Year A Proper 3 Sunday 27 February 2011
Isaiah 49: 8-16a Psalm 131 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Matthew 6:24-34
Let me tell you about the Good News!!!!
Quite often we have passages from the Bible that really challenge us. Sometimes, these scriptures can leave us feeling quite unsettled... that would be when a text taken out of context leaves you with a con.... always something of which to be aware. I often tell people that if it doesn’t seem to be good news, then you have only got part of the story.
I like to look for the connections in the scripture readings and this week we have the promise of God’s deliverance, the psalm talks about resting content in trusting God, and then St. Paul speaks about not judging and him not worrying about being judged by humans because it is only God’s judgement that counts. Finally we have the famous Gospel passage about not worrying, so I do sense that there is a definite message to trust in God.
Whenever someone says, “don’t worry”, it is because there is some situation going on that is actually causing concern. No one says, “Don’t worry”, to someone who is lazing on a beach without a care in the world. Likewise, it is interesting to imagine what the local situation may have been in each of the readings.
Isaiah 49:8 “This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favour I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you;”
The passage from Isaiah expresses the time of favour, which is actually the time of Jesus. I sense that the “Time of favour” is more a state of being in God’s favour, but it is connected to time due to the grace given through the gift of Jesus and his accomplishment through his life, death and resurrection. The favour of God is ours through our faith in Jesus.
Although the passage speaks of the time of messianic blessings, it is speaking to a nation divided and in need of a vision. We discover the mood of the people to whom this writing is addressed a little further into the reading where it says:
Isaiah 49:14 “But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.””
Zion was representative of those people within the nation who mourned the way the nation had turned from God. They were the people within the nation who remained true to God and they lament that they have been forsaken and forgotten by God.
Last week’s reading mentioned that the rain falls on both the righteous and wicked. When God allowed the nation to fall to the nations who came against them it was the people loyal to God who suffered along with those who needed the rebuke. Those people who cried out to God in that environment felt forsaken. Can you imagine how hard it would be to not lose hope under those circumstances?
God is concerned for His people. It isn’t for the sake of some Godly rage that God allowed the nation of Israel to become subject to the surrounding nations, but for the sake of their repentance. We all find it easy to forget God when we are busy with the good things of life. It is when disaster looms over our head that we remember and pray. And so God is seeking, not to inflict vengeance, but to bring His people back to Himself.
In the midst of disaster God declares His love:
Isaiah 49:15, 16 ““Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
Also in the midst of disaster God declares His favour. What does this mean for us?
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The nation of Isaiah’s time was serving other gods. They had their “national” religion but they mixed it with a bit of the belief systems all around them. We have the same thing today. Once upon a time the western world was one that was centred on Christianity, but in recent times, that is a long way from the reality and it certainly would be fairer to say that our national god is Money. Even in our own lives you will note the dominance of this god. Once people gathered in the church, the sacred place is now the local shopping centre.
I know various people that are feeling the strain of the workload that has come since Sunday trading has begun here in Mackay..... in other towns that have had Sunday trading for many years there is a lack of comprehension about the reason for the strain and many work constantly and never take time out. It is hard to find the balance, but aside from that, the god of Money is a monster that feeds on, and creates worry.
I don’t need to explain to you how that works. We all realize that our lives revolve around money, and although we need it, we need to decide, and periodically check whether God is in control of our lives or Money.
God’s way is a way of peace:
Matthew 6:25- 34 ““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
It is important to understand that God knows that we still need money and things, and I believe that he desires to give us every blessing, but we need to seek His kingdom above seeking to build our own.
In the last few months we have seen so many natural disasters and it is mind blowing to know how much money will be paid out by insurance companies. Indeed money is what is needed. In these and our own personal disasters we will find that money is limited. Money cannot bring back lives that are lost or give hope of eternal life.
In all of our lives there are various personal disasters... some are physical, some emotional and some are spiritual. Within all of these we have the Good News that we have God’s favour. God’s grace is His undeserved favour. We have this favour not because we earned it but because God loves us and through the sacrifice of Jesus this favour is accomplished.
Even though there are physical disasters around us, and we’ve witnessed more of this currently with the earthquake in New Zealand, as Christians we have this wonderful assurance that we have God’s favour, we may not experience the rescue that we’d like in this physical life, but nothing can separate us from the promise of God.
You see, God’s favour is an assurance that causes us to rest and rejoice. This is the way of peace. When God rested on the seventh day He stopped working. The reason that it was so important to keep the day holy was so that we’d understand that we can rest also. Not so much from our physical work, but from our prison of trying to work our way to God. We can rest because the work was done by Jesus and we, who’ve accepted the Good News, live in His favour.
Isaiah 49:9-11 “to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up.”
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Reflection on readings for 20th February 2011
Year A Epiphany 7 (Proper 2) 20 February 2011
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18 Psalm 119: 33-40 1 Corinthians 3: 10-11, 16-23 Matthew 5: 38-48
Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
I’m not real keen on the readings for this week. I think most of us are a lot more comfortable with the concept of an “eye for an eye”. As far as loving our enemies goes and “turning the other cheek”, I think I’d much rather return the slap with another added for good measure.
Each of our readings tells of the divine law of God and the Psalm explains to us that we need divine understanding to follow God’s law. Although the law was written in great detail the Psalmist prayers for understanding. The Psalmist was wise in praying for understanding and we really need to do the same. We know from history that the Israelites misinterpreted God’s law to the extent that they crucified Jesus for seeming to be breaking God’s law.
God’s law included a framework for compassion and mercy:
Leviticus 19:9-10 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.”
By the time that Jesus walked the earth the religious leaders had interpreted the law and it’s demand, “an eye for an eye” to be a licence for revenge. Originally the idea of an “eye for an eye” was about a system of justice, and it was to be conducted by the elders or judges or a system of reputable council. At the time of Jesus, the people were taking the law into their own hands and quoting the scripture, “an eye for an eye” to justify their actions, but as you might imagine, this attitude of revenge wasn’t part of God’s plan for equality and justice where an eye was given for an eye, but the people made it more like an arm, a leg and an eye for an eye.
We can see that people in the past have misinterpreted the scripture and God’s law and we need to be very cautious that we don’t find ourselves doing the same. There are two sides to this coin. One side is the humility and wisdom to look beyond our own experience and acknowledge that we don’t know everything and the other is to stand up and fight for the essential truth of God. You might recall that although Jesus taught constantly about loving each other and especially our enemies, he was also constantly confronting the religious leaders and he became so angry in the temple that he over threw the money changers tables and took a whip to them.
“Turn the other cheek” and “blessed are the meek” are not a command to allow yourself to be walked on. Many have taken these scriptures so literally that they have completely embraced a life of pacifism. We SO need to pray for God to give us understanding and base our understanding on revelation of the Holy Spirit and on all scripture, because pacifism is not what Jesus taught – but he did teach love.
In the Jewish culture of Jesus time, a slap on the face was a great insult, such that a slave would rather be whipped then have his master slap him. The slap was an insult and an offence. To receive a slap and to turn the other cheek did two things. Firstly it is clear as an injustice and witnessed by all heaven, therefore if we have been innocent and stood firm without retaliation then the ultimate judge will call to account. Secondly, to turn the other cheek would literally be peacefully allowing the offender the opportunity to see their sin and repent. It is like the Bishop in Les Miserable when after catching the thief stealing from him, offers him more to take away.... which was the act of forgiveness that lead to repentance. Imagine some friend has been at your house and you realize they have taken something of yours.... you then offer them your DVD player.... the offender realises that they have been found out, but because of this response, the offender is convicted of their guilt... and hopefully all turns out well.....
Leviticus 19:18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD”.
In our relationships we often have people who offend us. We need to find a way to let go and forgive completely without thoughts of revenge. This is not easy and there comes a point where we need to walk away.... stop turning your cheek because it becomes a case of you “throwing your pearl to swine” and scripture tells us not to do that either.
I can share a practical example with you. A long term friend of mine has often treated me badly over the years and hurt me. I kept turning the other cheek. I’d be hurt and confront him and he’d deny that he’d done anything wrong. Then one day he confessed that he could never again trust me. We had been going out briefly at one point at the beginning of our relationship -a very long time ago and I broke it off because I had feelings for someone else. Though we’d remained friends and although he said he’d forgiven me his actions and confession showed that he was harbouring feelings of revenge and un-forgiveness. I continued to communicate. I did Not point out his flaws and I did apologise yet again for any past hurt - but he is unwilling to admit that he has treated me badly and so although I continue to care and remain willing to have his friendship, I’m putting in some distance and letting go of that “friendship”.
This is the same person who, way back at the beginning of our relationship couldn’t believe that I could be a Christian and be divorced.
The root of this problem is pride. It is our pride that makes us feel that we are better than someone else – more “good” or should have revenge over another. Once again we need to pray for God’s wisdom because quite often we are falling into the trap of the original sin of Adam and Eve – that is, thinking that we can be like God carrying out judgment. It is God who is good and faultless – not us. We think we are like God discerning good and evil – someone has done evil to us and we are good. But we are not good and there is no room for any self-righteousness. We have been forgiven by God and need to forgive others.
1 Corinthians 3:18-23 “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”
This reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians is about a group of Christians who were divided because one lot claimed to have Paul as their leader and another group claimed to have Peter (Cephas) and yet another group had Apollos. We have a similar situation today. We have many Christian churches and a great divide between.
I have walked between many denominations for many years and it confuses many, but I’m so glad that I have. Mostly through music, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of many Christian communities and made many friends from other denominations. I know that the more traditional denominations appear very strange and even cult like to the less formal denominations, and though it will probably shock the less formal denominations the reverse is often true also. I’m aware of the theological differences that divide the denominations, but I’ve also been blessed to be part of inter-denominational organisations that have realised the unity of our core beliefs.
There are some very important reasons behind the beginnings of each denomination. Without Martin Luther there may have been no reformation in the Catholic Church. And at the top levels of some churches are the talks of unity... unfortunately much of these talks never reach the people in the pews.
St. Paul and St. Peter argued about circumcision. Peter was for it and Paul was against it and yet St. Paul still circumcised Timothy. There are times when things are called for in a certain way and other times when it must be different. What we need to do is to pray for God’s wisdom to know what we need now and to put aside our pride and maybe even our ways of doing things yesterday. We need to know the essentials of our Christian faith and know it completely and thoroughly, and then, in the love of God, we stop being obsessed and wasting energy on less important things.
Our energy needs to be focused on proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, through whom we have forgiveness of sin and the assurance of eternal life. Note that I said we have assurance of eternal life. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in him. It is not our rites and rituals or splendid sound gear, theological training, inspiring sermons, superior teaching or denomination...... but it is the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in him that gives us forgiveness of sin and the assurance of eternal life. We need to stand against things that come in the way of this and stand for things that promote the message... and we need to stand together.
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18 Psalm 119: 33-40 1 Corinthians 3: 10-11, 16-23 Matthew 5: 38-48
Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
I’m not real keen on the readings for this week. I think most of us are a lot more comfortable with the concept of an “eye for an eye”. As far as loving our enemies goes and “turning the other cheek”, I think I’d much rather return the slap with another added for good measure.
Each of our readings tells of the divine law of God and the Psalm explains to us that we need divine understanding to follow God’s law. Although the law was written in great detail the Psalmist prayers for understanding. The Psalmist was wise in praying for understanding and we really need to do the same. We know from history that the Israelites misinterpreted God’s law to the extent that they crucified Jesus for seeming to be breaking God’s law.
God’s law included a framework for compassion and mercy:
Leviticus 19:9-10 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.”
By the time that Jesus walked the earth the religious leaders had interpreted the law and it’s demand, “an eye for an eye” to be a licence for revenge. Originally the idea of an “eye for an eye” was about a system of justice, and it was to be conducted by the elders or judges or a system of reputable council. At the time of Jesus, the people were taking the law into their own hands and quoting the scripture, “an eye for an eye” to justify their actions, but as you might imagine, this attitude of revenge wasn’t part of God’s plan for equality and justice where an eye was given for an eye, but the people made it more like an arm, a leg and an eye for an eye.
We can see that people in the past have misinterpreted the scripture and God’s law and we need to be very cautious that we don’t find ourselves doing the same. There are two sides to this coin. One side is the humility and wisdom to look beyond our own experience and acknowledge that we don’t know everything and the other is to stand up and fight for the essential truth of God. You might recall that although Jesus taught constantly about loving each other and especially our enemies, he was also constantly confronting the religious leaders and he became so angry in the temple that he over threw the money changers tables and took a whip to them.
“Turn the other cheek” and “blessed are the meek” are not a command to allow yourself to be walked on. Many have taken these scriptures so literally that they have completely embraced a life of pacifism. We SO need to pray for God to give us understanding and base our understanding on revelation of the Holy Spirit and on all scripture, because pacifism is not what Jesus taught – but he did teach love.
In the Jewish culture of Jesus time, a slap on the face was a great insult, such that a slave would rather be whipped then have his master slap him. The slap was an insult and an offence. To receive a slap and to turn the other cheek did two things. Firstly it is clear as an injustice and witnessed by all heaven, therefore if we have been innocent and stood firm without retaliation then the ultimate judge will call to account. Secondly, to turn the other cheek would literally be peacefully allowing the offender the opportunity to see their sin and repent. It is like the Bishop in Les Miserable when after catching the thief stealing from him, offers him more to take away.... which was the act of forgiveness that lead to repentance. Imagine some friend has been at your house and you realize they have taken something of yours.... you then offer them your DVD player.... the offender realises that they have been found out, but because of this response, the offender is convicted of their guilt... and hopefully all turns out well.....
Leviticus 19:18 “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD”.
In our relationships we often have people who offend us. We need to find a way to let go and forgive completely without thoughts of revenge. This is not easy and there comes a point where we need to walk away.... stop turning your cheek because it becomes a case of you “throwing your pearl to swine” and scripture tells us not to do that either.
I can share a practical example with you. A long term friend of mine has often treated me badly over the years and hurt me. I kept turning the other cheek. I’d be hurt and confront him and he’d deny that he’d done anything wrong. Then one day he confessed that he could never again trust me. We had been going out briefly at one point at the beginning of our relationship -a very long time ago and I broke it off because I had feelings for someone else. Though we’d remained friends and although he said he’d forgiven me his actions and confession showed that he was harbouring feelings of revenge and un-forgiveness. I continued to communicate. I did Not point out his flaws and I did apologise yet again for any past hurt - but he is unwilling to admit that he has treated me badly and so although I continue to care and remain willing to have his friendship, I’m putting in some distance and letting go of that “friendship”.
This is the same person who, way back at the beginning of our relationship couldn’t believe that I could be a Christian and be divorced.
The root of this problem is pride. It is our pride that makes us feel that we are better than someone else – more “good” or should have revenge over another. Once again we need to pray for God’s wisdom because quite often we are falling into the trap of the original sin of Adam and Eve – that is, thinking that we can be like God carrying out judgment. It is God who is good and faultless – not us. We think we are like God discerning good and evil – someone has done evil to us and we are good. But we are not good and there is no room for any self-righteousness. We have been forgiven by God and need to forgive others.
1 Corinthians 3:18-23 “Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So then, no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”
This reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians is about a group of Christians who were divided because one lot claimed to have Paul as their leader and another group claimed to have Peter (Cephas) and yet another group had Apollos. We have a similar situation today. We have many Christian churches and a great divide between.
I have walked between many denominations for many years and it confuses many, but I’m so glad that I have. Mostly through music, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of many Christian communities and made many friends from other denominations. I know that the more traditional denominations appear very strange and even cult like to the less formal denominations, and though it will probably shock the less formal denominations the reverse is often true also. I’m aware of the theological differences that divide the denominations, but I’ve also been blessed to be part of inter-denominational organisations that have realised the unity of our core beliefs.
There are some very important reasons behind the beginnings of each denomination. Without Martin Luther there may have been no reformation in the Catholic Church. And at the top levels of some churches are the talks of unity... unfortunately much of these talks never reach the people in the pews.
St. Paul and St. Peter argued about circumcision. Peter was for it and Paul was against it and yet St. Paul still circumcised Timothy. There are times when things are called for in a certain way and other times when it must be different. What we need to do is to pray for God’s wisdom to know what we need now and to put aside our pride and maybe even our ways of doing things yesterday. We need to know the essentials of our Christian faith and know it completely and thoroughly, and then, in the love of God, we stop being obsessed and wasting energy on less important things.
Our energy needs to be focused on proclaiming the Good News of Jesus, through whom we have forgiveness of sin and the assurance of eternal life. Note that I said we have assurance of eternal life. It is through the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in him. It is not our rites and rituals or splendid sound gear, theological training, inspiring sermons, superior teaching or denomination...... but it is the sacrifice of Jesus and our faith in him that gives us forgiveness of sin and the assurance of eternal life. We need to stand against things that come in the way of this and stand for things that promote the message... and we need to stand together.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Reflection on lectionary readings for 13th February 2011
February 13, 2011 [Green] Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 I Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37
I’ve been reminded, this week, about the Star Wars movie episodes and how they point out to us the battle, not just between the good and evil out there, but the battle between the good and evil that war within us. Our readings for this week also call to mind the choices placed before us, to chose good or evil, life or death.
Deuteronomy 30:15-18 “15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”
Yoda may have put the same thing to the young Luke Skywalker, “Life you have when true to the force you are, but death you will see if choose the dark side you will. A choice to make have you.”
It all seems quite simple when you watch the story as an outsider, not so when it is you in that position, but to simplify, let’s take the example of Anakin Skywalker – who becomes Darth Vader. Anakin was very passionate man who was very, very much in love with the Princess. There is nothing wrong with that, but when he discovers the Princess is dying Anakin turns to the dark side, thinking that in this way he can control the outcome and in some way keep his beloved.
What would you do if confronted with the same temptation? The immature would turn to the dark side and even the mature would find it hard to resist. But what do I mean by “immature” and “mature”?
To be mature enough to resist the “dark side”, in this case has nothing to do with age, but everything to do with trust and faith. Unfortunately we can be mature in this way aged 8 and totally blow it when we are 38. We’d generally consider the Bible writers to be mature in their faith and trust in God and yet we read this telling line in the Psalm.
Psalm119:5,6 “ Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.”
The struggle to obey God’s law is common to all! And I’ll say it again: The struggle to obey God’s law is common to all. Sometimes we might find ourselves in a position where we feel that we are keeping the law. Usually this will be when everything in our lives is going along swimmingly and we are achieving all that we want to achieve.
A good friend recently told me something that has great truth contained in it and it is something that I wish everyone understood. She said that when someone is very thirsty they will drink dirty water. If we take the example of Anakin Skywalker we can see that while everything was going well he had no trouble being true to the “light”, but when he became desperate, though he knew it was not good, he drank the dirty water of hope from the “dark side”.
While Anakin’s actions were very clear to all that he had chosen evil, there are many times that we choose evil and others do not see it. Indeed, we do not even realize that we’ve chosen evil.... the classic example of this kind of thinking comes from the words of a friend of mine who gambles, “I’m not hurting anyone. I don’t have a wife and kids, so it doesn’t matter....” . We justify our actions, such that it is no longer SO bad.
I would have to say that I know of people and situations where sin is actually understandable and justifiable, but we do ourselves a disservice if we fail to see that we are falling short of God’s perfect plan. The more we compromise – not so much in our actions- but more importantly in our belief, the more danger we are in of turning to the “dark side”. We will all fail at times, but it is vital we recognise it and call it as it is.... that is “Sin”.
Jesus made it very clear that the bar of perfection is very high:
Matthew 5:21,22 “ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.””
It gets even harder.....
Matthew 5:27-30 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
We, of course don’t take these things literally, yet we often fail to realize the reason for such extreme sentiment in the writings is so that we will take the issue of sin very seriously. Another great movie /book series is the Lord of the Rings. At the climax of the final episode, Froddo’s finger which bares the ring (of sin) is bitten off and thrown into the fires of Mordor.
We have the amazing knowledge of the Good News. We know that we will fail and sin, but we know that Jesus died to atone for our sin. We make the mistake of dismissing the gravity of our sin – especially these little ones, like angry words – which actually can cause a lot of damage. How many have had their identity as a person damaged by school bullies, or put downs at home?
Our sin is dealt with. Our relationship with God is renewed, but Jesus makes it clear to us just what sin is, so that we can understand the gravity of our actions and the magnitude of the gift he has given us. So, here we are on this side of the cross and resurrection, but still as able as ever to be tempted.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”
And there we have the clue as to how to stand firm against the temptation of the “dark side”. St. Paul expresses his inability to speak to the people as those who live by the Spirit. Notice Spirit has a capital, referring to God’s Spirit, not the human spirit or team spirit or anything like that. In order to be standing firm we need to live by the Spirit of God. It is that intangible thing that many of us don’t quite get a handle on.... but we can understand this more easily when we look to the example of our fictional Sci-fi.
When Luke Skywalker and other Jedi knights fought their battles they relied on an inner knowledge and understanding that came from outside of them. The “force” is an excellent example of the way that a Christian needs to rely on the Holy Spirit.
There is also harmony when we are being led by the Spirit. There is no one person that is meant to do everything and no one needs to feel redundant either:
1 Corinthians 3: 5-9 “ 5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
I think there is only one thing left to say: “May the Force be with you!”
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 119:1-8 I Corinthians 3:1-9 Matthew 5:21-37
I’ve been reminded, this week, about the Star Wars movie episodes and how they point out to us the battle, not just between the good and evil out there, but the battle between the good and evil that war within us. Our readings for this week also call to mind the choices placed before us, to chose good or evil, life or death.
Deuteronomy 30:15-18 “15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.”
Yoda may have put the same thing to the young Luke Skywalker, “Life you have when true to the force you are, but death you will see if choose the dark side you will. A choice to make have you.”
It all seems quite simple when you watch the story as an outsider, not so when it is you in that position, but to simplify, let’s take the example of Anakin Skywalker – who becomes Darth Vader. Anakin was very passionate man who was very, very much in love with the Princess. There is nothing wrong with that, but when he discovers the Princess is dying Anakin turns to the dark side, thinking that in this way he can control the outcome and in some way keep his beloved.
What would you do if confronted with the same temptation? The immature would turn to the dark side and even the mature would find it hard to resist. But what do I mean by “immature” and “mature”?
To be mature enough to resist the “dark side”, in this case has nothing to do with age, but everything to do with trust and faith. Unfortunately we can be mature in this way aged 8 and totally blow it when we are 38. We’d generally consider the Bible writers to be mature in their faith and trust in God and yet we read this telling line in the Psalm.
Psalm119:5,6 “ Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees! Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.”
The struggle to obey God’s law is common to all! And I’ll say it again: The struggle to obey God’s law is common to all. Sometimes we might find ourselves in a position where we feel that we are keeping the law. Usually this will be when everything in our lives is going along swimmingly and we are achieving all that we want to achieve.
A good friend recently told me something that has great truth contained in it and it is something that I wish everyone understood. She said that when someone is very thirsty they will drink dirty water. If we take the example of Anakin Skywalker we can see that while everything was going well he had no trouble being true to the “light”, but when he became desperate, though he knew it was not good, he drank the dirty water of hope from the “dark side”.
While Anakin’s actions were very clear to all that he had chosen evil, there are many times that we choose evil and others do not see it. Indeed, we do not even realize that we’ve chosen evil.... the classic example of this kind of thinking comes from the words of a friend of mine who gambles, “I’m not hurting anyone. I don’t have a wife and kids, so it doesn’t matter....” . We justify our actions, such that it is no longer SO bad.
I would have to say that I know of people and situations where sin is actually understandable and justifiable, but we do ourselves a disservice if we fail to see that we are falling short of God’s perfect plan. The more we compromise – not so much in our actions- but more importantly in our belief, the more danger we are in of turning to the “dark side”. We will all fail at times, but it is vital we recognise it and call it as it is.... that is “Sin”.
Jesus made it very clear that the bar of perfection is very high:
Matthew 5:21,22 “ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.””
It gets even harder.....
Matthew 5:27-30 ““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
We, of course don’t take these things literally, yet we often fail to realize the reason for such extreme sentiment in the writings is so that we will take the issue of sin very seriously. Another great movie /book series is the Lord of the Rings. At the climax of the final episode, Froddo’s finger which bares the ring (of sin) is bitten off and thrown into the fires of Mordor.
We have the amazing knowledge of the Good News. We know that we will fail and sin, but we know that Jesus died to atone for our sin. We make the mistake of dismissing the gravity of our sin – especially these little ones, like angry words – which actually can cause a lot of damage. How many have had their identity as a person damaged by school bullies, or put downs at home?
Our sin is dealt with. Our relationship with God is renewed, but Jesus makes it clear to us just what sin is, so that we can understand the gravity of our actions and the magnitude of the gift he has given us. So, here we are on this side of the cross and resurrection, but still as able as ever to be tempted.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”
And there we have the clue as to how to stand firm against the temptation of the “dark side”. St. Paul expresses his inability to speak to the people as those who live by the Spirit. Notice Spirit has a capital, referring to God’s Spirit, not the human spirit or team spirit or anything like that. In order to be standing firm we need to live by the Spirit of God. It is that intangible thing that many of us don’t quite get a handle on.... but we can understand this more easily when we look to the example of our fictional Sci-fi.
When Luke Skywalker and other Jedi knights fought their battles they relied on an inner knowledge and understanding that came from outside of them. The “force” is an excellent example of the way that a Christian needs to rely on the Holy Spirit.
There is also harmony when we are being led by the Spirit. There is no one person that is meant to do everything and no one needs to feel redundant either:
1 Corinthians 3: 5-9 “ 5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
I think there is only one thing left to say: “May the Force be with you!”
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Reflection on readings for 6th February 2011
Year A Epiphany 5 6 February 2011 –
Isaiah 58: 1-12) Psalm 112: 1-10 1 Corinthians 2: 1-16 Matthew 5: 13-20
Here is the bottom line:
Matthew 5:20 “20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Last week we looked at how God strived to make His people understand that keeping the commands was more than keeping the “letter” of the law. To please God and truly keep His commands meant having an attitude like His of Justice coupled with mercy and then having humility in the presence of God, knowing and mourning our sinful human condition
This week the Gospel, quoting the words of Jesus, tells us that Jesus did not come to abolish the law of God, but to fulfil it.
Matthew 5:18, 19 “18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
A few weeks ago I think I mentioned that before we can truly come into a relationship with God we need to be aware of our sinful condition. In the words of the singer, Jewel (who I quoted a few weeks ago also), “but to be forgiven we must first believe in sin”.
We live in a time when we accept each other, and more importantly, ourselves, as being innately good. Is this how God sees us?
Isaiah 58:1b-2a “Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.”
The Israelites of Isaiah’s day were a highly religious people, yet their religious acts were both to God and to the gods of the nations around them. They would realise their need for a saviour and turn to God with many prayers, fasting and sacrifice, then complain that God didn’t listen to them. To put it in human terms, it is something I’ve seen often in my darling niece. My niece spends most of her life bossing her family around and generally being incredibly horrible to them- especially to her youngest sister..... then she discovers that she needs something. My niece can be incredibly charming when she wants to be. Should my niece get what she wants because for one day out of her life she is being nice to the family? Is that good parenting? What lesson is it teaching her when she gets what she wants?
God had a similar situation with His people.
Isaiah 58:3b- 5 “ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?”
When I was young I was taught that “religion” meant “way of life”. The religion of the Israelites was to put on sack cloth and ashes and fast as a sign of mourning. In some ways we can be the same in our religion- we can perform actions that show our attachment to God by being involved in church life and part of the rituals and traditions that go with that. Today, the same as back in the day of the ancient Israelites, God calls us to be religious in a different way. Our way of life should reflect the values, attitudes and concerns of God. And just in case we are unclear on what that is – way back in the book of Isaiah it was written in black and white (or cream depending on the general colour of the scrolls???).
Isaiah 58:6-8 “ 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;”
Generally, the prophets were people who pointed out people’s sin... more particularly they pointed out the sin of God’s people. Often Jesus did this also. He didn’t point out the sin of the common folk... the common folk were often acutely aware of their sin- it was the religious people that Jesus challenged. He did this for the same reason as Isaiah in declaring the nation’s sin.... not to put themselves above the religious people but to make them aware of their sin so that they could turn to God and be saved. Generally the prophets were not very popular!!!!
St. Paul was not unlike the prophets as his message was also an offence to the religious community, whether it was to Greeks seeking philosophical wisdom or to the Jews who demanded rituals and sacrifice as a means to atonement for sin. He explains that he did not come with eloquent words but in the power of the Spirit of God. In fact St. Paul declares that he came with a message that was taught by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2: 13-15 “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
St. Paul was often in trouble over the issue of what rituals and sacrifices the Christian gentiles should take part in. In particular there was a ritualistic sign that God himself had given as part of the covenant way back in Abraham’s day – yes I’m referring to circumcision. Paul declared that it wasn’t necessary for salvation and neither was any other of the Jewish rituals. How could he say such a thing when these things had been directly given to the ancient Israelites by God himself?
In the light of these questions, remember that Jesus has said, in the Gospel we read for this week, that he has not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil the law.
Matthew 5: 17 “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
There are two really important things that we need to understand about this week’s Gospel. The first is that God’s law eternally stands. God’s values, perfection and statutes are eternal and we need to know that we are sinful people who, but for His grace, have no hope.
The second vitally important thing that we need to know is that Jesus did not come to abolish God’s law but to fulfil it. When Jesus was on the cross and he stretched out his arms and declared, “It is finished”, he was saying.... “it is fulfilled... it is accomplished... it is done!”
As part of the law there were sacrifices to atone for sin. When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and the angel of God passed over when every first born was killed, the Israelites were saved by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. John the Baptist declared of Jesus, “Behold, the lamb of God!” Jesus, himself fulfilled the law of God by voluntarily becoming the sacrifice for our sin.... the perfect dying for the imperfect- the one sacrifice, once and for all. It is for this reason that St. Paul rightly declares that no ritual is necessary... in fact, to take part in ritualistic works for the redemption and atonement of sin and for attaining God’s grace would belittle/ annihilate the sacrifice of Jesus.
This is the Gospel message. It is beyond what human minds would have imagined. In every other world religion the adherents strive to become or achieve something – Christianity is a celebration of what God has done for us... It is done! The law of God still and always stands, but if we have accepted Jesus and are “in Jesus”, our imperfections and failings are already atoned. This is the message that we have a duty to declare. When we do so we are doing away with the yoke of oppression.... people are set free from the worry of sin and separation from God.
When we declare this message not just with words but with our God-like attitude and way of life, then we are the “lighting the way– a light shining in the darkness”. From Isaiah we recall the attitude and way of being. I’m going to leave you with this scripture – I particularly like the bit about being known as a repairer of broken walls:
Isaiah 58:9b-12 “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
Isaiah 58: 1-12) Psalm 112: 1-10 1 Corinthians 2: 1-16 Matthew 5: 13-20
Here is the bottom line:
Matthew 5:20 “20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Last week we looked at how God strived to make His people understand that keeping the commands was more than keeping the “letter” of the law. To please God and truly keep His commands meant having an attitude like His of Justice coupled with mercy and then having humility in the presence of God, knowing and mourning our sinful human condition
This week the Gospel, quoting the words of Jesus, tells us that Jesus did not come to abolish the law of God, but to fulfil it.
Matthew 5:18, 19 “18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
A few weeks ago I think I mentioned that before we can truly come into a relationship with God we need to be aware of our sinful condition. In the words of the singer, Jewel (who I quoted a few weeks ago also), “but to be forgiven we must first believe in sin”.
We live in a time when we accept each other, and more importantly, ourselves, as being innately good. Is this how God sees us?
Isaiah 58:1b-2a “Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.”
The Israelites of Isaiah’s day were a highly religious people, yet their religious acts were both to God and to the gods of the nations around them. They would realise their need for a saviour and turn to God with many prayers, fasting and sacrifice, then complain that God didn’t listen to them. To put it in human terms, it is something I’ve seen often in my darling niece. My niece spends most of her life bossing her family around and generally being incredibly horrible to them- especially to her youngest sister..... then she discovers that she needs something. My niece can be incredibly charming when she wants to be. Should my niece get what she wants because for one day out of her life she is being nice to the family? Is that good parenting? What lesson is it teaching her when she gets what she wants?
God had a similar situation with His people.
Isaiah 58:3b- 5 “ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?”
When I was young I was taught that “religion” meant “way of life”. The religion of the Israelites was to put on sack cloth and ashes and fast as a sign of mourning. In some ways we can be the same in our religion- we can perform actions that show our attachment to God by being involved in church life and part of the rituals and traditions that go with that. Today, the same as back in the day of the ancient Israelites, God calls us to be religious in a different way. Our way of life should reflect the values, attitudes and concerns of God. And just in case we are unclear on what that is – way back in the book of Isaiah it was written in black and white (or cream depending on the general colour of the scrolls???).
Isaiah 58:6-8 “ 6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;”
Generally, the prophets were people who pointed out people’s sin... more particularly they pointed out the sin of God’s people. Often Jesus did this also. He didn’t point out the sin of the common folk... the common folk were often acutely aware of their sin- it was the religious people that Jesus challenged. He did this for the same reason as Isaiah in declaring the nation’s sin.... not to put themselves above the religious people but to make them aware of their sin so that they could turn to God and be saved. Generally the prophets were not very popular!!!!
St. Paul was not unlike the prophets as his message was also an offence to the religious community, whether it was to Greeks seeking philosophical wisdom or to the Jews who demanded rituals and sacrifice as a means to atonement for sin. He explains that he did not come with eloquent words but in the power of the Spirit of God. In fact St. Paul declares that he came with a message that was taught by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2: 13-15 “This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
St. Paul was often in trouble over the issue of what rituals and sacrifices the Christian gentiles should take part in. In particular there was a ritualistic sign that God himself had given as part of the covenant way back in Abraham’s day – yes I’m referring to circumcision. Paul declared that it wasn’t necessary for salvation and neither was any other of the Jewish rituals. How could he say such a thing when these things had been directly given to the ancient Israelites by God himself?
In the light of these questions, remember that Jesus has said, in the Gospel we read for this week, that he has not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfil the law.
Matthew 5: 17 “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
There are two really important things that we need to understand about this week’s Gospel. The first is that God’s law eternally stands. God’s values, perfection and statutes are eternal and we need to know that we are sinful people who, but for His grace, have no hope.
The second vitally important thing that we need to know is that Jesus did not come to abolish God’s law but to fulfil it. When Jesus was on the cross and he stretched out his arms and declared, “It is finished”, he was saying.... “it is fulfilled... it is accomplished... it is done!”
As part of the law there were sacrifices to atone for sin. When the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt and the angel of God passed over when every first born was killed, the Israelites were saved by the blood of the sacrificial lamb. John the Baptist declared of Jesus, “Behold, the lamb of God!” Jesus, himself fulfilled the law of God by voluntarily becoming the sacrifice for our sin.... the perfect dying for the imperfect- the one sacrifice, once and for all. It is for this reason that St. Paul rightly declares that no ritual is necessary... in fact, to take part in ritualistic works for the redemption and atonement of sin and for attaining God’s grace would belittle/ annihilate the sacrifice of Jesus.
This is the Gospel message. It is beyond what human minds would have imagined. In every other world religion the adherents strive to become or achieve something – Christianity is a celebration of what God has done for us... It is done! The law of God still and always stands, but if we have accepted Jesus and are “in Jesus”, our imperfections and failings are already atoned. This is the message that we have a duty to declare. When we do so we are doing away with the yoke of oppression.... people are set free from the worry of sin and separation from God.
When we declare this message not just with words but with our God-like attitude and way of life, then we are the “lighting the way– a light shining in the darkness”. From Isaiah we recall the attitude and way of being. I’m going to leave you with this scripture – I particularly like the bit about being known as a repairer of broken walls:
Isaiah 58:9b-12 “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”
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