Year A Second Sunday of Advent 5 December 2010
Isaiah 11: 1-10 Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19 Romans 15: 4-13 Matthew 3: 1-12
Isaiah 11: 1-3 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;”
Way back in the time of Isaiah there was this prophecy about the coming Messiah who would come from the ancestral line of Jesse (ie King David). I have been wondering lately why God so often promised things which took such a long time to be fulfilled. To some extent we need to know that there is a plan and that God has good things in store for us, but the waiting is certainly painful and many times the majority give up before the promise is fulfilled.
A promise gives us direction and defines our path. A young friend of mine (who is on the list of those receiving this reflection), has just recently become engaged. She and her boyfriend were very particular about their “dating”. They only “dated” with the prospect of their relationship being discerned in the context of marriage. No doubt they’d been enjoying their life as a young couple, both involved in career studies, but since they have become engaged their life has taken a definite turn. Their journey now is less of discernment and more of preparation for the reality of their life within the marriage covenant.
In a similar way God gave a word of promise. In our journey of faith, we need these promises to shape our paths and give our faith direction. We are believers and accept that Christ died to save us from our sin, but we need to remember that there is a promise from God that Christ will come again.
I really do feel that many of us have forgotten the promise. We accept the sacrifice of Jesus and are baptised but as far as our faith life taking a definite direction, it is more like poorly trained child swimmers striving to tread water. We splash about and sometimes make a bit of noise but we don’t seem to have a direction or a purpose. Honestly, can you see this in your own life?
It isn’t that we don’t have a sound faith – we do, but we need to remember the promises of God and let them shape our lives.
Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
We need to be reading our Bibles and become familiar with the promises of God. These things have been carefully recorded and, as it says in Romans, they are written to teach us. The letter to the Romans was written in times when Christians were being persecuted and put to death in very cruel ways. These Christians need to be encouraged to have hope. They were enabled to endure all their sufferings because their life had direction and purpose in Christ and hope in the promises of God.
Matthew 3:1- 1 “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
John the Baptist was one who proclaimed the promise of God. Although many were still hoping in the coming of the Messiah, I would imagine that there were some who may have given up believing that a Messiah was ever going to come. Then at that point in history along comes John to remind them all. He calls them to repent – why? because many of them were like poorly trained child swimmers treading water. They were people of faith but their lives had lost focus and direction – which is why John’s message involves exhorting them to make straight paths in preparation for the Lord.
The message is the same for us. We now look toward Christ’s 2nd coming and he has been a long time coming. We’ve become so absorbed by the doctrines of the world that we’ve lost focus on the absolute truth of God. It doesn’t matter how popular the worldly way of thinking maybe, it will lead to death. We need to hear the reality, “Christ will come again”.
When Christ does come will you stand without fear as his wrath invades the land? Will you walk a path that you know is God’s will? John warned the Sadducees and Pharisees about the coming wrath.... and yet I suspect this message is as much for end times as it was for them personally. This is what he says to them: Matthew 3:7 “ But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”
The message is that we cannot rely on our traditions or heritage to save us. We can’t just say that “we are Christians”. We need to know that Christ dwells in us and that we are lead by the Holy Spirit.
By the Holy Spirit we are taught to have an attitude of Christ. In each of our readings we learn a bit about the attitude of Christ. From Isaiah and the Psalm we learn that Christ is wise and understanding. He judges not by what he hears and sees but with righteousness. He judges in favour of the poor and needy and cares for those who are the weak. Our 2nd reading exhorts us to accept one another just as Christ accepted us.... there is a lot of sacrificial love in that.
Our Gospel reading from Matthew tells us that it is Jesus who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. This is the same Holy Spirit, which if we will allow his work in our lives, will encourage us with hope. This hope in the promise of God and the encouragement that it gives empowers us to endure. And so finally...... we need to live our lives in the reality of the promises of God. This means we need to prepare.
Like John the Baptist we have a message to proclaim. “Prepare the way for the Lord”. We need to proclaim it to ourselves, to each other and to those outside the Church.
The purpose of God in revealing his promises is to encourage us in hope so that we can endure through all that may happen in the meantime, but it is also to remind us to prepare. Prepare the way for the Lord – make straight paths for him!
Romans 15:13 “ 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Reflection on readings 28 November 2010
Year A First Sunday of Advent 28 November 2010
Isaiah 2: 1-5 Psalm 122 Romans 13: 11-14 Matthew 24: 36-44
Are we there yet? Yes and almost! Kind of like when you travel to a town and reach the outskirts and you can say, “We’re here”, but you keep driving because there is more until you reach your final destination.
Imagine if you set off on a very long journey and before you reached the end you gave up????? Pretty futile! We need to ensure this is not the story of our faith.
Romans 13: 12 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
Advent is the name of the Church season leading up to Christmas and comes from the Latin word adventus meaning "Coming". For the last few weeks the readings have been heading in the direction of Advent and reminding us to look towards Christ’s second coming. Finally we have reached Advent.... Yes we have arrived but we are still almost there.... The night is nearly over and the day is almost here.
Sometimes when you start thinking about the things of God you can get into quite a head spin. How can we have arrived but not be there yet? We are at once living in the promise of God and the reality of the Good News, but yet we are not fully experiencing it. There is a Spiritual reality that tells us that Jesus has saved us and with our sins being forgiven, we are united to God, and yet in our physical bodies we realize that we struggle and experience feelings of separation from God.... though scripture tells us that nothing can separate us.
There will be a time when our union with Christ will be complete. Our season of Advent is reminding us of this reality. As humans we are bound to experience God and be filled with faith on one day and the next day we find ourselves to be faithless as we walk in the reality of the harsh world around us. Jesus exhorts us to always be ready because the day he comes back will be like a thief in the night.
Our lives are often like the person who tries to do all the right things to protect their home and so installs burglar alarms. As time goes on the batteries go flat..... Our spiritual batteries often go flat also... even at a time such as Christmas... and sometimes especially at a time such as Christmas.
After Joe died I did some internet searching and found a site for widows. I found it helpful to hear from others going through similar experiences. At the moment the conversation seems to be around the dread of facing Christmas with the reality of a lost spouse. I understand what they are saying and yet I know that the Christmas message is especially for those who are in any way feeling loss, hurt and loneliness. Jesus coming into the world is the fulfilment of a promise which brings comfort and great joy when we fully understand it. It is the promise of a restored relationship with God, and in that we have hope in, and assurance of eternal life.
Our readings all point to a time to come; a time of promise. Those of us who have been hurting need this message so badly, and to know that God does promise something better. As with all such prophecies there are layers of fulfilment. God’s promise of coming was accomplished in the original Christmas. At the time of our realization of God’s gift of salvation is another “coming” of Christ. At the time of our death is yet again another personal “coming” of Christ and finally there is the proclaimed second coming of Christ which we proclaim when we say, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again”.
Matthew 24: 37, 38 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;”
Daily life carries on. It isn’t that these things should cease, but that within them we should be aware of our message of hope. Our lives should bear witness to the reality of Christ’s coming in our lives and the promise of him coming to our world. Noah had a family who ate, drank and married, but central to and alongside all that, he built an ark.
Someone asked me only today whether God was central to my life or just a part of it. God must be central, all other activities happen as part of what life is but Christ is our life.
If, upon reflection, you have discovered that your spiritual batteries are low, what do you need to do to charge them? We in North Queensland know well the concept of preparation and also how we can become nonchalant. We are reminded each cyclone season to prepare by cleaning up and stocking up on water, batteries and non-perishable food. It’s much better to actually be constantly prepared, rather than getting caught out.
I have a clock that is mounted on a wooden plaque... ironically the clock batteries are flat and the clock doesn’t work (but it is correct twice a day!!!!). The plaque has the words on it, “Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose today and is coming again tomorrow.” This really is a good message for the readings this week, although the message is bigger than this... and better.
We are reminded this week that God has a glorious promise;
Isaiah 2:3-5 “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”
It is obvious that we don’t see this promise in our world yet, but we do look forward to it.... however, please note the last line: “Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” We are the descendants of Jacob by the spirit of God and we need to walk in the light of the Lord. We need to be awake to the ways of God and walking in them.
Romans 13:11-14 “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe your selves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
The reading speaks of clothing ourselves with Christ. We have Christ alive within us, but as our human nature wars with the law of God within us we need to wear the life of Jesus as a garment. We need to assume his way of peace and his attitude. Though keep in mind he didn’t let people mistreat the things of God and even used a whip in the temple.
We charge our spiritual batteries by being at Church and in Bible study. We need the help of each other to encourage us. We can’t “clothe ourselves with Christ” unless we know him. So, set that alarm. This is vital. We do not know when Christ will come.... or just come to take us, so let us properly prepare for his coming and then turn our preparation into a habit that we keep so as to be always ready.
I read a story about a school principal who spoke to a class and offered a prize to the child who kept their desk clean and said he’d do a surprise inspection. He delayed his visit and every child but one had fallen back into messy habits. The one child was ridiculed and told that it was just a trick and that the principal would not come back. Near the end of term the principal arrived and was met with many excuses.... blaming the teacher for not reminding them, blaming the principal for taking too long etc... but of course the one child received the well deserved prize. That child turned a preparation exercise into a habit and attitude of being ever ready.
So... perhaps that particular brand of battery should be a symbol and reminder for us... the “ever ready”!
Isaiah 2: 1-5 Psalm 122 Romans 13: 11-14 Matthew 24: 36-44
Are we there yet? Yes and almost! Kind of like when you travel to a town and reach the outskirts and you can say, “We’re here”, but you keep driving because there is more until you reach your final destination.
Imagine if you set off on a very long journey and before you reached the end you gave up????? Pretty futile! We need to ensure this is not the story of our faith.
Romans 13: 12 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
Advent is the name of the Church season leading up to Christmas and comes from the Latin word adventus meaning "Coming". For the last few weeks the readings have been heading in the direction of Advent and reminding us to look towards Christ’s second coming. Finally we have reached Advent.... Yes we have arrived but we are still almost there.... The night is nearly over and the day is almost here.
Sometimes when you start thinking about the things of God you can get into quite a head spin. How can we have arrived but not be there yet? We are at once living in the promise of God and the reality of the Good News, but yet we are not fully experiencing it. There is a Spiritual reality that tells us that Jesus has saved us and with our sins being forgiven, we are united to God, and yet in our physical bodies we realize that we struggle and experience feelings of separation from God.... though scripture tells us that nothing can separate us.
There will be a time when our union with Christ will be complete. Our season of Advent is reminding us of this reality. As humans we are bound to experience God and be filled with faith on one day and the next day we find ourselves to be faithless as we walk in the reality of the harsh world around us. Jesus exhorts us to always be ready because the day he comes back will be like a thief in the night.
Our lives are often like the person who tries to do all the right things to protect their home and so installs burglar alarms. As time goes on the batteries go flat..... Our spiritual batteries often go flat also... even at a time such as Christmas... and sometimes especially at a time such as Christmas.
After Joe died I did some internet searching and found a site for widows. I found it helpful to hear from others going through similar experiences. At the moment the conversation seems to be around the dread of facing Christmas with the reality of a lost spouse. I understand what they are saying and yet I know that the Christmas message is especially for those who are in any way feeling loss, hurt and loneliness. Jesus coming into the world is the fulfilment of a promise which brings comfort and great joy when we fully understand it. It is the promise of a restored relationship with God, and in that we have hope in, and assurance of eternal life.
Our readings all point to a time to come; a time of promise. Those of us who have been hurting need this message so badly, and to know that God does promise something better. As with all such prophecies there are layers of fulfilment. God’s promise of coming was accomplished in the original Christmas. At the time of our realization of God’s gift of salvation is another “coming” of Christ. At the time of our death is yet again another personal “coming” of Christ and finally there is the proclaimed second coming of Christ which we proclaim when we say, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again”.
Matthew 24: 37, 38 “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;”
Daily life carries on. It isn’t that these things should cease, but that within them we should be aware of our message of hope. Our lives should bear witness to the reality of Christ’s coming in our lives and the promise of him coming to our world. Noah had a family who ate, drank and married, but central to and alongside all that, he built an ark.
Someone asked me only today whether God was central to my life or just a part of it. God must be central, all other activities happen as part of what life is but Christ is our life.
If, upon reflection, you have discovered that your spiritual batteries are low, what do you need to do to charge them? We in North Queensland know well the concept of preparation and also how we can become nonchalant. We are reminded each cyclone season to prepare by cleaning up and stocking up on water, batteries and non-perishable food. It’s much better to actually be constantly prepared, rather than getting caught out.
I have a clock that is mounted on a wooden plaque... ironically the clock batteries are flat and the clock doesn’t work (but it is correct twice a day!!!!). The plaque has the words on it, “Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose today and is coming again tomorrow.” This really is a good message for the readings this week, although the message is bigger than this... and better.
We are reminded this week that God has a glorious promise;
Isaiah 2:3-5 “He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”
It is obvious that we don’t see this promise in our world yet, but we do look forward to it.... however, please note the last line: “Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.” We are the descendants of Jacob by the spirit of God and we need to walk in the light of the Lord. We need to be awake to the ways of God and walking in them.
Romans 13:11-14 “And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe your selves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”
The reading speaks of clothing ourselves with Christ. We have Christ alive within us, but as our human nature wars with the law of God within us we need to wear the life of Jesus as a garment. We need to assume his way of peace and his attitude. Though keep in mind he didn’t let people mistreat the things of God and even used a whip in the temple.
We charge our spiritual batteries by being at Church and in Bible study. We need the help of each other to encourage us. We can’t “clothe ourselves with Christ” unless we know him. So, set that alarm. This is vital. We do not know when Christ will come.... or just come to take us, so let us properly prepare for his coming and then turn our preparation into a habit that we keep so as to be always ready.
I read a story about a school principal who spoke to a class and offered a prize to the child who kept their desk clean and said he’d do a surprise inspection. He delayed his visit and every child but one had fallen back into messy habits. The one child was ridiculed and told that it was just a trick and that the principal would not come back. Near the end of term the principal arrived and was met with many excuses.... blaming the teacher for not reminding them, blaming the principal for taking too long etc... but of course the one child received the well deserved prize. That child turned a preparation exercise into a habit and attitude of being ever ready.
So... perhaps that particular brand of battery should be a symbol and reminder for us... the “ever ready”!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Reflection for 21 November 2010
Year C Proper 21 - Reign of Christ 21 November 2010
Jeremiah 23: 1-6 Luke 1: 68-79 Colossians 1: 11-20 Luke 23: 33-43
Once upon a long time ago, people were waiting for the promised salvation of God. Then Jesus came and he was often not recognised for who he was and he was rejected by the very same people who were eager for his coming.
This week’s readings celebrate the reign of Christ. We look towards a time when Jesus is King over all and his kingdom ...on earth as it is in heaven. But is it possible that we have fallen into the same trap as the ancient people? Are we looking forward to something while not recognising what it is that we have right here?
Jesus will come again in glory, but for each of us we have a personal responsibility to respond to Christ right now. He already reigns and should have reign and kingship over our lives – but he gave us free will and waits for us to freely serve him.
We read in the Gospel that Jesus uses the word “today”. Luke 1:42,43 “ Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” We are God’s people today and Christ is our King today, but do our lives bear witness to this reality?
The place that Christ holds has to be different in our lives from those who believe that Jesus was a “good bloke”. There are plenty who hold to this and believe his teachings to be good and wise, but they aren’t the Church. As Church and therefore, the body of Christ we need to say, “Jesus, I will accept your will and your wish is my command....” that is the attitude of the servants of a king.
Colossians shows us that this is no ordinary “good bloke” that we are serving: Colossians 1:18-20 “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Anyone who claims to be the body of Christ – part of the Church and yet denies the deity of Christ is NOT part of Christ’s body.
Within Jesus the fullness of God dwells. He is God. But is he the kind of king who would demand hard things from us and treat us cruelly? You know sometimes we think that he is, but we should know better. This is Jesus who made peace for us - between us and God – by shedding his blood on the cross. There is nothing Jesus asks of us that he hasn’t done for us more so. Christ died for us and yet we have trouble with seemingly simple things like forgiving others.
Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We have been forgiven much and are asked to do the same with others.
As servants of our God - our King we are also given responsibility and this responsibility comes to us not just as servants but as the royal children of God. I noticed on the news tonight that Prince William has gone to visit the troops in Iraq. This is one of the duties that befall a person of royalty. In the words of Spiderman; “with great power comes great responsibility”.
We are inheritors of this heavenly kingdom along with Christ and we have an amazing privilege through Christ’s sacrifice, of undeserved favour with God, who strengthens and gifts us; Colossians 1: 11,12 “ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”
As inheritors of this Kingdom we are called to prepare for Christs coming. We prepare others and ourselves for his glorious second coming, but we also need to prepare the way for others to meet Christ personally. That is, to bring others into this same relationship of privilege. In many ways, and especially at this time of year, we align ourselves with the mission that was given to John the Baptist – to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
Luke 1:76 “76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God,...”
Like it or not we have a responsibility and we need to heed the warning from our first reading, because as the body of Christ, we all are in some form called to be shepherd of God’s flock: Jeremiah 23:1,2 1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD.
It begs the question; Did the people know they were leading people astray? Did the Pharisees of Jesus time know that they were encouraging people to reject Jesus? I believe that many of them thought they were serving God in what they were doing – St. Paul being a prime example as he persecuted the Church thinking that he was protecting the faith in doing so. So, in this case, how can we know that we are walking in the way that God wants and doing his perfect will?
The answer is simple: Allow Jesus to be King in our lives. When we do this and consciously surrender our will to his then we will be led by his Holy Spirit. Christianity is a living relationship. Where other religions may have set structures and methods, we know that there is nothing we can do to earn our way into God’s “good books” – we are there already because of Jesus. He has given his Holy Spirit and promised to be with us always. It is only right that we make him the ruler of our lives – to do anything else is to deny reality.
Colossians1: 15 - 20 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Jeremiah 23: 1-6 Luke 1: 68-79 Colossians 1: 11-20 Luke 23: 33-43
Once upon a long time ago, people were waiting for the promised salvation of God. Then Jesus came and he was often not recognised for who he was and he was rejected by the very same people who were eager for his coming.
This week’s readings celebrate the reign of Christ. We look towards a time when Jesus is King over all and his kingdom ...on earth as it is in heaven. But is it possible that we have fallen into the same trap as the ancient people? Are we looking forward to something while not recognising what it is that we have right here?
Jesus will come again in glory, but for each of us we have a personal responsibility to respond to Christ right now. He already reigns and should have reign and kingship over our lives – but he gave us free will and waits for us to freely serve him.
We read in the Gospel that Jesus uses the word “today”. Luke 1:42,43 “ Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” We are God’s people today and Christ is our King today, but do our lives bear witness to this reality?
The place that Christ holds has to be different in our lives from those who believe that Jesus was a “good bloke”. There are plenty who hold to this and believe his teachings to be good and wise, but they aren’t the Church. As Church and therefore, the body of Christ we need to say, “Jesus, I will accept your will and your wish is my command....” that is the attitude of the servants of a king.
Colossians shows us that this is no ordinary “good bloke” that we are serving: Colossians 1:18-20 “And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Anyone who claims to be the body of Christ – part of the Church and yet denies the deity of Christ is NOT part of Christ’s body.
Within Jesus the fullness of God dwells. He is God. But is he the kind of king who would demand hard things from us and treat us cruelly? You know sometimes we think that he is, but we should know better. This is Jesus who made peace for us - between us and God – by shedding his blood on the cross. There is nothing Jesus asks of us that he hasn’t done for us more so. Christ died for us and yet we have trouble with seemingly simple things like forgiving others.
Luke 23:34 “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” We have been forgiven much and are asked to do the same with others.
As servants of our God - our King we are also given responsibility and this responsibility comes to us not just as servants but as the royal children of God. I noticed on the news tonight that Prince William has gone to visit the troops in Iraq. This is one of the duties that befall a person of royalty. In the words of Spiderman; “with great power comes great responsibility”.
We are inheritors of this heavenly kingdom along with Christ and we have an amazing privilege through Christ’s sacrifice, of undeserved favour with God, who strengthens and gifts us; Colossians 1: 11,12 “ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”
As inheritors of this Kingdom we are called to prepare for Christs coming. We prepare others and ourselves for his glorious second coming, but we also need to prepare the way for others to meet Christ personally. That is, to bring others into this same relationship of privilege. In many ways, and especially at this time of year, we align ourselves with the mission that was given to John the Baptist – to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord.
Luke 1:76 “76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God,...”
Like it or not we have a responsibility and we need to heed the warning from our first reading, because as the body of Christ, we all are in some form called to be shepherd of God’s flock: Jeremiah 23:1,2 1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD.
It begs the question; Did the people know they were leading people astray? Did the Pharisees of Jesus time know that they were encouraging people to reject Jesus? I believe that many of them thought they were serving God in what they were doing – St. Paul being a prime example as he persecuted the Church thinking that he was protecting the faith in doing so. So, in this case, how can we know that we are walking in the way that God wants and doing his perfect will?
The answer is simple: Allow Jesus to be King in our lives. When we do this and consciously surrender our will to his then we will be led by his Holy Spirit. Christianity is a living relationship. Where other religions may have set structures and methods, we know that there is nothing we can do to earn our way into God’s “good books” – we are there already because of Jesus. He has given his Holy Spirit and promised to be with us always. It is only right that we make him the ruler of our lives – to do anything else is to deny reality.
Colossians1: 15 - 20 “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Monday, November 8, 2010
refecton on readings for 14th November 2010
Year C Proper 28 14 November 2010
Isaiah 65: 17-25 Isaiah 12 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13 Luke 21: 5-19
A lady about to give birth will remind herself that a new child, a new life is about to come into being. This is the focus of her attention which will keep her enduring throughout the labour. At the beginning of our first reading is the reminder of where we need to focus our attention. Isaiah 65:17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. ”
This week, the readings continue God’s encouragement to His people, along with warnings of the things that will happen along the way. These warnings prepare us and help us endure, much in the same way as a lady having her second child can endure due to the knowledge gained from her first born.....
Luke 21:10-12 “ 10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.”
A warning is also given that we will be betrayed by friends and family. While persecutions from the outside are bad enough it is these betrayals that really hurt. In fact, it is in these times of persecution, hurt and betrayal that we might feel as if our “Temple” has crumbled. We feel that the secure world we once knew has been destroyed and we really don’t know where to turn.
Do not be deceived. This is the warning that we heard last week, and again this week the same warning is sounded.
I can remember someone once saying that when God says “do not be afraid”, you can bet there are circumstances which are very frightening, and so the warning to not be deceived should not be taken lightly.
Luke 21:8 “He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.”
Over the centuries many cult leaders have risen up and led people away. Sometimes the people they lead astray are those who have no understanding of the Gospel, but the more dangerous leader is the one who stays close to the Gospel message and then just puts their own little spin on it.
Often times I hear people speak about supernatural things and it seems that when people believe in the supernatural they the take this as being the truth. People equate the supernatural with the work of God. But there are deceptive spirits that will also perform supernatural signs. When we are feeling lost and hurt we are particularly vulnerable to these deceptions, as we search for something that seems real and gives a sense of comfort.
We have so many shows on television with supernatural themes and I mostly refuse to watch them. The reason being, that they show a way that things work in the supernatural realm which is different from the truth. I don’t want to be confused about the spiritual realm and only want to get information from the Bible so that I can understand things in a way that is true – and not deceptive. As the old computer term goes: Garbage in, garbage out. So I try not to let more garbage in than is necessary. We need to be diligent in searching out for truth in the Bible and not from other sources.
Shakespeare understood the concept of deception well when in Macbeth he writes into the words of the character Banquo: “But ‘tis strange and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence.” "Macbeth", Act 1 scene 3
Jesus tells us that many will come in his name, claiming to be him and declaring a time of prophetic fulfilment. The problem is that the prophecy that they proclaim is the same one that Jesus proclaims in our Gospel. Jesus tells his listeners that the end will come and the signs will be wars, earthquakes and many others that we’ve been hearing quite a lot about lately.
The time is not the important aspect of our Gospel reading, and to be concerned with exact interpretation sometimes just causes us to focus on the sidelines instead of the game. I play basketball and the score board is visible and has its place.... we glance at it for the score and remaining time, but I don’t take too much notice because I’m there to play the game... I try to play as well as I can and take each moment as it happens, concentrating on defence, getting possession of the ball and getting it into the ring – all the aspects of actually playing the game. The time of the end should not make a difference to us and how we are living. We need to always be living and walking in the Spirit of God, always allowing God to direct us.
Jesus comforts us in the Gospel reading by telling us not to worry about how we will defend ourselves when we are under persecution because we have faith in Jesus: Luke 21:12-18 “ 12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Jesus tells us that he will give us words and wisdom. He gives this to us through his gift of the Holy Spirit. All believers have access to this but many of us don’t understand or rely on it. How often have you had a discussion with someone and then gone home and thought of all the things you should have said and wished you did say?
It truly is comforting to know that God is in control and will bring to mind the exact right words for the time and situation. The right words are given simply by asking for them and trusting that God has given them. The Holy Spirit can make seemingly simply words have a powerful effect. It is not just what we say – we can use eloquent words and they will not necessarily penetrate the understanding or heart of the hearer.
Throughout the readings we are encouraged to have a future vision. We need to know that God has something wonderful planned for us. Knowing God and his love for us and being secure in this we can press on. Our security needs to be in God alone and our relationship with him, because – as many who’ve experiences tragedies can testify, all else in our world can be shaken.
Luke 21: 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Isaiah 65: 17-25 Isaiah 12 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-13 Luke 21: 5-19
A lady about to give birth will remind herself that a new child, a new life is about to come into being. This is the focus of her attention which will keep her enduring throughout the labour. At the beginning of our first reading is the reminder of where we need to focus our attention. Isaiah 65:17 “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. ”
This week, the readings continue God’s encouragement to His people, along with warnings of the things that will happen along the way. These warnings prepare us and help us endure, much in the same way as a lady having her second child can endure due to the knowledge gained from her first born.....
Luke 21:10-12 “ 10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.”
A warning is also given that we will be betrayed by friends and family. While persecutions from the outside are bad enough it is these betrayals that really hurt. In fact, it is in these times of persecution, hurt and betrayal that we might feel as if our “Temple” has crumbled. We feel that the secure world we once knew has been destroyed and we really don’t know where to turn.
Do not be deceived. This is the warning that we heard last week, and again this week the same warning is sounded.
I can remember someone once saying that when God says “do not be afraid”, you can bet there are circumstances which are very frightening, and so the warning to not be deceived should not be taken lightly.
Luke 21:8 “He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.”
Over the centuries many cult leaders have risen up and led people away. Sometimes the people they lead astray are those who have no understanding of the Gospel, but the more dangerous leader is the one who stays close to the Gospel message and then just puts their own little spin on it.
Often times I hear people speak about supernatural things and it seems that when people believe in the supernatural they the take this as being the truth. People equate the supernatural with the work of God. But there are deceptive spirits that will also perform supernatural signs. When we are feeling lost and hurt we are particularly vulnerable to these deceptions, as we search for something that seems real and gives a sense of comfort.
We have so many shows on television with supernatural themes and I mostly refuse to watch them. The reason being, that they show a way that things work in the supernatural realm which is different from the truth. I don’t want to be confused about the spiritual realm and only want to get information from the Bible so that I can understand things in a way that is true – and not deceptive. As the old computer term goes: Garbage in, garbage out. So I try not to let more garbage in than is necessary. We need to be diligent in searching out for truth in the Bible and not from other sources.
Shakespeare understood the concept of deception well when in Macbeth he writes into the words of the character Banquo: “But ‘tis strange and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence.” "Macbeth", Act 1 scene 3
Jesus tells us that many will come in his name, claiming to be him and declaring a time of prophetic fulfilment. The problem is that the prophecy that they proclaim is the same one that Jesus proclaims in our Gospel. Jesus tells his listeners that the end will come and the signs will be wars, earthquakes and many others that we’ve been hearing quite a lot about lately.
The time is not the important aspect of our Gospel reading, and to be concerned with exact interpretation sometimes just causes us to focus on the sidelines instead of the game. I play basketball and the score board is visible and has its place.... we glance at it for the score and remaining time, but I don’t take too much notice because I’m there to play the game... I try to play as well as I can and take each moment as it happens, concentrating on defence, getting possession of the ball and getting it into the ring – all the aspects of actually playing the game. The time of the end should not make a difference to us and how we are living. We need to always be living and walking in the Spirit of God, always allowing God to direct us.
Jesus comforts us in the Gospel reading by telling us not to worry about how we will defend ourselves when we are under persecution because we have faith in Jesus: Luke 21:12-18 “ 12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Jesus tells us that he will give us words and wisdom. He gives this to us through his gift of the Holy Spirit. All believers have access to this but many of us don’t understand or rely on it. How often have you had a discussion with someone and then gone home and thought of all the things you should have said and wished you did say?
It truly is comforting to know that God is in control and will bring to mind the exact right words for the time and situation. The right words are given simply by asking for them and trusting that God has given them. The Holy Spirit can make seemingly simply words have a powerful effect. It is not just what we say – we can use eloquent words and they will not necessarily penetrate the understanding or heart of the hearer.
Throughout the readings we are encouraged to have a future vision. We need to know that God has something wonderful planned for us. Knowing God and his love for us and being secure in this we can press on. Our security needs to be in God alone and our relationship with him, because – as many who’ve experiences tragedies can testify, all else in our world can be shaken.
Luke 21: 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Monday, November 1, 2010
reflection 7th of November 2010
Year C Proper 27 7 November 2010
Haggai 1:15b - 2:9 Psalm 145: 1-5, 17-21 OR Psalm 98
2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17 Luke 20: 27-38
The year seems to be gathering speed as it is on its downward spiral to the end and everyone is so busy at this time year. Our church year is also almost once again at that point where we think about the coming of Christ. And so our readings for this week have a sense of looking behind, looking at what is and reminding us what is to come.
“Ah, the good old days.....!” We all have a tendency to look back to a time when things were better. The people of the prophet Haggai’s day were no different. They had a lot to remember... This is the nation that God had miraculously rescued from Egypt. This nation had been hand fed by God who provided Manna in the desert.
Do you remember back to a time of God’s provision? You know, as I wrote that last line I was reminded that I knew Joe was my “manna in the desert”. We all have times where we sensed all was in God’s hands and with God’s blessing – although we may not have realised or appreciated it at the time – when we look back we know that there was something good and now it is gone.....
This brings us to our present. Where are we at now?
The people of Haggai’s time had seen the glory of the Temple which now lay in ruins. This was the embodiment of their faith. Their faith in God was once the glory of their nation.... it was what set them apart from the other nations. They were a people who performed great feats not by their strength or cunning but by their faith in God. Now the embodiment of their faith, the temple was in ruins and so was their reputation as a nation who served the living God.
We the Church have had our reputation bruised, battered and reduced to rubble. We have leaders taken to court; we have terrible things going on among the people. We have power struggles and we no longer have God as the centre of our faith, as often we have put ourselves as the leader of our faith instead of Christ. How many of us are truly making Jesus the Lord, king and ruler of our lives? Our faith is in shattered pieces. There is very little left of our faith which glows as a shining witness to the love of God alive and active in our Churches.
Our reading from Haggai reflects on the past, acknowledges a present state and reminds the people of the promise of God for a future.... a future with hope.... Haggai 1:3-5 “3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty. 5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'”
I notice that there is some hard work to be done in building the Kingdom of God. We experience this even more so when we are discouraged and everything just feels like such and effort.... But a promise of God walking with us, and knowing that we are walking in the path he has laid out for us, encourages us so much that we can achieve what once seemed impossible.
Looking at the here and now situation can be incredibly overwhelming. It is like being lost in a tropical rainforest where every direction looks the same and possible danger and deeper loss seems to be in every direction. In those situations we feel that if we could just get some clarity ... or some tool... GPS maybe... we could stop panicking. Life is so much like this and at some times more than others. It seems to be common in people who’ve been abused or in times of great stress, that the ability to make decisions is impaired. We, in some of our discouraged and despairing circumstances, in and of ourselves have no resources to know that we are choosing a path that will bring us life and good things.
Some have said that Bible stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The Bible is our GPS in a world of confusion and opposing ideas and beliefs. Our readings this week show examples of different groups of people who were discouraged, confused and frightened. In each we find wisdom and encouragement by being redirected to focus on letting God be our GPS.
In our Gospel reading we find an argument about marriage in heaven and Jesus is asked to answer a question about someone who was married 7 times. They ask whose wife will she will be in heaven. The question was really aside from the heart of the problem and Jesus instead gets straight into the heart of it and that is the question of whether there is life after death at all.
Many today have the same question about death and they despair because of their lack of faith and lack of hope. Really .... let’s think about it.... if there is no resurrection and Jesus was lying, what point is there in my life today? Maybe only to eat, drink and be merry. But Jesus affirms that there is a heaven and there is a resurrection and that Abraham and Moses are living and with God. Can we trust what Jesus said? If you have questions to that one you should come to our Bible study in the next few weeks..... the short answer is “yes”, and there are very strong tangible and intelligent reasons for our faith in Jesus.
Most of us acknowledge faith in Jesus, but still hold on to doubts. The people for whom these readings were written were in this same position. They were discouraged, though they believed and needed reminding of the promises of God.
The Thessalonians were disturbed by reports that the 2nd coming of Christ had already happened. This shows their lack of faith in the God that loves them and would not leave them behind, and also shows that they desired to be with God. Their hearts were in the right place but their understanding was limited and clouded with doubt. St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2 “3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
There is something for us to learn in this. Those people taught by the great St. Paul could be so easily led astray by false teaching and so can we if we are not diligent. We can prevent this simply by looking at the text; the man of lawlessness sets himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God. Although this refers to an end time there is a personal warning to make sure God is in our own personal temples.... We are the body of Christ and the temple is each of us.... God must be allowed to be King and God in our lives. We don’t know where we are going – let alone what to believe. Let God be on the throne of our lives and we are letting someone with a bird’s eye view, who loves us dearly, guide us through the jungle of life.
Our past is past. Our present may be shocking, but God says: Haggai 1:6-9
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
I don’t know about you, but when things go wrong I often feel that it is because God doesn’t love me or want good for me. I have come to realise that this is a lie and I bet that I am not the only one who has believed it. The word of God teaches us that God loves us so deeply and desires us and good things for us. So... from the words of St. Paul:
2 Thessalonians 2: 16 “ 16May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
Haggai 1:15b - 2:9 Psalm 145: 1-5, 17-21 OR Psalm 98
2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-17 Luke 20: 27-38
The year seems to be gathering speed as it is on its downward spiral to the end and everyone is so busy at this time year. Our church year is also almost once again at that point where we think about the coming of Christ. And so our readings for this week have a sense of looking behind, looking at what is and reminding us what is to come.
“Ah, the good old days.....!” We all have a tendency to look back to a time when things were better. The people of the prophet Haggai’s day were no different. They had a lot to remember... This is the nation that God had miraculously rescued from Egypt. This nation had been hand fed by God who provided Manna in the desert.
Do you remember back to a time of God’s provision? You know, as I wrote that last line I was reminded that I knew Joe was my “manna in the desert”. We all have times where we sensed all was in God’s hands and with God’s blessing – although we may not have realised or appreciated it at the time – when we look back we know that there was something good and now it is gone.....
This brings us to our present. Where are we at now?
The people of Haggai’s time had seen the glory of the Temple which now lay in ruins. This was the embodiment of their faith. Their faith in God was once the glory of their nation.... it was what set them apart from the other nations. They were a people who performed great feats not by their strength or cunning but by their faith in God. Now the embodiment of their faith, the temple was in ruins and so was their reputation as a nation who served the living God.
We the Church have had our reputation bruised, battered and reduced to rubble. We have leaders taken to court; we have terrible things going on among the people. We have power struggles and we no longer have God as the centre of our faith, as often we have put ourselves as the leader of our faith instead of Christ. How many of us are truly making Jesus the Lord, king and ruler of our lives? Our faith is in shattered pieces. There is very little left of our faith which glows as a shining witness to the love of God alive and active in our Churches.
Our reading from Haggai reflects on the past, acknowledges a present state and reminds the people of the promise of God for a future.... a future with hope.... Haggai 1:3-5 “3 'Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing? 4 But now be strong, O Zerubbabel,' declares the LORD. 'Be strong, O Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' declares the LORD, 'and work. For I am with you,' declares the LORD Almighty. 5 'This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.'”
I notice that there is some hard work to be done in building the Kingdom of God. We experience this even more so when we are discouraged and everything just feels like such and effort.... But a promise of God walking with us, and knowing that we are walking in the path he has laid out for us, encourages us so much that we can achieve what once seemed impossible.
Looking at the here and now situation can be incredibly overwhelming. It is like being lost in a tropical rainforest where every direction looks the same and possible danger and deeper loss seems to be in every direction. In those situations we feel that if we could just get some clarity ... or some tool... GPS maybe... we could stop panicking. Life is so much like this and at some times more than others. It seems to be common in people who’ve been abused or in times of great stress, that the ability to make decisions is impaired. We, in some of our discouraged and despairing circumstances, in and of ourselves have no resources to know that we are choosing a path that will bring us life and good things.
Some have said that Bible stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The Bible is our GPS in a world of confusion and opposing ideas and beliefs. Our readings this week show examples of different groups of people who were discouraged, confused and frightened. In each we find wisdom and encouragement by being redirected to focus on letting God be our GPS.
In our Gospel reading we find an argument about marriage in heaven and Jesus is asked to answer a question about someone who was married 7 times. They ask whose wife will she will be in heaven. The question was really aside from the heart of the problem and Jesus instead gets straight into the heart of it and that is the question of whether there is life after death at all.
Many today have the same question about death and they despair because of their lack of faith and lack of hope. Really .... let’s think about it.... if there is no resurrection and Jesus was lying, what point is there in my life today? Maybe only to eat, drink and be merry. But Jesus affirms that there is a heaven and there is a resurrection and that Abraham and Moses are living and with God. Can we trust what Jesus said? If you have questions to that one you should come to our Bible study in the next few weeks..... the short answer is “yes”, and there are very strong tangible and intelligent reasons for our faith in Jesus.
Most of us acknowledge faith in Jesus, but still hold on to doubts. The people for whom these readings were written were in this same position. They were discouraged, though they believed and needed reminding of the promises of God.
The Thessalonians were disturbed by reports that the 2nd coming of Christ had already happened. This shows their lack of faith in the God that loves them and would not leave them behind, and also shows that they desired to be with God. Their hearts were in the right place but their understanding was limited and clouded with doubt. St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2 “3Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
There is something for us to learn in this. Those people taught by the great St. Paul could be so easily led astray by false teaching and so can we if we are not diligent. We can prevent this simply by looking at the text; the man of lawlessness sets himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God. Although this refers to an end time there is a personal warning to make sure God is in our own personal temples.... We are the body of Christ and the temple is each of us.... God must be allowed to be King and God in our lives. We don’t know where we are going – let alone what to believe. Let God be on the throne of our lives and we are letting someone with a bird’s eye view, who loves us dearly, guide us through the jungle of life.
Our past is past. Our present may be shocking, but God says: Haggai 1:6-9
6 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,' says the LORD Almighty. 8 'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD Almighty. 9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."
I don’t know about you, but when things go wrong I often feel that it is because God doesn’t love me or want good for me. I have come to realise that this is a lie and I bet that I am not the only one who has believed it. The word of God teaches us that God loves us so deeply and desires us and good things for us. So... from the words of St. Paul:
2 Thessalonians 2: 16 “ 16May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
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