A midweek reflection for 8th May 2019 Don't give up meeting together

Reflection for midweek service 8^th May.   Acts 8:1-8, Ps 66:1-8. John 6:35-40

We are living in interesting times! It seems to be a Global time of extremes where many are passionate about their point of view, and they punctuate their passion with protests and rallies.  Those who stand for peace and love and understanding are sometimes left discouraged and worn out feeling like they are fighting a losing battle…. Or is that just me speaking personally?

Let me introduce myself briefly.  I’m a girl from a devoted Catholic family, who was brought up in a time and culture where it was expected that I’d leave school with minimal education, get a low paying job until finding a mate to marry, and then be a stay at home mum.   Somewhere in the middle of this journey God interrupted and showed me that he was real and that he loved me.  I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but this interruption shaped my adult life where I felt called to ministry from the time I was 18…. But I was just a girl… and I felt powerless and alone.

In retrospect this feeling of powerlessness is probably the feeling of the apostles after the death and resurrection of Jesus, prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit.  There was hope and faith, but then there was the fear of the authorities who had put Jesus to death.  But we must remember that what made all the difference was the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. 

Our Gospel reading comes to us from the apostle John and the scene is set where those who were questioning Jesus had witnessed him feeding the 5000 and then the apostles had witnessed him walking on water.  Wow… how much proof do we need to believe?  After all this there were some who still didn’t believe and wanted a sign.  I’m guessing that even Judas, who betrayed Jesus, witnessed all these things, yet still did not believe.  It causes me to ponder, what it is that stops people from believing when God really does give them every opportunity to believe.

What stands out for me, though, is this one sentence found in the Gospel reading: “whoever comes to me I will never drive away”.  We can sometimes get so caught up in working out what is right and what is wrong that we forget the central message of the Gospel.  Gospel means Good News and here it is…. When we come to Jesus he will never drive us away.

Jesus declares that he IS the bread of life.  Just as bread broken and consumed gives life to our mortal bodies, the broken body of Christ – that is, His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead brings us life…. And that life he imparts to us is eternal life.  This is what we read in our Gospel… Jesus says, “……everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Today we can choose to accept this message of Salvation.  In fact each time we come to take communion we are offered the opportunity to accept Jesus and eternal life.  It is an action that calls us to remember that Jesus is our bread of life and we come to him and accept him.  It is an action we do so that we remember…. But the reality is much deeper. 

Natural bread is nourishment that’s effect is limited and we need to take it in again and again…. But the reality of the bread that Jesus is, is once and for all.  Jesus died once and for all and it is only because of our human forgetfulness that we need to be constantly reminded.

While we may forget and even go astray, Jesus will never drive us away.  He has said “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me”.

I’m sure that in the time before the coming of the Holy Spirit and even after, in the time of persecution when St. Paul was still known as Saul, the Pharisee, who was throwing Christians in prison, that it may have felt exhausting and discouraging as though the battle was impossible.  How did these people remain so steadfast in the midst of such persecution?

Those early Christians knew they had the bread of life and nothing could take their eternal life from them.   Neither are we fighting a losing battle. 

 In a very personal way, we often may feel that we have failed.  All humans do.  But over and over the scriptures declare the complete work of Jesus and that nothing can separate us from the love of God.  He will not drive us away and he will not lose us.

We are no longer alone.  Once we’ve accepted the bread of life we are changed.  It isn’t like natural bread that we consume and then become hungry and need to consume again.  The spiritual reality is that we are spiritually transformed and this transformation is permanent.  God is with us and will never drive us away… he will never leave nor forsake us.  We can’t see this change with our earthly eyes, and in our human flesh we forget this spiritual reality, and so we need encouragement to remember and celebrate this deeper truth.

Just like the followers of Jesus, you may feel afraid and discouraged…. But that is why we need each other and to gather together and remember and be encouraged…  And just like the story of the apostles, though everything may look grim, we are not ever alone, but spiritually a transformed people with the same power within us that changed the course of history.

Be encouraged; We are not fighting a losing battle because the battle for our eternal life has already been won.  The only battle is the one within us to remember it.

Easter 2 28th April 2019 Discernment

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER  Year C   April 28, 2019

Acts 5:27-32  •  Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 150  •  Revelation 1:4-8  •  John 20:19-31

In Australia we have this thing we call the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”.  I’m sure you know it and may even have experienced it in some form.  We tend to want to cut down those who seem to be doing well.  In some generations it has been seen as a kind of “grounding”… that is, making sure that the one doing well remembers to be humble.  But in actual fact it is sin, and born out of envy and covetousness.

Selfish ambition causes people to speak badly about the one who is seen to be doing well, and usually the general population is happy to believe the gossip because they all share that same sin of envy.

In our first reading we see that the disciples are standing before the high priest being accused of blaming the religious people of Jerusalem for the death of Jesus… and they don’t hold back in telling those making the accusations that they are indeed responsible.

This is really important to understand properly.  Some Christians today, will try to tell you that it was the Romans who were responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion.  These Christians make these statements to stand up for Jews and fight against anti-Jewish prejudice. Rome did give the final OK to the crucifixion, but remember how Pilate tried to release Jesus and then washed his hands, symbolically showing that it was not him but the Jews who had Jesus crucified.

Some anti-Semitics have had this blame of the Jews for Jesus’ death as a justification for their prejudice.  Rest assured that we have no right for any such prejudice, and to do so would show grave ignorance of the word of God, the scriptures, and the promises of God to his people, the Israelite nation. 

It is important that we understand that it was Jesus own people who rejected him and handed him over to be crucified.  This is written in the scriptures both in prophecy before Jesus’ death and in the accounts written by eye witnesses, after the death of Jesus.  His blood was on their hands and it is also on ours – because it is for OUR sins that he died…  and we too are guilty of rejecting Christ.

Jesus was seen by the religious of his day, to be a Tall Poppy.  He had a following of people and a reputation for working miracles.  He claimed to be the Son of God.  As far as they were concerned, this was blasphemy, and he needed to be put to death - especially as he was achieving even more than the average tall poppy - He was doing things that kind of proved himself to be true, as the messiah…. And confirmed, as the son of God!  A false tall poppy can be easily laughed at and dismissed, but the ones who deserve their status are generally the ones we all crucify.  

It was Jesus’ own people who were responsible for his blood.  How easy it was for them to get it wrong.  How easy it was for them to justify their wrong actions and to crucify the innocent.  It is just as easy for us to do the same right here in this year.

They rejected Jesus, but the stone the builders rejected has become the corner stone.

We do well to keep in mind how the very ones that Jesus came to save, did not recognize him and even crucified him.  We should reflect and ponder about those who we reject, and examine our conscience to see if we are honestly discerning or if we are, in fact, only justifying our selfish motives.

Jesus’ hands and feet are now on earth in his people, in you and me.  To answer the question of whether we are guilty of having rejected Christ, we need to look at the people in our church and ask if there are any we have rejected and hurt.  Jesus tells us that what we do to the least of His people is what we have done to him.

We should take a moment to ask the Spirit of God to open our eyes to anywhere in our lives that we have been guilty of this.

Speaking of discernment, where our eyes are opened to the deeper reality… where we see things with the eyes of  God, we come to look at our Gospel reading where we notice the story of the one we’ve come to know as “doubting Thomas”.  

I do feel sorry for Thomas as he has a reputation that I’m sure he does not deserve.  

When we read the account, we see that Jesus appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week and Thomas was absent.  On this first appearance Jesus actually shows his wounds to those in the room.  Why did he do that?  It is my belief that Jesus knew it was necessary to be abundantly clear, in order for the disciples to, not just believe, but absolutely know, with unshakeable assurance, that this was Jesus in risen flesh.   This absolute assurance, that they were not dreaming or imagining, or seeing a ghost, was needed so that they could accurately pass on this testimony of what they witnessed so that others could believe.

Unfortunately there will always be people who will not believe regardless of the testimony of another and regardless of all the evidence.  Jesus had taught his disciples about his death and resurrection, but none of them had properly grasped it.  The disciples had seen Jesus and passed on the story to Thomas, but Thomas remains sceptical.

I’ve seen too many people led astray by popular notions to dismiss Thomas as simply doubting.  Many years ago there was a movement in the Catholic Church called the Magnificat Meal Movement.  There was a lady from Toowoomba who led the movement and many here in Mackay were swept up in it… even stating the signs and wonders… miracles that seemed to happen surrounding this woman, who. on the one hand affirmed the traditional Catholic church (such that she won over many loyal devotees ) and with the other hand completely dismissed and criticised the Catholic Church.  She led many astray.

We are encouraged to test the spirits.  Whether it is from the lips of the person you most trust and admire or the greatest guru, we must train ourselves and our children to think critically.  In fact, we need to teach them to be like Thomas and discern.  The Bible tells us that faith is being Sure of what we hope for and certain of things we can’t see….. but being sure and certain means that even though we can’t see it, it isn’t BLIND faith, but convictions based on reasons.

As a mature-age education student we were encourage to be critical thinkers and told that with the current state of the world and the way that it seems to be headed, the best thing we can pass on to children is how to think critically and discern where there maybe bias or camouflaged lies.  Too often though, what I see is the media and society creating a culture where there is a popular philosophy that all the intelligent people must think in a certain way – The education lecturers were correct… we do need to teach critical thinking skills to our children, but it is so foreign to most people that we don’t know how to pass it on to our children… it doesn’t mean disbelieving everything, but it does mean thinking it through and testing it in the light of different circumstances.

My daughter, Talitha’s first lesson in this was when she was about 4 years old.  She wanted me to buy her roll ups. She’d seen the advertisement on television and when I bought them for her she wanted to know why they wouldn’t stick to her face the way that they did on the advertisement.  I explained that they put things that weren’t true on the ad so that we would want to buy them.  She was more aware of what was going on after that.

I have told children that every television show is trying to teach them something… or convince them of something.. or change their mind.  It is the same with songs.  Everything in entertainment is a voice with a message, urging you to get on board with their way of thinking.  Have you ever recognised them trying to change the way you think about a topic?  My guess is that sometimes you have, but I doubt that any of us are aware of the more subtle ones.  Don’t get me wrong, many of the messages are actually really positive, but we should be aware of the agenda so that we can consciously decide if we want to accept that way of thought….

The educators call it critical thinking, but the Bible calls it discernment.

Jesus didn’t dismiss Thomas for his doubting and disqualify him from apostleship, but instead he gives him the knowledge that Thomas is going to need in order to be one of Jesus’ powerful eye witnesses who was about to shape the history of the earth.

It is believed that Thomas went as missionary to the far East and eventually died in India after baptizing many.  It was Thomas who, when Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem after Lazarus’ death, said that they should all go with him and die with Jesus -  They knew that the Jews were wanting to put Jesus to death.  Thomas was loyal to Jesus and he was brave, but he wasn’t going to be swayed by the Charisma of Peter or the persuasiveness of John’s clever way with words.

In the readings today we’ve seen that people can easily reject God’s message and Christ in others simply because of sinful envy or ego,…that is, tall poppy syndrome.   And hopefully we’ve also seen how it is good to be discerning and deliberately thoughtful about what we believe.  Jesus said to Thomas, blessed are those who believe even though they have not seen.   This is talking about us, but it doesn’t mean for us to blindly believe…. We believe because we have reasoned with the evidence, heard from the eye witnesses and seen the results from their lives and their impact on our human history. 

In the book of Acts we read about a group of Jews from Berea.  Acts 17:11(NIV)

“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”  These people didn’t dismiss the message according to their own prejudice, but neither did they blindly accept.  They were open to the message but examined the scriptures to discern that the message was correct.

We also believe because we have an advocate… the Holy Spirit, who helps us to discern.  Our faith is not blind, but it is a conviction based on reason and prayerful connection to God who lives in us. It is no coincidence that we read in the Gospel that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

GOOD FRIDAY - IT IS FINISHED

GOOD FRIDAY 2019 19^th April

Jesus said, “It is finished!” 

Today is a day most holy.  In 1992 I was in hospital on Good Friday after giving birth to daughter number two, Brittany, and I noticed a strange stillness.   This was back in the days when the Mater was in the middle of town where those crazy parrots squawk so loudly, but even they were silent on that day.  I’ve noticed it since then…. It is as if there is a sacred stillness in all creation, remembering and acknowledging the sacrifice and the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross on the day we have come to know as Good Friday.

Even non-Christian historians have written about this person, Jesus, who we know as the son of God.  They wrote that he performed wonders and that he was crucified.  Because of him our system of counting the years came to be marked by the year of his birth…. Any sensible person must ask why the life and death of Jesus was so significant.

While many may tell you that Australia is no longer a Christian nation, and they may even try to say that all this Christianity is a myth, yet today is a holiday – or Holy day…. All over Australia.  Venues are shut.  On Sunday some of them will be open.  Today is the day MOST HOLY.  But why?

Today we celebrate that day when Jesus cried out, “It is finished”.  But what did he mean by that?

It all began back in the book of Genesis at the beginning of time when sin entered the world and mankind were cast out from God’s presence. 

These days it isn’t considered correct to talk about sin.  And people become quite defensive and uncomfortable if we suggest that they might sometimes sin, yet sin is simply anything that falls short of perfection, and in fact the Bible tells us that anything that is not of faith is sin…. Yet we all have times where we lack faith.  In Archery anything other than a bullseye is considered sin.  In fact, we can-not not sin…. It has become part of our DNA.

Unfortunately, sin separates us from God.  Now that is the bad news…. But it is a fact. 

God created us to be in relationship with him and he planned a way to bring us back into relationship with him.  The Bible tells us that justice must be served and there is a price for sin, and the price was death.  And this is not good news!

Way back in ancient times of superstitions and fearful pagan gods, there was a system that seemed to appease the ancient gods… it was a system of sacrifice.  Abraham lived in this ancient context and understood things in this way and so when God tested Abraham and asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, the concept was not completely foreign to Abraham, however it was odd in the fact that our God never required such sacrifice.  Yet Abraham obeys.  At this point in the story Abraham knows the promise of God to make him a father of nations, and the miraculous birth of Isaac, born to him in his old age and to his barren 90 year old wife, meant that Abraham figured that somehow God would save this child…. Or raise him from the dead, and by now, Abraham believed that God could certainly do it.

So in obedience, but no doubt with trepidation, Abraham sets out.  Just like Jesus carried his cross, we note that the wood for the sacrifice was laid on Isaac, who carried it to the place of sacrifice.  Scripture is so amazing that there are layers of meaning and prophetic messages about Jesus written hundreds of years before his birth.  Suddenly God calls out to stop Abraham and a lamb appears…. God did provide the lamb.  We know that Jesus is the Lamb of God, who is substituted for our death, (our debt for sin).  Here, before the Israelite nation is even born, is yet another message about Jesus and the purpose he would achieve.

The lamb was sacrificed in place of Isaac and the blessing was given, which proclaimed the people coming from Isaac as God’s chosen people…. Just like Jesus who died in our place enables us to be God’s chosen people.

Later in Egypt, in the history of Isaac’s people, the Israelites, God would command that a lamb be sacrificed and the blood painted on the door ways, while the Angel of death passed through the land of Egypt where the Israelites were living as slaves.  The Angel would pass over the houses with the blood of the lamb, and the firstborn of the family was saved by the blood of the lamb. 

A little latter with the giving of the law, the community would lay hands on a goat and confess the sins of the community…. This is where we get the term, scape goat, as the sins were considered transferred and the community was forgiven.

All through history God showed his loved and forged ways so that his people could be in relationship with him…. And yet they were not to take him for granted.  Make no mistake, God is holy, powerful and awesome.  His temple contained areas that were segregated such that one area was only for the high priest and even that was only under very strict guidelines involving animal sacrifice and with a rope attached in case the power of God overwhelmed them and they died, they could then be pulled out.  Sounds frightening… and though it was a way for the people to be relationship with God, still not the greatest of news.

However, our reading from Hebrews tells us that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever.  This is what he accomplished on Good Friday.  And he said, ……“It is finished.”

Another scripture written hundreds of years before Christ, from Isaiah chapter 53, tells us that Christ bore our sins.  His punishment made us whole

53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

It also says… The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities….. he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”  This prophetically tells us about Jesus and what he was accomplishing for us.

This is beyond what we can comprehend, but Jesus actually was baptized into all our sin… past, present and future and paid the price for us all.  Although our physical DNA has a natural inclination to sin, when we are baptized into Christ, it is as though we receive the Spiritual DNA of Christ, who has already paid the price for sin and is perfect.

Hebrews tells us that with one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.   What this actually means is that we now have the privilege that was once only for select few who’d prepared themselves through sacrifice and rituals.  We can now enter the holy of holies… the place where God is.   In one very natural sense we are still being made holy, but in another, we are already perfect as we only come to God through the sacrifice of Jesus, and when clothed in Christ, we are acceptable to God.

C. S. Lewis wrote the Chronicles of Narnia, fictitious children’s stories, but full of Christian imagery.  In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there is a scene where the Lion lies dead on the stone table, then as the dawn breaks there is a loud crack as the stone table breaks in two and the lion is resurrected.  He explains that there is a deep magic in Narnia that requires a traitor’s life to be forfeited to the white witch.  But then he explains that there is an even deeper magic that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.

At the beginning of time God had a plan to save us in this way as the letter from 1 Peter 1:18-20 tells us, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”

Finally it was accomplished.  So many of the things that happened in Jesus journey to crucifixion were written about in scripture hundreds of years before hand.  From the accounts in the Gospels we know that Jesus knew the sacrifice he willingly made, but that doesn’t mean it was easy.

Have you ever been accused of things you haven’t done?  It doesn’t feel good.  Do you remember a time when someone sat down with a needle to work a prickle out of your finger?  That wasn’t fun either.  Sometimes the knowledge of the pain to come makes it even harder to bear.  Jesus knew of the physical pain that was ahead and he was scared.  He knew that he was to be mocked for claiming to be God’s son, as if he was a fraud, but he knew that he was truly the son of God. 

All these things are horrible, but we can imagine what it may have felt like.  What we can’t imagine is what it was like to carry the sin of the world to the cross.  We know that Jesus was scared.  Yet willingly, Jesus continued to fulfil his destiny.  Why? Why would he bother?   Has he seen us, for whom he died?  John Newton was a ruthless and cruel slave trader.  When he came to understand the message of the Gospel he wrote;  “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”  For all of us, even that person that you find completely ruthless and horrid, Jesus died.  Jesus paid the debt of sin for all.  And this sacrifice was done once and for all.  It is now finished.

A song that I teach my singing students is called Mercy walked in.  “I stood in the courtroom. The Judge turned my way, “it looks like you’re guilty, now what do you say.” I answered, “your honour, I have no defence” but that’s when mercy walked in.”  Imagine being found guilty of a crime and then discovering that the jail term has already been served by someone else.  The judge bangs the gavel and says, “dismissed… you are free…”

There are times when we think we are not acceptable to God.  There are times when we think we need to work at something to become acceptable to God.  Nothing but the truth is needed…. And that truth is that the debt has been paid. 

Do you recall the words of Isaiah which, when Jesus read them, said “today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”?  Those words which Jesus prophetically proclaimed were: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

GOOD NEWS !  Finally!  We know the bad news about how we all sin and sin separates us from God, and now we know that the Good News and reason that this is Good Friday is because Jesus paid that debt for us and we are free.

I once heard an international Bible speaker say, “Christ didn’t come to die for your sins”.  And I thought he was speaking heresy.  Surely that is what Good Friday is truly about, Christ achieved his destiny by dying for the sins of the world…. But the speaker went on to explain something which I’ve come to see as vitally important…. Christ’s objective was to bring us LIFE.  However, to bring us life, our debt for sin needed to be paid.  God showers us with love and mercy and grace beyond our comprehension, and we can rejoice in the freedom and live an abundant life that starts now and goes into eternity.  But the Life that God brings us was not possible without the cross.

Good Friday is a MOST holy and important day, but we are NOT meant to stay here focusing on our sin.  As Jesus declared on the cross; “It is finished”.  Even sin in our future, is already paid for… nothing can separate us from the love of God…nothing….

This week I found an old letter from someone who said some very hurtful things to me.  All over again I felt like maybe I’m actually a horrible person and the hurt was as fresh as when I first received the letter.  I believe it was a timely find to show me that this is not how God see me and I need to live life in the reality of God and the life he gives me…  not someone’s hurtful perception. 

This is also an example of how our un-forgiveness of our brothers and sisters in Christ robs us and others of the life that Jesus paid so dearly to give us.

Do we comprehend the grace of God?  Psalm 103:10 “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”  Have you ever felt that things weren’t working out for you and you figured that maybe it was God punishing you… ?    I do this all the time but it is wrong! God does not do this- the cross took that away.  Jesus took that punishment.   

The cross was vital, and the powers and principalities operating meant it to be death and destruction.   But that death was only part one of the story.  Our debts are all paid.  We are loved and we are free.  Resurrection is coming….

 If we do not accept the gift of freedom and actually live the life that Jesus came to bring us, then Jesus’ sacrifice was in vain.  Let us this day, determine to step into that way of abundant God given life.  Let us determine to also set free the captives who have not understood the grace of God…. Let go and forgive them, just as Christ has forgiven us… set them free and live free and rejoicing in the knowledge of the abundant love of God.   He loves you so much and says, YOU are WORTH DYING for!

3rd Sunday in Lent 2019 If you think you are standing....

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT    Year C     March 24, 2019

 Isaiah 55:1-9  •  Psalm 63:1-8  •  1 Corinthians 10:1-13  •   Luke 13:1-9

“So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall”  

Balance is a funny thing… Imagine walking a tightrope…If you don’t have any confidence, you may wobble and fall, and yet if you are overly confident and don’t remember to respect the fine line you are walking, you can easily fall off.

Working with kids means I get the opportunity to witness human nature in a unique way.  Some are just so dependable it is truly amazing, and the parents of these kids are sometimes surprised to hear this….  Many kids do naughty things even when they are actually pretty good kids and some….Well they are always looking for trouble but will argue black and blue with you that they didn’t do that thing that you just saw them do.

Are adults any different?

I often try to explain to the kids that integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is looking to see you do it.  Many great kids, given the right opportunity will do the wrong thing.  We should know, better than anyone that this is simply the story of human nature.

Our Scripture passage from Corinthians warns us to watch out when we think we are standing.  Adults pretty much always think they are standing, and most of the time we think our ways are right.  We think we are strong and beyond the naughtiness of children.   Like Children, we need to be open to correction and realize how frail we are.

There was an international Bible speaker who had a terminal illness at the time I heard him speak and he had a way of cutting to the chase and saying things straight.  I remember him saying, “Don’t think that just because you’ve been a Christian for many years that you can’t be just as easily led to sin as anyone.”   

Time after time we have seen the great Evangelists fall and we kind of go… “ah yep…. Phony!”  No… no phony…. I’m betting that there was originally genuine evangelical determination to be the best that they could, however pride somehow snuck in and just when they felt secure, and probably without them even recognizing the consequence, they fell.

Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that all the Israelites were baptized into Moses and ate the same spiritual food…. But some of them fell too.  What he is trying to get through to the Corinthians, is that these were the very people who witnessed the signs and wonders in Egypt. These are the people walked through the parted sea.  These people were led through the desert by a miraculous cloud - the very presence of God.  After all this, these same people then made an Idol from their combined jewellery and worshiped it.  They seem ridiculous to us, that they could witness God in this way and still fall, but we don’t understand their culture and their ways.  And if we dismiss them as being ridiculous and primitive in their understanding, we do not comprehend how easy it is to fall.  Their story is here to serve as a warning for us that no matter the magnitude and intensity of your spiritual experience, if you think you are standing, watch that you do not fall.

But why do we fall?

The areas where people fall into sin are in those same temptations that Jesus faced in the desert.  The first temptation is the inner desire and hunger for things… more bread, more finance, more security.  And you might recall, our first reading asks us, “why spend your money on what is not bread?”

The second temptation is about the lust of the eye….Things we see and then we want them… All that Jesus could see was offered to him in return for his allegiance. I notice that when I look through a catalogue I see things I want that I never dreamed I wanted until I saw them…  Of course none of these things is actually sinful until they cross a line… but where is that line?

The third temptation is about pride and ego and relates to what we’ve just spoken about with feeling so secure in our relationship with God that we assume spiritual superiority.   Jesus was told, “Throw yourself down and you will not fall…” I wonder how many of those Evangelists were convinced, with all the good they were achieving for God’s kingdom, they could leap and not fall.   Also note that to be secure in our relationship with God and know that he will catch us is a good thing – but there is a line we can cross, where it becomes pride instead of faith.

As we hear of the scandals of others and make our judgements about how all these things happen, we need to hear the response of Jesus when he was told about the Galileans whose blood Pilate mixed with their sacrifices.  Assumptions were made and conclusions drawn about the sinful state of those Galileans.  Jesus surprisingly assures them that their conclusions are incorrect.

You’ve heard the saying, “there but for the Grace of God go I”.  We really need to realize it. 

There are Church people fervently praying for the community, but never being part of it.  It is safe and smart to keep ourselves separate from the possible negative influence of the secular community, but how can we be the salt of the earth that God called us to be if we don’t allow ourselves to be part of that secular world?

The great commission was to go into all the world, but some denominations more than others believe that we need to stay completely separate.  It is true that it can be risky and we can become absorbed by the secular, yet how can we fulfil God’s mission if we remain behind church walls, looking at the world through stained glass windows?

Alternatively, I know of some Christians in the community whose Christian witness is a tragedy, charging more than what is fair and operating businesses without integrity.  

Two points about this; If we could begin to see less divide between the sacred and secular and understand that all the earth belongs to God perhaps we can hold all things as sacred.  Secondly, there but for the grace of God go I.

When some of the Street Chaplaincy group meet for mid-week prayer we pray for the Christians in the community and we pray for their Christian witness.  I get rather up-set when I see Christians in the secular world doing things that they wouldn’t do in their church world, but I understand their desire to be accepted.  I don’t go into that world advertising my Christianity, but somehow most of them figure it out pretty quickly.   But I need to remember that I can fall just as easily as any, so how do I keep the balance and how can we all keep the balance?

The answer is both in our Gospel and Old Testament reading.  Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree that is not fruitful.  Our Old Testament reading from Isaiah urges us to come to the water all who thirst and asks us why we labour for things that can’t satisfy.

There is a gardener who intercedes for the fig tree and explains that he will dig around the roots of the tree and fertilize it.

When I was a school student, computers were just coming into use and we learnt some of the basic language.  There was a term GIGO…  Garbage in, garbage out.  A computer works on a binary system and is completely logical, therefore the output was determined by the input.

We are the same – another saying; “you are what you eat”….  All the influences to which we subject ourselves, become who part of who we are.  Just think for a moment about your daily, weekly influences.  Being part of this world means we are going to have some negative influences…. But don’t be afraid of them, we are after all, called to go into all the world, … simply be deliberate with your gardening of yourself and ensure that you deliberately invest in that which can make you a fruitful fig tree.

Why labour for that which doesn’t satisfy?

Our temptations are tempting because we have a desire for something.  Isaiah tells us that these things can’t satisfy us.  They seem to satisfy for a while, but ultimately leave us empty.  When we come to God, to the living water, we find that what we have is enough…. And what we have in him is far more satisfying.

A few weeks ago when I looked at the reading of Jesus’ temptation in the desert I noticed that it was an attack on Jesus’ identity….. “If you are the son of God….”  Emphasis on “If”.

I talked about our identity in Christ and how it is a sure thing and dependant on what Jesus has accomplished and not anything we do.  We can neither judge another person’s standing with God depending on their actions either, because we all fall.

Somewhere between these temptations is the all-important understanding of who we are in our relationship with God. 

You may have noticed that the Evangelists did fall….  Even though our readings tell us that God will provide a way out.  It seems like something isn’t quite right.  What isn’t quite right is our understanding of the way out that God provides.  Sometimes that very public fall is God’s mercy in a big wake up call.  The way out that God provides is the Grace and finished sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and ultimately our redemption.  God’s love is sure and we are told in the letter to the Romans 8:38 – 39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. “

It doesn’t seem so logical to us.  Just like the computer system, we notice that these people have fallen and we expect that God would cut that unfruitful tree down. It is only logical.  But Isaiah says, “let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, (not “turn” as if it is the first time, but RETURN) that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways and thoughts are far higher than ours.  God’s way of operating is beyond our understanding.   And Jesus tells us, leave it to me and I will dig around the roots and fertilize it.

There is a saying…. Lead me not to temptation, I already know the way.  We certainly do.  A few years ago I wrote a song called we can fly.  The words beginning from the second verse are; Lead me not to temptation; I know that road so well - It is the place, where often I dwell

There in my heart I desire to live life right and true - But then I stumble, and my confidence crumbles too.

It is a blessing disguised when I am broken and down - That’s when grace comes and turns me around.

I can not earn His favour, yet I am favoured it’s true - Just for believing in Him and His saving grace too.

Chorus -

No more need to climb, no more need to cry.  

We are lifted by His love to that place on high

There’s a reason for singing, its the gift that He’s bringing

Means that on the wings of His grace We can fly.....We can fly........ 

Lent is a time to prepare for the resurrection.  We remember the journey and focus on the sacrifice, but we need to keep in mind that it was accomplished for sinners, because that is what we all are.  Understand that those that fall are given the mercy and grace of God and if you think you are standing, stand in the confidence of God’s love and grace and not in your own ability, because that ability is a mere illusion…. There but for the grace of God go I.

If you think you are standing, stand in the confidence of God’s Love and Grace… not in your own ability – watch that you do not fall and show compassion and mercy to others. 

LENT 1 C   2019

On Ash Wednesday we have the sign of the ashes and we begin to fast, but even here at the beginning of the Lenten Season, the reading from Deuteronomy promises the fulfillment of God’s promise, therefore reminding us of the Good News of the Salvation that is ours through Christ.

Our First reading tells us about the Israelites coming into the Promised Land and although this is their history, for us, this is actually a parable of our Salvation story.

The reading begins with instructions about bringing to God the first fruits of the land and, did you notice, there is also a script which they recite.

I find this to be fascinating.  It is a declaration of who they are and what God has done for them.  Each week we also declare our Christian experience, reminding us of who we are in Christ.  Looking at this ancient story, however, I think of Australia day and how some conflict about the day could be resolved if we too followed this format, as it is a declaration of the truth and an acknowledgment of history – The land was not originally the Israelites and they were slaves in Egypt, but God brought them out of that place and gave them the promised land.

This recited script was a kind of creed about who they were in relationship to God, their land and their life.

It was forty years that the Israelites were wondering in the desert and it would be forty days that Jesus would fast in the desert. 

The Spirit led Jesus out into the desert.  Recently someone pointed out to me that this word “Led” is actually a poor translation and in some other accounts we read that the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert and in other translations the Spirit compelled Jesus.

But let’s put the story into context; Jesus had come to the Jordan to be baptised by John and the Holy Spirit had descended on him in bodily form like a dove.  With this, a voice spoke to him saying, “You are my son, with whom I love. With you I am well pleased.” 

Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.   It seems like this would be a high point in a person’s life, to be affirmed by God and filled with the Holy Spirit, yet the result is that the Holy Spirit compels Jesus to go into the desert and fast for 40 days. 

40 days seems to me like an extreme fast.  I get headaches and feel sick within 24 hours, but I have a friend who regularly fasts and is quite emphatic about the health benefits (though not for 40days). If you do a google search you will find that people who are fit and used to fasting, can actually fast up to 40 days so long as they are well hydrated, but beyond 40 days you enter starvation – apparently.

One person shared his account where he initially fasted for health benefits, but after achieving this he found other mental and emotional benefits also.  It is not recommended that anyone fast as extremely as Jesus, but the idea of a fast in our season of Lent is meant to also tap into those mental and emotional benefits.  Our fast is meant to focus us to communion with God where our prayer life is enhanced and our commitment to God is re-ignited.

It is important to note that it was the Holy Spirit that directed Jesus into the desert to fast. 

Jesus is the visible expression of God – he is part of the God head, yet when he was walking this earth he was fully man.  This is really important to keep in mind, other wise we fall into the trap of minimising the enormity of Jesus’ actions.

Jesus was completely human, but we often erroneously believe that the extraordinary things he did was because he was God.  The truth is that when Jesus was on earth he did things as a human who relied on God – exactly the same way that we can.  Jesus gave up the power that was his own, and then all that he did while on earth, was through prayer, reliance on and unity with the father and the Holy Spirit.

While Jesus was like us in all these ways, the difference is that Jesus had a destiny that no other human could possibly achieve.  While he was in his frail and human state he needed to be completely in unity with the father – so in the desert he fasted, and then in the desert he was tempted.

This was an important part of our redemption.  When we are tempted we often fail.  If Jesus was going to be the perfect Lamb of God to be sacrificed for the redemption of our sins, he had to be tempted as we are but not fall.

Twice the temptation began with the words, “if you are the son of God”.  This was an attack on Jesus’ identity.  I find this point the one that needs addressing, as Christians can sometimes be the voice of Satan when they cast doubt on who you are, and who I am in the Kingdom of God.

Let me explain; Many years ago on a Scripture Union camp where I was a leader, the leaders questioned the Christianity of a teenage, loud mouth boy.  He’d been supposedly converted at the last vacation camp, but he didn’t “behave” like a Christian.   I was surprised at their doubt, as his Christianity seemed obvious to me.  That boy was simply authentic…. He was honest about everything and that meant that he was no hypocrite that looked all proper on the outside…. His inside and outside were the same and he was a Christian…. He just didn’t speak, “Christian – ese”.. 

More recently, I was devastated to find out that a friend who had moved towns very dramatically took her own life.  A comment was made, “If Jesus was in her life it would have been different”. 

I don’t know if she was Christian or not, but there have been others who I know were certainly Christian and yet have died from suicide.  Is it fair to say, “If they were truly God’s they would not have done this”?  It most certainly is not fair or true.  Our actions are influenced by who we belong to, but there are many other influences and to say this kind of thing, is like saying, Talitha is not really my daughter because she eats gluten!  It’s neither logical nor true.

A big mistake we can make, is to think that just because we are Christian we won’t fall.  Only Christ passed that test.  He is the only one who could be tempted in all these ways and not fall, and for this reason he is our saviour.  You are not your own saviour and if you try to be you will only be disappointed.

So the devil says to Jesus…“If you are the son of God”…. It was a little jibe that sought to reveal doubt, but was met with absolute conviction.  For us, the jibe is, “If you are a real Christian”…  or “If you really belonged to God’s family”….  I have had it said to me, “You can’t be a real Christian – you are divorced”.  Well the fact is you are a real Christian and you do belong to God’s family .  And this is not because you are perfect, but because Jesus is, and you are loved by God so much that Jesus was sent to redeem you. 

Many years ago a young lady asked me if she was really a Christian and how she could know (because someone had looked at her life and told her that she wasn’t a real Christian…. In fact, some will make this judgment based on your denomination).  I took this lady to our reading from Romans -

And there it is in black and white. “if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.”

None of us are perfect, so why do expect it in others and feel the need to know the Christian status of another? 

Have you noticed how we come up to the altar at church and bow to acknowledge its sacred connection to God?   How much more do we have a sacred connection to God?  It was for you and me that he died – not the altar.  I often wonder if we’d be less inclined to judge others if we acknowledged Jesus in each other in this same way and as we greeted each other we bowed to each other acknowledging that Jesus is in you and Jesus is in me? 

When the Holy Spirit gets a hold of us we may, like Jesus, feel we’ve been driven out into the desert to be tested.  The Challenge that I used to set my kids at Lent was not about giving up chocolate, but in doing something nice for someone each day.  Taking the challenge just a touch further, and because we know that a fast is meant to be a sacrifice, this taking up doing some nice or good deed should also have an element of sacrifice – so perhaps this means doing something nice for that family member who most irritates us – and without expecting anything in return.  This is where I believe the heart of God is driving us…..  In fact God tells us all this very plainly in the book of Isaiah 58:4-7  - Through the voice of Isaiah he said to the people,

““Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.  Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.  You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.  Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves?  Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?  Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?

 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? “”

I pray that in the fast of Lent 2019 we can remember and confess our story like the Israelites, and in that confessing know our salvation.  Through our time of Lent, I pray that we can spend time in prayer and like Jesus, confidently face temptations, seeing them for the poor things they are compared to belonging to our God who loves and saves us.  But more than anything, I pray that we grow to know who we are in God’s heart.  Whether it is bread, power or kingdoms of the earth, none of these can possibly compare to richness of love we have in God through Christ.