Live your truth- like the tower of Pisa ? Or live God's truth - like a plumb line Proper 10C 13th July 2025

2025  07  13  Proper 10 Year C   

Amos 7:7-17    Psalm 82      Colossians 1:1-14     Luke-10:25-37

 

A question was posed to us at Alpha, “If you could ask God something, what would it be?”  A few of us thought we’d ask, “Are we on the right path?”  It is kind of the idea of wanting to know what is true so that we can line our life up with it.  Kind of like lining our life up to the plumb line.  The plumb line is a string with a weight on the end.  This line is held so that the weight can fall freely, and then an exact vertical measurement can be defined.  In our reading from Amos, we are told that God is setting a plumbline in the midst of his people.  That plumbline is the truth of God’s right and holy standard.  That plumbline, being placed in the midst of the people, reveals both what is good, correct, straight and true and therefore, revealing also what is crooked.  How do you think our current society would measure against God’s plumbline.  Mind you, the idea of the plumb line is to see how we measure against it.   Are we growing in the wisdom and knowledge of God, bearing fruit like the Colossians? Or ….  ?

 

Whatever was happening in ancient Israel, was important enough for God to declare that he was taking action and measuring.  Now, God didn’t HAVE to measure.  He knew where the society was going askew, but he declared that he was measuring so that the people had the opportunity to self-correct.  The job of the prophet was to warn the people and try to correct them.  That declaration sort to teach the people that God had a standard…. A standard of truth.   What is truth?

 

What is true?  “You do you, and I’ll do me”….   “You live your truth”.  “Be true to yourself”.   These are catch phrases of today’s society.  Looking up quotes about truth on the internet, there are SO many about “YOUR truth”… not about THE truth.  For so long, truth has been subjective.  Here is one I found, “Whatever human Endeavour we choose, as long as we live our truth, it is success.”  These sound great and positive but imagine that your human endeavour is to dominate others….  As long as we live our truth, it is success…  hmmm…   All these indicate that there is no real plumbline, but that individual truth is subjective.  What do you think?  Where will this take society?  Leaning like the leaning tower of Pisa!  You and I know that there is a plumbline.  God has a standard.  Whether people know what that standard or truth is, or not, doesn’t change the fact that there is an ultimate truth and a spiritual plumbline.   

 

A plumbline is about testing.  It is about checking to see what measures up and what does not.  It is fundamental to our faith that we understand that God is good and perfect.  God has a standard.  God is real.  God is true and God is the standard.  We also constantly measure what is good and true by using God’s plumb line…. We test things – and we are meant to test things and be discerning. 

 

In our Gospel reading an expert in the law “tested” Jesus.  This was not a pharisee trying to trap Jesus.  This was a good man who was doing what we all should do, he was being discerning and checking the words and actions of Jesus against what he knew to be the plumb line of God’s revelation through God’s Law.

 

The expert asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life.  Jesus does what was typical of the Rabbi’s and answers the question with a question.  This was expected.  The expert then answers with something that is very familiar to us, by summing up the law into the two commandments; "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself."  This, while familiar to us, was not so common to Jesus’ audience and something that showed Jesus that this man was an expert and not a novice.   Jesus says, “… "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."  When Jesus uttered, “Do this and you will live”, he was also quoting scripture.  He was referencing when Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy grain; Genesis 42:17- 19 tells us “So he put them all together in prison for three days. Now Yoseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine which is upon your households,”  Do you notice the 3 days… and on the third day?  This is a shadow of the way to be restored to life, foreshadowing the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. 

 

Jesus was also referring to the giving and reciting of the Law in Exodus, Deuteronomy and Leviticus, which also end with similar encouragement to keep the law because by them you will live.  (Jewish commentary ( https://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakovs-commentary/the-samaritan-luke-1025-37 )  )

 

The words; “Do this and you will live”, also informed the “expert” pharisee that there must be a corresponding action to match the intellectual understanding.   In Jewish understanding there was no such thing as believing without it being shown by action.  

 

What follows next is the expert trying to stay in the game with the question, “and who is my neighbour?”.  The Expert already knew the answer.  The Hebrew word, “rea” is the word for neighbour and implied friend, fellow Israelite, countryman, or a person living in close proximity.  It did not refer to an adversary or enemy and it is important to note that Jesus did not imply that the Samaritan was an enemy.  The Samaritan was the Israelite half-brother.  He was already considered a Rea… a neighbour, but he was often looked down on because he didn’t do things in the way that was thought to be strictly correct. 

 

The story goes on to tell us that a man is travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho.  It is worth noting that at the time of Jesus, Jericho was one of the cities designated as a place for priests and Levites who were rostered for duty in the Temple.  It is believed that About 12,000 priests and Levites lived there, and they were a familiar sight on the road. (https://www.seetheholyland.net/jericho/) .

We aren’t told if the man was a priest or a Levite, but we can safely assume that he is someone who legitimately belongs in the Israelite and Jewish society and Jesus is wanting his audience to identify with him.  (This now includes us).

 

This man fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead.  We are told that a priest came by and a Levite, and both passed by him on the other side.   We could sympathize and say, “Yes, but touching the man would have made them ceremonially unclean, as it was against God’s law to touch the man.”  The problem with this is that the men were also traveling “down” that road… on the way to Jericho.  This means that they had already completed their priestly duties in Jerusalem and were on their way home. 

 

A Samaritan found the man, bandaged his wounds and treated them with oil and wine - the equivalent of first aid.  The Samaritan didn’t stop there, but took the man to an inn, and took care of him, paid the innkeeper to look after him and promised to repay any other expenses. 

In the end Jesus said to the expert, "Go and do likewise." – In other words; “Do this and you will live.”

 

Let me emphasise that the Samaritan was not an enemy, but he was a bit of an outsider.  The Samaritan is our neighbour who lives near us in peace.  It is our family, friends and acquaintances.   We are the man beaten and left for dead, helpless to help ourselves.  Jesus is the one, somewhat outcast…  He was rejected by his own people and crucified, but He is our “Good Samaritan” who has rescued and cared for us, and he continues to heal us and help us grow.  And now we are called to “Go and do likewise”. 

 

In the Jewish understanding there is no belief without action.  If we are the people of God, our actions MUST show it.  We can not say we love God and our neighbour and not show it by our actions.  We are told that God has a plumb line.  There is an absolute truth, and we find it in God and His law.  But how do we keep that law?  By action.  Putting our money where our mouth is, so to speak.  It isn’t always easy, because it means stopping our own journey momentarily to help another. 

 

Research has informed me that the Oral Torah (Mishnah), places the sanctity of life above all but the instruction to love and worship God alone.  Jesus, in his story, is emphasising two things; that the law of God is not complete unless there is action, and the action to value human life and protect it, supersedes any other law besides loving God.  Understanding this view of the sacredness of human life throws new light on what it means to keep the law of God, and perhaps, in this light, we should review some of our beliefs and actions.  If we are going to stand up and advocate for anything in this life, it must be firstly and foremostly to guard and protect human life.

 

This is our challenge for today.  There is a plumb line -a way that is right - a truth; Life is precious. In the Good Samaritan story, Jesus was clarifying that the sanctity of LIFE is above all, but the love of God. This is what it means to love your neighbour; to remember that the greatest gift God has given us is life and we must protect it, heal and even pay the price to guard that precious God given gift.  Not to draw too much attention to issues that have been challenged by legislation such as euthanasia and abortion…  but then again – maybe that is what this is all about.  We need to know the word of God and what God really requires of us.  We recite those two great commandments every week, but do we understand what it means?  Now, we do! To love your neighbour is to work to safe-guard our neighbours life. Our lives are precious gifts from God. Treasure that gift - and we too, like the Samaritan, are to “Go and do likewise”,

Invitation to the Great Adventure. Proper 7C 22nd June 2025

2025  06  22  Proper 7C

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a and Psalm 42 and 43 -  Galatians 3:23-29 - Luke 8:26-39

  

Do you like adventure?  I hope so, because the Christian life is incredibly adventurous.   The stories that are told in our readings today would easily make for great movie themes.  But does it seem sometimes that we are just a spectator?  We are called to be part of the great adventure.  We might not have to confront a tyrannical Queen, or deal with a Demon possessed man, but we ARE called to be a willing participant, and to play an active part, in our own adventure.

 

In our own adventure we are constantly being called to deliberately choose, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  The point of having these other adventures recorded in the scriptures is so that we can learn from them and navigate our own adventures with success.

 

Elijah is one of the greatest prophets.  We know from our song, that he declared the word of the Lord.  Although he was a famous prophet from our perspective, he lived in a time when the Israelites, God’s chosen people were predominantly worshipping Baal.  He interacted rather famously with the King of Israel, Ahab and his wife Jezabel, who lived in the 7^th century BC.    Jezebel is the character behind that name becoming associated with harlotry, because of her manipulative influence over the King.  

 

Our reading picks up part of the story just after Elijah had asked the people to chose which god they would serve, and he had the priests/prophets of Baal make a sacrifice and wait for Baal to send down fire from heaven.  Baal didn’t answer.   Then, after soaking in ample water his own sacrifice to the Lord God almighty, God did answer by sending fire from heaven and then Elijah ordered that the priests of Baal be killed.  Jezebel was furious and threatened Elijah who fled into the wilderness.

 

After a days’ journey travelling by himself Elijah sat under a broom tree and he was done!  This is the irony of success.  This magnificent miracle had just happened.  God showed up so dramatically, but suddenly, Elijah felt very human and fallible.  He had witnessed the glory of God and, as all do in the presence of God, felt acutely the weight of his own sinfulness and the enormity of his ministry.  Elijah was a great and honourable prophet, but in the presence of God, we all realize how limited we are.  Jezebel was chasing Elijah and threatening him.  There was no repentance in that woman or the King.  Even though God clearly showed his greatness, these people refused to repent. 

 

If we can put ourselves in Elijah’s shoes, he was passionate about serving God. He had experienced God, and he knew Him and his goodness, but no one was listening.  Not completely true, but it felt like no one was listening and it seemed like no matter how greatly God proved himself, there was no resulting change.

 

Have you even been there?  Working hard to achieve what seems to be something good, you know you have truth and wisdom on your side, but all that effort only results in you being targeted and pulled down.  What do we learn from this?  Well, if we stop our story here, we learn to just go with the flow and don’t try to do anything that is different from what is popular.  Is this where most Christians are at today?  But Elijah’s story doesn’t end there….

 

I must confess that this is one of my favourite stories in the Bible.  Elijah is worn out and despondent.  He travels with his servant, but leaves him in a town of Judah (in other words a place of relative safety from the King of Israel) and then goes on alone, finally crying out for God to take his life, and he falls asleep.  He is woken by an Angel of the Lord and encouraged to eat.  He awakens to find bread and water.  He falls asleep again and the scene is repeated and this time he travels to Mt. Horeb.  There is no admonition to stop complaining.  In fact, the Angel provides sustenance and acknowledges Elijah’s weariness and inability to go on… The journey is too great for you, is what he says, but indicating that Elijah will be refreshed by the food and drink. – you know that saying about never being given more than you can handle?  Well even the Angel acknowledges that the journey is too great, BUT HE provides the sustenance necessary.

 

Some interesting elements are here in this passage.  Let me quote from a Hebrew commentary; “… in this verse this angel is identified as the Angel of the Lord; malach Yehoveh . ……it is there in the original Hebrew. In any case, here Elijah encounters not an ordinary angel, but some manifestation of God Himself. Recall that it was the Angel of the Lord that appeared to Moses in the burning bush on Mt. Sinai and claimed to be the Great I am. And so not surprisingly, this Angel of the Lord influenced Elijah to trek to Mt. Sinai, or as it says here, Horeb (Horeb and Mt. Sinai are interchangeable terms).”  (https://www.torahclass.com/lessons/old-testament/1-kings/lesson-31-ch19/)

 

After being refreshed Elijah journeys for 40 days to Mt. Horeb, also known as Mt. Sinai.  In other words, the mountain where the law was given to Moses.  Do you recall Moses’ story of being in a cave on Mt. Horeb?  Exodus33:21-23 tells us;  “Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

 

Elijah is spending time in that same cleft or cave and the word of the LORD comes to him, asks him what he is doing there and informing him that he should go out and stand on the mountain because the LORD was about to pass by.   There was a strong wind, an earthquake and a fire and then a sheer silence.  At this Elijah put a mantle over his head as a sign of reverence and also protection from seeing God’s face.

 

What do we learn from all of this?  God controls the elements, but the elements are not God.  We learn that God cares for us and understands when we are worn out and despondent and he himself will supply refreshment.  We also learn that God continues to call people.  Elijah may have expected the people to turn to God, but they didn’t.  Elijah declared the word of the LORD, but they didn’t repent.  Was he a failure? He felt it.

 

Jesus cast demons out of the man in our Gospel story.  He set the man free but what response did Jesus get from the people?  Cheers and welcome?  No, they were afraid and so they asked him to leave.  Imagine this is you. Just when you’ve dramatically seen this one man set free and you are feeling like this is a good thing and surely people will see it that way, suddenly they ask you to leave.  Sometimes our good works, which we are specifically called by God to do, will appear on a superficial, but visible level, to be a failure.  Don’t give up, keep doing what God has called us to do.

 

The Angel of the LORD, a manifestation of God, provided sustenance with bread and water.  Sound like anyone else we know?  Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.”  Jesus also said that anyone who drinks from the water that he gives will never thirst.  Elijah was not the only prophet of the LORD left, but he felt alone.  We need to be sustained by God, encouraged and held up by each other and we need to know that when we are doing what God calls us to do, we are never a failure.  God is doing something eternal.  We may not see the victory, but know victory is there when we are faithful and do what he calls us to do regardless. 

 

We are loved by and precious to God.  We are considered by God as being clothed in Christ, meaning that Christ’s goodness and righteousness is seen when God looks at us.   We cannot ever, therefore, be failures.  Regardless of how it feels or looks.  God has set us free in equality, and he loves to call the least likely.  ALL OF US ARE CALLED into an adventure that God has planned– No exception.  He invites us all into the adventure.  Today, we gather to support each other and be nourished by God so that the journey -which IS too great for us in our own strength, is able to be achieved.  Rest in his presence today and tomorrow, go in the power of the Spirit to accomplish things that God has prepared for us.

Trinity - Tuning in to hear wisdom's voice. Trinity Sunday year C 15th June 2025

2025  06  15   TRINITY SUNDAY YEAR C  

We believe in one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Three persons but one God.  Simple as that?  Ok?  Maybe not so simple. 

Our first reading tells us that wisdom raises her voice, but in the year 325 AD many voices were raised, and the noise was chaotic.  It was a time before Bibles were printed, churches would meet, read readings from the Old Testament scripture and the apostles’ letters.  They sang hymns, ate together, prayed and relied on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Then an influential priest by the name of Arius and some of his followers began teaching different ideas about who Jesus was.  Arius claimed that Jesus was created by the father, rather than being begotten.  Eventually about 200 Bishops met to discuss.  I imagine that it was a robust discussion to say the least. In fact, there are works of art that show Saint Nicholas punching Arius at the gathering.

 

Wisdom is not silent.  We are told that wisdom raises her voice and cries out.    Perhaps it is ironic that this very chapter about wisdom is the one that was used by Arius, to speak against the Trinity.  He claimed that this verse where we are told that God created wisdom at the beginning of his work, was actually a personification of Jesus, meaning that Jesus was created, rather than being God.  My research has informed me that this is a translation error, and the word translated as “created” should be more accurately translated as God “possessed” wisdom at the beginning of his work.

 

To be fair, we are all just “Joe & Jane”.   By this I mean, that we are the creation, trying to comprehend the creator.  The scriptures tell us that God’s thoughts and God’s ways are far beyond us.  We all hold many beliefs about God that might not be completely correct, but God does want us to know him and to love him and to know that he loves us.  While it only stands to reason that we don’t know everything about God and that we will grow slowly in our relationship with him, there are times when it is important that we stand against the misrepresentation of God that allows error about God to spread. 

 

Faith is caught more than taught.  This means that we absorb the ideas of faith from all sources around us.  We don’t very often, if ever, sit down and talk about the nature of Christ and how he is one with God and IS God.  I generally trust that God will reveal his truth in time and this is part of the role of the Holy Spirit.  However, there is a time and place to clarify.

 

325 AD was a time that brought conflict to a head, and 200 people debated, prayed and voted.  Understanding this should cause us to ponder and question; are we also willing to stand up against popular thought that erodes the image of God and proclaim the Gospel truth?

 

Most of the time we will go with the flow, don’t rock the boat, and accept the philosophies of popular thought.  When those sources are Godly, faith is caught, and wisdom’s voice is heard.  When those sources are false, faith is diminished, and the values of the Gospel are eroded.  We may find ourselves called to stand up and defend and clarify the Gospel and Gospel values.  Just between you and me, I kind of think we are here now!

 

We belong to the family of God, but we also belong to a human family, a local town, a state, a country.  We also live in an era.  All these things colour and influence the way that we understand or misunderstand God.  Faith is caught, not taught, but what is it that we are catching?  Wisdom is not silent.  She raises her voice and cries out.  But this doesn’t mean that people are listening.  In fact, if people are listening, we don’t need to raise our voices.  Today we are encouraged to reflect on just what influences are impacting us and our faith.  Are they Godly and true?

 

The doctrine of the Trinity was officially established at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE.  The creed that we know as the Nicene Creed stated definitively the beliefs about God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  God the Son is “God of God, Light of Light, very God of Very God (or true God of true God), begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousios) with the Father,".  This is not something that was devised arbitrarily but is taken from the various scriptures that speak about the Messiah. 

 

Wisdom raises her voice.  It seems that wisdom needs to raise her voice because other voices are so much louder.  There are ways to find wisdom and hear her voice.  We need to study the scriptures but know that great intellectuals have still gotten things very wrong.  The religious experts of Jesus time, who studied God’s word, were those responsible for crucifying him.   So there has to be some other element that is necessary to be able to find wisdom and truth - there is another vital ingredient.

 

Last week we celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of the church and the feast when the baptism of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples.  The disciples had already had Jesus breathe on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a separate out-pouring.  That baptism of the Holy Spirit was not confined to that event on that day of Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit is offered to all of us, and today we read where Jesus explained what would happen when this baptism would come.  He said; “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”  Wisdom is possessed by God.  The Holy Spirit is God.  The Holy Spirit is God with and in us.  The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.  With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified.  The Holy Spirit will guide us into all the truth.  The Holy Spirit is the vital ingredient we need in discerning God’s truth.

 

Some things happen all at once and some things happen gradually.  I also used an analogy last week, that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can be like jumping into a pool of cold water.  Some jump right in, but others go in step by step… and when we are a “step by step” person (which is more common), we need to be encouraged to continue to say, “Yes” to receiving the Holy Spirit, and continue to enter into the call of God and into that Holy Spirit baptism, receiving the gifts that God has for us.   In the same way, some wisdom and knowledge about the truth of God will happen all at once, like scales falling from our eyes.  Other wisdom and knowledge we will need to wait patiently for God to reveal.  The important thing to remember, is always to say, “Yes” to God as He invites us to come to know him by the gift of his Holy Spirit dwelling in us. 

 

If today we don’t fully understand how the idea of how three persons, but one God works, we can rest reassured that God knows that we are only, “Joe & Jane”… Limited!!!  And God loves us so much that he suffered and died for us, so that there would be nothing separating us from God. 

 

Our reading from Romans explains that we are justified by faith, and therefore we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  That faith only needs to be the size of a mustard seed.  We don’t need to understand, but we need to trust in the one who does know and who understands everything.  We know that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  God doesn’t change and He loves us, but our culture, our fears and doubts and the various ideologies of the world and people around us can be like a blanket over our eyes and they are like a loud cacophony afflicting our ears so that we can’t hear wisdom raising her voice. 

 

Can we, like a radio, aim to tune into the frequency of the Holy Spirit?  God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.  It is that love that has the power to cut through the noise that is in the world.  And when we show God’s love to others, we and they can “Hear” the Spirit of God.  Wisdom’s voice is heard.  Our world needs the truth and the wisdom of God.  Let us pray for God’s Holy Spirit to pour God’s love into our hearts.  Let us tune in.  Let’s take a moment to listen.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit! Is it for me? Pentecost 8th June 2025

  2025  06  08  Day of Pentecost

Acts 2:1-21    Psalm 104:24-34, 35b    Romans 8:14-17    John 14:8-17, (25-27)

 

We’ve reached the day of Pentecost; the Day that we consider the birthday of the Christian Church.  In the time since Easter, Jesus appeared to his followers and then he ascended to Heaven and told his followers to wait.  They were to wait until they were clothed with power from on high.  They were told that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

 

Our Gospel reading contains a great quote that expresses the concept of the Trintiy;  Jesus says, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.  How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”  He then goes on to talk about the Sprit - the Advocate, and Jesus tells his followers; “This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him.  You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

 

The disciples already had the Holy Spirit abiding with them, and this happened before the day of Pentecost.  Remember when Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.  What happened on the day of Pentecost was something else.  Google gives a summary this way;  “Having the Holy Spirit, and being baptized with the Holy Spirit, while related, are distinct concepts in Christian theology. Having the Holy Spirit is a one-time event of regeneration, where the Spirit indwells the believer, empowering them with a new life and purpose. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit, however, is a separate experience that involves a renewed outpouring of the Spirit's power, often associated with supernatural gifts and the ability to minister more effectively.”

 

Those pre-Pentecost disciples of Jesus had been taught by God and were indwelt with the Holy Spirit.  They were loyal and they continued to meet and pray together.  We, likewise, continue to meet and pray together.  We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.  Those disciples of Jesus are a lot like us.  They also were previously sent out in twos by Jesus to lay hands on the sick and cast out demons.  They witnessed greatness and were involved in great deeds, and yet Jesus told them to wait for this baptism of the Holy Spirit.   If this baptism of the Holy Spirit was necessary for them, what about us?  Do we need to be baptised with the Holy Spirit?  The prophet Joel is quoted in our first reading from Acts; 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, …..”   The prophesy implies a dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes no distinction in social status, gender or race.  This outpouring is given to all.  So, who is eligible for the baptism of the Holy Spirit?  Can WE be baptized with the Holy Spirit?

 

Over the years I have had friends who argued that the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the outpouring of those more dramatic gifts was only for the disciples of that time, or for if a Christian was in an extreme circumstance.  And I’ve had friends who thought this way and then learnt that they were wrong, when they experienced that outpouring themselves.   One example of the baptism of the Holy Spirit outpoured on people after the day of Pentecost is recorded in Act chapter 10 where it says;  “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard his message.  All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.…”  What do you imagine was the evidence that the Holy Spirit had been given to the Gentiles?  I imagine that those people also began to speak in tongues and maybe also prophesy…. It doesn’t actually say, and I could be wrong, but one thing that is certain, is that something dramatic and definite happened that caused the circumcised believers to know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the Spirit had been poured out again.

 

This shows us that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was given again.  Also, in Acts chapter 19 we see signs that there was more to the Christian experience, then simply being baptized in water.  St. Paul travelled to Ephesus asked some new disciples if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed.  They had no understanding of the Holy Spirit and so Paul laid hands on them and we are told that they spoke in tongues and prophesied.  If those Gentiles and those Ephesian believers and so many others received such an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is there any reason to think that God would not out pour his Holy Spirit in the same way on us?

 

In our Gospel reading, Jesus was speaking with his disciples who were already indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  They knew how to pray for the sick, cast out demons and preach that God’s kingdom was near, yet Jesus informed them that they needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  If those very experienced people needed the baptism of the Holy Spirit, surely, we do too.

 

I like to explain the Baptism of the Holy Spirit by using a balloon.  I have a bag of balloons.  Any balloon, not blown up, is every bit a balloon as any other, but we could say that it isn’t fulfilling its’ intended purpose.  If we breathe just a little air into the balloon it begins to take balloon shape.  This is us when we respond to God and are baptised.  The Holy Spirit in us is like the air in the balloon.  We become Born of the Spirit of God, and we receive his Holy Spirit.  We take the shape that resembles a balloon – we begin to fulfil our purpose.  In fact, it is a balloon! and has all the authentic qualities of a balloon…. But it isn’t the kind of balloon that we might use for party decorations.  To be baptised with the Holy Spirit is like a balloon expanded by a full breath of air, becoming all that a balloon is intended to be. 

 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit changed ordinary people with ordinary fears and concerns into courageous people who proclaimed the wonders of God boldly, and the result was that about 3000 people became believers.   People were impacted by the Gospel, some were healed, some were brought back from the dead, and some became martyrs.  In fact, the whole world was changed from that day. 

 

Over the years the western and civilized world was so impacted by Christian values that human life being so valued as precious in God’s eyes, saw slavery abolished, charities emerge, and more.  Our laws and our legal system reflected these values.  These came of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Do we still need God’s Holy Spirit?  If all those different groups of early Christians were baptized in the Holy Spirit, is there any reason that God would not pour out his spirit on us?

 

Jesus said to his followers, and he says to us; “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”  God is calling us to be living life abundantly, relying on the Spirit… and this means we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  

Today, in celebrating Pentecost, we are forced to contemplate some questions; What impact does this baptism have for me?  Have I said, “Yes” to God in regard to the baptism of the Holy Spirit?  Or, what other Holy Spirit gift is God desiring to give me, that I haven’t yet be open to receive? 

On the day of Pentecost the baptism of the Holy Spirit was dramatic and sudden.  I liken it to someone jumping into a pool of cold water.  We can enter cold water differently however, and enter gradually, bit by bit.  This might be more like the way we approach the baptism of the Holy Spirit… so today we are reminded that every step of the way, we need to continue to say, ‘yes’, and take another step into the deeper water of the Holy Spirit.

Let us therefore pray for God to pour His Spirit on us and on our church;  Heavenly father, I ask you in Jesus's name to fill us with your Holy Spirit, to baptize us in the Holy Spirit, and to clothe us in your power.  According to the promise in your word.  Fill us with the courage to continue to say, “Yes,” and that therefore by faith we receive your Holy Spirit today. Thank you for your gift.  Amen.

He will come again.... but in the meantime.... 1st June 2025 Ascension of the Lord

 2025  06  01  Ascension of the Lord    

Acts 1:1-11     Psalm 47 or Psalm 93    Ephesians 1:15-23    Luke 24:44-53

 

Today we are celebrating the feast of the Ascension.  Jesus had been killed by being nailed to the cross, but on the third day he rose from the dead and appeared to his followers.  After 40 days of appearances and instructions, Jesus ascended to heaven and was no longer seen by his followers.  Two angels appeared and said; “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."  Jesus will come back again! 

 

We read about the Ascension twice, and both times the author is Luke.  Luke was a doctor who travelled with St. Paul and he was writing to someone he names as Theophilus.   Luke's purpose for writing was to provide a detailed and trustworthy account of Jesus' life, teachings, so that Theophilus' could be assured that his faith was real and the truth.  This was Luke’s apologetics.  In other words, giving a logical, real and practical reason for belief.

 

Have you seen the movie or read the book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe?  In this story by C. S.  Lewis, four children are sent to the country to live safely away from the bombs of the war.  When they were playing hide and seek, the youngest of the children, Lucy, hides in a wardrobe that seems to have no back and as she edges back, she finds herself in a whole other land.  She returns to this land a second time and her brother, Edward, finds his way there also.   She tells her other two siblings about this, but Edward refuses to back her up, and says she is making it up.

 

The matter causes conflict, and the owner of the house hears about it.  He says this; “  Logic!” said the Professor half to himself. “Why don’t they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth. You know she doesn’t tell lies and it is obvious that she is not mad. For the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth.”

 

Just like the professor in the story, we need to apply the same logic to the story of Jesus.  In fact, C. S. Lewis also wrote a book called Mere Christianity, in which he explains this logic.  Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be God.  Logically either he was lying, a lunatic or he is who he claims.   We then look at the other evidence and find no sign that he was inclined to lie, no evidence that he was a lunatic, so logically the indication is that he is who he claimed.

 

Our belief is reasonable, because Jesus really existed physically.  He is spoken about by a Jewish historian as performing wonderous deeds.  As for proof of his having risen from the dead, the letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:6) tells us that the resurrected Jesus appeared to "more than five hundred brothers at once," and that the majority of these were still alive when Paul wrote his letter who could testify to this.  If more than 500 people witnessed something today, what would be the verdict?  Would we consider it believable?  Certainly, it should be something that we need to seriously consider.

 

Those who believed the message of Christ, became so numerous and influential that our way of counting the years was changed to reflect the birth of Christ.  The year 2025 CE was traditionally 2025 AD meaning  Anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning "in the year of our Lord".  More importantly, the truth about Jesus has consequences that effect our eternity.  

 

Jesus had appeared to his followers, and we are told that he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.  Some of those followers had been with Jesus for all his ministry and yet they needed to have their minds opened by Jesus in order for them to understand.  This teaches us that all that talk about apologetics is all good and well, yet even we who do believe, need Jesus to open our minds so that the message can be received and understood.

 

In both readings about the Ascension, Luke emphasizes that the disciples were to wait in the city until they received the power from on high – in other words, wait until they received the Holy Spirit. 

 

In our journey of faith, we come to a point where we believe and respond to God, but there will always be so many things that we don’t understand.  If we solely rely on our own intelligence we will remain completely limited, because the things of God are spiritual and need to be understood spiritually.  When we are baptized into God’s family we are Born of God spiritually, and we receive the Holy Spirit.  You might remember that Jesus breathed on his followers and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”, yet it was later that they were, what we might describe as, baptized into the Holy Spirit. 

 

So, what does it mean?  Next week when we celebrate the feast of Pentecost we will hear about the story, but today’s message is to wait. The waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing.  They disciples continued in prayer and studying the scriptures, but to change the world, they needed…  Not skills, not effort, not a 5 year plan, and not an elaborate program… they needed to be baptized with the Holy Spirit – to receive power from God.  

 

The Church today needs to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.  There is a part in our Thanksgiving prayer that begins; “Renew us with your Holy Spirit”.  I encourage us all to pray this simple line, not just once a week, but every day.   We are a remnant – just a small number, but so were the followers of Jesus at one time.

 

St. Francis of Assisi is quoted as saying, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.”  It is our actions and our love that speak louder about the love of God than any reasoned argument for faith .  But even to love as Christ loves us, is impossible without God moving and working in us.  We need a move of God to change our hearts and our world.  We need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 

 

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is with us always.  That is part one of the Message of the Ascension.  Part two is that Jesus is sending a baptism of the Holy Spirit so that we can access the power that we need to impact our world by being Jesus’ witnesses.   Part three is that Jesus will come again.

 

Let’s pray; Lord God, we need your Holy Spirit.  We are small and limited without you, and we need the power from on high so that we can have courage to do all that you call us to.  We pray that wherever we go and to whomever we speak, that you will open both our minds and the minds of those listening, to hear and understand your perfect and wise ways.  Baptize us Lord, with your Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Extra Extra Read all about it.... Peter ate with Gentiles! 18th May 2025 Easter 5 C

 2025  05  18  Easter 5 C  

Acts 11:1-18     Psalm 148    Revelation 21:1-6     John 13:31-35

 

Scandalous news had hit the Jerusalem times…. Peter ate with Gentiles!  Even back then the grapevine could give you the facts, yet still lead you to the wrong conclusion. Before the election, I was longing for it to be over.  One political party slinging dirt at another.  Media making comments with bias one way or another.  There was very little being said that seemed like words of life.  And we are called to something better...

 

Have you ever experienced listening to a conversation and felt as though something deep in your spirit felt a sense of joy and hope and deep peace?  When I was 17, I went to a church young adult group, expecting it to be much the same as many others I’d been to before, but this was very different.   I was absolutely amazed at a sense of their wisdom.  I kept thinking, “The leaders of our country need to hear these people, they make more sense than anything I’d ever heard in my life.”  Interestingly, the phrase, “they’ll know we are Christians by our love”, also kept going through my head.

 

Jesus’ way of love heralds a new kind of kingdom, and today’s readings tell us that there will one day be a New Heaven and a New Earth.  The book of Revelation reveals things as they are from God’s view, and things as they will be.  The world as it is today, is in a fair bit of chaos.  Where there isn’t war, there certainly is division.

 

As followers of Christ, we long to see the reign of Christ, where everything on Earth is in order, according to His ways.   This is where we are different from those who don’t follow Christ.  Most importantly this different way is not a prescribed difference according to me, or you or any other charismatic leader who may come to power, but different according to God’s ways. 

 

The book of Revelation talks about times to come, but it also talks about some things as they are, revealing God’s perspective.  In that book there are letters to some churches and all but one of them are told they need to make some corrections. Those messages were pertinent to the churches at the time that they were written, but the errors of those churches are common throughout history and will be into the future, therefore, they are something we need to be checking for.

 

We are reminded today, that God cares for us.  He will dwell with us, and in this vision, there is no crying or death or mourning.  Also, there is no sea.  There are a few different views about this and why there is no sea, but I tend to feel it implies that there are no divisions.

 

Why do we have divisions?  The Gospel Coalition lists 4 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reasons-division-church/  but I suspect there are many.

 

If we get down to a personal level, it can be due to simple misunderstandings and different personality types, or a sense of ownership and control or a power play.  We are all human and suspectable so we all need to check ourselves often, and often times… ego really is a dirty word!  The antidote is love.  Jesus gave us a new commandment, that we love one another…. And do you see how this is echoed in my encounter with the young adult group when I was 17.  There was both a sense of incredible wisdom and a sense of love.  I don’t think it is any coincidence that the two went together.

 

Jesus said; “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Loving others was always part of God’s message.  The Israelites were to show hospitality and care for the vulnerable, which is practical acts of love.  So, when Jesus says that he has a new commandment, we need to ask what about this commandment is new.  The new part is to love as Jesus has loved us.

 

Before I continue, I want to make it clear that there were times when Jesus withdrew.  There were many times when Jesus stood his ground and there were many times when Jesus didn’t do what people wanted him to do.  But his motive was always love, and he loved in a way that was wise.  We might say, with proper boundaries.   

 

Recently I’ve been listening to focus on the family podcasts as I am in the car.  An American Christian senator was interviewed.  He explained that he read some of the Psalms each morning because he knew that he would be dealing with many things through the day that were not of God.  He had to keep that balance of putting the good stuff in, otherwise it would be like having a diet of only junk food and we’d get sick.

 

He also said that the divisions we see in government are a reflection of the society which is also divided and that if we want to change this division, it starts way back with us as individuals.   He spoke about not having enemies, only friends and future friends.  He explained that if there were people who vehemently disagreed with him, he would stop talking about those things and find something that they did agree on.  In this way they could find a way to work forward.

 

This is how we show practical love.  He didn’t compromise on the values of Jesus, but he showed that he was genuinely interested and concerned for the cares of the other person.  The show was actually called “dialling down the anger”, and he suggested that when we feel angry, instead of sending a derogatory email, or just stewing over things, we should find a way to serve. This is loving how Jesus loved.

 

In our first reading there was a division between the Jewish Christians and the Gentiles.  The Jewish Christians were Jews, and forever, there had been cultural divisions.  When they heard that Peter had gone and eaten with Gentiles, they were horrified.

 

Peter had experienced denying Jesus.  In this way, Peter had cut himself off from Jesus.  We often miss the grave significance of what it meant that Peter denied Jesus three times.  It means he had absolutely cut himself off, turned his back… it was every bit as serious as the sin of Judas who betrayed Jesus.  The difference being that Peter repents.  Meaning that he agreed with God about his fallibility, vulnerability and he was humbled.  Jesus had reinstated Peter by asking him if he loved him and telling him three times to feed His sheep.  Hopefully, you have picked up that there is something significant about the number “three”. 

 

Three signifies going forward, lifting up and spiritual authority.   If we look at the story of Peter with the vision that happened three times, we can see that God is impressing that this vision carries his authority.   It also involves the way forward and involves elevating the position of the Gentiles. 

 

In the story that Peter tells he ends with this one statement that silences the matter; “If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?"

 

God gave the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.  Repentance is to agree with God.  To agree that we need the sacrifice of Jesus.  To agree that only God can save us. 

 

In all our divisions and the chaos of life, this is what is of fundamental importance.  To agree with God. We need him.  Even in the command of Jesus to love one another as he has loved us, we very obviously can’t do it.  But what we can do, is agree with God, that His way is the way of life and we are thirsty for that living water.  We agree with God that we are fallible, and we need the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, and we need His gift of the Holy Spirit to enable us to love, we can not do it without him.

 

So let’s pray; Lord God, our father in heaven, we turn to you.  We admit our weakness, but Lord we submit our broken hearts to you.  We ask that you send us your Holy Spirit so that we can love with a supernatural love and walk in the ways of life and goodness that you call us to.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.