Year A 4th Sunday in Lent 3 April 2011
1 Samuel 16: 1-13 Psalm 23 Ephesians 5: 8-14 John 9: 1-41
I remember a time when a group to which I belonged was going through a time of chaos. I wrote a letter to read to them so that I could make sure that I said things properly without being drawn into the emotion of the situation. A young friend had come along that night.
I read my letter and waited for the response. The response was overwhelming with accusations of one thing or another and all in all it seemed that no one really understood what I’d said at all. The young friend spoke up and explained what she could see was happening. She was a relative outsider and saw the situation with clarity and summed it up correctly, but instead of being listened to, the others shouted her down stating that she was too young to know what she was talking about.
This week’s Gospel reading brings the story that I just told to mind, as it seems something similar was happening. The religious people were in chaos over the opinions about Jesus. Into the picture comes a relative outsider who sees with clarity and although completely correct in summing up the situation he is thrown out and his opinion discounted.
Likewise, in our 1st reading from Samuel we witness the tendency we have as humans to make judgments that are based on our very limited understanding. When we are in the midst of a situation we often don’t see it very clearly. We need to instead, rely on the judgment that comes from a greater mind.
1 Samuel 16:1-3 “The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
Samuel was someone who had a close personal relationship with God. It was through Samuel’s anointing that Saul was anointed King. Saul was visually an obvious choice as he stood head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. He was Israel’s first king and it seemed he was a figure head that would have seemed obvious due to his size. But the anointing of Israel’s 2nd king was very different.
This time Samuel is not told to go and anoint so and so, but is told to go and anoint Jesse’s son. Jesse was an important figure and his being was the result of God’s blessing and provision to a widow and her widowed daughter-in-law who showed herself to be faithful, loyal and a woman of dedication and compassion. Jesse was the son of Obed. Obed was the son of Ruth and the story of his birth is recorded in the book of Ruth.
It seems that Jesse’s sons were very impressive looking and at a glance Samuel thought that the firstborn was God’s chosen. But God speaks to Samuel and tells him that humans look at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.
I wonder how differently many of us would choose friends and mates if we were blind and had to rely solely on attributes other than looks. How differently would we relate? Would we pick up the little dips in the voice that alerted us to lies or sadness? Would we hear what others were saying and read between the lines with more accuracy and sensitivity?
After 7 of Jesse’s sons pass in front of Samuel, they send for the youngest son who is still out tending sheep. The Bible tells us that he was also good looking, yet it was his heart that put him above his brothers for this particular anointing. King David became one that was known for being a man after God’s own heart.
Having been told that the attitude of King David was something that pleased God, we’d do well to study his writings and understand his heart. This man still stumbled. He expressed great despair at times, but throughout all he knew God. He accepted both the good and the bad from God and understood God’s care being to him like that of the relationship that he had as the shepherd with his sheep.
It is from King David that many of our Psalms come. These Psalms are both expressions of the most inner desires of the heart and they are often prophetically pointing to Jesus. This man, David, was not only anointed as King but he was chosen to be the human ancestor of Jesus. I wonder if Samuel had any idea of magnitude of his actions that day.
It was many years after that anointing that David became king. He was anointed and chosen, this was done in front of his older brothers who must have thought it was some kind of mistake.... and his life, to a large extent, continued just as it had, but God’s spirit was with him powerfully. David knew that God had chosen him and had “set a banquet for him”... even if his brothers did not.
It was commonly thought that to be chosen you would be something significant... a first born and perfect for example and certainly you wouldn’t be blind or disabled.... but Jesus showed that God was concerned about, and specifically chose those that the world rejected. It is through the gift of Jesus that our imperfections are healed, our inabilities covered and our sins forgiven.
John 9:1-5 “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.””
Our Gospel tells the story of a man who Jesus healed by making mud and telling the man to wash in the pool, the name of which meant “sent”. It was on the Sabbath that Jesus healed and so questions were raised that Jesus couldn’t possibly be the one “sent” from God because he broke the Sabbath.
John 9:30-34 “The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
The man was healed by Jesus, not only physically but also spiritually. He saw the situation with clarity and yet was shouted down by the religious leaders of his day. Where would you go? What would you do if you could see a situation about God with such clarity and yet the religious leaders would not listen to you? Throughout history this has happened. Martin Luther is one such example that comes to mind and I know there were many others at about that same time who were outcast and faced mortal dangers because they spoke out the truth.
Jesus warned of a time of darkness. While he was in the world we had the light, but he explained that night was coming when no one could work. Through the Holy Spirit we have the light of Jesus in us but lately it seems that the Christian voice is largely silent. Are we putting our lights under buckets? Do we refrain from speaking and acting in line with our deepest beliefs and faith because of fear? Samuel was afraid of anointing David in case Saul killed him. The blind man’s parents were afraid and the previously blind man was thrown out.
There is some danger is being true to God. In the year 2011 you will be told that you are not politically correct, you will experience conflict and isolation at times, and if this hasn’t happened then it is possible that you are not being true to your faith.
Fear or no fear, we have the light of Christ and if we don’t allow that light to shine the world will be in darkness...... Samuel was told to follow God’s instruction and all was well. Although these times of conflict will come, King David understood the provision of God through them and left us many Psalms to teach us, but most particularly Psalm 23.
Psalm 23 A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Reflection on readings for 27th March 2011 Lent 3 year A
Year A 3rd Sunday in Lent 27 March 2011
Exodus 17: 1-7 Psalm 95 Romans 5: 1-11 John 4: 5-42
It has been so hot and muggy here lately. It is the kind of weather where you need to drink a lot of water. Water is a theme that runs through our readings this week.
Exodus 17:1-2 “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.””
Do you recall the story? Moses asked them why they were putting God to the test and then asked God what to do. Gods answer was to strike a particular rock and from this rock water would flow. This water then refreshed and satisfied the community – until they found something else to grumble about.
Our Psalm reminds us of this story also and exhorts us to not be like those who quarrelled with Moses and put God to the test.
Psalm 95: 7b-11 “Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
The people of God had seen the amazing deliverance of God and yet they still turned away from God. The magnitude of God’s reality and goodness was not a leap of faith but something real and experienced. Their turning from God was not for any lack proof on God’s part but purely because they wanted to do things their own way. They were not humble before God, but arrogant and demanding. We are often the same.
Those people who had experienced God first hand did not enter the Promised Land. This should make us think very seriously about our heart’s attitude towards God. We can know God and then become arrogant and proud and in doing so, mess up our relationship with God and others in the family of God. I find it most frustrating when someone tries to judge my level of Christianity.... and even more frustrating when they misunderstand some of the traditions of the church and use it as a witness of our lack of true Christianity. We don’t really know each other’s hearts and only God does. What we are called to do is consider how we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds.... but not putting ourselves above or under anyone, humbly keeping our hearts soft towards what God might be saying to us through them.
The Israelites in the desert with Moses found themselves in a position that we often find ourselves in. They were not grumbling without reason. They had no water. We should have some understanding of this from the times we’ve been on water restrictions. So then, understand that this vast people were in the desert with their livestock and they needed water to live. The situation was dire, yet a people who knew the salvation of God should have known that God would provide.
Our reading from Roman’s exhorts us to have an attitude of trust in God when we experience hardships.
Roman’s 5:1-4 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Our sufferings, when we are trusting in God’s deliverance, produce perseverance. Perseverance then produces character, and through that character, we develop hope. This hope is not an “airy fairy” pie in the sky kind of hope but instead it is a patient waiting for what we know will come to pass.
In our Gospel reading we have the story of a lady who had hope. She hoped that someday the Messiah would come and explain all things. She belonged to a people called the Samaritans. The Samaritans were Israelites, interbred Israelites and a mixed bag of others, some living with the religion of faith in the one true God, but then with a fair bit of the religious beliefs and practises of the nations around them and mixed with them. This was a people who were rejected by the Jews. As well as this racial prejudice rejection, the woman was also a reject of her own people.
This woman came to the well at a time when other woman would not. She had had several men in her life and the male presence in her life at that time was not her husband either. What her exact situation was we can only guess, but she was certainly humble before Jesus and responsive to his willingness to be acquainted with her. Her heart was soft towards God and she was willing to receive instruction from a man whose race had rejected her. When Jesus revealed to her that he was the Messiah, she passed the message on. Though she was a reject of that society we are told that many came to believe. Would we be willing to listen with God’s heart to someone that our society has rejected or hear God’s message through this person?
This lady was thirsty and Jesus offered her his living water. At the time she didn’t fully understand what he was saying and so he asks her to go and get her husband. At this point it seems that Jesus is revealing the woman’s thirst, but it wasn’t a physical thirst for water.
John 4:13-15 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.””
The water that Jesus speaks of is one that becomes a spring which wells up to eternal life. We all need this water, and we all have access to it.
We are very much like the Israelites grumbling to God to give us water and we are very much like the Samaritan woman who tries to attain water but looks for it in all the wrong places. We fill our lives with motivation for material gain, for security and for love and we know these things are good and so we use them as an excuse to not be too committed to church... we are too busy with these “other” things. But are our hearts hardened to the prompting of God? Have we become arrogant so that we don’t acknowledge the message of God that we might hear from the simple people around us? Do we use our lack of trust in God, due to our current hardships, as an excuse to grumble at Him, and as yet another excuse to not be involved with Him and His church?
Moses struck the rock and water came out. Our Psalm tells us that God is our Rock. Jesus is our rock and he was struck down for us. From Jesus, our rock, flows the living water... a spring that wells up to eternal life.
We do get things wrong and we fail, but there is a way of life. There is a way to quench the thirst that drives us into the meaningless business of life which acts as a wedge between us and the blessings of God. We can enter the “rest” of God and we do this by our complete trust in God and complete reliance on the completed sacrifice of Jesus.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus we rest in the assurance of eternal life. We rest because the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our eternal life. We rest assured because the living water is God’s provision for us through Jesus’ sacrifice and it is not something we strive and work for, but like a natural spring of water... it is simply there for us if we should but accept it.
Romans 5:6-8 “ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Exodus 17: 1-7 Psalm 95 Romans 5: 1-11 John 4: 5-42
It has been so hot and muggy here lately. It is the kind of weather where you need to drink a lot of water. Water is a theme that runs through our readings this week.
Exodus 17:1-2 “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.””
Do you recall the story? Moses asked them why they were putting God to the test and then asked God what to do. Gods answer was to strike a particular rock and from this rock water would flow. This water then refreshed and satisfied the community – until they found something else to grumble about.
Our Psalm reminds us of this story also and exhorts us to not be like those who quarrelled with Moses and put God to the test.
Psalm 95: 7b-11 “Today, if only you would hear his voice, “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did. For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
The people of God had seen the amazing deliverance of God and yet they still turned away from God. The magnitude of God’s reality and goodness was not a leap of faith but something real and experienced. Their turning from God was not for any lack proof on God’s part but purely because they wanted to do things their own way. They were not humble before God, but arrogant and demanding. We are often the same.
Those people who had experienced God first hand did not enter the Promised Land. This should make us think very seriously about our heart’s attitude towards God. We can know God and then become arrogant and proud and in doing so, mess up our relationship with God and others in the family of God. I find it most frustrating when someone tries to judge my level of Christianity.... and even more frustrating when they misunderstand some of the traditions of the church and use it as a witness of our lack of true Christianity. We don’t really know each other’s hearts and only God does. What we are called to do is consider how we can spur one another on toward love and good deeds.... but not putting ourselves above or under anyone, humbly keeping our hearts soft towards what God might be saying to us through them.
The Israelites in the desert with Moses found themselves in a position that we often find ourselves in. They were not grumbling without reason. They had no water. We should have some understanding of this from the times we’ve been on water restrictions. So then, understand that this vast people were in the desert with their livestock and they needed water to live. The situation was dire, yet a people who knew the salvation of God should have known that God would provide.
Our reading from Roman’s exhorts us to have an attitude of trust in God when we experience hardships.
Roman’s 5:1-4 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Our sufferings, when we are trusting in God’s deliverance, produce perseverance. Perseverance then produces character, and through that character, we develop hope. This hope is not an “airy fairy” pie in the sky kind of hope but instead it is a patient waiting for what we know will come to pass.
In our Gospel reading we have the story of a lady who had hope. She hoped that someday the Messiah would come and explain all things. She belonged to a people called the Samaritans. The Samaritans were Israelites, interbred Israelites and a mixed bag of others, some living with the religion of faith in the one true God, but then with a fair bit of the religious beliefs and practises of the nations around them and mixed with them. This was a people who were rejected by the Jews. As well as this racial prejudice rejection, the woman was also a reject of her own people.
This woman came to the well at a time when other woman would not. She had had several men in her life and the male presence in her life at that time was not her husband either. What her exact situation was we can only guess, but she was certainly humble before Jesus and responsive to his willingness to be acquainted with her. Her heart was soft towards God and she was willing to receive instruction from a man whose race had rejected her. When Jesus revealed to her that he was the Messiah, she passed the message on. Though she was a reject of that society we are told that many came to believe. Would we be willing to listen with God’s heart to someone that our society has rejected or hear God’s message through this person?
This lady was thirsty and Jesus offered her his living water. At the time she didn’t fully understand what he was saying and so he asks her to go and get her husband. At this point it seems that Jesus is revealing the woman’s thirst, but it wasn’t a physical thirst for water.
John 4:13-15 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.””
The water that Jesus speaks of is one that becomes a spring which wells up to eternal life. We all need this water, and we all have access to it.
We are very much like the Israelites grumbling to God to give us water and we are very much like the Samaritan woman who tries to attain water but looks for it in all the wrong places. We fill our lives with motivation for material gain, for security and for love and we know these things are good and so we use them as an excuse to not be too committed to church... we are too busy with these “other” things. But are our hearts hardened to the prompting of God? Have we become arrogant so that we don’t acknowledge the message of God that we might hear from the simple people around us? Do we use our lack of trust in God, due to our current hardships, as an excuse to grumble at Him, and as yet another excuse to not be involved with Him and His church?
Moses struck the rock and water came out. Our Psalm tells us that God is our Rock. Jesus is our rock and he was struck down for us. From Jesus, our rock, flows the living water... a spring that wells up to eternal life.
We do get things wrong and we fail, but there is a way of life. There is a way to quench the thirst that drives us into the meaningless business of life which acts as a wedge between us and the blessings of God. We can enter the “rest” of God and we do this by our complete trust in God and complete reliance on the completed sacrifice of Jesus.
Through the sacrifice of Jesus we rest in the assurance of eternal life. We rest because the Holy Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing our eternal life. We rest assured because the living water is God’s provision for us through Jesus’ sacrifice and it is not something we strive and work for, but like a natural spring of water... it is simply there for us if we should but accept it.
Romans 5:6-8 “ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Reflection on readings for 20th March 2011
20 March 2011 Year A 2nd Sunday in Lent
Genesis 12: 1-4a Psalm 121 Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17 John 3: 1-17
We live in a world where you “get what you pay for”. In our understanding of the spiritual world we expect it to be the same, and in fact it is the same, but there are some exceptions both in this life and in the spiritual life. Sometimes we receive gifts.
Romans 4:1-3 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Righteousness is a word that we don’t very often use in our everyday life. Sometimes we may describe someone as being “self-righteous” and we know that it means that the person has an inflated opinion of their own goodness, and “rightness”, and this opinion is not shared by others. In contrast, “Righteousness,” is a state of being right, not by one’s own standard but by God’s.
There are two ways to be declared “righteous”, and both ways are impossible to obtain by our own efforts and goodness. The first way to be righteous is to be so good that you really are “right”.
We have a problem in our society because we actually do have a relatively “self righteous” society. By this, I mean, that our society declares itself to be right and good by its own efforts. When our society decides that the values and morals of the past are too hard to live up to, instead of declaring itself to be un-righteous, it changes the values and morals. The extreme example of this is the push to change laws about homosexuality. - And there are plenty of other examples. So, society declares itself to be the judge and jury and declares its innocence by amending the law. This is self-righteousness because it is self imposed and it is subjective, temporal and false.
Who can be declared righteous by God? To be righteous according to God’s law means attaining perfection, and since, and in the pattern of Adam and Eve, we all fail and fall short of this perfection. Our actions fail, but so does our relationship of trust with God.
The first way to attain righteousness is to be “right” and perfect. The second way is a gift of God. It, being a gift, is not something we attain by our work and self goodness, but it is bestowed by God to His people. We read that Abraham believed God and because of this simple act of faith, God credited it to him as righteousness.
It reminds me of a poster I saw many years ago, “Let go and let God”. There are so many things about life that we don’t understand and mysteries about God also. There are many anti-God voices in the world, whether acting out of hurt, ignorance or malicious intention, these voices impact on us and the society in general causing doubt and deception. It is only through genuinely seeking the voice of truth that we can find some clarity.
In order to find God and truth we need to first be honest with ourselves and this means putting aside our pride and pre-conceived notions - it means acknowledging our lack of righteousness.
In our Gospel we read about Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night. Why at night? He didn’t want his peers to know about his vulnerability. Nicodemus showed himself to be vulnerable and humble, because he came to Jesus with questions about eternal life, even though his peers would have consider themselves and him, (as they were Israel’s teachers,) to have the answers about eternal life. So not only was Nicodemus acknowledging his vulnerability he also showed a willingness to turn from the popular opinion and seek truth in God. – As I often ask, would you prefer the truth or a lie that made you feel comfortable? Nicodemus lived in a world where sacrifices were offered for sins and the law was explained in great detail. Many people are comfortable within black and white rules.... but Nicodemus sort the truth, even if it confused him and made him uncomfortable – which it did. What is your choice?
John 3:10 –15 ““You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.””
For me, when it comes to doubts and the mysteries of God, this is the bottom line.... Jesus lived and claimed to be the one who came from heaven – he is therefore either lying, deluded or he is in fact the God the son. Looking at the evidence (many facts about him as an historical figure quoted in both Christian and non Christian historical sources) shows convincingly that he is who he claimed to be and therefore I believe, and I believe that to be evidence enough to cover any other doubt.
How do we respond when faced with the overwhelming evidence of God? As the song, One of Us, declares, “and would you want to see if seeing meant that you would have to believe.....” -and how do we respond when God calls us?
Genesis 12:1 “The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
Abraham had a call from God and he obeyed. But more than that, God promised to make Abraham into a great nation. At the time Abraham was 75 years old and childless, never the less, he said “yes” to God.
God calls us.... not necessarily to any place, but to a state of being. We are called to turn away from the popular beliefs of society and peers and believe in the one true God.
In our Gospel reading there is an amazing promise given;
John 3:14-17 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
The promise is that anyone who believes in Jesus may have eternal life in him. Please notice that the promise is not conditional upon anything you “do” so much as what you “think”. The promise is a gift of eternal life through Jesus..... No longer does death have that sting.... why? Because we have this hope that we and our loved ones have life eternal through the gift of God and belief in Jesus. I don’t despair over the loss of Joe... though sad and cranky about it for me, I’m joyfully confident that he is alive and well eternally. When Joe died he had the most amazing peaceful smile on his face.... this only happened after he died... I know he is smiling still.
Though this is a gift freely given, the choice is ours to receive it. To receive the gift we need to acknowledge the truth and declare our “self-righteousness” to be fallen short of true righteousness.
As soon as we enter into this “faith” relationship with God it should be sealed with the sign of Baptism – as much for us as for anything spiritual – it is us who often need the ceremony to truly acknowledge our state of being. Just as Abraham believed God and it was his belief which made him righteous, he also answered God’s call and committed himself to a course of action.
We are also called to believe, and likewise, we are declared righteous by our belief, yet we also need to make a commitment to be in relationship with God – it is through this relationship we are saved.
Jesus refers to the relationship in which we enter as being “born again”. This is a wonderful reference because it refers to being born spiritually as God’s child. The analogy is understood from what we know of physical birth.... we might be wayward children at times, but we remain the children of our parents. In the same way, as the children of God, we do often still go astray but our reality as the children of God cannot be severed.
Psalm 121:5-8 “The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Genesis 12: 1-4a Psalm 121 Romans 4: 1-5, 13-17 John 3: 1-17
We live in a world where you “get what you pay for”. In our understanding of the spiritual world we expect it to be the same, and in fact it is the same, but there are some exceptions both in this life and in the spiritual life. Sometimes we receive gifts.
Romans 4:1-3 “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Righteousness is a word that we don’t very often use in our everyday life. Sometimes we may describe someone as being “self-righteous” and we know that it means that the person has an inflated opinion of their own goodness, and “rightness”, and this opinion is not shared by others. In contrast, “Righteousness,” is a state of being right, not by one’s own standard but by God’s.
There are two ways to be declared “righteous”, and both ways are impossible to obtain by our own efforts and goodness. The first way to be righteous is to be so good that you really are “right”.
We have a problem in our society because we actually do have a relatively “self righteous” society. By this, I mean, that our society declares itself to be right and good by its own efforts. When our society decides that the values and morals of the past are too hard to live up to, instead of declaring itself to be un-righteous, it changes the values and morals. The extreme example of this is the push to change laws about homosexuality. - And there are plenty of other examples. So, society declares itself to be the judge and jury and declares its innocence by amending the law. This is self-righteousness because it is self imposed and it is subjective, temporal and false.
Who can be declared righteous by God? To be righteous according to God’s law means attaining perfection, and since, and in the pattern of Adam and Eve, we all fail and fall short of this perfection. Our actions fail, but so does our relationship of trust with God.
The first way to attain righteousness is to be “right” and perfect. The second way is a gift of God. It, being a gift, is not something we attain by our work and self goodness, but it is bestowed by God to His people. We read that Abraham believed God and because of this simple act of faith, God credited it to him as righteousness.
It reminds me of a poster I saw many years ago, “Let go and let God”. There are so many things about life that we don’t understand and mysteries about God also. There are many anti-God voices in the world, whether acting out of hurt, ignorance or malicious intention, these voices impact on us and the society in general causing doubt and deception. It is only through genuinely seeking the voice of truth that we can find some clarity.
In order to find God and truth we need to first be honest with ourselves and this means putting aside our pride and pre-conceived notions - it means acknowledging our lack of righteousness.
In our Gospel we read about Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night. Why at night? He didn’t want his peers to know about his vulnerability. Nicodemus showed himself to be vulnerable and humble, because he came to Jesus with questions about eternal life, even though his peers would have consider themselves and him, (as they were Israel’s teachers,) to have the answers about eternal life. So not only was Nicodemus acknowledging his vulnerability he also showed a willingness to turn from the popular opinion and seek truth in God. – As I often ask, would you prefer the truth or a lie that made you feel comfortable? Nicodemus lived in a world where sacrifices were offered for sins and the law was explained in great detail. Many people are comfortable within black and white rules.... but Nicodemus sort the truth, even if it confused him and made him uncomfortable – which it did. What is your choice?
John 3:10 –15 ““You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.””
For me, when it comes to doubts and the mysteries of God, this is the bottom line.... Jesus lived and claimed to be the one who came from heaven – he is therefore either lying, deluded or he is in fact the God the son. Looking at the evidence (many facts about him as an historical figure quoted in both Christian and non Christian historical sources) shows convincingly that he is who he claimed to be and therefore I believe, and I believe that to be evidence enough to cover any other doubt.
How do we respond when faced with the overwhelming evidence of God? As the song, One of Us, declares, “and would you want to see if seeing meant that you would have to believe.....” -and how do we respond when God calls us?
Genesis 12:1 “The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
Abraham had a call from God and he obeyed. But more than that, God promised to make Abraham into a great nation. At the time Abraham was 75 years old and childless, never the less, he said “yes” to God.
God calls us.... not necessarily to any place, but to a state of being. We are called to turn away from the popular beliefs of society and peers and believe in the one true God.
In our Gospel reading there is an amazing promise given;
John 3:14-17 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
The promise is that anyone who believes in Jesus may have eternal life in him. Please notice that the promise is not conditional upon anything you “do” so much as what you “think”. The promise is a gift of eternal life through Jesus..... No longer does death have that sting.... why? Because we have this hope that we and our loved ones have life eternal through the gift of God and belief in Jesus. I don’t despair over the loss of Joe... though sad and cranky about it for me, I’m joyfully confident that he is alive and well eternally. When Joe died he had the most amazing peaceful smile on his face.... this only happened after he died... I know he is smiling still.
Though this is a gift freely given, the choice is ours to receive it. To receive the gift we need to acknowledge the truth and declare our “self-righteousness” to be fallen short of true righteousness.
As soon as we enter into this “faith” relationship with God it should be sealed with the sign of Baptism – as much for us as for anything spiritual – it is us who often need the ceremony to truly acknowledge our state of being. Just as Abraham believed God and it was his belief which made him righteous, he also answered God’s call and committed himself to a course of action.
We are also called to believe, and likewise, we are declared righteous by our belief, yet we also need to make a commitment to be in relationship with God – it is through this relationship we are saved.
Jesus refers to the relationship in which we enter as being “born again”. This is a wonderful reference because it refers to being born spiritually as God’s child. The analogy is understood from what we know of physical birth.... we might be wayward children at times, but we remain the children of our parents. In the same way, as the children of God, we do often still go astray but our reality as the children of God cannot be severed.
Psalm 121:5-8 “The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Reflection on readings for 13 March 2011
13 March 2011Year A 1st Sunday in Lent
Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5: 12-19 Matthew 4: 1-11
“She’s into superstition, black cats and voodoo doll....” The song from Ricky Martin reminds me of our first reading, as we see how Eve was seduced by Satan in the form of the serpent.
Genesis 3:1-3 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’””
What we notice is that the serpent told a lie based on the truth. The truth was that God did say not to eat from the tree, but it was only one tree. In this same manner of near truth the serpent continues to explain that the tree is the knowledge of good and evil and was desirable to give Adam and Eve wisdom.
There is so much going on under the surface of this very simple story. My first point is that sin never seems to be so bad. If sin looked bad no one would sin. But instead sin is made out to be something desirable for our good and even wholesome.
The lie told by the serpent was that Adam and Eve would not certainly die, but instead they would be like God, knowing good and evil. When we read the story we see that Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden as punishment, along with some other consequences, and it appears that they didn’t die ...... but they did.... eventually.
After my experience of Joe’s cancer and dying, I’m really and truly convinced that God made us, as humans, without the ability to comprehend death. I’m convinced that death was not part of our initial DNA. One of the consequences of the fall is that the whole earth has been made subject to decay and we read this in one of the epistles.
Sin, likewise, can seem to be good, wholesome and when we realize that it isn’t so good it sometimes still appears to have very little consequence. Adam and Eve experienced some immediate consequences of their actions, but the full extent was not realized immediately. Through their actions something changed in the reality of the whole human race and each person was born with a limited mortal life span... we could say that since the fall death has reigned, and in fact this is how St. Paul explains it in his letter .
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned”
Our Gospel reading tells us about Jesus being tempted in the desert. There are three areas where he is tempted. One is with food – a necessary and good thing. Satan tempts Jesus in a way that implies he has a lack of power.... “If you are the son of God, turn these stones into bread”. Jesus replies with scripture, ““It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”
The next was a temptation of security. Satan quotes scripture about God’s protection and prompts Jesus to put God to the test. He might have been saying, “Are you sure that God loves you? Surely you can only know by what He does for you.” When we are tempted in this area it is when things go wrong and we hear that nagging voice that says we are rejected by God.... It is a lie. Jesus didn’t rely on anything God did for him to know and be sure of God’s love.... Even to the point of being nailed to the cross.... Jesus knew that God had a plan and a greater good to achieve.
The third temptation was where Jesus was shown the kingdoms of the earth and promised these if he was to worship Satan. As with each of the other temptations Jesus replies using scripture. Scripture is the word of God and it is the “sword of the Spirit”... it is the greatest resource that we have, and probably the only resource for resisting temptation. But how much do we know of scripture? And the problem is... if we don’t know the scripture we won’t even recognise temptation.
Certainly on a surface level Jesus was being tempted by food, security and power, but Jesus wasn’t being tempted so much about food, security and power as he was about his relationship with God. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind and strength. When the trials of life come against us do we continue steadfast in our relationship with God? Though we have no answers, understanding or reasons, do we still simply trust that God totally loves us and has our ultimate good in mind?
And the short answer is “No”.
It was the same temptation ultimately for Adam and Eve. It was about their relationship with God. Do they trust him – have faith, or Doubt? Was God telling the truth and did He have their ultimate good in mind when He told them not to eat from the tree?
The temptation extends to all areas of our lives where we fail to have faith in God and instead put our faith in other things. Anything that is not of faith is Sin. But how can we have faith and not doubt? If we look to the example of Jesus we will know that there is a need to invest in our relationship with God.
Psalm 32:1,2 “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.”
The struggle to trust in God is one that is common to all humanity and the ability to sin in big ways and small is not limited to those who have no relationship with God. We know from the Bible that King David was a man after God’s own heart and yet he sinned quite dramatically and scandalously. King David took another man’s wife and when she became pregnant and there was no way to conceal the matter he had the husband left defenceless in his army so that he was killed.... pretty much as good as committing murder. Yet this is the man who wrote, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven.” He knew the grace of God because he knew God. The key is in the relationship and in being honest about our failing.
While we maintain our innocence we cannot be forgiven. We can justify ourselves saying that everyone does it.... like kids do.... but the consequence for our sin is death, regardless of whether we acknowledge our sin or not. Sin is not what we decide is sinful, it is what God tells us is sin. There are small and big sins, but the consequence is the same.
People often ask if those who don’t know what sin is are still held accountable and this is answered in our reading from Romans and the fact is that whether we know what sin is or not, death reigns as the consequence of sin.
Romans 5:13, 14 “To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.”
We live in difficult times because our society promotes sin as something good and compassionate. Our government does not seem to have our countries interest in mind, but is instead obsessed with euthanasia, abortion and homosexual marriage. At every turn there is someone shouting out compassionate reasons for these things. The true compassion is in the sacrifice of Jesus in which sin is covered, but sin can’t be covered until the sin is acknowledged.
The story of Adam and Eve explain how our current reality, where death reigns, came to be. Through that sin, every human born since has carried the genes of decay. We grow and we die. It all seems quite pointless unless there is something more...and there is, but how do we attain it. While Adam gave us the DNA for death, we know that Jesus died and rose from the dead.... he overcame the human DNA for death. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, and faith in him, we can inherit eternal life.
Romans 5:18,19 “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Physically we will still fail and sin, but through our union with Christ and faith in God our sins are covered and we are made righteous.
Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5: 12-19 Matthew 4: 1-11
“She’s into superstition, black cats and voodoo doll....” The song from Ricky Martin reminds me of our first reading, as we see how Eve was seduced by Satan in the form of the serpent.
Genesis 3:1-3 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’””
What we notice is that the serpent told a lie based on the truth. The truth was that God did say not to eat from the tree, but it was only one tree. In this same manner of near truth the serpent continues to explain that the tree is the knowledge of good and evil and was desirable to give Adam and Eve wisdom.
There is so much going on under the surface of this very simple story. My first point is that sin never seems to be so bad. If sin looked bad no one would sin. But instead sin is made out to be something desirable for our good and even wholesome.
The lie told by the serpent was that Adam and Eve would not certainly die, but instead they would be like God, knowing good and evil. When we read the story we see that Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden as punishment, along with some other consequences, and it appears that they didn’t die ...... but they did.... eventually.
After my experience of Joe’s cancer and dying, I’m really and truly convinced that God made us, as humans, without the ability to comprehend death. I’m convinced that death was not part of our initial DNA. One of the consequences of the fall is that the whole earth has been made subject to decay and we read this in one of the epistles.
Sin, likewise, can seem to be good, wholesome and when we realize that it isn’t so good it sometimes still appears to have very little consequence. Adam and Eve experienced some immediate consequences of their actions, but the full extent was not realized immediately. Through their actions something changed in the reality of the whole human race and each person was born with a limited mortal life span... we could say that since the fall death has reigned, and in fact this is how St. Paul explains it in his letter .
Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned”
Our Gospel reading tells us about Jesus being tempted in the desert. There are three areas where he is tempted. One is with food – a necessary and good thing. Satan tempts Jesus in a way that implies he has a lack of power.... “If you are the son of God, turn these stones into bread”. Jesus replies with scripture, ““It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”
The next was a temptation of security. Satan quotes scripture about God’s protection and prompts Jesus to put God to the test. He might have been saying, “Are you sure that God loves you? Surely you can only know by what He does for you.” When we are tempted in this area it is when things go wrong and we hear that nagging voice that says we are rejected by God.... It is a lie. Jesus didn’t rely on anything God did for him to know and be sure of God’s love.... Even to the point of being nailed to the cross.... Jesus knew that God had a plan and a greater good to achieve.
The third temptation was where Jesus was shown the kingdoms of the earth and promised these if he was to worship Satan. As with each of the other temptations Jesus replies using scripture. Scripture is the word of God and it is the “sword of the Spirit”... it is the greatest resource that we have, and probably the only resource for resisting temptation. But how much do we know of scripture? And the problem is... if we don’t know the scripture we won’t even recognise temptation.
Certainly on a surface level Jesus was being tempted by food, security and power, but Jesus wasn’t being tempted so much about food, security and power as he was about his relationship with God. The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind and strength. When the trials of life come against us do we continue steadfast in our relationship with God? Though we have no answers, understanding or reasons, do we still simply trust that God totally loves us and has our ultimate good in mind?
And the short answer is “No”.
It was the same temptation ultimately for Adam and Eve. It was about their relationship with God. Do they trust him – have faith, or Doubt? Was God telling the truth and did He have their ultimate good in mind when He told them not to eat from the tree?
The temptation extends to all areas of our lives where we fail to have faith in God and instead put our faith in other things. Anything that is not of faith is Sin. But how can we have faith and not doubt? If we look to the example of Jesus we will know that there is a need to invest in our relationship with God.
Psalm 32:1,2 “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.”
The struggle to trust in God is one that is common to all humanity and the ability to sin in big ways and small is not limited to those who have no relationship with God. We know from the Bible that King David was a man after God’s own heart and yet he sinned quite dramatically and scandalously. King David took another man’s wife and when she became pregnant and there was no way to conceal the matter he had the husband left defenceless in his army so that he was killed.... pretty much as good as committing murder. Yet this is the man who wrote, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven.” He knew the grace of God because he knew God. The key is in the relationship and in being honest about our failing.
While we maintain our innocence we cannot be forgiven. We can justify ourselves saying that everyone does it.... like kids do.... but the consequence for our sin is death, regardless of whether we acknowledge our sin or not. Sin is not what we decide is sinful, it is what God tells us is sin. There are small and big sins, but the consequence is the same.
People often ask if those who don’t know what sin is are still held accountable and this is answered in our reading from Romans and the fact is that whether we know what sin is or not, death reigns as the consequence of sin.
Romans 5:13, 14 “To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.”
We live in difficult times because our society promotes sin as something good and compassionate. Our government does not seem to have our countries interest in mind, but is instead obsessed with euthanasia, abortion and homosexual marriage. At every turn there is someone shouting out compassionate reasons for these things. The true compassion is in the sacrifice of Jesus in which sin is covered, but sin can’t be covered until the sin is acknowledged.
The story of Adam and Eve explain how our current reality, where death reigns, came to be. Through that sin, every human born since has carried the genes of decay. We grow and we die. It all seems quite pointless unless there is something more...and there is, but how do we attain it. While Adam gave us the DNA for death, we know that Jesus died and rose from the dead.... he overcame the human DNA for death. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, and faith in him, we can inherit eternal life.
Romans 5:18,19 “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Physically we will still fail and sin, but through our union with Christ and faith in God our sins are covered and we are made righteous.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Reflection 6 March 2011 The Transfiguration
Hello again,
This week we have the celebration of the transfiguration. It is a time that confused Peter, James and John, but it revealed to them beyond any shadow of a doubt that Moses and Elijah, though they had died many years previously - they lived! and also that Jesus was no ordinary man - Jesus is God the son.
The reflection doesn't actually mention these points.... but they are also important to note as they have important implications for our lives and what we believe.
Bye for now,
Niki
Year A March 6 2011 Transfiguration Sunday
Exodus 24: 12-18 Psalm 2 OR Psalm 99 2 Peter 1: 16-21 Matthew 17: 1-9
Exodus 24:15-16 “When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.”
So many years ago there was an important event that took place, yet there are so many significant things about this event that we fail to understand. For a start, and most obviously, the law of God was given. So often we’ve heard the story that we may, in our familiarity, overlook the significance of this. Many years prior to this event God had given just one law and that one being, not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
It was on the 6th day that God made man and it was on the 7th day that He rested. At this point in history mankind knew God and lived in the garden of God where all was provided and there was no death or suffering. It was a place of rest and provision. I would imagine that on the 7th day God and mankind enjoyed their relationship. In our reading about Moses we read that for 6 days the cloud of the presence of God covered the mountain, and on the 7th day God called Moses. Moses then went up the mountain to receive the law of God.
Interestingly enough one of the laws that Moses came down the mountain with was to keep holy the 7th day, which technically is the Saturday- although it is not so much the name of the day that is important, but a message that God was trying to convey.
Matthew 17: 1-3 “ After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.”
I think we can assume that after 6 days comes the 7th day... so it appears that Peter, James and John went up the mountain with Jesus on the 7th day.
We live on this earth and in many ways we live the days one through to six, but do we live the 7th day? We know that Moses gave the people the commandments from God and there was a very important one about keeping holy the Sabbath or 7th day – why was this so important to God?
Moses received the law of God and to many people they saw it as a bunch of rules, but we learn from the Psalms that the law of God is perfect and that it revives the soul and brings life. In fact the law of God reveals two things to us. It reveals God’s perfect character and it brings to light our inability to keep God’s law. We discover just how perfect God is and how imperfect we are.
When Moses went up the mountain not only was God’s law given, but God himself was revealed. God was revealed personally to Moses and, through the law, He was revealed to the nation. When Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain God was revealed. This was an encounter that enlightened and, through the witness of the event, the true nature of Jesus, God the son, has been revealed to many.
2 Peter 1:16-18 “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”
Peter goes on to talk about the witness of the prophets and their writings. He tells his readers that these writings and the witness of themselves are reliable sources. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people itch to hear amazing revelations of God but look for these in places apart from the obvious. I was recently told of someone looking in other places for answers and heard what they thought was a great sermon that preached on the years of Jesus between the age of 12 and 30. There is nothing written about Jesus in this time and so the preaching was all theoretical and bordering on heresy. We need to be discerning about what to listen to. There are many books and theories that are “spiritual”. They contain some truth. But that is the essence of every good lie... a large dash of truth and just the tiny important aspect twisted.
We need a revelation of God for ourselves. We need to find our 7th day with God.... not just physically – but spiritually.... we need to encounter God and divinely receive his revelation.
We can see from history that people can strive to be the people of God trusting in the revelation of another and receiving the message second hand, but this often leads to falling away. The Israelites of Moses time were the recipients of many miracles and yet they continued to fall from faith in God.
The disciples following Jesus were about to encounter major persecution. They needed the personal encounter with God. They still failed – but they didn’t fall away – they were not lost. St. Paul was persecuting the church prior to his conversion. He was struck down blind and heard the voice from heaven. After this St. Paul could face stoning, imprisonment and persecution because his revelation of God was personal. Though not everyone has such a dramatic personal revelation, we each need to seek God for the personal revelation of His truth and love for us.
The 7th day is a time of resting in the relationship we have with God. It is a time for us to truly know God for who He is and it is a time of God’s provision and His empowerment for us. It is also a time of resting from our work. We need to remember that we are unable to perfectly keep His law, but because of our relationship with Him our lack has been paid for. It could be said that we actually live each day as the 7th day: resting, relying and trusting in the relationship with have with God.
This week we have the celebration of the transfiguration. It is a time that confused Peter, James and John, but it revealed to them beyond any shadow of a doubt that Moses and Elijah, though they had died many years previously - they lived! and also that Jesus was no ordinary man - Jesus is God the son.
The reflection doesn't actually mention these points.... but they are also important to note as they have important implications for our lives and what we believe.
Bye for now,
Niki
Year A March 6 2011 Transfiguration Sunday
Exodus 24: 12-18 Psalm 2 OR Psalm 99 2 Peter 1: 16-21 Matthew 17: 1-9
Exodus 24:15-16 “When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.”
So many years ago there was an important event that took place, yet there are so many significant things about this event that we fail to understand. For a start, and most obviously, the law of God was given. So often we’ve heard the story that we may, in our familiarity, overlook the significance of this. Many years prior to this event God had given just one law and that one being, not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
It was on the 6th day that God made man and it was on the 7th day that He rested. At this point in history mankind knew God and lived in the garden of God where all was provided and there was no death or suffering. It was a place of rest and provision. I would imagine that on the 7th day God and mankind enjoyed their relationship. In our reading about Moses we read that for 6 days the cloud of the presence of God covered the mountain, and on the 7th day God called Moses. Moses then went up the mountain to receive the law of God.
Interestingly enough one of the laws that Moses came down the mountain with was to keep holy the 7th day, which technically is the Saturday- although it is not so much the name of the day that is important, but a message that God was trying to convey.
Matthew 17: 1-3 “ After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.”
I think we can assume that after 6 days comes the 7th day... so it appears that Peter, James and John went up the mountain with Jesus on the 7th day.
We live on this earth and in many ways we live the days one through to six, but do we live the 7th day? We know that Moses gave the people the commandments from God and there was a very important one about keeping holy the Sabbath or 7th day – why was this so important to God?
Moses received the law of God and to many people they saw it as a bunch of rules, but we learn from the Psalms that the law of God is perfect and that it revives the soul and brings life. In fact the law of God reveals two things to us. It reveals God’s perfect character and it brings to light our inability to keep God’s law. We discover just how perfect God is and how imperfect we are.
When Moses went up the mountain not only was God’s law given, but God himself was revealed. God was revealed personally to Moses and, through the law, He was revealed to the nation. When Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain God was revealed. This was an encounter that enlightened and, through the witness of the event, the true nature of Jesus, God the son, has been revealed to many.
2 Peter 1:16-18 “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”
Peter goes on to talk about the witness of the prophets and their writings. He tells his readers that these writings and the witness of themselves are reliable sources. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people itch to hear amazing revelations of God but look for these in places apart from the obvious. I was recently told of someone looking in other places for answers and heard what they thought was a great sermon that preached on the years of Jesus between the age of 12 and 30. There is nothing written about Jesus in this time and so the preaching was all theoretical and bordering on heresy. We need to be discerning about what to listen to. There are many books and theories that are “spiritual”. They contain some truth. But that is the essence of every good lie... a large dash of truth and just the tiny important aspect twisted.
We need a revelation of God for ourselves. We need to find our 7th day with God.... not just physically – but spiritually.... we need to encounter God and divinely receive his revelation.
We can see from history that people can strive to be the people of God trusting in the revelation of another and receiving the message second hand, but this often leads to falling away. The Israelites of Moses time were the recipients of many miracles and yet they continued to fall from faith in God.
The disciples following Jesus were about to encounter major persecution. They needed the personal encounter with God. They still failed – but they didn’t fall away – they were not lost. St. Paul was persecuting the church prior to his conversion. He was struck down blind and heard the voice from heaven. After this St. Paul could face stoning, imprisonment and persecution because his revelation of God was personal. Though not everyone has such a dramatic personal revelation, we each need to seek God for the personal revelation of His truth and love for us.
The 7th day is a time of resting in the relationship we have with God. It is a time for us to truly know God for who He is and it is a time of God’s provision and His empowerment for us. It is also a time of resting from our work. We need to remember that we are unable to perfectly keep His law, but because of our relationship with Him our lack has been paid for. It could be said that we actually live each day as the 7th day: resting, relying and trusting in the relationship with have with God.
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