This call to repentance, of course, was not primarily a judgement of humanity, even despite the rejection of Jesus just seen; but it was embracing humanity through the eyes of mercy and compassion. God does not seek “repentance” because of how bad people are, but more so because of how much better they could be! This is not a reactive response to evil, because if that was God’s primary attitude, he would not have created in the first place; and even if God did create, he could not have abided how things turned out, and could not have been this patient for this long. No! God always had the hope that people would be prepared to respond to grace and change; so much so, that the Son of God was prepared to suffer the indignity of the cross. This is what we are to be witnesses of – God’s continuing love. God understands people’s situations, their burdens, and their very great need ... way more than we do. But God does call us to connect with their need.

Yet first, to be witnesses of “repentance and forgiveness”, we need to be free of some of our own shackles, the chains that bind us to our past. Otherwise we don’t have much to offer! “Repentance” means to have a turnaround of attitude that accepts Jesus’ rule over our lives (Paul Baxendale). This means we will be serious when we seek forgiveness about doing things differently. The call to “repentance”, which lies right at the heart of Luke’s gospel proclamation, includes both the call to reform individual lives and reform community practices – in line with the prophetic vision of justice found in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament (R.B Hays).

4. A Promise of Effectiveness

The disciples were not going to be left on their own or simply to their own devices, even though Jesus was returning to Father God; for surely the mission ahead of them would be just too hard if that were the case. They were going to be “clothed with power from on high”. Wow again!! So that’s how we can truly live the resurrected life! Where the amount of fear we experience makes us feel naked in the face of the crowd (which is full of antagonism and materialism), the Holy Spirit will clothe us with all the resources we could possibly need.

Why should anyone believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Sure, for many, Jesus could have died as the Bible says, and that he did this as a martyr for a cause would not be too hard to accept. But to rise again, to be the Son of God ... now that really is stretching it! We can argue our case if we’re clear enough, but really the only way forward is to live a resurrected life ourselves, a life truly transformed by the events we have read about this Easter; and continue to let God open our minds to new insight and provide the effectiveness that comes from the Holy Spirit.

There is still a step of faith required for us here. Does all of this now make sense? Would this be good enough news to take out on mission? Would it be worth staking your own life on? Would this now define the cause that we stand for? Do we really serve the risen Saviour?

"The Dawn Came" - reflection from dawn service in Altona

2011-04-28T17:29:00.003+10:00

The wait is over. Jesus has risen. And we stand here joyously celebrating this reality.

The first century disciples though didn’t quite know what was happening. Thomas doubted; others didn’t recognise Jesus; they were generally pretty well unconvinced; for them this all came as a bit of a shock. These early disciples were still coming to terms with Jesus dying, let alone him rising back to life. For they had not understood when Jesus had told them on those various occasions that he would die and on the third day rise again. Indeed they had downright rebelled against such a notion, especially the bit about Jesus’ death. Peter had been well and truly put back in his place when he tried to divert Jesus from his cause, but then Peter still remained reticent to accept the inevitable.

We, however, know and understand the story well. Jesus died for us on that cross – so that we might experience God’s grace, receive forgiveness and have eternal hope. Jesus rose again, because even death could not limit the creative power of God. Jesus would have a major victory over evil. Light had returned to illuminate the darkness. Jesus, the innocent sufferer, would rise to take up his position as the leader of a redeemed people. So here we are, out in the cold, at a time that most of us would still be in bed if it wasn’t resurrection Sunday. At the same time, I hope you feel a warmth inside because Jesus lives, causing you to rejoice and be thankful. And this warmth, this joy that Jesus lives ... I hope that we will still have this tomorrow? How long will the fire of Jesus’ resurrection burn within us? For the society in which we live needs a credible living witness to the resurrection of Jesus!

Now, it’s true that the first disciples, Peter, James, John and all the rest, and the women who had attended the grave as well ... they were all a little slow on the uptake. Mark’s gospel even concludes with them all fleeing! Yet when they fully got it, and waited in expectancy as they were commanded, and were subsequently empowered by the Holy Spirit, they began to change the world. They were completely dedicated to the Jesus cause, as shown by the way they lived, worshipped and worked together. In a very short time the good news of Jesus reached all the way to Rome. A former persecutor Saul was encountered by Jesus on the Damascus road and became the great missionary Paul, planting churches on his many travels around the known world. This resurrection of Jesus was having revolutionary impact, and we can get excited as we read through the book of Acts and see the progress that was made.

The question is, as we stand out here this morning: are we a part of the modern day progress of the good news through our neighbourhoods and city? For surely, gathering out here is not just about a short commemoration of an ancient event! Rather it must show a commitment to the ongoing relevance of this blessed event every day of our lives.

May all those who live in Altona and Altona North, Altona Meadows and Seabrook, Laverton and Laverton North, Point Cook and Sanctuary Lakes, everywhere around Hobsons Bay and Wyndham, know the power of Jesus’ resurrection! May each one know that they are not alone in their fear and uncertainty, but have access to a living Saviour who offers peace and hope and purpose! May the self-centred and materialistic come to understand that there is another and more preferable framework for living. May all injustice bow to Jesus and be overcome.

May we, I pray, shine the light of Jesus into any places of darkness; the whole of our lives saying that we have been with the resurrected Jesus this special Easter Sunday.

Good Friday message entitled "Darkness before the Dawn" (based on Luke 23:44-56)

2011-04-20T11:55:00.002+10:00

The time was noon, just when the sun should have been at its brightest, and the light at its most potent. Yet, we read that ... “darkness came over the whole land” for the next three hours. What the world was doing to Jesus, despite what Jesus had come to do for the world, was a dark deed for sure. We could also look at this “darkness” in terms of the darkness of sin that Jesus was bearing. In either case, “darkness” is certainly appropriate, for it would be so difficult for God to look upon this scene of unjust torture.

Yet Jesus himself showed complete commitment to his cause and absolute trust in God, saying, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. Jesus quotes this from Psalm 31 verse 5. Here, in one phrase, is both a lament and a thanksgiving; a lament for the horrible circumstances of his death, yet a thanksgiving for how God would use this sacrifice for the salvation of so many. Jesus was hoping that he would be the forerunner of many of us who would likewise commit our spirits to God’s cause. This would be possible as we embrace the forgiveness being offered to us by Jesus from the cross. This forgiveness brings the new possibility of a harmonious relationship with God as seen by the temple curtain being torn in two. We’ll come back to the significance of this in a minute.

In our Luke reading, we see various onlookers at the cross. What did these onlookers make of all this?

· The Roman centurion (verse 47), involved in putting Jesus to death, now considered Jesus to be “innocent” and praised God; he would no longer be silent in simple solidarity with the dark and oppressive Roman authorities. To deem Jesus to be “innocent” or “righteous” is to agree that Jesus was who he said he was – the ‘Son of God’. This Roman officer now knew that Jesus was not a disreputable criminal like most of those who went to the cross, but an innocent man who endured undeserved suffering. Thus there had to be more to this than met the eye! There would be much to go home and think about.

· Then there was “all the crowds” who watched (verse 48) – just like a football crowd at the MCG who’d come out to see the match of the day. We read that they dispersed back home “beating their breasts”. What was this about ... what were they feeling? First the crowds from some five days earlier had yelled “Hosanna”; then in a big about-face had yelled “Crucify Him”; now they didn’t know what to think. If in “beating their breasts” they were grieving, it was likely, given their recent track record, that they were grieving for their own lost opportunity, rather than for the death of Jesus. They were likely disturbed and second-guessing themselves: Was this a mistake ... were they wrong to cry out for Jesus’ death? Where does this leave them?? Maybe Jesus is worth another look! One wonders how they will react to Jesus next, when they are confronted by his resurrection, and the preaching of the disciples on the day of “Pentecost”? Dawn will follow the “darkness” that they have witnessed, but will the true meaning of the events before them really ‘dawn’ on these people?? The same question is put to us!

· Jesus’ own “acquaintances” remained standing at a distance taking all this in (verse 49). We know some of these were the women who had become devoted to Jesus, but surely some of the male disciples were here to, standing at a safe distance. They understandably would not want to be so connected with Jesus that they would risk suffering the same fate. Interesting that they were only called “acquaintances” here ... the jury was still out as to whether they would continue as disciples or not. They were starting to sense even more danger involved in going forward as part of any Jesus movement ... fishing certainly would be easier! They were still trying to make sense of it all; why had someone so obviously sent by God finished up like this? Peter and the others would not hear of it when Jesus had told them that this was going to happen. Time will tell!! Eventually women in this group showed solidarity by going to the tomb (or cave) in which Jesus had been laid, and by preparing spices and ointments to be later applied to Jesus’ body (verses 55-56).

· Then there was Joseph of Arimathea (verses 50-53). We wonder about the motivation behind his actions. According to Matthew, this was the tomb set aside for himself that he was giving over to Jesus. This request to Pilate would avoid Jesus’ body being thrown into a common grave as usually happened to those crucified. For this Joseph, there likely would have been some guilt that he, as probably the only voice of reason within the ruling council, could not save Jesus. There might have been some desire to make a stand that he, Joseph, had not been a part of this injustice. As we read, we can sense real compassion in Joseph of Arimathea for a man so badly tortured and executed (when he had really been innocent). Joseph of Arimathea, through actions like this, would no longer be silent. He had been open-minded for the truth, he had been “waiting expectantly for the Kingdom of God” – now he was receiving it!

Decisions, decisions – what do we make of Jesus?

Despite the “darkness”, there is mention here of a unique happening – “the curtain of the temple was torn in two”. This curtain separated God’s symbolic dwelling place (the “Most Holy Place”, the “Holy of Holies”) from the rest of the temple. [Blood sacrifices were made behind the curtain on an altar on the ‘day of atonement’.] Access beyond the curtain was limited only to the high priest once a year (on this ‘day of atonement’), when he would go behind the curtain to pray for the forgiveness of the sins of Israel. The curtain represented the division that existed between humanity and God ... a division that was due to humanity’s sin. Could it be that this tragic sacrificial death on the cross meant a whole new era in religious affairs was about to dawn? Absolutely yes!!! From God’s point of view, this one sacrifice, being made by Jesus on the cross, will be the only sacrifice required and effective for the forgiveness of all sins for all time.

We know that there needed to be a complete renovation when it came to the temple (which represented the centre of religious life) ... a spiritual overhaul and a far more inclusive attitude. The attitudes and priorities taught and modelled by Jesus over three years would now be paramount. And now God was ushering in a movement that included all the nations of the earth. This new “temple” would not have curtains or blinds or even walls, and certainly no ugly fences. Rather it would be open with free admittance. This new ‘function-centre’ would be called the Kingdom of God, and it would exist, not just in one place, but, within and around the followers of Jesus (wherever they gather in community).

We will have to wait to see how this pans out ... just a couple of days!! We have this inkling though, that God is about to turn this “darkness” on its head! And not for the first time!! For, “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth ... darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3). Light will return. Jesus is the light of the world, and we sense that he is not done with yet, far from it!

Jesus himself was content in trusting God for the right outcome, in fact he confidently stated to all those present (according to Luke), “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”. As we said earlier, this was a statement of complete and absolute trust in God. All of what Jesus was doing was going to be used mightily according to the will of God.

Don’t let us all get complacent over this cross scene, just because we’ve seen it all before! Don’t let’s move on quickly back to normal comfortable life unaffected!! Let us ask ourselves some questions about how this event should impact us and even change us. I certainly don’t want any of this suffering to be wasted. Maybe for the first time today, some of us will be prepared to say: “Loving God, into your hands I commit my spirit”. Then it will be, that this is the last breath that we will take only in our own strength – each breathe from now on will be breathed with Jesus firmly in our lives.

"A Heart for Giving" - a sermon on Luke 21:1-6

2011-04-08T11:30:00.002+10:00

1. Another day at the temple. We left Jesus last week teaching in temple, having cleared out the sellers and money-changers, trying to reveal to those with the ears to hear and the eyes to see what God was truly about. At the beginning of chapter 21, we see Jesus taking a break from his teaching long enough to notice gifts being brought to what is termed “the treasury”. This “treasury” would have been an area in the temple set aside for various collections. Apparently in this particular temple treasury there was thirteen trumpet-shaped collection boxes, each bearing an inscription indicating the use to which its contents would be put (Morris). First he saw the parade of rich people bringing their gifts, then he saw a “poor widow” coming forward. She must have been dressed in a certain way that made it obvious that she lacked the financial support of a husband so necessary in that culture. This “poor woman” put in two small copper coins. These would have been worth very little to most people, coins you’d throw in a dish at home and forget about, or without thinking give as a tip to the pizza delivery driver. But of course this was a great sacrifice for this particular woman; and Jesus judged this small amount to be greater than all the other gifts combined. 2. What was so remarkable about this poor widow’s offering? (a) A higher percentage / a greater sacrifice – the gift of this “poor woman” was likely to be a much greater percentage of her income than it was for any of the rich that had given. This woman’s gift was a greater sacrifice than the “rich” had made (no matter how much they gave) because of her limited resources and basic poverty. If the value of a gift was assessed in terms of what was left for the person themselves (rather than what was given), then certainly this woman had given the gift of greater value. Darrell L Bock writes, “... real giving happens when one gives sacrificially”. (b) Heart attitude / basic trust – it seems that while the rich had the ability to give without a second thought or any sense of inconvenience (because it just didn’t hurt), this “poor woman” was moved to give out of a conscious commitment to God. Even though the use of the temple funds were unlikely ever to produce practical help for her (the way things were being run), this “poor woman” gave anyway ... in the knowledge that this benefitted the depth of her relationship with God. Sincere giving connected her to the heart of God. And this “poor woman” had made a statement in her giving, that no matter how bad things were, she was prepared to trust in God. In one way we admire her, but in another way we should be shocked that this woman, in giving so much, then becomes even more vulnerable – she was actually increasing her personal hardship. Jesus may be commending the woman’s sacrifice, as is often taught, but Jesus would equally be lamenting this woman’s situation in life (and the fact that she herself was obviously not being helped). One could only hope that those who were there that day witnessing this event and hearing what Jesus said, would get the point and begin to emulate this woman’s attitude. She had clearly reflected on God’s place in her life and responded in line with this. By her actions this “poor woman” had clearly challenged a temple system unconcerned for the poor, the needy, the orphan and the alien. And she had challenged the “rich” as to whether their giving was through unthinking compulsion or selfish restraint, or, on the other hand, a generous heart. (c) Prophetic statement – so there is also here a prophetic critique by Jesus about the gap between the rich and the poor. Jesus is wanting us to face up to the absurdity and blasphemy of those who love building wealth while others live in poverty. But we only clearly get this if we look at the context. So we read back three verses – Luke 20:45-47 and hear the scandal at the beginning of verse 47 concerning the “scribes” – the teachers and legal experts of the temple – “They devour widow’s houses, and for the sake of appearances say long prayers”. That is to say, that through their economic activity and desire for more wealth, the rich “scribes” in effect ‘rob’ defenceless widows of their houses and quality of life. It has even been suggested on this that certain “scribes” may have taken up roles as legal trustees for widows and then either mismanaged or downright cheated them out of their property, or that certain “scribes” gave loans that were impossible to pay back and subsequently foreclosed on poor widows, or that through their elevated position took financial advantage in some way or other of the vulnerable. No wonder the poor widow’s offering was much more highly rated. But also we are here confronted with the perversion of the inequality in the economic life of society, and should be horrified that this was being aided and abetted by those who were supposed to be leading people toward God. This scripture actually shows more than just the “poor woman” setting the example of right giving, but also shows that this woman should not have been so poor in the first place (if the priorities of the community were better and more Godly)! The gifts of the rich should have been changing the situation of this “poor woman” for the better. But where were the gifts actually going?? Verse 5 (of chapter 21) gives a real hint. One could imagine that the spending of vast sums on the over-adornment of a building was about certain people wanting to feel good about themselves and how they were especially blessed by God, and how special they were. But this was all so external! In reality injustice was rife, and it was so difficult for outsiders to even find a place to pray. The beautification of the temple and all its excess (as we read on into verse 6) is actually worthless and will amount to nothing. Worse than this, it is actually blasphemous when it stands in the face of the homeless poor. May injustice bow to Jesus, as we walk before the cross. It is the great irony of this passage, that a “poor woman” teaches us what our attitude to the poor should be!! God seeks giving and generous hearts to make up for the inequities that exist in society. Such hearts will lead us toward change in small ways – the immediate response to presenting need; but also in big ways – as such attitudes become more commonplace and widespread. Giving takes us right into the heart of God. 3. Thank-you for giving. Each of us has no doubt given of ourselves and given of our resources in a variety of ways to help those in need and advance the cause of Jesus. Giving of course is not just about money, or sharing our resources, but also about sharing our life. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become so dear to us” (1 Thess. 2:8). This is a giving of encouragement, solace and practical support. In God’s Kingdom here on earth, widows will be supported, along with the orphan, the homeless, the unemployed and the refugee, by those of us who have been given so generously of God’s grace. So I reflect on this church’s recent journey. We have given, but then there is so much to give to. We have given time and effort and creativity in a variety of outdoor marquees and classrooms, so that children and families might get just a sense of light and hope and Jesus. We have given Bibles so that homes may have somewhere to turn for ultimate truth. We have listened to people’s stories. We have shared life experience so that others might grow. We have cooked biscuits for prisoners and given toys for their families. We have sown dolls for stricken children overseas. We have packed Christmas treats in shoe-boxes that have gone far afield, where gifts can be a rarity. We have seen the big picture of global desperation and responded as God has convicted us. We have offloaded our excess to support the Morrison’s op-shop. We have sacrificed our gold coins for the sake of greater need. We have banded together to help a family divided by conflict and addiction, and found God able to bring energy and resolve in the midst of trauma and tiredness. We have rejoiced with those who rejoice and wept with those who weep. We have prayed for those in need and experienced God’s wonderful undertaking. We have offered God’s love, acceptance and teaching to our children and young people, so that they might truly know Jesus. Sometimes we have failed, but sometimes we have really helped. Giving allows us to discover the good that can emanate from within us, even from our weary souls. And our giving can reach right up to heaven and have eternal significance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFrdJ2V3r7Y. Giving and receiving is the essence of the Gospel story ... God gives, we receive; we give, others receive, we receive again! We can only be generous givers as we enter deep in to the heart of God – the greatest giver. Jesus at great sacrifice has given us all the ultimately important gifts – access to forgiveness, freedom from the fear of death, bringing hope and purpose in living. It is God’s heart for giving that should inspire us in our daily living, and in our every interaction with the world. Today the “poor woman” of Luke 21 inspires us in our giving. The sum total of her “two small copper coins” didn’t buy very much, but her heart attitude speaks volumes and brings us to tears. In one simple act, she faced off against hypocrisy and injustice, and declared that the Kingdom of God is not about beautiful temples nor self-satisfaction, but about addressing human need.

"Weeping leads to Action" - a sermon on Luke 19:41-48

2011-04-01T12:08:00.004+11:00

1. Jesus Weeping (Luke 19:41-44) What a scene! Jesus is coming down the path from the Mount of Olives approaching Jerusalem and sees the city before him. And he cheered!?! No ... he didn’t ... he wept! Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem?? We need to explore this. The famous time we hear of Jesus weeping was at the death of Lazarus in John’s Gospel – the shortest verse in the Bible – John 11:35. There we read that Jesus was “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” leading to his tears; that was at the death of a friend. This time when Jesus weeps, it’s in the face of the potential death of a whole city including its temple. We read that Jesus wept because there was a lack of understanding (or recognition or acceptance) of the things that made for peace (v.42a). What does this mean? “Peace” is a need set deep within each human being. The need to feel at “peace” is a human necessity. Without peace there is only turmoil, just like without light there is only darkness. We need peace with God so that the spiritual void within us becomes filled through having a relationship with our loving Creator. We need peace within ourselves, so that we can sleep well at night and properly and freely pursue the purposes for which we were born. We need peace with each other and all of our neighbours so that there would be some chance of harmonious dealings in our community and fairness and justice in society. We need both forgiveness and a forgiving attitude to be at peace. This was lacking in the Jerusalem. Yet all of this peace that Jerusalem needed that day was available in the Divine gift of Jesus ... but this had been missed completely. In most people’s minds, Jesus would have been alright if he had just overthrown the Romans and made life more bearable, but not if he expected individuals to actually ‘repent’ and change their ways. The system was the problem, or so they thought, not them! But who is it that makes and maintains the systems! “If you, even you, had only recognised on this day the things that make for peace!” We could simply just blame the crowd or the population of Jerusalem at the time, and we could certainly point the finger at the religious leadership of the time (which should have known better), but we then might just miss something. For the lesson is made dramatically clear. There are consequences when the things that make for peace are ignored. Jesus drew on Jerusalem’s previous misadventures and destruction six centuries earlier to predict a similar fate reoccurring. We know that Jerusalem remained unrepentant and vulnerable and was destroyed (including the temple) by the Romans some 41 years after Jesus spoke these words. In this case, the consequences of disbelief were extreme. The answer, the solution, that should have been addressed, was to give attention to “the things that [actually] make for peace”. But we go on to read that this was “hidden” from their eyes (v.42b). How were things hidden from their eyes? How are things hidden from our eyes?? How could I miss something that was right in front of me??? Well I guess my eyes can be closed and blissfully oblivious of what’s ahead of me ... or I can put a cover over my eyes so I don’t have to face it ... or I can be looking in the wrong direction ... or my vision can be blocked by something else that stands between me and what lies a bit beyond. What could that be? In the Pharisees case, it was the power and privilege that they had that they didn’t want to give up. We might think self-protection and reducing risk is a good idea, but it won’t necessarily bring the results we would hope for. It is also possible for us to fill our lives with so many other things that we miss ‘seeing’ the most important thing. Jesus looked at Jerusalem and wept. Are we sufficiently drawn to tears at the state of our society and the lives of those around us? For the sake of the welfare of the places in which we live, there needs to be an emphasis on Godly, harmonious, just and generous living – all the things that make for peace – beginning with those of us who have already seen the light! Otherwise civic life will crumble around us, and Jesus will weep once again. 2. Praising God or something else (Luke 19:35-40) Five days before his crucifixion Jesus rode toward Jerusalem to a far deal of acclaim. You would think that this would make Jesus happy, and make him think that he had achieved some success. Yet Jesus knew that what these people wanted (and were cheering about) was not what Jesus was offering. They wanted to be rid of the Romans and return to an independent nation – the ‘good old days’ if you like (without addressing spiritual change). They wanted preferential treatment going forward (again without addressing spiritual change). They wanted Jesus to be their own parochial national ‘Messiah’ ... that’s what they were shouting for (they were not shouting for the suffering servant Son of God)! The ‘Palm Sunday’ text (just before today’s reading) is often read in isolation as an affirmation of Jesus, when in reality and in context it’s part of the mass rejection of who Jesus really was and is. Jesus had tried to tell and show the crowds what he was all about – a suffering servant who worked from the bottom of society up, but generally speaking people were too fixed in their minds to see it. Jesus shunned fame as a healer and called for silence about this – such healing was for those who had already begun to show faith. Jesus sought committed disciples not political office. Wouldn’t you weep too ... if you were so misunderstood! And anyway Jesus knew how fickle people could be – favouring one thing one day, and something very different another day – one day “Hosanna – Praise the Lord”, the next “Crucify Him”; how people could seem very good with the right words, but actually live in quite contrasting ways – “Hosanna” as long as this makes my life easier and more comfortable, otherwise “Crucify Him”. People can get excited in a moment of apparent significance, but they don’t often follow through. Fortunately though a few people were genuine that day, and later became the beginnings of the ongoing Jesus movement. 3. Action at the temple (Luke 19:45-48) Perhaps Jesus could best judge the real level of spiritual health of the city by looking at the temple. This was the place where people of all nations and backgrounds were supposed to be able to connect with and worship God. But what was happening here? This was a central place for people to commune with God, but instead of providing refuge for the spiritual pilgrim it was preoccupied with the self-interest of the powerful elite (who profited from the commercial arrangements carried out there). The outer area of the temple was the only area where non-Jews were allowed to pray, but this area was taken up by ruthless business types ... selling animals for the required sacrifice at highly inflated prices, or cheating people in exchanging money from one currency to another. To not see God in the life and ministry of Jesus was culpable ‘blindness’ – they should have been able to ‘see’. No wonder Jesus wept; but he still didn’t weep in judgement so much as in compassion. And Jesus doesn’t weep for himself, even though his torturous death is pending in just a few days. But I reckon there might be some tears at the prospect of his sacrifice being in vain!?! The reality of the consequences of disbelief weighed heavily on Jesus. There was so much misery ahead. Things could be so much better ... if people knew the things that make for peace. Jesus was lamenting lost opportunity (Morris). People were missing out on this whole “visitation from God”. Specifically, at this time, they were missing a real ‘God moment’! What a tragedy. God is made available, even in human form, and people still miss out. There was so much to appreciate – God had not forgotten them, far from it. Here were tears of sadness, tears of frustration, and tears of regret. We would surely wonder that if Jesus came down from Mount Dandenong or from the top of the Westgate Bridge and approached the neighbourhoods of Melbourne, what his emotions might be. And then as Jesus approached the churches, the places of supposed restoration and transformation, what he would be thinking. It‘s like back in the 1990’s when Jeff Kennett famously referred to Crown Casino as representing “the true spirit of Victoria”. God help us! If that’s true, we certainly need redeeming. Jesus weeps over those people who just can’t seem to help themselves and break their various addictions; like those who can’t stop gambling themselves and their families into ruin over and over again. Yes they are responsible, but where there is addiction, we are responsible for helping where we can. Some people may refer to legislation to restrict a person’s capacity to lose at gambling as being the ‘nanny state’, but it is clear from the Bible that we are our brother and sister’s keeper – especially where there is real vulnerability. And we all suffer together as Jerusalem or any other city crumbles. [First I loved Brendon Fevola for his unique talent; then I felt cheated as he wasted this great ability through outrageous behaviour and letting my team so badly down; now I feel sorry for this train-wreck happening before my eyes and scream out for someone please to help him.] Jesus followed up his weeping with action. Jesus could not abide the misuse of the temple. Even though it was likely that the traders and charlatans would return again by next week, Jesus would take strong prophetic action. He called upon the witness of Isaiah and Jeremiah and swept the temple clean – “My house shall be a house of prayer – but you have made it a den of robbers”. There is more details in the other gospels about Jesus’ ‘housekeeping’ activity in the temple, with Luke wanting most to emphasise that Jesus cleared the temple to allow for him to teach there about the true nature of God (in response to so much misunderstanding) – as if to say, ‘I’ll keep trying to the end to make them appreciate this visitation from God’. Jesus taught people about God and God’s love and God’s ways until he was arrested. The people were “spellbound” for a time, but eventually many caved into the darkness. As mentioned earlier, there would be a remnant though, who would become excited at the news of Jesus’ resurrection and be the catalyst for a new movement that eventually came to be known as Christianity. The church of today needs to be a house of prayer that leads to an understanding of God’s truth, the development of mature faith, the nurturing and building of good relationships, and a missional engagement with the surrounding society. The church needs to be a place of faith, love, peace and hope. Unfortunately the temple in Jerusalem had become a place of self-interest and material appeasement. Thus the city itself was a mess; and Jesus wept. We, as we gather together, are experiencing a visitation from God. We need to start with our personal response to Jesus, our own inner cleansing, and our openness to be guided by God’s Holy Spirit. We need to guard our personal behaviour and business dealings. Our society (largely without knowing it) is depending upon us. Jesus lived, taught, healed, loved people, revealed God, died for our sins, rose again – and people are still missing out on this “visitation from God”.

"Time for a Decision" - a sermon on Luke 16:19-31

2011-03-25T13:04:00.003+11:00

I want to hear your response to this passage, so please think about the following questions: How do you react to this text? What is it saying to you? Have you noticed that, for my sermons, I’ve picked out some of the tougher readings from Luke as Jesus heads for the cross! First, I’ll give you my reaction. This passage for me is about decision-making. It is about being clear-minded regarding what is important and about being grounded in God. It is about knowing who God is, and then living in sympathy with this. It is about considering the needs of others as the appropriate response to hearing the Word of God. It is about the influence we can have for good. In a nut-shell, it is about timely and firm decisions about what our life will amount to. For we see in this text a spectacular example of failure. It is often the lure of material things, or a primary focus on the protection of our personal financial situation, that compromises our decision-making and thus our spiritual growth. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus, in response to the Pharisees being lovers of money, had said to them, “...what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:14-15). Jesus now tells a story to illustrate – with two very contrasting characters: one extremely wealthy, the other destitute. We should note too, that to its original hearers, who would have seen wealth as God’s blessing, and poverty and illness as God’s punishment on sin – the suggested reversal of fortune in this parable would have come as a shock. Firstly there was a “rich man” who had everything he could possible want in a material sense; and he showed it off in public every day. He had more food than he could possibly need or eat. Then, outside the gate of his property was another man – a poor man named “Lazarus”. It is not clear whether Jesus was suggesting any connection with the Lazarus mentioned in John’s Gospel who Jesus raised from the dead, yet the last verse of our reading may indicate some connection. The more important factors about this name though are that: (a) this character was given a name when the “rich man” remained nameless; and (b) what that name Lazarus means. We’ll come back to these matters. “Lazarus” was in a pitiful state – covered with painful sores (probably ulcers), malnourished and starving hungry; and given that he “lay” at the “gate” suggests he was either physically disabled or extremely weak. Lazarus was hoping for gifts of food to come from the palatial home within the grounds, and probably was also begging from passers-by. So we are given a graphic and dramatic picture of one man arrogantly feasting, while another just outside his front gate starved to death. There must have been food scraps at the very least, but these were not offered to people like Lazarus. The “rich man” could so easily help, but does not! This “rich man” shows no concern or sensitivity or consideration towards poor Lazarus at all! He should of course have known better. He only had to recall Deuteronomy 15:7{-8}, “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of the towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbour. {You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be}”. There are so many other texts like this – this priority is unmissable. Jesus is not only addressing very personal one-on-one issues, but making prophetic observations on the state of the world ... to those who could do something about it but chose not to. We should pause to think about the implications of ‘richer’ nations holding out on ‘poorer’ nations. This would also bear relevance to how nations address the real everyday needs of its more vulnerable citizens. [On this we can view the film “Dave”, a scene which shows that you can review priorities if you have the will, and that others can be drawn into such a process.] The name “Lazarus” means ‘God helps’. Just as well ‘God helps’ in the case of Lazarus ... where humans haven’t! This naming is truly significant, for it is the only time a character is named in one of Jesus’ parables. God looks upon this scene with compassion and draws Lazarus into His care. The one who society has failed is taken up by the angels and brought to Abraham (the father of the Jewish nation) in heaven. The listeners to this story customarily believed that gaining a place of intimacy at Abraham’s bosom was the greatest honour imaginable (hence the song “Rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham”). God well knows who society has failed, and who was the cause of this! It was a decree of creation that we looked after the earth, each other and all its inhabitants. Who was it that said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men (sic) do nothing”? That saying is attributed to Edmund Burke. We all have our ‘pet’ issues, and our crosses to bear, and we should say something and do something, if for no other reason than stopping frustration building in us. But do we consciously consider and understand that our sins of omission can be just as bad as our actual committed sins. These are those things that we haven’t done that we know we should do ... or should know that we should do. For we have the clear witness of Scripture. I fear that many who say they believe in the words of the Bible, actually believe in what they would prefer to be the words of the Bible. It is not surprising that, given his condition, the “poor man” died. God receives Lazarus into His company. But what of the nameless “rich man”? One day he died and his body was buried and his spirit was being tormented. The situations had been reversed. God had the final say. The last shall be first, and the first shall be last. The rich man’s name was deemed irrelevant – forgotten forever. His wealth had evaporated with his last earthly breath. Some hearers would have expected a better outcome for this man simply because of his wealth, power and position, but not so. In reality, the heaping up of wealth to the detriment of the poor has turned out to be a terrible miscalculation, even as a cause for eternal torment (Hays). Wealth, rather than being a blessing, often is a curse because of what it does to a person and where it leaves their soul. The pursuit of wealth fosters a God ignoring self-sufficiency. If we’re doing well materially, is that more likely to be a blessing or a curse, or (picking up last week’s theme) more likely to be “darkness” or “light” to us. It turns out that God’s Kingdom is “too small” for the rich and callous, but when it comes to the poor and humble ... there’s plenty of room. Some hearers would not have expected such a good outcome for Lazarus, for surely he must have deserved his earthly suffering – but again ... not so! Now of course this is a parable and as such can’t be taken literally in every aspect, and we can’t build any sort of afterlife theology on this; especially as we see this strange communication happening between the two places. It’s purely a story of contrast, a literary device, to make a very clear point; and the point is this: we have to make the right decisions on earth here and now, for they will have eternal consequences! This is not just a matter of believing in Jesus and receiving salvation, but also about how we apply that salvation in our daily lives. We can never think that we can ever accept Jesus and then go on living unchanged ... it doesn’t work that way. Making the decision to accept and follow Jesus involves being sincerely and seriously committed to God’s ways. We have here (from verse 23) an afterlife scene, where the now deceased “rich man” looks with envy from “Hades” toward Lazarus who is obviously in a much better and cooler place in the company of Father Abraham (who is somewhat representative of God). It’s interesting that the now deceased “rich man” is referred to as “child”, which suggests there is still a level of compassion and creational connection with this man by God. Yet his arrogant and unsympathetic attitude on earth has become a huge barrier ... too big a barrier in fact! And nothing much has changed as this man still expects Lazarus to come and serve him (with that little drop of water), even though he never lifted a finger to help Lazarus when he had ample opportunity and resources to do so. He expects mercy when he had offered none himself! “I am in agony” ... wasn’t Lazarus in agony!! If only this “rich man” had extended this level of compassionate hospitality to the poor man at his gate. This “rich man” calls upon his religious heritage by calling Abraham “Father Abraham”, but due to his earthly inaction, this claim is a sham. Verse 26 reinforces that it is our decisions on earth that determine our destiny. The distance that the “rich man” had kept away from the needs of others on earth has become a distance that he cannot cross. It is time for all of us to make the right decisions! Fortunately we don’t have to do a four year degree or work in the mines or do any penance, because God has provided a free gift of grace ... which we only have to say “yes” to! There is a gift of mercy to accept, unwrap and begin to experience. No doubt then, when we see the face of “Lazarus” in need at our gate we will be prepared to help. As a sort of footnote in this story, this deceased “rich man” now turns his concern toward his family back in life on earth. He wants Lazarus sent back to them (like a slave) to warn them about where he himself has finished up. But again it’s too late! They have had ample opportunity in growing up in the religion of Israel to accept the teachings of the prophets but have failed to do so. No miraculous sign, not even a resurrection of a person from the dead would properly convince them if they have become so hard-hearted. The rich man’s family shouldn’t have needed a sign; they simply needed to follow what God had already revealed to them (Jon Lindsay). This was of course aimed straight at the Pharisees who had decided to absolutely reject Jesus, despite all the evidence that he is indeed the Son of God. Their wrong decision had become so permanent it could only be reactively defended. The sad fact is – Jesus’ own resurrection would not even help to convince them. This is sad and tragic for them, and there are no doubt many that are this lost today. But there are many, many others that might just be open to changing their minds (and increasing their sensitivity to God’s voice). Sometimes people are looking for a ‘sign’ or a remarkable turn of events to convince them to have faith, but we have already been given ample reason to embrace faith. Better to embrace faith now, and then become enlightened as we journey forward. We should reflect on John 6:66-69: Because of this many of [Jesus’] disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” We are left with the deceased formerly “rich man” in torment who still didn’t get it. His only concern was for himself and then his immediate family, but never for the poor sick man that had been at his gate, who would remain, as far as he was concerned, a slave to his circumstances. Through this that formerly rich now poor man made himself a ‘slave’ for eternity. How do you react to this text? What is it saying to you?

"An Outspoken Dinner Guest" - a sermon on Luke 11:33-54

2011-03-18T12:00:00.003+11:00

In our church newsletter today, listed under point 4 (and at the tail end of this message), there are some questions that help us take stock or do a little detective work into our lives. Please keep these before you as we study this passage from Luke. Jesus provided this teaching on his journey to the cross.

1. Light or darkness (v.33-36)

Jesus said that we should live in the light – which is not just about what we do (or don’t do), but also about who we are. Our whole body should be full of light and thereby light the path before us. This will allow us to take the right directions – because we see so well what is before us, and we are able to easily discern whether it is right or wrong for us ... whether it is part of the light or part of the darkness.

Although this text was based on the ancient belief that the eye allowed the light within the body to be projected out of it, it’s still a good image for us to consider. It is the light that comes into us through accepting and following Jesus, dwelling in us day by day, that is then seen in the glint in our eyes, and lights the path for others.

When we do actually enter a place of darkness for the sake of others, somewhere unknown and fearful, to try to save someone from their peril – we take with us a radiant light that will be noticed (and sometimes even be appreciated). Jesus knew that he was entering the darkness when he accepted an invitation to a Pharisee’s home for dinner, for the Pharisees had already made up their mind to eliminate Jesus.

Yet this would be a way of demonstrating how far some of these community leaders had drifted from God and what God stood for; thus bringing some radiant light to bear on that situation. Back to this in a moment ...

... but first, verse 35 is very interesting and challenging ... it fascinates me actually ... “Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness”; meaning: is it possible that what you think is “light” might actually not be “light” at all? You might have always thought that this particular behaviour pattern was okay – but now you more deeply consider it, you are not so sure! Sometimes, for instance, our sense of humour that is so amusing to us – can be quite hurtful to certain others.

This verse [35] suggests that “darkness” can sometimes pose as “light”, or sometimes “darkness” can fool us that it is “light”. We can think things we say or do are quite okay, because they are culturally fairly normal, and we’ve always done them and they haven’t caused us any problem (or so we think).

We can in effect fool ourselves that we are better than we are perhaps! I guess the best example of this would be – when we think we have got our thoughts and motivations under God’s control, and then something comes out of our mouth that takes us by surprise.

But this could also have something to do with us knowing what the truth is, or what the right course of action is, but not adhering to this. This, in a way, allows “darkness” to quell the “light” ... as if the “light” does not exist. This quelling or covering of the “light” is viewed in the Bible as worse than never having had the light at all! How so many people would have appreciated sensing the light ... whilst others having already sensed it, covered it up!!

And further, this could also have something to do with the quality of our discernment concerning matters external to us, how we react to outside stimuli, what decisions we make under pressure, and what attitudes we show to certain events. For example, taking the advice of a certain person because it seems okay or right to do so, but it actually turns out that this was precisely the wrong guidance (even if it did come from reasonable intent). We need the quality of discernment that makes such mistakes less and less possible. This is why it is so important to focus on Jesus first, and let all our decision-making spring out of that relationship.

2. The Unfortunate Invitation

Sometimes we regret having invited a certain person around to our home for a meal, because they just talked too much, and what they said was so revolting. We just want the evening to be over and for that rude person to go home. The Pharisee probably lived to regret this invitation to Jesus – they had sought to trap Jesus, to compromise Jesus, to reduce Jesus’ influence, but they failed miserably.

Jesus was certainly an outspoken dinner guest, providing a fair bit of consternation for the host; however in this case, Jesus rightly calls certain of those present to account for their actions – and the truth of what Jesus says cannot be denied. Jesus was not really the dinner guest from hell, but rather was the true visitor from heaven.

3. What were Jesus’ concerns canvassed over dinner?

(a) The priority given to outward signs of religiosity – religious hypocrisy – the Pharisees (v.37-44)

The Jew was required (as a cultural norm) to wash before a meal ... not so much for hygiene, but more for ceremonial purity, in that one’s hands would have been defiled by contact with sinfulness. The quantity of water and the manner it was administered was prescribed in minute detail (Morris). Jesus neglecting to do this caused a bit of a stir, and allowed him to address a very important issue.

Jesus ignored this ‘washing’ ritual to challenge all such rituals that were given too much importance relative to more pressing issues. This ‘washing’ (representative of other strict rules) was being given such an importance, while at the same time such Pharisees lacked any concern for right living and economic justice within their community.

The legalistic Pharisees loved regulations far more than they exhibited mercy and generosity to their people. Thus these rituals had become “darkness” not “light”. God is about breaking barriers down, not building them up. God is seeking to include, not exclude. The Pharisees were big on the outward show of respectability, but this was not matched by any internal feeling of compassion. Sometimes an allegiance to rules and authority (on the outside) can seek to cover up internal decay. God looks upon the heart as the springboard of our life’s activities.

As an example of where rules can predominate our thinking we could look at a clip from “You’ve got mail”, where the woman played by Meg Ryan tries to pay for her groceries by credit-card in the “cash-only” lane.

Back to the text at verse 41 – this is a very important verse. The NLT translation nails this verse well: “So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over”. Giving to the poor is not just about casual charitable acts, but also about the mindset of human solidarity in the face of inequity.

As this verse 41 points out, it is our heartfelt willingness to give generously (in the face of need) that cleanses everything else we hang on to. Or as D.L Bock puts it, “... generosity makes for spiritual cleanliness”.

But the Pharisees stood condemned and remained ‘unclean’ for allowing unnecessary trivial distractions to make them feel justified and religiously superior, when they were far from that. No amount of physically washing the hands will clean the inside unless our heart is generous.

A sensible and helpful cultural norm was tithing i.e. making available to God a percentage of the resources gained in life. The problem eluded to here though by Jesus (from verse 42) was that, the Pharisees made a big show of precisely calculating their ten percent tithe of such little things as various herbs – while huge matters of national justice and spiritual transformation were completely overlooked. The Pharisees were careful to be seen to tithe a proportion of the most insignificant garden herb, but were prepared to neglect matters at the very core of God’s will.

They were certainly into big-noting themselves: ‘O look at me as I tithe ten percent of my sprig of mint ... but don’t dare talk to me about issues of homelessness or hopelessness’. This was “darkness”, not “light”. The tithing itself was commendable, but the way this was applied with such miniscule detail and in such a boastful way – also blocking time and attention from what was most important – this was the problem.

Jesus doesn’t reject these traditions, so much as condemning the fact that these traditions have been observed at odds with the deepest intention of the will of God, namely, the exercise of love (Kingsbury). Whereas such Pharisees liked to be recognised, Jesus describes them (in verse 44) in totally opposite terms, as insignificant “unmarked graves” that people will unknowingly walk all over i.e. they are at the level of an anonymous, unimportant and corrupt dead person. Whack! They are in “darkness”, not “light”.

(b) The priority given to power – religious arrogance – the “lawyers” (v.45-52)

One could just imagine that the “lawyers” ... those who felt so superior in their training in the law ... would get upset at this point and come back at Jesus (this seemingly unschooled prophet). These self-proclaimed “experts in the law” were a party to bringing heavy burdens of religious observance upon the people, without lifting a finger to help them in their struggle.

They had been the authors of the multitude of complicated and strict regulations that were being imposed by the Pharisees. These are those who make and enforce laws which maintain the position of the powerful, but show no concern for how they filter down to the more vulnerable and less resourced members of the community.

Just as the true prophets of old were rejected and murdered, these “lawyers” or “scribes” are joining with their guilty ancestors before them in rejecting the latest movement of God’s Spirit (seen in their hostility to Jesus). They are forming an alliance with long dead antagonists against the will of God. Oppressing God’s people with burdens is a perverse reversal of God’s desire to reconcile with people in love. This is “darkness” not “light”, as it is typified in verse 52.

As we have it in verse 52, such “lawyers” or teachers, who should have helped the people in their understanding of God and true spirituality, instead stole away the keys to the Kingdom of God, and thereby blocked people from entering fulfilling life. They have missed the boat themselves, and now stand at the gangplank blocking other people’s way. They are a wall instead of a door (Bock). They stand condemned for their hostility towards what the Scriptures teach God is really about.

This is the problem of witnessing to our faith, when we haven’t actually focussed that faith in the right place. It can leave a very negative impression. This is where what should be “light”, in reality, is “darkness”.

4. Taking Stock

We should note, that rather than taking heed of what Jesus was saying, these Pharisees and “lawyers” wanted to shoot the messenger – instead of examining themselves, they reacted defensively and attacked Jesus. So rather than us taking the high road and condemning the religious leaders of old, we would be better served by taking an inventory of ourselves. This is where the Living Word of God addresses us!! This is where the rubber (of our bible study) hits the road!

Do we reflect “light” or carry “darkness”?
Do we lead people toward Jesus or away from Jesus?
Do we encourage others in their pursuit of God?
Do our lives make a good case for Jesus or the opposite?

Larry Richards came up with this checklist:

Do I spend more time trying to look holy, or seeking to be holy?
Do my priorities reflect God’s priorities?
Do I treasure the approval of others, or the approval of God?
Do I make living a Christian life harder for people by my expectations, or do I encourage and help them?
Do I resist the Word of God, or am I open and teachable?
Do I distort the Gospel for myself and others, by a legalistic approach to Christian faith?

Jesus doesn’t come to us as a moralist or a judge, but rather as a compassionate friend, knowing that unless our inside and outside match up, then we will never be the disciple we could be, and we will never reach our God-given potential, and ultimately we will never really be satisfied with our lives.

We need to be sincere and courageous concerning repentance, change and growth. And we need to come to terms with what is most important. The basic call of God is: to (humbly) love God and respond caringly and justly to others (Bock).

"No Looking Back" - a sermon on Luke 9:51-62

2011-03-04T11:36:00.002+11:00

1. The Journey to the Cross

Something had to be done! Peoples’ lives were caught up in hopelessness and tragedy. They also lived under the oppression of Roman authority. These were desperate times, yet in some quarters there was a spiritual openness ... a real desire to connect with life’s real purpose. Of course God knew this, and in the fullness of time sent Jesus to earth in human form to interact with the world and reveal the true nature of God.

For centuries, right through Old Testament times, people had grappled with who God was and what God required of humanity. There were many misunderstandings about God’s nature. There were also some shining lights of understanding: like in Genesis, where it was understood that humanity was to take responsibility (under God) for the well-being of the earth and all its inhabitants and life-forms; like in Joshua, where it was understood that fulfilling and purposeful life would require courage; like in Psalm 139, where it was understood that God intimately knew each human from the moment of their conception; like in Micah, where it was understood that to fall in line with God would require us to act justly, love mercifully, and to walk humbly in life with God.

Ultimately though it would be Jesus that revealed God to us! And such was God’s commitment to bring about reconciliation with all people, that Jesus would do whatever it took to bring people face to face with God’s grace. And so, as people found themselves caught up in their own selfishness, sin and turmoil, Jesus would die for them on a cross, to open up guilt-free access to God. God would then raise the completely innocent Jesus from the dead to lead his followers into newness of life.

So it was, that at Luke chapter 9 and verse 51 (and similar stages of the other Gospel books), we read that Jesus “set his face to go to Jerusalem”! This phrase “set his face to” means that Jesus made a firm decision with resolve and steely determination. Jesus did so because he considered that any suffering ahead was an inevitable part of God’s plan of reconciliation and salvation.

Despite this being a God thing, it was still not an easy decision for the physical human Jesus to make, for he knew what Roman punishment involved. This concern (shall we say, this fear), was still evident later in the Garden of Gethsemane; yet both there and here, Jesus commits to going forward to the cross ... without looking back. Yet resolve and courage would be needed, when such rampant rejection lay ahead! Jesus could have looked back to a quieter and safer life in the family carpentry business. Jesus could have looked sideways toward the temptation of taking up a position of power on earth (as put forward by Satan) or given in to the temptation of avoiding the cross altogether (as put forward by his own disciple Peter); yet Jesus did firmly “set his face” toward the cross at Jerusalem.

Earlier in chapter 9 (v.22), Jesus had said to his disciples, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised”. The disciples were gobsmacked at this, thinking and saying “Surely not”; yet they did not yet understand the cost of setting humankind right, and how deep the problem was imbedded. After all their own religious leaders, for their own reasons, were going to be complicit in Jesus’ death. These disciples were also not ready to hear that, being Jesus’ followers, they too may be required to face persecution and death (in the name of Jesus).

So here we are today faced with Jesus’ determination toward taking the way of the cross. A lot will happen along the way, and for us as we read what happens, we will come to know God better, and we will come to know better what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We are seven weeks from Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We can prepare well, and God will teach us something new. Some Christian people will take this period of “Lent” very seriously, giving certain things up, hopefully not just as a ritual, but also to allow more time for spiritual preparation.

Devotional material has been made available to us, through which we can deliberately focus on Jesus taking the way of the cross. On Sundays [when I’m preaching] we will also focus on some of the incidents that occur on Jesus’ journey to the cross. Let me encourage you to open your life afresh to God’s Word as we approach Easter. Look at this material individually or get together in twos and threes to pray through these biblical texts [in addition of course to (rather than replacing) what you’re already doing]. Look for instance at what you can gather from our text today:

2. The Nature of Discipleship

(a) When the disciples James and John wanted to punish the Samaritans for not welcoming Jesus (v.54-5), Jesus rebuked them, as if to say, “that is a ridiculous suggestion”! And not just ridiculous, downright harmful, and not representative of God at all. What was this all about? By sending disciples ahead of him to try to arrange some accommodation, Jesus hoped to be able to spend a little time in this Samaritan village, despite the hostility that existed between Jews and Samaritans. Whereas it was regrettable that the Samaritans there were unwilling to welcome Jesus, because of their animosity towards Jews and Jerusalem, this should not cause the type of retributive response proposed by James and John (who should have known better). For, there might well be another day when such people will be more open. And of course Jesus would continue to be a champion of reaching out beyond the existing cultural norms.

Later on, when telling a particular famous parable, Jesus was actually going to cast a certain “Samaritan” in a very “good” light (Luke 10:25-37). Luke goes on to relate an incident where ten sufferers of leprosy were healed, but only the Samaritan in the bunch returned to thank Jesus (17:11-19). We often encounter people who are closed to our message of light and hope at the time, but this has to be seen as a matter of timing which wasn’t quite right. Whereas we might move on to other places (as Jesus did here), even wiping a bit of the dust off our feet, we would not write such people off entirely and forever (like James and John seemed to want to do). Jesus “set his face to Jerusalem” to die for ‘such as these’ as well. The disciples are called to broadly share the gospel message – not to judge those who reject it!

This is a very important thing to remember in regard to the broad application of the Easter story. Jesus died for all people, and certainly for the people that are currently closed and resistant, and certainly for the people we find difficult or inconvenient, and also certainly for the people who have annoyed us or even hurt us. We can feel frustration or even resentment for people who blaspheme God or persecute Christians, yet Jesus died that even they might be reconciled to God, and who are we to interrupt this outpouring of grace!

(b) When certain people attracted to Jesus thought that it would be easy to follow Jesus, and that they could do so at their own convenience, Jesus put some significant challenges to them (v.57-62). This was not to send them away or scare them off, but rather to point out the seriousness of such a commitment, and that they needed to be fully focussed if they were going to be able to stay on the journey. It was like someone saying to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go”, while thinking that this would be easy, and without complication, without first thinking through the full consequences of such a statement.

After all, Jesus was an itinerant prophet without any particular place to call home, and thus was constantly on the move. Even foxes and birds had more settled living arrangements than Jesus did. Jesus’ task was large, and he had a history of getting his disciples to do things that were way out of their comfort zones. For instance, Jesus was asking fishermen and a former tax collector to become preachers and roving missionaries into friendless places.

Jesus actually sensed someone who had the potential and qualities of a disciple in verse 59. Jesus picked this person out of the crowd, eye-balled him, and said “Follow me”. Jesus would have hoped that this person would have left everything behind and followed like the fishermen and Levi (the tax collector) had already done, but not so. This one wanted to attend to the funeral of his father first. Whereas this might sound reasonable at first, it misses the whole urgency and importance of what Jesus was doing. Some commentators suggest that this excuse refers to wanting to see out the final years of his father’s life before becoming more free to follow Jesus, which suggests an even greater delay.

Following Jesus is never a matter of our convenience or when we’re ready, it must start now. The controversial and tough saying of Jesus, “Let the dead bury their own dead”, suggests that such a task should be left for others who are not so inclined to put their priority on proclaiming the Kingdom of God; as if to say, let the spiritual “dead” bury the physical “dead”, while the spiritually alive promote the cause of Jesus. While this doesn’t mean we neglect our natural responsibilities, it does bring certain priorities into focus.

As we read on to a third would-be-follower, we see even that saying farewell to those left behind at home meets with objections from Jesus? Was this due to the delay or the potential distraction or the possible second-guessing involved? One commentator suggests that what is meant is that this person wants to seek permission from his family before following Jesus. At any rate it seems that there is some level of reluctance to be decisive here. To be so inclined risks losing the positive and life-giving impulse of the moment. Jesus says, “Just follow me”!

There is no time to look longingly back to warm experiences in the past. Or, given how Jesus replies in verse 62, is it more about the associations and baggage of the past being allowed to limit the future. To take on the task of ploughing a field without one’s full attention being ahead on the job at hand is not going to work out well. To try to do this while taking cues from a wide variety of people will quickly go wrong – a singular focus on Jesus is required. Tough teaching, but I’m only explaining what the Scriptures have said for nearly 2000 years.

The point being made here, is that you can recite the best excuse imaginable (and these last two excuses weren’t too bad), but it still won’t cut it! Nothing is as urgent as ‘proclaiming the Kingdom of God’. For discipleship is not a part-time extra job or a bit of a hobby carried out when other preferred activities are complete, but rather the over-riding context in which a life is lived. Walter W Wessel calls all this a “radical transfer of loyalty” to Jesus. To follow Jesus involves a “radical transfer of loyalty”.

This all is a very important thing to remember when we are talking about what being a Jesus-follower or a Christian is all about. If we say that a person can just come to Jesus and be forgiven and then live in freedom, I think we’ve left a whole lot out. We have not fairly represented the biblical truth, nor been fair to the person themselves. The great commission given by Jesus was about making disciples, not simply adding numbers.

Here is an interesting definition of a disciple I read this week: ‘one who not only welcomes Jesus, but also embodies Jesus’ commitments and practices in one’s own life’ (Joel B. Green in “NISB”, 2003). All other considerations or interests in life should fall into line with this priority. Did the second and third of these would-be-followers (in our passage) really seriously consider following Jesus, or were they only interested if they could control the agenda themselves (as seen by their delaying tactics)?

3. Embodying Jesus

Jesus did not look back when he had “set his face to go to Jerusalem”. Nothing was going to get in the way of bringing salvation, hope and purpose to humankind. There was nothing more important than people being reconciled with God, and learning to live in God’s way. And necessarily Jesus’ followers would have to understand the real nature of taking up this cause. The lot of his disciples is tied in with Jesus’ own lot. It is at this moment that people have to decide if they are joining Jesus in “setting his face” toward the cross and a mission toward all humanity. The true people of God are being formed around Jesus himself (this concept from Luke Johnson cited by R.B. Hays).

Jesus put his own hand to the plough and brought in the Kingdom of God. Jesus first left the glory of heaven, and then his human family and home for our sake. Jesus spent his days with people who were blind, suffering from leprosy and riddled with demons of various kinds, people who had been well and truly rejected by mainstream society. Jesus constantly faced the reality of opposition and the prospect of death. Jesus also involved himself with a ‘rag-tag’ band of slow yet committed learners. And Jesus promoted “good news” that needed to reach the Samaritans and the Gentiles and the people of all the nations of the world ... no matter what religion that they were presently practicing. God seeks to love the refugee and the asylum seeker and all people who live under violence and tyranny. Jesus sought to reach out to the prisoner, to the oppressed, to the poor, and to the blind.

First Isaiah, then Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. [The Spirit of the Lord] has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free; and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" (Luke 4:18-9).

"My House Will Serve the Lord" - sermon for dedication service on 27 Feb (based on Joshua 24:14-28)

2011-02-25T10:57:00.005+11:00

In our home we have a slogan up on the wall. It says, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. This is not just a slogan of course ... we have read these words from the Bible in Joshua chapter 24 verse 15. The context was Joshua speaking to the gathered people of Israel, challenging them concerning their ongoing allegiance.

God had done so much for these people, bringing them out of slavery in Egypt, raising effective leaders like Moses, and Joshua himself, to guide them into a better future in a better place, constantly considering their welfare. Yet these people had a history of complaining and finding things wrong with their situations. This seems to be a very human trait.

We see the tragedy of Christchurch and appreciate our own safety, yet despite feeling deeply for the suffering, we will still find minor things to complain about. In the case of Joshua’s nation, such complaints tended to disrupt the people’s relationship to God; at worst these people looked in other directions for their needs to be met. So no matter how good God was to such people, it seems inevitably they strayed anyway.

So perhaps it is, that the level to which God has been kind and gracious to us, is not the most important factor in giving God our allegiance. What would be then? Let me suggest, that actually the most important factor in us giving God our absolute allegiance, is us simply knowing and wholly believing that God is truth! No matter what happens in the world, or happens to us, God is truth – and our life is based on that.

God did create us and everything around us. God has intimately known us from our conception. God has given breath and life to everything that lives and breathes. God even entered into all the chaos of the world through Jesus’ life on earth. Jesus, in his earthly life, revealed who God is and what God is about. We have a spiritual void which only God can fill. We were created for relationship with God, and we will only be fulfilled through a relationship with God. In effect ... God is truth!

In this way Joshua is able to state, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”; for what other sensible alternative is there!?! To come up with any other alternative, to invest our lives in any other small “g” god, no matter who or what that is, is to declare that God is not true.

So, in our passage, this is precisely the reasoning behind the choice that Joshua gave the people: “If you really want to serve other “gods”, go do it!” (24:15a). Why would he have suggested this? Joshua needed the people to face this crucial choice head on, because so many of them had spoken as if they were on the Lord God’s side, yet acted contrary to this – they couldn’t walk the talk!

Hence Joshua saying (in verse 22): “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord to serve him”. Their actions had betrayed their words. The people had answered in verses 16 to 18 that they are indeed committed to the Lord God of Israel (because of what He had done for them), but Joshua had to reply: “REALLY!?!” The question needed to be put to them: “Are you serious about God or not?”

This was a sober warning! If you are truly on the Lord God’s side, then you will live up to your promises and commitments. Commitment to God is not a matter of ‘lip service’, but a very serious undertaking. Having said ... “a very serious undertaking”, I would need to quickly add ... that it is also ‘a thoroughly wonderful, transforming and fulfilling undertaking’!

So Joshua stridently promotes the need to break all connections with former (and perhaps still current in some ways) small “g” gods that disrupt and compromise our relationship with the Lord God (and service for Him). These small “g” gods are also “foreign” to our best interests. Then we come to that place in our life where we only worship the one true and living capital “G” God.

This will mean standing out against the crowd at times. Going ‘half-way’ in this direction will not be enough, and cannot save us! To regress toward pursuing “foreign gods” of different varieties will not be without consequences. Joshua knew his people well – how even well-meaning God-intentioned people tend to hedge their bets and hang on to quiet superstitions and competing interests.

To say, “As for me my house, we will serve the Lord”, suggests what? It suggests that this particular home will have God in the centre ... that this home will follow the principles of life outlined and lived by Jesus. Even though Jesus lived many centuries after Joshua, we can already see in such texts the preparations being made for the focus we now put on Jesus.

For us today, Jesus shows us what God is like! And, we so much need the peace-making and reconciling mercy shown in Jesus’ life in our lives. This is what we should want in the centre of our home-life, and through our example, in the centre of our neighbourhood.

I was glad to be one of the first homes completed at our end of the street when we made our last move to Sanctuary Lakes, because we had the chance, however short we may have fallen, to set a God-centred tone in our street. I think that it’s wonderful that Gloria and Nevil were able to move into their village early on for the same reasons. We all can show that God is alive to our neighbours ... as we say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.

But then, there should also be obvious internal benefits for our children, as we say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Children born into such God-honouring homes, have the great advantage of seeing the truth of God consistently lived out. Jesus is such a natural companion within the home that the children are never in doubt about God’s existence nor love. Discipline is always applied with good reason. Jesus is the unseen guest at every meal in such a home. The atmosphere encourages growing personalities and broad creativity. At least, that is my experience.

And where mistakes are made, the norm will be towards understanding and forgiveness. No guarantees about the outcomes of course ... everyone has freewill ... we can’t control the future. But we can sow tremendous seeds of knowledge and love in the present (to be drawn on later). Some of us, because of certain circumstances, will have difficulty in formally applying this principle in our homes; yet we can all work away at it quietly - through the integrity of our lives, and the prevailing attitudes we work from.

We know sadly that God has been used in some homes as an abusive weapon to manipulate behaviour and justify oppressive parental control. This of course is not what is being promoted here. What is being promoted here is the centrality in the home of the God that Jesus represents in his healing ministry and in his parables like the one about the prodigal son and his loving father – a God who loves unconditionally, a God who clearly cares, continually seeks out and creatively restores. This is the Jesus who said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs (Mark 10:14).

Those parents who have made promises today, have really in effect said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. The children will need to come to know this, by seeing the reality of it – in their parents’ attitudes, priorities and expressions of love (to all people). The most read book in the home will be the Bible. There will be a prayerful and trusting and welcoming atmosphere noticeable to all who enter such a home. We will have to work at this, because sometimes life throws up significant challenges, but we don’t work at it alone – as we discovered last week from Joshua chapter 1, God is present with and supports all those who show courage and seek God’s purposes.

It’s actually difficult to say that we are “serving” God. How do we know? Often we can be actually “serving” our own interests and clothing this as serving in the church or the community. That is why “serving” God will always first and foremost be about our relationship with God, much more so than what we do. We can all be doing things, but the question is whether we are doing our good works out of our heart for God; thereby purifying the motive and releasing the outcomes (to be in accordance with God’s will).

This all sounds a little heavy today ... so let me add this. The centrality of God in our homes should be a really joyful experience. We know firmly what we believe and are peace with that. At the same time we can be humble learners from one another. When we have a need, or feel someone else’s need, we can pray and know that God hears and responds. When we struggle and fail we know that we can access God’s forgiveness (as we are willing to forgive one another). When we have an issue, we are able to talk it through, confident in the help of our Divine counsellor. This means we are far more hopeful and blessed than many people as they experience family life. And God will bless our sincere efforts for good.

"Being Courageous" - a sermon on Joshua 1:1-9

2011-02-18T12:48:00.009+11:00

1. Introduction – finding courage

· To live life we need courage;
· To live life to the full and meet its challenges, we need courage;
· The Christian life is all about having courage – the courage to constantly face up to our mistakes, and humbly give control of our lives over to Jesus;
· And, to really address God’s purpose for our lives, we need courage. To be an effective leader in any community, we would especially need courage.

Just like Joshua, we need to be “strong and courageous” ... actually “strong and very courageous” (as we have it in 1:7). Joshua had the job of leading the people of Israel into the “promised land” in Canaan – quite a responsibility, so he indeed would have to be very courageous. This hefty task of Joshua’s would involve some danger, but most challengingly, this would mean leading a large number of people towards a common goal. This would be enough to scare anyone!

But when God said to Joshua, “be strong and very courageous”, we know that God would also be with Joshua every step of the way, and thus provide a measure of protection ... that is of course, once Joshua exercised enough faith and courage to get moving! We can pray for courage, but in so praying, we need to be prepared to step out as if God has already answered that prayer. Verses 5 & 9 are full of expressions of God’s (effective) availability to us! Thus Joshua, and by extension ourselves, are truly in the position to go for it!

From the mention in verse 9 of the possibility of Joshua becoming “dismayed” along the way, which is quite natural when dealing with any group of people, Joshua would also have to have the courage to rise above any disappointment and keep going forward no matter what; with God continuing to journey with Joshua.

The call to mission and leadership, involving great courage, flows right through the Bible. Jesus calls his disciples (in Mark 4:35ff) to go to the other side of the lake and share the good news. Here they would encounter the “gentiles” and all sorts of perceived threats to their comfort and safety. This brings the sort of discomfort that certainly requires courage. Going to the “other side” out of our comfort zones is an inescapable part of following Jesus. So we need to embrace the concept of developing courage!

We come together as a church community to worship God and learn together from the Bible. Why?
· Because we love God, or at least we think that we should be loving God
· Because we want to make the most of our life, and be part of what God wants done in the world
· Because we want to gain encouragement in our struggle, as we bring encouragement to others in their journey.

So, in a sense, we gather together to build up our courage!

What then is courage? And there are two further questions that are raised in the text of Joshua 1: What are some of the other things that (necessarily) go along with courage?? And, what can be the outcomes of showing courage???

2. What is Courage???

· to be brave in the face of challenging circumstances
· to push oneself into a particular venture
· to be able to take risks, and move through unchartered waters (with a knowledge of God’s abiding presence)
· to be able to move forward ... without being [overly] deterred by the cost, or by emotional or spiritual pressure, or by the discouragement of any other person
· to prefer what could be over what is.

Want to know what courage looks like? In the recent uprising in Egypt, when Islamic extremists threatened to attack Christians worshipping in the Coptic Orthodox church, local Muslims attended the Christian services in solidarity with their neighbours – to seek to provide some level of protection for them. Then when pro-government forces threatened to attack Muslims participating in public prayer at their appointed time, Christians joined hands and formed a protective circle around these Muslims, putting themselves in the line of fire in defence of their neighbours. Now that’s courage!

You can check these moving scenes out on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDUsmY1JGJI.

3. What are some of the other attributes that (necessarily) go along with courage??

(a) Strength (v.6,7,9) – this would be both ‘strength of character’ and ‘strength of conviction’.

‘Strength of character’ means that a person has great integrity, that their words and actions are consistent; and it also means that such strength and integrity will be impressive to those who observe it, and will thus exert worthy influence. This will lead to one being able to endure difficulties and set-backs. ‘Strength of character’ will require a good foundation – and we know the firmest of foundations for life is having Jesus Christ as Saviour.

A ‘strength of conviction’ moves beyond natural doubts and fears to persist in the just course of action that has been decided upon, no matter what is thrown across the path. To have ‘strength of conviction’ is to be solidly committed to a (good) cause. Having said this, the ‘strong’ person will also be content enough in their own skin, to hear and apply the good advice and guidance that becomes available along the way (without feeling any undue threat).

(b) Obedience (v.7) – God has provided plenty of easily accessible insight for us, and expects us to take notice of it ... refer verse 7 again. Once we understand God’s attitudes and priorities as revealed in the Bible (especially in the life of Jesus), we are expected to live these out without deviation. In Joshua’s case, to deviate from God’s straight path and take another road, would have taken Joshua and his people into places they shouldn’t be and from where they might get lost entirely. If we do this, we might find ourselves wandering aimlessly in a wilderness for forty years. This is way too dangerous and so unnecessary!

We might think that our decisions only affect us, however nothing is further from the truth, especially for those with various responsibilities. Joshua’s leadership potential was undeniable; the biggest danger Joshua faced though, was to try to act independently of God according to his own desires and plans – thereby wasting his abilities and never realising his full potential.

(c) Devotion (v.8) – this is to be disciplined in prayerfully reading, understanding, reflecting upon and applying God’s Word in all of life’s situations. And we have got far more to go on than Joshua did in his time. This is about getting to know God better by absorbing the revelation about God we have been given. The truth thus becomes part of who we are, and we become reliable and living interpreters of this truth to all those around us. And we become good decision-makers.

It’s interesting in verse 8 that we read about the “book of the law” not departing from our “mouth” – meaning that we should always speak as if we know very well God’s Word; and also that because we do know the Scriptures well, we will actually be more prepared to speak ‘righteousness’ or the ‘right things’. The things of God are on the tip of our tongue, easily shared as required.

Yet this knowledge does not become a weapon to hit other people over the head with, but rather positions a guard that protects us from error and guides our own actions. Knowing God’s Word means that we can be creatively proactive in life, rather than unhelpfully reactive to the negative incidents that cross our path.

(d) Focus (v.1) – God set Joshua firmly on the task of crossing the Jordan and settling God’s people into their promised land (v.1). Where we read that “the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun”, we should best interpret this in terms of Joshua having a deep and strong inner conviction concerning God’s direction – for this is usually how God speaks ... quiet and physically voiceless, yet clear and definite. Having come to this surety, now Joshua would need to often remind himself of his ultimate focus ... especially as various distractions, temptations and desires came to him.

4. What can be the outcomes of showing courage???

(a) Success (v.7,8) – what we have been given to do, and what we have faithfully pursued, comes to be. Where verse 8 mentions “prosperity”, we know that this usually does not mean in a financial sense. This has more to do with the good investment of a life that then experiences a sense of peace and feelings of accomplishment.

How can we determine success? We might think of a list of achievements. But I think this illustration is better:

Some people, like me, like to stay in the movie theatre while all the credits role through; this in my thinking pays respect to all those that contributed to the making of the movie. It might also give me time to clear away the tears from particularly moving conclusions like there was in “The King’s Speech” that we saw recently. But just visualise all those credits rolling, and think about these in terms of a human life, and as the range of investments made in various people’s lives. On how many of these films ... on how many of these lives ... will we appear on the credit role?

It’s not what we do, but how many lives we contribute to that really determines success!

(b) A “Promised land” experience (v.2) – if I can use this term metaphorically, this is where we experience a sense of fulfilment, a feeling of heaven on earth, our (full) potential is realised; here is an early appreciation of eternal life, a knowledge of God’s will being done on earth in at least one particular way, seeing God act in a very obvious way (and being a part of that).

We should never be content just possessing a little bit of God’s peace, or a small amount of hope, or some sense of God’s purpose, but rather be desirous for more of God and the Holy Spirit’s activity in and through our lives. God sees an even more beautiful picture of what we can become – this is the “promised land” of our personal futures! Courage chases this!!

(c) Respect & Response (v.3,5) – the person who shows courage, integrity and faithful strength of conviction will gain respect in the places and responsibilities they travel through. Whereas this respect may actually unearth persecution because there has been a clash of agendas, at least ‘the power of one’ has made a difference for good and for God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.5:10). Others, because of our faith and courage, will come to ask questions, and find their hearts touched, and come to know Jesus.

5. Exercising courage and faith

Remember that when we follow God’s call and find the courage to apply faith, God will go with us and support us (v.5,9). We can be humbly confident in our call, for God can make the seemingly impossible come to be. Obstacles can be removed and possible outcomes radically changed. God has made a costly investment in each of us, and wants to see that investment bring rich returns. So we need to cross our particular “Jordan River”, whatever obstacle that may be.

So let’s turn the light of this passage on us. Let’s ask ourselves some questions. I’ve got two:

· How is God speaking to us – in what areas of our life might God be addressing us?

Often what holds us back from exercising courage is the baggage we still carry from the past. This allows fear, the enemy of faith, to persist. It is not inevitable that we have to continue to carry that baggage, those hurts, disappointments and that dull pain for the rest of our lives – for Jesus came into our life to deal with these issues ... he just needs to be given access to them.

However, I have noticed that people often go on carrying their baggage when help is actually close at hand. Why is this? It is because sometimes the reality, even a dark reality, has become such a regular life companion that it is hard to imagine life a different way.

· What tough decisions ... that I’ve put off, do I need to make?

Let’s pray for courage!!

"Guarding Our Heart" - a sermon on Proverbs 4:20-27

2011-01-21T12:36:00.004+11:00

I was asked to speak about the theme of what it means to “guard” our heart from Proverbs 4:23.

Meaning a similar thing the NRSV translates, “keep your heart” – “Keep your heart with all vigilance”.

“Vigilance” or being ‘vigilant’ suggests being constantly on alert. So we would therefore be constantly on alert as to the welfare of our heart, i.e. guarding our heart.

The NLT translates, “Guard your heart above all else”. The importance of this alertness and vigilance cannot be doubted – it ranks in importance above all other things.

The Bible clearly puts a high priority upon this concept of ‘guarding our heart’. Verse 23 in the NRSV continues, “... for from it [the heart] flow the springs of life”. In other words, the ‘heart’ guides the outcome of one’s life; or as the NLT puts it, “...for it [the heart] determines the course of your life”. Where your heart is ... the rest follows. This is our day by day hour by hour activity directed by the state of our heart.

The biblical proverbs are wanting us to develop our concentration and focus in various areas. And in this case it is the “heart”.

The “heart” really represents our centre ... that which drives us as a person; and takes in the emotions, the will, our deepest desires, passions and motivations ... the whole inner being.

If we need to be so reminded about ‘guarding our heart’, then it is possible that our hearts are actually (at points in time) unguarded; and that this situation would logically bring us problems. This would mean that our heart is open to attack from various opponents (of our welfare, especially our spiritual welfare).

We could also look at this in a different way, from the other direction, if you like. If we notice that we have recurring problems and failures and temptations in certain areas, then from this we might ascertain that it is likely that our heart is, in fact, not fully guarded. The ‘unguarded’ heart would allow all sorts of disruptive, useless and harmful stuff to corrupt our lives (and compromise our decision-making in choosing the activities we will be involved in)!

So how do we do it? How do we ‘guard our heart’??

The verses that precede verse 23 talk about God’s word, and the importance of saturating oneself in the revealed teaching of God (about how we should live). The ancients only had old testament scriptures available to them; we are of course better off than that, because we have the new testament books as well, which teach the importance and implications of following Jesus. So at least one principle of ‘guarding your heart’ is:

(i) Staying attentive to God’s word (v.20-22).

And having been attentive, we are not to let such teaching “escape” us, i.e. we have to hang on to it tightly (with a firm grasp). We won’t let truth go from us, and we will let such teaching penetrate deeply; so much so, that it becomes part of who we are.

Having God’s Word as part of who we are certainly ‘guards our heart’ from danger! These are also words that can bring healing to those parts of our life that are broken. And such healing words are not just words of comfort, but also words of liberation and transformation. The words and touch of Jesus actually brought about tremendous change in the face of disastrous realities (just look at the miracle stories in the gospels). We just need to be open, thirsty and courageous for the good things God wants to do.

We can also read the Bible with such attention, that we are also listening for God to speak to us with new insight on a particular passage (especially as it applies to our own style of living).

Prayer will always be our greatest resource here, the activity that we combine with bible study to gain the most from our relationship with God.

The verses that follow verse 23 talk about our mouth, eyes and feet. So my next principle of ‘guarding our heart’ is:

(ii) Being disciplined about what we think about and what we say (v.24).

We need to stop ourselves from saying things that hurt, offend or are actually untrue. We need to stop ourselves engaging in unhelpful gossip, as well as using any put-downs or derogatory language. This behaviour not only hurts others, but also corrupts ourselves. We might say that sometimes things just slip out, but is this really any excuse?? According to the principles of ‘guarding your heart’, the answer is firmly ‘No’!

It is our ‘thought life’, our thinking, that lies behind how our tongue operates; in some cases this derives from egocentric desires i.e. selfish ambition. So you could say that the problem is often really OUR LACK OF THINKING ... well, OUR LACK OF GOOD THINKING ... our thoughtlessness toward others!

This lack of thinking about the needs of others, often happens as we are faced by people who are very different to us. We can unthinkingly put mental labels on people (sometimes borrowed from general culture), and then our mouths open with unfortunate outcomes.

We need to think in appropriate Heavenly Kingdom ways, so that, as a result, we can speak in helpful and God-honouring ways. For example, if I begin to think of someone as a dangerous looking person, I’m likely to speak about them in those terms, without even knowing anything about them at all. However, if I can just reserve my judgement, and see them as a beloved child of God, then I would likely speak very differently.

Our motivations lead our thoughts towards our words and actions. If we can align our motivations, attitudes and priorities to those of God, then our thinking will then lead to words of encouragement, and our hearts will become more ‘guarded’ from negative outside influences.

Then the next principle of ‘guarding our heart’ would be:

(iii) Looking forward to the future (v.25).

There is the obvious implication here in verse 25 that what you look at with your eyes affects your brain and can never be erased. So you would not look at things that tend to devalue yourself or others. It is possible to rise above ‘bad eye habits’, but sometimes it’s not easy and there needs to be serious help sought and applied. This is usually a more serious problem area for men, and that is one of the reasons we conduct the “Man to Man” Life-keys course, which helps to unlock what lies behind such a problem. ‘Guarding our heart’ often requires courageous effort against the odds.

Then there is also the concept of being able to keep your head up, free of guilt and shame, because of the liberating forgiveness we have been given. Unfortunately some people wallow in their self-pity, when God has given the resources to break free and live with joy and purpose.

Also implied here is the concept of what lies behind you in terms of behaviour and lifestyle – those things that you have corrected through your relationship with Jesus and understanding of God’s Word – [these things] staying behind you! What lies behind you ... stays behind you!! Your vision is now on what lies ahead in God’s future for you (and those who travel with you). I will not go back to those things that have failed me (and hurt others) in the past! They are done with!!

We can look at this in one further way. When Peter tried to divert Jesus from his God-given mission, Jesus, so taken back by this, said to Peter ... “Get behind me Satan”. This indicated that Jesus would not hear of, nor ever contemplate, this wrong suggestion of Peter. Jesus had put behind him any thoughts of avoiding the cross. There was only God’s future! When certain suggestions come to us from whatever source, we may have to say (with Jesus), “Get behind me Satan”!

And the fourth principle of ‘guarding our heart’ from this passage is:

(iv) Walking in a straight line (v.26-27).

There is an obvious implication here about the choices we make in where we go, and in what we spend our time. Going with the flow, sometimes just being blown on the breeze, without much critique of our activity, doing much more following the crowd than leading the flock, failing to notice that we don’t stand out at all, nor obviously stand for anything really, hiding from the truth (of the waste in our lives) ... all this keeps us off the straight path and onto many dead-end detours. Sometimes our internal direction-finding device, like the badly programmed GPS system, leads us down the garden path. We need to attend to this, and carefully read the guide book, before backing the car out.

This is generally about setting our mind on a course of discipleship ... following Jesus ... and we stick to it no matter what life throws at us, or whatever temptation comes before us. Following Jesus is the context, and the only context, in which we should walk through life. We simply avoid doing what we know to be wrong. In this way we would walk on the firm footings rather than the slippery dips. We stay in the main game, rather than getting caught up in the sideshows. Any rollercoaster rides (that innocently come along) are survived because we have our minds fixed on a faithful and resourceful God.

This involves careful planning and weighing up of one’s courses of action. Part of being a citizen of heaven and a member of the Kingdom of God will be that attitude of walking lightly on the earth, and holding material possessions very loosely. In that way we are not unduly distracted or held back from where God wants us to be and God wants us to do. It is the Word of God (as we said before) that we hold onto tightly and that we walk on firmly – as for much of the rest ... we tread light and hold loose.

We can also practice the presence of God in our lives, making decision-making so much easier. This is simply to regularly remind ourselves that God is constantly with us. I’m weeding the garden, and yes, God is with me. I’m standing up in front of people talking, and yes, God is with me. I’m out and about shopping, and yes, Jesus is with me. I’m driving the car, and yes, God’s Spirit is with me. I’m suffering pain and confusion, and yes, God is still with me. I’m worshipping God with everything I have, and yes most certainly, God is with me.

This actually sounded a fair bit individual to me, when the Christian life is meant to be collective and relational. So let me add the following:

(v) Another area of ‘guarding our heart’ would be through accountability, whether it be to your spouse, mentor, spiritual director, best friend or small group. This is where you track your spiritual growth through the feedback of others. You are ‘guarding your heart’ because you are prepared to hear what other people see in you, weigh it up with God, and take whatever action is required. We need to learn how to be accountable for the grace (and the gracious gifts) we have been given.

What is crucial here will always be regular worship attendance, participation in Church community, and the practice of serving others. The best functioning church community will never be the one that goes for appearance management, pretending to be what it is not. The best functioning church community will be the one based on honesty, humility, and the servant spirit. Such people will have ‘guarded hearts’.

As a footnote, it is the church based on James 5:16, that, in my opinion, will be the church that changes the world.

Reflections on Job part 2 - "Life Restored" (Job 42)

2011-01-16T12:45:00.005+11:00

1. Revision

We saw last week that Job was in a sorry state. He had been traumatised by the loss of his ten children, all his livestock and most of his servants. Now he was covered head to foot with awful sores. Such was all the pain derived from this, that Job wished that he had never been born.

We see here the effects of a fallen and uncertain world. We also see here fragile faith facing a test. We can see that sometimes God allows us to endure a significant struggle in the hope that we will come through with a stronger and more effective faith. The question being considered is whether we are really God’s person, or is this just a bit of an act!?!

We know as well that God will enter our suffering ... seeking to console, comfort and guide. Yet there still remains a vulnerable and mortal human being here ... that needs to be supported and helped by fellow human beings. The fact that there might be a (veiled) purpose behind certain suffering ... does not lessen its dramatic personal impact.

We have seen such sudden and tragic happenings in Queensland this week. People will be asking questions, in some cases blaming God for their situation, and we hear their pain. Others will be praising God that they escaped worst-case-scenarios. Some will feel alone, others will appreciate the practical and compassionate help of their neighbours. The nation faces a test of their resolve. If we can absorb the necessity to creatively co-exist through life’s challenges, then we will be all the better.

Job cried out long and loud. Other personality types may have just bottled it all up. In the Christian community, it will necessarily be sisters and brothers in the faith that should be ready to help. There are ways too that the Jesus following person, although hurting and depressed, can and should help themselves.

In Job’s case, three friends made themselves available, but when Job screamed out his questioning doubts and fears publicly, these friends couldn’t help but seek to correct Job and tout their own theological agendas. This just tipped Job further into depression. Later a fourth counsellor Elihu could only criticise Job for doubting God, and suggested to Job that God was way too important to ever answer Job personally. Wrong!!

God may not feel the need to explain everything to Job, but certainly God would answer Job’s prayers for help. We know that Job was an innocent sufferer, because God had previously declared him to be “blameless and upright”. So it wasn’t a secret unconfessed sin that had caused Job’s suffering, rather just the vagaries of life. And contrary to Elihu, God will speak to Job!

The suffering people in Queensland did nothing to deserve what happened to them; but it happened anyway. They will simply need to be supported, cared for and helped. Perhaps Job’s friends would have been looking to allocate blame here too, but we know better. [Perhaps they would have tried to silence the mourning as well.] But, we know that God will draw beside the grieving, and God will empower those who are courageously seeking to help, and God will be available to help with the rebuilding of people’s lives.

2. How should we respond?

(a) To our own (undeserved) suffering?
THE DO NOTS:
· Withdrawal, isolation, cutting people off;
· Self-criticism (being ridiculously hard on oneself, believing everything is your fault);
· Negative self-talk (which becomes entrenched in one’s thinking).
THE DOS:
· Willingness to be open & honest;
· Accept offers of friendship & support;
· Seek actively whatever help is needed (God’s & other);
· Courageously act on good advice (you might need to think about something differently);
· Worship God, pray, and express what you can be thankful for;
· Continue to look for ways to serve others;
· Celebrate progress.

(b) To the suffering of others?
THE DO NOTS:
· Judgements, criticisms, corrections;
· (Philosophical) arguments; (theological) clichés;
· Exclusion (walking away or leaving them out).
THE DOS:
· Companionship (being there), listening (intently);
· Loyalty which goes beyond the good times;
· Genuine compassion (that originates in the heart of God);
· Words of genuine encouragement and reassurance (that the other person can and will get through this if they open themselves to the right help – God’s & other);
· Yet if there is nothing insightful to say remain silent while remaining present & available (weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice – Romans 12:15);
· Practical care (just picking up the slack a bit – but not producing dependence);
· Building opportunities for mutual sharing and serving – not just a one way situation.

3. God’s resolution (Job 38-42)

(a) Life as a Rollercoaster

You can view scene 15 of Ron Howard's film "Parenthood" (1989). Life is often like a rollercoaster, fast ups and downs and spiralling curves; and you have to yell and scream a bit, and certainly close your eyes from time to time; and sometimes your stomach becomes a bit churned up. And once you get on a rollercoaster, you have to wait for a time before you can get off ... they won’t stop it just because you’re finding it a bit difficult. But isn’t this better than a merry-go-round, where you just go endlessly round and round at a slow an unadventurous pace; and your senses have not been tested at all, you just go through the motions, there’s been no real impact, and you leave it totally unchanged! Living life on a rollercoaster will certainly show us how much we need God, and in so knowing ... we will find our proper focus.

(b) God speaks from “the whirlwind”

At the beginning of chapter 38, God responded to Job “out of the whirlwind”. This is a picture of God dramatically entering the vigorous debate over Job’s suffering (with something definitely to say). One wonders though if this could also relate to God entering right into the midst of Job’s chaotic emotional state[1] ... his rollercoaster ride.

Whereas Job had questioned God’s wisdom and governance – ‘how could God let all this chaos happen’ – ‘how could God allow someone to suffer this much’, God seeks to establish that the Divine integrity is intact – it’s just that Job’s view of God has been deficient. For, this is the Creator of all the universe, and what a universe it is ... who else could have created like this (certainly not Job or any other human)! This is the God who keeps the earth spinning on its axis despite all the evil done in the world over the centuries (who else’s wisdom could handle this task)! It is only the Creator of such a complex world who will ever be able to understand all its complexity and ambiguity. It is only God who can fully know how the subtle balancing acts of earthly events work out, and how God restrains evil and provides care.

Never though, is Job’s innocence ever brought into question by God; only the depth of his understanding of God (his theology). So, the point is: we have to allow God to form in us a belief system, and a faith, that will stand the test of time.

We are human, and as such we are permitted to express emotion, doubt and fear. We need such a release valve or we will implode. That’s the way we have been created, so that’s okay. Yet as believing people, when we have gotten such feelings off our chest, it’s time to deal with reality ... that is, to help ourselves and help others. God took Job through a process of realising this[2], which all culminated at chapter 42 and verses 5 & 6.

At the beginning of chapter 42, Job reasserts God’s greatness (as he had done previously when first tested with severe loss, but before things became really grim for him). Job also acknowledges, however for the first time in this case, that there are things that he will never understand, AND that this should not, and now will not, disrupt his worship of God.

But there is more! Look at verse 5!! This is vital!!! Job had known about God from what he had heard from others, but his knowledge of God had been found to be deficient under pressure, and his faith was maybe not as strong as it needed to be. Now Job had “seen” God for all that God was worth! Now Job would likely form a close personal relationship with God.

The Hebrew of verse 6 is very difficult to translate, and could easily be misinterpreted. But the context of the whole book gives us the clue. The basic meaning of “repent” is to change one’s mind; so the meaning here is likely to be that Job has now made the decision to get on with life (and seeking God) despite continuing in the “dust and ashes” of his mourning. Job could go on forever bemoaning his situation and questioning God, but where would that get him! So, Job’s life and future is now given over in wholistic trust, no matter what the circumstances of life brings. The human condition is horribly fallible (and in this sense “despised”), but life in God is absolutely extraordinary.

And so, the New Living Translation (NLT) might be preferred here, where Job says:
I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes [that’s the onset of personal faith].
I take back everything I said [I reject my criticism of God, and now believe firmly in God’s integrity],
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance [rather than being stuck where I am, I have decided to move forward].

God then pays out on Job’s so-called ‘friends’ for their unthinking and destructive words to Job. And despite all of Job’s somewhat critical words addressed to God, Job is commended for the way he has endured and persevered. This is because Job never rejected God, never ‘threw out the baby with the bath water’; Job hung in, and his mournful words actually formed part of his continuing search for truth. The sometimes blunt and forthright comments of Job about God (from the depths of his agony) have been deemed closer to the truth than the inappropriate and uncaring words of the three ‘friends’.

The three ‘friends’ had to seek Job’s forgiveness if they were to be pardoned by God for what they did. And, yes, Job forgave them (which, of course indicates a whole lot about Job).

With this new attitude, which was proved in his forgiving attitude [dealing well with any abiding bitterness], Job’s life took a major turn for the better (42:10). We don’t know how quickly (or slowly) those “loathsome sores” cleared up ... we’re not told ... for that wasn’t what was important anymore; for Job there was a new relational focus on God. The description in the closing of this book indicates that Job’s life was even better after his struggle than it had been before. Job was at peace with the world!

And at the end (42:11), there is the irony of these relatives (the first mention of them), never to be seen when Job was in trouble, surfacing out of thin air (with their guilt laden gifts). But I imagine Job forgave them too! Job has learnt a great deal, but the mysteries of the cosmos remain mysteries!

4. What do we learn?

The book of Job shows us that even a person as stable and faithful as Job was, can struggle with doubt and depression when the circumstances surrounding life go terribly wrong. At different times we can all struggle to maintain our faith when things happen to ourselves or others that seem contrary to fairness, e.g. prolonged illness, accidental injury, personal attack, family tragedy, and community disaster. It is not a sin to struggle with faith; rather this very struggle is an opportunity (however much it is unwanted or undeserved) to grow and mature.

Job also shows us that we are free to express our real heart-felt emotions and our deepest gloom to God. If God allows us to be tested, then we know for sure that God will be alongside us, present in our struggle, ready and willing to enter into our suffering. God will help us resolve our issues (in good time); and being with us all the way, God will seek to draw us through a better person. Through this process we may be able to find that glimmer of light indicating better times ahead. Job helps all faithful sufferers draw courage and retain faith.

The book of Job also reminds us about the quality of care that we should be providing to those who find themselves suffering through those aspects of life that turn adverse to them. We are given the negative example of certain so-called ‘friends’, who did not listen carefully enough to the cries of Job (to understand where he was really at), nor were attentive to the promptings of God (towards the sort of compassionate and honourable response that was needed). We can do better!

The suffering which threatens to destroy us [or so we think] can, if taken on board, be the means by which we discover a larger self with resources of strength, and insight and courage and heroism and love and compassion of which so far we have been totally unaware.[3]

[1] we remember that Job’s children were lost when a dramatic wind event caved in the house (1:18-9)
[2] there had been some previous progress at 40:3-5
[3] “Learning to Care” by Michael H. Taylor, page 64

A Prayer for Flood Victims

2011-01-14T14:10:00.003+11:00

Loving and compassionate God,

All human tragedy is an invitation for us to stretch out our arms
toward the needs of others.

In so doing, we will experience your presence
within the depths of human pain.

Draw us close to those harmed by these waters,
hearing their cries, responding to their needs:

For those who feel they have lost everything,
for those that have become homeless;
for those who have lost loved ones,
for those that are still waiting to hear news.

Lead us in our prayerful support of those who will clean up the streets, fix the cities and rebuild the towns;
for those who will make strategic decisions,
those who care for the displaced,
and those who bring healing to the suffering.

We pray that those affected will not lose hope
in spite of the overwhelming destruction they face;
and that those who hurt and feel helpless
might find new resources of faith and courage.

We pray for God given energy and ingenuity to be poured out on those affected as they seek to rebuild their lives, their homes and their livelihoods.

And we thank you for the various gifts of generous heroism from both emergency workers and total strangers.

We seek the face of Jesus in our prayers,

Amen.

Reflections on Job part 1 - "Care for the Hurting"

2011-01-09T13:32:00.002+11:00

Introduction

Job is a very complex book, which seeks to deal with the area of suffering, and where faith in God fits in with this. I have to say that delving deeply into Job again this week has done my head in a bit ... such is the complexity of this book. You could spend months and years studying this book in great detail (for great profit), but I will just reflect a little on Job, and try to pull out a few major points, to give a bit of the flavour and thought processes within. There will be two parts to this message. If we can capture a little of how Job survived tragedy, this might serve us well. If we grow in our knowledge and ability to respond to those who are hurting around us, then this will certainly be worthwhile. These are the real practical applications to be gained from reading Job.

1. Job in a sorry state (chap. 3)

We have read together from Job chapter 3. Job was now at that place where he thinks that it would have been better for him if he had never been born at all. Job actually talks in terms of putting a curse on the day of his birth and even the moment of his conception ... “let that day be darkness” (v.4), “that night – let thick darkness seize it” (v.6). Job regrets his life! His birthday, rather than being a time for celebration, is now a cause for mourning. This was a horrible day!

If only I wasn’t born, thought Job, I wouldn’t have to face such trouble (v.10) [and, as later verses mention, Job would then be at rest (v.13) and out of bondage to the taskmasters of this world (v.18-19)]! In verse 20 onwards we read that Job actually desires death ... why should light and life continue to be given to Job when these are a total waste in one so besieged with troubles! These words, so uttered, would have to be a warning sign concerning the person’s mental health.

This is all because life has become too painful for Job, and there doesn’t appear to be any way forward. Job also feels that, due to his wretched state, he can make no further contribution to the community around him. Job was expressing very natural human regret and misery concerning what had happened to him. Many people will come to express themselves like this. Job cries out to anyone who will listen. Many others will actually feel like this, but in their case, bottle it all up inside. In each of these situations help is needed.

Job did not understand why all this tragedy had befallen him; after all had he not dedicated his whole life to God. And the truth of this was in evidence for all to see – the completeness of his life as seen in family, security, and financial well-being – Job was at peace with the world! This lack of understanding added to his emotional instability and he cried out in pain. Job’s theology was a little unprepared for these dark turn of events. Job is initially hesitant to blame God – there must be another answer; but this resolve is later tested.

But Job does reveal his feelings on the matter, and speaks out strongly in search of understanding; and this was a good thing for him to be doing, as the circumstances that had befallen him were completely overwhelming. This could happen to the loftiest leader in the Christian community ... or to the most anonymous person in the street – it’s just a matter of how certain events clash with a particular person’s inner being.

This all happens in the face of the grand parade of other’s people’s lives being so seemingly happy and easy. Depression also arises in the face of how wonderful life can be, and how purposeful life should be! We know down deep that each human birth should remain something to celebrate and continue to commemorate; and death should basically be something to be avoided until our genuine time comes.

Many people, for a variety of reasons, have an acute vulnerability in this area, but no-one is wholly exempt from the possibility of feeling as Job feels here. So we all should look after ourselves, and build our lives on the best foundations and coping mechanisms (and we know what those are ... we talked about it last week). But we should also be willing and ready to respond to others who present in a depressed way like Job does here).

2. How did Job get here?

I mentioned earlier that Job doesn’t initially allocate blame to God, although it seems he found this increasingly difficult not to do. Job naturally, in his perilous situation, had many reservations, doubts and questions. After all, Job had lost first his livestock, then most of his servants, then his ten children. Subsequently Job was stricken with terrible sores all over his body. No doubt that the longer his pain went on, the harder it was to maintain his resolve. And this would seem quite natural, would it not! Imagine the mental anguish in not knowing whether this shocking skin condition would ever leave him!

At the beginning of Job’s turmoil when he had lost his family, he continued to worship God and said in part, “... the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:21). We then read the writer’s assessment of Job’s ‘performance’: “In all this Job did not sin or charge God with any wrongdoing” (1:22). Later, following the onset of his sores, and when his wife castigated him for maintaining his faith (2:9-10), Job replied to her, “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” Again we read that Job refused to lose his faith, and again “did not sin with his lips” (2:10b). But then, in our reading in chapter 3 verse 23, Job expresses that he feels “fenced in” by God ... somehow the boundaries of protection that Job once enjoyed and benefitted from, now seem to be restrictive and punishing. And later, Job did go so far as to say that God had targeted him (7:20). Even what we have already mentioned about Job cursing the day of his birth comes really close to challenging God’s sovereign wisdom. By 16:9 we read Job saying, “[God] has torn me in his wrath, and hated me”. Job went on to doubt God’s wisdom and ability to govern the earth properly.

However, it ultimately was of great assistance to Job, that even with his confusion, doubt and fear, that he basically sought to hang in there with God, and keep his communication up with God, and thus Job doesn’t lose touch with God.

When we trust God so much, it’s actually hard to come to terms with such terrible things happening to us. As our example, Job was actually described, at the beginning of the book, as “upright” (i.e. fully devoted to God’s ways) and “blameless” (i.e. already appropriately repentant and forgiven). We do have evidence that God is a faithful and prayer-answering God. We pray for protection from harm ... “deliver us from evil”, and usually feel secure; yet sometimes bad stuff happens. So, from our observations of the realities of life, and from our reading of biblical material like Job, we have to come to acknowledge two very important things:

(i) that the misuse of humanity’s freewill can, and often does, bring us, even the innocent, great heartache and difficult complexity – a fallen world (such as the one we live in) will get you one way or another, or in Job’s case in multiple ways (chap. 1-2:10); and

(ii) that sometimes God will let us be tested for the sake of the building of our faith (and our effectiveness). If God senses that we need some renovation or have room for improvement in some area, then he will allow such bad stuff to touch us.

It seems that both of these dynamics were in play in Job’s case. Job lost his livestock and most of his servants through the violent attacks of the Sabeans and the Chaldeans as well as through the dramatic effects of a fire-storm. Then Job lost all his children (seven sons & three daughters) through a major wind event that caused their house to cave in on itself. Then, when this didn’t bring Job down, he was inflicted by loathsome sores, bringing great discomfort and further misery.

Because we live in a world where many selfish, thoughtless and destructive deeds are done, we are likely to feel their impact on us at various times. Sometimes God provides protection and blessing; at other times, although God remains with us – we still experience the full impact of this evil.

According to the early chapters of the story, these ‘losses’ derived from the accusations of one who is referred to as “the satan”, meaning one who doubts, accuses, opposes (and puts obstacles before) human beings. This “satan” figure obviously has some function and/or ability to facilitate disorder and disaster in the world. The “accuser” suggests to God that the only reason that Job is so faithful and good, is that he has had an easy ride and that God has contributed to that ease. If a few tough things happen to Job, says the “accuser”, then he would no doubt crumble (and curse God). Perhaps, suggests “the satan”, Job is only devoted to God out of self-interest!

The question here for consideration, is whether Job would be able to survive such trauma and rebound better than ever?!?

So in Job’s case, for there to be a full demonstration of his God-developed character, disaster was going to be allowed to touch him, and touch him deeply. For the true character of a person can only be fully seen when put under pressure. Those who live uprightly will surely be put under repeated pressure in various ways to see if they can be broken! Will Job’s faith fall apart, or will he maintain (and grow) such faith in God? What happened to Job might seem very extreme, but it does serve to really bring home the point about persevering through difficulty.

But having said this, none of Job’s maturity, lessens the personal impact all this had on him; for surely he became mightily depressed. So even if a person is being tested for their own growth or for their own good, the impact of the violence being done to them or the tragedy being brought to them ... will cause them to despair. And they will need our support. If it is we who suffer ourselves, then we are free to cry out for help.

3. What was said? (chap. 4-25)

It’s really nice that Job had three friends willing to go to his side and seek to help him. This was very different to Job’s wife who wanted Job to just take the ‘easy way’ out (2:9). These three were named Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. They first met together to discuss Job’s dilemma and their strategy, which was probably a wise thing to do ... so they could work in harmony with Job and his needs. When they saw Job they were deeply distressed and expressed their genuine grief at what they saw, thus sincerely empathising with Job’s misery. They then sat quietly with Job for seven days and seven nights, just being there for him and consoling him (acknowledging for the moment that any words would be inadequate). So far so good! We certainly cannot fault their commitment to the notion of friendship. But they couldn’t help speaking eventually (and when they do we find their approach quite inadequate)!

These three friends would have heard Job’s cries of despair that we have heard recorded in chapter 3. They obviously could not cope with these desperate cries of Job without opening their mouths; and what they said (over the next chapters) largely shows an incapacity to provide helpful counsel. They spoke from their own agenda, consistently missing the pain and confusion in Job’s words, saying things that were either not right or not helpful. Job didn’t need sermons on things that he already knew well (as if he hadn’t already practiced these things). Job didn’t need to be reminded of advice that he had given to others. It was easy for Eliphaz to spout ‘trust in God’ – he didn’t have loathsome sores all over him! Probably the friends’ biggest mistake was not listening carefully enough to Job’s words over time, and just bringing Job their own judgements and ideas that didn’t particularly connect with what Job was saying. Their responses were more about them and their own apprehensions, fears, and theological agendas, than they were about Job’s own personal dilemma.

Eliphaz doesn’t think Job is patient enough (4:5), Bildad says Job complains too much (8:2), Zophar recklessly and harshly suggests that Job’s current situation is not even as bad as it should be (11:6). Each will not accept Job’s claims of innocence and demand repentance of him. If we wade through these friends’ diatribes we will notice all sorts of dodgy misrepresentations of God (e.g. 4:7) that wouldn’t have helped Job (including statements that negated God’s mercy e.g. 4:17-19). The last thing Bildad said to Job was: “If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less a mortal, who is a maggot, and a human being, who is a worm!” (25:5-6). Thanks for that!! Thus Job seems to get more agitated rather than less. The more these friends seek to place the blame on Job himself, the more the innocent Job frustratedly doubted God. We have to be so careful that what we say to hurting people is not based on completely wrong assumptions (e.g. ‘you must have done something to deserve this’), and that this becomes a negative and makes the situation worse. Such words tend to make someone unnecessarily doubt themselves and subsequently become more negative in their thinking and self-talk, then further feelings of hopelessness build.

These ‘friends’ wanted Job to admit that he deserved the ‘punishment’ he was receiving – to confess the secret sin that had brought about his trouble. This approach of course completely missed the mark. The reality was that Job had done nothing to deserve this outcome, but it had happened anyway. Surely if this realisation was made, then the pastoral care approach would have been totally different. Life is not as simple as actions and consequences, for there are other dynamics in play. There are all sorts of human vulnerabilities – physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual. And there are all sorts of worldly pressures – toward success, popularity, power and influence. This breeds a climate of personal instability that can lead to anxiety and depression. One thing for sure though – the person who hangs on to God despite the gravity of their problems will have a much better chance of survival. The one who remembers that God ultimately seeks to bless, nurture and heal will be the one who makes it through.

Between 1997 and 2001, despite continuing to minister as best I could, I was a bit of a depressed wreck of a person. This was due to no particular sin, but rather was due to my own need to succeed in the face of a perceived lack of success. This derived from my lack of understanding that my best was enough and God would do the rest. I needed to apply the truth that I am accepted by God for who I am, and who Jesus is, and not for what I achieve. Fortunately I got the care I needed (mainly from Raelene), got some good teaching from Allan Meyer (of “Careforce Lifekeys” fame), and I resolutely hung on to God and continued in fully committed worship. I was able to hear and sing the words written by my friend Lyndon Wesley ...

In my world I now see,
Your hand is working in me,
I accept the grace You’ve given;
Should I laugh should I cry,
I’m loving You til I die,
Now my life is extraordinary.

As some of us know from when Lyndon gave his testimony here some years back, these words have great significance for the survivor of what Lyndon and others have experienced. God certainly takes us on a journey of becoming the best we can be, if we just let Him. God rebuilt me better than I was before, and got me ready to come here amongst you people seven years ago. I still want to save the world ... I’m just not going to bash myself up anymore.

Any suggestion that Job was personally responsible for what had happened to him, was not only seen as inappropriate, but also wrong. In the very first verse of this book, Job is described as “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (1:1). Job is also well-placed in life, he loved his family dearly and sacrificed for them often (refer 1:5). God actually took great delight in Job, and saw him as a great success story (1:8). Although Job could be regarded as a ‘sinner’, in the same way as every human is regarded as a ‘sinner’, he did nothing to deserve what happened to him. The three ‘friends’ should not have sought to find or suggest a reason behind Job’s trouble, rather just entered into his suffering as supporters and helpers. Sometimes we do in fact reap what we sow, i.e. experience and endure the (sometimes dire) consequences of our misguided actions. But according to the book of Job, sometimes stuff happens to us that has no connection to our prior behaviour, and indeed happens to even the “upright”. This may not have ever sounded fair, but who should expect a fair deal from a fallen world.

Part 2 next week!

New Year Message: Water-tanks of Blessing - Jeremiah 2:4-13

2010-12-31T11:06:00.005+11:00

1. Drought

When we were in an extended period of drought, and stringent water restrictions were put in place, many of us added water tanks to our properties. This was so that we could keep our gardens alive and keep our vegetables growing. This was a very sensible approach to keeping things alive in a difficult dry time. Perhaps this is like how our lives should be, in a time when many around us are experiencing tough and dry times. Coming out of 2010 and entering 2011, there are many people struggling with life – with financial worries, family problems, work pressures, lack of hope, and varying addictions to unhelpful substances and behaviours. They all need to sense the possibility that some sort of blessing can come upon their lives.

We too, as part of the human community, can struggle in similar ways. The onset of a new year certainly invites us to consider whether we ourselves are spiritually dry, why that might be the case, and what we need to do about this. And we should not delay too long! Jeremiah 2 reminds us of the crucial nature of our relationship to God. Our allegiance to God’s ways has to be the central focus of our life. Jeremiah suggests the possibility of being regarded as “worthless” (in v.4) along with the possibility of going after “things that do not profit” i.e. things that are useless and bring no benefit (in vs.8&11). This should certainly get our attention and echo in our ears. Yet here too is a reminder that our compassionate and understanding God is always seeking out the dry seedlings to give them living water.

Should not the basic way we live our lives be like the water-tank, that when all seems lost, it provides refreshment ... where otherwise that deathly dryness persists! Well this should be the case!! So often the ancient people of Israel let God down in this department. They were meant to be a light to the nations. Yet, so bad was their rebellion at times that they barely looked like a special people at all. They grumbled, they fought, and so often abandoned Yahweh the one true God for other allegiances. Why?? Why do you think they did this?? Well maybe the challenge of living God’s way was just too much!?! Or maybe they just didn’t get the fact that it wasn’t just about them per se, but that God wanted to show his glory through them (to all of creation).

So many disappointing centuries went past, until the time came when God had to send the Son Jesus into the world to seek to bring some decisive inner transformation [this is the very theme of the ‘parable of the wicked tenants’ in Mark 12]. There was to be a new covenant based on this gift of grace. Yet, so many disappointing centuries still go past, where the great potential of Jesus is largely unseen and unknown. So many serious errors have been made, and the human population of each generation have had to come to terms with this, and denounce historic evils, before they are able to go forward. As Paul writes in his letter to the Romans (8:19), “For the creation waits [in turmoil!?!] with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God”! Can 2011 be a year in which the world sees Jesus revealed by those who are God’s children? Will many people be able to remember that it was in 2011 that they first encountered a God who loved them (having benefitted greatly through others being water-tanks of blessing to them)?

2. The Text

In Jeremiah chapter 2, we have a haunting description of how wrong God’s people went! In a nutshell – Israel has abandoned the Lord, the source of living water, and substituted a false god symbolised by cracked cisterns. So, Jeremiah spoke these words in seeking to confront these people and challenge them to do better. They would need to really seek the true and living God all over again (and with all their heart) if they were to be people they were chosen, called and nurtured to be.

After all, God’s living water is always abundant, fresh and freely flowing! And water is everything when it comes to the sustaining of life. God is the one essential source of our well-being.

As already mentioned, in verses 4 & 5, we read about the people of God becoming “worthless” (in terms of their life effectiveness) because they went after and centred their lives in “worthless” things and “worthless” pursuits. Now that is a drastic piece of preaching!!! There is actually nothing that could be rationally found against God to excuse such actions. So where does the fault lay!?! Investing our lives in things that don’t amount to much ... tends to lessen what a person’s life is worth (in terms of its output).

We might look at the first of the ‘ten commandments’ ... “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), and feel quite content ... because we haven’t gone over to worship a different god as such. However such idolatry can be far more subtle than this. Exodus 20 goes on, “you shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath ...”, thus covering everywhere and everything that might be allowed to compete with God (Ex 20:4). We can actually displace God through the “gods” of money, work, career, material possessions, food and drink, or just plain convenience. We can never get, though, from things like this ... what they were never intended to provide!

Then there are the even more subtle areas of idolatry ... (i) family and (ii) country.

(i) In terms of family ... to see our family as our primary focus in an exclusive of all others type way, is to risk missing the needy face of Jesus in others that come along. Jesus radically teaches that our identity is now actually more found with our brothers and sisters in our worshipping faith communities than anywhere else (Mark 3:31-34), and this is where our security and future lies (Mark 10:28-30).

(ii) In terms of country or nationalism ... the way you hear some Americans talk, it sounds like the interests of God and the USA are indivisible (one-and-the-same); whereas the agenda of the Kingdom of God is actually much broader and more far-reaching than any one country’s interests. The Kingdom of God does not endorse any parochial desire to control the world’s resources – quite the opposite! We are first and foremost citizens of heaven, which is an international and intercultural realm (Galatians 3:27-28).

In verses 6 & 7, we read that, by the evidence of their behaviour, these people had forgotten entirely about all the good and liberating things God had done for them, especially when it was needed most; in fact they seem to arrogantly refuse to remember. This is the great God who brought this people out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness into a promised land filled with so much potential. Yet they not only showed ingratitude, but also dishonoured and wasted their inheritance.

Lack of gratitude seems to always lead in a negative direction. Conversely, when we are grateful and thankful to God, this seems to keep us on track. Let us never forget the good and liberating measures God has taken on our behalf. For, when we grow tired of being prayerful and patient before God, we can easily seek and adopt unworthy and unhelpful substitutes for God.

In verse 8, in the line of Jeremiah’s fire were the leaders of these people. Jeremiah charged them with neglecting to first look towards God, thereby failing to know God well enough to provide worthy leadership. They didn’t consult God anymore! Thus they were vulnerable to leading others astray (into error). Leaders in God’ service should always be about the task of encouraging and nurturing a proper response to God (based on a sound personal and Biblical knowledge of God). Proper spirituality should profit humanity!

I look in the mirror each morning and understand my responsibility, a responsibility that often weighs heavily and seems too much to bear (for such a fallible human just like everybody else). Yet under Jesus, we are all priests to each other, servants of all those whose needs (spiritual and otherwise) are put across our path.

In verses 9 to 12, God through Jeremiah speaks about the absurdity of changing gods, especially given how undoubtedly well God had looked after the people of Israel. Yet, despite the absurdity and stupidity of this, that is exactly what God’s people had done. And this probably did not happen all at once – it was not like all of a sudden deciding to support England in the cricket instead of Australia (just because of a momentary superiority, this being another form of treason).

But rather it was actually far more subtle than this – the odd selfish indulgence, the little unthinking decision, a little lie here and there to try to cover up, a new overly-persuasive friend, some quiet shifting of priorities for convenience sake. And then one day we have lost God entirely from our view! As viewed from the heavens (and also from the earth), this is more than just an unfortunate situation ... this is a “shocking” outcome (refer verse 12).

How can we be water-tanks of blessing ... how can we make a positive difference ... how can we reveal the glory of God? These are water-tanks which, rather than trying to defensively store water, would liberally share their contents and be ready again to be re-filled. This would certainly be an alternative vision to the reality that Jeremiah referred to here!!

Well, it’s not going to happen through coming up with our own design!

In verse 13, we read that the people of Israel’s efforts of life-building were referred to by Jeremiah in terms of digging out their own “cisterns” i.e. water-holding-facilities, which turned out to be cracked and useless. These “cisterns” were plastered underground pits where water was stored for use during the dry season. These broken and leaking “cisterns” represent the ‘false’ gods’ often adopted to replace the real God – but also represent how we would look having adopted such a (ludicrous) course of action. The people had in effect replaced Yahweh (as God) with themselves (even despite their full knowledge of their own imperfections).

This would be like me trying to construct my own water-tank in the backyard, without reference to proper design, engineering principles, the basic rudiments of plumbing, and the necessary professional help. It would no doubt leak, not perform properly, waste water, not last very long, and cause no end of stress. To put your water-supply at risk like this, similar to turning away from a faithful God ... would be an act of stupidity. To be water-tanks of blessing in this life we have to be built according to God’s design, with reference to the ‘Holy Instruction Book’, and transformed into the best version of ourselves by the professional expert on the matter – the Holy Spirit.

3. Refreshment

The ancient people of Israel, with some notable exceptions, generally failed to keep to God’s agenda. The religious leadership of Jesus’ time conspired to stick him on a cross. Would any other people group at any other time have done any different or better? Maybe the recent history of the world would suggest not! The politics of the world is still based on gaining and maintaining power; and all this leads to is poverty and violence. This is just so opposite to the Kingdom of God revealed in the New Testament, specifically in Jesus’ teaching. The Kingdom of God, which should be championed by the church, is about serving the needs of others through humility and gentle dealings. The Kingdom of God is about peace-making not position-defending.

This all cannot help but lead one’s mind to John’s Gospel chapter 4. Jesus knew that ‘the woman at the well’ was thirsty, which was the reason she had gone through and endured so many relationships. Check out this narrative again! This poor Samaritan woman was thirsty for true meaningful acceptance, a sense of belonging, knowledge that she was a valuable member of the human community, and a fulfilling spirituality. Jesus said to her, that he could give her “living water”; and that through receiving such “living water”, she would never be spiritually thirsty again. Jesus said, “The water that I will give – will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”.

The recipients of this certainly become water-tanks of blessing!! In fact this sounds more like a giant free-flowing waterfall ending up in a calm and secure dam ... full to capacity ... enough to refresh the whole state for many a year! This is a gift we can firstly receive, and then having received it, give it on to others. Let the living waters flow!! If anyone is thirsty ... anyone ... let them come to Jesus and drink. O let the living waters flow! Let the river of God’s Spirit flow through us ... flow through me!!!

Christmas Messages

2010-12-23T13:27:00.002+11:00

Please note my Christmas messages have been posted below. The Christmas Day 2010 message, which should be read first, and is a little further down, forms the first part, and "The Plot is Foiled" sermon, just below, forms the second part of my thinking this Christmas. Happy Christmas!

"The Plot is Foiled" - a sermon on Matthew 2:1-23

2010-12-23T13:21:00.003+11:00

King Herod was a very bad man – the epitome of a bully. He was insecure, vicious and violent. When Herod heard that the “magi” or “wise men” were looking for someone they referred to as a “King”, naturally all his jealousy and dark side started to come out. To hear the “wise men” say that they wanted to “pay [this child] homage”, meaning worship him, or put themselves under submission to him, this would have sent Herod into an apoplexy!

There was no room for any second king in this paranoid and ruthless man’s world! As well, of course, the Romans, who Herod worked for, wouldn’t like any disruption, and Herod would never want to lose his favour with them. We also read in verse 3 that ‘the people of Jerusalem’ were frightened ... why so? Well no wonder they would be frightened of anything that would get Herod upset! We see later in this chapter what he is capable of!

And we should be shocked at what we read here, for evil leaders over the centuries have continued to commit genocide like this, often without the sort of opposition that should have occurred. People are still seeking to flee from evil leaders like Herod, desperately paying money to unscrupulous people to get into dodgy and ill-equipped boats, facing danger of many kinds, to travel to unknown places, just so that they might simply live; but where they tend to meet antipathy and rejection!

We should not let those ‘citizens of Jerusalem’ off so easy, as if it was not their responsibility to do better in the face of the tyranny of Herod – when they actually should have known their prophets better and been truly excited to hear what the “wise men” were saying. But of course this sort of unresolved ‘fear’ led ‘the people of Jerusalem’ to cry out some thirty-three years later ... “Crucify Him, Crucify Him”! Do we let ourselves off too easy for failing to take God’s mercy for all humanity seriously enough? It’s too costly (we might say)!?!

A plot began to be hatched in the mind of Herod to nip any thought of a rival right in the bud. No effort would be spared to destroy any possible contender for the hearts and minds of his people. The sort of ‘fear’ that Herod experienced was only going to result in violence.

This just raises the question for me again about how we respond to ‘fear’, as the biblical witness gives us such dramatic contrasts as Joseph and Herod! Joseph responded with faith and courage; Herod with self-centredness and brutality. Ironic that the ‘Prince of Peace’ Jesus was so often threatened with violence, and eventually met his (physical) death on a Roman cross. All Jesus was sent to do was fulfil his Heavenly Father’s desire to reconnect humanity with their Creator God; yet from day one Jesus met such concerted and evil opposition.

But there would be the need for three years of ministry, following thirty years of experiencing life as all humans do – so then any early plans to kill Jesus would have to be thwarted.

Herod had cleverly found out the information that the “wise men” needed, and then in conveying that information to the “wise men”, tried to convince them that he too was sincerely interested in knowing the results of their journey ... that he too wished to pay this child ‘king’ homage. What a dastardly liar!

We start to think about whether these sincere and searching “wise men” can see through Herod and discover his evil intentions. How would this occur? The religious leaders in Jerusalem had not been very discerning or loyal ... for they’d told Herod everything he wanted to know (and as such were seen as accomplices to his actions)! Such astronomers/astrologers, as these “wise men” may well have been (at least in part), would unlikely have had the theological skills to work these things out by themselves. There wasn’t any ‘Wiki-leak’ information about Herod, or any mass email to help them discover the truth!

But they had been “wise” enough to follow a ‘Divinely’ provided “star” to a very important destination; and so convinced were they that this was a remarkable moment in time, that they were “overwhelmed with joy”. Would we be good interpreters of this situation? Would we be receptive enough of the “Emmanuel – God with us” before us, to make sense of this picture?? Would we have the closed minds of Jerusalem’s religious leaders or the open and seeking minds of the foreign “wise men” from Persia???

Can we know God’s character well enough to look at each item on the newscast, and say this is where God stands, and this is where evil resides, and this is what I must do, and I will not fear the repercussions! I’m of course mainly visualising that overcrowded boat hitting the rocks at Christmas Island, leading to such tragedy, and thinking how this could have been avoided.

The “wise men” worshipped the Christ Child and gave gifts of extraordinary value. Being under God’s guidance and in a worshipful attitude, these “wise men” were in fact in a place where they could correctly interpret God’s leading and the danger of returning anywhere near Herod. We could say that the wise-men’s initial willingness to respond to the external stimulus of a bright star, led to the required level of openness through which to recognise the internal leading (of a dream). The magi first had the eyes to see – then followed the heart to understand.

So who are those that can foil evil plots? Maybe we see here, that it those who follow God as closely as following a star across the sky, and those who spend time worshipping with the best of everything they have.

The heroic Joseph was totally tuned into God by this time and made sure that this Herod could never get to his son. There are significant moments, like the ones in this passage, that so dramatically affect certain outcomes. Ultimately it was God who overthrew Herod’s plot, but again God chose to use people who were open enough to God’s own leading, and courageous enough to deal with the threatening situations, to participate in changing the course of events.

Let’s have a good look at verse 11:

On entering the house, [the magi] saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid homage [i.e. they worshipped him]. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him [valuable] gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

It was following the guidance of the star and the whole-hearted acts of worship, that the wise men were responsive to the dream that came next.

It is those who look for God in daily events, and dedicate everything they have to him, that will be likely to make a positive difference in the world! It is these that will be in the position to foil any evil activity.

How do you react to this???

The wise men grew in their powers of discernment, starting from the commitment to follow an external star wherever it led, to the internal promptings of the Holy Spirit.

God is everywhere to be seen and to be worshipped. To be so involved with God ... will position us to actually co-operate positively in bringing forward God’s will.

Prayer:

Our loving Parent God in Heaven, Honoured be Your Great Name. May Your Kingdom come; may Your will be done, on Earth as it is already done in Heaven. Give us today enough bread for our current needs; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive all those who have sinned against us. Lead us away from temptation and unnecessary trials; deliver us from all evil. As Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, may we co-operate in delivering others from the evil clutches of those who misuse their assumed power. Help us to follow the light to places where Jesus seeks to serve, and be fully dedicated to serve the cause of Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Christmas Day Message 2010

2010-12-23T11:01:00.003+11:00

The Scripture passage Matthew 1:18-25 describes events leading up to the birth of Jesus. It was verse 20 that captured my attention this year, where the angel said to Joseph, “Do not be afraid ...”! This, for me, describes how, through the coming of Jesus to earth, God has addressed human fear.

Feelings of fear occur through a variety of circumstances – fear of the unknown, fear of illness, fear of impending danger.

Christmas casts out at least another three significant fears that affect human beings. These are:
(i) the fear of what others think,
(ii) the fear of death, and,
(iii) the fear of being alone in life

This is so important, because “fear” of any kind is the enemy of faith. Our living and active faith in God will always be limited by any fear we suffer from and allow to persist. If we want our faith to grow and to flourish, then fear needs to be addressed. For fear makes us withdraw, fear makes us neglect the needs of others, fear impedes us getting involved (including being involved in God’s mission in the world), fear stunts our growth as human beings and Jesus’ followers; and fear may also make us doubt ourselves, others and God – when there is really no need to.

“Fear” is when the anxieties and feelings of alarm within us stop us doing what we want to do or know we should be doing. “Fear” stops us taking adventurous risks (which quite often is what the Jesus-following life is actually all about)! “Fear” will also tend to stop us discovering all of what God has for us in life. For example,

(i) If Joseph had let fear control him, being too worried about what others would think, then Mary, at the very least, would have been left destitute and vulnerable and on the margins of society. If Joseph had caved in to the potential sneers of his community, this would have lost Joseph his very important role in history.

(ii) To fear the feeling of being alone in life sets us up to being exploited by every person we come into contact with, because we are so desperate for their approval and company. We need to be so freed from such fear, that when we interact with others, we do so not because we depend upon their approval, but rather because we enjoy a healthy sense of our own value, and know that we can make a strong social contribution. People who are addicted to the approval of others eventually destroy themselves.

(iii) To fear death suffocates life. We would be so concerned with an unknown future that we lose the joy and the possibilities of the present. The reason why we are generally not given glimpses of the future – is that they would lessen our very important focus on the present moment.

God has answered our tendency to fear in each of these areas ... through the gift of Jesus ... the miracle of the first Christmas. How so???

(i) Firstly, the fear of what others think:

The world may seem very chaotic at certain times, and our lives can often seem so out of control. Joseph had one real moment like this. Joseph, who was no doubt planning a fairly normal marriage with Mary, with a normal family life, was suddenly thrown a very major curve-ball that threw everything asunder. Joseph’s great dreams for the future suddenly turn into a nightmare (or so it seemed)!

We can all take a look at the film “The Nativity Story” (Scene 11) on this.

We can only but imagine Joseph’s reaction to finding Mary pregnant. For Mary was betrothed to him, a marriage in waiting, just the formalities to come. Joseph would have initially felt so betrayed, deep in pain and confusion. He wasn’t the father, so who was? What would he do with Mary? Now, this incredible story about the baby being conceived through the Holy Spirit! What was he to do now?

Normally a man who is faced with his betrothed becoming pregnant to another man would publicly shun her as an adulterer (and leave her for dead). But Joseph, showing his caring character, and his strong love for Mary, would just dismiss Mary quietly ... to lessen her public shame and humiliation.

Well ... that was until his nightmare situation was turned completely around by a dream (which was conveying a Divine communication). So, this was not an unwanted pregnancy created through a moment of immorality. This was an intervention of God into human need.

And as God knows what he is doing, we never need to fear (in the sense of being scared of) that which God is doing. Rather we can be in awe of God’s gracefulness (over and over again).

Joseph himself heard from God that, “the child conceived in [Mary] was from the Holy Spirit”. Then Joseph received instructions about naming Jesus which indicated adopting Jesus as his own son.

Joseph is heroic in doing exactly what God called him to do. Joseph decides not to worry what others will think and say, because God has got this covered. Joseph will do the unconventional counter-cultural thing that God requires of him. When confronted by the Divine Word concerning God’s involvement in Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph went ahead and planned to formalise his marriage to Mary (in absolute obedience to God).

Now this would of course have suggested to the gossip-mongers that Joseph himself had inappropriately brought about the pregnancy, and Joseph would have understandably been concerned about such talk, even been afraid whether his reputation and good standing in the community would ever recover. The angel had anticipated in verse 20 that Joseph would have to work through a measure of fear. And this he does! Joseph actually goes on to publicly affirm his role as the human father of the new child through the act of personally naming him ... “and he named him Jesus” [which forms the culmination of this passage – v.25].

There is now no fear in the heart and mind of Joseph. The Holy Spirit has acted and Joseph has followed the Word of God to him. Even if Joseph has to cop a bit of flack along the way, he knows for sure that he is on the victory side.

When God calls us into dangerous territory (which might only mean sharing our faith with our neighbour), God has got the outcome covered. God has got our back, as he had Joseph’s back.

(ii) A human being fears death, because often they don’t know what lies beyond physical death. This is because they have never learnt what lies behind life itself. What lies behind life is God’s desire to have a relationship with each person born. This desire is so strong, and so foundational, that God sent Jesus into the world to bring about salvation for those who had become lost. And this of course, in one way or another, is all of us.

Any fear of death though has been addressed by the promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life in God’s keeping. This promise is contained in the very name of Jesus, meaning ‘God is salvation’. All Israel’s hopes and all humanity’s need have been addressed at the place of Jesus’ birth – Jesus will do all that is needed for people to be able to reconnect with God. Accept the gift of Jesus and receive salvation.

Death has no power over those who acknowledge the name “Jesus – God is Salvation”. Yes, Jesus lived and died 2000 years ago. Yet Jesus is the Son of God, and was raised by God and lives today to guide all his followers through daily living.

(iii) And, Jesus truly can be our best friend. So, there is no need to fear that feeling of being alone in life when we have Jesus so close. We can still desire human company, but this reality is cushioned somewhat by Jesus' presence; and also through our relationship with Jesus, we have increased opportunities of Christian support.

The prophet Isaiah foresaw that the Messiah that God would send would also be known as Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us”. This is a personal caring comforting God that gives life meaning and purpose. Yet to truly deal with any fear of being alone in life, we will still need to practice a real consciousness of Jesus’ presence.

To do this we will need to picture Jesus with us in the situations we are in ... at the family meal table (where there might be some tension happening), at the work team meeting (where everyone doesn’t agree), in the interview room (where nerves are on edge), at the doctor’s surgery (where concerns are very real). We can also picture Jesus in these places and at these times ... giving us encouragement (‘you’re doing alright!’); and bringing us calm, restraint, fresh clarity, and new ideas.

Being in Jesus’ presence allows his beauty, love and peace to rub off on us.

So if you are often frightened or have a tendency to worry, Christmas has the answer ... an answer that can last all year long. The Gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus – “Emmanuel ... God with us”, and concludes in the same vain – with Jesus promising his disciples that he would be with them always ... right until the end of the age (28:20).

God’s own Holy Spirit has conceived a baby who is Jesus – who will bring grace that addresses guilt and shame, and provide an ongoing presence that guides us into truth and hope. We will also know that the Holy Spirit dwells with us, making us far less likely to worry about the critical and negative judgements of others. There was probably unbelieving whispers around Joseph for the rest of his life, but Joseph knew that with Jesus in his life ... there is nothing left to fear!

Prayer:

Living God, when our dreams turn into a nightmare,
Help us to stay calm.
Lord Jesus, when death seems a reality too much to bear,
Come and rescue us from our sins.
Holy Spirit, when we are suffering a time of desolation,
Speak to us in our dreams.
Blessed Trinity, give us the courage to follow where you are leading;
And give us the grace to cope with the stigmas of being your disciple.