What's in a name Pentecost 14A Proper 17A 30th August 2026

2026 08  30   Pentecost 14a   Proper 17A

Exodus 3.1-15   Psalm 105.1-6, 23-26     Romans 12.9-21     Matthew 16.21-28

It seems appropriate to explore the theme of names through this week’s readings, and for many of our Biblical characters names were incredibly significant, and often specifically given by God.

What’s in a name?  Names are sometimes labels we hang on each other… On Boston Blue the officer, Jonah, had graffiti drawn on his desk to call him a snitch, as he had arrested another officer for drunk driver – an officer with an alcoholic problem.  He was therefore labelled a snitch by the other officers.  Officer Jonah stood up to the main bully and told him that he knew it was him who drew the picture, and he wasn’t going to rub the picture off, because it was a reminder to the others of who they are, but regardless of what anyone thought or did, he -Jonah- was going to still have that officer’s and every other officer’s back and do his very best to protect and guard them because that is who he is.  He met bullying, unkindness and intimidation with a courageous, public declaration of integrity, and it turned the situation around.

What’s in a name?  According to T.S. Elliot, cats have 3 distinct names; one common one that the family know the cat by, a distinguished name that only one cat ever has, and a secret name known only to the cat itself.  Well, I suspected T.S. Elliot, may have read the Bible, and my quick research confirmed this to be the case.   The first name is aligned with the name we are given and known by in society, such as Jacob.  The second name is the unique name to mark a transformation or higher purpose, such as how Jacob became Israel, and also how Simon became Peter.  The final secret name is referred to in the book of revelation. 

 

We have had some momentous readings in the last few weeks.  They are fundamental to our faith.  Last week was Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, and in response to this, Peter was told that on that rock the church would be built.  The church is nothing unless we understand that it is built on Christ himself.   This was somewhat like a revelation of the secret name of God.  It was climatic, but following straight on from this, in our readings today, Christ reveals aspects about this Kingdom and Peter fails to comprehend, leading to the humiliating record of Jesus saying to Peter, “get behind me Satan”.

 

What is in a name?  This is also the topic of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”.  The idea put forward was that it is just a tag and can be changed, but the reality in the play shows the gravity of the situation.  In our Old Testament reading, Moses asks God His name.  Why did he do this?  In all our encounters with God up to this point in history, God had not revealed His name… Genesis records him as Elohim, simply translated as “God”, and then “El Shaddai”, God almighty.   One called him, “The God who sees”, and God often announced himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. … the God of your ancestors.  Jacob had wrestled with God and then asked him his name, but God answered, “why do you ask my name?”  Moses’ asking God for his name, was something significant.

 

Knowing a god’s name in those ancient lands meant gaining access to that deity's specific power, character, and presence.  What God did with His answer was to show that he was greater and would not be manipulated.  “I am who I am” – or “I will be who I will be”… However, also in this answer was a revelation that God is ever existent, self-existent and eternal.  In this revelation was also the understanding that what God is today, He also is the same tomorrow.  There was also the implication of a covenant promise…. The promise to always be….  Therefore, if he is the God who loves you today and promises to be with you for always, He is faithful to that covenant promise today and tomorrow. 

 

Jewish scholars have also commented that the four Hebrew consonants of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) act as the sound of breathing.  YH is the sound of breathing in and WH is the sound of breathing out and therefore the name of God is on our lips from our first cry to our final breath.   And yet the name of God is so sacred that the Jewish people will not even write it.  Often in the Bible you might see LORD written in capitol letters, this is how it was recorded rather than writing God’s name and also in some commentary you might find that they will write G dash D (G-D).  I would always point this out to school children who were in the habit of saying, “Oh my God”…  They didn’t mean anything by it, but for me, at least this seems to be disrespectful, so I would let them know the Jewish perspective, then let them make up their own mind, not forgetting that the 3^rd of the 10 Commandments is to not disrespect God’s name.

 

Moses encountered God through observing a burning bush.  It was a bush on fire but not consumed.  Everything in Moses’ encounter served to show something about God’s nature.  The text says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses.  Many theologians say that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, and they also say that the burning bush is a symbol of the incarnation, with the physical existing with the divine without being consumed by the divine.

 

Peter, glimpsed the reality, but still didn’t get it.  He had declared Jesus as the Messiah, and for this declaration Jesus had given him the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, but there is something about Jesus’ nature that Peter missed.  The interesting thing is that Peter “got it”… and then he didn’t….  many times.  And that is good news for us, because we are the same.  We glimpse something of God and who he is and then we miss it.  And that is exactly what happened to Peter.

 

Peter saw the divine and then missed it.  He saw the fire that didn’t consume the bush and then he just saw the bush… or did he just see the fire…?  I’m not sure, but he got it, then missed it… and so do we.

 

At one point in the Gospel stories, we hear of his followers asking if he wanted them to call down fire from heaven to destroy those who rejected him.  Of course he did not want that.  They too, only saw the fire of the divine at that time and failed to understand.  Jesus tells us that if any wish to come after him they must deny themselves and take up their cross.  Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for his sake will find it.  It is another contradiction just like a burning bush that is not consumed.

 

The church is built on that which Peter glimpsed last week.  It is built on the fact that Jesus is the saviour… the Messiah.  And since that time so many have come misunderstanding and even twisting that revelation.  Surely the saviour should not suffer and die?  Surely, He and his followers should rule the earth.  But instead the saviour IS one who suffered.  The saviour IS one who laid down his life for the good of those who didn’t deserve him.  Satan is still twisting the revelation of the Messiah today.  That is what is behind those who say that Jesus was just a good man – a prophet… sent from God… or some may even call him the son of God and the messiah… but not God.  Some even try to deny that he ever existed even though there is more than ample historical evidence.

 

God’s sacred name that was revealed to Moses is “I am who I am” and in the language of those people it is often stated as “YAWEH” – He is who he is….  Not some controllable god who we can make into our own image or manipulate and make into the image that we prefer… the image that makes us comfortable.  Make no mistake… Jesus was crucified because he stated, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58) – Everyone there knew what he meant.   “YAWEH” .  In fact Jesus name literally means. “YAWEH saves”.  Christ is the visible expression of the unseen God.  He is… who HE is!

 

This fact is what the church is built on, but the people of the church are to take up their cross also and follow, emulating the characteristics of our faithful and loving God.  We can try to do this in our own strength, but we will probably fail.  Instead, there is a better way!   We strive to do this relying on God’s strength…  In fact, we simply allow God to live through us.  We are so used to our earthly nature that we often fail to realize that we, as Christians, have been transformed…. We who are baptised and belong to Jesus have that divine fire within us.  Jesus sent us his Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is God dwelling in us.  Each Christian is yet another burning bush.  The physical, carnal nature, something somewhat ordinary made absolutely extraordinary by the Spirit of God.  May we all grow in the understanding of who we are in God, who calls us to be who He created us to be….

Through thick and thin - eyes on the prize! 16th August 2026

 2026  08  16 - Pentecost 12

Genesis 45.1-15    Psalm 133     Romans 11.13-32 (33-36)     Matt 15. (10-20) 21-28

 

Our Gospel reading reminds me of a lady with whom I play basketball.  She is known by some as The Bulldog.  She is a good and fair player, but where some are more timid or more just waiting for an opportunity to have the ball rather than go out and get it, she, more than anything she is strong and reliably single minded on the court.  This Canaanite woman was also strong and single minded.  She knew what she wanted and she assertively would not be put off by anyone else’s opinions.  Probably, she was also desperate.  A mother with a child who was suffering.  She wouldn’t rest until Jesus heard her request.

 

We hear the story of this woman in other Gospels, and in the Gospel of Matthew it comes at the end of Jesus’ message about things that make a person clean or unclean.  The connection being that those who were with Jesus would have considered that Canaanite woman to be an unclean person.  In all of Jesus’ words to the woman, we see him echo the thoughts of those people around him, and then show them and her that clean and unclean is something different to what they had thought… in fact he tells them that what comes out of the heart is what defiles.  For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

 

Joseph , son of Israel and former owner of a multicoloured dream coat, is one who bore the brunt of what came from the heart.  His brothers had evil intentions to murder him, but they sold him into slavery instead and then lied to their father that a wild animal had killed him… false witness…  Then the wife of his master wanted to be sexually immoral with him and also lied about him, so that the master had him thrown into prison. 

 

The saying goes; “to er is human, to forgive, divine”.  What do you think about Joseph forgiving his brothers?  I feel like we should pause here to contemplate where this echoes into our own lives.

 

By the time Joseph was leader in Egypt the brothers had grown and changed.  They knew that they had done a great wrong to Joseph and he now had the power, as leader of Egypt to do them great harm. 

 

As much as the Bible contains mankind’s struggle with God, it also contains our struggle with each other and where we all stand in God’s eyes.  For example, I know what my relationship with God is, and that he loves me and that Jesus died to redeem me, but what about that person that actually hurt me… that person who spread false rumours about me… that person who manipulated me and caused me trouble… that person who was abusive…  What about all these people?  Where do they stand with God? And what will God do about it?

 

My hairdresser is a very genuine Christian lady, and we discussed this dilemma last time I saw her.  She was upset that people can commit horrible crimes and then accept Christ on their deathbed.  “Surely God will punish them, even though they’ve turned to God”, is what she said.  There are people who have committed horrible crimes.  Another point she made is that in some countries they receive the death penalty, but if they knew they were about to die, but then turned to Jesus, what happens to them then?

 

So many questions… have you pondered them too?  Before we answer these questions, we need to be prepared to accept God’s answer, even if it is something we don’t like, because God’s answer is the truth.  Rest assured God’s truth is good news.  We – can tie ourselves in knots trying to make a way for justice when people are hurt by another, while still being compassionate to the one who did the hurting, and this is evident in the mess of our justice system, but God’s way is a way of both Justice and mercy.

 

The answer is what we see here in Joseph.  We need to forgive.  End of story.  We need to forgive because God has forgiven us.  None of us is perfect and all of us to varying degrees have fallen short of perfection.  ALL of us have been forgiven by God… but not just that.  Imagine the absolute worst crime in the world… the penalty is death.  Figuratively the name of that worst criminal is Barabas.  Barabas is the man who was set free and Jesus died in his place.  Jesus died in our place.  In the eyes of God’s justice, the penalty for all sin… little and big is death… separation from God the father.  Jesus deliberately took that penalty.

 

This means that all can be forgiven and redeemed.   CAN – if we accept it and turn to Jesus to be saved.  That includes those who sin the least and also the very worst of sinners.  Even that person who hurt you.  The evidence of this is that there was a thief on a cross who said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Do you recall Jesus’ response?  “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”  And as for us… we need to forgive, because otherwise paradise is gonna be a little uncomfortable for us.

 

Note that forgiving does not mean submitting to that person.  In fact, forgiving that person is something you do without the person necessarily knowing.  Forgiving someone who is abusive, absolutely does not mean allowing them to continue to abuse you.  You can forgive, but “draw a line in the sand”, with that person and set strong, protective boundaries.  Forgiving is the thing that happens in your heart.  It is the acknowledgement that humans are limited and the person who hurt you is limited.  Don’t allow them to hurt you again!!!  But put the situation in God’s hands and at least be willing to forgive.  Remember to er is human – we all er, but to forgive is divine and it takes some divine intervention.  If we are willing, God will help us to forgive.

 

The brothers of Joseph had been incredibly wicked to him.  Not only did they cause great harm to him, but they caused incredible anguish to their father.  These wicked ones were God’s chosen nation.  In fact, it was through the lineage of one of those brothers that Jesus would be born.  Before that would happen, there would be many in that line who acted wickedly…. Even the Great King David, who came 12 generations later, would manipulate a situation so that a man would die, all because David had taken the man’s wife.  This was King David who was said to be a man after God’s own heart.

 

A linage of such incredibly fallen and broken humans, yet God still loved and chose them.  This is God’s grace.  God is so gracious to his people that he continues his favour regardless of anything they do. 

 

We are told in Roman’s that God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.  Saint Paul is explaining this to the Gentile, non-Jewish, believers because they were realizing their own position of privilege in God’s Kingdom.  And that position of privilege is one that we all share…. But what does this mean for the Jewish nation since Christ came?

 

We know that Christ died for all.  For the Jew and the Gentile.  All are offered redemption by accepting and following Jesus, and in Christ, there is no difference.  Spiritually and individually, there is no difference.  However, the nation of Israel still and forever is the chosen nation of God – They are the ones through whom the blessing came and through whom comes the revelation of God, through the Torah, the law and the prophets. The gift and call of God is irrevocable.

 

We need to know that God so loved that incredibly fallen nation so much, because we too are broken and fallen.  One of the questions often asked by people is, “I once knew and followed God, but then I went and did my own thing… am I forever lost?  Will God take me back?”  Story after story in the Bible shows us that God is the loving father of the prodigal, always welcoming back.  But more than that, most of us want to know, will we be welcomed back as second class?  No, the gifts and call of God are irrevocable.  Children brought up in the faith who drift far away, will very easily be grafted back into the family of God where they already belong…  In fact, God’s family is the natural family of all of us.  We were known and belonged to God first.

 

This includes the Jew and the Gentile individual and the Canaanite woman.  Last week we noted that Peter had a little faith – and with that little faith he walked on water.  This week we have a woman who Jesus says has great faith.  How is that possible, and what is it that made her faith great and his small?  She was an outsider.  She was not a Jew, but she knew that Jesus was from God.  She would not be moved – like the bulldog – a dog with a bone.  She did not let public opinion or supposed divisions of race sway her from keeping her eyes on Jesus and her request before him.  In fact, she shows that she knows God grace by stating that even the dogs eat the children’s scraps.  God’s grace is abundant…. Abundant and overflowing.  This is why she was sure that there would be enough of God’s favour for her.

 

The way of faith is not an easy road, but neither is life on earth.  What we witness in the story of Joseph, is that God has a bigger plan and nothing is lost.  God can and does use the brokenness in our lives for a greater good, if we will let him.  Joseph was hurt and grieved, but he didn’t allow that grief to sway his faith in God.  Will we keep our eyes on Jesus regardless of our grief and regardless of what other people think of us? 

 

Our hurt and grief can make us hard and bitter.  Better that we cry as Joseph did when he embraced his brother Benjamin, and better that we stay in relationship with God, trusting him and knowing the abundance of his grace, as both Joseph and the Canaanite woman. Great faith is about knowing, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that God loves us and that His grace is abundant.  Through all our hardships, God is God, He loves us and He will save us.

To be a blessing, ride the waves 9th August 2026

 2026  08  09  Pentecost 11  Proper 14A

Genesis 37.1-4. 12-28    Psalm 105.1-6, 16-22    Romans 10.4-15  Matt 14.22-36

 

 

These last few weeks we’ve been following the story of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Last week was the momentous story where Jacob is blessed and his name is changed to Israel.  Our Holy Bible, the sacred word of God, comes to us through the stories of these very human and fallible people. The Bible is made up of letters and teachings, poetry, songs, and prophecy.  It’s the stories of people who encountered and struggled with God, and those encounters happened within the history and mess of real life.

 

What we have been reading about is the beginning of the Israelite nation, and however as monumental it is to have God’s blessing at the beginning of a nation, the equally monumental part of the story is that this nation – this heritage- is to be a blessing to all the people of the earth.  Through this lineage would come the Messiah…. The saviour, Jesus Christ, who would redeem all mankind.   The heritage of blessing doesn’t end there.  We are the children of God and the body of Christ, and we are to be a blessing also.  Today is about our own story that starts with God’s blessing.  It doesn’t end with that blessing, there is more.  We are called to be a blessing and everyday we chose again and we step into the journey to answer God’s call.

 

Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was the father of 12 sons, and one of those was Joseph…. The favourite.  Joseph’s brothers, were so jealous of him that they mostly wanted to kill him.  Yep, those are the blessed ones, the called ones, the people of God – Which means that there is hope for us all!  We don’t have to look to far to see the brokenness of our world.  It was broken from the garden of Eden and it is broken today.

 

There was a reason that Joseph was the favourite and it was nothing to do with what kind of person he was.  We are told that it is because he was a son born to Jacob in his old age, but the favour had a lot more to do with who his mother was.  AND the fact that Jacob was of a lineage of Barren women and miracle births.  Isaac, Jacob’s father, was born to the barren Sarah at the age of about 90, and Rebecca gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob after being barren also – then Isaac prayed and God answered his prayers.  Joseph’s mother was Rachel, the one that Jacob loved and worked, pretty much 14 years to earn the right to marry.  Rachel was also barren for many years, but then eventually gave birth to Joseph.  This son, born to a barren woman was a sign of God’s promise.

 

Our story picks up where Jacob sends Joseph out to find his brothers.  The brothers were not where they were expected to be.  Along the way he meets some people who ask Joseph what he is looking for.  In the original language Joseph is asked, “What do you seek?”

 

This is the significant part that we often miss; If this question was not asked, Joseph may have returned home and his destiny remain unfulfilled.  It is pondered whether this stranger was actually an Angel or a pre-existant form of Jesus, because Jesus, many centuries later, in the New Testament, asks the same exact same question of the disciples who begin to follow him after John the Baptist pointed him out.  It is a question that makes a turning point in the life of Joseph, and for the disciples of Jesus.  Their destiny was defined in it.  If that stranger were not there, Joseph would have returned to his father, and his destiny would have been different – and safe.  But then his prophetic dream would have told a different story.  The same for the disciples – safe, or following the truth… what will we choose? Jesus  is the stranger who steps into all our lives and asks us to make a decision.

 

When Joseph’s brothers see him, the conversation centres around Joseph’s dreams.  Joseph had dreamt that the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him.  The obvious interpretation being that the brothers, their mother and father would all bow down to Joseph.  Obviously, the brothers were not impressed, so they figured that if they killed Joseph they would never have to bow down to him. 

 

Now a spoiler alert to those who don’t know the story of Joseph; his parents and brothers eventually do bow down to him as this being sold into slavery, after many horrible years and even imprisonment due to false allegations, put Joseph in a position of leadership over Egypt.  He was placed in charge of the storing of food and was able to provide for his family through the great seven-year drought.

 

The point of the story, is to show us that Joseph was walking into his destiny, answering God’s call on his life.  That call was like Peter stepping out onto the waters… a seemingly odd thing to do, but in it, is a huge lesson for us all.

 

This figure walking on the water frightens the disciples, including Peter, but on hearing Jesus’ voice Peter believes Jesus, so much so that he gets out of the boat and walks towards him, but then he notices the wind and begins to sink.  Peter cries out to be saved, and Jesus reaches out his hand and saves him and then tells him that he is of “little faith”.  At least Peter got out of the boat!!  Where are we in this picture?

 

There is a song I heard many years ago, with the words, “with your little faith and your big believing, weak things shame the strong”.   The song was called “Child of Destiny”.  It struck me at the time –what did it mean big believing but little faith?  Well, this is where Peter was at, and probably most of us here.  And please note that it wasn’t so much that Jesus was upset with Peter, so much as encouraging him to grow in faith.  We absolutely believe in Jesus and give allegiance to him as the Lord of our life.  However, faith is about actually stepping out into the destiny into which he calls us.  Remember, as far as little faith is concerned, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. … or in this case, walk on water!

 

We are all called to accept Jesus.  To believe in Jesus.  To believe that He died to redeem us.  Back in the garden of Eden when sin came into the world, mankind unwittingly gave their allegiance to Satan by following his advice and wanting to be independent of God.  Spiritually, mankind became separated from God the father and we needed to be redeemed…. Which is basically means being purchased back to the original owner.  Jesus paid the price, but that doesn’t mean we are automatically saved – it means we can be.

 

Romans tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved.

“10:10For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation and so is saved.”  There is a free will choice that must be declared. 

At our baptism, if as an infant, that choice was made on our behalf, we must as an adult confirm that choice.  God gave us free will and it is vital that we freely chose to belong to God.

 

The reason that we regularly come together and celebrate communion is that we continue to affirm our faith…. Our belief … and we continue to freely give our allegiance to God.  This is where our faith begins, and for some it may be as huge as stepping out onto the waters of the great unknown.

 

We can stay in the boat where it is safe, with our big believing, but we are called to grow in our faith… to step out.  In fact, there is a destiny that God has called us to, and we will not achieve it if we stay in the boat… or at Shechem where Joseph was looking for his brothers.  Shechem means shoulder or back.  It was the place known in the ancient times as the valley of decision and the place for making covenants.  Will we turn back, or will we say, “Here I am, Lord, I will follow you – no matter where that leads.”?

 

It is important to note that Joseph’s destiny involved some really hard things.  He was sold as slave, but was also favoured in that role.  Then a false accusation saw him thrown into jail – but it was through this that he came to the attention of Pharoah and was ultimately made leader over Egypt.  Sometimes the path we are called to is incredibly tough, but God only calls us through tough times because it is important and abundant life is at the end of it….  On planet earth, there are tough times anyway.  We all live in a broken and fallen world and experience that brokenness in many ways and at many times.  And that brokenness can simply break us.  The difference of the tough times that happen when we are experiencing them because we are following God is that the tough times don’t break us.. they make us…  even though they might feel like they are breaking us…. God promises that all things work for the good of those who love him. 

 

Here is where we need to understand faith.  Faith is stepping out on the water.  The wind blows, the waves crash, we feel the cold… we feel the discomfort.  Keep our eyes on Jesus… keep knowing that he enables all things to work together for good.  But, if we feel ourselves falling – which, honestly, will absolutely happen, understand that all we need to do is call out, “Lord, save me,” and Jesus reaches out and saves us.

 

When those tough times come, we need each other, the body of Christ.  The church is the body of Christ…. You and me.  We need each other to hold each other above the waves.  We’ve been going through tough times, as a church, but many of us have also been personally going through absolutely crazy storms.  Jesus doesn’t ever leave us to drown.  We are encouraged to come out to him on that water and in that storm.  Remember that with Peter’s ‘little faith’ he still walked on that water.  We are called today to say, ‘YES, Lord.’ and to step into the destiny to which God planned for us before the creation of the world.

TREASURE! Pentecost 9A Proper 12 A 26th July 2026

2026  07  26  Pentecost 9 Proper 12 A

Genesis 29.15-28   Psalm 105.1-11   Romans 8.26-39     Matt 13.44-58

Saint James feast day: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

 

Once upon a time, I decided to forgo a holiday so that I could buy a dishwasher with the money saved.  Then we moved house and the dishwasher stayed…. And I’m still just a little disappointed 30 odd years later! 

 

The point is that we are all willing to work hard or make sacrifices for things that we believe to be “worth it” – treasures!  We are told that the kingdom of heaven is like this also.  And my big question for the church in 2026 is, “Are you sure?”  While St. James and so many other early Christians… and even modern Christians here and there were martyred for this Kingdom of God, If we were to ask an outsider what they think the average Australian Christian considers the greatest treasure, would it be the Kingdom of God?

 

We are told that the Kingdom of heaven is like someone who finds a pearl of great value and sells everything to purchase it.  THAT is how great a treasure the kingdom of God is.  Do we know how great a treasure is the kingdom of God?

 

The reading for the feast of St. James tells us that we are afflicted in every way but not constrained; perplexed but not driven to despair; … etc But we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also.  This is the ultimate treasure. 

 

In our lives, often it is true that we do feel hard pressed on every side.  Modern life is often at odds with Christian values.  The early Christians experienced the very same thing.  The world around them had very different values to them and the friction between the two meant stress in the least, and outright persecution, suffering and death as a very real possibility in the most. 

 

The early apostles were told by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish officials) to stop preaching and teaching in Jesus’ name, but they responded that they HAD to obey God rather than man.  We reflected on this this week at our Bible Study, and we pondered if we are all obeying man rather than God, at this point in time, scared to speak out in case we get into trouble. 

 

A landmark 2026 report found that over 40% of Australian Christians experience hostility, threats, or harassment for expressing their faith in public. The Australian Christian Freedom Index (ACFI),  surveyed more than 10,000 Christians, 92% of whom responded that they felt “it is riskier to affirm Christian beliefs than five years ago.”  And 73% of responders said they “felt pressured to keep their beliefs private in public, online or at work” while 42% “experienced hostility, threats or harassment for expressing a Christian worldview.” One in four Christians said they were “denied opportunities in work, volunteering or leadership” due to their Christian beliefs. 

….But who can really harm us when we have the kind of outlook where we know that the greatest treasure is the Kingdom of God, and our place in that Kingdom is sure?

 

In our first reading Jacob is working happily for seven years for what he considers to be a great treasure… the beautiful Rachel.  He tells Laban very clearly what he is working to acquire from him.  This tells us that he was possibly aware that Laban is a deceptive swindler.  Knowing this, and taking every precaution, Jacob – whose name and past implies that he himself is a deceiver, is still deceived.   Somewhat poetic justice perhaps…. But also, a lesson to us, that with all our best and clearest intentions, the enemy can still thwart our plans.  Then, we may find we have to work even harder than we had anticipated…. But you know what?  It is worth it!   The Kingdom of God is worth it…. It is worth the extra sacrifice.  In fact – ask St. James…  it is worth everything!  We may find ourselves working hard to bring our children into church, thinking we already did that hard work years ago… but the enemy has been deceptive…. And we need to begin our work again….

 

Jacob was born grasping the heel of his twin brother.   The name “Jacob” means, “grabbing the heel”.  To grab the heel implied deception.  I’m guessing this has something to do with the story in Genesis where the Serpent deceived Adam and Eve and God declared that the serpent would “strike the heel, but man would crush his head”.  This is known as the first Gospel.  It refers to the reality that Satan, represented by the snake, would continue to deceive and win over mankind, but ultimate victory would come through Jesus Christ who would be THE man to crush the head.

 

Mankind was made in the image of God.  What this means to us as westerners, would be that we look like God, but the image of God in the original language was about being like God in more than image, in more than just type… Body, Soul and Spirit… but also “in the image of God” implies his moral nature, His goodness and His love.  Since the fall…. We’ve also fallen from that image.  Jesus even declared this fallen image to a group of pharisees, declaring them to be like their father the devil. 

 

Every human life is absolutely precious because we are all formed in the image of God.  That is why we advocate for the sanctity of life, even from the womb.  However, since the fall, every human life has become corrupted.   Perhaps it is like a record that once played perfectly, but now it has pops and crackles.  More realistically however, it is more like a corrupted computer file that is so corrupted that some of it looks like the original, but other parts are a frustrating mix of contradictions and bits that make no sense at all.  God chose a human line to maintain his integrity and reveal his image.  That line was Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose name God would soon change to Israel).  Through this line would come the one who would crush the head of the devil – Jesus Christ.

 

Jacob, as one who deceived and wasn’t always honourable, was to learn that this was not the way of God.  God promised to look after him.  God was true to his word.  There is no deception in God.  Jacob, like all of us, was created in the image of God, but his image had corrupted.  Our Romans reading tells us that those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.  We, like Jacob, have had our image corrupted also, but it was always God’s plan to restore us into the image originally designed for us.

 

I have a number of favourite scriptures, but this one from Romans is one of my all-time favourites, where it says that there is NOTHING that can separate us from the love of God.  Not even anything in our future!  God has so loved us that he has made a way for everything to be restored and it doesn’t depend on any circumstances, it only depends on Jesus, who has already made the way for us.

 

Much like a corrupted computer program we can do nothing to fix ourselves.  God came as one of us, but as one of us who was not corrupted… as one of us that was all in order and perfect.  It is as if He inserted himself into the program of this world and then he superimposes his image onto us who are baptised into him… in some ways perhaps it is like the computer programs that are corrupted can now be read because of this superimposed perfect program…. According to the spiritual law, we are now acceptable because we are seen as the perfect image of Jesus when God the father looks at us.  This, of course, is not dependant on anything that we have been or will be… but only depends on Jesus and what he is and what he has done for us.  I sometimes hear people in the church say that they hope that God will accept them.  If you aren’t completely sure, please re-read this reading from Romans;  “Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.”  We are completely made whole and acceptable and NOTHING can separate us from God’s love.

 

Another important note in our Gospel reading is about the Kingdom of God being like a net that caught all kinds of fish both good and bad.  The Angels do the sorting.  This came up in last weeks Gospel too…. Therefore, it is important, that just as we can’t fix ourselves, but need Jesus, we also aren’t the ones to decide who is acceptable and who isn’t.  The sorting is not our job.  But perhaps it is because of this sorting in the reading that I still hear people in the church say that they hope that God will accept them.  If you aren’t completely sure, please re-read this reading from Romans; “Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.”  If you have been baptised and genuinely desire to belong to God, NOTHING will separate you from God and his love.

 

Through Jesus we are restored into the image of God, and we are to reflect this image into our community – courageously, without any fear.  As the children of the King, we are about the Kings business.  Our values and love must reflect that of God.  We advocate for the poor and vulnerable and we speak for those without a voice.  This is the Kingdom of God… His kingdom on earth.

 

This Kingdom of God is worth everything… it is THE single most precious of any aspect in life.  And the Kingdom of God is about God’s love and acceptance being worth more than everything… absolutely everything.  But now that we’ve been challenged to give everything for the Kingdom of God, I’ll finish with a little twist for you to consider. 

 

In the story of Jacob and the love of his life, Rachel….  God, is like Jacob… and also, God is also like the man who sells all he has to acquire the pearl.  You and I are the greatest treasure in the eyes of God, and he paid the ultimate price to acquire us.  Human life, even though we are fallen, is such a priceless treasure to God.  Imagine I have a beautiful fresh hundred dollar note but someone took it and scrunched the note up and rubbed it in the dirt… then asked what it was worth….  Was it still of value? 

 

We may feel that we have failed God and that we are so much less than what we should be.  We may feel so unworthy of the love of God, but God sees our original value and nothing diminishes that worth… we are worth more than that hundred dollar note to God, and he gave all to acquire us.  He gave all for us.  We are God’s greatest treasure….. !

Too far away from His presence? 19th 07 2026 Pentecost8 proper 11

 2026  07  19  Pentecost 8  Proper 11

Genesis 28.10-19a    Psalm 139.1-11, 23-24    Romans 8.12-25    Matt 1324-30, 36-43

 

One of my favourite psalms tells us; O LORD, you have searched me and known me.  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.  God KNOWS us.  How good is it to be truly known, understood and loved?

 

In our readings today we discover that Jacob experienced God’s knowledge of him first-hand.  Jacob lay down in a strange land, afraid that he was being hunted by his brother, and probably quite fairly, as he had deceptively received his father’s blessing.  So here he was away from the familiar, and he was probably feeling vulnerable and far away from God. 

 

Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, had been told by God, that God would make him into a great nation.  Abraham was told that his offspring would be numerous, and most importantly, Abraham was told that all the families of the world would be blessed in him and his offspring.  This blessing was to come through Isaac, the son born miraculously.  Isaac had twin sons, but Esau was the first born.  Jacob had just received the blessing of the first-born, through deceptive means and Esau was angry with him for this fact – murderously so.  Therefore, without accusing the twin brother to his father, his mother had convinced his father that Jacob should go to their relatives in the land of Haran to find a Hebrew wife, rather than a Canaanite one, such as had been taken by Esau.  

 

Jacob left his family and life of plenty, he is now completely defenceless.  Notice that he takes a rock for a pillow.  He is truly in the hands of God and has reached “rock” bottom, a point where he knows he needs God.  He falls asleep and dreams that there are angels ascending and descending.  Then God speaks to Jacob in the dream, and reveals himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac.

 

Jacob knew these stories.  Jacob knew that his grandmother miraculously gave birth to Isaac, his father.  Jacob knew that God had promised to make Abraham into a great nation through his father Isaac.  Jacob knew lots of stories about the faith of his family, although knowing all these things because someone tells you, is a whole lot different from knowing them for yourself.

 

An important aspect that we often overlook is knowing.  Knowing God…knowing his love for us… Knowing his promises.  It was in the knowing God and knowing his faithfulness that enabled Abraham to make that momentous trek up mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac.   Abraham knew – and knew that he knew, that God had promised to make him a great nation through Isaac.  Therefore, Abraham knew that God would provide a way to save Isaac.  THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!   Abraham didn’t just go up that mountain with a vague hope in God.  He KNEW.  When we know the brightness of our future, we can bear the sacrifice.  Abraham knew God, and what’s more, he trusted God and believed that God would be faithful to his promises, even if those promises were a long time coming, and involved so many ‘speed bumps’. 

 

It is the sure vision of a future that kept Abraham moving forward, focused and faithful to God, and it is a sure vision of a future that we need to keep us moving forward also.  Scripture tells us that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.  This is what it meant to believe God; to live your life in such a way that shows your belief, your trust and unshakable faith in the promises of God.  And that belief is proved when we continue to hold fast to our faith through the tough times.

 

During the plague of the Black Death in the 1300s, and during many other plagues in the medieval period, thousands of priests, monks, nuns and laypeople courageously stayed in infected cities to nurse the sick, feed the hungry and bury the dead fully knowing it would likely cost them their lives.  They were courageous because they knew – and knew that they knew – that their eternal life was completely assured and glorious. 

 

Note what St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, when he says that he considers that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.  Saint Paul began his life as a successful persecutor of the Christian Church.  He was successful in all areas of his life, but God revealed himself to Saint Paul, and Saint Paul would never be the same again.  Something about that experience, and or the relationship that he had with God, meant that Saint Paul could and would endure all kinds of suffering.  Knowing God and knowing that God promises us a future, does not mean that we will not experience hardships or suffering, but it does give us the resilience to continue through trials, to be faithful to God.

 

It is through these tough times, such as the black death plague, that we discover if we really are the children of God – or just pretending…  When I was a teenager, I had a 92 year old piano teacher who had been buried in an earthquake in Italy as a child, along with his father and a priest.  Obviously, they were rescued and lived to tell the tale, but a significant part of the story relayed to me, was how the priest proved to be completely lacking in faith.  We don’t really know how we are going to react in tough times, but often it is through suffering that those things that are “weeds” or “tares” in ourselves become exposed.  The way that our reading talks about the wheat and tares it sounds like some of us are wheat and some tares, but in reality, we all have aspects in our lives that are weeds / tares…. The tares are a plant that looks very much like the wheat when both are young, but the tares HAVE to be separated at harvest because they are actually poisonous.  At maturity the difference is more obvious, the wheat head bows over, but the tares stand tall.  Perhaps another subtle reference to the children of God bowing to God, acknowledging our need, but the tares stand with pride.

 

A process of sorting, divinely appointed and sorted by God, happens when we experience tough times.  In those times we work out what really matters and we acknowledge our need for God.  As we read in the text it is God’s job to do this when we are mature enough, otherwise the weeds will overcome us and we will be destroyed in the process. 

 

The thing that keeps everyone going through the tough times is the belief that things are going to get better.  People will go in for painful knee surgery, back or hip surgery – put themselves through pain, because they know that outcome is for the good in the long run.  Jacob, in our first reading, had the stories and promises from God, but at the time when he was most vulnerable, God revealed himself to Jacob and confirmed that promise, personally reestablishing his covenant with Jacob.  Jacob now knew that he could endure through hardships because his future was connected to God’s promise.  What’s more, is that God promised to be with Jacob.  We share in this promise.  God is always with us through His Holy Spirit.  Also, have you ever wondered the significance of the angels going up and down the staircase? 

 

Scripture tells us that God sends his angels to minister and protect his people, but also, according to some scriptures, we understand that Angels have guardianship over different locations.  The descending and ascending Angels imply that those from that land that Jacob was leaving, were ascending and those assigned to the land that Jacob was entering were descending so that they could go with him to protect him.   This was a confirmation of God’s promise to protect Jacob and must have been a huge reassurance.

 

Let’s put ourselves in Jacob’s shoes; There you are, possibly being hunted by your brother who wants to kill you – and he is a skilful hunter.  You may have been told that God has a future for you, but you are scared that you might not live to see your future.  Then God stopped you in your tracks, showing you that he HAS promised you a future and what’s more, that he will protect you on your journey.   Not only that, but you witness that divine protection in the form of the Angels.  That is something that changes your outlook on life!

 

Last week we reflected on how Esau lived for the here and now, but this week we notice that when what is in front of you is a threat to your life, it is hard to see anything but that threat. This may be where we are at personally.  It is also where we are at as a church.  We can only see the threat, and fear for our lives.  We are trying to make sense of our reality which we see with human eyes.  If we only see the physical, our vision is only partial.  There is a spiritual reality that encompasses the physical and the spiritual.  Someone with that kind of vision can have a whole different outlook.

 

It may be that right now there is a very real and physical threat which is overwhelming you.  This is why we are the body of Christ – we need each other.  It is too big a burden to carry on our own.  Jacob was shown a vision of the Angels that would be with him so that he knew he wasn’t alone.  His story is recorded to be a reassurance to us also.  Neither are we alone, but we need to be reminded that God is with us and he sends his Angels, and we need to call on each other to support us when we are afraid and feeling vulnerable. 

 

God has promised us a future, and God has promised that he will never leave nor forsake us.  We can never be too far away for God’s love.  NOTHING  - neither angels nor demons, nothing future or past can separate us from his love, his calling and his promise is sure, and nothing can take that away from us.  God sees us and knows us.  Nothing in us is hidden from him, and he completely loves us.  Jesus has freed us from the guilt of our sin.  Like Jacob, it is time for us to let go of fear and past failure.   We have a future that God is calling us to walk into –- let’s do it!