Year C 4th Sunday after the Epiphany 3 February 2013
Jeremiah 1: 4-10 Psalm 71: 1-6 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 Luke 4: 21-30
Here in Australia, a land far removed from Israel, we find the Church, the people of God. We are people that God has called and God has chosen. How is this possible that God, who revealed himself as the God of the small nation of Israel, has become the God of so many all over the world?
This week’s readings proclaim God’s care, plan and calling for us all. They warn us of the rejection and hardships that may be faced and comfort us with God’s promise to deliver us. The readings also challenge us to listen to the prophets in our midst, but as prophets, we are reminded to make love our focus, our aim and our purpose.
Luke 4: 24-26 “And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.”
The reason that people all over the world have come to know about the saving love of Jesus is in part because this message was rejected by the very people that Jesus came to save. Of course it was always part of God’s plan that all nations would be blessed through the Messiah, and the example that is given from the Old Testament scriptures is used by St. Luke to confirm to his non-Jewish readers that God sends his message and his love to all.
There is, however, a very definite warning in the Gospel of Luke to those who reject the message of God because they see the messenger as being just an ordinary bloke… or for that matter, an ordinary woman.
Sorry… but I have to bring this up. You see, I am a woman… kind of ordinary – depends on who you talk to Sometimes rather annoying. But, to get away from me and back to the point; God once used a donkey to get his message to someone. He actually made the donkey speak!!! But here in the 21st century, there are still many who don’t think we should have women preachers. Hmmm…. A donkey can give God’s message but not a female. Please tell me the logical reason behind this?
The same kind of ridicules bias is found from denomination to denomination. There exists a preconceived idea that certain people from certain denominations will be a certain way and preach a certain thing and therefore either be worth listening to or not worth listening to depending on their denomination rather than on what they actually say.
I’m guessing this is ironic. We read the Gospels and take it all so seriously that we call ourselves the people of God and yet we fail to understand what God is saying. We think that we are the good guys in the Gospel stories, but in actual fact, we are the ones Christ was trying to warn against…. Those who rejected the prophets..
How much do you love Jeremiah? I have a big soft spot for the bloke. His is an amazing story about a prophet who knew that God had called him. He knew that God had chosen him and that his was a destiny written by God. He knew that God formed him and knew him in his mother’s womb and that all of his days were known to God. He had a calling, he was chosen, he was destined….. sounds so awesome and amazing… but….. When God say’s don’t be afraid, there is usually a good reason to fear, and this is what God said to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:6-8 “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.’”
Just to reassure you, God’s message through the prophet Jeremiah was rejected and he was even thrown in jail. Those of his own people, God’s own people, did not acknowledge Jeremiah’s message.
So, if history is to teach us anything, we should be listening very hard and taking note of ourselves and our biases, because Jeremiah, this great and true messenger of God was rejected by his own “religious” people, and Jesus, the promised Messiah, was rejected by his own “religious” people. What prophets are we rejecting today because we “know” them / they are the son or daughter of a certain denomination, etc.. ?
Luke 4:22-25 “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.”
Do you ever wonder if Jesus came to downtown Aussie town, whether we would reject him? What would he look like? Doing street chaplaincy has brought about some interesting conversations and this was one subject that came up and I declared rather strongly that Jesus would probably have tattoos and fit in just fine down the street.
This was met with some disagreement…. Of course we know from the television show, The Big Bang Theory, that Jews can’t have tattoos… but if Jesus came to downtown Aussie town instead of Jerusalem, I don’t think the Jewish dos and don’ts would matter much…. God’s dos and don’ts ..yes they would matter!!! But that is where the argument was on the knife edge, because the Old Testament does actually mention not to have tattoos…… but there was a religious significance about those tattoos, most Aussie tattoos are for various commemorative and decorative purposes – and are skin deep. In fact all this brings me to this week’s New Testament reading.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
I think that about sums it up. End of argument. When we reject anyone, when we refuse to acknowledge the God given gifts that they offer, yet confess to be Christian, we are showing ourselves to be hypocritical Pharisees. – And we are rejecting Christ himself.
There are times for discernment and for speaking the truth, but the purpose of a harsh prophecy is to ultimately promote truth and love.
Jeremiah 1:10 “ See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.’
When we build a garden there is often some breaking up and tearing down before the plant can be established. Prophets today don’t say anything new. God’s word is complete. But the Prophets of today see the bigger picture and when the church and individuals in it are going astray…. It isn’t really that hard to discern whether we’ve gone astray when we read from the letter to the Corinthians and see a picture of how our church life should be.
I’m going to be a little bold and suggest that if our Church and we as Christians do not have this kind of love then we need to stop having any judgment on anyone else until it does.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
To be honest, we know from the next part of the reading that we will never have it completely right in this mortal shell, as we are told that now, we see things in part, but when we see Jesus face to face, we will then see things fully and know completely. Until then, we strive with God to be perfect in love, but resting and rejoicing that it is enough to strive, because our own failings have been covered by the all-consuming and perfect love of God.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Australia Day Reflection 26 Jan 2013
AUSTRALIA DAY
Jeremiah 29:4-14 Psalm 33:12-21 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 John 8:31-36
Australia Day always begs the question of our Australian identity. We have the indigenous Australians who see Australia Day as a bit of an insult and we have plenty who see Australians as those easy going larrikins who love a beer or six. In the middle of this are those who are just a little confused trying to figure out how we are any different to any other nation in this era of Globalization.
Before we look at the readings I’d like to have a look at the name “Australia”. Every name means something, and Australia means, “South Land”, and it obvious that our land is a great land in the southern hemisphere. Before the explorers came and named it Australia, it had no other name. There were indigenous living here but they consisted of many different tribes with many different languages – there was no name for Australia.
Throughout the Bible we see that God is big on naming things. Naming things gives them a purpose, a story, an identity, a place in history, and a future. The history of Australia certainly has some similarities with the ancient Israelites, because just as those people were taken into exile in foreign lands against their will, so too many of the early Australians were settled in Australia as convicts sent to the colony against their will. Oh, and don’t forget that the Israelites were sent into exile because of their sin…. However, our God of love and grace says this to them:
Jeremiah 29:4-7 ““This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.””
Australia has been a country that began in strife, but flourished and prospered greatly.
Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
Our psalm for this week tells us about how a king is not saved by a great army, but by the will of God. There are so many stories of the weaker army prevailing because of their reliance on God and in Australia’s history there is grounding in Christianity that bore the fruits of God’s provision.
There are those today who will deny our Christian heritage, but this Christian heritage is historical fact. Even now, although we, as a country, have drifted a long way from our Christian heritage, our public holidays proclaim the lingering blessings of Christianity and we acknowledge Good Friday as a holiday where there are less shops open than any other day. Then of course we have Easter and Christmas as a testimony to our Christianity – and fast becoming a testimony to our new religion of materialism.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”
We are to be different from the people who do not confess a belief in Christ. What this means is that we will have an attitude that enables the Gospel to be preached without us needing to say a word. And this attitude is what we find defined in the letter to the Thessalonians. Sadly, we are falling short. Do we really acknowledge those who care for us in the Lord? And heaven forbid that they should admonish us!!! We are told to hold them in highest regard in love. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…. This is how we prosper as a church…
The letter continues to exhort us to live in peace with each other and not be idle or disruptive… we are to encourage the disheartened, help the weak and be patient with everyone – never paying back wrong for wrong, but always striving to do what is good. To live this way is in direct contrast to the world. It always makes me cringe when I hear of people making judgments – and putting others down – and I would have to say it is heard as often in the church – sometimes way more, than it is outside – and this is a terrible testimony and completely contradictory to the ways of God.
Our Gospel reading presents another challenge. Jesus speaks with the Jews who believed him and tells them that if they remain in his word they will then know the truth and the truth will set them free.
I’m thinking that this means it isn’t enough to fill in your census form and mark the religion box as being Christian. This has an implication for us personally as well as for Australia as a country. These were believers who were with Jesus and he tells them that they need to remain in his word. There is freedom for us and good news for our Country if we, and it, remain in HIS word. As a country we are falling, falling, falling. Faith matters less and less and no one cares that they don’t always attend church. We think that as long as we “believe”, then we have our golden ticket, but Jesus is very clearly stating that we need to remain in his word to know the truth and to be free.
Why do we need more than just believing? Because without remaining in Jesus, we get lost. Let me give you an example. I was challenged by some teenage students about the book The Divinci Code. There are a whole lot of theories about Jesus that are presented in that book which are so far beyond credible that I couldn’t even read it as the piece of FICTION that it is intended to be. I could immediate spot the blatant flaws, but many people were so impressed that they took on many of the lies as truth.
AND the truth really will set you free. One of my little pet sayings is, “if it doesn’t seem like Good News”- then you haven’t got the Gospel. There is more to the way of God than what we see in black and white print. We need to know the cultural setting, the history and traditions to understand the heart of what was being said and we need the wisdom of each other AND more than anything else, we need the spirit of Jesus.
John 8:34-36 “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
The truth sets us free, and the Son sets us free. The truth is Jesus. We can read a person’s biography and think that we know all about them, but it is often not unless you have a personal relationship with that person that you can really know what they think and feel. This is especially true if we need to come to a decision about things that are not written…. We need to know Jesus, speak with him and let him speak to us.
We need the light of Jesus – the truth to enlighten our minds.
On our Australia Day it is worth recalling the story of Christianity to the Torres Strait Islanders. They mark the anniversary of this with a festival called “The Coming of the Light”:
“One Saturday evening, 1st July 1871, the Reverend Samuel MacFarlane of the London Missionary Society anchored at Erub (Darnley Island). The Society had been active in the Southwest Pacific since the 1840’s converting people to Christianity.
Dabad, a Warrior Clan Elder on Erub, “defied his Tribal Law” and openly welcomed the London Missionary Society clergymen and South Sea Islander evangelists and teachers. Torres Strait Islanders acknowledgment of the missionaries was the acceptance of a change that would profoundly affect every aspect of life in the Torres Strait from that time onwards.” http://www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au/Events+and+Exhibitions/Exhibitions/Permanent/Dandiiri+Maiwar/Torres+Strait+Islander+resilience/Coming+of+the+light
I spent some time in Cairns and did some theological studies with the indigenous theology students. It was explained to me that these people had God…. They knew God, but they didn’t know Jesus. There was a prophecy among them about a man who would come and bring the light. The tribe had been cannibalistic before this time and so it was such a huge miracle of God to prepare them in such a way that it was immediately recognized that this missionary was the one prophesied about who was bringing the light.
We, and the rest of Australia, need the light of truth. We’ve been asleep in the light for such a long time that we allowed the light to grow dim. We’ve been accepting lies as truth and thinking that truth are lies. We need the enlightenment of the spirit of Jesus. We need to claim this land as did the Spanish explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós in May of 1606 and name this land, Australia del Espiritu Santo – (Great Southland of the Holy Spirit).
Just as the Israelite exiles had children in foreign lands, who grew up knowing no other home, most of us call Australia home. We’ve been here so many generations now that there is only one other place that we call home and that is heaven. While we are on this earth and part of this country we belong to no other and we are to pray for it and care for it as if our own. In this way the country will prosper according to God’s will and we in turn will prosper – and this is God’s will for us and for our country…..
Jeremiah 29:11-13 ““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.””
Jeremiah 29:4-14 Psalm 33:12-21 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 John 8:31-36
Australia Day always begs the question of our Australian identity. We have the indigenous Australians who see Australia Day as a bit of an insult and we have plenty who see Australians as those easy going larrikins who love a beer or six. In the middle of this are those who are just a little confused trying to figure out how we are any different to any other nation in this era of Globalization.
Before we look at the readings I’d like to have a look at the name “Australia”. Every name means something, and Australia means, “South Land”, and it obvious that our land is a great land in the southern hemisphere. Before the explorers came and named it Australia, it had no other name. There were indigenous living here but they consisted of many different tribes with many different languages – there was no name for Australia.
Throughout the Bible we see that God is big on naming things. Naming things gives them a purpose, a story, an identity, a place in history, and a future. The history of Australia certainly has some similarities with the ancient Israelites, because just as those people were taken into exile in foreign lands against their will, so too many of the early Australians were settled in Australia as convicts sent to the colony against their will. Oh, and don’t forget that the Israelites were sent into exile because of their sin…. However, our God of love and grace says this to them:
Jeremiah 29:4-7 ““This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.””
Australia has been a country that began in strife, but flourished and prospered greatly.
Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
Our psalm for this week tells us about how a king is not saved by a great army, but by the will of God. There are so many stories of the weaker army prevailing because of their reliance on God and in Australia’s history there is grounding in Christianity that bore the fruits of God’s provision.
There are those today who will deny our Christian heritage, but this Christian heritage is historical fact. Even now, although we, as a country, have drifted a long way from our Christian heritage, our public holidays proclaim the lingering blessings of Christianity and we acknowledge Good Friday as a holiday where there are less shops open than any other day. Then of course we have Easter and Christmas as a testimony to our Christianity – and fast becoming a testimony to our new religion of materialism.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”
We are to be different from the people who do not confess a belief in Christ. What this means is that we will have an attitude that enables the Gospel to be preached without us needing to say a word. And this attitude is what we find defined in the letter to the Thessalonians. Sadly, we are falling short. Do we really acknowledge those who care for us in the Lord? And heaven forbid that they should admonish us!!! We are told to hold them in highest regard in love. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love…. This is how we prosper as a church…
The letter continues to exhort us to live in peace with each other and not be idle or disruptive… we are to encourage the disheartened, help the weak and be patient with everyone – never paying back wrong for wrong, but always striving to do what is good. To live this way is in direct contrast to the world. It always makes me cringe when I hear of people making judgments – and putting others down – and I would have to say it is heard as often in the church – sometimes way more, than it is outside – and this is a terrible testimony and completely contradictory to the ways of God.
Our Gospel reading presents another challenge. Jesus speaks with the Jews who believed him and tells them that if they remain in his word they will then know the truth and the truth will set them free.
I’m thinking that this means it isn’t enough to fill in your census form and mark the religion box as being Christian. This has an implication for us personally as well as for Australia as a country. These were believers who were with Jesus and he tells them that they need to remain in his word. There is freedom for us and good news for our Country if we, and it, remain in HIS word. As a country we are falling, falling, falling. Faith matters less and less and no one cares that they don’t always attend church. We think that as long as we “believe”, then we have our golden ticket, but Jesus is very clearly stating that we need to remain in his word to know the truth and to be free.
Why do we need more than just believing? Because without remaining in Jesus, we get lost. Let me give you an example. I was challenged by some teenage students about the book The Divinci Code. There are a whole lot of theories about Jesus that are presented in that book which are so far beyond credible that I couldn’t even read it as the piece of FICTION that it is intended to be. I could immediate spot the blatant flaws, but many people were so impressed that they took on many of the lies as truth.
AND the truth really will set you free. One of my little pet sayings is, “if it doesn’t seem like Good News”- then you haven’t got the Gospel. There is more to the way of God than what we see in black and white print. We need to know the cultural setting, the history and traditions to understand the heart of what was being said and we need the wisdom of each other AND more than anything else, we need the spirit of Jesus.
John 8:34-36 “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
The truth sets us free, and the Son sets us free. The truth is Jesus. We can read a person’s biography and think that we know all about them, but it is often not unless you have a personal relationship with that person that you can really know what they think and feel. This is especially true if we need to come to a decision about things that are not written…. We need to know Jesus, speak with him and let him speak to us.
We need the light of Jesus – the truth to enlighten our minds.
On our Australia Day it is worth recalling the story of Christianity to the Torres Strait Islanders. They mark the anniversary of this with a festival called “The Coming of the Light”:
“One Saturday evening, 1st July 1871, the Reverend Samuel MacFarlane of the London Missionary Society anchored at Erub (Darnley Island). The Society had been active in the Southwest Pacific since the 1840’s converting people to Christianity.
Dabad, a Warrior Clan Elder on Erub, “defied his Tribal Law” and openly welcomed the London Missionary Society clergymen and South Sea Islander evangelists and teachers. Torres Strait Islanders acknowledgment of the missionaries was the acceptance of a change that would profoundly affect every aspect of life in the Torres Strait from that time onwards.” http://www.southbank.qm.qld.gov.au/Events+and+Exhibitions/Exhibitions/Permanent/Dandiiri+Maiwar/Torres+Strait+Islander+resilience/Coming+of+the+light
I spent some time in Cairns and did some theological studies with the indigenous theology students. It was explained to me that these people had God…. They knew God, but they didn’t know Jesus. There was a prophecy among them about a man who would come and bring the light. The tribe had been cannibalistic before this time and so it was such a huge miracle of God to prepare them in such a way that it was immediately recognized that this missionary was the one prophesied about who was bringing the light.
We, and the rest of Australia, need the light of truth. We’ve been asleep in the light for such a long time that we allowed the light to grow dim. We’ve been accepting lies as truth and thinking that truth are lies. We need the enlightenment of the spirit of Jesus. We need to claim this land as did the Spanish explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós in May of 1606 and name this land, Australia del Espiritu Santo – (Great Southland of the Holy Spirit).
Just as the Israelite exiles had children in foreign lands, who grew up knowing no other home, most of us call Australia home. We’ve been here so many generations now that there is only one other place that we call home and that is heaven. While we are on this earth and part of this country we belong to no other and we are to pray for it and care for it as if our own. In this way the country will prosper according to God’s will and we in turn will prosper – and this is God’s will for us and for our country…..
Jeremiah 29:11-13 ““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.””
Friday, January 11, 2013
Reflection for 13th Jan 2013
Year C Baptism of the Lord 13 January 2013
Isaiah 43: 1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3: 15-22
Each of us has a name, and each of those names has a meaning and sometimes a personal meaning and a story behind our name. There are some very significant things about our name. Firstly it is something that was given to us. We didn’t get to choose our name, but we were given the name by our parents. It is interesting to note that in current society, in the absence of belief in God, many people are still having a type of Baptism for their children and they call it a “naming ceremony”. In giving a child a name we are giving it an identity and a place of belonging. We are affirming and celebrating its existence and in some ways even giving it a future of promise.
This week we celebrate the baptism of the Lord and we will find this is where God named Jesus as his son. Jesus always knew that God was his father, but yet, at his baptism God the father sees fit to declare and affirm this.
Luke 3:21,22 “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
The person of Jesus is known to us as the “Word of God” and also the “name of God”. At Jesus’ baptism we note that God the father celebrated the son, affirmed and declared that Jesus belongs to him, in very much the same way that those who would rather deny God’s existence celebrate their own children; “you are my child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”.
Our reading from Acts explains to us about a group of people who had not yet received the Holy Spirit but they had simply been baptized into the name of Jesus.
Acts 8:15,16 “When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Being baptized into the name of Jesus is something that all baptized believers share, but the importance is often lost. Remember what it means to be given a name? It means that we belong, are loved are affirmed and are given an identity. But what then does it mean to be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus?
We are actually baptized in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit, but just for the moment we need to look at one simple but vitally significant aspect… that of being baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus – the Son.
To be baptized into the name of Jesus means that it is HIS name given to us as our own. Our baptism therefore, so identifies us with Jesus, that in other places in the Bible it describes it as us having died with Christ and being raised with Christ. And St. Paul declares, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ that is living in me…”
My name is Nicole. It means “victory of the people”, but I have a more important name that covers over my name and identifies me as a child of God. My personal name is important, but when it comes to spiritual things my personal name will not get me anywhere. However, the name of Jesus, into which I was baptized means that I am identified as Christ’s and covered with the identity of Jesus which means that I am now a “Son of God”, and through that identity I share the affirmation that God the father gave Jesus….. “you are my child whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Isaiah 43:6,7 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up! ’and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Way back in the time of Isaiah God had already made provisions for those who were, and those who would be, called by “His Name”… This is those of us who have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. But we also remember that we are baptized into the name of the father and the Holy Spirit also. John the Baptist declares that it is Jesus who would bring this baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 13;16b,17 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
It is true that through the name of Jesus, God is well pleased with us. It is a completed mission that our debt to sin has been paid. But in our lives we do have “chaff”. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to sort this out. The Gospel goes on to describe these words of John’s as exhortations and Good News and truly it is, but not if you misunderstand.
It seems to be human nature to think that we have to earn our salvation and even when we joyfully receive Christ, and are baptized as a response to his sacrifice, we tend to then try to force our actions into something that warrants God’s reward, as if trying to actually earn our salvation.
It is the job of the Holy Spirit to burn the chaff. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and the one who convicts us of sin. If we are living in tune with God and His Holy Spirit then there is an element of being able to relax and allow him to show us where we need adjustments in our life… and this simply happens throughout the normal circumstances of our lives when our lives are connected and identified with Christ.
Isaiah 43:1-3 “43 But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;”
I love the promise of this passage. It sounds to me like the voice of God almighty speaking, who can command all the forces of nature. He can command all the forces of nature and yet he gives us free will. He doesn’t say that we will not go through rivers or through fires. These things will happen in our life that feel like a flood that overwhelms us or pain that feels like it burns us. At times we may feel drowned or burnt, but the promise of God is that those of us who are called by his name will not be harmed by the flood or fire.
Isaiah 43:4b,5b “…Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, ……………………………….. Do not be afraid, for I am with you;..”
He doesn’t say “Do not be afraid” lightly. He knows that there will be circumstances that are overwhelming and frightening, but we can be reassured of that bottom and most important line…. God loves us and is pleased with us because we are united to him in Christ. The name that covers us is “Jesus” – “God saves”.
Isaiah 43: 1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3: 15-22
Each of us has a name, and each of those names has a meaning and sometimes a personal meaning and a story behind our name. There are some very significant things about our name. Firstly it is something that was given to us. We didn’t get to choose our name, but we were given the name by our parents. It is interesting to note that in current society, in the absence of belief in God, many people are still having a type of Baptism for their children and they call it a “naming ceremony”. In giving a child a name we are giving it an identity and a place of belonging. We are affirming and celebrating its existence and in some ways even giving it a future of promise.
This week we celebrate the baptism of the Lord and we will find this is where God named Jesus as his son. Jesus always knew that God was his father, but yet, at his baptism God the father sees fit to declare and affirm this.
Luke 3:21,22 “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
The person of Jesus is known to us as the “Word of God” and also the “name of God”. At Jesus’ baptism we note that God the father celebrated the son, affirmed and declared that Jesus belongs to him, in very much the same way that those who would rather deny God’s existence celebrate their own children; “you are my child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”.
Our reading from Acts explains to us about a group of people who had not yet received the Holy Spirit but they had simply been baptized into the name of Jesus.
Acts 8:15,16 “When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Being baptized into the name of Jesus is something that all baptized believers share, but the importance is often lost. Remember what it means to be given a name? It means that we belong, are loved are affirmed and are given an identity. But what then does it mean to be baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus?
We are actually baptized in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit, but just for the moment we need to look at one simple but vitally significant aspect… that of being baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus – the Son.
To be baptized into the name of Jesus means that it is HIS name given to us as our own. Our baptism therefore, so identifies us with Jesus, that in other places in the Bible it describes it as us having died with Christ and being raised with Christ. And St. Paul declares, “It is no longer I that live, but Christ that is living in me…”
My name is Nicole. It means “victory of the people”, but I have a more important name that covers over my name and identifies me as a child of God. My personal name is important, but when it comes to spiritual things my personal name will not get me anywhere. However, the name of Jesus, into which I was baptized means that I am identified as Christ’s and covered with the identity of Jesus which means that I am now a “Son of God”, and through that identity I share the affirmation that God the father gave Jesus….. “you are my child whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Isaiah 43:6,7 “I will say to the north, ‘Give them up! ’and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Way back in the time of Isaiah God had already made provisions for those who were, and those who would be, called by “His Name”… This is those of us who have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. But we also remember that we are baptized into the name of the father and the Holy Spirit also. John the Baptist declares that it is Jesus who would bring this baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 13;16b,17 “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
It is true that through the name of Jesus, God is well pleased with us. It is a completed mission that our debt to sin has been paid. But in our lives we do have “chaff”. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to sort this out. The Gospel goes on to describe these words of John’s as exhortations and Good News and truly it is, but not if you misunderstand.
It seems to be human nature to think that we have to earn our salvation and even when we joyfully receive Christ, and are baptized as a response to his sacrifice, we tend to then try to force our actions into something that warrants God’s reward, as if trying to actually earn our salvation.
It is the job of the Holy Spirit to burn the chaff. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and the one who convicts us of sin. If we are living in tune with God and His Holy Spirit then there is an element of being able to relax and allow him to show us where we need adjustments in our life… and this simply happens throughout the normal circumstances of our lives when our lives are connected and identified with Christ.
Isaiah 43:1-3 “43 But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;”
I love the promise of this passage. It sounds to me like the voice of God almighty speaking, who can command all the forces of nature. He can command all the forces of nature and yet he gives us free will. He doesn’t say that we will not go through rivers or through fires. These things will happen in our life that feel like a flood that overwhelms us or pain that feels like it burns us. At times we may feel drowned or burnt, but the promise of God is that those of us who are called by his name will not be harmed by the flood or fire.
Isaiah 43:4b,5b “…Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, ……………………………….. Do not be afraid, for I am with you;..”
He doesn’t say “Do not be afraid” lightly. He knows that there will be circumstances that are overwhelming and frightening, but we can be reassured of that bottom and most important line…. God loves us and is pleased with us because we are united to him in Christ. The name that covers us is “Jesus” – “God saves”.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Reflection for the three wise men!
Epiphany January 6
Isaiah 60: 1-6 Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3: 1-12 Matthew 2: 1-12
The feast of the Epiphany stands out as that last little remnant of Christmas. The last Christmas carol to make its way into our services and one that I rather like is “We Three Kings of Orient Are”. It may be a song that tells of the travelling wise men and their gifts, but there is actually a whole lot of theology in that carol, as you find when you unpack some of the other traditional carols.
I’m pretty sure I’ve reflected in the past about the significance of the gifts that were given; Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold. The song tells us that Frankincense signified the deity of Christ and that he is God incarnate. Myrrh prophecies the ministry of his sacrifice on the cross; “myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume, breathes a life of gathering gloom. Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in a cold hard tomb”. Gold signified Jesus’ Kingship.
So this song and the gifts tell us about who Jesus is, but there is a curious element about this visit. These wise men are “outsiders”, and their part in the Christmas story has some very important messages beyond their gifts and confession of the nature of Christ.
The Jews were awaiting a Messiah. When the wise men began their travels they went first to Jerusalem to visit King Herod and find out about the facts. Perhaps they assumed that this King would be born in the palace.
Matthew 2:1-2 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Can you imagine the surprise and alarm of Herod to hear this news? For certain we know that these men were taken seriously, so much so that Herod later ordered, in Bethlehem, the murder of all baby boys under the age of 2.
We also discover that all of Jerusalem was disturbed over the news that a King had been born:
Matthew 2:3 “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”
I find it interesting how there were so many who heard the story…. So many of God’s own people who heard the story, and yet it was only these outsiders who found Christ.
Somehow King Herod and the people acknowledged that this king must be the long awaited Messiah and so King Herod called together the chief priests and teachers of the law to find out all the facts that would fulfill the prophecies, and discovered that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. But Herod failed to see the significance of prophecy…. That there is a destiny that must be fulfilled, and he foolishly attempted to thwart the plans of God, but all he achieved was heartache and pain for those whose children were born at about the same time as Jesus in the region of Bethlehem. (Pain is what we bring when we unwittingly strive to thwart God’s plan also)
The wise men were warned in a dream not to tell Herod where they found the baby Jesus, so we once again see that these men are directed, led and obedient to God. They are the outsiders, but they are faithful.
The important message of the story of the wise men is that God came, called and worked through people who were not just the Israelites. We rejoice in this because, we who are not born of Jewish bloodline, have in this story the confirmation of God’s ministry within us.
In fact it should be a very loud warning to people to be aware of the way that God surprises us constantly with how big and wide his love and plan for salvation is, and how many and varied a people he can, will and does use in ministry… in fulfilling his purpose. We are so in need of His Holy Spirit to open our minds to His ways, because without it we are left guessing and cutting ourselves off from the many wonderful experiences of God’s blessing. (We do need the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment also!!)
It is through the ministry of St. Paul, that this message of God’s salvation to the “outsiders” really became understood, and it is really only through God’s message to the “outsiders” that the more complete understanding of God’s Good News was revealed.
“Outsiders” had always been loved and part of God’s promise, right from the time of Abraham; Genesis 22:18 “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me”.
St. Paul explains that there were mysteries in our understanding of God, but through Jesus these mysteries have been revealed and in particular the mystery of just how God is a God for all and not just the Israelites. (Gentiles = non Israelites i.e us).
Ephesians 3: 1-6 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
In the past the Israelites had a method of being in touch with God. It was in the fulfilling of the Law. It was through the priests and the many traditions and ceremonies that accompanied. It was only through these that the people of God felt that they could properly approach God, and sadly we are really not so different today if we don’t properly understand the gift of God.
There are still many people who think they must do a certain amount of penance, fasting or confession before they can be acceptable to God. How many people have you heard say, “The roof will fall in if I go to church”? This comes from the same understanding or should I say misunderstanding about the ways of God.
To acknowledge our unworthiness before God can be a healthy thing, but when we allow this to keep us away from him, we’ve really missed the message…. Or never truly heard it.
God’s gift to us through Jesus is His grace. St. Paul experienced God’s grace first hand and understood it by heart. St. Paul expresses a vision that God has for the Church that the Church would be a proclaimer to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm that through Jesus Christ we can approach God with freedom and confidence. I wonder if we, as church, really do proclaim this to the heavenly authorities, when we exclude people as we sometimes do, when we refuse to hear God’s message because we believe women should not preach, or when we have so many lovely dedicated people who are fearful that they are not good enough for God to accept them.
No matter who we are, Jesus Christ has brought us this grace which means we have God’s favour. We received it when we received the gift of Christ’s sacrifice; we continue to receive it with every breath that we take. It isn’t a grace that runs out, but if we refuse the grace, there is no other sacrifice left. WE HAVE TO REMAIN AWARE that we live every moment in His grace… and his one sacrifice is all that was needed.
Ephesians 3:7-12 “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 1His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Isaiah 60: 1-6 Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-14 Ephesians 3: 1-12 Matthew 2: 1-12
The feast of the Epiphany stands out as that last little remnant of Christmas. The last Christmas carol to make its way into our services and one that I rather like is “We Three Kings of Orient Are”. It may be a song that tells of the travelling wise men and their gifts, but there is actually a whole lot of theology in that carol, as you find when you unpack some of the other traditional carols.
I’m pretty sure I’ve reflected in the past about the significance of the gifts that were given; Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold. The song tells us that Frankincense signified the deity of Christ and that he is God incarnate. Myrrh prophecies the ministry of his sacrifice on the cross; “myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume, breathes a life of gathering gloom. Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in a cold hard tomb”. Gold signified Jesus’ Kingship.
So this song and the gifts tell us about who Jesus is, but there is a curious element about this visit. These wise men are “outsiders”, and their part in the Christmas story has some very important messages beyond their gifts and confession of the nature of Christ.
The Jews were awaiting a Messiah. When the wise men began their travels they went first to Jerusalem to visit King Herod and find out about the facts. Perhaps they assumed that this King would be born in the palace.
Matthew 2:1-2 “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Can you imagine the surprise and alarm of Herod to hear this news? For certain we know that these men were taken seriously, so much so that Herod later ordered, in Bethlehem, the murder of all baby boys under the age of 2.
We also discover that all of Jerusalem was disturbed over the news that a King had been born:
Matthew 2:3 “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”
I find it interesting how there were so many who heard the story…. So many of God’s own people who heard the story, and yet it was only these outsiders who found Christ.
Somehow King Herod and the people acknowledged that this king must be the long awaited Messiah and so King Herod called together the chief priests and teachers of the law to find out all the facts that would fulfill the prophecies, and discovered that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. But Herod failed to see the significance of prophecy…. That there is a destiny that must be fulfilled, and he foolishly attempted to thwart the plans of God, but all he achieved was heartache and pain for those whose children were born at about the same time as Jesus in the region of Bethlehem. (Pain is what we bring when we unwittingly strive to thwart God’s plan also)
The wise men were warned in a dream not to tell Herod where they found the baby Jesus, so we once again see that these men are directed, led and obedient to God. They are the outsiders, but they are faithful.
The important message of the story of the wise men is that God came, called and worked through people who were not just the Israelites. We rejoice in this because, we who are not born of Jewish bloodline, have in this story the confirmation of God’s ministry within us.
In fact it should be a very loud warning to people to be aware of the way that God surprises us constantly with how big and wide his love and plan for salvation is, and how many and varied a people he can, will and does use in ministry… in fulfilling his purpose. We are so in need of His Holy Spirit to open our minds to His ways, because without it we are left guessing and cutting ourselves off from the many wonderful experiences of God’s blessing. (We do need the Holy Spirit’s gift of discernment also!!)
It is through the ministry of St. Paul, that this message of God’s salvation to the “outsiders” really became understood, and it is really only through God’s message to the “outsiders” that the more complete understanding of God’s Good News was revealed.
“Outsiders” had always been loved and part of God’s promise, right from the time of Abraham; Genesis 22:18 “and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me”.
St. Paul explains that there were mysteries in our understanding of God, but through Jesus these mysteries have been revealed and in particular the mystery of just how God is a God for all and not just the Israelites. (Gentiles = non Israelites i.e us).
Ephesians 3: 1-6 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
In the past the Israelites had a method of being in touch with God. It was in the fulfilling of the Law. It was through the priests and the many traditions and ceremonies that accompanied. It was only through these that the people of God felt that they could properly approach God, and sadly we are really not so different today if we don’t properly understand the gift of God.
There are still many people who think they must do a certain amount of penance, fasting or confession before they can be acceptable to God. How many people have you heard say, “The roof will fall in if I go to church”? This comes from the same understanding or should I say misunderstanding about the ways of God.
To acknowledge our unworthiness before God can be a healthy thing, but when we allow this to keep us away from him, we’ve really missed the message…. Or never truly heard it.
God’s gift to us through Jesus is His grace. St. Paul experienced God’s grace first hand and understood it by heart. St. Paul expresses a vision that God has for the Church that the Church would be a proclaimer to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm that through Jesus Christ we can approach God with freedom and confidence. I wonder if we, as church, really do proclaim this to the heavenly authorities, when we exclude people as we sometimes do, when we refuse to hear God’s message because we believe women should not preach, or when we have so many lovely dedicated people who are fearful that they are not good enough for God to accept them.
No matter who we are, Jesus Christ has brought us this grace which means we have God’s favour. We received it when we received the gift of Christ’s sacrifice; we continue to receive it with every breath that we take. It isn’t a grace that runs out, but if we refuse the grace, there is no other sacrifice left. WE HAVE TO REMAIN AWARE that we live every moment in His grace… and his one sacrifice is all that was needed.
Ephesians 3:7-12 “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 1His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
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