Year A Proper 23 12 October 2014
Exodus 32: 1-14 Psalm 106: 1-6, 19-23 Philippians 4: 1-9 Matthew 22: 1-14
In our readings this week we find that Saint Paul exhorts the Philippians to focus on the positive;
Philippians 4:4-8 “Always be joyful because you belong to the Lord. I will say it again. Be joyful. Let everyone know how gentle you are. The Lord is coming soon.
Don’t worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. Then God’s peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God’s peace can never be completely understood.
Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.”
I call it the Pollyanna principal. You might recall the book where the Heroine sees the good in everything, calling it the GLAD GAME. It would appear that Saint Paul promotes this unquenchable optimism and indeed he does, but it is not an irrational optimism it is actually an exhortation to hope and to see things through the eyes of faith.
In fact… the Bible tells us that anything that is not of faith is sin. So… when we doubt and we fail to trust in God it is actually sin. This may seem harsh, but I think it is worth noting because we all need to realize that we all fall short… we all sin… and now let’s get over it, because it is for this reason that Jesus came. There is not to be any judgment – Paul did not judge, but instead he encouraged and motivated the people such that their focus was moved from their circumstances to the promises and wonderful things of God.
THIS is what we are to do also. We are not to judge and we are not to give others the impression that they lack faith when things are bleak, but instead, we are to be messengers of a greater hope… we are to be the people that intercede for those who are hurting. My reason for claiming this comes from other Bible passages, including the story of Job and his friends and our reading from the Old Testament for this week from Exodus.
Our Old Testament reading takes us to the place where the Israelites were in the desert and Moses was up the mountain receiving the commandments from God. From the perspective of the people, they had been led out of Egypt by a miraculous hand that saw the Red sea parted.
Now to our way of thinking this would be a sure sign of the sovereignty and power of our God, and an event that would solidify the faith of the Israelites, but this was a people who were used to the magicians of Egypt and the supernatural happenings of demonic forces. They knew that they were a chosen race and belonged to a different God from that of the Egyptians, but in the minds of those people, was an understanding that was clouded by the influences around them.
Back in the 80’s was a computer term; GI-GO, Garbage in – Garbage out. I was talking today with someone who expressed that we need to read the Koran and other books to better be able to proclaim our Christianity. It is a common thought that we can’t properly argue without authoritative knowledge of these things, but we are in danger here, of becoming like those ancient Israelites who assimilated the pagan beliefs of those surrounding them, such that they actually were better acquainted with the pagan beliefs than that of their own beliefs.
To qualify my opinion here, let me add the parallel of a basketball game. I used to be a much better defensive player and not so good at offense. Defense is not the way to win a game and I always seemed to lose. Becoming skilled in offense is a much better tactic. How well do you understand the Christian faith? How intimately acquainted are you with all the writings of the Bible? As Saint Paul told the Philippians, we need to focus our minds on these things that we know are good.
I think I’ve mentioned in other reflections that those who are skilled in identifying counterfeit notes do not study counterfeits. They study the authentic notes so much that any slight alteration in a counterfeit is immediately obvious.
These ancient Israelites were easily led astray without any conscience that they were sinning because they were not students of the real thing. As we read further, we see that God expresses to Moses that these people should be destroyed. Moses, however, reminds God that these are His chosen people.
It is an interesting passage that reads as though Moses was able to change God’s mind. I suspect the truth of the matter is that God wanted Moses to become more acutely aware of the sacredness of HIS people, because it would be Moses’ job to lead them and teach them, and he was going to need this understanding in order to have immeasurable patience with them.
This Old Testament situation is echoed in our New Testament reading and sets the scene for us today.
Our New Testament reading tells the parable of the wedding feast. A man prepares a wedding feast for his son and sends out the invitations, but those invited refuse. In fact some of them even beat and mistreat the servants who are the bearers of the invitation. So the father sends the servants out to the streets to invite anyone and everyone – good and bad alike.
The feast is happily underway when the father notices someone not wearing wedding clothes and he then has this person thrown out. And the parable concludes with the announcement the many are invited but few are chosen.
What does all this mean?
Some of the parable is immediately obvious. The wedding feast speaks of the celebration of the coming of Jesus. The servants are those who invite others into a relationship with Jesus. Those invited guests are those who already have some kind of relationship with God who we’d expect to be an integral part of the festivities. In Jesus time, this would have been referring to the Jews- the chosen people of God. In our current time we can interpret this further as the traditional orthodox Christian Churches and take it as a warning.
In the time of Jesus, the Jewish church had been waiting for the coming Messiah. He appeared, and although many acknowledged and accepted him, the hierarchy of the Church rejected him. At this time in the history of God’s interaction with humanity, an invitation was sent out to Jews and, most significantly, to non-Jews…. to me and to you!
We are all invited to celebrate and be part of this story. The invitation is for Christian, for Jew, for Muslim, for Buddhist, for good and for bad. There are no limits on who is invited. Our part in the story for today is to understand that God has invited ALL. We need to understand this and reach out to others with the invitation because we are the servants who are sent to the streets to bring in guests for the celebration.
Now there is still a part of the story to discover. It is that of the person who was thrown out because he was not wearing wedding clothes.
It is thought that there was a tradition that those invited to a royal wedding would be given an appropriate robe to wear. Regardless of the tradition, this invited person is not appropriately dressed.
In 2009 when I married Joe, we had a wedding that was open to all. Most of those that came were well known to us. Some were only acquaintances, but all wore appropriate clothes. Initially we intended that we might have a reception outside in the garden at Holy Trinity, which is much more open to the public and likely to have party crashers. I’m guessing if this had happened we’d be able to spot them quickly because they’d be dressed differently.
The difference between a guest and a party crasher, in that circumstance would be immediately obvious through dress, and that difference in dress would indicate a deeper difference, that being the lack of personal relationship to the wedding couple.
All people are invited into the celebration of God, but what this is really inviting us to is a relationship with the Son, Jesus.
In other places in the Bible it speaks of us being “clothed in Christ”. We can only be worthy of a union with God through the sacrifice of Jesus and therefore it is our relationship with Christ that makes us “clean”. We can go to church, we can be a good ethical person, we can be someone who sacrifices for others, but if we are not “clothed in Christ” then we can have no union with God.
I do, absolutely and with all my heart, believe that if all the world’s religions and philosophies were laid out clearly, and properly comprehended, we’d all choose Christianity. It really is Good News (Gospel). But the biggest hindrance, other than ignorance of the extreme goodness of this way, is the humility to accept that there is something or someone greater, and then to admit that we are not as good as we’d like to think, and therefore admit that we need a savior.
We need to willingly admit our need, and therefore enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ in order to be “Clothed in Christ”…. Many are invited, but few are chosen – why? It isn’t God’s will that any should be left out, but it is the consequence of our free will that determines our fate. All has been done… The atonement and sacrifice made, wedding robes given by God himself– But will you wear it?
Friday, October 10, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
An Unshakable resilience. Reflection for 21st of September 2014
Year A Proper 20 21 September 2014
Exodus 16: 2-15 Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1: 21-30 Matthew 20: 1-16
Shakespeare, in my opinion, was an amazing philosopher. He wrote through his characters some amazing statements that convey a truth quoted and noted down through the ages. There is one such quote that comes to mind in the light of this week’s scripture readings. In the character of Hamlet in act 3, scene 1, we discover the question, “To be, or not to be: that is the question:”
Hamlet has discovered the family skeletons in the closet and they are playing havoc with his mind and emotions. He ponders suicide, and while he begins with this question about living or dying, he has the insightfulness and forethought to recognize that to die may not be the end of his troubles, and so he ponders, “To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause:”
I’d like to suggest that in this week’s readings we look at attitudes and resources for resilience in the face of troubles. This is something that Hamlet needed and something we all need.
Most of us have constants in our lives and these constants give us a sense of security. It may be family or work, hobbies or interests and any combination, but these form our understanding of morality, justice, goodness and what life actually is about, what is important and why. These things shape our understanding of what is “normal”, real and true. When these constants are shown to us to be faulty, or they stop being in our lives, we are left feeling lost, to say the least.
In our readings for this week we find the Israelites in this condition. They’ve left the slavery and oppression of Egypt and now they want to go back there. How could this be?
Exodus 16:3-5 “The Israelites said to them, “We wish the LORD had put us to death in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat. We ate all of the food we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert. You must want this entire community to die of hunger.”
They were not happy in Egypt… but Egypt was home. They had lived there long enough that it was all that they knew and novelty of living in the desert and relying on God had worn off. They didn’t have their “normal”, and they didn’t know what to make of things and they wanted “home”. In many ways Egypt had crept into their souls, and their understanding about life was based on that reality. Their understanding about reality, truth goodness was grounded in Egypt and the idea of a new home was hard to take in. But God gives them another miracle and gives them bread from heaven;
Exodus 16:4-5 “Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people must go out each day. Have them gather enough bread for that day. Here is how I will put them to the test. I will see if they will follow my directions.
“On the sixth day they must prepare what they bring in. On that day they must gather twice as much as on the other days.”
We too often live with or grow up with things that are not healthy, but these are “home” and as adults who can think and ration, we can find it difficult to accept the truth about many things because often the truth is not comfortable. The most important question that we all need to answer is, do we want the truth?
In our Gospel we find another truth that people may find hard to accept. It is a parable about the kingdom of heaven. In summary, there are many workers in a vineyard and some worked all day, others were hired at various times through the day, some only working a short time and yet all of them were paid the same amount. It seems unfair, but the owner justifies himself saying that it is his prerogative to be generous to all.
Why are you a believer? Why are you a Christian? Or if you are not…. What purpose do you think you or other people might become Christian?
I would suggest that if you are a Christian because it gives you a sense of being something special and better than others or if you are a Christian because you will get a reward in heaven, or if you are a Christian who goes the extra mile because it means you will be a leader in God’s kingdom of heaven, then you don’t know God at all.
The Israelites had a sense of being the chosen race. They belonged to God and he had proven himself by fighting for them, but they didn’t understand His ways at all. This same people but many generations later are who Jesus was talking to and they also didn’t really know God. When I say this, I mean that they knew about God… they knew things he’d done and had the theory about him, but it was much like learning about a person of celebrity status or an historical figure. Often we can have an educated understanding about a person and be somewhat on the money, but we can also get it oh so very wrong unless we know the person personally. If we don’t know that person personally, the next best would be to listen to people who do…. But have you noticed that people can have very differing opinions about the same person?
This maybe one of those moments of discomfort…. Do we really know God, or have we a comfortable image that someone has painted hanging on the wall of our soul?
Now, this seems to be the opposite of where I started. I started by saying that this week’s readings are about resilience in the face of trials and so far all I’ve done is chip away at many possible comforts. The message that God gave to the Israelites about their comfort was to provide them with food. He also gave them meat and had provided them with water. He comes through. None of the workers in the vineyard of our Gospel reading went without… all were rewarded. Why were they upset? I’d suggest that it was due to an assumption about how things were meant to be according to their understanding of how things work.
In our reading from St. Paul we find the exact opposite of Hamlet.
Philippians 1:21-25 “For me, life finds all of its meaning in Christ. Death also has its benefits. Suppose I go on living in my body. Then I will be able to carry on my work. It will bear a lot of fruit. But what should I choose? I don’t know. I can’t decide between the two. I long to leave this world and be with Christ. That is better by far. But it is more important for you that I stay alive. I’m sure of that. So I know I will remain with you. And I will continue with all of you to help you grow and be joyful in what you have been taught.”
Saint Paul has had an experience of God that showed him who God is. He understood the concept of the Trinity and more from just that experience. He KNEW God and he knew his humanity, his love and his divinity. Having this relationship with God gave Paul resilience for life that saw him press on through persecution, floggings and jail. For the one who has experienced God in this way there is no need to find his sense of reality and truth… Saint Paul found it and it was truly like a very hard and uncomfortable slap, but once he’d accepted it, it became the unshakeable rock upon which his whole life took shape.
Philippians 1:27 “No matter what happens, live in a way that brings honour to the good news about Christ. Then I will know that you stand firm with one purpose. I may come and see you or only hear about you. But I will know that you work together as one person. And I will know that you work to spread the teachings of the good news.
So don’t be afraid in any way of those who oppose you. That will show them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved. That’s what God will do.
Here is what he has given you to do for Christ. You must not only believe in him. You must also suffer for him.
You are going through the same struggle you saw me go through. As you have heard, I am still struggling.”
Saint Paul doesn’t escape suffering or hardship and neither will we, but will we face it with the resilience of Saint Paul or the deliberations of Hamlet? It all depends on our personal relationship with Christ which he desires for all of us. He wants us to know him personally. Will we accept him as he is, thorns, nail wounds and all or will you be content with that painted image hanging in the corner of your soul?
Exodus 16: 2-15 Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1: 21-30 Matthew 20: 1-16
Shakespeare, in my opinion, was an amazing philosopher. He wrote through his characters some amazing statements that convey a truth quoted and noted down through the ages. There is one such quote that comes to mind in the light of this week’s scripture readings. In the character of Hamlet in act 3, scene 1, we discover the question, “To be, or not to be: that is the question:”
Hamlet has discovered the family skeletons in the closet and they are playing havoc with his mind and emotions. He ponders suicide, and while he begins with this question about living or dying, he has the insightfulness and forethought to recognize that to die may not be the end of his troubles, and so he ponders, “To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause:”
I’d like to suggest that in this week’s readings we look at attitudes and resources for resilience in the face of troubles. This is something that Hamlet needed and something we all need.
Most of us have constants in our lives and these constants give us a sense of security. It may be family or work, hobbies or interests and any combination, but these form our understanding of morality, justice, goodness and what life actually is about, what is important and why. These things shape our understanding of what is “normal”, real and true. When these constants are shown to us to be faulty, or they stop being in our lives, we are left feeling lost, to say the least.
In our readings for this week we find the Israelites in this condition. They’ve left the slavery and oppression of Egypt and now they want to go back there. How could this be?
Exodus 16:3-5 “The Israelites said to them, “We wish the LORD had put us to death in Egypt. There we sat around pots of meat. We ate all of the food we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert. You must want this entire community to die of hunger.”
They were not happy in Egypt… but Egypt was home. They had lived there long enough that it was all that they knew and novelty of living in the desert and relying on God had worn off. They didn’t have their “normal”, and they didn’t know what to make of things and they wanted “home”. In many ways Egypt had crept into their souls, and their understanding about life was based on that reality. Their understanding about reality, truth goodness was grounded in Egypt and the idea of a new home was hard to take in. But God gives them another miracle and gives them bread from heaven;
Exodus 16:4-5 “Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people must go out each day. Have them gather enough bread for that day. Here is how I will put them to the test. I will see if they will follow my directions.
“On the sixth day they must prepare what they bring in. On that day they must gather twice as much as on the other days.”
We too often live with or grow up with things that are not healthy, but these are “home” and as adults who can think and ration, we can find it difficult to accept the truth about many things because often the truth is not comfortable. The most important question that we all need to answer is, do we want the truth?
In our Gospel we find another truth that people may find hard to accept. It is a parable about the kingdom of heaven. In summary, there are many workers in a vineyard and some worked all day, others were hired at various times through the day, some only working a short time and yet all of them were paid the same amount. It seems unfair, but the owner justifies himself saying that it is his prerogative to be generous to all.
Why are you a believer? Why are you a Christian? Or if you are not…. What purpose do you think you or other people might become Christian?
I would suggest that if you are a Christian because it gives you a sense of being something special and better than others or if you are a Christian because you will get a reward in heaven, or if you are a Christian who goes the extra mile because it means you will be a leader in God’s kingdom of heaven, then you don’t know God at all.
The Israelites had a sense of being the chosen race. They belonged to God and he had proven himself by fighting for them, but they didn’t understand His ways at all. This same people but many generations later are who Jesus was talking to and they also didn’t really know God. When I say this, I mean that they knew about God… they knew things he’d done and had the theory about him, but it was much like learning about a person of celebrity status or an historical figure. Often we can have an educated understanding about a person and be somewhat on the money, but we can also get it oh so very wrong unless we know the person personally. If we don’t know that person personally, the next best would be to listen to people who do…. But have you noticed that people can have very differing opinions about the same person?
This maybe one of those moments of discomfort…. Do we really know God, or have we a comfortable image that someone has painted hanging on the wall of our soul?
Now, this seems to be the opposite of where I started. I started by saying that this week’s readings are about resilience in the face of trials and so far all I’ve done is chip away at many possible comforts. The message that God gave to the Israelites about their comfort was to provide them with food. He also gave them meat and had provided them with water. He comes through. None of the workers in the vineyard of our Gospel reading went without… all were rewarded. Why were they upset? I’d suggest that it was due to an assumption about how things were meant to be according to their understanding of how things work.
In our reading from St. Paul we find the exact opposite of Hamlet.
Philippians 1:21-25 “For me, life finds all of its meaning in Christ. Death also has its benefits. Suppose I go on living in my body. Then I will be able to carry on my work. It will bear a lot of fruit. But what should I choose? I don’t know. I can’t decide between the two. I long to leave this world and be with Christ. That is better by far. But it is more important for you that I stay alive. I’m sure of that. So I know I will remain with you. And I will continue with all of you to help you grow and be joyful in what you have been taught.”
Saint Paul has had an experience of God that showed him who God is. He understood the concept of the Trinity and more from just that experience. He KNEW God and he knew his humanity, his love and his divinity. Having this relationship with God gave Paul resilience for life that saw him press on through persecution, floggings and jail. For the one who has experienced God in this way there is no need to find his sense of reality and truth… Saint Paul found it and it was truly like a very hard and uncomfortable slap, but once he’d accepted it, it became the unshakeable rock upon which his whole life took shape.
Philippians 1:27 “No matter what happens, live in a way that brings honour to the good news about Christ. Then I will know that you stand firm with one purpose. I may come and see you or only hear about you. But I will know that you work together as one person. And I will know that you work to spread the teachings of the good news.
So don’t be afraid in any way of those who oppose you. That will show them that they will be destroyed and that you will be saved. That’s what God will do.
Here is what he has given you to do for Christ. You must not only believe in him. You must also suffer for him.
You are going through the same struggle you saw me go through. As you have heard, I am still struggling.”
Saint Paul doesn’t escape suffering or hardship and neither will we, but will we face it with the resilience of Saint Paul or the deliberations of Hamlet? It all depends on our personal relationship with Christ which he desires for all of us. He wants us to know him personally. Will we accept him as he is, thorns, nail wounds and all or will you be content with that painted image hanging in the corner of your soul?
Friday, August 8, 2014
Feeling battered? Reflection for 10th of August 2014
August 10, 2014 Proper 14A / Ordinary 19A / Pentecost +9
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b Romans 10:5-15 Matthew 14:22-33
Such a crazy and hectic week this has been and I haven’t had a chance to do the reflection on the readings… yet… but at the last minute I feel that I just have to reflect in the readings might give some perspective to the crazy week that was.
And sure enough I find the Gospel reading of Jesus walking on the water and Peter going out to him. Peter stepped out in faith and then being pounded by the wind and the waves he begins to fear. Yes, this is how it is. We set out on our way, thinking- no, actually knowing, that we are walking in the way that God wants, but let me tell you that mighty wind and those fearsome waves can certainly cause more than a momentary distraction from the path before us.
Our first reading is that famous story of Joseph and his equally famous coat. Joseph was the favourite… the “golden” child. He may well have been a little coddled and pampered, but he was also a person of good and noble character, which he possessed in such abundance that his faith in God and good character remained true and strong even under the pressure of the injustices and the seductions that presented themselves to him in Egypt.
This Joseph was a man who learnt that the waves and the wind that cause us such disillusion at times, can actually be purposeful in the hands of God.
So…. How are you going at this moment in time?
On a Global scale, we hear the stories of the Malaysian airlines tragedy and then the absolute terror that is happening in the Middle East. More and more people from so many places are seeking asylum and yet many people in our country keep saying, “it isn’t our fight… it is someone else’s… let them fight it out themselves…”
On a more personal level, I keep hearing stories from people who are going through all kinds of sudden catastrophes. My Facebook status last night was that I feel like the universe is out of alignment.
Yes, certainly there are waves that battle and war against us and just like a wave in the ocean, just as you regain footing from being knocked off your feet from one wave, then next one crashes. I don’t know about you, but at times like that you are forced to find strength in you that you didn’t think you had…. And then you begin to realize that you are really exhausted.
Our Gospel holds the most important message that we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, but there is something else. ..
Even this great man, Peter, who so trusted in Jesus, that he climbed out onto the water himself, became afraid.
We need not feel like failure when we are afraid or exhausted. It is a simple fact of life, but be encouraged by the fact that the VERY most important message of this Gospel story is that when Peter failed, and began to sink he called out for help and that is when Jesus reached out and held him.
The thread that weaves through all our readings for this Sunday is about being sent.
Joseph was sent ahead of his family to provide a way for them to have food and a place of safety during the years of famine. Joseph had to stand firm and endure the waves that battered him and God brought about, not only his own salvation, but the salvation of his whole family.
Peter was the great apostle who would lead many other apostles. To be an apostle is to be one who is “sent”. We see this link between calling on the Lord and being sent in our reading from Romans:
Romans 10:12 - 15 “There is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is Lord of all. He richly blesses everyone who calls on him. Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they hear about him? How can they hear about him unless someone preaches to them? And how can anyone preach without being sent? It is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””
We are also people whose lives have been touched by God and we are also “sent”. We are sent to be bearers of the Good News. We are sent to be the hands and feet of Jesus. If those great people of old who were sent, experienced the bombardment of waves and wind, rejection, betrayal and injustices, we need to take note of their story and encouragement from them for when this happens in our own lives.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
We continue to hear horror stories of the Middle East and we continue to experience our own battles. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and stand firm. But most important of all; when we begin to fall as the wind and waves of the battle war against us, call out to God for help. For in that cry, and not in our own strength, is our salvation.
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b Romans 10:5-15 Matthew 14:22-33
Such a crazy and hectic week this has been and I haven’t had a chance to do the reflection on the readings… yet… but at the last minute I feel that I just have to reflect in the readings might give some perspective to the crazy week that was.
And sure enough I find the Gospel reading of Jesus walking on the water and Peter going out to him. Peter stepped out in faith and then being pounded by the wind and the waves he begins to fear. Yes, this is how it is. We set out on our way, thinking- no, actually knowing, that we are walking in the way that God wants, but let me tell you that mighty wind and those fearsome waves can certainly cause more than a momentary distraction from the path before us.
Our first reading is that famous story of Joseph and his equally famous coat. Joseph was the favourite… the “golden” child. He may well have been a little coddled and pampered, but he was also a person of good and noble character, which he possessed in such abundance that his faith in God and good character remained true and strong even under the pressure of the injustices and the seductions that presented themselves to him in Egypt.
This Joseph was a man who learnt that the waves and the wind that cause us such disillusion at times, can actually be purposeful in the hands of God.
So…. How are you going at this moment in time?
On a Global scale, we hear the stories of the Malaysian airlines tragedy and then the absolute terror that is happening in the Middle East. More and more people from so many places are seeking asylum and yet many people in our country keep saying, “it isn’t our fight… it is someone else’s… let them fight it out themselves…”
On a more personal level, I keep hearing stories from people who are going through all kinds of sudden catastrophes. My Facebook status last night was that I feel like the universe is out of alignment.
Yes, certainly there are waves that battle and war against us and just like a wave in the ocean, just as you regain footing from being knocked off your feet from one wave, then next one crashes. I don’t know about you, but at times like that you are forced to find strength in you that you didn’t think you had…. And then you begin to realize that you are really exhausted.
Our Gospel holds the most important message that we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, but there is something else. ..
Even this great man, Peter, who so trusted in Jesus, that he climbed out onto the water himself, became afraid.
We need not feel like failure when we are afraid or exhausted. It is a simple fact of life, but be encouraged by the fact that the VERY most important message of this Gospel story is that when Peter failed, and began to sink he called out for help and that is when Jesus reached out and held him.
The thread that weaves through all our readings for this Sunday is about being sent.
Joseph was sent ahead of his family to provide a way for them to have food and a place of safety during the years of famine. Joseph had to stand firm and endure the waves that battered him and God brought about, not only his own salvation, but the salvation of his whole family.
Peter was the great apostle who would lead many other apostles. To be an apostle is to be one who is “sent”. We see this link between calling on the Lord and being sent in our reading from Romans:
Romans 10:12 - 15 “There is no difference between those who are Jews and those who are not. The same Lord is Lord of all. He richly blesses everyone who calls on him. Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they hear about him? How can they hear about him unless someone preaches to them? And how can anyone preach without being sent? It is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””
We are also people whose lives have been touched by God and we are also “sent”. We are sent to be bearers of the Good News. We are sent to be the hands and feet of Jesus. If those great people of old who were sent, experienced the bombardment of waves and wind, rejection, betrayal and injustices, we need to take note of their story and encouragement from them for when this happens in our own lives.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
We continue to hear horror stories of the Middle East and we continue to experience our own battles. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and stand firm. But most important of all; when we begin to fall as the wind and waves of the battle war against us, call out to God for help. For in that cry, and not in our own strength, is our salvation.
Friday, August 1, 2014
"Blessings in the night" Reflection for 3rd August 2014
Proper 13A/Ordinary 18A/Pentecost +8 August 3, 2014
Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 17:1-7, 15 Romans 9:1-8 (9:16) Matthew 14:13-21
This reflection comes to you rather late and perhaps that is very apt as I notice a common thread throughout each reading…..
The scripture stories that we enter for this weekend are that of Jacob wrestling with God; Paul in anguish over those descendants of Abraham who’ve not accepted Christ; and then we have the Gospel reading about the feeding of about five thousand men (not to mention the number of accompanying women and children)
In our first reading Jacob wrestles with God through the night. In our Psalm, the psalmist tells us in Psalm 17, verse 3, “If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.”
Our reading from Romans doesn’t actually mention night, but it does give us some insight into the lives of Esau and Jacob which we will look at later.
Now here is the interesting thing which I’d not noticed previously; In our Gospel reading we find that night is near.
Matthew 14:15a “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late.”
I had always imagined this amazing miracle to have taken place in the middle of the day, but here we read that it was evening when the miraculous feeding took place.
Why is the theme of darkness significant?
We all have our times of shadow or darkness. These are the times when we can’t see clearly…. These are the times that we struggle.
To give you some understanding of Jacob’s struggle let me give you some of the background; He was a man who had set out from his home a number of years ago feeling like he had to manipulate and deceive so as to grab any opportunity for a successful life. God visited him at Bethel with the vision of Angels ascending and descending to give him the message that he was chosen and gave him a sense of identity in God, but after being mistreated for many years by his father-in-law, he set out to make a life on his own- along with his two wives, handmaids and various sons, servants, cattle and sheep.
He had left his father-in-law without telling him and had been pursued and accused of stealing. This night he knew he was about to face his brother from whom he had contrived the birthright, and who had threatened to kill him.
Jacob had his father-in-law behind him and his brother in front, both somewhat unhappy with him, even though he’d made some kind peace with his father-in-law and sent gifts ahead to appease his brother. In more ways than one the darkness was falling and Jacob was alone struggling with his sense of God’s promise and the reality of the threat behind and in front of him.
Somehow Jacob’s struggle becomes a physical manifestation and he wrestles with a man until daybreak.
Genesis 32:24-31 “Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.”
It seems to be true for all of us that we have times of struggle and it is often not until we are at our wits end, that somehow there is a break though. And it would seem that Jacob was difficult for God to break through to! Jacob would not give up, would not submit, and then would not let go until there was a blessing.
In the blessing was a change of name which indicated the sureness of a future. Jacob the deceiver becomes Israel- meaning he struggles with God. Another interesting point is that Jacob now had a permanent limp. If he had any thoughts for fighting his brother, not only had he not slept, but he was injured. Jacob realized that he had been wrestling with God and had now been most assuredly blest…. He didn’t dream it or imagine it and he couldn’t forget it because his limp would be a constant reminder. He also had to trust God and not his own strength with facing the present threat of his brother.
What did Jacob do to deserve such privilege?
Nothing.
Often we read about the lives of the prophets and see that God has organized their lives with events to teach us about him and Jacob / Israel teaches us that God chooses us because he loves us and not because of any good thing that we do. We have this confirmed in our reading from Romans;
Romans 9:14-16 “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
In our Gospel reading we find that Jesus was trying to escape the crowds, but because of his compassion he stays and speaks and heals them. Then night descends…. They are approaching a time of having to leave his presence and face the terrors of the night. It is then, as the night approaches that they are abundantly fed. It is not because they deserved this miraculous blessing, but because they were there and they were holding on to him.
In our “night time”, as we wrestle over the issues and fears that threaten us, do we hold tight to him who can bless us?
There is another aspect to consider. Jacob was well aware of how imperfect he was. He knew that he didn’t deserve God’s blessing. He had deceived many, how could he now ask God for a blessing?
I’ve come across people over the years who fell into the habit of working for God in their own way, because they were aware of the short comings. They hoped that in some way they could earn a blessing from God by making up for past mistakes in this way.
The truth is that we all have short comings – all fall short of the glory of God, which is why Jesus came. And in our Gospel story we see the compassion and love that Jesus has on the many and varied good and bad people with their different levels of understanding and faith. In that moment of darkness he blesses abundantly with the resources to face the future.
We need to understand that this is the message for us. In our “night time”, we must hold on to God and we’ll discover that his blessing will be abundant provision to face the future.
Abide with me; Fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Genesis 32:22-31 Psalm 17:1-7, 15 Romans 9:1-8 (9:16) Matthew 14:13-21
This reflection comes to you rather late and perhaps that is very apt as I notice a common thread throughout each reading…..
The scripture stories that we enter for this weekend are that of Jacob wrestling with God; Paul in anguish over those descendants of Abraham who’ve not accepted Christ; and then we have the Gospel reading about the feeding of about five thousand men (not to mention the number of accompanying women and children)
In our first reading Jacob wrestles with God through the night. In our Psalm, the psalmist tells us in Psalm 17, verse 3, “If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.”
Our reading from Romans doesn’t actually mention night, but it does give us some insight into the lives of Esau and Jacob which we will look at later.
Now here is the interesting thing which I’d not noticed previously; In our Gospel reading we find that night is near.
Matthew 14:15a “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late.”
I had always imagined this amazing miracle to have taken place in the middle of the day, but here we read that it was evening when the miraculous feeding took place.
Why is the theme of darkness significant?
We all have our times of shadow or darkness. These are the times when we can’t see clearly…. These are the times that we struggle.
To give you some understanding of Jacob’s struggle let me give you some of the background; He was a man who had set out from his home a number of years ago feeling like he had to manipulate and deceive so as to grab any opportunity for a successful life. God visited him at Bethel with the vision of Angels ascending and descending to give him the message that he was chosen and gave him a sense of identity in God, but after being mistreated for many years by his father-in-law, he set out to make a life on his own- along with his two wives, handmaids and various sons, servants, cattle and sheep.
He had left his father-in-law without telling him and had been pursued and accused of stealing. This night he knew he was about to face his brother from whom he had contrived the birthright, and who had threatened to kill him.
Jacob had his father-in-law behind him and his brother in front, both somewhat unhappy with him, even though he’d made some kind peace with his father-in-law and sent gifts ahead to appease his brother. In more ways than one the darkness was falling and Jacob was alone struggling with his sense of God’s promise and the reality of the threat behind and in front of him.
Somehow Jacob’s struggle becomes a physical manifestation and he wrestles with a man until daybreak.
Genesis 32:24-31 “Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.”
It seems to be true for all of us that we have times of struggle and it is often not until we are at our wits end, that somehow there is a break though. And it would seem that Jacob was difficult for God to break through to! Jacob would not give up, would not submit, and then would not let go until there was a blessing.
In the blessing was a change of name which indicated the sureness of a future. Jacob the deceiver becomes Israel- meaning he struggles with God. Another interesting point is that Jacob now had a permanent limp. If he had any thoughts for fighting his brother, not only had he not slept, but he was injured. Jacob realized that he had been wrestling with God and had now been most assuredly blest…. He didn’t dream it or imagine it and he couldn’t forget it because his limp would be a constant reminder. He also had to trust God and not his own strength with facing the present threat of his brother.
What did Jacob do to deserve such privilege?
Nothing.
Often we read about the lives of the prophets and see that God has organized their lives with events to teach us about him and Jacob / Israel teaches us that God chooses us because he loves us and not because of any good thing that we do. We have this confirmed in our reading from Romans;
Romans 9:14-16 “What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.”
In our Gospel reading we find that Jesus was trying to escape the crowds, but because of his compassion he stays and speaks and heals them. Then night descends…. They are approaching a time of having to leave his presence and face the terrors of the night. It is then, as the night approaches that they are abundantly fed. It is not because they deserved this miraculous blessing, but because they were there and they were holding on to him.
In our “night time”, as we wrestle over the issues and fears that threaten us, do we hold tight to him who can bless us?
There is another aspect to consider. Jacob was well aware of how imperfect he was. He knew that he didn’t deserve God’s blessing. He had deceived many, how could he now ask God for a blessing?
I’ve come across people over the years who fell into the habit of working for God in their own way, because they were aware of the short comings. They hoped that in some way they could earn a blessing from God by making up for past mistakes in this way.
The truth is that we all have short comings – all fall short of the glory of God, which is why Jesus came. And in our Gospel story we see the compassion and love that Jesus has on the many and varied good and bad people with their different levels of understanding and faith. In that moment of darkness he blesses abundantly with the resources to face the future.
We need to understand that this is the message for us. In our “night time”, we must hold on to God and we’ll discover that his blessing will be abundant provision to face the future.
Abide with me; Fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
No more Identity Crisis!
Year A Proper 11 20 July 2014
Genesis 28: 10-19a Psalm 139: 1-12, 23-24 Romans 8: 12-25 Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43
This Sunday is the 6th after Pentecost and it causes me to reflect on how we might be feeling six weeks after a major event.
The day of Pentecost brought an awakening to its recipients like that of a new birth. The scales were dropped from their eyes and they were empowered with courage and wisdom. They knew they were God’s chosen vessels and they had a purpose and an anointing by God himself to do the job. But let’s bring this to a personal level and imagine it was us who were there being brought to new life by the Holy Spirit…. Where are we at when the passage of time has passed?
I suspect we all suffer from an identity problem where we know we belong to God but we are unsure of our place in God’s kingdom. Mostly we are not aware of this, and I think we are a little like Jacob in our first reading.
Jacob was the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham… the twin brother of Esau. Now, Abraham knew that he was chosen and blessed by God. Isaac knew that he was chosen and blessed by God. Jacob, however, was the second born of the twins. He doubted that he had any blessing and that which he did have in the way of birth-right or blessing was obtained by deceit and cunning. I’m guessing that he was told of the family blessing and promises of God, but I’m also guessing that Jacob doubted that these were in any way something that would be his unless he could manipulate and contrive. He was not aware that he was already chosen – he really did not comprehend his true identity in the kingdom of God.
It is also worth noting that Jacob set out on his journey alone. It seems quite possible that his father did not understand the true God-given identity of Jacob. His father preferred Esau and naturally may have assumed that God’s blessing and choosing was on him. Why I mention this, is that there are often people in our lives, God-fearing and spirit-filled, good people, who will not see our God-ordained identity, just as Isaac did not realize God’s anointing on Jacob. We can’t base our identity in the kingdom of God on anyone else’s perceptions, but only on God’s calling and God’s say so!
That night, in his loneliness and doubt, Jacob dreamt of a structure that ascended to heaven and the Angels were going up and down.
Genesis 28:13-15 “There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.””
There is nothing conditional about this promise that God makes to Jacob and Jacob wakes in awe of the place naming it “Bethel” meaning house of God. This is only the beginning of Jacob’s interactions with God, because he, like us, is a creature of habit and it takes a long time for the truth of God’s sure calling to sink in. Jacob acknowledged that place as being sacred, but it seems he did not yet understand the nature of God as the psalmist did:
Our Psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 139.
Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
In our Gospel reading Jesus tells the story of the parable of weeds and he explains it. He is the one who sows the good seed and the good seed are the people of God’s kingdom. Now, I want us to realize that good seed is not weeds. No matter how poorly growing or how stunted or diseased, the good seed are still the people of the kingdom of God. In fact the reason that there are growth problems with good seed can be the influence of weeds, but the parable goes on to tell us not to deal differently with the weeds, but to nurture both so as to give the best growth opportunities for the seed without damage, which is what could be caused by trying to deal with the weeds.
I suspect that in the past people may have been critical and judged poorly growing seeds as being the weeds…. Trying to take things into their own hands, thinking they are helping God by weeding out the weeds.
Our Gospel makes it clear that the job of weeding is not ours. This is the job of the Angels. A very real reason it is NOT our job is that we would surely mistake the good seed for the weed. This is where Jacob and Esau were at before God made it clear. Jacob thought of himself more as a weed growing alongside the seed chosen for the kingdom.
The calling of God in our lives is sure. He doesn’t call us and then change His mind. He doesn’t choose us, anoint us, give us a promise of a future and then change His mind. He sees down the tunnel of time and all that we will do in the future, the good, the bad and the ugly, and if He has called and chosen us, then you can be absolutely assured that this is an unconditional call.
Romans 8:14-17 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
We all have a personal “Pentecost”; a time when the scales fell from our eyes and we became aware that God chose us…. But it may have been a while ago. Have we forgotten our identity in the kingdom of God? Have our circumstances or other people caused us to doubt our reality? We need to look to God’s word and the stories of those like Jacob and realize the truth; We are called, we have a purpose and a future, an amazing identity as a child of God. We need to begin and or continue to walk confidently in this truth. Hardships of life are a given, but knowing who we are in Christ gives us strength is hope eternal.
Genesis 28: 10-19a Psalm 139: 1-12, 23-24 Romans 8: 12-25 Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43
This Sunday is the 6th after Pentecost and it causes me to reflect on how we might be feeling six weeks after a major event.
The day of Pentecost brought an awakening to its recipients like that of a new birth. The scales were dropped from their eyes and they were empowered with courage and wisdom. They knew they were God’s chosen vessels and they had a purpose and an anointing by God himself to do the job. But let’s bring this to a personal level and imagine it was us who were there being brought to new life by the Holy Spirit…. Where are we at when the passage of time has passed?
I suspect we all suffer from an identity problem where we know we belong to God but we are unsure of our place in God’s kingdom. Mostly we are not aware of this, and I think we are a little like Jacob in our first reading.
Jacob was the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham… the twin brother of Esau. Now, Abraham knew that he was chosen and blessed by God. Isaac knew that he was chosen and blessed by God. Jacob, however, was the second born of the twins. He doubted that he had any blessing and that which he did have in the way of birth-right or blessing was obtained by deceit and cunning. I’m guessing that he was told of the family blessing and promises of God, but I’m also guessing that Jacob doubted that these were in any way something that would be his unless he could manipulate and contrive. He was not aware that he was already chosen – he really did not comprehend his true identity in the kingdom of God.
It is also worth noting that Jacob set out on his journey alone. It seems quite possible that his father did not understand the true God-given identity of Jacob. His father preferred Esau and naturally may have assumed that God’s blessing and choosing was on him. Why I mention this, is that there are often people in our lives, God-fearing and spirit-filled, good people, who will not see our God-ordained identity, just as Isaac did not realize God’s anointing on Jacob. We can’t base our identity in the kingdom of God on anyone else’s perceptions, but only on God’s calling and God’s say so!
That night, in his loneliness and doubt, Jacob dreamt of a structure that ascended to heaven and the Angels were going up and down.
Genesis 28:13-15 “There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.””
There is nothing conditional about this promise that God makes to Jacob and Jacob wakes in awe of the place naming it “Bethel” meaning house of God. This is only the beginning of Jacob’s interactions with God, because he, like us, is a creature of habit and it takes a long time for the truth of God’s sure calling to sink in. Jacob acknowledged that place as being sacred, but it seems he did not yet understand the nature of God as the psalmist did:
Our Psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 139.
Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
In our Gospel reading Jesus tells the story of the parable of weeds and he explains it. He is the one who sows the good seed and the good seed are the people of God’s kingdom. Now, I want us to realize that good seed is not weeds. No matter how poorly growing or how stunted or diseased, the good seed are still the people of the kingdom of God. In fact the reason that there are growth problems with good seed can be the influence of weeds, but the parable goes on to tell us not to deal differently with the weeds, but to nurture both so as to give the best growth opportunities for the seed without damage, which is what could be caused by trying to deal with the weeds.
I suspect that in the past people may have been critical and judged poorly growing seeds as being the weeds…. Trying to take things into their own hands, thinking they are helping God by weeding out the weeds.
Our Gospel makes it clear that the job of weeding is not ours. This is the job of the Angels. A very real reason it is NOT our job is that we would surely mistake the good seed for the weed. This is where Jacob and Esau were at before God made it clear. Jacob thought of himself more as a weed growing alongside the seed chosen for the kingdom.
The calling of God in our lives is sure. He doesn’t call us and then change His mind. He doesn’t choose us, anoint us, give us a promise of a future and then change His mind. He sees down the tunnel of time and all that we will do in the future, the good, the bad and the ugly, and if He has called and chosen us, then you can be absolutely assured that this is an unconditional call.
Romans 8:14-17 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
We all have a personal “Pentecost”; a time when the scales fell from our eyes and we became aware that God chose us…. But it may have been a while ago. Have we forgotten our identity in the kingdom of God? Have our circumstances or other people caused us to doubt our reality? We need to look to God’s word and the stories of those like Jacob and realize the truth; We are called, we have a purpose and a future, an amazing identity as a child of God. We need to begin and or continue to walk confidently in this truth. Hardships of life are a given, but knowing who we are in Christ gives us strength is hope eternal.
Monday, December 16, 2013
The Lord himself will give you a sign - Advent 4
Year A Fourth Sunday of Advent 22 December 2013
Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80: 1-7, 17-19 Romans 1: 1-7 Matthew 1: 18-25
Last week I had an awesome experience where my students, beginning with the very littlest began asking lots of questions about God. I don’t know that I answered them all adequately but I tried my best in the little time that we had while still remembering that we were in the midst of a singing lesson and needed to get back on the singing track.
I wish that I had more time to explain things more fully and tell the story that we are to hear at church this weekend. The first question was, “I thought Jesus was God’s son, so how come the song talks about Joseph being his father?”
This week’s readings center around the theme of prophecy fulfilled and that prophecy being that a virgin shall be with child.
Isaiah 7:14 “14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
The purpose of the sign was so that people would believe that God was active, involved and interested in his creation. Immanuel – God with us! God wants a relationship with us.
The Bible is full of miracles and each time there is a miracle it was to prove God’s reality and sovereignty. But each time there was a miracle there were a variety of responses. Many people who witnessed or heard about the miracle believed that something supernatural had happened and on a superficial level they believed in God, but pretty soon the majority turned away. They still acknowledged that something happened but they didn't want to give credit to God.
Why would this be?
If we experience a miracle and credit it to God it means that we need to respond.
Joan Osborne sang the song “One of Us”, with the pertinent lyrics “If God had a face what would it look like? And would you want to see If seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets”
To believe in the virgin being with child not only means that we believe God did a miracle, but it is to believe something about the character and person of Jesus – that he is truly the son of God. To believe that Jesus is the son of God means that all he did and said is true and deserves acceptance.
Our first reading is a prophecy which assures the people that God is with them. They had been unfaithful and their king was wicked and yet God gives them this message of hope.
From this website: http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/virginbirth.html I found some interesting information about the supposed existence of virgin births that happen in nature. This really has nothing to do with our story because a miracle (by my definition at least) is something that does not occur in nature. Let me note here that I've come across a theologian who claimed that one day we will understand that Jesus’ miracles were nothing more than his superior knowledge of how the universe works and all the miracles will be explained away as a natural phenomenon. I believe the man was a heretic breeding doubt and disbelief. In the end it all comes down to one thing; Is God God? If God truly is then all things are possible.
Other cultures also have stories about a virgin birth. These occur among the Greek and Roman gods and Asian gods also. I find this interesting and think that God really does aim to make himself known to all people – it is an opening, just like when Saint Paul was in Athens and saw the altar to an unknown god. Paul went on to proclaim and make the unknown God known.
Some would say, “Does it matter if Mary was a virgin?” The Isaiah prophecy has caused some commentators to wonder if the word that is translated virgin should be “Virgin” or “young woman”.
We have historical evidence for the existence of Jesus that goes beyond Christian literature, and so on this and on the account of the stories of Jesus we can have reason for our faith. Yet we find clarity and expansion on this specific prophecy in the Gospels where the story of the virgin conception is told in detail.
This young virgin, Mary, lived in a time when those found guilty of adultery could be stoned to death. Being pregnant out of wedlock was a sure sign of adultery – although her one possible saving grace could be that she was engaged to Joseph and so people would assume that the child was his. Joseph knew that this was not his child.
This comment from the website Evidence for God, (http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/virginbirth.html#top) makes a lot of sense in regard to the Virgin conception:
“….Of course, the Bible describes the virgin birth as a miracle that resulted from the action of the Holy Spirit. We don't know exactly what was involved, but it would probably require at least some genetic source from the Holy Spirit.
Regardless of the method by which Jesus was conceived, it would have been very risky to document and claim that He was born of a virgin. In the Middle East there were "honour killings" for women who conceived out of wedlock, so to speak of a virgin birth was extremely dishonourable. In fact, the Bible alludes to some disparaging remarks made by the opponents of Jesus. In addition, if you look at the anti-Christian literature at the time, much of it focused on this aspect of Christianity. This makes one wonder why, if Christians were just making up a religion, they say something that would offend virtually everybody in the Middle East. It makes no sense to make up something offensive, unless it were true.”
In many ways, most of us are like Joseph. We are people of faith, but people who doubt also. We can’t help but see that some things are hard to believe and we are logically going to be skeptical about weird things like virgins being with child.
When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant he decided that he would divorce her quietly. I should explain that their version of being “engaged” was rather different to ours and there were certain expectations and traditions that went along with it.
Joseph was a man of faith, yet he did not recognize the hand of God and so God had to be more direct with him and sent an angel to tell him the truth about the child that Mary was to give birth to.
Matthew 1:20-23 “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”
We discover two things about Jesus from this passage. His name, Jesus, indicated his purpose - To save. The prophetic name, “Immanuel” which means “God with us” proclaims to us the truth of his nature – He is God. John 1 tells us that the word was God and the word became flesh and dwelt among us”. This is Jesus. What will we believe?
The prophecy has been fulfilled and miracles witnessed. But God knew that even if someone was to come back from the dead there are some who will still not believe. In fact that is what Jesus did. He rose from the dead and is still alive today. What will it take for our belief?
Sometimes I think that we as Christians, who proclaim the truth of God and the evidence of God all around, are God’s way of giving people every possible opportunity to come to him and when they don’t they will not be able to say, “but Lord you didn't show me you were real”.
Remember that we might be the only Bible that some people read.
Two final things:
There are signs and witnesses of God all around – are we willing to see?
We are the signs and witnesses of God – are we willing to be?
Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80: 1-7, 17-19 Romans 1: 1-7 Matthew 1: 18-25
Last week I had an awesome experience where my students, beginning with the very littlest began asking lots of questions about God. I don’t know that I answered them all adequately but I tried my best in the little time that we had while still remembering that we were in the midst of a singing lesson and needed to get back on the singing track.
I wish that I had more time to explain things more fully and tell the story that we are to hear at church this weekend. The first question was, “I thought Jesus was God’s son, so how come the song talks about Joseph being his father?”
This week’s readings center around the theme of prophecy fulfilled and that prophecy being that a virgin shall be with child.
Isaiah 7:14 “14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
The purpose of the sign was so that people would believe that God was active, involved and interested in his creation. Immanuel – God with us! God wants a relationship with us.
The Bible is full of miracles and each time there is a miracle it was to prove God’s reality and sovereignty. But each time there was a miracle there were a variety of responses. Many people who witnessed or heard about the miracle believed that something supernatural had happened and on a superficial level they believed in God, but pretty soon the majority turned away. They still acknowledged that something happened but they didn't want to give credit to God.
Why would this be?
If we experience a miracle and credit it to God it means that we need to respond.
Joan Osborne sang the song “One of Us”, with the pertinent lyrics “If God had a face what would it look like? And would you want to see If seeing meant that you would have to believe in things like heaven and in Jesus and the saints and all the prophets”
To believe in the virgin being with child not only means that we believe God did a miracle, but it is to believe something about the character and person of Jesus – that he is truly the son of God. To believe that Jesus is the son of God means that all he did and said is true and deserves acceptance.
Our first reading is a prophecy which assures the people that God is with them. They had been unfaithful and their king was wicked and yet God gives them this message of hope.
From this website: http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/virginbirth.html I found some interesting information about the supposed existence of virgin births that happen in nature. This really has nothing to do with our story because a miracle (by my definition at least) is something that does not occur in nature. Let me note here that I've come across a theologian who claimed that one day we will understand that Jesus’ miracles were nothing more than his superior knowledge of how the universe works and all the miracles will be explained away as a natural phenomenon. I believe the man was a heretic breeding doubt and disbelief. In the end it all comes down to one thing; Is God God? If God truly is then all things are possible.
Other cultures also have stories about a virgin birth. These occur among the Greek and Roman gods and Asian gods also. I find this interesting and think that God really does aim to make himself known to all people – it is an opening, just like when Saint Paul was in Athens and saw the altar to an unknown god. Paul went on to proclaim and make the unknown God known.
Some would say, “Does it matter if Mary was a virgin?” The Isaiah prophecy has caused some commentators to wonder if the word that is translated virgin should be “Virgin” or “young woman”.
We have historical evidence for the existence of Jesus that goes beyond Christian literature, and so on this and on the account of the stories of Jesus we can have reason for our faith. Yet we find clarity and expansion on this specific prophecy in the Gospels where the story of the virgin conception is told in detail.
This young virgin, Mary, lived in a time when those found guilty of adultery could be stoned to death. Being pregnant out of wedlock was a sure sign of adultery – although her one possible saving grace could be that she was engaged to Joseph and so people would assume that the child was his. Joseph knew that this was not his child.
This comment from the website Evidence for God, (http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/virginbirth.html#top) makes a lot of sense in regard to the Virgin conception:
“….Of course, the Bible describes the virgin birth as a miracle that resulted from the action of the Holy Spirit. We don't know exactly what was involved, but it would probably require at least some genetic source from the Holy Spirit.
Regardless of the method by which Jesus was conceived, it would have been very risky to document and claim that He was born of a virgin. In the Middle East there were "honour killings" for women who conceived out of wedlock, so to speak of a virgin birth was extremely dishonourable. In fact, the Bible alludes to some disparaging remarks made by the opponents of Jesus. In addition, if you look at the anti-Christian literature at the time, much of it focused on this aspect of Christianity. This makes one wonder why, if Christians were just making up a religion, they say something that would offend virtually everybody in the Middle East. It makes no sense to make up something offensive, unless it were true.”
In many ways, most of us are like Joseph. We are people of faith, but people who doubt also. We can’t help but see that some things are hard to believe and we are logically going to be skeptical about weird things like virgins being with child.
When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant he decided that he would divorce her quietly. I should explain that their version of being “engaged” was rather different to ours and there were certain expectations and traditions that went along with it.
Joseph was a man of faith, yet he did not recognize the hand of God and so God had to be more direct with him and sent an angel to tell him the truth about the child that Mary was to give birth to.
Matthew 1:20-23 “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”
We discover two things about Jesus from this passage. His name, Jesus, indicated his purpose - To save. The prophetic name, “Immanuel” which means “God with us” proclaims to us the truth of his nature – He is God. John 1 tells us that the word was God and the word became flesh and dwelt among us”. This is Jesus. What will we believe?
The prophecy has been fulfilled and miracles witnessed. But God knew that even if someone was to come back from the dead there are some who will still not believe. In fact that is what Jesus did. He rose from the dead and is still alive today. What will it take for our belief?
Sometimes I think that we as Christians, who proclaim the truth of God and the evidence of God all around, are God’s way of giving people every possible opportunity to come to him and when they don’t they will not be able to say, “but Lord you didn't show me you were real”.
Remember that we might be the only Bible that some people read.
Two final things:
There are signs and witnesses of God all around – are we willing to see?
We are the signs and witnesses of God – are we willing to be?
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Advent 2 8th December 2013 Prepare!
Year A Second Sunday of Advent 8 December 2013
Isaiah 11: 1-10 Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19 Romans 15: 4-13 Matthew 3: 1-12
IT is the second Sunday of Advent. Our first Sunday message was to “wake up”, but this Sunday we look at what we need to do be prepared for the coming of Christ. We look at how people prepared for Jesus first coming, consider how to be prepared for his second coming, but most importantly we reflect on how to prepare or check for our own personal acceptance of Jesus in our lives .
Just before Jesus began his ministry there was this man we know as John the Baptist, who came and prepared the way for him. It is important that we look at what John did and what his message was because, in oh so many ways, this is what we need to be doing to prepare ourselves to receive Christ.
Matthew 3:1 “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.””
This is how John prepared the way; he encouraged them that the Kingdom of heaven had come near and that the people should therefore repent.
We know that the kingdom of heaven had come near, because we know that God himself had taken on human flesh and been born as one of us. At this point in the story Jesus is believed to have been about 30 years old.
When we read the stories of the Bible we can make two possible mistakes. One mistake is to imagine that the people of the Bible times were nothing like us. The other mistake is to imagine that the people of the Bible were exactly like us. Somewhere in between is the truth. These were a people born in another place and time and into a culture that was very different from our own and yet these were flesh and blood people with hopes and dreams, ambitions and fears and desires – very much like us.
Just as the message would be pretty unpopular in our culture, I wonder how popular John’s message was when he urged the people to repent. If we look at more of the Bible stories we can see that the poorer and more humble of the people were very ready to accept that they were people who fell very short of the perfection of God and they were aware that they couldn't meet the requirements to be accepted by him. Even the Scribes and Pharisees, who were known for being self-righteous and indignant about their own goodness, came to John to be baptized and accepted his message of repentance.
In today’s society I’m pretty sure that if I proclaimed this same message of John the Baptist, I would most certainly offend and be condemned as a loony (no one believes that they fall short. I have met so many men who have told me how they are really good blokes and deserving of good things!!). But let us look at what this message really is and see if it is something we need to do today.
Firstly, has the kingdom of heaven near?
When Jesus came to earth we can understand that the kingdom of heaven had come near in a very real and tangible way, but Jesus then ascended to heaven. What has happened since then is that Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit to his followers. The Holy Spirit is God in us. Yes the kingdom of heaven is nearer than ever, it is all around and among us. “Emmanuel” – GOD IS WITH US! (and Christmas (the celebration of God with us) is everyday!)
Now we need to look at the part of the message that urges us to repent. Do we need to repent and what really is repentance?
Often people think that repentance has to do with an intense feeling of remorse and self-loathing…. This is wrong! Repentance actually means to change your mind and go back another way. Essentially this is not about the emotions, but a very definite decision made by the intellect that we need to change our thinking.
Do we and the world around us in the year 2013 need to change our thinking?
Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Does the world seem to be in need of hope? I think that the answer to this is so obvious that the question is really rhetorical. We learn from this letter to the Romans that all things written in scripture are written for our encouragement and to give us hope. If John the Baptist had a message that gave people hope some 2013 years ago then that same message is meant to provide even more encouragement and hope for today.
The people of John’s time were waiting for the “Messiah” (the anointed one who would reconcile humanity with God) and he seemed to be a long time in coming, and they’d all but given up. When John came with his message to repent we can’t possibly know the full extent of that message in the hearts of his listeners, but we can only imagine. Yes, there were some who had knowingly been doing something that went against God’s law, but more than that was an underlying belief that all this God stuff, as revealed in the Jewish law, was not real.
Now, don’t get me wrong…. This was a different culture to ours and all were very much believers in a spiritual reality, but just what that reality was and how it all worked had become rather confused with the customs, beliefs and traditions of the people around them. This chosen people were surrounded by Baal worship, the Roman gods, Greek philosophies and many forms of religion that we would deem to be sects, cults and even occultic. Just like today, many popular ideas became accepted that were not true to God’s revelation and we need only to see the differences between the Saducees and Pharisees to realize the varieties of popular thought, and or, confusion.
The call to repent was a call to acknowledge the error in thinking and believing as much, if not more so, than the actions of the individuals who repented. It is from our beliefs come our actions – and we find this confirmed by John’s words when he warns the pharisees and scribes to produce fruit in keeping with repentance…. In other words…. Show, by your actions, that you are “fair dinkum” about what you believe.
There is a question now for us. Do our actions show what we believe? Or… What do our actions tell people that we believe?
When we have pondered that, we need to then ask how can we pose this same message of John’s to our own community. What is it that we need to ask them to change their mind about?
In order to receive Christ, people in the year 2013 need to see the error of their thinking. They need to be convinced that they need Jesus in their lives. This is a generation that has everything they need in a physical sense and most things that they want so why would they want or see any need for God or Jesus in their lives?
Isaiah 11 tells us about the nature of Jesus and about the Good News that we, the church are meant to be proclaiming to the world:
Isaiah 11:1-5 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
The “shoot from the stump of Jesse” refers to Jesus, as Jesse was the ancestor of Christ. We know that the Holy Spirit was with him and this same spirit he gives to us – we HAVE this Holy Spirit… and it is wisdom, understanding, counsel, might and knowledge…. It is a Spirit of insight which doesn't judge by outward appearances. It doesn't leave the homosexual outcast, but it doesn't condone evil as good either. It sees through the outer actions and perceives the heart, and it cares for the poor and is concerned with justice.
A long time ago when I made an adult Christian commitment, it came about through a church in Brisbane where I was awe struck on my first encounter with them because of the amazing mature wisdom of the youth. I’d never come across it before and sensed the hand of God beyond any doubt. I suspect that the group had no idea of the impression they made…. It was surely the Holy Spirit at work.
We need to so receive God and his Holy Spirit that we too shine with this Good News. There is hope for this world and this life and the life beyond, but it can only be found by REPENTING!! We need to repent of our beliefs that we can find wisdom and understanding, counsel and knowledge ANYWHERE else but through the Holy Spirit. It is true that there are pieces of wisdom in many places, but the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and counsel from God surpasses all.
This Sunday, I ask us all to see where we need to change our mind…. Where we need to acknowledge the supremacy of God and turn our lives around to reflect this.
Isaiah 11: 1-10 Psalm 72: 1-7, 18-19 Romans 15: 4-13 Matthew 3: 1-12
IT is the second Sunday of Advent. Our first Sunday message was to “wake up”, but this Sunday we look at what we need to do be prepared for the coming of Christ. We look at how people prepared for Jesus first coming, consider how to be prepared for his second coming, but most importantly we reflect on how to prepare or check for our own personal acceptance of Jesus in our lives .
Just before Jesus began his ministry there was this man we know as John the Baptist, who came and prepared the way for him. It is important that we look at what John did and what his message was because, in oh so many ways, this is what we need to be doing to prepare ourselves to receive Christ.
Matthew 3:1 “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.””
This is how John prepared the way; he encouraged them that the Kingdom of heaven had come near and that the people should therefore repent.
We know that the kingdom of heaven had come near, because we know that God himself had taken on human flesh and been born as one of us. At this point in the story Jesus is believed to have been about 30 years old.
When we read the stories of the Bible we can make two possible mistakes. One mistake is to imagine that the people of the Bible times were nothing like us. The other mistake is to imagine that the people of the Bible were exactly like us. Somewhere in between is the truth. These were a people born in another place and time and into a culture that was very different from our own and yet these were flesh and blood people with hopes and dreams, ambitions and fears and desires – very much like us.
Just as the message would be pretty unpopular in our culture, I wonder how popular John’s message was when he urged the people to repent. If we look at more of the Bible stories we can see that the poorer and more humble of the people were very ready to accept that they were people who fell very short of the perfection of God and they were aware that they couldn't meet the requirements to be accepted by him. Even the Scribes and Pharisees, who were known for being self-righteous and indignant about their own goodness, came to John to be baptized and accepted his message of repentance.
In today’s society I’m pretty sure that if I proclaimed this same message of John the Baptist, I would most certainly offend and be condemned as a loony (no one believes that they fall short. I have met so many men who have told me how they are really good blokes and deserving of good things!!). But let us look at what this message really is and see if it is something we need to do today.
Firstly, has the kingdom of heaven near?
When Jesus came to earth we can understand that the kingdom of heaven had come near in a very real and tangible way, but Jesus then ascended to heaven. What has happened since then is that Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit to his followers. The Holy Spirit is God in us. Yes the kingdom of heaven is nearer than ever, it is all around and among us. “Emmanuel” – GOD IS WITH US! (and Christmas (the celebration of God with us) is everyday!)
Now we need to look at the part of the message that urges us to repent. Do we need to repent and what really is repentance?
Often people think that repentance has to do with an intense feeling of remorse and self-loathing…. This is wrong! Repentance actually means to change your mind and go back another way. Essentially this is not about the emotions, but a very definite decision made by the intellect that we need to change our thinking.
Do we and the world around us in the year 2013 need to change our thinking?
Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”
Does the world seem to be in need of hope? I think that the answer to this is so obvious that the question is really rhetorical. We learn from this letter to the Romans that all things written in scripture are written for our encouragement and to give us hope. If John the Baptist had a message that gave people hope some 2013 years ago then that same message is meant to provide even more encouragement and hope for today.
The people of John’s time were waiting for the “Messiah” (the anointed one who would reconcile humanity with God) and he seemed to be a long time in coming, and they’d all but given up. When John came with his message to repent we can’t possibly know the full extent of that message in the hearts of his listeners, but we can only imagine. Yes, there were some who had knowingly been doing something that went against God’s law, but more than that was an underlying belief that all this God stuff, as revealed in the Jewish law, was not real.
Now, don’t get me wrong…. This was a different culture to ours and all were very much believers in a spiritual reality, but just what that reality was and how it all worked had become rather confused with the customs, beliefs and traditions of the people around them. This chosen people were surrounded by Baal worship, the Roman gods, Greek philosophies and many forms of religion that we would deem to be sects, cults and even occultic. Just like today, many popular ideas became accepted that were not true to God’s revelation and we need only to see the differences between the Saducees and Pharisees to realize the varieties of popular thought, and or, confusion.
The call to repent was a call to acknowledge the error in thinking and believing as much, if not more so, than the actions of the individuals who repented. It is from our beliefs come our actions – and we find this confirmed by John’s words when he warns the pharisees and scribes to produce fruit in keeping with repentance…. In other words…. Show, by your actions, that you are “fair dinkum” about what you believe.
There is a question now for us. Do our actions show what we believe? Or… What do our actions tell people that we believe?
When we have pondered that, we need to then ask how can we pose this same message of John’s to our own community. What is it that we need to ask them to change their mind about?
In order to receive Christ, people in the year 2013 need to see the error of their thinking. They need to be convinced that they need Jesus in their lives. This is a generation that has everything they need in a physical sense and most things that they want so why would they want or see any need for God or Jesus in their lives?
Isaiah 11 tells us about the nature of Jesus and about the Good News that we, the church are meant to be proclaiming to the world:
Isaiah 11:1-5 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
The “shoot from the stump of Jesse” refers to Jesus, as Jesse was the ancestor of Christ. We know that the Holy Spirit was with him and this same spirit he gives to us – we HAVE this Holy Spirit… and it is wisdom, understanding, counsel, might and knowledge…. It is a Spirit of insight which doesn't judge by outward appearances. It doesn't leave the homosexual outcast, but it doesn't condone evil as good either. It sees through the outer actions and perceives the heart, and it cares for the poor and is concerned with justice.
A long time ago when I made an adult Christian commitment, it came about through a church in Brisbane where I was awe struck on my first encounter with them because of the amazing mature wisdom of the youth. I’d never come across it before and sensed the hand of God beyond any doubt. I suspect that the group had no idea of the impression they made…. It was surely the Holy Spirit at work.
We need to so receive God and his Holy Spirit that we too shine with this Good News. There is hope for this world and this life and the life beyond, but it can only be found by REPENTING!! We need to repent of our beliefs that we can find wisdom and understanding, counsel and knowledge ANYWHERE else but through the Holy Spirit. It is true that there are pieces of wisdom in many places, but the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and counsel from God surpasses all.
This Sunday, I ask us all to see where we need to change our mind…. Where we need to acknowledge the supremacy of God and turn our lives around to reflect this.
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