Year A 7th Sunday of Easter 5 June 2011
Acts 1: 6-14 Psalm 68: 1-10, 32-35 1 Peter 4: 12-14; 5: 6-11 John 17: 1-11
I have previously mentioned that a couple of weeks ago there was a group who predicted that judgment day was happening about two Saturdays ago, and this week we have our reading from acts which talks about the Jesus ascension and his coming back- and some misunderstandings. The apostles asked Jesus, after he had risen, if he was at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel. As far as they were concerned, the return of the kingdom to Israel was the bigger picture, but God’s plan is way broader than their already broadened minds could comprehend at that point.
Acts 1:7,8 “He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
The followers of Jesus had witnessed his resurrection. They understood far more than the average citizen in that community because they had been taught by Jesus, but they still lacked so much understanding. These people would not cope without Jesus there with them, and he was about to ascend to heaven. But God had a better plan.
In the beginning Jesus was there with God. He always existed, but other than being described as the “word” of God, he was somewhat apart from the people. Then the word became flesh.... the visible expression of God walked among us, yet as human he was limited to time and place. God needed his people to be aware of His presence with them at all times. He needed His people to know they could access His power in the same way as having Jesus right there with them.... and so he promised them a helper – the Holy Spirit.
Many years ago I met a person who had at one time been involved in the charismatic renewal and had previously experienced the gift of tongues (that is praying in an unknown language). He said to me that he had grown out of it and didn’t need it anymore. My thoughts about that are; how can you be so arrogant as to think that you could possibly grow out of the need for a gift of the Holy Spirit that God gives?
We live more than 2000 years after Jesus walked the earth. If the followers of Jesus, after being personally taught by him (which is being taught by God himself), needed the gift of the Holy Spirit, how much more do we need this gift?
The primary expression of the gift of the Holy Spirit that came upon the believers was the gift of tongues. There is a lot of misinformation about this, but to put it simply, this is praying to God in an unknown language. It is our spirit communicating with God through the gift of His Spirit. Many times we don’t know what and how to pray effectively – so praying in the spirit takes away all concern about this. In this matter we are no different from the first believers, except that we need the gift more.
Other expressions of the gift of the Holy Spirit are things like discernment, knowledge, healings.... etc... I’m sure these things will come up in readings in the next few weeks and so I don’t want to go into anything in detail, but just to make it really clear that we need this gift of the Holy Spirit far more desperately than the first believers.
Jesus prayed for those first believers and he prays for us:
John 17:6-11 ““I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.”
Jesus prayed that we might be as one. This prayer is answered through the Holy Spirit. There will always be issues that divide us. Some things that we can’t agree on, but when we have the gift of the Holy Spirit and God at work within us, there will be unity in spite of our differences.
On Saturday night, Don Ford preached a very crucial sermon. He got us all to repeat, “I in you and you in me”. These were the words of Jesus from the Gospel last week. The meaning is that, how we accomplish anything for God is by our being “in Him” and he in us. It is the Holy Spirit – God in us, which works to bring blessing to others. It is Christ living in us by his Holy Spirit that is a witness to the reality of God and the message of Good News.
When the chips are down and there are challenges to our faith we have an even greater need for the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to be witnesses when we would otherwise be too scared or too worn out.
1 Peter 4:14 “14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
We may not have the persecution in our community that other countries face for being a Christian, but there is a lot of social pressure to confirm to the politically correct way of thinking and being.... sometimes these pressures are enforcing a good thing, but sometimes they are in opposition to our faith and what the Holy Spirit tells us is right. It is possible that if you have not experienced any opposition for your faith that you are not actually active with your faith....
To begin with, as Christians we proclaim that there is one true God. This offends people and many would say that because religion is to do with beliefs rather than facts that we need to keep quiet about it and admit that we don’t really know. BUT, a Christian who has had God revealed to them by the Holy Spirit doesn’t merely believe that there is one true God. St. Paul when he was struck blind by God did not merely believe that Jesus was the Christ and the one true God; he knew it and he witnessed it. This is a fact which commanded his life.
This whole idea of the trinity is beyond our human understanding but the Holy Spirit reveals it to us and makes it known to us.... not just a belief.
These are just a couple of things confirmed by the Holy Spirit, but also we find in our Gospel reading.
John 17: 1 “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”
We can read and believe with all our might, but without the Holy Spirit these things would become mere ideas and not Gospel truth.
Jesus prayed for his followers because he knew that while we are on planet earth there will be many trials. And it is the Holy Spirit that helps us through these trials. Sometimes there is nothing written in black and white in the Bible to tell us what to do in certain circumstances. We then need the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Even when things are written in black and white we can get it wrong – the Pharisees did. And so we need the gift of the Holy Spirit.... sometimes we particularly need the gift of discernment as we have so many laws and ideas being put forward to us in our government – also, and in so many ways we need the Holy Spirit gift of wisdom.
Come Holy Spirit!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Reflection on readings for 29th May 2011
Year A 6th Sunday of Easter 29 May 2011
Acts 17: 22-31 Psalm 66: 8-20 1 Peter 3: 13-22 John 14: 15-21
1 Peter 3:15, 16. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
In our first reading from acts we see an example of proclaiming the Good News with gentleness and respect. St. Paul visits Athens and notes the many “gods” that they have there. These people are so passionate about their gods that they even have a monument to an unknown god. Paul understands that these are a people who are good but ignorant of the truth. He applauds them for their religious devotion but then beginning with their understanding and their devotion, he proclaims the truth about their “unknown” God and makes Him known.
There is a lot we can learn from St. Paul. Firstly, to acknowledge and understand where people are at and approach them with respect. Only God truly knows the heart of people and sometimes the most unlikely people are those loved and chosen by God. Some go by the theory that we all innately know God but through the pressures of the world and the ideas of others around us, we slowly but surely forget. In many cases it is like the call of the good shepherd to the lost sheep, they recognise the truth when they finally hear that voice apart from all the other voices -but for them to hear the voice, we need to proclaim it.
Another thing that we can learn from St. Paul is not to water down the truth. Because we are so concerned about not offending anyone there is a real temptation to do this, as due to the admonition to approach people with respect we erroneously believe that we are being respectful as we water down the Gospel. St. Paul was respectful, but I’m sure many people didn’t see it that way.
I’m often in trouble for my words.... I’m not always as sensitive as I could be, but there are times when it is perceived that I am disrespectful towards certain groups of people simply because I am a Christian. I came across this often when I was living in Cairns. Without me saying anything I was seen as narrow minded, disrespectful and uncaring about the groups of people which included those who are pro-abortion, homosexual, etc... Truth is, I have friends and people I care deeply about who have been involved in these areas. I understand all the “ifs” and “buts” involved in the situations that bring people to these places, but I will still proclaim that in God’s plan there is a more excellent way.....
In our message of the Good News there are certain facts that will offend people. People often misunderstand that there are facts about our faith. Often there are some who think religion should “change with the times”, and while the expressions of our faith can and should change with the times, the facts about our faith must remain unchanging, because either God is God or he isn’t. If God is God, then His truth is a constant.
St. Paul explains to the people in Athens some facts about God.
Acts 17:24, 25 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
Firstly Paul explains who God is and that all life comes from him. Already St. Paul’s words are an offence to those who think that the world came into being without any divine hand. Paul also explains that God is beyond the earthly understanding and can not be restricted to a temple or structure built by human hands. Please understand that we can not shape God into a god that suits our philosophy of life.
Acts 17:26, 27 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Paul proclaims that we are all connected, coming from the one man, but the nations and times appointed in history are designed by God to prompt us to turn to him.
Acts 17:28-31 “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Paul continues to make known to people that God is kind and overlooks past ignorance, but once the truth is proclaimed, a response of repentance is required, because Jesus will come to judge. The proof that this will happen was given by God raising Jesus from the dead.
We can see that while Paul was respectful he was also very straight about the facts. There will be a judgment day! Supposedly it was going to take place last week. I discovered this through my best source of information – facebook. If we read our Bibles we will know that the Day of Judgment is unknown – so anyone who claims to know is a fake. But we also have personal days of judgment and the common factor is that the time is unknown.... and the moral to the story is to live prepared always with a heart that has a clear conscience before God. We do this by understanding the Good News – that is- Christ died for our sins. We acknowledge our sinfulness and thank God for his sacrifice which atones for our sin.
1 Peter 3:18 – 22 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. In that state he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
We have an amazing message of hope. We have an amazing message of God taking away the barrier between humankind and himself so that we can live eternally. We have the proof in the resurrection of Christ –
For many the concept of religion is just something you “believe in”. It is subjective because it is based on human perception and human perception is very subjective and able to change with the times. But our faith is beyond our perception. If nothing else was clear in St. Paul’s message to the people of Athens, hopefully this one aspect was impressed, that God is not subject to human hands and minds, but regardless of what we believe or perceive, we are subject to God.
1 Peter 3:15a. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord....”
Acts 17: 22-31 Psalm 66: 8-20 1 Peter 3: 13-22 John 14: 15-21
1 Peter 3:15, 16. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”
In our first reading from acts we see an example of proclaiming the Good News with gentleness and respect. St. Paul visits Athens and notes the many “gods” that they have there. These people are so passionate about their gods that they even have a monument to an unknown god. Paul understands that these are a people who are good but ignorant of the truth. He applauds them for their religious devotion but then beginning with their understanding and their devotion, he proclaims the truth about their “unknown” God and makes Him known.
There is a lot we can learn from St. Paul. Firstly, to acknowledge and understand where people are at and approach them with respect. Only God truly knows the heart of people and sometimes the most unlikely people are those loved and chosen by God. Some go by the theory that we all innately know God but through the pressures of the world and the ideas of others around us, we slowly but surely forget. In many cases it is like the call of the good shepherd to the lost sheep, they recognise the truth when they finally hear that voice apart from all the other voices -but for them to hear the voice, we need to proclaim it.
Another thing that we can learn from St. Paul is not to water down the truth. Because we are so concerned about not offending anyone there is a real temptation to do this, as due to the admonition to approach people with respect we erroneously believe that we are being respectful as we water down the Gospel. St. Paul was respectful, but I’m sure many people didn’t see it that way.
I’m often in trouble for my words.... I’m not always as sensitive as I could be, but there are times when it is perceived that I am disrespectful towards certain groups of people simply because I am a Christian. I came across this often when I was living in Cairns. Without me saying anything I was seen as narrow minded, disrespectful and uncaring about the groups of people which included those who are pro-abortion, homosexual, etc... Truth is, I have friends and people I care deeply about who have been involved in these areas. I understand all the “ifs” and “buts” involved in the situations that bring people to these places, but I will still proclaim that in God’s plan there is a more excellent way.....
In our message of the Good News there are certain facts that will offend people. People often misunderstand that there are facts about our faith. Often there are some who think religion should “change with the times”, and while the expressions of our faith can and should change with the times, the facts about our faith must remain unchanging, because either God is God or he isn’t. If God is God, then His truth is a constant.
St. Paul explains to the people in Athens some facts about God.
Acts 17:24, 25 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.”
Firstly Paul explains who God is and that all life comes from him. Already St. Paul’s words are an offence to those who think that the world came into being without any divine hand. Paul also explains that God is beyond the earthly understanding and can not be restricted to a temple or structure built by human hands. Please understand that we can not shape God into a god that suits our philosophy of life.
Acts 17:26, 27 “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Paul proclaims that we are all connected, coming from the one man, but the nations and times appointed in history are designed by God to prompt us to turn to him.
Acts 17:28-31 “‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Paul continues to make known to people that God is kind and overlooks past ignorance, but once the truth is proclaimed, a response of repentance is required, because Jesus will come to judge. The proof that this will happen was given by God raising Jesus from the dead.
We can see that while Paul was respectful he was also very straight about the facts. There will be a judgment day! Supposedly it was going to take place last week. I discovered this through my best source of information – facebook. If we read our Bibles we will know that the Day of Judgment is unknown – so anyone who claims to know is a fake. But we also have personal days of judgment and the common factor is that the time is unknown.... and the moral to the story is to live prepared always with a heart that has a clear conscience before God. We do this by understanding the Good News – that is- Christ died for our sins. We acknowledge our sinfulness and thank God for his sacrifice which atones for our sin.
1 Peter 3:18 – 22 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. In that state he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.”
We have an amazing message of hope. We have an amazing message of God taking away the barrier between humankind and himself so that we can live eternally. We have the proof in the resurrection of Christ –
For many the concept of religion is just something you “believe in”. It is subjective because it is based on human perception and human perception is very subjective and able to change with the times. But our faith is beyond our perception. If nothing else was clear in St. Paul’s message to the people of Athens, hopefully this one aspect was impressed, that God is not subject to human hands and minds, but regardless of what we believe or perceive, we are subject to God.
1 Peter 3:15a. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord....”
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Reflection on readings for 22nd May 2011
Year A 5th Sunday of Easter 22 May 2011
Acts 7: 55-60 Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16 1 Peter 2: 2-10 John 14: 1-14
Do we have many worries? Are we troubled? The early Christians had many troubles which worried them. I’m sure many of the worries were the same. They would have been worried for their children’s futures, their own needs and the day to day concerns, but on top of this all was the threat of persecution for their faith. There had always been opposition in some form to the message about Jesus Christ, but with the stoning of Stephen the opposition gained strength.
We read in the Gospel, words of comfort for a people who are mortal and facing the fears of being thrown to lions for the faith that gives them hope.
John 14:1-4 ““Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father’s house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.””
It isn’t just people who have the possibility of imminent death by being fed to lions who need this reassurance, we all need it. The close friends of Jesus who were listening to this message were still very much unaware of the enormity of what was ahead of them and also unaware of the true identity of Jesus. They had some idea that he was someone really special, and even possibly the Messiah, but Jesus reveals more about his being when he goes on to say:
John 14:9-10 “Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”
This is one of those passages that reveal part of the Trinitarian aspect of God. Jesus was fully human and his followers knew it, but Jesus is also fully God and the mystery is brought into focus with this passage. Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. It is a central belief of the Christian church.
We live in such relative comfort, yet those early Christians had a faith that was so secure and such good news, and so important, and such ultimate truth, that the early Christians knew it was also worth dying for.
We accept our faith as that comforting little slot in our lives that we save for times when the chips are down. When our faith doesn’t matter we certainly have one less thing to cause angst between us and other people... just like when we don’t have any strong political persuasions... it may mean that we can enjoy peace with all people, but, there is a saying that “man who whittle himself away to suit everyone else will soon find there is nothing left”.
It is important that we know who we are and what we believe. It is important that we understand in the light of God’s truth. To die for something based on a lie would be a foolish tragedy, but to die bringing absolute truth (a truth that sets captives free) and good news has a great effect on this life and an eternal effect. It is possible that the stone being thrown into the pond has no comprehension of the ripples it caused!
Hopefully in our life time we will not be asked to die for our faith, but be aware that there are Christians overseas who are..... And what is our response to our faith, and our response to their suffering? Many of us will not even put ourselves out enough to get to church, let alone any extra activity of the church. I’m speaking to myself a little here too, as I’ve wanted to go to a breakfast meeting that happens each month in our church, but each time I end up choosing to sleep in. Really, it isn’t good enough.
We have the luxury and assurance of our faith but we aren’t sharing it. There is another saying, “Use it or lose it”. Our children are losing faith because we are not living as if we believe it really is good news. Our schools are constantly being targeted as presently there is someone challenging that Chaplains should not be paid by the government. This has longer reaching effects, as chaplains also exist in the police force, the hospitals, the defence force... and probably other areas that I’ve forgotten. Our country has been one that relied on God and the ministry of Christians, but we are not “using” our gifts and may possibly “lose” the way of life that we have known.
I have to admit that although I care deeply about these issues, I feel powerless. I can’t tell you how many times I get email messages to say that the courier mail (or Australian – can’t remember which exactly) website has another on line vote about same sex marriages, and other issues that should concern Christians. We are constantly being bombarded with requests for action to save our way of life until those who are active are completely worn out. We need something more.... maybe we need 100 percent of Christians to start becoming active... Or maybe we need us all to be seriously praying... or maybe we need a miracle.
John 14: 12- 14 “ Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
It has always amazed me that Jesus made this statement. Certainly some of those early Christians did do some amazing things. Made the lame walk, raised the dead (I think it was someone listening to such a long sermon that they fell asleep and fell out a window), and St. Paul was bitten by a deadly snake and it had no effect. We don’t often hear of these kinds of stories today, but maybe we are not listening. Maybe we need to become actively involved to see the miracles. And maybe there is no maybe about it!
John 14:6-7 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
We are all a little frightened to speak out about our faith. We don’t want to offend and we don’t like to tell people that Jesus is the “Way, the truth and the life”. We don’t like to tell them that no one comes to the father but through him, because that means that all their other ideas about “living a good life is enough” and “karma” and various others, are false. But if we don’t tell them that the only way to the father is through Jesus, then we are responsible for the consequence of their lives.
Acts 7: 55-60 Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16 1 Peter 2: 2-10 John 14: 1-14
Do we have many worries? Are we troubled? The early Christians had many troubles which worried them. I’m sure many of the worries were the same. They would have been worried for their children’s futures, their own needs and the day to day concerns, but on top of this all was the threat of persecution for their faith. There had always been opposition in some form to the message about Jesus Christ, but with the stoning of Stephen the opposition gained strength.
We read in the Gospel, words of comfort for a people who are mortal and facing the fears of being thrown to lions for the faith that gives them hope.
John 14:1-4 ““Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. My Father’s house has plenty of room; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.””
It isn’t just people who have the possibility of imminent death by being fed to lions who need this reassurance, we all need it. The close friends of Jesus who were listening to this message were still very much unaware of the enormity of what was ahead of them and also unaware of the true identity of Jesus. They had some idea that he was someone really special, and even possibly the Messiah, but Jesus reveals more about his being when he goes on to say:
John 14:9-10 “Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.”
This is one of those passages that reveal part of the Trinitarian aspect of God. Jesus was fully human and his followers knew it, but Jesus is also fully God and the mystery is brought into focus with this passage. Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. It is a central belief of the Christian church.
We live in such relative comfort, yet those early Christians had a faith that was so secure and such good news, and so important, and such ultimate truth, that the early Christians knew it was also worth dying for.
We accept our faith as that comforting little slot in our lives that we save for times when the chips are down. When our faith doesn’t matter we certainly have one less thing to cause angst between us and other people... just like when we don’t have any strong political persuasions... it may mean that we can enjoy peace with all people, but, there is a saying that “man who whittle himself away to suit everyone else will soon find there is nothing left”.
It is important that we know who we are and what we believe. It is important that we understand in the light of God’s truth. To die for something based on a lie would be a foolish tragedy, but to die bringing absolute truth (a truth that sets captives free) and good news has a great effect on this life and an eternal effect. It is possible that the stone being thrown into the pond has no comprehension of the ripples it caused!
Hopefully in our life time we will not be asked to die for our faith, but be aware that there are Christians overseas who are..... And what is our response to our faith, and our response to their suffering? Many of us will not even put ourselves out enough to get to church, let alone any extra activity of the church. I’m speaking to myself a little here too, as I’ve wanted to go to a breakfast meeting that happens each month in our church, but each time I end up choosing to sleep in. Really, it isn’t good enough.
We have the luxury and assurance of our faith but we aren’t sharing it. There is another saying, “Use it or lose it”. Our children are losing faith because we are not living as if we believe it really is good news. Our schools are constantly being targeted as presently there is someone challenging that Chaplains should not be paid by the government. This has longer reaching effects, as chaplains also exist in the police force, the hospitals, the defence force... and probably other areas that I’ve forgotten. Our country has been one that relied on God and the ministry of Christians, but we are not “using” our gifts and may possibly “lose” the way of life that we have known.
I have to admit that although I care deeply about these issues, I feel powerless. I can’t tell you how many times I get email messages to say that the courier mail (or Australian – can’t remember which exactly) website has another on line vote about same sex marriages, and other issues that should concern Christians. We are constantly being bombarded with requests for action to save our way of life until those who are active are completely worn out. We need something more.... maybe we need 100 percent of Christians to start becoming active... Or maybe we need us all to be seriously praying... or maybe we need a miracle.
John 14: 12- 14 “ Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
It has always amazed me that Jesus made this statement. Certainly some of those early Christians did do some amazing things. Made the lame walk, raised the dead (I think it was someone listening to such a long sermon that they fell asleep and fell out a window), and St. Paul was bitten by a deadly snake and it had no effect. We don’t often hear of these kinds of stories today, but maybe we are not listening. Maybe we need to become actively involved to see the miracles. And maybe there is no maybe about it!
John 14:6-7 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
We are all a little frightened to speak out about our faith. We don’t want to offend and we don’t like to tell people that Jesus is the “Way, the truth and the life”. We don’t like to tell them that no one comes to the father but through him, because that means that all their other ideas about “living a good life is enough” and “karma” and various others, are false. But if we don’t tell them that the only way to the father is through Jesus, then we are responsible for the consequence of their lives.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Reflection on readings for 15th May 2011
Year A 4th Sunday of Easter 15 May 2011
Acts 2: 42-47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2: 19-25 John 10: 1-10
I think it started with King David... this understanding of the role of the shepherd being like the relationship that God has with his people. Psalm 23 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing”. It was the shepherd that led the sheep to green pasture, kept the sheep safe, rescued the strays and basically did all the thinking for the sheep. As I heard someone on television say today, “we plan and God laughs”. We make our plans but often God has other plans for us.
In many ways we are like the sheep that constantly stray because if we were truly listening to God’s voice our plans would be in line with His, and so the saying, “we plan and God laughs would not be known and understood”.
As our shepherd, God has led us to green pasture and given us life in a country of plenty. Regardless of any financial predicament we might find ourselves in, we are living in a country of plenty with so many privileges and provisions. Other countries are not such a blessing.
We read how life was for the early Christians and how they cared for each other. Acts 2:44, 45 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
Our Christian heritage is at the root of our country which strives to care for all.
The early Christians cared for each other willingly because of a deep conviction that all they had came from God. They also had a deep understanding that these people who were “born of God” were their spiritual brothers and sisters, precious to God and their responsibility. I wonder if we today have ever glimpsed this reality about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Each of those who belong to God’s family, share an eternal bond with us and we should be caring for each other. In our country, we probably don’t need to concern ourselves so much with the financial aspect as we have a government system that helps with that, although there are times when extra is needed such as times of disaster – and maybe other special circumstances.... like the call of God on someone’s life to do something... i.e. missionary work, building a church etc. – Yet there are other ways that we need to be caring for each other and sometimes this happens and often it doesn’t.
I feel cared for in my church, but I know of others who have been part of a church and yet felt isolated. Our open friendliness, meals and coffee after church and home groups are ways that we build bonds of friendship and care for each other. When disaster happens in someone’s life we often feel like we’d be intruding if we tried to help – this is an indicator that our relationships are not yet at the level that it should be. It isn’t that everyone needs to be close friends with everyone, but that we continue to strengthen and deepen our relationships with those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. Importantly, it needs to be true and genuine friendship – not a church policy or structure or plan. It flows from hearts that understand the love of God.
This brings me to my next point. We read in the Gospel that the Sheep know the voice of their shepherd and recognise when he speaks. Do we recognise the voice of God? And how do we hear God’s voice?
John 10:3,4 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd. There were people who prepared the way for Jesus. Most notably is John the Baptist, yet other prophets over the hundreds of years helped also to “open the gate” for Jesus. They did this by proclaiming the truth about God and through their message they made God known. I would imagine that if there was no gatekeeper the sheep would be totally aimless and listening to any voice that struck a chord with them and claimed some sort of authority. Our ministers and church leaders are obvious gatekeepers and this is one of the reasons that it is important to be a regular church attendee.
Today we are sheep who are part of God’s flock, and we are also gatekeepers for others. It is us who need to proclaim the truth about God, when we do other sheep will recognise His voice and not be led astray. In our society today there certainly are other voices that distract and lead astray. These are things like the psychic expo, astrology, obsessions with fantasies about vampires and supernatural things. And then there are also the voices from the God of money that also lead astray, dictating a busy selfish and money centred existence. There is also the God of leisure which dictates that sporting needs and fun family outings and sleeping in is more important than God. And there are probably a few others. Question is; which voice are we listening to?
My final point is that Jesus refers to himself as the gate. What does this mean and what are the implications:
John 10:7-10 “Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
We come into the flock of God through the life of Jesus. There is no other way. You don’t become a Christian by following the commandments or “being a good person”. You don’t even become a Christian by going through the ritual of baptism or any other of the sacraments. You become a child of God by your connection to Christ - by belief and acceptance of his sacrifice and resurrection. Baptism is commanded to seal the deal – to make conscious and sure the commitment to follow Christ and commitment to be part of his flock. How are we all going with this commitment?
Acts 2: 42-47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2: 19-25 John 10: 1-10
I think it started with King David... this understanding of the role of the shepherd being like the relationship that God has with his people. Psalm 23 “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing”. It was the shepherd that led the sheep to green pasture, kept the sheep safe, rescued the strays and basically did all the thinking for the sheep. As I heard someone on television say today, “we plan and God laughs”. We make our plans but often God has other plans for us.
In many ways we are like the sheep that constantly stray because if we were truly listening to God’s voice our plans would be in line with His, and so the saying, “we plan and God laughs would not be known and understood”.
As our shepherd, God has led us to green pasture and given us life in a country of plenty. Regardless of any financial predicament we might find ourselves in, we are living in a country of plenty with so many privileges and provisions. Other countries are not such a blessing.
We read how life was for the early Christians and how they cared for each other. Acts 2:44, 45 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
Our Christian heritage is at the root of our country which strives to care for all.
The early Christians cared for each other willingly because of a deep conviction that all they had came from God. They also had a deep understanding that these people who were “born of God” were their spiritual brothers and sisters, precious to God and their responsibility. I wonder if we today have ever glimpsed this reality about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Each of those who belong to God’s family, share an eternal bond with us and we should be caring for each other. In our country, we probably don’t need to concern ourselves so much with the financial aspect as we have a government system that helps with that, although there are times when extra is needed such as times of disaster – and maybe other special circumstances.... like the call of God on someone’s life to do something... i.e. missionary work, building a church etc. – Yet there are other ways that we need to be caring for each other and sometimes this happens and often it doesn’t.
I feel cared for in my church, but I know of others who have been part of a church and yet felt isolated. Our open friendliness, meals and coffee after church and home groups are ways that we build bonds of friendship and care for each other. When disaster happens in someone’s life we often feel like we’d be intruding if we tried to help – this is an indicator that our relationships are not yet at the level that it should be. It isn’t that everyone needs to be close friends with everyone, but that we continue to strengthen and deepen our relationships with those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. Importantly, it needs to be true and genuine friendship – not a church policy or structure or plan. It flows from hearts that understand the love of God.
This brings me to my next point. We read in the Gospel that the Sheep know the voice of their shepherd and recognise when he speaks. Do we recognise the voice of God? And how do we hear God’s voice?
John 10:3,4 “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd. There were people who prepared the way for Jesus. Most notably is John the Baptist, yet other prophets over the hundreds of years helped also to “open the gate” for Jesus. They did this by proclaiming the truth about God and through their message they made God known. I would imagine that if there was no gatekeeper the sheep would be totally aimless and listening to any voice that struck a chord with them and claimed some sort of authority. Our ministers and church leaders are obvious gatekeepers and this is one of the reasons that it is important to be a regular church attendee.
Today we are sheep who are part of God’s flock, and we are also gatekeepers for others. It is us who need to proclaim the truth about God, when we do other sheep will recognise His voice and not be led astray. In our society today there certainly are other voices that distract and lead astray. These are things like the psychic expo, astrology, obsessions with fantasies about vampires and supernatural things. And then there are also the voices from the God of money that also lead astray, dictating a busy selfish and money centred existence. There is also the God of leisure which dictates that sporting needs and fun family outings and sleeping in is more important than God. And there are probably a few others. Question is; which voice are we listening to?
My final point is that Jesus refers to himself as the gate. What does this mean and what are the implications:
John 10:7-10 “Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
We come into the flock of God through the life of Jesus. There is no other way. You don’t become a Christian by following the commandments or “being a good person”. You don’t even become a Christian by going through the ritual of baptism or any other of the sacraments. You become a child of God by your connection to Christ - by belief and acceptance of his sacrifice and resurrection. Baptism is commanded to seal the deal – to make conscious and sure the commitment to follow Christ and commitment to be part of his flock. How are we all going with this commitment?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Reflection on readings for 8 May 2011
Year A 3rd Sunday of Easter 8 May 2011
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41 Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19 1 Peter 1: 17-23 Luke 24: 13-35
Acts 2:40,41 “40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
In a few weeks we will be celebrating what is considered the birthday of the church, Pentecost. It was on that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Christ, that Peter gave the address to the crowd warning and pleading with them to save themselves from that corrupt generation. Good thing we don’t live in a corrupt generation!!! Buzzingah! (Quoting a word from Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory –Buzzingah being a term denoting sarcasm!)
Psalm 116:3, 4 “The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, save me!””
In each of our readings it is as though there is a black cloud over head.... It is “Stormy Weather” in an emotional and even spiritual sense. Our Gospel tells the story of the followers of Christ on the road to Emmaus. Their little black cloud was one of disappointment and doubt, as Jesus had been crucified and the body now missing. Some had declared the good news to them of Christ’s resurrection but this must have seemed to them like people losing their mind in their grief.
The same thing happens today, people have heard about the resurrection but they don’t believe it - after all, it is just not logical. It is not sensible and sounds like emotional hype that foolish people indulge in.
In our community today, people don’t like to get too adamant about religion. After all it is one of those subjects that you don’t talk about in polite company, along with politics. So, when do you talk about it? Many think that religion is a personal and private thing. It certainly is personal, but should it also be a private thing? Once upon a time abuse was considered the same... it’s a private thing in which we should not involve ourselves. Social conscience now tells us to rescue those being abused, and yet we allow those who are living in a corrupt generation to remain entangled in the chords of death.
I experienced the feeling of a black cloud on Saturday night. A friend of a friend, who’d been living out of town, came over late at night to see me.... he was drunk and had driven his rental car into a ditch and walked the rest of the way. It was weird in many ways, but this was also a man who regularly attends church. We Christians are no more immune to the influences of our corrupt generation than anyone outside the church, but something tells me that we should be. Something tells me that we are missing something.
1 Peter 1:18,19 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
I suspect we are very much like those followers of Christ on the road to Emmaus. Though we follow Jesus, there are places of doubt in our lives. These places of doubt are where sin lives and grows.
Do we really KNOW that we have been redeemed from the empty way of life? Do we KNOW that our life was redeemed by the precious blood of Christ? You know, I don’t think any of us can fully comprehend this at all.
Those foolish doubting followers of Christ did not recognise Christ with them on the road to Emmaus. He explained the scriptures to them and still they did not recognise him. However, as he did this their hearts began to burn within them. Something about the word of God imparted faith, belief and understanding. In the same way we need to be connected to the word of God through prayer, scripture reading, church attendance and other Christians, in order to come against doubts which are the chords of death that threaten to entangle us.
Though foolish and doubting, Christ does for us what we can not do for ourselves. What an amazing God, that he would be so faithful to those of us who continue to show ourselves so faith-less! Christ himself comes to those followers and nourishes their minds and spirits. When he breaks bread they finally recognise him. Sometimes, after a time of taking in “head knowledge” about scripture and about God, it takes some action... some actual involvement which becomes the action of revelation.
We can live our lives in agreement to the scripture, giving the nod of assent, but true faith requires more. We need to respond....
Psalm 116:17-19 “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD— in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.”
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41 Psalm 116: 1-4, 12-19 1 Peter 1: 17-23 Luke 24: 13-35
Acts 2:40,41 “40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
In a few weeks we will be celebrating what is considered the birthday of the church, Pentecost. It was on that first Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the followers of Christ, that Peter gave the address to the crowd warning and pleading with them to save themselves from that corrupt generation. Good thing we don’t live in a corrupt generation!!! Buzzingah! (Quoting a word from Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory –Buzzingah being a term denoting sarcasm!)
Psalm 116:3, 4 “The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, save me!””
In each of our readings it is as though there is a black cloud over head.... It is “Stormy Weather” in an emotional and even spiritual sense. Our Gospel tells the story of the followers of Christ on the road to Emmaus. Their little black cloud was one of disappointment and doubt, as Jesus had been crucified and the body now missing. Some had declared the good news to them of Christ’s resurrection but this must have seemed to them like people losing their mind in their grief.
The same thing happens today, people have heard about the resurrection but they don’t believe it - after all, it is just not logical. It is not sensible and sounds like emotional hype that foolish people indulge in.
In our community today, people don’t like to get too adamant about religion. After all it is one of those subjects that you don’t talk about in polite company, along with politics. So, when do you talk about it? Many think that religion is a personal and private thing. It certainly is personal, but should it also be a private thing? Once upon a time abuse was considered the same... it’s a private thing in which we should not involve ourselves. Social conscience now tells us to rescue those being abused, and yet we allow those who are living in a corrupt generation to remain entangled in the chords of death.
I experienced the feeling of a black cloud on Saturday night. A friend of a friend, who’d been living out of town, came over late at night to see me.... he was drunk and had driven his rental car into a ditch and walked the rest of the way. It was weird in many ways, but this was also a man who regularly attends church. We Christians are no more immune to the influences of our corrupt generation than anyone outside the church, but something tells me that we should be. Something tells me that we are missing something.
1 Peter 1:18,19 “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
I suspect we are very much like those followers of Christ on the road to Emmaus. Though we follow Jesus, there are places of doubt in our lives. These places of doubt are where sin lives and grows.
Do we really KNOW that we have been redeemed from the empty way of life? Do we KNOW that our life was redeemed by the precious blood of Christ? You know, I don’t think any of us can fully comprehend this at all.
Those foolish doubting followers of Christ did not recognise Christ with them on the road to Emmaus. He explained the scriptures to them and still they did not recognise him. However, as he did this their hearts began to burn within them. Something about the word of God imparted faith, belief and understanding. In the same way we need to be connected to the word of God through prayer, scripture reading, church attendance and other Christians, in order to come against doubts which are the chords of death that threaten to entangle us.
Though foolish and doubting, Christ does for us what we can not do for ourselves. What an amazing God, that he would be so faithful to those of us who continue to show ourselves so faith-less! Christ himself comes to those followers and nourishes their minds and spirits. When he breaks bread they finally recognise him. Sometimes, after a time of taking in “head knowledge” about scripture and about God, it takes some action... some actual involvement which becomes the action of revelation.
We can live our lives in agreement to the scripture, giving the nod of assent, but true faith requires more. We need to respond....
Psalm 116:17-19 “I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD— in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.”
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