In what way are our Christian Churches like the "Emperor's new clothes"?
I went to an Anglican service in the city of Brisbane for Ash Wednesday. I hate that people sometimes text and check their phones when at a church service... I think it is rude, but this time it was me who wanted to text. I was going to text our north Queensland Bishop and ask him to let his buddies in South Queensland know that God understands modern English language. You see, the whole service was in old English.... and they wonder why our churches are empty.......!!!!
I have driven past a number of beautiful church buildings in Brisbane. The ones that stand out are those that have be sold into the marketplace and are operating as restaurants and night clubs.
Only in the Christian church is there an ignorance of the charm and beauty of these structures. The world outside recognises, not just the structural beauty but the essence of something spiritual and even mystical which gives them even greater charm. This element is brought about by years of prayers, tears and laughter, love and communion with God in all the various experiences. Some how these soak into the very structure and make the building "holy". The church may have a ceremony to decommission it and secularize it, but it has been made holy by the years of faithful people and this doesn't go away.... just as a Bible or structure, only really becomes "holy" or "Sacred" when it is combined with the human element and there is some kind of union which changes both. Without this union, the building is no more than a structure and the Holy Bible is simply words on a page.
In the church over the last few years there is a catch phrase bandied around.... "New Expressions". It can take any form, but lately I hear it referred to as "House church" - a way of having and being church in people's houses. NEWS FLASH.... this is not something new - generally people call it a Bible Study!!!!
New expressions is meant to be a way of evangelising the modern people. The reason for the "House church" is that there is this crazy idea that people are not comfortable in a church building..... Hmmmm.... I observe that the secular masses are actually acting in contrary to this belief. The old churches (operating as secular businesses) are busier than their non "church building" counterparts, due to the X factor, (spiritual element) which actually draws the people to them.
HOW STUPID AND IGNORANT are we that we think we can make a business decision about a church and decommission it because of lack of attendees.... and instead promote "House Church"? If we can't draw people to the church building, which has proven to hold incredible charm and drawing power, what makes us think we can draw people into a "House Church", where the only thing we are depending on is our own charm......???? It would seem to me, the church building is not the problem and reason that people are not attending..... the problem is us!
The Emperor was told of a "New" fabric.... he was convinced of its worth and neglected to see the truth. In his stupidity he paraded naked in front of the masses.
There are churches that take on new ideas.... It may be the latest sound gear... the latest style of music. This may seem to work. But there is a saying, "There was a lion in the jungle roaring and a rabbit who heard him enquired why. The Lion explained that he is king of the jungle because he advertises. So the rabbit gave it a try, but his roar was just a squeak. A hungry wolf heard the squeak and ate him. The moral to the story is that it doesn't pay to advertise unless you've got the goods."
The same goes for these delightful city churches that hire musicians who are not even Christians to perform exquisite choral works. How belittling to the "ministry" of music to think that someone who is not Christian - no matter how good, can possibly minister the spirit of God.
We can take on any church pattern or plan, but unless we have the "goods", it will all lead to nothing.
What is the "goods"? The "goods" is the Spirit of God.
Jesus didn't choose perfect disciples to be his apostles. Many think that people in the church are not to be in leadership until they've proven themselves perfect. This is the first thread in the Emperor's new clothes. A perfect and indefinable characteristic that draws a crowd. Con men do that!
We are not to be con men and do not have to be anything that we are not.
Do we speak Old English? No we don't. So to do so would be one of the threads of that ridiculous Emperor's outfit.
The main requirement is the Spirit of God. The secondary requirement is the calling of God to that purpose.
We need to be genuine and we need to be real.
It is true that we are a diverse people, but we can easily discern what is real and relatable. Firstly we need to relax and be assured by the words of scripture which reassure us that we have been given every necessary gift by God to achieve His purpose.
What language should we use and what style of music..... Surely it should be the same that we genuinely use when not at church. If in doubt - watch television - listen to advertisements and you will realise that there are no pipe organs and no "thees" and "thous".
A church that uses any "fabulous" new idea or "fabulous" old idea simply because they've been told that it is THE way to do things is a foolish Emperor parading naked. Not only will that church be laughed at, but ridiculed and scoffed for their hypocrisy.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Reflection for the 12th February 2012 6th Sunday after Epiphany year B
Year B Sixth Sunday after Epiphany 12 February 2012
2 Kings 5: 1-14 Psalm 30 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 Mark 1: 40-45
This week we have two stories about people infected with Leprosy. Leprosy in the Bible referred to many skin conditions and so we can’t know exactly to what extent the lepers in the two readings were affected, but in the very least, this was a condition that limited the person’s ability to live a normal life.
Today we understand Leprosy to be a bacterial infection that causes skin problems, muscle weakens – but most importantly affects the nervous system and the leper’s ability to feel pain.
Many years ago it was thought that leprosy caused flesh to rot and limbs to fall off, but these occurrences were due to the leper not being able to feel. Without the sensation of pain the leper would rest their foot on hot coals without realizing or lean their hand on sharp objects. Without the sensation of pain, the wounds were ignored and complications set in.
We can be like the lepers at times. Our spiritual nervous system becomes impaired when we neglect to nurture it.
Like the leper, if we have this spiritual leprosy, we are unable to even sense our spiritual sickness because we simply do not feel it. There is nothing pricking our consciences because we have become numb to such things.
In each of our stories the lepers were aware and bothered by their leprosy. They lived in a climate that didn’t tolerate leprosy. Due to the lack of sensation the leper may not notice his condition, but those around were quick to point it out and then they became outcast. They certainly were made acutely aware of their need for God’s healing.
In our first reading Naaman, a commander in the army of Aram had leprosy. An Israelite servant girl who had been captured by one of their raiding teams suggested that he go to see the prophet in Israel and “he” would cure him. This is our first little evangelist. She did a great job, but did get it a little wrong because it wasn’t the prophet who can heal, but only God.
Naaman goes to see the prophet but the prophet sends a messenger to tell Naaman to wash seven times in the river Jordon. Naaman is insulted because the prophet didn’t even come out to him and sees the act of washing seven times in the river Jordon as ridiculous.
It really wasn’t such a hard thing, but why the river Jordon? And Naaman angrily suggests that other rivers are just as good – if not better.
Many people today will write on a census form that they are Christian. They don’t attend any church however, and don’t believe that you have to attend church to be a Christian. These people have spiritual leprosy. They are unaware of their condition and they may even attend some meditation class and when getting into spiritual discussions will claim that all religions are basically the same. They will tell you that it doesn’t matter if you are Hindu, Christian or Muslim, Scientologists or new age spiritualist.
This spiritual leprosy is contagious and is so prevalent that society looks at them as being the norm and not as lepers at all. No one seems to feel anything pricking their conscience.... if it makes you happy it can’t be wrong.
Naaman was told to wash seven times in the river Jordon. Figuratively, because this was a land that worshiped the one God – Yaweh, this river is the “river of God”.... not just of any god, but Yaweh. Seven is the number that symbolizes God. Naaman was being shown in a most strong way that his healing would be the work of God and not some prophet. The cure for spiritual leprosy is to be immersed in God.... to be baptized – completely changed by the cleansing of our God of truth.
Our second reading is from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. In this he talks about running a race. He talks about how you can run aimlessly, but that won’t win you the prize. A serious athlete will train in a specific manner to achieve their purpose – to win.
1 Corinthians 9: 26, 27 “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
An athlete will research what is needed to win the race. They will set themselves a training regime that involves working on strengthening their weaknesses and maintaining and bettering their strengths. They will meditate on what it is that they can do to give themselves an edge over their competitors. They understand that all this will take time, dedication and discipline.
St. Paul urged the Corinthians and us with them, to run our spiritual race as though we intend to win.
I have come across people who, with a sense of worry, have said, “Well, I hope I get into heaven”. These people express a doubt that God really cares about them. Our Gospel reading tells us of the leper who said to Jesus, “If you want, you can make me clean”. The leper was sure of Jesus power, but not sure of God’s love for him. Jesus reassures him and heals him.
One of the biggest obstacles in training to win any prize is our self doubt. If we believe that God doesn’t care for us then we are far less likely to dedicate ourselves to running this spiritual race.
We need to be fully aware that through the gift of Jesus sacrifice on the cross we have already won the race. This is His gift of the assurance of his love. St. Paul knew this, but he knew that many, after accepting God, if they do not dedicate themselves to running the spiritual life like a race, develop spiritual leprosy, where they forget the truth about God and become numb to God.
After healing the leper, Jesus gave him these instructions: Mark 1:44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Naaman had to wash. The other leper had to show himself to the priest and offer sacrifices. Really neither one was instructed to do anything too hard. We also are “set free”, “cleansed” and assured of eternal life, but we too are urged to commit our lives to being joined to the “body of Christ”. We need to put certain things into place, such as regular prayer and Bible study and meetings with other Christians.
There is no hard and fast way to train for this race, but we need to work it out with God and stick to it. I suspect in the freedom that we have and choices, we actually neglect to do anything that resembles a Christian commitment.
If we fail to do this then over time we will become completely oblivious to the fact that we are numb to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and not only will we be ineffective witnesses but we will be maiming ourselves without realizing.... leaning on dangerous philosophies and breaking our lives with disastrous and false beliefs.
2 Kings 5: 1-14 Psalm 30 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 Mark 1: 40-45
This week we have two stories about people infected with Leprosy. Leprosy in the Bible referred to many skin conditions and so we can’t know exactly to what extent the lepers in the two readings were affected, but in the very least, this was a condition that limited the person’s ability to live a normal life.
Today we understand Leprosy to be a bacterial infection that causes skin problems, muscle weakens – but most importantly affects the nervous system and the leper’s ability to feel pain.
Many years ago it was thought that leprosy caused flesh to rot and limbs to fall off, but these occurrences were due to the leper not being able to feel. Without the sensation of pain the leper would rest their foot on hot coals without realizing or lean their hand on sharp objects. Without the sensation of pain, the wounds were ignored and complications set in.
We can be like the lepers at times. Our spiritual nervous system becomes impaired when we neglect to nurture it.
Like the leper, if we have this spiritual leprosy, we are unable to even sense our spiritual sickness because we simply do not feel it. There is nothing pricking our consciences because we have become numb to such things.
In each of our stories the lepers were aware and bothered by their leprosy. They lived in a climate that didn’t tolerate leprosy. Due to the lack of sensation the leper may not notice his condition, but those around were quick to point it out and then they became outcast. They certainly were made acutely aware of their need for God’s healing.
In our first reading Naaman, a commander in the army of Aram had leprosy. An Israelite servant girl who had been captured by one of their raiding teams suggested that he go to see the prophet in Israel and “he” would cure him. This is our first little evangelist. She did a great job, but did get it a little wrong because it wasn’t the prophet who can heal, but only God.
Naaman goes to see the prophet but the prophet sends a messenger to tell Naaman to wash seven times in the river Jordon. Naaman is insulted because the prophet didn’t even come out to him and sees the act of washing seven times in the river Jordon as ridiculous.
It really wasn’t such a hard thing, but why the river Jordon? And Naaman angrily suggests that other rivers are just as good – if not better.
Many people today will write on a census form that they are Christian. They don’t attend any church however, and don’t believe that you have to attend church to be a Christian. These people have spiritual leprosy. They are unaware of their condition and they may even attend some meditation class and when getting into spiritual discussions will claim that all religions are basically the same. They will tell you that it doesn’t matter if you are Hindu, Christian or Muslim, Scientologists or new age spiritualist.
This spiritual leprosy is contagious and is so prevalent that society looks at them as being the norm and not as lepers at all. No one seems to feel anything pricking their conscience.... if it makes you happy it can’t be wrong.
Naaman was told to wash seven times in the river Jordon. Figuratively, because this was a land that worshiped the one God – Yaweh, this river is the “river of God”.... not just of any god, but Yaweh. Seven is the number that symbolizes God. Naaman was being shown in a most strong way that his healing would be the work of God and not some prophet. The cure for spiritual leprosy is to be immersed in God.... to be baptized – completely changed by the cleansing of our God of truth.
Our second reading is from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. In this he talks about running a race. He talks about how you can run aimlessly, but that won’t win you the prize. A serious athlete will train in a specific manner to achieve their purpose – to win.
1 Corinthians 9: 26, 27 “Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
An athlete will research what is needed to win the race. They will set themselves a training regime that involves working on strengthening their weaknesses and maintaining and bettering their strengths. They will meditate on what it is that they can do to give themselves an edge over their competitors. They understand that all this will take time, dedication and discipline.
St. Paul urged the Corinthians and us with them, to run our spiritual race as though we intend to win.
I have come across people who, with a sense of worry, have said, “Well, I hope I get into heaven”. These people express a doubt that God really cares about them. Our Gospel reading tells us of the leper who said to Jesus, “If you want, you can make me clean”. The leper was sure of Jesus power, but not sure of God’s love for him. Jesus reassures him and heals him.
One of the biggest obstacles in training to win any prize is our self doubt. If we believe that God doesn’t care for us then we are far less likely to dedicate ourselves to running this spiritual race.
We need to be fully aware that through the gift of Jesus sacrifice on the cross we have already won the race. This is His gift of the assurance of his love. St. Paul knew this, but he knew that many, after accepting God, if they do not dedicate themselves to running the spiritual life like a race, develop spiritual leprosy, where they forget the truth about God and become numb to God.
After healing the leper, Jesus gave him these instructions: Mark 1:44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
Naaman had to wash. The other leper had to show himself to the priest and offer sacrifices. Really neither one was instructed to do anything too hard. We also are “set free”, “cleansed” and assured of eternal life, but we too are urged to commit our lives to being joined to the “body of Christ”. We need to put certain things into place, such as regular prayer and Bible study and meetings with other Christians.
There is no hard and fast way to train for this race, but we need to work it out with God and stick to it. I suspect in the freedom that we have and choices, we actually neglect to do anything that resembles a Christian commitment.
If we fail to do this then over time we will become completely oblivious to the fact that we are numb to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and not only will we be ineffective witnesses but we will be maiming ourselves without realizing.... leaning on dangerous philosophies and breaking our lives with disastrous and false beliefs.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Reflection on the readings for the 5th February 2012 (Year B)
Year B Fifth Sunday after Epiphany 5 February 2012
Isaiah 40: 21-31 Psalm 147: 1-11 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 Mark 1: 29-39
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
There were prophets throughout the Old Testament who knew this compulsion. It happens when God places his word in our lives and with it, a burden to share that word.
This week I was again teaching my singing students. As I was going through one of my student’s songs I stopped to ask her if she knew what the song was about. She didn’t know. So, I tried to tell her as simply and quickly as possible. Though it turned out to be lengthier than I anticipated, it was very enjoyable. The song was, “Let’s all go down to the river”. It spoke about this man walking on the water, healing the blind and raising dead from the grave. It also spoke about Jesus forgiving sin. When we got to that part my student asked me what sin was.
No matter where we are and no matter what our profession, if we are the people of God then we are compelled to preach the Gospel. Some would add, and sometimes use words to do so.
I love explaining stuff about God to people. You’d never have guessed, right?!! It is often really nice to do this explaining to children because it forces you to make very clear and simple sense of hugely theological subjects... like sin. I love it, especially because I do believe that this good news is for all and all should be able to understand it.
This week I’ve been reminded of something that I have mentioned before and I think it needs to be emphasized. When Jesus walked the earth he did so as a man. (This came up in our discussion briefly). We know that Jesus is God, and so we sometimes forget that there was this time in history when Jesus was simply a man – though still the son of God.
Our Gospel reading tells the story of Jesus going to Peter’s place. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick and Jesus healed her. That evening word must have spread because the sick from everywhere landed at Peter’s place and Jesus healed them.
Here is the thing to ponder. Though he was God, Jesus became, for a while, “a little lower than the angels”.... he gave up his God-ness and became human. Jesus was fully man and the power of God was only accessed through his union with the father and the Holy Spirit through prayer. Remember, all those encounters of healing where Jesus first prayed? Also, remember how the Spirit came and rested on him when he was baptised in the Jordan River and then led him into the desert? It was Jesus the fully human man who healed the sick and raised the dead. What are the implications for us?
What? You want me to tell you? Okay.
The life of Jesus is the perfect life. We are not be able to live a perfect Christian life because we are simply not perfect, but we can do a lot more than we currently are.
Jesus showed us how all things are possible, but they are only possible by a relationship of unity with God – a one-ness with the father and reliance on the Holy Spirit. It isn’t actually hard. It is impossible.... but with God all things are possible! Sorry for the contradictions, but what I’m saying is that we have been given the gifts and power to live this life. Why are we settling for less? The Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost, not just because a bunch of disciples were sad and needing encouraging.... but to empower them to do just what Jesus did. Do you think we need that empowering any less today?
We know that we need to be led by God, to be so in sync with him that we know what he wants us to do at any given moment.... and to have the correct words to say when questioned about our faith, but we don’t tend to be where we spiritually should be. The Holy Spirit’s job is to lead, to teach, to comfort. We have the Spirit.... so what else are we missing?
Mark 1:35-37 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!””
Although Jesus never seemed to get a lot of rest, we do read many accounts that testify to his going to a solitary place to pray. I tend to think that this is recorded so that we know how important it is.
Prayer is our communication with God. This week I spoke with a friend and we both acknowledged that praying has become hard. We no longer feel we know what to pray.... often it feels like God is doing his own thing regardless of what we want. I guess there is a little frustration that we both feel with the events in our lives. (maybe a little more than a little frustration!)
I mentioned to my friend that I’ve recently been reminded of the Holy Spirit. You see, when we do not know what to pray, the Spirit prays for us. Most importantly, we had both forgotten that an important aspect of prayer is not just to tell God what we want, but to also give him a chance to tell us what he wants. How often have we prayed with this intent?
One of the most important prayers of Jesus is the one where he begs the father to take “the cup” from him. And then he ends with, “but your will be done, not mine”.
“The cup” – Jesus suffering and death on the cross, was not taken from him. His prayer was answered with a cruel “No”. The prayer, “your will be done” was answered.
This is the feeling that those of us with disappointments carry. God has a plan and sometimes we simply can’t accept it. The difference between us and Jesus is that we refuse to say, “your will be done”. It isn’t easy to do.... it is impossible.
How can we say, “your will be done” when we really don’t want it? If we are like this and we do say it, thinking we will put all our effort into trying to feel it, we will simply wear out.... grow quickly weary and tired. We can only honestly say to God, “I know that you are God! You are God of the entire universe. God of Angels, humans and all living creatures. I don’t know how to open my heart to your will. Please send your Holy Spirit to lead me.”
In the light of these very human and common struggles we can understand the reading from Isaiah: (remember that Israel means, “He struggles with God”)
Isaiah 40:37-41 “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Some translations of the reading from Isaiah have the word “Hope” as “wait”. I think if we put the two together we get an understanding that it is the relationship we have that God that enables us to “Hope and wait” and trust.
We are those whose hope is in the LORD. Sometimes we hurt too much to see the bigger picture and we need help to remember that God really does care infinitely about us and our concerns.
There is a song, “Ten thousand Angels cried”, and there is a part in this song that always catches in my throat... “when he asked the father, “why hast thou forsaken me.....” It is a line that echoes what we often feel, but the next line says, “they watched the saviour die of his own choice”. Because of his great love for us, Jesus, the son of God, was able to say, “Not my will but yours”. But as “Jesus the man”, the truth is more probably that it was because of his relationship with the father that he was able to submit to the father’s will.
St. Paul became all things to all people so that he could relate the Gospel to them effectively. His mission was to preach and in whatever manner, we are called to also proclaim the good news. There is so much more that we could be doing if only we were in closer unity with God and his will. Prayer brings us into unity with God. The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray.
It is a beautiful circle, because after Jesus prayed this was his resolution:
Mark 1:38,39 “Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”
Isaiah 40: 21-31 Psalm 147: 1-11 1 Corinthians 9: 16-23 Mark 1: 29-39
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”
There were prophets throughout the Old Testament who knew this compulsion. It happens when God places his word in our lives and with it, a burden to share that word.
This week I was again teaching my singing students. As I was going through one of my student’s songs I stopped to ask her if she knew what the song was about. She didn’t know. So, I tried to tell her as simply and quickly as possible. Though it turned out to be lengthier than I anticipated, it was very enjoyable. The song was, “Let’s all go down to the river”. It spoke about this man walking on the water, healing the blind and raising dead from the grave. It also spoke about Jesus forgiving sin. When we got to that part my student asked me what sin was.
No matter where we are and no matter what our profession, if we are the people of God then we are compelled to preach the Gospel. Some would add, and sometimes use words to do so.
I love explaining stuff about God to people. You’d never have guessed, right?!! It is often really nice to do this explaining to children because it forces you to make very clear and simple sense of hugely theological subjects... like sin. I love it, especially because I do believe that this good news is for all and all should be able to understand it.
This week I’ve been reminded of something that I have mentioned before and I think it needs to be emphasized. When Jesus walked the earth he did so as a man. (This came up in our discussion briefly). We know that Jesus is God, and so we sometimes forget that there was this time in history when Jesus was simply a man – though still the son of God.
Our Gospel reading tells the story of Jesus going to Peter’s place. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick and Jesus healed her. That evening word must have spread because the sick from everywhere landed at Peter’s place and Jesus healed them.
Here is the thing to ponder. Though he was God, Jesus became, for a while, “a little lower than the angels”.... he gave up his God-ness and became human. Jesus was fully man and the power of God was only accessed through his union with the father and the Holy Spirit through prayer. Remember, all those encounters of healing where Jesus first prayed? Also, remember how the Spirit came and rested on him when he was baptised in the Jordan River and then led him into the desert? It was Jesus the fully human man who healed the sick and raised the dead. What are the implications for us?
What? You want me to tell you? Okay.
The life of Jesus is the perfect life. We are not be able to live a perfect Christian life because we are simply not perfect, but we can do a lot more than we currently are.
Jesus showed us how all things are possible, but they are only possible by a relationship of unity with God – a one-ness with the father and reliance on the Holy Spirit. It isn’t actually hard. It is impossible.... but with God all things are possible! Sorry for the contradictions, but what I’m saying is that we have been given the gifts and power to live this life. Why are we settling for less? The Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost, not just because a bunch of disciples were sad and needing encouraging.... but to empower them to do just what Jesus did. Do you think we need that empowering any less today?
We know that we need to be led by God, to be so in sync with him that we know what he wants us to do at any given moment.... and to have the correct words to say when questioned about our faith, but we don’t tend to be where we spiritually should be. The Holy Spirit’s job is to lead, to teach, to comfort. We have the Spirit.... so what else are we missing?
Mark 1:35-37 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!””
Although Jesus never seemed to get a lot of rest, we do read many accounts that testify to his going to a solitary place to pray. I tend to think that this is recorded so that we know how important it is.
Prayer is our communication with God. This week I spoke with a friend and we both acknowledged that praying has become hard. We no longer feel we know what to pray.... often it feels like God is doing his own thing regardless of what we want. I guess there is a little frustration that we both feel with the events in our lives. (maybe a little more than a little frustration!)
I mentioned to my friend that I’ve recently been reminded of the Holy Spirit. You see, when we do not know what to pray, the Spirit prays for us. Most importantly, we had both forgotten that an important aspect of prayer is not just to tell God what we want, but to also give him a chance to tell us what he wants. How often have we prayed with this intent?
One of the most important prayers of Jesus is the one where he begs the father to take “the cup” from him. And then he ends with, “but your will be done, not mine”.
“The cup” – Jesus suffering and death on the cross, was not taken from him. His prayer was answered with a cruel “No”. The prayer, “your will be done” was answered.
This is the feeling that those of us with disappointments carry. God has a plan and sometimes we simply can’t accept it. The difference between us and Jesus is that we refuse to say, “your will be done”. It isn’t easy to do.... it is impossible.
How can we say, “your will be done” when we really don’t want it? If we are like this and we do say it, thinking we will put all our effort into trying to feel it, we will simply wear out.... grow quickly weary and tired. We can only honestly say to God, “I know that you are God! You are God of the entire universe. God of Angels, humans and all living creatures. I don’t know how to open my heart to your will. Please send your Holy Spirit to lead me.”
In the light of these very human and common struggles we can understand the reading from Isaiah: (remember that Israel means, “He struggles with God”)
Isaiah 40:37-41 “Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Some translations of the reading from Isaiah have the word “Hope” as “wait”. I think if we put the two together we get an understanding that it is the relationship we have that God that enables us to “Hope and wait” and trust.
We are those whose hope is in the LORD. Sometimes we hurt too much to see the bigger picture and we need help to remember that God really does care infinitely about us and our concerns.
There is a song, “Ten thousand Angels cried”, and there is a part in this song that always catches in my throat... “when he asked the father, “why hast thou forsaken me.....” It is a line that echoes what we often feel, but the next line says, “they watched the saviour die of his own choice”. Because of his great love for us, Jesus, the son of God, was able to say, “Not my will but yours”. But as “Jesus the man”, the truth is more probably that it was because of his relationship with the father that he was able to submit to the father’s will.
St. Paul became all things to all people so that he could relate the Gospel to them effectively. His mission was to preach and in whatever manner, we are called to also proclaim the good news. There is so much more that we could be doing if only we were in closer unity with God and his will. Prayer brings us into unity with God. The Holy Spirit teaches us to pray.
It is a beautiful circle, because after Jesus prayed this was his resolution:
Mark 1:38,39 “Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Reflection on readings for the 29th January 2010 4th Sunday after Epiphany Year B
Year B Fourth Sunday after Epiphany 29 January 2012
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28
I’ve just come across a saying on facebook that did the email rounds sometime ago and in a back to front way it fits in with our readings for this week...... will tell you what it is... but not yet.
Our readings this week talk about accountability and responsibility. At first glance these words look like they could be the same thing, but they are not.
Both are rather serious sounding words and each requires some kind of action.
As Christians we are accountable.
Our second reading tells us that we are not to cause our weaker brothers and sisters to sin by exercising our freedom.
You see, we do have an amazing freedom. Very few of us live in the joy of that freedom and most often church communities develop their own very strict set of “dos” and “don’ts”. Often these are put in place for the very reason of our accountability, but unfortunately we sometime miss the “Good News” of the freedom we have in Christ when we enforce these things.
St. Paul wrote about this to the Corinthians who so truly understood their freedom that they forgot to be mindful of the weaker brothers and sisters.
1 Corinthians 8:9-11 “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.”
In our experience it is not the meat offered to idols that is an exercise of our freedom, but the various other things that the world has to offer which may seem to others as sinful.
For a long time there was a joke among some churches that kissing should not be allowed, because it leads to dancing!! The meaning was that some thought dancing was sinful.
In a similar way I’ve noticed many Christians, who dismissed the Christian authenticity of individuals because of how they dressed, spoke and the places they were comfortable going... eg. Nightclubs.
We often forget that we become Christian by the Holy Spirit that brings us to spiritual birth when we accept Christ as our saviour. The authenticity of our Christianity is this Holy Spirit living within us and thankfully, NOT the things we do.
Strangely enough it is often those who do not have the Spirit who can recognise it in a person. What I’m saying is, that we in the church will often look for actions of “holiness” to prove this thing that we can’t physically see. The proof of a real Christian is not in these acts, but in something way less tangible and we need the Holy Spirit gift of discernment to really see it.
In demanding a “look of Christianity” we sometimes kill the freedom that we have in Christ and actually quench the Spirit.
An example of this is something I’ve heard happening often..... A minister will sometimes advise their youth not to attend a regional or state Christian conference. They seem to fear that the youth might learn something wrong. It is similar with adult conferences. I’ve attended many ecumenical conferences and there are always some churches who won’t promote the international speakers’ visit, due to an irrational fear of the unknown. We need to let the Holy Spirit work.... and he works through our freedom. This is not what St. Paul is talking about when he tells us to be mindful of others.
The Corinthian Christians were not quenching the Spirit, but they were grieving the spirit because new believers didn’t understand the difference between what was helpful for their Christian walk and what was harmful.
We are free. I am free to eat chocolate and I like it a lot. If I want it for dinner I can have it, but it would not set a good example for small children, who don’t understand the nutritional needs of our bodies.
My children are now older. I have a rule – no girl/boy sleep-overs. In our contemporary culture this has become acceptable and is in fact hard to explain that you have are in a relationship but live separately..... it is not helpful for our Christian growth to live in the way that society accepts. I set the same rule for myself as for my children.... if they choose not to live by this rule, they choose to live elsewhere and as young adults, that becomes their responsibility.
Sometimes it is hard as a parent to do what we need to for the sake of our children’s understanding of what is helpful and what is harmful. We need to put aside the freedom we have as adults and show our children what it is to be a “responsible” adult.... and we are “accountable” for teaching them this. And so, this can mean not drinking to the point of becoming drunk.... driving in the way that you want them to drive when they are new learners. Etc.
I was told some time ago, “you can’t tell your kids what to do once they become adults”..... Well, just watch me! While I tell them, I unconditionally love them and let them know this, but I will always tell my children if I think they are doing the wrong thing because that is my job.... I am accountable for that – how they respond is up to them and is their responsibility.
Although I’ve gone a bit aside talking about Children and parents, it is important to understand, because it is the perfect parable for what the message of our readings are this week.
Deuteronomy 18:17-20 “The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
In this passage God was speaking to Moses about the prophet he would send. In the way of God, this referred both to the prophets God would send and then especially it is referring to Jesus.
We have a responsibility to heed the words of Jesus and we will be held accountable if we do not listen. All of us have heard the words of Jesus, but have we “listened” – or are we lying to ourselves, convincing ourselves that we will not be held accountable?
Mark 1:21-28 describes the scene of Jesus teaching in the synagogue. The people were amazed at the authority with which he taught. And then, to add further proof to his authority, a man possess by a demon (unclean spirit) throws himself at Jesus. Jesus commands the spirit and the people are once more convinced of the authority of Jesus.
“Ah.... how nice. Yes Jesus has amazing authority and Oh.... if only we had been there.... “
Well, here is a news flash; those same people rejected Jesus when the going got tough. And here is another news flash; God holds them accountable.
Those people were the chosen race of God. They were the religious leaders and good, law abiding citizens. They rejected Jesus and God holds them accountable. Why? Because he had told them, way back at the time of Moses, that he would send his prophet and the people must listen to him. These chosen people of God witnessed the miracles and sensed the authority of Jesus, but they ultimately rejected him.
God gives us free will. He sends us many prophets along the way to point us towards the path he wants us to take, but we have to choose to take that path.
And now that you are possibly freaked out by the severity of our accountability I have some more good news;
To fail is human! Which is why we need to be connected to the body of Christ through regular church attendance to keep on track. It is the body of Christ where the modern day prophets speak and point out some of those boundaries we may sometimes cross. But just in case you think that those prophets are perfect.... or just in case your excuse for not listening to them is because they are not perfect..... The facebook gem that I came across today is that one about how Jacob was a cheater, St. Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, St. Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Elijah was depressed, Moses was a stutterer, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead.
These were the prophets called by God. They were not perfect and neither are we, but we have a responsibility to listen to the word of God through his people and we are accountable to then become his message of salvation.
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Psalm 111 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28
I’ve just come across a saying on facebook that did the email rounds sometime ago and in a back to front way it fits in with our readings for this week...... will tell you what it is... but not yet.
Our readings this week talk about accountability and responsibility. At first glance these words look like they could be the same thing, but they are not.
Both are rather serious sounding words and each requires some kind of action.
As Christians we are accountable.
Our second reading tells us that we are not to cause our weaker brothers and sisters to sin by exercising our freedom.
You see, we do have an amazing freedom. Very few of us live in the joy of that freedom and most often church communities develop their own very strict set of “dos” and “don’ts”. Often these are put in place for the very reason of our accountability, but unfortunately we sometime miss the “Good News” of the freedom we have in Christ when we enforce these things.
St. Paul wrote about this to the Corinthians who so truly understood their freedom that they forgot to be mindful of the weaker brothers and sisters.
1 Corinthians 8:9-11 “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.”
In our experience it is not the meat offered to idols that is an exercise of our freedom, but the various other things that the world has to offer which may seem to others as sinful.
For a long time there was a joke among some churches that kissing should not be allowed, because it leads to dancing!! The meaning was that some thought dancing was sinful.
In a similar way I’ve noticed many Christians, who dismissed the Christian authenticity of individuals because of how they dressed, spoke and the places they were comfortable going... eg. Nightclubs.
We often forget that we become Christian by the Holy Spirit that brings us to spiritual birth when we accept Christ as our saviour. The authenticity of our Christianity is this Holy Spirit living within us and thankfully, NOT the things we do.
Strangely enough it is often those who do not have the Spirit who can recognise it in a person. What I’m saying is, that we in the church will often look for actions of “holiness” to prove this thing that we can’t physically see. The proof of a real Christian is not in these acts, but in something way less tangible and we need the Holy Spirit gift of discernment to really see it.
In demanding a “look of Christianity” we sometimes kill the freedom that we have in Christ and actually quench the Spirit.
An example of this is something I’ve heard happening often..... A minister will sometimes advise their youth not to attend a regional or state Christian conference. They seem to fear that the youth might learn something wrong. It is similar with adult conferences. I’ve attended many ecumenical conferences and there are always some churches who won’t promote the international speakers’ visit, due to an irrational fear of the unknown. We need to let the Holy Spirit work.... and he works through our freedom. This is not what St. Paul is talking about when he tells us to be mindful of others.
The Corinthian Christians were not quenching the Spirit, but they were grieving the spirit because new believers didn’t understand the difference between what was helpful for their Christian walk and what was harmful.
We are free. I am free to eat chocolate and I like it a lot. If I want it for dinner I can have it, but it would not set a good example for small children, who don’t understand the nutritional needs of our bodies.
My children are now older. I have a rule – no girl/boy sleep-overs. In our contemporary culture this has become acceptable and is in fact hard to explain that you have are in a relationship but live separately..... it is not helpful for our Christian growth to live in the way that society accepts. I set the same rule for myself as for my children.... if they choose not to live by this rule, they choose to live elsewhere and as young adults, that becomes their responsibility.
Sometimes it is hard as a parent to do what we need to for the sake of our children’s understanding of what is helpful and what is harmful. We need to put aside the freedom we have as adults and show our children what it is to be a “responsible” adult.... and we are “accountable” for teaching them this. And so, this can mean not drinking to the point of becoming drunk.... driving in the way that you want them to drive when they are new learners. Etc.
I was told some time ago, “you can’t tell your kids what to do once they become adults”..... Well, just watch me! While I tell them, I unconditionally love them and let them know this, but I will always tell my children if I think they are doing the wrong thing because that is my job.... I am accountable for that – how they respond is up to them and is their responsibility.
Although I’ve gone a bit aside talking about Children and parents, it is important to understand, because it is the perfect parable for what the message of our readings are this week.
Deuteronomy 18:17-20 “The LORD said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.”
In this passage God was speaking to Moses about the prophet he would send. In the way of God, this referred both to the prophets God would send and then especially it is referring to Jesus.
We have a responsibility to heed the words of Jesus and we will be held accountable if we do not listen. All of us have heard the words of Jesus, but have we “listened” – or are we lying to ourselves, convincing ourselves that we will not be held accountable?
Mark 1:21-28 describes the scene of Jesus teaching in the synagogue. The people were amazed at the authority with which he taught. And then, to add further proof to his authority, a man possess by a demon (unclean spirit) throws himself at Jesus. Jesus commands the spirit and the people are once more convinced of the authority of Jesus.
“Ah.... how nice. Yes Jesus has amazing authority and Oh.... if only we had been there.... “
Well, here is a news flash; those same people rejected Jesus when the going got tough. And here is another news flash; God holds them accountable.
Those people were the chosen race of God. They were the religious leaders and good, law abiding citizens. They rejected Jesus and God holds them accountable. Why? Because he had told them, way back at the time of Moses, that he would send his prophet and the people must listen to him. These chosen people of God witnessed the miracles and sensed the authority of Jesus, but they ultimately rejected him.
God gives us free will. He sends us many prophets along the way to point us towards the path he wants us to take, but we have to choose to take that path.
And now that you are possibly freaked out by the severity of our accountability I have some more good news;
To fail is human! Which is why we need to be connected to the body of Christ through regular church attendance to keep on track. It is the body of Christ where the modern day prophets speak and point out some of those boundaries we may sometimes cross. But just in case you think that those prophets are perfect.... or just in case your excuse for not listening to them is because they are not perfect..... The facebook gem that I came across today is that one about how Jacob was a cheater, St. Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, St. Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Elijah was depressed, Moses was a stutterer, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old and Lazarus was dead.
These were the prophets called by God. They were not perfect and neither are we, but we have a responsibility to listen to the word of God through his people and we are accountable to then become his message of salvation.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Reflection on readings for 22nd january 2012
Year B Third Sunday after Epiphany 22 January 2012
Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:5-12 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20
The readings this week are short and straight to the point. They are about people being called by God and these people answering the call. At least that is how it appears at a superficial reading, but if we look further we see that there is actually more to each story.
The Gospel tells us about Jesus calling Simon Peter and Andrew and then the brothers, John and James.
Mark 1:16-20 “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”
From the reading we get this image of Jesus calling out, “come follow me” and these men immediately acting as if hypnotised, blindly and strangely, dropping everything to follow him. We know from other Gospel accounts that these men had been followers of John the Baptist. They had witnessed John’s testimony about Jesus and had already encountered Jesus personally. The ground work had been done and these men were ready to answer the call.
One of my favourite stories from the Bible is the account of Jonah. There is so much we can learn from Jonah, but more than anything we can relate to Jonah.
Jonah was a prophet. He was relatively comfortable in this role and comfortable with his relationship with God until God calls him to go and speak to the city of Nineveh. I’m assuming we all know the story of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish.... What happened was that Jonah tried to run away from God.
Interesting...... Jonah ran away from God and straight into trouble. There is a message for us right there, but the emphasis on this week’s reading is Jonah’s second call.
Jonah had re-submitted his life into God’s hands and God had rescued him. Then it seems that God calls Jonah again.
I’m reading in between the lines, of course, but it seems to me that Jonah surely must have realized that he had failed as a prophet. In today’s world we would have sacked this preacher and left him to find other employment. I’m sure that God could have used someone else to go to the Ninevites and give them His message, but there is something very important that we need to learn about the way God operates, and we learn it through this story.
God called Jonah. Full stop!
He didn’t un-call him or decommission him or “let him go”. Jonah was called, commissioned and in that he was affirmed as being in a positive and sure relationship with God.
Sometimes I see leaders in Churches and I do wonder if God called them. Other times I have a strong sense of a person called by God, but they “fail” and the church dismisses them. One very simple example of this is a priest from when I was just a teenager. He was the most gifted priest, who really taught well from the pulpit, but also had a way of pastoral care and wisdom that meant that the parish grew in both number and activity and in spiritual maturity. Eventually the priest moved on and later left the church because he decided that he wanted to marry. The churches loss!
Stories like these we hear time and again, but sometimes the “failure” is more than a perceived failure and actual sin...... sometimes, we are the only ones who know and we feel that we can not be useful to God because we know just how bad we are.
If we have been called by God, we are called. Running away, we will find ourselves running into trouble, but in acknowledging our failure we will find that we have not forfeited the call and purpose that God has for our lives. The call of God is constant.
When we are called we know that we are forgiven. The “word of the Lord” coming a second time to Jonah, reassured him that God still had a plan and a purpose for him and it was the same plan and purpose that God had all along.
Mark 1:14-15 “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
There is also a sense of urgency about this week’s readings. “The time has come....” The time HAS come. It is time we stopped feeding our doubts and claimed back the truth, but to do this we need to know that we are also called.
It isn’t just those who are far away from God who need to repent and believe the Good News. From day to day, many of us get lost in our own world and in our own narrow perspective. To believe the Good News means to open our eyes to the bigger picture and realize that God has all of our personal “worlds” in his hands. But we need to repent. We need to realize that we have been running away from God by not fully trusting in him and not following the purpose to which he has called us.
But how do we know that God is calling us?
I remember seeing a poster many years ago with this same question. In big letters the poster said;
How can you know that God is calling you?
................................You are breathing!
Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:5-12 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20
The readings this week are short and straight to the point. They are about people being called by God and these people answering the call. At least that is how it appears at a superficial reading, but if we look further we see that there is actually more to each story.
The Gospel tells us about Jesus calling Simon Peter and Andrew and then the brothers, John and James.
Mark 1:16-20 “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”
From the reading we get this image of Jesus calling out, “come follow me” and these men immediately acting as if hypnotised, blindly and strangely, dropping everything to follow him. We know from other Gospel accounts that these men had been followers of John the Baptist. They had witnessed John’s testimony about Jesus and had already encountered Jesus personally. The ground work had been done and these men were ready to answer the call.
One of my favourite stories from the Bible is the account of Jonah. There is so much we can learn from Jonah, but more than anything we can relate to Jonah.
Jonah was a prophet. He was relatively comfortable in this role and comfortable with his relationship with God until God calls him to go and speak to the city of Nineveh. I’m assuming we all know the story of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish.... What happened was that Jonah tried to run away from God.
Interesting...... Jonah ran away from God and straight into trouble. There is a message for us right there, but the emphasis on this week’s reading is Jonah’s second call.
Jonah had re-submitted his life into God’s hands and God had rescued him. Then it seems that God calls Jonah again.
I’m reading in between the lines, of course, but it seems to me that Jonah surely must have realized that he had failed as a prophet. In today’s world we would have sacked this preacher and left him to find other employment. I’m sure that God could have used someone else to go to the Ninevites and give them His message, but there is something very important that we need to learn about the way God operates, and we learn it through this story.
God called Jonah. Full stop!
He didn’t un-call him or decommission him or “let him go”. Jonah was called, commissioned and in that he was affirmed as being in a positive and sure relationship with God.
Sometimes I see leaders in Churches and I do wonder if God called them. Other times I have a strong sense of a person called by God, but they “fail” and the church dismisses them. One very simple example of this is a priest from when I was just a teenager. He was the most gifted priest, who really taught well from the pulpit, but also had a way of pastoral care and wisdom that meant that the parish grew in both number and activity and in spiritual maturity. Eventually the priest moved on and later left the church because he decided that he wanted to marry. The churches loss!
Stories like these we hear time and again, but sometimes the “failure” is more than a perceived failure and actual sin...... sometimes, we are the only ones who know and we feel that we can not be useful to God because we know just how bad we are.
If we have been called by God, we are called. Running away, we will find ourselves running into trouble, but in acknowledging our failure we will find that we have not forfeited the call and purpose that God has for our lives. The call of God is constant.
When we are called we know that we are forgiven. The “word of the Lord” coming a second time to Jonah, reassured him that God still had a plan and a purpose for him and it was the same plan and purpose that God had all along.
Mark 1:14-15 “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
There is also a sense of urgency about this week’s readings. “The time has come....” The time HAS come. It is time we stopped feeding our doubts and claimed back the truth, but to do this we need to know that we are also called.
It isn’t just those who are far away from God who need to repent and believe the Good News. From day to day, many of us get lost in our own world and in our own narrow perspective. To believe the Good News means to open our eyes to the bigger picture and realize that God has all of our personal “worlds” in his hands. But we need to repent. We need to realize that we have been running away from God by not fully trusting in him and not following the purpose to which he has called us.
But how do we know that God is calling us?
I remember seeing a poster many years ago with this same question. In big letters the poster said;
How can you know that God is calling you?
................................You are breathing!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas reflection 2011
25 December 2011 Xmas
Isaiah 52: 7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1: 1-4, (5-12) John 1: 1-14
It has just become Christmas Eve, and I’m up rather late. It has been a while since I’ve written a reflection and if the truth be known, I’ve been struggling quite a bit. After Joe died I was coping pretty well. I think I had subconsciously psyched myself into coping before he died, but as the time has progressed I seem to be progressively running out of coping ability. I’m okay.... but worn out.
However, it is time I communicated again.
The readings for Christmas are very precious, and the Gospel reading from John is a personal favourite of mine.
John 1:1-5 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Quite often, when someone first becomes a Christian, it is suggested that they read the Gospel of Mark. Mark is simple and gives a concise overview of the life of Jesus. If I am ever running a Bible study, I like to start with John 1. This is the very centre of Christianity. It is not simple, but divisive, as it states clearly that Jesus is God – and that is not easily accepted.
If you were to walk down the street – or maybe even survey your church about who Jesus is, you might be interested in the varying opinions and understandings. Many can accept Jesus as a good moral teacher, or a prophet.... even the son of God, but very few can grasp the idea of this oneness that the son had with the father.
In the beginning was the word. In this passage, John refers to Jesus as the “word” and we are told that the word was there in the beginning. If we go back to the account of the creation, back to the beginning of Genesis and look for the person of Jesus we might have trouble finding him, but if we look for the “word”, we will discover that God created, not by pointing his finger or twitching His nose, but by speaking.
Genesis 1:3 “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”
Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the “word of God” or “word of the LORD”. This is the case in the story of Samuel the prophet. He was a boy who lived with the priest and ministered in the house of God and yet this is said about him at the time that God called him:
1 Samuel 3:7 “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.”
The “Word of the LORD” isn’t referring to anything written, but a personal revelation of God. Before this encounter Samuel knew about God, but after this encounter Samuel knew the “word of the LORD”..... he knew Jesus. (Though not by that name).
Our Christmas reading from the letter to the Hebrews also confirms the deity of Christ and that the son was there at the creation of the world:
Hebrews 1: 8- “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”
There is only one God, but like the Ferrero Rocher add where the goddess splits into 3, we know God is beyond our human limitations and is three “persons” in one. It is fair to say that Jesus is the visible expression of the unseen God and Jesus is a part of God that communicates with us.
In our changing times it is important to remember that God does not change. Our world is changing and we see in the reading from Hebrews a hint that God foresaw this when we are told, the foundations of the earth and the heavens will all wear out like a garment that will be changed. We could become quite panicked about the state of our world and climate change and the many disasters, but as Christians we should have calm at the core of our being because our trust is not in these things, but in the unchanging, merciful and loving God.
Each Christmas we recall that the “word of God” became flesh. It is a most holy recollection, and more often than not, the enormity and consequence is completely beyond our comprehension. A primary objective in this recollection should be to grow in our understanding of what this event means both theologically and personally. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to understand these things, but often it seems to be one glimpse at a time.
A secondary objective in the Christmas story is to remember that Christ will come again. Once again, this is beyond our comprehension also, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to keep us focused on how we should be living our lives as we walk in the shadow of this reality.
In our changing times we sometimes lose sight of how we fit into the picture of God’s plans. Are we the spectators, God’s supporters cheering on the sidelines as God goes into battle against the evil of the world? It often feels this way, but of course, we are not.
We are called to be those who bring the good news. Isaiah 52:7-8 tells us “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.”
We are the watchmen, looking out to keep the Gods people alerted, but we also bring the Good News of God’s kingdom to those who don’t know about it, or don’t understand it. We are also those who proclaim peace.... not the kind of peace that means we are against war – no, this is much more important, this is the peace that exists between humanity and God because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and this is the salvation that we proclaim.
Many people become anxious when they hear the scriptures encouragement to proclaim the Good News, but this happens very naturally in our daily conversations and in the witness of our lives. Our responsibility is to grow in Christ so that these conversations and lives do bear witness to the Good News.
We, the Church, have a role to play as we herald the second coming of Christ. We are the ones who go ahead to prepare the way.... we are John the Baptist: John 1:7-8 “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”
John the Baptist dedicated his life to this role. Without this first coming of Jesus we are all lost in our sin with no hope of eternal life, but only fear of judgment. Instead we rejoice that we do have eternal life and loving union with God. We do not fear judgment because our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Without the “word becoming flesh” we have no life and no hope. We owe it then to dedicate our whole lives to heralding the Good News so that the world is prepared for the second coming of Christ.
Isaiah 52: 7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1: 1-4, (5-12) John 1: 1-14
It has just become Christmas Eve, and I’m up rather late. It has been a while since I’ve written a reflection and if the truth be known, I’ve been struggling quite a bit. After Joe died I was coping pretty well. I think I had subconsciously psyched myself into coping before he died, but as the time has progressed I seem to be progressively running out of coping ability. I’m okay.... but worn out.
However, it is time I communicated again.
The readings for Christmas are very precious, and the Gospel reading from John is a personal favourite of mine.
John 1:1-5 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Quite often, when someone first becomes a Christian, it is suggested that they read the Gospel of Mark. Mark is simple and gives a concise overview of the life of Jesus. If I am ever running a Bible study, I like to start with John 1. This is the very centre of Christianity. It is not simple, but divisive, as it states clearly that Jesus is God – and that is not easily accepted.
If you were to walk down the street – or maybe even survey your church about who Jesus is, you might be interested in the varying opinions and understandings. Many can accept Jesus as a good moral teacher, or a prophet.... even the son of God, but very few can grasp the idea of this oneness that the son had with the father.
In the beginning was the word. In this passage, John refers to Jesus as the “word” and we are told that the word was there in the beginning. If we go back to the account of the creation, back to the beginning of Genesis and look for the person of Jesus we might have trouble finding him, but if we look for the “word”, we will discover that God created, not by pointing his finger or twitching His nose, but by speaking.
Genesis 1:3 “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”
Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the “word of God” or “word of the LORD”. This is the case in the story of Samuel the prophet. He was a boy who lived with the priest and ministered in the house of God and yet this is said about him at the time that God called him:
1 Samuel 3:7 “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.”
The “Word of the LORD” isn’t referring to anything written, but a personal revelation of God. Before this encounter Samuel knew about God, but after this encounter Samuel knew the “word of the LORD”..... he knew Jesus. (Though not by that name).
Our Christmas reading from the letter to the Hebrews also confirms the deity of Christ and that the son was there at the creation of the world:
Hebrews 1: 8- “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”
There is only one God, but like the Ferrero Rocher add where the goddess splits into 3, we know God is beyond our human limitations and is three “persons” in one. It is fair to say that Jesus is the visible expression of the unseen God and Jesus is a part of God that communicates with us.
In our changing times it is important to remember that God does not change. Our world is changing and we see in the reading from Hebrews a hint that God foresaw this when we are told, the foundations of the earth and the heavens will all wear out like a garment that will be changed. We could become quite panicked about the state of our world and climate change and the many disasters, but as Christians we should have calm at the core of our being because our trust is not in these things, but in the unchanging, merciful and loving God.
Each Christmas we recall that the “word of God” became flesh. It is a most holy recollection, and more often than not, the enormity and consequence is completely beyond our comprehension. A primary objective in this recollection should be to grow in our understanding of what this event means both theologically and personally. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to understand these things, but often it seems to be one glimpse at a time.
A secondary objective in the Christmas story is to remember that Christ will come again. Once again, this is beyond our comprehension also, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to keep us focused on how we should be living our lives as we walk in the shadow of this reality.
In our changing times we sometimes lose sight of how we fit into the picture of God’s plans. Are we the spectators, God’s supporters cheering on the sidelines as God goes into battle against the evil of the world? It often feels this way, but of course, we are not.
We are called to be those who bring the good news. Isaiah 52:7-8 tells us “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.”
We are the watchmen, looking out to keep the Gods people alerted, but we also bring the Good News of God’s kingdom to those who don’t know about it, or don’t understand it. We are also those who proclaim peace.... not the kind of peace that means we are against war – no, this is much more important, this is the peace that exists between humanity and God because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and this is the salvation that we proclaim.
Many people become anxious when they hear the scriptures encouragement to proclaim the Good News, but this happens very naturally in our daily conversations and in the witness of our lives. Our responsibility is to grow in Christ so that these conversations and lives do bear witness to the Good News.
We, the Church, have a role to play as we herald the second coming of Christ. We are the ones who go ahead to prepare the way.... we are John the Baptist: John 1:7-8 “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”
John the Baptist dedicated his life to this role. Without this first coming of Jesus we are all lost in our sin with no hope of eternal life, but only fear of judgment. Instead we rejoice that we do have eternal life and loving union with God. We do not fear judgment because our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Without the “word becoming flesh” we have no life and no hope. We owe it then to dedicate our whole lives to heralding the Good News so that the world is prepared for the second coming of Christ.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Reflection on readings for 20th November 2011
Year A Proper 29 - Reign of Christ 20 November 2011
Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24 Psalm 100 Ephesians 1: 15-23 Matthew 25: 31-46
The weak and the strong have differing abilities, needs and responsibilities. Which one are you, and what should you being doing about it?
Our first reading from Ezekiel reminds us of the love of God and how, like a shepherd, he will gather us when we’ve been scattered. We are reminded that God has a special love and care for the weak, but there is a word of judgment to the sleek and strong.
Ezekiel 34:15-16 "I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”
At the time of Ezekiel the nation of Israel was scattered and broken. The reason for them being in such a state was because the majority had not steadfastly kept to God’s ways. They were a nation who liked to mix with the other nations and take a bit of religion from each and mix it with their own. In today’s culture we’d applaud them for being so embracing and open-minded. There were always an annoying minority though, who refused to be politically correct. These seemed to be judgemental because they proclaimed an ‘exclusive” kind of religion where certain actions were called “sin” and they refused to compromise with the nations around about whose god really was god.
The God of the Israelite nation had sent prophet after prophet to warn the people that these “politically correct” and “socially sensitive” ways were “sin”, but the majority of the people mistreated and persecuted these prophets. Is it any different today?
Due to the vast sin and the refusal to listen to the prophets, God inspired nations to come against the Israelites and in the fall out, the nation was scattered and broken.
There is a lot I haven’t yet said, but I hope you are reading in between the lines and seeing how much the church has in common with that ancient Israelite nation. We, the church, are God’s chosen people, but in many cases we are compromising. There are many, who belong to the church, who have taken on “other gods”.... strange beliefs.... because they are listening to new age philosophies from friends – philosophies that suit them and make them feel good. For example, I receive emails with a beautiful prayer – it is said to have special power if you send it to 12 more people. The power of prayer is only as powerful as the one to whom you are praying. Pray to God and there truly is infinite power, but it is according to his will and not something that you can manipulate by sending it to X amount of people.
There are a number of social issues that we feel pressure to bow to, but if we do so we are bowing to an idol. It is the Idol of a self made god, made in man’s image. It is sin. Let me list these: abortion, homosexuality, adultery. I am so tired of tip-toeing around these issues because I might offend someone. Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t exclude people because of these sins.... and neither does God (Remember Jesus episode with the woman caught in adultery? He didn’t condemn her, told her to go and sin no more). We all sin!!! I have only listed these things that society has put pressure on the church to rename these as not being sin. I sin and you sin. That is why Jesus came to save us..... we cannot, by ourselves, attain the standard of perfection, but as God’s people we need to acknowledge our sin and if we re-name these things then we are the strong who are leading the weak astray and sending them to their own destruction.
We discover, as we look at our Gospel reading, that the strong have a responsibility to care for the weak. Traditionally this has been read and understood as our social responsibility to the poor and those in third world countries. The Church has been a leader in social justice and fighting for the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves. It is this Christian principal that we see in our defence forces. Unfortunately, many people who’ve grown up without this principal of caring for those less fortunate don’t understand and think if it is someone else’s problem then we should just let them have it.
If we look again at the reading we will see that there is more to the reading than social justice.
Matthew 25:37-40 ““Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
I notice that there is a relationship between the “King” and the “brothers and sisters”.
There is a dangerous tendency in our church families to think that those we need to care for are exclusively those outside the church or those perceived as different. A story that I heard once was of a problem between two ladies who were attending a church activity. One had a disability and the other did not. The people immediately went into social justice mode and looked after the lady with the disability and ignored the other lady.
We often assume if someone is like us that they need no extra support. We often think that if someone is at church then they are “okay!” We need to be aware of those around us, because these are the brothers and sisters of Christ and he wants us to be looking out for them.
I’d like to take this a step further; from church family to church family there are groups who are weak and groups who are strong. The Church has become scattered and fragmented. The strong still have a responsibility to care for the weak..... I’m not sure how this can happen, but I am sure that God does expect us to understand this concept and be looking for ways to care for one another. I know that some church leaders get together for prayer and the building of those relationships is a one small way that caring can take place.
In our churches, the same principal can be used. It is the getting together and praying in small groups where we can begin to properly care for one another. Our needs may not be for food and shelter.... but we maybe thirsty for spiritual nourishment, and our love gone cold, may need the cloak of someone’s love to warm.
Saint Paul writes to the Ephesians about his prayer for them. It is the way he, as one who was strong, gave to those brothers and sisters of Christ who were weaker than he. He imparted God’s truths and showed that he cared for them as if they were family. As an evangelist St. Paul might have thought, “okay they are Christians now, my job is done”, but instead he understood that he was also called to continue caring for God’s people.
Ephesians 1:15- 23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
And so, I’ll leave you with the question I began with. The weak and the strong have differing abilities, needs and responsibilities. Which one are you, and what should you be doing about it?
Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24 Psalm 100 Ephesians 1: 15-23 Matthew 25: 31-46
The weak and the strong have differing abilities, needs and responsibilities. Which one are you, and what should you being doing about it?
Our first reading from Ezekiel reminds us of the love of God and how, like a shepherd, he will gather us when we’ve been scattered. We are reminded that God has a special love and care for the weak, but there is a word of judgment to the sleek and strong.
Ezekiel 34:15-16 "I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”
At the time of Ezekiel the nation of Israel was scattered and broken. The reason for them being in such a state was because the majority had not steadfastly kept to God’s ways. They were a nation who liked to mix with the other nations and take a bit of religion from each and mix it with their own. In today’s culture we’d applaud them for being so embracing and open-minded. There were always an annoying minority though, who refused to be politically correct. These seemed to be judgemental because they proclaimed an ‘exclusive” kind of religion where certain actions were called “sin” and they refused to compromise with the nations around about whose god really was god.
The God of the Israelite nation had sent prophet after prophet to warn the people that these “politically correct” and “socially sensitive” ways were “sin”, but the majority of the people mistreated and persecuted these prophets. Is it any different today?
Due to the vast sin and the refusal to listen to the prophets, God inspired nations to come against the Israelites and in the fall out, the nation was scattered and broken.
There is a lot I haven’t yet said, but I hope you are reading in between the lines and seeing how much the church has in common with that ancient Israelite nation. We, the church, are God’s chosen people, but in many cases we are compromising. There are many, who belong to the church, who have taken on “other gods”.... strange beliefs.... because they are listening to new age philosophies from friends – philosophies that suit them and make them feel good. For example, I receive emails with a beautiful prayer – it is said to have special power if you send it to 12 more people. The power of prayer is only as powerful as the one to whom you are praying. Pray to God and there truly is infinite power, but it is according to his will and not something that you can manipulate by sending it to X amount of people.
There are a number of social issues that we feel pressure to bow to, but if we do so we are bowing to an idol. It is the Idol of a self made god, made in man’s image. It is sin. Let me list these: abortion, homosexuality, adultery. I am so tired of tip-toeing around these issues because I might offend someone. Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t exclude people because of these sins.... and neither does God (Remember Jesus episode with the woman caught in adultery? He didn’t condemn her, told her to go and sin no more). We all sin!!! I have only listed these things that society has put pressure on the church to rename these as not being sin. I sin and you sin. That is why Jesus came to save us..... we cannot, by ourselves, attain the standard of perfection, but as God’s people we need to acknowledge our sin and if we re-name these things then we are the strong who are leading the weak astray and sending them to their own destruction.
We discover, as we look at our Gospel reading, that the strong have a responsibility to care for the weak. Traditionally this has been read and understood as our social responsibility to the poor and those in third world countries. The Church has been a leader in social justice and fighting for the rights of those who can’t fight for themselves. It is this Christian principal that we see in our defence forces. Unfortunately, many people who’ve grown up without this principal of caring for those less fortunate don’t understand and think if it is someone else’s problem then we should just let them have it.
If we look again at the reading we will see that there is more to the reading than social justice.
Matthew 25:37-40 ““Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
I notice that there is a relationship between the “King” and the “brothers and sisters”.
There is a dangerous tendency in our church families to think that those we need to care for are exclusively those outside the church or those perceived as different. A story that I heard once was of a problem between two ladies who were attending a church activity. One had a disability and the other did not. The people immediately went into social justice mode and looked after the lady with the disability and ignored the other lady.
We often assume if someone is like us that they need no extra support. We often think that if someone is at church then they are “okay!” We need to be aware of those around us, because these are the brothers and sisters of Christ and he wants us to be looking out for them.
I’d like to take this a step further; from church family to church family there are groups who are weak and groups who are strong. The Church has become scattered and fragmented. The strong still have a responsibility to care for the weak..... I’m not sure how this can happen, but I am sure that God does expect us to understand this concept and be looking for ways to care for one another. I know that some church leaders get together for prayer and the building of those relationships is a one small way that caring can take place.
In our churches, the same principal can be used. It is the getting together and praying in small groups where we can begin to properly care for one another. Our needs may not be for food and shelter.... but we maybe thirsty for spiritual nourishment, and our love gone cold, may need the cloak of someone’s love to warm.
Saint Paul writes to the Ephesians about his prayer for them. It is the way he, as one who was strong, gave to those brothers and sisters of Christ who were weaker than he. He imparted God’s truths and showed that he cared for them as if they were family. As an evangelist St. Paul might have thought, “okay they are Christians now, my job is done”, but instead he understood that he was also called to continue caring for God’s people.
Ephesians 1:15- 23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
And so, I’ll leave you with the question I began with. The weak and the strong have differing abilities, needs and responsibilities. Which one are you, and what should you be doing about it?
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