Year A Proper 25 23 October 2011
Deuteronomy 34: 1-12 Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8 Matthew 22: 34-46
Things that make you go, “Hmmm???” Our readings this week contain some things that grab our attention and leave us with questions. One of these is the question that Jesus asked of the Pharisees. They had been trying to trip Jesus up by asking him questions but he turned the tables on them when he asked his question and left them speechless.
Matthew 22: 41-46 “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.”
Many of the psalms of King David proclaimed prophecy about the Messiah. An interesting thing about Christianity is lack of black and white straight answers. A man made religion has all its beliefs set out clearly, but ours is not a man made religion and so we often struggle to understand. It is only with the gifts that God has given us that we can discern his ways.... which is another reason why it is important to stay connected to others in church.
The question that Jesus poses to the Pharisees deals with a fundamental stumbling block. It is a stumbling block that these people “fell” on and one which is still a stumbling block for many.
It was common knowledge that the Messiah would be a son (descendant) of King David, but Jesus question reveals that the nature of the Messiah was more than a natural descendant. David calling him “Lord” implies that this “son” is above and before King David.
Before we discuss this anymore, let’s look at our Old Testament reading; in this we find the story of Moses being taken up Mt. Nebo to look at the Promised Land. After God has shown Moses the land, Moses dies and he is buried. It is all shrouded in mystery as we discover that although Moses was 12o years old, he was still completely bright and strong. (The moral to the story might be that spending time with God is the best treatment for staying youthful and healthy!).
There is an important statement made about Moses in Deuteronomy 34:10, “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,”. We often read that no one could see the face of God and live, and even in our previous readings we read about Moses being put in a cleft in the mountain while God revealed his glory – and the reason was so that Moses didn’t see God’s face – so how is it that it was later said that the LORD knew Moses face to face?
When Jesus walked on earth mankind witnessed the visible expression of the invisible God. The face of God was revealed.
God is so holy that, as we read a few weeks ago, even His very name must be held in the upmost respect. God is so holy that no one can see His face, but it was not God’s plan to be so separated from us. In the beginning God walked with humankind in the Garden of Eden and there was a relationship – a union between the humankind and the creator. Though it was not common, the Old Testament does tell of people who “saw the face of God” and lived, even though it was acknowledged that no one could see His face and live.
Each of these individuals who “walked” with God, are people to whom God revealed his nature and person. They are people with whom God had a personal relationship and they are people who knew God. It seems that in the same way that Jesus was the visible expression of God in the New Testament, this particular revelation of God existed in the Old Testament also.
It could be said that Moses saw God face to face, because God was revealed to Moses. Through that revelation Moses was brought into a personal relationship with God. The revelation of the person of God is the key to a relationship with God and that is where the Pharisees stumbled.
The Pharisees refused to see the “face of God”.
This is a fundamental issue that we all need to examine. There was a song many years ago now, recorded by Joan Osbourne, called, One Of Us. Some of the lyrics were; “ If God had a face what would it look like, and would you want to see, if seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and the saints and all the prophets?...”
God wants us to see his face. Through Jesus all are invited into this revelation. God wants to be in a personal relationship with us, but we have free will and need to choose.
The Pharisees were given hints to help them realize that the Messiah was not just a descendant of King David, but this Messiah had a divine nature. David called the Messiah his Lord, because he realized this divinity. The Messiah, the son of God, existed from the beginning of creation. It was the son of God who was the revelation of God to Moses and other prophets.
Our relationship with God can be a personal one also, but this can only be accomplished by a revelation of the person of God. In other words, we need to acknowledge who Jesus is.... He is not just a great prophet, a wise teacher, a good and compassionate man.... He is our saviour and our redeemer and He is God.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Reflection on readings for 9th October 2011
Year A Proper 23 9 October 2011
Exodus 32: 1-14 Psalm 106: 1-6, 19-23 Philippians 4: 1-9 Matthew 22: 1-14
Philippians 4: 1 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!”
Stand firm! Sounds simply enough, but who among us will do it?
The more that I reflect on the scriptures, the more I’m convinced there are many messages of warnings for the people of God. In our first reading, this week, we find the story of what happened in the Israelite camp while Moses was on the mountain with God, receiving the commandments.
Exodus 32: 1-6 “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
There were two men who stood as leaders of the people of Israel, Moses and Aaron. Moses was the one to whom God appeared and the one called by God, but because Moses was scared, God allowed Moses a helper in the form of his brother Aaron.
The exodus of the people from Egypt was miraculous. God lead his people by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. If it happened to us we’d be awestruck. These people were used to witnessing supernatural occurrences through the religion of Egypt. Every time Moses performed a miracle as testament to the power of God the Egyptians showed a similar miracle, though never to the magnitude of those performed by Moses. This is the reason that it took so many plagues before Pharaoh let the people go, he didn’t hold miracles in such high regard.
Supernatural things happen and people interpret them according to their knowledge. Moses eventually was able to show that his God was stronger and more powerful, but the people of God were tainted with the same religion as the Egyptians, and their hearts were hardened to the way that God had so greatly rescued and provided for them.
We are often the same. We are given so much, we erroneously believe that we deserve all good things and when something doesn’t go our way we become very indignant. We don’t really understand that God is God and not someone that we can tell how, when and what to do. We can not shape God into a form that suits us.
Are we like Moses or like Aaron?
Aaron was approached by the people and they requested/ demanded that he make them a god to go before them as they travelled. Other nations had man made gods and in some way the god defined the nation. The choice of the calf may possibly have been because in some nations the calf was considered the mount for god. Certainly Aaron was not trying to deny God, as the festival was declared at the completion of the “god” was held to honour the LORD – it is written in capital letters to show that Aaron meant this to be a festival to “Yahweh”.
Pressure is also put on us to make “god”. Many of the aspects about God and his laws seem antiquated to general society and they demand that Christians get with the times. Many Christians, maybe even you and I, have been just like Aaron. We want to make God relevant to all people and show how God loves everyone and wants everyone in his kingdom. This is a truth – but does it matter that sometimes we “Put words in God’s mouth”, proclaiming that some of the things that are becoming societal norms are okay by God? We still proclaim the name of the LORD, so, at least in our own eyes and heart, we are not denying God.
Reflect carefully on the actions of Aaron and the actions of our own witness. Aaron was a good guy, a gifted leader, had respect and rapport with the people. His heart was in the right place and he was well meaning, but the result of his actions meant that God would have destroyed the whole Israelite nation except that Moses came to the rescue and begged for God’s mercy.
The message is clear that it is possible to be working for God and really get it so wrong. Unless we stand firm and absolutely steadfast in our commitment to God we will not only be like Aaron who bends to the pressure of societies conventions, but we will also be like the guests of the parable told by Jesus, who became too self seeking to come to the feast in God’s kingdom.
Matthew 22: 4-7“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”
Are we already like these invited guests? Got better things to do than go to church this weekend? What it boils down to is that we’ve made a god of our own lives. This parable was told to the religious of Jesus day and was directed at them, but it is written and recorded for us.
What God has decided is that those who do not make him their priority do not deserve to be invited to the feast. The feast is an image symbolizing the joyful celebration in heaven at the fullness of time.
Matthew 22; 8-10 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
The good news is that all are gathered in to this holy celebration. There is amazing good news for those who think they are too bad for heaven because we are told that the bad and good were all to be gathered. ..........There is a “but”;
Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
It seems curious that all should be gathered, good and bad, but then someone thrown out simply for not wearing the right clothes. Being good or bad was not a deal maker or breaker, but this particular “wedding garment” is.
Joe and I had a wedding where all were welcome. We let people know to simply bring a plate and come along. These days people have to register their parties in case of unwanted gate crashers, but what is the difference between a guest and a gate crasher when there is a wedding where all are welcome?
The difference is whether or not there is a relationship with the person in whose honour the party is being held. All are welcome in the kingdom of God but unless you are “clothed in Christ”, you do not have a relationship with the guest of honour. Jesus is the only way to the father. It is in accepting his sacrifice and being so united in him, and our lives so closely entwined, such that our lives are covered by him that we are clothed in Christ. Christ is our wedding garment.
Unless.......
Unless is a heavy word implying that if certain requirements are not met then there will be an exclusion. And unless accept the sacrifice of Jesus and we stand firm and steadfast in our relationship with God we will be found not deserving of the celebration in heaven.....
Exodus 32: 1-14 Psalm 106: 1-6, 19-23 Philippians 4: 1-9 Matthew 22: 1-14
Philippians 4: 1 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!”
Stand firm! Sounds simply enough, but who among us will do it?
The more that I reflect on the scriptures, the more I’m convinced there are many messages of warnings for the people of God. In our first reading, this week, we find the story of what happened in the Israelite camp while Moses was on the mountain with God, receiving the commandments.
Exodus 32: 1-6 “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”
There were two men who stood as leaders of the people of Israel, Moses and Aaron. Moses was the one to whom God appeared and the one called by God, but because Moses was scared, God allowed Moses a helper in the form of his brother Aaron.
The exodus of the people from Egypt was miraculous. God lead his people by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. If it happened to us we’d be awestruck. These people were used to witnessing supernatural occurrences through the religion of Egypt. Every time Moses performed a miracle as testament to the power of God the Egyptians showed a similar miracle, though never to the magnitude of those performed by Moses. This is the reason that it took so many plagues before Pharaoh let the people go, he didn’t hold miracles in such high regard.
Supernatural things happen and people interpret them according to their knowledge. Moses eventually was able to show that his God was stronger and more powerful, but the people of God were tainted with the same religion as the Egyptians, and their hearts were hardened to the way that God had so greatly rescued and provided for them.
We are often the same. We are given so much, we erroneously believe that we deserve all good things and when something doesn’t go our way we become very indignant. We don’t really understand that God is God and not someone that we can tell how, when and what to do. We can not shape God into a form that suits us.
Are we like Moses or like Aaron?
Aaron was approached by the people and they requested/ demanded that he make them a god to go before them as they travelled. Other nations had man made gods and in some way the god defined the nation. The choice of the calf may possibly have been because in some nations the calf was considered the mount for god. Certainly Aaron was not trying to deny God, as the festival was declared at the completion of the “god” was held to honour the LORD – it is written in capital letters to show that Aaron meant this to be a festival to “Yahweh”.
Pressure is also put on us to make “god”. Many of the aspects about God and his laws seem antiquated to general society and they demand that Christians get with the times. Many Christians, maybe even you and I, have been just like Aaron. We want to make God relevant to all people and show how God loves everyone and wants everyone in his kingdom. This is a truth – but does it matter that sometimes we “Put words in God’s mouth”, proclaiming that some of the things that are becoming societal norms are okay by God? We still proclaim the name of the LORD, so, at least in our own eyes and heart, we are not denying God.
Reflect carefully on the actions of Aaron and the actions of our own witness. Aaron was a good guy, a gifted leader, had respect and rapport with the people. His heart was in the right place and he was well meaning, but the result of his actions meant that God would have destroyed the whole Israelite nation except that Moses came to the rescue and begged for God’s mercy.
The message is clear that it is possible to be working for God and really get it so wrong. Unless we stand firm and absolutely steadfast in our commitment to God we will not only be like Aaron who bends to the pressure of societies conventions, but we will also be like the guests of the parable told by Jesus, who became too self seeking to come to the feast in God’s kingdom.
Matthew 22: 4-7“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
“But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.”
Are we already like these invited guests? Got better things to do than go to church this weekend? What it boils down to is that we’ve made a god of our own lives. This parable was told to the religious of Jesus day and was directed at them, but it is written and recorded for us.
What God has decided is that those who do not make him their priority do not deserve to be invited to the feast. The feast is an image symbolizing the joyful celebration in heaven at the fullness of time.
Matthew 22; 8-10 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.”
The good news is that all are gathered in to this holy celebration. There is amazing good news for those who think they are too bad for heaven because we are told that the bad and good were all to be gathered. ..........There is a “but”;
Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
It seems curious that all should be gathered, good and bad, but then someone thrown out simply for not wearing the right clothes. Being good or bad was not a deal maker or breaker, but this particular “wedding garment” is.
Joe and I had a wedding where all were welcome. We let people know to simply bring a plate and come along. These days people have to register their parties in case of unwanted gate crashers, but what is the difference between a guest and a gate crasher when there is a wedding where all are welcome?
The difference is whether or not there is a relationship with the person in whose honour the party is being held. All are welcome in the kingdom of God but unless you are “clothed in Christ”, you do not have a relationship with the guest of honour. Jesus is the only way to the father. It is in accepting his sacrifice and being so united in him, and our lives so closely entwined, such that our lives are covered by him that we are clothed in Christ. Christ is our wedding garment.
Unless.......
Unless is a heavy word implying that if certain requirements are not met then there will be an exclusion. And unless accept the sacrifice of Jesus and we stand firm and steadfast in our relationship with God we will be found not deserving of the celebration in heaven.....
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Reflection on readings 2nd October 2011
Year A Proper 22 2 October 2011
Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Psalm 19 Philippians 3: 4b-14 Matthew 21: 33-46
I’ve known some pretty wonderful people. I’ve also known some great people who told me quite openly that they are pretty good people. I think I’ve touched on this subject before about people who are fine and upstanding citizens who like to believe that they would never succumb to the pits that others do. But it is from someone with greater wisdom comes the saying, “There but for the grace of God go I”.
One of the biggest pitfalls for “good” people is the misconception that they might be “good” enough to earn a place in heaven. The old fashioned term for this is actually “Self righteousness”, and it is a “right-ness” that comes from obeying the law of God. Good people will tell you that they keep God’s commandments. In fact some influential baby boomers and generation Xs have been so effective in encouraging the next generation, that you will find most people see themselves as good. The evidence of this is in how offended people become if you should hint that they may be sinners. Most people, without knowing what God’s commandments are, will assume that they keep them all.
Our first reading for this week lists those commandments, the first one being, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2,3
Following on from this is the next command: Exodus 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
We live in a country that worships the god of football. Our culture idolizes the god of good looks and intellect, and all of us to some extent serve the god of materialism. We live in a globally connected society that constantly misuses God’s name as an exclamation. My own little “hobby horse” is to try to get children to understand that some people may find it offensive to use the exclamation, “Oh my God”. But this little phrase has become such a catch phrase that the Legally Blonde musical actually has a song titled, “Oh my God”.
Generally we know that nothing is meant by the phrase and it is as meaningless as “bust my buttons!” However, there is a tradition among Jewish writers of writing G-d this way. They put a dash in the middle so that they are not technically using God’s name. They knew that God was serious in His commands and so they treated his name in all aspects with the upmost respect.
We live in an age of the Grace of God. We overlook sins because we know that Jesus died and took all the punishment for these things, but does that mean that the commandments are no longer valid?
As in many things to do with God, we are dealing with a two sided coin. On the one hand we have the commandments which are in every way valid and eternal, but on the other hand we have the fact that we simply cannot keep these commands perfectly and thankfully we have the grace of God to save us.
In our readings this week we find St. Paul striving to teach the Philippians about human goodness, because he was once a very fine, admirable and upstanding citizen. St. Paul was one who kept the commandments perfectly – at least as far as the “letter” of the law was concerned, yet he failed when it came to the “spirit” of the law and was ignorant that he was lost, until he was confronted by God.
Philippians 3:4b-7 “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
St. Paul considered all his confidence in his own goodness to be complete loss for the sake of Christ. Why? Because he was aware that his “goodness” left him ignorantly misled and hardened him from any awareness of his need for a saviour. He was persecuting the followers of Christ and thought he was doing the “right” thing, yet the sick, the poor, the tax collectors and prostitutes and those who were acutely aware of their sinfulness were able to easily receive the grace of God and the gift of eternal life.
Our self perceived goodness is a stumbling block to seeing things as they really are, just as is our self perceived cleverness. The Psalm this week explains that the Heavens declare the glory of God. Nature itself is testimony to the person of God, but the self perceived clever won’t listen. Our cleverness gets in the way of allowing us to be vulnerable enough to simply say, “Wow! This is the work of God” and instead we labour for another explanation.
Our Gospel reading shows us the seriousness of self perceived “right-ness”. Jesus tells a parable which seems so outrageous. It is about a land owner who planted and established a vineyard then rented it to tenants. These tenants refused to give the land owner his fruit and they abused the servants that the land owner had sent. Finally the Land owner sent his son, but the tenants actually killed the son, thinking that they would then receive his inheritance.
It seems ridiculous that these tenants could be so foolish as to think that thinks would turn out okay for them. But this is a parable about the religious leaders, the Pharisees, who were listening to Jesus. They were so convinced of their own goodness that they couldn’t see the harm they were doing. It is a parable that was told to try to awaken and warn the people of Jesus time, but it is written down to be a warning to us.
The commandments of God have not been nullified by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. What has happened is that those who realize their need for a saviour and confess Jesus as Lord are completely forgiven any failure to keep those commands. – But first to be forgiven we must admit our sin.
Philippians 8- 9“ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Exodus 20: 1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Psalm 19 Philippians 3: 4b-14 Matthew 21: 33-46
I’ve known some pretty wonderful people. I’ve also known some great people who told me quite openly that they are pretty good people. I think I’ve touched on this subject before about people who are fine and upstanding citizens who like to believe that they would never succumb to the pits that others do. But it is from someone with greater wisdom comes the saying, “There but for the grace of God go I”.
One of the biggest pitfalls for “good” people is the misconception that they might be “good” enough to earn a place in heaven. The old fashioned term for this is actually “Self righteousness”, and it is a “right-ness” that comes from obeying the law of God. Good people will tell you that they keep God’s commandments. In fact some influential baby boomers and generation Xs have been so effective in encouraging the next generation, that you will find most people see themselves as good. The evidence of this is in how offended people become if you should hint that they may be sinners. Most people, without knowing what God’s commandments are, will assume that they keep them all.
Our first reading for this week lists those commandments, the first one being, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2,3
Following on from this is the next command: Exodus 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
We live in a country that worships the god of football. Our culture idolizes the god of good looks and intellect, and all of us to some extent serve the god of materialism. We live in a globally connected society that constantly misuses God’s name as an exclamation. My own little “hobby horse” is to try to get children to understand that some people may find it offensive to use the exclamation, “Oh my God”. But this little phrase has become such a catch phrase that the Legally Blonde musical actually has a song titled, “Oh my God”.
Generally we know that nothing is meant by the phrase and it is as meaningless as “bust my buttons!” However, there is a tradition among Jewish writers of writing G-d this way. They put a dash in the middle so that they are not technically using God’s name. They knew that God was serious in His commands and so they treated his name in all aspects with the upmost respect.
We live in an age of the Grace of God. We overlook sins because we know that Jesus died and took all the punishment for these things, but does that mean that the commandments are no longer valid?
As in many things to do with God, we are dealing with a two sided coin. On the one hand we have the commandments which are in every way valid and eternal, but on the other hand we have the fact that we simply cannot keep these commands perfectly and thankfully we have the grace of God to save us.
In our readings this week we find St. Paul striving to teach the Philippians about human goodness, because he was once a very fine, admirable and upstanding citizen. St. Paul was one who kept the commandments perfectly – at least as far as the “letter” of the law was concerned, yet he failed when it came to the “spirit” of the law and was ignorant that he was lost, until he was confronted by God.
Philippians 3:4b-7 “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.”
St. Paul considered all his confidence in his own goodness to be complete loss for the sake of Christ. Why? Because he was aware that his “goodness” left him ignorantly misled and hardened him from any awareness of his need for a saviour. He was persecuting the followers of Christ and thought he was doing the “right” thing, yet the sick, the poor, the tax collectors and prostitutes and those who were acutely aware of their sinfulness were able to easily receive the grace of God and the gift of eternal life.
Our self perceived goodness is a stumbling block to seeing things as they really are, just as is our self perceived cleverness. The Psalm this week explains that the Heavens declare the glory of God. Nature itself is testimony to the person of God, but the self perceived clever won’t listen. Our cleverness gets in the way of allowing us to be vulnerable enough to simply say, “Wow! This is the work of God” and instead we labour for another explanation.
Our Gospel reading shows us the seriousness of self perceived “right-ness”. Jesus tells a parable which seems so outrageous. It is about a land owner who planted and established a vineyard then rented it to tenants. These tenants refused to give the land owner his fruit and they abused the servants that the land owner had sent. Finally the Land owner sent his son, but the tenants actually killed the son, thinking that they would then receive his inheritance.
It seems ridiculous that these tenants could be so foolish as to think that thinks would turn out okay for them. But this is a parable about the religious leaders, the Pharisees, who were listening to Jesus. They were so convinced of their own goodness that they couldn’t see the harm they were doing. It is a parable that was told to try to awaken and warn the people of Jesus time, but it is written down to be a warning to us.
The commandments of God have not been nullified by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. What has happened is that those who realize their need for a saviour and confess Jesus as Lord are completely forgiven any failure to keep those commands. – But first to be forgiven we must admit our sin.
Philippians 8- 9“ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Reflection on readings for 18th Septemer 2011
Year A Proper 20 18 September 2011
Exodus 16: 2-15 Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1: 21-30 Matthew 20: 1-16
We are an upside down people. For a minute just imagine an “opposite day”. Kids know about opposite days and will tell you when you say “No” to them that it really means “Yes”! If everything was upside down we wouldn’t get a proper perspective on anything and things would be a little chaotic.... but here’s the thing... life is chaotic and we don’t have a proper perspective – we are an upside down people!
Shakespeare, in the words of Hamlet’s soliloquy, writes the thoughts that would be common to humans if we were clever enough to analyse and think it through. He writes the famous, “To be or not to be...” and he deliberates whether it is better to end his life or face the trials to come. In the end Hamlet decides that he doesn’t know what death entails and suspects that there may be more to it than a peaceful sleep. So fearing the “nightmares” that may await him after death he supposes that those trials of life may be the easier option.
Shakespeare obviously thought things through more than the average human being and articulated our inner fears and desires. The ancient Israelites, we read about this week were not so inclined to analyse and after being miraculously rescued by God grumbled that He had brought them out into the desert only to kill them by starvation. Not a very logical conclusion – but seemingly logical to an “upside down” people - and probably the one we’d all jump to in the same situation.
Are we more inclined to accept the wisdom and sovereignty of God when our life is in shambles and troubles surround us, or do we believe that God is punishing us and really dislikes us? The key to our being an upside down people or right way up depends on our perspective and unless we’ve been the “right way up”, we won’t realize that we are upside down.
Many of Jesus’ parables seemed to be “upside down” to the people – and they seems that way to us also. This week’s Gospel is no exception, and it tells of workers being paid the same amount even though some worked all day and some only worked for a short part of the day. This doesn’t seem fair to us and it didn’t seem fair to those listening to Jesus story either.
The Gospel is actually about us who work in God’s kingdom. Some have been working faithfully all their lives. Others have only just begun to be involved seemingly at the very end of their life. Is it fair that all be rewarded equally?
St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1: 27-30 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
Is it fair that someone who worked as hard as St. Paul (persecuted and martyred) should share the same reward as the elderly lady who just started coming to church at the age of 80 and really didn’t do very much except pray and encourage those in her congregation? Whether it seems fair or not, Jesus proclaims that this is how the kingdom of God works. Certainly it is Good News for those like the elderly lady – and yet it is something that those like St. Paul will willingly suffer and struggle their whole lives for. St. Paul knew that his reward was the same as those for whom he was struggling and he willingly continued. His reward is the love of God, forgiveness of sins and eternal life.... to want for anything more is to not understand the gift.
St. Paul also writes some famous words that are similar and yet opposite to those of Hamlet – yet written many years before the time of Shakespeare:
Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”
St. Paul was completely aware of the hardships of life. This is one who lived his life right on the edge of glory and suffered injustices and persecution for the faith he not only believed in, but knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was the truth.
Where Hamlet feared the punishment that awaited him due to his sins, St. Paul knew that Christ loved him and his sins were atoned for. St. Paul knew that to die meant to be with Christ and this was a good thing. But St. Paul knew that there was a reason and a purpose for his every day on earth and he lived that purpose without apology in the face of great affliction.
This week I taught a new song to one of my students, “clinging to a saving hand”. Because there were some old terms and words and this was a 10 year old student, I explained what the song was about and some of the terms, like, “sleep eternal”. The words of the song are: “Sing me a song of praise and glory. Help this wondering child to understand, that when I close my eyes in sleep eternal, I’ll be clinging to a saving hand”.
I explained that the saving hand was Jesus and that many people are scared of dying because they don’t know if Jesus will accept them. I explained that it is important to know Jesus now so that when we face death we can rest assured and know that Jesus will be there for us.
The Israelites that Moses led out of Egypt were the chosen people of God, but they didn’t KNOW him. They knew about Him and saw the amazing things that he did. More than this they were saved by Him from the land of slavery – and even, after them grumbling and complaining against God, they were miraculously given quails to eat and manna (bread). There was a difference between these people and St. Paul which caused them to interpret things differently. St. Paul was not an upside down person – he saw things as they really are.
We can be an upside down people if we don’t know Jesus. We can know about Jesus and still be “upside down”. We can experience Jesus and still be “upside down”. But to know Jesus and be the “right way up” is to be in a relationship with him. It means spending time with him.... learning about him... being led by his Holy Spirit and taught about him. It means making him the first propriety in our lives – because in the end our relationship with Him will one day be all that matters.
Spoken by Hamlet, Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.–Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d.
http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/hamlet-to-be-or-not-to-be/
Exodus 16: 2-15 Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1: 21-30 Matthew 20: 1-16
We are an upside down people. For a minute just imagine an “opposite day”. Kids know about opposite days and will tell you when you say “No” to them that it really means “Yes”! If everything was upside down we wouldn’t get a proper perspective on anything and things would be a little chaotic.... but here’s the thing... life is chaotic and we don’t have a proper perspective – we are an upside down people!
Shakespeare, in the words of Hamlet’s soliloquy, writes the thoughts that would be common to humans if we were clever enough to analyse and think it through. He writes the famous, “To be or not to be...” and he deliberates whether it is better to end his life or face the trials to come. In the end Hamlet decides that he doesn’t know what death entails and suspects that there may be more to it than a peaceful sleep. So fearing the “nightmares” that may await him after death he supposes that those trials of life may be the easier option.
Shakespeare obviously thought things through more than the average human being and articulated our inner fears and desires. The ancient Israelites, we read about this week were not so inclined to analyse and after being miraculously rescued by God grumbled that He had brought them out into the desert only to kill them by starvation. Not a very logical conclusion – but seemingly logical to an “upside down” people - and probably the one we’d all jump to in the same situation.
Are we more inclined to accept the wisdom and sovereignty of God when our life is in shambles and troubles surround us, or do we believe that God is punishing us and really dislikes us? The key to our being an upside down people or right way up depends on our perspective and unless we’ve been the “right way up”, we won’t realize that we are upside down.
Many of Jesus’ parables seemed to be “upside down” to the people – and they seems that way to us also. This week’s Gospel is no exception, and it tells of workers being paid the same amount even though some worked all day and some only worked for a short part of the day. This doesn’t seem fair to us and it didn’t seem fair to those listening to Jesus story either.
The Gospel is actually about us who work in God’s kingdom. Some have been working faithfully all their lives. Others have only just begun to be involved seemingly at the very end of their life. Is it fair that all be rewarded equally?
St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians 1: 27-30 “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”
Is it fair that someone who worked as hard as St. Paul (persecuted and martyred) should share the same reward as the elderly lady who just started coming to church at the age of 80 and really didn’t do very much except pray and encourage those in her congregation? Whether it seems fair or not, Jesus proclaims that this is how the kingdom of God works. Certainly it is Good News for those like the elderly lady – and yet it is something that those like St. Paul will willingly suffer and struggle their whole lives for. St. Paul knew that his reward was the same as those for whom he was struggling and he willingly continued. His reward is the love of God, forgiveness of sins and eternal life.... to want for anything more is to not understand the gift.
St. Paul also writes some famous words that are similar and yet opposite to those of Hamlet – yet written many years before the time of Shakespeare:
Philippians 1:21-26 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”
St. Paul was completely aware of the hardships of life. This is one who lived his life right on the edge of glory and suffered injustices and persecution for the faith he not only believed in, but knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was the truth.
Where Hamlet feared the punishment that awaited him due to his sins, St. Paul knew that Christ loved him and his sins were atoned for. St. Paul knew that to die meant to be with Christ and this was a good thing. But St. Paul knew that there was a reason and a purpose for his every day on earth and he lived that purpose without apology in the face of great affliction.
This week I taught a new song to one of my students, “clinging to a saving hand”. Because there were some old terms and words and this was a 10 year old student, I explained what the song was about and some of the terms, like, “sleep eternal”. The words of the song are: “Sing me a song of praise and glory. Help this wondering child to understand, that when I close my eyes in sleep eternal, I’ll be clinging to a saving hand”.
I explained that the saving hand was Jesus and that many people are scared of dying because they don’t know if Jesus will accept them. I explained that it is important to know Jesus now so that when we face death we can rest assured and know that Jesus will be there for us.
The Israelites that Moses led out of Egypt were the chosen people of God, but they didn’t KNOW him. They knew about Him and saw the amazing things that he did. More than this they were saved by Him from the land of slavery – and even, after them grumbling and complaining against God, they were miraculously given quails to eat and manna (bread). There was a difference between these people and St. Paul which caused them to interpret things differently. St. Paul was not an upside down person – he saw things as they really are.
We can be an upside down people if we don’t know Jesus. We can know about Jesus and still be “upside down”. We can experience Jesus and still be “upside down”. But to know Jesus and be the “right way up” is to be in a relationship with him. It means spending time with him.... learning about him... being led by his Holy Spirit and taught about him. It means making him the first propriety in our lives – because in the end our relationship with Him will one day be all that matters.
Spoken by Hamlet, Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover’d country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.–Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember’d.
http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/hamlet-to-be-or-not-to-be/
Friday, September 9, 2011
Reflection 11 September 2011
Year A Proper 19 11 September 2011
Exodus 14: 19-31 Psalm 114 Romans 14: 1-12 Matthew 18: 21-35
I’m reminded this week of the Shakespearean quote from “The Merchant of Venice”. Those familiar will most probably know already what quote, “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”
Last week we were told how to deal with a brother or sister who has sinned against us. This week, we are again told how to deal with someone who sins against us..... but it is different:
Matthew 18: 21, 22 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.””
So you will note that we have two different approaches that are both correct. How can this be? This calls for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying wisdom. A parent will often understand and forgive the wrong doings of their child, and they will forgive infinitely, but for the good of the child certain boundaries may need to be enforced – the forgiveness and love, however, is limitless.
In our Gospel reading Jesus continues then, to tell the story of a servant who owed some money to his master. When his master demanded the repayment the servant begged for mercy. The master responded with mercy and forgave him, completely cancelling the debt, but the servant then went angrily and found a fellow servant who owed him money and had him thrown in jail. When the master founds out what had happened he was very upset with the servant as he was shown mercy and should have responded to his fellow servant with mercy.
We are shown great mercy by God. In some of the ways in which we are shown mercy we have no idea about. Our debts have been paid by Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Some of these debts we are aware of.... we know our failings. But there are many ways we fail and in our self assured ignorance we are oblivious to these. In one of the Psalms it says, “Who can discern his own errors?” We are actually much better at seeing others errors.
Jesus gives us these two different directives to ensure we understand that love and mercy and concern for the wellbeing of the other are the underlying motivation in all we do.
In our second reading we are urged to bear with those whose faith is weak. The reading goes on to explain that there are some whose faith permits them not to eat meat. In the early church there were people who had come from back grounds where meat was sacrificed to demons, therefore, because they were now Christians, they couldn’t eat that meat. Others realized that they could give thanks to God for the meat and eat it with a clear conscience.
Romans 14: 5-8 “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
From one church denomination to another we have the same issues. We have people who believe that it is good to observe special days and others who refuse. We have some who fast and others who don’t see the need. There are very many different things that I haven’t listed and we do get very passionate about them and can see very good and important reasons for these and the other issues that divide us. The issues in the times of the Romans were no less important. St. Paul is urging that we see beyond the issue and recognise that the heart of the person desires to please God.... and this is what matters to God above all, and therefore, above all, this is what we should recognise.
With all the various issues that divide us it truly is a miracle that the Christian Church remains. In many ways we are like those ancient Israelites who were living in the land of Egypt. Egypt is symbolic of the powers and principalities that come against the Church.
Our church lives in the world, surrounded by the forces of evil and those dark forces impact us, as we do take on some of the world’s way of thinking. The ancient Israelites were God’s people and yet they were affected by the beliefs of the Egyptians. Even though this was a fact, God did not reject His people, but He called them out and He both led the people and came between the people and Egypt to protect and teach them.
Exodus 14: 19-20 “Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
Our first reading is the story of the parting of the Red Sea. Some have tried to justify the miracle as something ordinary and that there is a place where the Sea is very shallow. But that is not how our Bible describes it:
Exodus 14: 21-22 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”
Not only did the Israelites cross over on dry land, but when the Egyptians pursued them they were thrown into confusion and drowned. To put this in very human terms; the Israelite were a group of over worked and mistreated slaves and they had with them their women and children. The Egyptians were the strong army of only men, yet these are the ones who perished. There is only one explanation; God did something miraculous!
The message for us: We are called to be apart from the world and learn who God is. We need to let go of the "false Gods" that we picked up while out there in the world. We do this practically by spending time with God and without distractions. No matter that we come against powers and principalities that seem gigantic, when God acts for us the victory is ours. But know that God acted on behalf of his people who were less than perfect. We are less than perfect and have been shown great mercy. We need to be merciful with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Exodus 14: 19-31 Psalm 114 Romans 14: 1-12 Matthew 18: 21-35
I’m reminded this week of the Shakespearean quote from “The Merchant of Venice”. Those familiar will most probably know already what quote, “The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.”
Last week we were told how to deal with a brother or sister who has sinned against us. This week, we are again told how to deal with someone who sins against us..... but it is different:
Matthew 18: 21, 22 “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.””
So you will note that we have two different approaches that are both correct. How can this be? This calls for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying wisdom. A parent will often understand and forgive the wrong doings of their child, and they will forgive infinitely, but for the good of the child certain boundaries may need to be enforced – the forgiveness and love, however, is limitless.
In our Gospel reading Jesus continues then, to tell the story of a servant who owed some money to his master. When his master demanded the repayment the servant begged for mercy. The master responded with mercy and forgave him, completely cancelling the debt, but the servant then went angrily and found a fellow servant who owed him money and had him thrown in jail. When the master founds out what had happened he was very upset with the servant as he was shown mercy and should have responded to his fellow servant with mercy.
We are shown great mercy by God. In some of the ways in which we are shown mercy we have no idea about. Our debts have been paid by Jesus sacrifice on the cross. Some of these debts we are aware of.... we know our failings. But there are many ways we fail and in our self assured ignorance we are oblivious to these. In one of the Psalms it says, “Who can discern his own errors?” We are actually much better at seeing others errors.
Jesus gives us these two different directives to ensure we understand that love and mercy and concern for the wellbeing of the other are the underlying motivation in all we do.
In our second reading we are urged to bear with those whose faith is weak. The reading goes on to explain that there are some whose faith permits them not to eat meat. In the early church there were people who had come from back grounds where meat was sacrificed to demons, therefore, because they were now Christians, they couldn’t eat that meat. Others realized that they could give thanks to God for the meat and eat it with a clear conscience.
Romans 14: 5-8 “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
From one church denomination to another we have the same issues. We have people who believe that it is good to observe special days and others who refuse. We have some who fast and others who don’t see the need. There are very many different things that I haven’t listed and we do get very passionate about them and can see very good and important reasons for these and the other issues that divide us. The issues in the times of the Romans were no less important. St. Paul is urging that we see beyond the issue and recognise that the heart of the person desires to please God.... and this is what matters to God above all, and therefore, above all, this is what we should recognise.
With all the various issues that divide us it truly is a miracle that the Christian Church remains. In many ways we are like those ancient Israelites who were living in the land of Egypt. Egypt is symbolic of the powers and principalities that come against the Church.
Our church lives in the world, surrounded by the forces of evil and those dark forces impact us, as we do take on some of the world’s way of thinking. The ancient Israelites were God’s people and yet they were affected by the beliefs of the Egyptians. Even though this was a fact, God did not reject His people, but He called them out and He both led the people and came between the people and Egypt to protect and teach them.
Exodus 14: 19-20 “Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
Our first reading is the story of the parting of the Red Sea. Some have tried to justify the miracle as something ordinary and that there is a place where the Sea is very shallow. But that is not how our Bible describes it:
Exodus 14: 21-22 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”
Not only did the Israelites cross over on dry land, but when the Egyptians pursued them they were thrown into confusion and drowned. To put this in very human terms; the Israelite were a group of over worked and mistreated slaves and they had with them their women and children. The Egyptians were the strong army of only men, yet these are the ones who perished. There is only one explanation; God did something miraculous!
The message for us: We are called to be apart from the world and learn who God is. We need to let go of the "false Gods" that we picked up while out there in the world. We do this practically by spending time with God and without distractions. No matter that we come against powers and principalities that seem gigantic, when God acts for us the victory is ours. But know that God acted on behalf of his people who were less than perfect. We are less than perfect and have been shown great mercy. We need to be merciful with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Reflection on reading for 4th September 2011
Year A Proper 18 4 September 2011
Exodus 12: 1-14 Psalm 149 Romans 13: 8-14 Matthew 18: 15-20
Romans 12:13 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
There is a sense of “it is time to get serious” about this week’s readings. Time to get serious for three reasons; one is because of our relationships between each other, the other is because God’s judgment is near, and the third reason is because there is a move of God about to occur.
In our first reading we have God’s instructions to the Israelites who were in Egypt and in slavery. God gives very direct and specific instructions that these Israelites must follow. They must take a perfect male lamb on the 10th day of the month and on the 14th day at twilight, they are to slaughter it, painting the doorways of their homes with its blood and then eating the lamb roasted (not boiled and certainly not raw), leaving nothing until morning – all had to be consumed or thrown to the fire.
It was to be eaten with their cloaks tucked into their belt. In other words, as if they were about to leave in haste. God also explains what else was to occur that night:
Exodus 12:12-13 ““On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.””
The blood of the lamb painted on the doorways seems such a weird and revolting thing to us, but it is important to note that it was the blood of the lamb that saved the people. It was NOT that if the people had been really good that goodness saved them. It was NOT if the people had kept all the commandments that action saved them. It WAS the blood of the lamb and nothing else that meant these people were saved.
I’m guessing it was a very late dinner that night. If it wasn’t until twilight that the animal was slaughtered and all the requirements were fulfilled then the Israelites were kept very busy while the LORD passed over. The Israelites would have gone to sleep with the thought, “the night is nearly over and the day is nearly here”. In more ways than one, was their night nearly over, as the following day they would begin their great exodus from Egypt. They would witness the greatness of God as they walked through the parted sea, following the cloud of God by day and the pillar of fire by night, through to the desert.
God did not rescue this people because they were good. He rescued them because they were His people and he loved them. It is important to understand this as we look at our Gospel reading:
Matthew 18:15-17 ““If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
It is the words of Jesus..... the same Jesus who urged us not to judge, but to first take the speck out of our own eye... and the same Jesus who, when a lady caught in adultery was brought to him asked the crowd that whoever has not sinned to cast the first stone. So, how are we to interpret this?
In the passage, Jesus is speaking about brothers and sisters as those who are such in the body of Christ – i.e. the followers of Jesus, but it is probably best understood in the family situation, not just any family, but one that is closely united in love.
In my extended family at the moment, there is a somewhat dramatic situation. There is one member who we all have known for many years has been doing things to cause others grief. Finally things reached boiling point and boundaries have been laid down. In many ways there were one on one loving conversations, first within the primary family and then there were conversations with the extended family and even with counsellors. But there has been a refusal to listen and change.
In the end for the good of others in the family this person was told they were not welcome to live in that family home. Other family members provide temporary accommodation, and love and openness toward the person is still there, but basically the house rules are set and if this person won’t abide by them, they must live independently. This person is no longer a child, so living independently is not a cruel boundary to impose, but a necessity for the good of others in the family who are yet dependant.
I see this situation as being very similar to the instructions of Jesus in this passage. Within the body of Christ none is perfect. But we have new and young Christians as well as firm and mature Christians and all in between. We have a duty to care for each other in love and that is not always easy – in fact, very often it is hard.
Our reading from Romans tells us:
Romans 13:8-10 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.”
Relationships are two sided and sometimes there is nothing you can do but walk away. Put some distance between yourself and the person who has offended you. And that is sometimes the most loving thing to do. Not only does it send a definite message to the person involved, but it allows you to continue loving, caring and praying for the person instead of simply being irritated by continued close contact.
I don’t think that we as church, really follow the directives of Jesus quite the same as in the passage of Matthews Gospel, but more often than not, we don’t have the one on one conversation, but instead make judgement without even discovering the facts. We confide in two or three, but not with the person with whom we’ve had the problem. This is not loving and caring for that person and not what Jesus intended. In all situations we require the wisdom of the Holy Spirit because, as we know, sometimes Jesus calls us to “walk the extra mile”, “turn the other cheek”, etc...
It is also important to note that this passage refers to a person who has personally offended you, not just someone who sins (because we all sin), but someone who has sinned against you.
When all is said and done we need to be reminded constantly of how God has dealt with us. We too are saved by the “blood of the lamb”. The Israelites were saved by the blood of a perfect male lamb, not because they were perfect themselves, they were far, far, far from perfect. In fact even as a nation, I’m sure there were others that more deserved God’s favour. But God chose them not because the deserved him – he just chose them! And then he rescued and saved them.
We are saved by the blood of the perfect male “lamb”.... Jesus is the “lamb of God”. There isn’t anything that we do that deserves his favour. It is really important that we understand this. We have nothing to boast about. We are simply chosen, rescued, saved and favoured because we accept the sacrifice of Jesus.
In the understanding of this we need to realize that the night is nearly over and the day is almost here– God’s salvation is here and in one sense we already enjoy it, but in another it is still becoming the reality in our lives - it is time to act accordingly.
Exodus 12: 1-14 Psalm 149 Romans 13: 8-14 Matthew 18: 15-20
Romans 12:13 “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.”
There is a sense of “it is time to get serious” about this week’s readings. Time to get serious for three reasons; one is because of our relationships between each other, the other is because God’s judgment is near, and the third reason is because there is a move of God about to occur.
In our first reading we have God’s instructions to the Israelites who were in Egypt and in slavery. God gives very direct and specific instructions that these Israelites must follow. They must take a perfect male lamb on the 10th day of the month and on the 14th day at twilight, they are to slaughter it, painting the doorways of their homes with its blood and then eating the lamb roasted (not boiled and certainly not raw), leaving nothing until morning – all had to be consumed or thrown to the fire.
It was to be eaten with their cloaks tucked into their belt. In other words, as if they were about to leave in haste. God also explains what else was to occur that night:
Exodus 12:12-13 ““On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.””
The blood of the lamb painted on the doorways seems such a weird and revolting thing to us, but it is important to note that it was the blood of the lamb that saved the people. It was NOT that if the people had been really good that goodness saved them. It was NOT if the people had kept all the commandments that action saved them. It WAS the blood of the lamb and nothing else that meant these people were saved.
I’m guessing it was a very late dinner that night. If it wasn’t until twilight that the animal was slaughtered and all the requirements were fulfilled then the Israelites were kept very busy while the LORD passed over. The Israelites would have gone to sleep with the thought, “the night is nearly over and the day is nearly here”. In more ways than one, was their night nearly over, as the following day they would begin their great exodus from Egypt. They would witness the greatness of God as they walked through the parted sea, following the cloud of God by day and the pillar of fire by night, through to the desert.
God did not rescue this people because they were good. He rescued them because they were His people and he loved them. It is important to understand this as we look at our Gospel reading:
Matthew 18:15-17 ““If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
It is the words of Jesus..... the same Jesus who urged us not to judge, but to first take the speck out of our own eye... and the same Jesus who, when a lady caught in adultery was brought to him asked the crowd that whoever has not sinned to cast the first stone. So, how are we to interpret this?
In the passage, Jesus is speaking about brothers and sisters as those who are such in the body of Christ – i.e. the followers of Jesus, but it is probably best understood in the family situation, not just any family, but one that is closely united in love.
In my extended family at the moment, there is a somewhat dramatic situation. There is one member who we all have known for many years has been doing things to cause others grief. Finally things reached boiling point and boundaries have been laid down. In many ways there were one on one loving conversations, first within the primary family and then there were conversations with the extended family and even with counsellors. But there has been a refusal to listen and change.
In the end for the good of others in the family this person was told they were not welcome to live in that family home. Other family members provide temporary accommodation, and love and openness toward the person is still there, but basically the house rules are set and if this person won’t abide by them, they must live independently. This person is no longer a child, so living independently is not a cruel boundary to impose, but a necessity for the good of others in the family who are yet dependant.
I see this situation as being very similar to the instructions of Jesus in this passage. Within the body of Christ none is perfect. But we have new and young Christians as well as firm and mature Christians and all in between. We have a duty to care for each other in love and that is not always easy – in fact, very often it is hard.
Our reading from Romans tells us:
Romans 13:8-10 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.”
Relationships are two sided and sometimes there is nothing you can do but walk away. Put some distance between yourself and the person who has offended you. And that is sometimes the most loving thing to do. Not only does it send a definite message to the person involved, but it allows you to continue loving, caring and praying for the person instead of simply being irritated by continued close contact.
I don’t think that we as church, really follow the directives of Jesus quite the same as in the passage of Matthews Gospel, but more often than not, we don’t have the one on one conversation, but instead make judgement without even discovering the facts. We confide in two or three, but not with the person with whom we’ve had the problem. This is not loving and caring for that person and not what Jesus intended. In all situations we require the wisdom of the Holy Spirit because, as we know, sometimes Jesus calls us to “walk the extra mile”, “turn the other cheek”, etc...
It is also important to note that this passage refers to a person who has personally offended you, not just someone who sins (because we all sin), but someone who has sinned against you.
When all is said and done we need to be reminded constantly of how God has dealt with us. We too are saved by the “blood of the lamb”. The Israelites were saved by the blood of a perfect male lamb, not because they were perfect themselves, they were far, far, far from perfect. In fact even as a nation, I’m sure there were others that more deserved God’s favour. But God chose them not because the deserved him – he just chose them! And then he rescued and saved them.
We are saved by the blood of the perfect male “lamb”.... Jesus is the “lamb of God”. There isn’t anything that we do that deserves his favour. It is really important that we understand this. We have nothing to boast about. We are simply chosen, rescued, saved and favoured because we accept the sacrifice of Jesus.
In the understanding of this we need to realize that the night is nearly over and the day is almost here– God’s salvation is here and in one sense we already enjoy it, but in another it is still becoming the reality in our lives - it is time to act accordingly.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Reflection for the 28th August 2011
Year A Proper 17 28 August 2011
Exodus 3: 1-15 Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26, 45c Romans 12: 9-21 Matthew 16: 21-28
It was a burning bush that was not consumed. This was the way that God revealed himself to Moses. In a sense that bush was ever alive and always in the same state. It was a state which contradicted nature. In nature things come to pass and then pass away, but the burning bush, something which would normally be consumed very quickly, was not consumed with the burning. In this way God revealed His eternal nature to Moses. When Moses asked God for His name, God replied with “I am who I am”.
We discover that there was more than a little bit of Egyptian up-bringing in Moses. Moses hears the voice of God but doesn’t recognise Him and has to ask who He is. Moses was brought up with all the religion of Egypt and though he’d turned his back on Egypt and claimed his Israelite heritage, we realize that at this point he had much to learn about how different God is from the idols of Egypt. Lesson number 1: God is the LORD! The Hebrew for “LORD” is very close to “I Am”, and so God also taught Moses about His sovereignty with this play on words.
The story about the meeting of Moses with God through the burning bush is about the call of Moses. Moses was that baby who had been saved through the “ark” if you like – the little boat placed in the river, and by the providence of God. Moses had a dramatic salvation from death and a privileged up-bringing as the adopted grandson of Pharaoh. Moses was like one with a charmed life where he seemed to escape the natural consequences of who and what he was. There was no death for Moses and there was no slavery.... Moses had already experienced a land flowing with milk and honey – it was his up-bringing.
The part of the story which isn’t told in our reading is that part where as a young man Moses killed an Egyptian slaver driver who was harshly treating the Israelites. When he realized that people were aware of his actions he ran fearfully into the desert where he married and made his home in exile away from both his adopted family and his biological/ spiritual family. It is after many years that God calls this fearful and confused man to a position of leadership which overwhelms and frightens him.
In our Gospel reading Jesus begins to explain to his disciples that he is going to suffer, but he is taken aside and rebuked by Peter. Peter has confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, but fails to understand the mission that Jesus was to accomplish.
At the time of Jesus birth, Herod had all the baby boys born within a certain time frame put to death. He was trying to kill the “King of the Jews” whose birth had been proclaimed by the wise men – that is, he was trying to kill Jesus. Jesus, like Moses, escaped this infant death by the providence of God and the intervention of Angels. Jesus’ life had a purpose and that purpose would be fulfilled.
Moses’ life had a call and a purpose. He was to lead the Israelites from slavery and death and bring them through to the Promised Land. It is possible that Moses, as the young fiery man, sensed his being saved from death as an infant was for a higher purpose, but when this didn’t seem obvious to his fellow Israelites and things went wrong - he ran.
While answering the call to follow God there will be suffering. Will we also run into the desert? How many of us are there now?
Peter tried to tell Jesus that this idea of suffering was not part of God plan, but Jesus knew better. Just to make it very clear to his followers about their own call, he added;
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward everyone according to what they have done.”
Moses tried to save his own life by running into the desert, but instead he lost both his adopted life and his biological/spiritual life. But God had a plan for the life of Moses and through redeeming Moses to his spiritual inheritance he would also physically save the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt.
Many of us have run away to the desert. We feel overcome by evil and worn out. But here in the desert is where we strive to save our lives and we are fighting a losing battle. That desert is the place where we think we are “looking after ourselves”. It is that place where we avoid the call of God because we are too tired, too busy and too hurt to be part of the body of Christ.
In retrospect we can see that God had an amazing plan for the life of Moses. I have no doubt that this was not always obvious to Moses. In our own lives we often see the obstacles which prevent us from seeing any bigger picture, but it seems that Jesus is speaking to all his followers when he speaks of taking up our cross, and this indicates to me that there is a God given purpose for each of our lives. The purpose of Jesus words is to remind us that there will be some very hard times.
Jesus suffered and died, but on Easter Sunday he rose. In the bizarre contradiction of the natural order that God seems to delight in, by the giving away of Jesus life he gained eternal life for us all. Moses gave up his “life” - the life he had in the desert – the life he had as a prince of Egypt - and the Israelite nation was saved.
It may be Friday when everything looks black and hard.... but Sunday is coming!
Are you in the desert and is God calling you back to His purpose? Yes there will be a cross to take up, but ultimately at the end of the cross is the resurrection.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom 12:12)
Exodus 3: 1-15 Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26, 45c Romans 12: 9-21 Matthew 16: 21-28
It was a burning bush that was not consumed. This was the way that God revealed himself to Moses. In a sense that bush was ever alive and always in the same state. It was a state which contradicted nature. In nature things come to pass and then pass away, but the burning bush, something which would normally be consumed very quickly, was not consumed with the burning. In this way God revealed His eternal nature to Moses. When Moses asked God for His name, God replied with “I am who I am”.
We discover that there was more than a little bit of Egyptian up-bringing in Moses. Moses hears the voice of God but doesn’t recognise Him and has to ask who He is. Moses was brought up with all the religion of Egypt and though he’d turned his back on Egypt and claimed his Israelite heritage, we realize that at this point he had much to learn about how different God is from the idols of Egypt. Lesson number 1: God is the LORD! The Hebrew for “LORD” is very close to “I Am”, and so God also taught Moses about His sovereignty with this play on words.
The story about the meeting of Moses with God through the burning bush is about the call of Moses. Moses was that baby who had been saved through the “ark” if you like – the little boat placed in the river, and by the providence of God. Moses had a dramatic salvation from death and a privileged up-bringing as the adopted grandson of Pharaoh. Moses was like one with a charmed life where he seemed to escape the natural consequences of who and what he was. There was no death for Moses and there was no slavery.... Moses had already experienced a land flowing with milk and honey – it was his up-bringing.
The part of the story which isn’t told in our reading is that part where as a young man Moses killed an Egyptian slaver driver who was harshly treating the Israelites. When he realized that people were aware of his actions he ran fearfully into the desert where he married and made his home in exile away from both his adopted family and his biological/ spiritual family. It is after many years that God calls this fearful and confused man to a position of leadership which overwhelms and frightens him.
In our Gospel reading Jesus begins to explain to his disciples that he is going to suffer, but he is taken aside and rebuked by Peter. Peter has confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, but fails to understand the mission that Jesus was to accomplish.
At the time of Jesus birth, Herod had all the baby boys born within a certain time frame put to death. He was trying to kill the “King of the Jews” whose birth had been proclaimed by the wise men – that is, he was trying to kill Jesus. Jesus, like Moses, escaped this infant death by the providence of God and the intervention of Angels. Jesus’ life had a purpose and that purpose would be fulfilled.
Moses’ life had a call and a purpose. He was to lead the Israelites from slavery and death and bring them through to the Promised Land. It is possible that Moses, as the young fiery man, sensed his being saved from death as an infant was for a higher purpose, but when this didn’t seem obvious to his fellow Israelites and things went wrong - he ran.
While answering the call to follow God there will be suffering. Will we also run into the desert? How many of us are there now?
Peter tried to tell Jesus that this idea of suffering was not part of God plan, but Jesus knew better. Just to make it very clear to his followers about their own call, he added;
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what can you give in exchange for your soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward everyone according to what they have done.”
Moses tried to save his own life by running into the desert, but instead he lost both his adopted life and his biological/spiritual life. But God had a plan for the life of Moses and through redeeming Moses to his spiritual inheritance he would also physically save the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt.
Many of us have run away to the desert. We feel overcome by evil and worn out. But here in the desert is where we strive to save our lives and we are fighting a losing battle. That desert is the place where we think we are “looking after ourselves”. It is that place where we avoid the call of God because we are too tired, too busy and too hurt to be part of the body of Christ.
In retrospect we can see that God had an amazing plan for the life of Moses. I have no doubt that this was not always obvious to Moses. In our own lives we often see the obstacles which prevent us from seeing any bigger picture, but it seems that Jesus is speaking to all his followers when he speaks of taking up our cross, and this indicates to me that there is a God given purpose for each of our lives. The purpose of Jesus words is to remind us that there will be some very hard times.
Jesus suffered and died, but on Easter Sunday he rose. In the bizarre contradiction of the natural order that God seems to delight in, by the giving away of Jesus life he gained eternal life for us all. Moses gave up his “life” - the life he had in the desert – the life he had as a prince of Egypt - and the Israelite nation was saved.
It may be Friday when everything looks black and hard.... but Sunday is coming!
Are you in the desert and is God calling you back to His purpose? Yes there will be a cross to take up, but ultimately at the end of the cross is the resurrection.
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom 12:12)
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