Year B Proper 24 21 October 2012
Job 38: 1-7, (34-41) Psalm 104: 1-9, 24, 35c Hebrews 5: 1-10 Mark 10: 35-45
Ever been somewhat ‘ticked off’ with God and let him know all about it?
I sure hope I’m not the only one. The experience usually sees me getting so cranky and telling God that I hate everything and that everything is unfair and why won’t he fix it... probably because he hates me... etc... AND THEN... somehow things settle down and rationality returns, and then I feel really silly because I know that God knows and understands things way beyond what we can and so I then feel guilty, apologize to God, and just feel somewhat ridiculous.
Well, if you haven’t ever experienced anything like this, I’m going to be feeling pretty silly for confessing my ridiculous childish traits, but I will take heart in the fact that Job would understand my ranting.
When rationality returns to me, I remember who God is, but Job ranted so much that God needed to audibly communicate with him to remind him. He answers Job in these words:
Job 38:1-5 “Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said “Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?”
It seems that Job needed a lesson in humility.
Do you note God’s sarcasm, when He says, “Surely you know!”? Truly, the more you get to know the Bible the more gems you find like this! Here is God being sarcastic and reminding Job about a few facts of God’s nature, in answer to Job who has been moaning about his hated life. And the bit that I love the most is that even though Job moaned, cried and was in bitter despair, he was still who God chose as the one to intercede and offer up sacrifices for others.
There are some people who are my facebook friends who are taking on the 30 day gratitude challenge. They are finding something to be grateful for each day. It’s a wonderful thing, but I suspect if Job were invited to take part he’d decline. When you are hurting, you are hurting and that is that.
Job was a man who used to offer up sacrifices on behalf of others. At the beginning of the book of Job we find that he offered up sacrifices for himself and then also for his children just in case they happened to sin. He was a man approved by God, so much so that he was appointed to suffer. His unrelenting relationship with God was a testimony to all.... even though he told God what he thought about the situation.
We discover that this relationship that Job had with God is very similar to that of the high priest. In our Hebrews’ reading we discover that the High priest would offer sacrifices for himself and also for others. The high priest was an intercessory for others and a representative for God.
Hebrews 5:1-4 “Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.”
This describes what we know about Job and the way that he interacted with others prior to his being tested. No one takes this honour on himself, but he receives it when called by God. It doesn’t say that Job was a priest, but certainly he was a leader in his community and by his actions and by the command of God to intercede for others, we can assume that he fulfilled this role in the same way that many others did, such as Abraham, even before the Levitical Priesthood was formed.
But this reading from Hebrews goes on to talk of a very special kind of priesthood; in the order of Melchizedek
Hebrews 5:8-10 “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.”
This passage tells us about Jesus being our high priest who doesn’t need to offer sacrifices for himself and then for us, but he has completed the “once and for all” sacrifice.
Throughout the Old Testament there are prophetic writings about the Messiah who would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, but this character, Melchizedek appears first in the book of Genesis chapter 14. Hebrews 7:1-3 tells us more about Melchizedek, “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.”
Abraham had just returned from rescuing the people of Sodom, including his nephew Lot who was living there. Suddenly this character, described as priest of God most high appears with bread and wine. Melchizedek then blesses Abraham and Abraham gives him a tenth of everything.
Hebrews tells us that Jesus did not take on himself the glory of becoming high priest, but it was appointed him by God the father, and it was a fact that came about through his suffering.
In the Gospel reading we see that there are two men, James and John, who have no idea of this concept of servant leadership.
Mark 10:37,38 “They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
How awesome! Although the other disciples were pretty unhappy with James and John, this gives Jesus the perfect opportunity for lesson 101 in being an apostle.
Mark 10:41- 45“When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
These crazy men are those hand picked by Jesus. They didn’t understand that it is God who chooses us for special positions in his kingdom and those special positions are positions of serving others. Jesus was the greatest of all and he gave the greatest sacrifice of all. Job, a man of righteousness, was chosen to prove his faithfulness as a testimony to all including both the physical and the spiritual realm, proved to be faithful through great suffering.
There are three sides to our message for this week. Firstly, it is God who choses us.
Secondly, that being chosen by God to have a special position in the kingdom of God means serving others and this will often include trials, suffering and persecution. (But take heart because these are not random, but have a divine purpose even if we can’t see it.)
Thirdly, and what I think is most important, God does not reject us when we cry out in despair, or when we get it wrong and try to claim the position. God understands that our vision is sometimes limited and he chooses us for reasons that only he can know, but when he does none of our stuff ups will interfere with his plan.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Reflection for Readings 7th Oct 2012 Proper 22
Year B Proper 22 7 October 2012
Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1: 1-4; 2: 5-12 Mark 10: 2-16
One of my favourite television shows is The Big Bang Theory. One of the characters is a Jew and on one of the episodes when someone cried out, “why is this happening to me?” He replies, “My people have been asking that question for thousands of years...”
Truly if Christianity were a man made religion we’d have an answer to the big “Why” question, but instead although there are some things we know, we are left to struggle to make sense of so many others. The word “Israel”, does not mean “chosen people”, or some other comfortable and reassuring term, although it does designate the relationship that God’s people have with Him.... The meaning of “Israel” is, “He struggles with God”.
This week we have an amazing story about a man named Job. Ever heard the old saying “must have the patience of Job”? Well that would be due to the story of this amazing character.
In the book of Job we find a glimpse into that age old question. It doesn’t give a definitive answer to “Why”, but it does give an answer for this particular case, and teaches us a whole lot along the way.
Job 2:3 “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
If we look at this one verse we learn a number of things. We learn that Job is blameless and upright and is a man of God. We also learn that the calamity that came upon Job was initiated by Satan and Job’s response to this suffering was a witness against Satan.
We know that even though this is an ancient book, well known by Jews, still it was common in the time of Jesus to presume that the reason for adversity was either the sin of the person involved or his parents. Due to the discourse of Jesus with his disciples we know that suffering can also be for the purpose of revealing the gory of God.... and in some ways this was also one of those cases.
Many of us have also been through our own times of adversity, and many of us are still asking that age old question.... WHY??? We don’t know and may not ever get an answer, but certainly we learn many things from Job. Firstly, that it isn’t our fault. Sometimes we certainly may find ourselves experiencing the consequences of our actions, but more often than not things that we even tend to blame ourselves for, are NOT our fault.
Job was blameless. I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever feel that I could be described as glowingly as God describes Job, and certainly none of us is perfect. We know from scripture that no human, other than Jesus is blameless, so how can God describe him that way? Do you think that God would describe you that way?
Mark 10:13-16 “ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
In our Gospel we discover that the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like children. It is one of those, “ahhhh” readings, but I think we could be missing the point. Often people will say that children are blameless. Let me tell you about a young girl I know who, as a 3 year old, painted her room with poo. Afterwards she said to her doll, “Naughty girl, dolly, you mustn’t do yuckies in your togs”. She knew she was doing wrong.
What a child and those who are “such as these” understands is that someone else has more control. Yes they do know when they are doing wrong sometimes, but the bigger picture for them is that it is all going to be okay because someone else will fix it.... Someone else takes that “blame,” and that is the parent.
Job had a relationship with God. From what we read about Job he actually was pretty near perfect, but I’d like to suggest that the reason he was blameless was his continued reliance on God to “fix it”. It is a real and continuous relationship with God which renders us, “blameless”, which also means that if God is talking to Satan about you, he will also say, “Look at my servant. He/she is blameless and upright”.
Certainly not perfect, but certainly blameless and we can be assured of that because we know that Jesus took that blame.
Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Our reading from Hebrews tells us that Jesus provided purification for sins, but it also tells us about who Jesus is, and that he is the exact representation of God’s being. The doctrine of the trinity is never mentioned as such in the Bible, but it is certainly made very clear in many readings such as this one.
We know that Jesus was THE perfect human but yet we read something a little puzzling in this reading:
Hebrews 2:10, 11 “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
Jesus was perfect and yet he was made perfect through what he suffered. One of those scripture verses that strikes you as slightly odd at first glance. Jesus was perfect in his being, but there was a plan and purpose for his existence and part of that perfect plan involved suffering. Without the suffering Jesus would still be perfect but his plan and purpose would not be.
Jesus was an innocent man who suffered. He knows how it feels to suffer and be treated like a sinner when you are not. Can you imagine how horrible it feels to be falsely accused, falsely judged and sentenced because of something you didn’t do? This was what Jesus willingly experienced for our sake. He willingly experienced it, but if given the choice the humanity of Christ would have preferred that that “cross” be taken from him.
What Jesus took on was the consequence for someone else’s actions..... ours! It was our sin that he took with him to the cross.
Our Gospel reading talks about divorce and marriage.
Mark 10: 10-12 “When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.””
The disciples asked Jesus about this even after he had already explained it to the Pharisees... why? Did they think he’d give them a different answer? How do people, Divorced, like me, live with Jesus’ answer?
Firstly, let’s not dance around the scripture and pretty it up because Jesus sure didn’t. Moses permitted a certificate of Divorce, but that doesn’t stop sin from being sin.
We, in the 21st century get all offended by the term “sinner”, as if it belongs to the dirty old paedophile. Sinner is a person who falls short of perfection. Do you fall short of perfection? Don’t get all defensive about it, because none of us is perfect and we are all sinners.... it is almost synonymous with being human – except for Jesus.
There is another part of the Gospel reading.... it talks about God making humans male and female and for this reason a man will leave his mother and father and be united to his wife... This brings me to another subject that I and other Christians get into trouble over..... man and wife - not man and husband or woman and wife. Once again this would be called sin and I don’t think Jesus would call it any differently.... BUT.... we are all sinners.
We need desperately to be able to recognise our sin. We can not be offended by the reality of our condition. Children are a lot more able to deal with being told that they’ve done something wrong then adults, because it is a reality that they are aware of. We seem to think that once we are grown we stop doing anything wrong.... and when we do something wrong we justify it. There is no amount of justification, no matter how understandable, can make a sin not a sin. If it falls short of God’s perfection, it is sin.
But like a child, we need to have faith that there is someone bigger who can fix it for us. This doesn’t mean that we don’t worry about our sin, or that we shouldn’t strive to do better, but this means we can rest in the reassurance that we have a big and powerful parent that will, does, and has bailed us out of trouble.
In the spiritual, our sins have been completely paid for already. There is no debt left to pay, but still we do experience suffering. Suffering is a reality due to many reasons, sometimes known, but most often not known.
We do know that the life of Christ had a purpose and suffering was part of it. We also know that the life of Job had a purpose and suffering was part of it also. In all that Job experienced and although he was sorely grieved, he refused to curse God. This was a witness to Satan.... something important in the heavens was accomplished by this act.
Job 2: 9-10 “His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
I remember the words of a song by the band, The Imperials, from many years ago. I feel that this song tells us something really important and it is the same message as our readings. In particular these words: “For the chains that seem to bind you, Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you, when you praise him”
We don’t know “why” bad things happen so many times, and it is natural feel so hurt, but we do know that there is a great heavenly battle won when we continue to serve God.
I think all the words of that song need to be read so I’ll paste them in for you to reflect on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfTQg9whI-s
Praise the Lord, by The Imperials
When you're up against a struggle
That shatters all your dreams
And your hope has been cruelly crushed
By Satan's manifesting scheme
And you feel the urge within you
To submit to earthly fears
Don't let the faith you're standing in, seem to disappear
(Chorus)
Praise the Lord
He can work with those who praise Him ,
Praise the Lord
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise him
Now satan is a liar
And he wants to make us think
That we are paupers
When he knows himself
We're children of the King
So lift up the might shield of faith
For the battle has been won
We know that Jesus Christ has risen
So the work's already done
(Chorus)
Praise the Lord
He can work with those who praise Him ,
Praise the Lord
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise him
Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1: 1-4; 2: 5-12 Mark 10: 2-16
One of my favourite television shows is The Big Bang Theory. One of the characters is a Jew and on one of the episodes when someone cried out, “why is this happening to me?” He replies, “My people have been asking that question for thousands of years...”
Truly if Christianity were a man made religion we’d have an answer to the big “Why” question, but instead although there are some things we know, we are left to struggle to make sense of so many others. The word “Israel”, does not mean “chosen people”, or some other comfortable and reassuring term, although it does designate the relationship that God’s people have with Him.... The meaning of “Israel” is, “He struggles with God”.
This week we have an amazing story about a man named Job. Ever heard the old saying “must have the patience of Job”? Well that would be due to the story of this amazing character.
In the book of Job we find a glimpse into that age old question. It doesn’t give a definitive answer to “Why”, but it does give an answer for this particular case, and teaches us a whole lot along the way.
Job 2:3 “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”
If we look at this one verse we learn a number of things. We learn that Job is blameless and upright and is a man of God. We also learn that the calamity that came upon Job was initiated by Satan and Job’s response to this suffering was a witness against Satan.
We know that even though this is an ancient book, well known by Jews, still it was common in the time of Jesus to presume that the reason for adversity was either the sin of the person involved or his parents. Due to the discourse of Jesus with his disciples we know that suffering can also be for the purpose of revealing the gory of God.... and in some ways this was also one of those cases.
Many of us have also been through our own times of adversity, and many of us are still asking that age old question.... WHY??? We don’t know and may not ever get an answer, but certainly we learn many things from Job. Firstly, that it isn’t our fault. Sometimes we certainly may find ourselves experiencing the consequences of our actions, but more often than not things that we even tend to blame ourselves for, are NOT our fault.
Job was blameless. I don’t know about you, but I don’t ever feel that I could be described as glowingly as God describes Job, and certainly none of us is perfect. We know from scripture that no human, other than Jesus is blameless, so how can God describe him that way? Do you think that God would describe you that way?
Mark 10:13-16 “ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
In our Gospel we discover that the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like children. It is one of those, “ahhhh” readings, but I think we could be missing the point. Often people will say that children are blameless. Let me tell you about a young girl I know who, as a 3 year old, painted her room with poo. Afterwards she said to her doll, “Naughty girl, dolly, you mustn’t do yuckies in your togs”. She knew she was doing wrong.
What a child and those who are “such as these” understands is that someone else has more control. Yes they do know when they are doing wrong sometimes, but the bigger picture for them is that it is all going to be okay because someone else will fix it.... Someone else takes that “blame,” and that is the parent.
Job had a relationship with God. From what we read about Job he actually was pretty near perfect, but I’d like to suggest that the reason he was blameless was his continued reliance on God to “fix it”. It is a real and continuous relationship with God which renders us, “blameless”, which also means that if God is talking to Satan about you, he will also say, “Look at my servant. He/she is blameless and upright”.
Certainly not perfect, but certainly blameless and we can be assured of that because we know that Jesus took that blame.
Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Our reading from Hebrews tells us that Jesus provided purification for sins, but it also tells us about who Jesus is, and that he is the exact representation of God’s being. The doctrine of the trinity is never mentioned as such in the Bible, but it is certainly made very clear in many readings such as this one.
We know that Jesus was THE perfect human but yet we read something a little puzzling in this reading:
Hebrews 2:10, 11 “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
Jesus was perfect and yet he was made perfect through what he suffered. One of those scripture verses that strikes you as slightly odd at first glance. Jesus was perfect in his being, but there was a plan and purpose for his existence and part of that perfect plan involved suffering. Without the suffering Jesus would still be perfect but his plan and purpose would not be.
Jesus was an innocent man who suffered. He knows how it feels to suffer and be treated like a sinner when you are not. Can you imagine how horrible it feels to be falsely accused, falsely judged and sentenced because of something you didn’t do? This was what Jesus willingly experienced for our sake. He willingly experienced it, but if given the choice the humanity of Christ would have preferred that that “cross” be taken from him.
What Jesus took on was the consequence for someone else’s actions..... ours! It was our sin that he took with him to the cross.
Our Gospel reading talks about divorce and marriage.
Mark 10: 10-12 “When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.””
The disciples asked Jesus about this even after he had already explained it to the Pharisees... why? Did they think he’d give them a different answer? How do people, Divorced, like me, live with Jesus’ answer?
Firstly, let’s not dance around the scripture and pretty it up because Jesus sure didn’t. Moses permitted a certificate of Divorce, but that doesn’t stop sin from being sin.
We, in the 21st century get all offended by the term “sinner”, as if it belongs to the dirty old paedophile. Sinner is a person who falls short of perfection. Do you fall short of perfection? Don’t get all defensive about it, because none of us is perfect and we are all sinners.... it is almost synonymous with being human – except for Jesus.
There is another part of the Gospel reading.... it talks about God making humans male and female and for this reason a man will leave his mother and father and be united to his wife... This brings me to another subject that I and other Christians get into trouble over..... man and wife - not man and husband or woman and wife. Once again this would be called sin and I don’t think Jesus would call it any differently.... BUT.... we are all sinners.
We need desperately to be able to recognise our sin. We can not be offended by the reality of our condition. Children are a lot more able to deal with being told that they’ve done something wrong then adults, because it is a reality that they are aware of. We seem to think that once we are grown we stop doing anything wrong.... and when we do something wrong we justify it. There is no amount of justification, no matter how understandable, can make a sin not a sin. If it falls short of God’s perfection, it is sin.
But like a child, we need to have faith that there is someone bigger who can fix it for us. This doesn’t mean that we don’t worry about our sin, or that we shouldn’t strive to do better, but this means we can rest in the reassurance that we have a big and powerful parent that will, does, and has bailed us out of trouble.
In the spiritual, our sins have been completely paid for already. There is no debt left to pay, but still we do experience suffering. Suffering is a reality due to many reasons, sometimes known, but most often not known.
We do know that the life of Christ had a purpose and suffering was part of it. We also know that the life of Job had a purpose and suffering was part of it also. In all that Job experienced and although he was sorely grieved, he refused to curse God. This was a witness to Satan.... something important in the heavens was accomplished by this act.
Job 2: 9-10 “His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”
I remember the words of a song by the band, The Imperials, from many years ago. I feel that this song tells us something really important and it is the same message as our readings. In particular these words: “For the chains that seem to bind you, Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you, when you praise him”
We don’t know “why” bad things happen so many times, and it is natural feel so hurt, but we do know that there is a great heavenly battle won when we continue to serve God.
I think all the words of that song need to be read so I’ll paste them in for you to reflect on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfTQg9whI-s
Praise the Lord, by The Imperials
When you're up against a struggle
That shatters all your dreams
And your hope has been cruelly crushed
By Satan's manifesting scheme
And you feel the urge within you
To submit to earthly fears
Don't let the faith you're standing in, seem to disappear
(Chorus)
Praise the Lord
He can work with those who praise Him ,
Praise the Lord
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise him
Now satan is a liar
And he wants to make us think
That we are paupers
When he knows himself
We're children of the King
So lift up the might shield of faith
For the battle has been won
We know that Jesus Christ has risen
So the work's already done
(Chorus)
Praise the Lord
He can work with those who praise Him ,
Praise the Lord
For our God inhabits praise,
Praise the Lord
For the chains that seem to bind you
Serve only to remind you that they drop powerless behind you
When you praise him
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Reflection on the readings for Sunday 30th September 2012 Proper 21
Year B Proper 21 30 September 2012
Esther 7: 1-6, 9-10; 9: 2--22 Psalm 124 James 5: 13-20 Mark 9: 38-50
There is a tension among Christians as to what is sacred and what is secular. I’m aware that some Christian churches will not have me come and play my Christian music in their church or endorse my music for their functions because I perform secular music. It is a strange phenomenon because Christians do have secular jobs, but don’t very often see that it is possible that God blesses and encourages our secular work. (And it doesn’t seem to be realized that secular music is the bread and butter for a person in music ministry).
Our readings this week are such, that they sent me on a journey to find out the back ground of some scripture that I found difficult to grasp, and in the process I found a theme that speaks to me and urges me to see that God is working in all places and through all things in our lives….even and especially when we cannot sense him.
Our first reading comes from the book of Esther and is quite violent and dramatic. Esther was a Jewish girl who became Queen to a foreign King while the Jews were living in exile. She kept her nationality a secret and could not approach the King without fear of death. An edict had been given that on a set day those who wished to could legally kill all the Jews. The person who instigated this edict wanted to wipe out every Jew in existence…. Sounds a little like what happened in the 20th century. Esther, after prayer and fasting, approached the King about the matter and the Jews were given the legal right to defend themselves and fight back. The long and short of the story is that it was a great victory.
After researching, I discovered that Esther sounds like the Hebrew word for “hidden”. I also discovered some amazing facts about the feast of Purim which is the feast instigated through this event. It is mentioned at the conclusion of our scripture reading. From the Website for the Jewish Renewal Congregation of Philadelphia and written by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman:
“Purim: a story of heroism and evil undone by goodness.
And also a holiday of masks: On Purim everyone wears costumes and masks. That is part of the celebration! Adults and kids, all come to the reading of the Megillah dressed in elaborate disguises! Purim is a Mardi Gras of disguises _ reality is hidden, garbed in funny, gaudy, attractive clever, glittery, cute, silly, but always false appearances.
It is a clue to the meaning of the holiday, and the story. Truth can be disguised. Sometimes even the main character is hidden. Sometimes even God is hidden.” (http://www.pnaior-phila.org/learn-about/the-months-of-spring-pesach-through-purim)
Megillah is the term used for the reading of the book of Esther which takes place at this festival and is a word that also sounds like a Hebrew word; it sounds like the Hebrew for “revealed”.
In the circumstances of the Jewish people it seemed that God was hidden. The Jews, as represented by Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, were a minority group who refused to bow to public pressure. He would not bow to man and he would not bow to idols, but it was this act that resulted in all Jews nearly being annihilated. Ever sense that fear?
I’ve been watching the television show, “Can of Worms”, and I’ve commented to Brittany that there are many people who don’t seem to have solid or valid reasons for their opinions, but their opinion is the seemingly “trendy” one. For example: “Oh no, people shouldn’t have to speak English to live in Australia – that’s not being culturally sensitive”, “Of course homosexuals should be allowed to marry”, “Yes, I would certainly let my 15 year old daughter have sex in my house – better that than some dirty motel or car etc…” - More important than the opinion themselves is to realize whether we really think things through or simply “bow” to popular societal conformity.
We also have an example from Mordecai, in our first reading, and a warning from our Gospel, to exhort us to be true to the ways of God.
Mark 9:42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
“Little ones” refers to those of low status. I would imagine this means that we have a responsibility to pass on the ways of God and be true to his word as revealed in the scriptures. If we interpret or compromise scripture in such a way as to be socially accepted, and in the process influence others to sin, then this warning is certainly for us!
Mordecai was true to God, but he and his entire race were hated because of it. It was a time in the history of the Jews when God seemed silent, but surely God was working through all their circumstances to save them. It was not advisable for a Jew to marry someone of a different race, yet that is what Esther did and that is how she came to be in a position to save her people. We need to be aware of the Spirit of God working in all our earthly circumstances not just those that we deem to be “holy”.
Our Gospel talks rather mysteriously about salt.
Mark 9:49-50 “Everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.””
Sacrifices were to be presented with salt. Jewish meals are not thought to be complete without salt. Bread dipped in salt at the onset of a meal was a blessing to the bread.
Our lives are made holy in our earthly and secular lives, because though it may seem that God is hidden and silent, we are His people and he is working to bring about his purpose through our circumstances.
Ever recall the saying, “being so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good”… kind of like asking if salt loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again. It is a rhetorical question, not meant to be answered, but meant to be realized that we need to be authentic in our lives. We are people that God is dealing with through the ongoing work of His Holy Spirit. He “salts” us – that is, he organizes our lives so that all things work together in our lives to achieve His purpose. Some of these things certainly feel they are like the fire of hell, but that is not the end of the story…..
Our Psalm and our reading from James both assure us of the help from God;
James 5:13-16 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
The Jewish people keep the festival of the Purim, and according to the research I did, it seems to be held 30days before the feast of Passover…. in some ways as a preparation for Passover. We acknowledge the Passover as part of our Easter preparations but the feast of the Purim is not part of our tradition. I think it is something that I could do with celebrating as a reminder to me that God is not absent and that the undesirable experiences of my life are not the end of the story – God is designing, salting and making holy every part of my life, and in time the joy of victory will come. (I imagine that Jesus celebrated the Purim very meaningfully as he prepared for his Passover)!!
Esther 7: 1-6, 9-10; 9: 2--22 Psalm 124 James 5: 13-20 Mark 9: 38-50
There is a tension among Christians as to what is sacred and what is secular. I’m aware that some Christian churches will not have me come and play my Christian music in their church or endorse my music for their functions because I perform secular music. It is a strange phenomenon because Christians do have secular jobs, but don’t very often see that it is possible that God blesses and encourages our secular work. (And it doesn’t seem to be realized that secular music is the bread and butter for a person in music ministry).
Our readings this week are such, that they sent me on a journey to find out the back ground of some scripture that I found difficult to grasp, and in the process I found a theme that speaks to me and urges me to see that God is working in all places and through all things in our lives….even and especially when we cannot sense him.
Our first reading comes from the book of Esther and is quite violent and dramatic. Esther was a Jewish girl who became Queen to a foreign King while the Jews were living in exile. She kept her nationality a secret and could not approach the King without fear of death. An edict had been given that on a set day those who wished to could legally kill all the Jews. The person who instigated this edict wanted to wipe out every Jew in existence…. Sounds a little like what happened in the 20th century. Esther, after prayer and fasting, approached the King about the matter and the Jews were given the legal right to defend themselves and fight back. The long and short of the story is that it was a great victory.
After researching, I discovered that Esther sounds like the Hebrew word for “hidden”. I also discovered some amazing facts about the feast of Purim which is the feast instigated through this event. It is mentioned at the conclusion of our scripture reading. From the Website for the Jewish Renewal Congregation of Philadelphia and written by Rabbi Emanuel Feldman:
“Purim: a story of heroism and evil undone by goodness.
And also a holiday of masks: On Purim everyone wears costumes and masks. That is part of the celebration! Adults and kids, all come to the reading of the Megillah dressed in elaborate disguises! Purim is a Mardi Gras of disguises _ reality is hidden, garbed in funny, gaudy, attractive clever, glittery, cute, silly, but always false appearances.
It is a clue to the meaning of the holiday, and the story. Truth can be disguised. Sometimes even the main character is hidden. Sometimes even God is hidden.” (http://www.pnaior-phila.org/learn-about/the-months-of-spring-pesach-through-purim)
Megillah is the term used for the reading of the book of Esther which takes place at this festival and is a word that also sounds like a Hebrew word; it sounds like the Hebrew for “revealed”.
In the circumstances of the Jewish people it seemed that God was hidden. The Jews, as represented by Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, were a minority group who refused to bow to public pressure. He would not bow to man and he would not bow to idols, but it was this act that resulted in all Jews nearly being annihilated. Ever sense that fear?
I’ve been watching the television show, “Can of Worms”, and I’ve commented to Brittany that there are many people who don’t seem to have solid or valid reasons for their opinions, but their opinion is the seemingly “trendy” one. For example: “Oh no, people shouldn’t have to speak English to live in Australia – that’s not being culturally sensitive”, “Of course homosexuals should be allowed to marry”, “Yes, I would certainly let my 15 year old daughter have sex in my house – better that than some dirty motel or car etc…” - More important than the opinion themselves is to realize whether we really think things through or simply “bow” to popular societal conformity.
We also have an example from Mordecai, in our first reading, and a warning from our Gospel, to exhort us to be true to the ways of God.
Mark 9:42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”
“Little ones” refers to those of low status. I would imagine this means that we have a responsibility to pass on the ways of God and be true to his word as revealed in the scriptures. If we interpret or compromise scripture in such a way as to be socially accepted, and in the process influence others to sin, then this warning is certainly for us!
Mordecai was true to God, but he and his entire race were hated because of it. It was a time in the history of the Jews when God seemed silent, but surely God was working through all their circumstances to save them. It was not advisable for a Jew to marry someone of a different race, yet that is what Esther did and that is how she came to be in a position to save her people. We need to be aware of the Spirit of God working in all our earthly circumstances not just those that we deem to be “holy”.
Our Gospel talks rather mysteriously about salt.
Mark 9:49-50 “Everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.””
Sacrifices were to be presented with salt. Jewish meals are not thought to be complete without salt. Bread dipped in salt at the onset of a meal was a blessing to the bread.
Our lives are made holy in our earthly and secular lives, because though it may seem that God is hidden and silent, we are His people and he is working to bring about his purpose through our circumstances.
Ever recall the saying, “being so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good”… kind of like asking if salt loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again. It is a rhetorical question, not meant to be answered, but meant to be realized that we need to be authentic in our lives. We are people that God is dealing with through the ongoing work of His Holy Spirit. He “salts” us – that is, he organizes our lives so that all things work together in our lives to achieve His purpose. Some of these things certainly feel they are like the fire of hell, but that is not the end of the story…..
Our Psalm and our reading from James both assure us of the help from God;
James 5:13-16 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
The Jewish people keep the festival of the Purim, and according to the research I did, it seems to be held 30days before the feast of Passover…. in some ways as a preparation for Passover. We acknowledge the Passover as part of our Easter preparations but the feast of the Purim is not part of our tradition. I think it is something that I could do with celebrating as a reminder to me that God is not absent and that the undesirable experiences of my life are not the end of the story – God is designing, salting and making holy every part of my life, and in time the joy of victory will come. (I imagine that Jesus celebrated the Purim very meaningfully as he prepared for his Passover)!!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Reflection for 23rd September 2012
Year B Proper 20 23 September 2012
Proverbs 31: 10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13 - 4: 3, 7-8a Mark 9: 30-37
When I was downloading the readings for this week I groaned when I saw Proverbs 31. I thought it was the reading about that amazing woman that makes me feel inadequate. I was right, the reading is about this perfect woman who seems to be super human, but I was also wrong because she no longer made me feel inadequate. The difference is time and circumstance….and understanding.
Once upon a time I felt I was judged as being an inadequate mother and wife and the woman from Proverbs 31 proved it by comparison. The reading speaks of a woman who manages her household, cares for her family and servants and also has her own personal work that she seems to also find time for. If we leave it at that we miss the point, and I think that I had previously overlooked the point of the reading. The point being that this woman was who she was, and could do what she could do, because she was a woman of God.
Proverbs 31:30-31 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
This is a lady from a respectable, well established and wealthy family. We read that she has servants for whom she provides food, and that she cares for the poor and needy. This is a lady who doesn’t want for anything and could well “Lord” it over others and enjoy her position, but she doesn’t. Instead she uses her position as a gift from God to be used for the benefit and blessing of others.
This sheds some light on our Gospel reading. Once again Jesus talks of his death and resurrection, as if emphasizing to the disciples the truth of the matter, but then he asks them what they were talking about on the road. He knew well what they were talking about. They were arguing about who was the greatest among them.
Perhaps they were beginning to believe that Jesus would indeed die and so they needed to know who would take over as leader….. Maybe they missed the bit about his resurrection…. I suspect that Jesus heard the conversation and let it develop until all their ambitions were exposed.
James 3:14 “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.”
Sometimes it isn’t until a situation arises that we become aware of our own ambitions and envy and when we do become aware we need to heed the words of James because there are two natural responses. One is to deny that the envy and ambition exists. The envy and ambition will continue to drive our actions and poison our being like an invisible evil force. The other natural response is to own the ambition as something we boast about….. “I want that thing, and I envy that person …” etc..
James tells us to do neither of these things. Instead we need to acknowledge it and confess it. We need to look at our desires in the light of the wisdom that Jesus has shown us.
James 4:1-3 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
“You desire but do not have, so you kill……” You may read that immediately say that doesn’t apply to you, but have you ever stifled someone’s creativity because you wanted to be the one seen as in charge? Or put someone “in their place”, for the same reason? Have you ever talked about someone behind their back and spread rumours simply because you don’t like the fact that they look better than you or seem to have more than you?
James tells us that we do not have, because we haven’t asked God, and if we have asked, we ask with wrong motives. Sometimes we might even almost convince ourselves that our motives are in line with what God wants, but God isn’t fooled.
Jesus let the disciple show their true colours. Their ambition and jealousy was revealed, and then he told the disciples that whoever wants to be first must become the servant of all. He took a child and explained that to be a servant means to welcome, care for and serve even children.
In that ancient culture children were the last people that were to be respected. In complete contrast to our own culture, if a house was burning down it would be expected that you’d save the elders first and the children last. Children were not even considered heirs until they came of age. So to then be told that the most important person in the kingdom of God must be a servant to little children was somewhat a shock.
The perfect picture of a leader in the kingdom of God is that one that we find in Proverbs 31. Once again this will be a shock to many people because firstly she is not a man. This woman does not have a view of herself that places her above others, but she uses her gifts for the blessing of all.
The world truly is crazy. We live in a world where homosexuals are fighting for their rights to marriage and yet we in the church still can’t acknowledge women leaders. As my friend, Mike Nelson, once said, “after all… we can’t just let anyone tell us about Jesus!!!” (He was being sarcastic).
Once upon a very long time ago when God was inspiring a very wise man to write the book of proverbs, he chose to portray a leader and he chose a woman. But let’s be realistic about this…. It isn’t the fact that she was female that was important, it was that she feared God and used her gifts for the benefits of others. Free will means that we need to choose if we will fear God and use our gifts for the benefits of others, but there are no limitations on God’s gifts and there are no boundaries when God empowers.
Proverbs 31: 10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13 - 4: 3, 7-8a Mark 9: 30-37
When I was downloading the readings for this week I groaned when I saw Proverbs 31. I thought it was the reading about that amazing woman that makes me feel inadequate. I was right, the reading is about this perfect woman who seems to be super human, but I was also wrong because she no longer made me feel inadequate. The difference is time and circumstance….and understanding.
Once upon a time I felt I was judged as being an inadequate mother and wife and the woman from Proverbs 31 proved it by comparison. The reading speaks of a woman who manages her household, cares for her family and servants and also has her own personal work that she seems to also find time for. If we leave it at that we miss the point, and I think that I had previously overlooked the point of the reading. The point being that this woman was who she was, and could do what she could do, because she was a woman of God.
Proverbs 31:30-31 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
This is a lady from a respectable, well established and wealthy family. We read that she has servants for whom she provides food, and that she cares for the poor and needy. This is a lady who doesn’t want for anything and could well “Lord” it over others and enjoy her position, but she doesn’t. Instead she uses her position as a gift from God to be used for the benefit and blessing of others.
This sheds some light on our Gospel reading. Once again Jesus talks of his death and resurrection, as if emphasizing to the disciples the truth of the matter, but then he asks them what they were talking about on the road. He knew well what they were talking about. They were arguing about who was the greatest among them.
Perhaps they were beginning to believe that Jesus would indeed die and so they needed to know who would take over as leader….. Maybe they missed the bit about his resurrection…. I suspect that Jesus heard the conversation and let it develop until all their ambitions were exposed.
James 3:14 “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.”
Sometimes it isn’t until a situation arises that we become aware of our own ambitions and envy and when we do become aware we need to heed the words of James because there are two natural responses. One is to deny that the envy and ambition exists. The envy and ambition will continue to drive our actions and poison our being like an invisible evil force. The other natural response is to own the ambition as something we boast about….. “I want that thing, and I envy that person …” etc..
James tells us to do neither of these things. Instead we need to acknowledge it and confess it. We need to look at our desires in the light of the wisdom that Jesus has shown us.
James 4:1-3 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
“You desire but do not have, so you kill……” You may read that immediately say that doesn’t apply to you, but have you ever stifled someone’s creativity because you wanted to be the one seen as in charge? Or put someone “in their place”, for the same reason? Have you ever talked about someone behind their back and spread rumours simply because you don’t like the fact that they look better than you or seem to have more than you?
James tells us that we do not have, because we haven’t asked God, and if we have asked, we ask with wrong motives. Sometimes we might even almost convince ourselves that our motives are in line with what God wants, but God isn’t fooled.
Jesus let the disciple show their true colours. Their ambition and jealousy was revealed, and then he told the disciples that whoever wants to be first must become the servant of all. He took a child and explained that to be a servant means to welcome, care for and serve even children.
In that ancient culture children were the last people that were to be respected. In complete contrast to our own culture, if a house was burning down it would be expected that you’d save the elders first and the children last. Children were not even considered heirs until they came of age. So to then be told that the most important person in the kingdom of God must be a servant to little children was somewhat a shock.
The perfect picture of a leader in the kingdom of God is that one that we find in Proverbs 31. Once again this will be a shock to many people because firstly she is not a man. This woman does not have a view of herself that places her above others, but she uses her gifts for the blessing of all.
The world truly is crazy. We live in a world where homosexuals are fighting for their rights to marriage and yet we in the church still can’t acknowledge women leaders. As my friend, Mike Nelson, once said, “after all… we can’t just let anyone tell us about Jesus!!!” (He was being sarcastic).
Once upon a very long time ago when God was inspiring a very wise man to write the book of proverbs, he chose to portray a leader and he chose a woman. But let’s be realistic about this…. It isn’t the fact that she was female that was important, it was that she feared God and used her gifts for the benefits of others. Free will means that we need to choose if we will fear God and use our gifts for the benefits of others, but there are no limitations on God’s gifts and there are no boundaries when God empowers.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Reflection on Readings for 16 September 2012 Proper 19 year B
Year B Proper 19 16 September 2012
Proverbs 1: 20-33 Psalm 19 James 3: 1-12 Mark 8: 27-38
I’ve been thinking about writing a book about how to teach children to sing. It would be called “HOW TO TEACH CHILDREN TO SING – what the kids have taught me!” It is amazing how you can never know some things until you come face to face with real live problems…. Sometimes these just leave you stumped, other times something awesome will happen and you’ll realize a simple solution.
Teaching and learning, and teachers learning from the learners, brings to mind an advertisement on television for a documentary about child protégés and geniuses. I know that there are stand out brilliances, but often it will be in one area and I worry that the labeling of the geniuses doesn’t really reflect the full spectrum of intelligence.
When studying teaching we touched on the idea of multiple intelligences, meaning that while one is intelligent in mathematics, another might be intelligent in social ways (and there are many other intelligence types). All intelligence types are important, but our society tends to highlight some more than others. The reason I mention this is because the theme running through our readings is wisdom.
Is wisdom something that we hear much of in our society? Many elements are grouped together that make up what we perceive to be intelligence. These include knowledge, skill and talent and when these are found in people they are recognized and appreciated, and often thought to be something for the select few. Our scripture readings indicate something different about wisdom.
Our readings begin with the book of Proverbs. A Proverb is a wise saying, and the book of Proverbs begins with the call of wisdom. In this, Wisdom is personified and declares her will to be known to all;
Proverbs 1:20-23 “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.”
My singing students are going to have a concert on the 2nd of December at Holy Trinity. They will be performing their country Gospel songs. I am encouraging the students to introduce the song themselves and talk a little about their song. My student yesterday had a practice and said, “The song is about how fools don’t follow God”. Her song is a perfect summary of this week’s readings. The chorus lyrics are; “’Cause when the man said, “this way to heaven, fools knew a better way to go. ‘Cause when the man said, “this way to heaven”, this mad crazy world said, “NO”!”
This tells us the key to wisdom. Although wisdom takes into account knowledge and intelligence, skill and talent, it is unique. You don’t need to have an incredible I.Q. to have wisdom, and you don’t need to know everything or have great skill or talent, but you do need to trust in God.
From Proverbs 1: 29-31 “since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.”
King David speaks with wisdom when he composes his Psalm. In Psalm 19 he tells us that creation declares the glory of God. The majesty of creation is a testimony and witness that God is God – and all that it means to be God. The more that we know about creation, the more incredibly intricate we realize it to be. Surely this “screams” that it was created by a being of more intelligence than we can imagine and is not a mere accident or coincidence of an astronomical event.
King David also speaks with wisdom when he admits that no one can discern their own error, thus admitting human frailty and humility before a perfect God. To turn to God means to admit that God is sovereign and that we are not in control, we can’t save ourselves, we are not perfect and we need a saviour.
Right, so we’ve arrived at this point where we acknowledge that we need God, we want to follow God and all is good …….. Laugh out loud! Being human, we continue to have “Peter” moments.
Our Gospel reading tells us about the discourse between Jesus and his disciples. They’ve heard people talking about who Jesus is. Eventually we find out who the disciples, especially Peter, think that Jesus is. “You are the Messiah”!
Messiah or Christ – the anointed one, is the answer that Peter gives on behalf of the disciples, but we discover that there is more to this. Before we continue, ask yourself who you think that Jesus is, because it is vitally important.
Recently on television’s “Can of worms” a celebrity guest was asked to choose a preference out of three impossible experiences. The celebrity declared choice number one, to go back in time to talk with Jesus. She prefaced the choice with the words, “If there was a Jesus, if he ever existed……”
She revealed an error that many people believe to be true, and that is that Jesus’ existence is a matter of faith. There are so many documents that refer to Jesus of Nazareth that we can pretty much know as a fact that Jesus was an historical figure. (and by the way – you don’t need to go back in time to talk to him).
Jesus was a man who existed in time. From ancient documents both non-Christian and Christian reports we can discern some facts about the person of Jesus….. he was reported to have performed miracles, did good works and was crucified, his followers claimed he rose from the dead. BUT, who is he really? Was he a prophet? Was he a good man but deluded? Was he a deceiver?
According to our scriptures Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be God.
Now this is where Peter got into strife. Peter and the disciples believe Jesus to be the Messiah – which is true, but they didn’t realize that he was the visible expression of God…. at least not until after. From the Gospel of John 8:58 Jesus declares, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am!”
Peter, after declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, took Jesus aside to tell him that he was wrong in saying that he would have to suffer. Peter failed to grasp the full identity of Jesus. No wonder that Jesus told his disciple not to tell anyone who he was. These disciples were both learners and followers of Jesus. This meant that they would pass on his teachings to others. It was important that they “got it right”.
Our reading from James has a warning for those of us who teach…. More specifically, for those of us who teach about Jesus. James 3:1-2 “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.”
The reading echoes the sentiments of our Psalmist, none of us are perfect, and we need to be constantly aware of this and diligent in watching the words that we say. Something that is a pet hate with me is this; I go to a shop to buy something, after having done some research on the item, but still having more questions, only to have the assistant fake their way through inadequately answering questions. Because I’ve researched I can tell that they are faking it and know nothing. I would much prefer to have someone say, “I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer. Let me find someone else who can help you.”
Over the years there have been theological heresies that have come into being because we wanted an answer that fitted with our lifestyle. I will not name any, but I’m sure that you can think of some…. But think again and check that these are not just those that suit you.
When I’m teaching and stuck, I usually research on the net, but I’m now thinking I really need to communicate with other teachers to find out what they do with these cases. Likewise, we in the church need to be in conversation with other Christians. This is the reason for our “multiple intelligences”…. We need to lean on each other and empower the gifts in each other. These gifts are for all our good and to benefit all of society. None of us needs to know everything, but we do need the wisdom to acknowledge that we are not perfect, our knowledge is imperfect and that we need each other.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, but who is the Lord? And yes, the proverb does say “fear” and I won’t soften this, because although God is love we need to have a healthy respect for His being and do not dare to speak for him unless we are sure of his will.
Proverbs 1: 20-33 Psalm 19 James 3: 1-12 Mark 8: 27-38
I’ve been thinking about writing a book about how to teach children to sing. It would be called “HOW TO TEACH CHILDREN TO SING – what the kids have taught me!” It is amazing how you can never know some things until you come face to face with real live problems…. Sometimes these just leave you stumped, other times something awesome will happen and you’ll realize a simple solution.
Teaching and learning, and teachers learning from the learners, brings to mind an advertisement on television for a documentary about child protégés and geniuses. I know that there are stand out brilliances, but often it will be in one area and I worry that the labeling of the geniuses doesn’t really reflect the full spectrum of intelligence.
When studying teaching we touched on the idea of multiple intelligences, meaning that while one is intelligent in mathematics, another might be intelligent in social ways (and there are many other intelligence types). All intelligence types are important, but our society tends to highlight some more than others. The reason I mention this is because the theme running through our readings is wisdom.
Is wisdom something that we hear much of in our society? Many elements are grouped together that make up what we perceive to be intelligence. These include knowledge, skill and talent and when these are found in people they are recognized and appreciated, and often thought to be something for the select few. Our scripture readings indicate something different about wisdom.
Our readings begin with the book of Proverbs. A Proverb is a wise saying, and the book of Proverbs begins with the call of wisdom. In this, Wisdom is personified and declares her will to be known to all;
Proverbs 1:20-23 “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! Then I will pour out my thoughts to you, I will make known to you my teachings.”
My singing students are going to have a concert on the 2nd of December at Holy Trinity. They will be performing their country Gospel songs. I am encouraging the students to introduce the song themselves and talk a little about their song. My student yesterday had a practice and said, “The song is about how fools don’t follow God”. Her song is a perfect summary of this week’s readings. The chorus lyrics are; “’Cause when the man said, “this way to heaven, fools knew a better way to go. ‘Cause when the man said, “this way to heaven”, this mad crazy world said, “NO”!”
This tells us the key to wisdom. Although wisdom takes into account knowledge and intelligence, skill and talent, it is unique. You don’t need to have an incredible I.Q. to have wisdom, and you don’t need to know everything or have great skill or talent, but you do need to trust in God.
From Proverbs 1: 29-31 “since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.”
King David speaks with wisdom when he composes his Psalm. In Psalm 19 he tells us that creation declares the glory of God. The majesty of creation is a testimony and witness that God is God – and all that it means to be God. The more that we know about creation, the more incredibly intricate we realize it to be. Surely this “screams” that it was created by a being of more intelligence than we can imagine and is not a mere accident or coincidence of an astronomical event.
King David also speaks with wisdom when he admits that no one can discern their own error, thus admitting human frailty and humility before a perfect God. To turn to God means to admit that God is sovereign and that we are not in control, we can’t save ourselves, we are not perfect and we need a saviour.
Right, so we’ve arrived at this point where we acknowledge that we need God, we want to follow God and all is good …….. Laugh out loud! Being human, we continue to have “Peter” moments.
Our Gospel reading tells us about the discourse between Jesus and his disciples. They’ve heard people talking about who Jesus is. Eventually we find out who the disciples, especially Peter, think that Jesus is. “You are the Messiah”!
Messiah or Christ – the anointed one, is the answer that Peter gives on behalf of the disciples, but we discover that there is more to this. Before we continue, ask yourself who you think that Jesus is, because it is vitally important.
Recently on television’s “Can of worms” a celebrity guest was asked to choose a preference out of three impossible experiences. The celebrity declared choice number one, to go back in time to talk with Jesus. She prefaced the choice with the words, “If there was a Jesus, if he ever existed……”
She revealed an error that many people believe to be true, and that is that Jesus’ existence is a matter of faith. There are so many documents that refer to Jesus of Nazareth that we can pretty much know as a fact that Jesus was an historical figure. (and by the way – you don’t need to go back in time to talk to him).
Jesus was a man who existed in time. From ancient documents both non-Christian and Christian reports we can discern some facts about the person of Jesus….. he was reported to have performed miracles, did good works and was crucified, his followers claimed he rose from the dead. BUT, who is he really? Was he a prophet? Was he a good man but deluded? Was he a deceiver?
According to our scriptures Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be God.
Now this is where Peter got into strife. Peter and the disciples believe Jesus to be the Messiah – which is true, but they didn’t realize that he was the visible expression of God…. at least not until after. From the Gospel of John 8:58 Jesus declares, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am!”
Peter, after declaring that Jesus was the Messiah, took Jesus aside to tell him that he was wrong in saying that he would have to suffer. Peter failed to grasp the full identity of Jesus. No wonder that Jesus told his disciple not to tell anyone who he was. These disciples were both learners and followers of Jesus. This meant that they would pass on his teachings to others. It was important that they “got it right”.
Our reading from James has a warning for those of us who teach…. More specifically, for those of us who teach about Jesus. James 3:1-2 “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.”
The reading echoes the sentiments of our Psalmist, none of us are perfect, and we need to be constantly aware of this and diligent in watching the words that we say. Something that is a pet hate with me is this; I go to a shop to buy something, after having done some research on the item, but still having more questions, only to have the assistant fake their way through inadequately answering questions. Because I’ve researched I can tell that they are faking it and know nothing. I would much prefer to have someone say, “I’m sorry, I don’t know the answer. Let me find someone else who can help you.”
Over the years there have been theological heresies that have come into being because we wanted an answer that fitted with our lifestyle. I will not name any, but I’m sure that you can think of some…. But think again and check that these are not just those that suit you.
When I’m teaching and stuck, I usually research on the net, but I’m now thinking I really need to communicate with other teachers to find out what they do with these cases. Likewise, we in the church need to be in conversation with other Christians. This is the reason for our “multiple intelligences”…. We need to lean on each other and empower the gifts in each other. These gifts are for all our good and to benefit all of society. None of us needs to know everything, but we do need the wisdom to acknowledge that we are not perfect, our knowledge is imperfect and that we need each other.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, but who is the Lord? And yes, the proverb does say “fear” and I won’t soften this, because although God is love we need to have a healthy respect for His being and do not dare to speak for him unless we are sure of his will.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Reflection on readings for Sunday 19th August 2012
Year B Proper 15 19 August 2012
1 Kings 2: 10-12; 3: 3-14 Psalm 111 Ephesians 5: 15-20 John 6: 51-58
In an ancient culture of Rabbi’s and preaching and parables it isn’t any wonder that there were so many speculations and divisions over the teaching of Jesus.
Many times, however, the strong reactions to the words and actions of Jesus were because the people, or at least the religious people of Jesus day, did understand the implications. They actually read between the lines very well, but didn’t want to hear the message because it meant they needed to respond and change their lives. Are we any different? Do we choose to hear the “softer” message in the readings and ignore the “hard” stuff?
Each of our readings for this weekend has a strong and memorable story, but at the heart of each is the question of our attitude and our motivations.
Our first reading is about King Solomon at the beginning of his kingship. This man walks into the position that was firmly established by his father. It was a position chosen for him by his father, King David, although he was not the eldest son. Neither was his life free from reproach, for this is the child of Bathsheba and David.
Solomon’s life teaches us so much about the grace and love of God, because he was born from a union that began in sin, but his birth was a sign of redemption. David had an affair with Bathsheba, a married woman and she fell pregnant. The child she bore died. Solomon was then born and his life had the blessing of God and this was affirmed by God, through a vision from the prophet that proclaimed Solomon the child loved by God. What an amazing message of hope this is to all of us who have less than admirable things in our past. How many people are kept from the full blessings that God has for them because they know the failure and reality of sin, and do not realize the amazing and all covering grace of God?
Solomon had the blessing of God, but do you think that his brothers and sisters allowed him to forget the delicacy of that union which brought him into being? I doubt it. So although it seems that Solomon’s position was secure, I imagine that he may have had some anxieties.
God came to Solomon in a dream and told him ask for what he would like and it would be given him. Solomon asked for wisdom. The request was not for his own glory, so that others could admire his intellect, but so that he could best govern the people.
The following two readings tell us something about wisdom. It is obviously something that God wants for his people and we are given some clues about the getting of wisdom. The Psalm tells us in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”
God is the source of wisdom and to acknowledge the truth of God’s existence and all His ways is the very start of wisdom. Our lives and our whole understanding about life must be built on truth. God is the truth, without this basic acknowledgement any attempt at wisdom has the possibility of being utter foolishness.
The second reading tells us a little more about wisdom; Ephesians 5:15-18 “15 Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Being filled with the Spirit of God is another key to wisdom. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with God and have the mind of Christ – and therefore understanding what the Lord’s will is.
With this wisdom and understanding about God, we come to the Gospel reading. And this one is most divisive!
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Jesus certainly ruffled a lot of feathers with that statement and still does today. First and foremost we must understand that he is making a statement about his identity. The people knew that he was identifying himself a “God from God”. The Hebrew for Yaweh - “I am”…. God!
He is the Living bread from heaven. Manna was given to the Israelite people in the desert - It was a miraculous provision which sustained and nourished them and bread for which they did no labour – it simply appeared each morning, they collected it and baked it…. But it wasn’t a crop that they sowed and tended. In the same way we do not labour for our Salvation – Jesus, the bread of life, accomplishes it.
The Jewish people argued over what Jesus meant and how it was possible to eat the flesh of a man who is alive…. They chose to ignore the implications of what he was telling them (that he was God) and instead argued about the technicalities of the literal interpretation of this parable.
We too can get caught in literal technicalities. When we do, we miss the point. The point being that Jesus is God from God come to bring us life eternal. He accomplishes this without us needing to do any work. That is, our eternal life is done by Jesus – and not by anything that we do.
This reading is so tired up with our experience of communion that we do tend to misunderstand. When Jesus was talking about eating his flesh as bread he added that those who eat this bread live forever. This reading is not about communion – but communion is a celebration of this reading.
This reading is about the sacrifice that Jesus would make on the cross – how he would give his whole life, body and blood – completely shed, to redeem the world. We are to accept this life of Jesus and by our union with him we have eternal life. Our union with Christ, our partaking of his body and blood is a spiritual reality…. Our partaking in communion celebrates and affirms our union. Just to be perfectly clear…. A person who has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus but never been to church to take communion still has eternal life because it is a spiritual reality brought about by God. Communion, like other sacraments, is an outward sign of an inward reality.
Now to get back to the emphasis on our attitudes, we know that many people after hearing the words of Jesus about him being the bread of life, turned away from him. It was too hard. I’m pretty sure that his disciples didn’t fully understand what was being said, but they stayed. The Jews that argued were indignant. They allowed pride and sin to stop them from receiving the full blessing of God.
Sometimes wisdom is not about understanding. When we know and trust God we know that we don’t have to fully understand because we are united with the one who is the very source of wisdom.
1 Kings 2: 10-12; 3: 3-14 Psalm 111 Ephesians 5: 15-20 John 6: 51-58
In an ancient culture of Rabbi’s and preaching and parables it isn’t any wonder that there were so many speculations and divisions over the teaching of Jesus.
Many times, however, the strong reactions to the words and actions of Jesus were because the people, or at least the religious people of Jesus day, did understand the implications. They actually read between the lines very well, but didn’t want to hear the message because it meant they needed to respond and change their lives. Are we any different? Do we choose to hear the “softer” message in the readings and ignore the “hard” stuff?
Each of our readings for this weekend has a strong and memorable story, but at the heart of each is the question of our attitude and our motivations.
Our first reading is about King Solomon at the beginning of his kingship. This man walks into the position that was firmly established by his father. It was a position chosen for him by his father, King David, although he was not the eldest son. Neither was his life free from reproach, for this is the child of Bathsheba and David.
Solomon’s life teaches us so much about the grace and love of God, because he was born from a union that began in sin, but his birth was a sign of redemption. David had an affair with Bathsheba, a married woman and she fell pregnant. The child she bore died. Solomon was then born and his life had the blessing of God and this was affirmed by God, through a vision from the prophet that proclaimed Solomon the child loved by God. What an amazing message of hope this is to all of us who have less than admirable things in our past. How many people are kept from the full blessings that God has for them because they know the failure and reality of sin, and do not realize the amazing and all covering grace of God?
Solomon had the blessing of God, but do you think that his brothers and sisters allowed him to forget the delicacy of that union which brought him into being? I doubt it. So although it seems that Solomon’s position was secure, I imagine that he may have had some anxieties.
God came to Solomon in a dream and told him ask for what he would like and it would be given him. Solomon asked for wisdom. The request was not for his own glory, so that others could admire his intellect, but so that he could best govern the people.
The following two readings tell us something about wisdom. It is obviously something that God wants for his people and we are given some clues about the getting of wisdom. The Psalm tells us in Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”
God is the source of wisdom and to acknowledge the truth of God’s existence and all His ways is the very start of wisdom. Our lives and our whole understanding about life must be built on truth. God is the truth, without this basic acknowledgement any attempt at wisdom has the possibility of being utter foolishness.
The second reading tells us a little more about wisdom; Ephesians 5:15-18 “15 Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Being filled with the Spirit of God is another key to wisdom. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with God and have the mind of Christ – and therefore understanding what the Lord’s will is.
With this wisdom and understanding about God, we come to the Gospel reading. And this one is most divisive!
John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Jesus certainly ruffled a lot of feathers with that statement and still does today. First and foremost we must understand that he is making a statement about his identity. The people knew that he was identifying himself a “God from God”. The Hebrew for Yaweh - “I am”…. God!
He is the Living bread from heaven. Manna was given to the Israelite people in the desert - It was a miraculous provision which sustained and nourished them and bread for which they did no labour – it simply appeared each morning, they collected it and baked it…. But it wasn’t a crop that they sowed and tended. In the same way we do not labour for our Salvation – Jesus, the bread of life, accomplishes it.
The Jewish people argued over what Jesus meant and how it was possible to eat the flesh of a man who is alive…. They chose to ignore the implications of what he was telling them (that he was God) and instead argued about the technicalities of the literal interpretation of this parable.
We too can get caught in literal technicalities. When we do, we miss the point. The point being that Jesus is God from God come to bring us life eternal. He accomplishes this without us needing to do any work. That is, our eternal life is done by Jesus – and not by anything that we do.
This reading is so tired up with our experience of communion that we do tend to misunderstand. When Jesus was talking about eating his flesh as bread he added that those who eat this bread live forever. This reading is not about communion – but communion is a celebration of this reading.
This reading is about the sacrifice that Jesus would make on the cross – how he would give his whole life, body and blood – completely shed, to redeem the world. We are to accept this life of Jesus and by our union with him we have eternal life. Our union with Christ, our partaking of his body and blood is a spiritual reality…. Our partaking in communion celebrates and affirms our union. Just to be perfectly clear…. A person who has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus but never been to church to take communion still has eternal life because it is a spiritual reality brought about by God. Communion, like other sacraments, is an outward sign of an inward reality.
Now to get back to the emphasis on our attitudes, we know that many people after hearing the words of Jesus about him being the bread of life, turned away from him. It was too hard. I’m pretty sure that his disciples didn’t fully understand what was being said, but they stayed. The Jews that argued were indignant. They allowed pride and sin to stop them from receiving the full blessing of God.
Sometimes wisdom is not about understanding. When we know and trust God we know that we don’t have to fully understand because we are united with the one who is the very source of wisdom.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Reflection on readings for Sunday 15th July 2012
Year B Proper 10 15 July 2012
2 Samuel 6: 1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1: 3-14 Mark 6: 14-29
Who will we aim to please? Will we bow to public pressure or do what it is that God requires?
Although our immediate response is probably that we aim to please God, when we start to examine our lives, we might just find that what we theoretically would like to think we do, doesn’t quite equate with the reality.
Our first reading is about King David bringing the Ark of the Lord back into the Holy Place and to the position of power and authority.
The Ark had previously been captured by the Philistines and David had already once attempted to bring the Ark back but they came upon misadventure. They had been carrying the ark on a cart and as it went to fall, one of the priest’s, Uzzah, reached out and touched it. He was then struck down dead for this act of irreverence.
This Ark of the Lord was so connected with the presence of God that, though it was acknowledged that it could not possible contain God, it was enveloped in God’s holiness and signified God. God had given specific rules about how this ark was to be carried and previously David and his men had gotten it wrong, and more probably, their attitude was also wrong.
2 Samuel 6:13 “13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.”
Six steps, like the six days of creation and then the sacred day. It is an action that signified the LORD who is God, creator of the universe – the one who is sovereign and whose will was foremost.
Previously the Ark was transported on a cart but this time it was carried by the Levites – the priests, who were ordained for this role. This one little fact is something that I would like us to think about.
We can think of the Ark as carrying God. Through our baptism we are marked as those ordained to “carry” God. But be warned, he won’t bow to our own ways of doing things, even if we claim to be doing these things for him. David and his men were bringing God into their place... almost as a force to be under their control – a lucky charm.... this is how the other nations treated and entreated their Gods. Though they offered sacrifices it was not to show service to and the dominion of God – but to appease and control. God would not be controlled or manipulated into helping any nation – even his own beloved Israel. God is God and he doesn’t bow to us, but we bow to him.
It is interesting to reflect on the areas of our life. Do we expect that things should go well for us because we are Christians?
Have you ever found yourself bargaining with God.... “Lord if you will help me do such and such, I will such and such etc...” “If I win the lotto Lord, I’ll use it to set up a charity....” “If you help me.... , then I will give all the glory to you.” It is all so noble sounding.... But it is idolatry!
Whether or not things go well for us should have no bearing on our relationship with God. We “carry” the living God. We serve him.
As servants of God we have a responsibility to “carry” God as an essential and constant part of our being, and not have him “on a cart”.... something attached, on show, but somewhat apart.
When David finally brought the Ark into its resting place he danced before the Lord. 2 Samuel 6:16, “As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.”
David finally had understood that he needed to fear and heed the commands of God, yet in this time of victory his wife despised him for his seemingly humble actions. Throughout the story of King David there are many times when we see his humility and willingness to be despised by humans and humble before God. Regardless of the circumstance and often in the hard times of being pursued by enemies, King David submits his life to God with disregard for the jeers of those looking on.
In our Gospel reading we find an example of the opposite. Mark 6:26 “26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head.”
King Herod was to act on a foolish and rashly made oath. The way the story is told indicates that he wasn’t happy about this, but felt obligated to please his dinner guests by upholding his oath.
People in positions of power, such as politicians, are most likely to understand this kind of pressure. They need the affirmation of the people for their position to be secure, but should they cave to the majority opinion when they know the issue on the table is morally wrong?
We can easily see how this can happen, but what about those of us in positions of limited power? Are we any different in our everyday work conversations? Do we bow to the majority opinion, go along with the view, even if it is morally wrong, just so that we will be socially accepted?
Ephesians 1:11- 14 “ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
It is all too easy to think that we are powerless, non-confrontational, Christians whose only responsibility is to strive to believe God and leave all the “hard” stuff to the missionaries, ministers and the very committed Christians who have no other life. We see by reading Ephesians that we have been chosen and predestined for a specific purpose. For that purpose we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and if nothing else, we need to understand that we “carry” Christ.
Always, in our being, is the living God who calls us to acknowledge him as Lord of our lives. We bow to him only and not to the pressure around us
2 Samuel 6: 1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1: 3-14 Mark 6: 14-29
Who will we aim to please? Will we bow to public pressure or do what it is that God requires?
Although our immediate response is probably that we aim to please God, when we start to examine our lives, we might just find that what we theoretically would like to think we do, doesn’t quite equate with the reality.
Our first reading is about King David bringing the Ark of the Lord back into the Holy Place and to the position of power and authority.
The Ark had previously been captured by the Philistines and David had already once attempted to bring the Ark back but they came upon misadventure. They had been carrying the ark on a cart and as it went to fall, one of the priest’s, Uzzah, reached out and touched it. He was then struck down dead for this act of irreverence.
This Ark of the Lord was so connected with the presence of God that, though it was acknowledged that it could not possible contain God, it was enveloped in God’s holiness and signified God. God had given specific rules about how this ark was to be carried and previously David and his men had gotten it wrong, and more probably, their attitude was also wrong.
2 Samuel 6:13 “13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.”
Six steps, like the six days of creation and then the sacred day. It is an action that signified the LORD who is God, creator of the universe – the one who is sovereign and whose will was foremost.
Previously the Ark was transported on a cart but this time it was carried by the Levites – the priests, who were ordained for this role. This one little fact is something that I would like us to think about.
We can think of the Ark as carrying God. Through our baptism we are marked as those ordained to “carry” God. But be warned, he won’t bow to our own ways of doing things, even if we claim to be doing these things for him. David and his men were bringing God into their place... almost as a force to be under their control – a lucky charm.... this is how the other nations treated and entreated their Gods. Though they offered sacrifices it was not to show service to and the dominion of God – but to appease and control. God would not be controlled or manipulated into helping any nation – even his own beloved Israel. God is God and he doesn’t bow to us, but we bow to him.
It is interesting to reflect on the areas of our life. Do we expect that things should go well for us because we are Christians?
Have you ever found yourself bargaining with God.... “Lord if you will help me do such and such, I will such and such etc...” “If I win the lotto Lord, I’ll use it to set up a charity....” “If you help me.... , then I will give all the glory to you.” It is all so noble sounding.... But it is idolatry!
Whether or not things go well for us should have no bearing on our relationship with God. We “carry” the living God. We serve him.
As servants of God we have a responsibility to “carry” God as an essential and constant part of our being, and not have him “on a cart”.... something attached, on show, but somewhat apart.
When David finally brought the Ark into its resting place he danced before the Lord. 2 Samuel 6:16, “As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.”
David finally had understood that he needed to fear and heed the commands of God, yet in this time of victory his wife despised him for his seemingly humble actions. Throughout the story of King David there are many times when we see his humility and willingness to be despised by humans and humble before God. Regardless of the circumstance and often in the hard times of being pursued by enemies, King David submits his life to God with disregard for the jeers of those looking on.
In our Gospel reading we find an example of the opposite. Mark 6:26 “26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head.”
King Herod was to act on a foolish and rashly made oath. The way the story is told indicates that he wasn’t happy about this, but felt obligated to please his dinner guests by upholding his oath.
People in positions of power, such as politicians, are most likely to understand this kind of pressure. They need the affirmation of the people for their position to be secure, but should they cave to the majority opinion when they know the issue on the table is morally wrong?
We can easily see how this can happen, but what about those of us in positions of limited power? Are we any different in our everyday work conversations? Do we bow to the majority opinion, go along with the view, even if it is morally wrong, just so that we will be socially accepted?
Ephesians 1:11- 14 “ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
It is all too easy to think that we are powerless, non-confrontational, Christians whose only responsibility is to strive to believe God and leave all the “hard” stuff to the missionaries, ministers and the very committed Christians who have no other life. We see by reading Ephesians that we have been chosen and predestined for a specific purpose. For that purpose we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and if nothing else, we need to understand that we “carry” Christ.
Always, in our being, is the living God who calls us to acknowledge him as Lord of our lives. We bow to him only and not to the pressure around us
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