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.”