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

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT    Year C     March 24, 2019

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

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

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

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

Are adults any different?

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

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

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

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

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

But why do we fall?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why labour for that which doesn’t satisfy?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chorus -

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

We are lifted by His love to that place on high

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

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

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

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

LENT 1 C   2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prepare....

Reflection for 9th December 2018

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT  Year C  December 9, 2018

Malachi 3:1-4  •  Luke 1:68-79  •  Philippians 1:3-11  •  Luke 3:1-6

15 more days until Xmas – are you ready?

I have no advent calendar, I have not made a list of things to prepare, I have been chasing my tail all year.  I am hoping that really soon I will have time to stop and do these things, but I’m sad because I do so love this time of year and I want to have the time to really enjoy it, and for me that means to really and truly reflect on all it means.

Christmas- some have said it is a pagan festival anyway and as we become more commercialized it does appear to become more pagan, but is it?   I don’t believe so.  I remember looking into the sky at night as a child and having the sense that all of creation knew that this was Christmas the night of our Saviours birth.  Ah… and here is another thing that people argue about – was it really that date?  Actually, I did some research and though we can’t be sure, there actually is good reason to claim this date as the day of Christ’s birth, but regardless…. All around the world at this time of the year people are preparing for Christmas… - Christmas being a word that comes from two other words – Christ – meaning the anointed one (the messiah) and Mass( meaning the service that early Christians celebrated).  Therefore, Christmas is that sacred service celebrating the coming of Christ – the fulfilling of God’s promise to all mankind.

Now, back to preparing….. how do we prepare?

We read that John the Baptist enabled the people to prepare by proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

For many years before Christ, the Jews had used baptism in ritual cleansing ceremonies. John took this, already understood and familiar ceremony, and proclaimed it to the people with a specific purpose.  John was urging the people to admit their sin and acknowledge their need of a savour. 

These people knew the promise of God to send the messiah, but they believed all kinds of things about him which were not completely correct.  I suspect, even John himself didn’t know the full extent of God’s plan, but was faithful to what God called him to do – that was, to prepare hearts for the coming of the Messiah.

But here we are in the year 2018.  How do we prepare?

Recently someone handed me a card to hand to others….  It is a little card that says, “Merry Christmas”.  In smaller print it adds, “Are you good enough to make the list?”

My initial reaction was a bit of discomfort…. I feel that these kinds of cards are a bit of a slap in the face…  wishing Merry Christmas on one hand, and then pulling a swift kick in reminding all that they are not good enough.

Is this what John the Baptist did?

Not quite – John was more forthright and straightforward and maybe we should be too.

We all need to know our weakness – then we are ready to accept our Saviour.

In a conversation with a friend we spoke about how when we are under pressure we become people that we don’t like.  His conclusion was that he needs to stay away from stressful situations so that he can always be a nice person.  I figure though, that the person we are under pressure, is the real person we are, and we actually need these situations to remind us who we are and that what we really are, is not as great as we like to think.

Our reading from Malachi talks about the coming of Jesus being like a refiner’s fire.  A refiner’s fire sounds awesome… until you are in it!  A refiner uses a fire to heat metal to a molten state; then he skims off the dross that floats to the top. The refiner’s fire is, of course, maintained at an extremely high temperature.

Now, to me, this seems to tie in perfectly with what happens when we are put under pressure and stress.  Those personal traits of losing our temper and becoming quite cranky are the dross floating to the top.

My own recent bucket load of dross came to the surface, not very long ago at all.  I was under so much pressure and then a certain person accused me of something and I totally snapped and I snapped like I had forgotten that I knew how to – BIG TIME!   The experience left me struggling to forgive myself and struggling to justify my actions.  But there was no justification… and should be none.  All the hurt and fear that was actually present simply boiled to the top and exploded.

What was left was to acknowledge that I am no more than a very fallible human and I need a saviour.

How grateful I am that I have a saviour who loves forgives and accepts me as I am – and urges me to make amends – strive for peace – forgive others… and knowing who I am, have compassion and show mercy to others who are also fallible.

This is how we need to prepare for the coming of Christ.  John the Baptist asked the people to repent and be cleansed.   In repenting, they were agreeing that they were fallible and in need of a saviour.  The baptism was their renewed commitment to living in that reality.

Christmas is certainly a time where we have ample opportunity to be under pressure and stress and subjected to the refiners fire.  Sometimes it is the difficult family situations, and sometimes it is the chaos of the business of the season.  My prayer is that we will recognise it for what it is;  A divine gift of an opportunity to open our heart to the love of God, rejoicing in the gift of our Saviour’s unconditional forgiveness.

So... How do we prepare our hearts for Christmas?  The message is the same now as then... We prepare our hearts to receive him by recognizing our need for him.

WHO IS JESUS? Reflection on Reign of Christ Nov 25 2018

REIGN OF CHRIST - PROPER 29 (34)  Year B   November 25, 2018

• 2 Samuel 23:1-7 and Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18)  • Revelation 1:4b-8  • John 18:33-37

WHO IS JESUS?

At this time in the church year we start to focus on the fact that Jesus will come again.  Our reading from Revelation reveals him as the one who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty… Today we will focus on this aspect, what it means for us, and how God wants us to respond here and now.

You know, even that one statement holds so much for us to consider. Many people back almost 2000 years, and many today, think of Jesus simply as a good man, a moral teacher, or a prophet, but this statement says that he is and he was and he is to come…. Implying a whole lot of things about the nature of Jesus – and just to clarify, it then refers to him as the Almighty. What do you make of that? And what do the people of today generally make of that?

In our Gospel reading Pilate asks Jesus if he is a King.  Now, Pilate has Jesus in front of him, a man arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and accused of blasphemy  - Blasphemy being that he claimed to be the son of God and even equal with God.

I’m not sure why Pilate even asked Jesus that question, except that he must have sensed something of the divine in Jesus – because surely, logically, if Jesus was a traditional King, his followers would have been fighting for him – and this very thing is what Jesus explains to Pilate when he went on to explain that his Kingdom was not of this world.

Now at this point, if you can really imagine the scene, Pilate must have had to wrestle with the dilemma of who is Jesus– or more accurately – the trilemma of the truth about Jesus.  It was coined a Trilemma by C. S. Lewis – and it is something we all need to think about.  I get very frustrated when people think that all this Christianity is simply a belief based on nothing.  Jesus is an historical, real and fair dinkum person – We know this because of historical documents other than the scriptures that mention him – not to mention the immense impact on the whole world, such that we count time from the year of his birth. 

Therefore, Jesus being a real historical figure, we need to ask the question that Pilate asked and go through that same process of discernment – not the dilemma but the logical trilemma; Jesus was either lying about who he was, he was crazy, or he was actually telling the truth. 

Interestingly our reading concludes with Jesus’ statement about truth:    “Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice”

And here is the thing…. “For this I was born and came into the world… to testify to the truth…..”  There stood Jesus about to be crucified, saying this!   And for that truth he was crucified.  I think that logically we can easily cross off Liar.  Surely if you were lying, you’d admit it in the face of death.  I’m guessing that Pilate figured this out also, and was obviously intrigued.  And the intrigue shows that he didn’t think Jesus was crazy either, as in that case you’d not bother with such questioning, not to mention the washing of his hands incident.

So that leaves us with the truth.  Of course we have way more incidences and circumstances upon which to base our faith in Jesus, but too often people, and even we, don’t actually realize the solidity upon which our faith is based.

The truth is an interesting thing because I was once under the assumption that the truth was what people wanted most, but after asking a group of people if they’d prefer the truth or a lie that made them feel comfortable, many said they’d prefer the lie.  Personally I’d prefer the truth, no matter how devastating, because then you can begin to deal with things in a way that is real and you can push through the hard times knowing why the hard times are there.

Every athlete knows that their training is going to be painful, but they know that the hardships will enable them to compete at their best level, and so they endure. 

I believe these are the days we are in.  People are not wanting the truth and not wanting to endure any pain, but I have to tell you I believe we are only in the beginnings of the hard times to come, and the hard times world-wide will get harder.  Jesus tells us these things so that we can endure.  You need to know this and the Good News of Jesus and who he is so that you can endure it.  In fact our readings from the last few weeks have had this thread also- Ruth and Naomi went through hard times, but their hard times and them pressing on, was integral to the story of salvation.  God is good – all the time!

King David also had times of trouble, as our Psalm states; Lord remember David and his times of trouble.  Though King David had many times of trouble, he had a heart that desired to serve God and he was a favourite of God.  Was King David perfect? Certainly he was not. 

King David wanted to build a temple for God… a monument of his affection – an outward sign of his love for God.  Although a noble desire, God told him that it would be his son and not him to do this thing.  And in true prophetic style this “word from God” had layers of meaning – literally, King David’s son did build the temple – but more importantly the “son of David” that is Jesus, would establish a permanent temple.  The temple of Jesus is his body that was destroyed on the cross and raised to everlasting life – and through that temple we approach God without any obstacle to our relationship with God. 

King David is a superlative Bible character.  While he is so very fallible, he is also open and genuine about his fallibility and desire to be better.  He has a passion for Justice and keen understanding of mercy, compassion, love and forgiveness.  Maybe it came from herding sheep!!

I don’t know sheep, but I have a cat.  Cats don’t understand English.  We speak a different language, although sometimes I’m not sure, because when I ask my cat if he wants to go outside he bolts for the door without any further prompting.  Sometimes my cat sits on the table or jumps on the cupboards where he is not allowed and he looks at me blankly.  His Kitty litter stinks and he watches me with interest as I clean it out for him.   Moral to the story is that I understand he is a cat and his behaviour is going to always be that of a cat.  I guess it is the same with sheep.

As someone who cared for sheep, King David learned leadership.  He learned that he couldn’t expect more from the sheep than that which is common to sheep.  When sheep went astray, I’m guessing he learnt to forgive the sheep, as it was after all… just the nature of a sheep.

We, all like sheep, do go astray, and even King David went very astray.  He repented and God never took his love away from David.

With all that David had learnt, his last words were to declare that the spirit of the LORD speaks through him and then he speaks about what it means to rule.  One who rules justly, who is God-fearing, brings refreshment to the land -Life!

This weekend we celebrate Christ the King.  We see that our King is different from other kings, he was one who is more like a shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.  Many who are put in positions of power grapple to understand how to be a leader.  Jesus shows us.  He has made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, and asks us to follow his example, where we may need to put our lives – our reputations & pride - on the line to testify to the truth and act in mercy. 

The truth is; Jesus is who he claimed to be – the one who is, who was and who is to come.  In the light of his dominion, though we live in days that are hard, where truth is crucified and lies are embraced, will we stand firm?  Will we allow Jesus to be the King of our life? 

Part of my own faith journey was this question – although it was put to me a little differently – Will you make Jesus the Lord of your life?  It is a commitment that needs to be made and then remembered and renewed with each new day – Yes Jesus, I want you to be the Lord, the ruler… the King of my life.

These days are like those days of Elijah who declared the word of the LORD.  Like him, we need to speak the truth and be like that life-giving King, bringing refreshing, where the dry bones become as flesh.  In the times to come, things will become more difficult. There will be great trials, famine, darkness and sword.  We are part of the kingdom of God, the labourers, we are the voice, the people of God’s kingdom who testify to the truth, and we are declaring the word of the Lord. 

The days we are in, in 2018, are days where Jesus calls us to allow him to be our King and the Lord of our lives.  Will we answer that call?

Widows, Women and others. Reflection for 11th November 2018

Widows, Women, and Others:

I often hear people say, “Oh how wonderful to have been born in the Victorian era”… or some other bygone era and they ask me what era I would like to have been born in….  My answer is this one right now with air-conditioning and flushing toilets thank you very much. 

And along with our technological advancements, of which I’m appreciative, I’m also appreciative of the rights that women have and the move towards some kind of equality.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve not ever been called a feminist, but I surely have cried over some inequalities and the readings today touch on some pretty sensitive topics for me.

Our readings this week speak of three widows.  Two are in the first reading, Naomi and Ruth, who lived many generations before the birth of Christ.  The third widow is the one who put her two measly coins (all that she had to live on) into the treasury.

While the plight of women today is still in a state of striving for justice, women in Biblical times were generally treated as beings of little consequence other than a necessity for child bearing, Widows were particularly susceptible to all the dangers of life.

In the time of the Scribes in the Gospel, the customs were such that the person who knew the most about God’s law was the person most respected.  This is why they were greeted with honour and give the best seats etc.  It was also considered a shameful thing to jeopardize your social status.  Therefore, the widow who put in all she had to live on, actually did a shameful thing… because she is completely jeopardizing her status & ability to care for herself. However, she was caught between a rock and a hard place because it would have also been dishonourable to not give to the temple.  And THIS is how the Scribes devoured widows’ houses, because they took from these poor women, but did nothing to support them.   

Ahhhh… but this would never happen in our generation would it?

I actually know of a lady who only about a year ago told me how in her early days of marriage, used to go without lunch at work so that she could put the money she saved into the collection at church.  I’m guessing her husband wasn’t a church man and I’m also guessing that her story is not as unique as we might wish.  That lady eventually divorced, in an era when divorce was very much a scandal – especially in the Church.  She is still one of the most giving and generous ladies I know. 

Would we have labelled her divorce as scandalous?

Have you ever been in that kind predicament like our Biblical widow, where it was a no win situation?

In education training we learnt about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.  A smart cookie who came up with a way of describing what all humans need in the shape of a pyramid.  It explains that people need physical needs met before they can go on to have other needs met, but it is also an acknowledgement that human needs are more than merely physical.  After the basic physical need of food, water and shelter is the need for security and safety… then the need for love and belonging, after that the need for esteem, followed by the need for purpose and meaning and then self actualization.  I’m reminded of a story I’ve heard about an experiment with babies who were given the basics but not love… not held.  The experiment was cut short when the babies began to die….  While we might think that the basics are all that people need, this might cause us to think again.

While these Scribes were busy making a show of themselves with long prayers and honourable seats, there were widows who were supporting the scribes by their giving, who didn’t have their basic needs for living, and these means for living were being happily accepted by the scribes to enable them to ensure their own status.

Last week we had the story of Ruth and Naomi, and this week the story continues and I hope that with this understanding of the widows’ predicament you will appreciate the precarious position of Naomi and Ruth.

Ruth happened to be gleaning barley in the fields of one of Naomi’s husband’s relatives- the term used is “Kinsmen Redeemer”.  In God’s law there were many ways that acknowledged and cared for the poor.  One was with the idea of the Kinsmen redeemer, which means that if a man dies then his brother or closest relative should take the widow as his wife in the hope that a son will be born who will take on the name of the husband who has died – but also, most importantly, to care for the widow. 

Also in the law was this idea of gleaning the fields.  The parts of the harvest which missed the initial collection was to be left in the fields and were to remain there for the widows and the poor of the land.  Ruth had spent the season gleaning and all had gone extremely well, but the harvest was done and the winter was coming.

Naomi hatched a plan – it was dangerous, it was desperate and potentially scandalous. But let me tell you about scandal; many generations prior, the ancestor of Boaz, a lady by the name of Tamar, was almost burned to death for a similar deception where she dressed as a prostitute because her father-in-law had failed to give his son as her kinsmen Redeemer.  When all was revealed she was proclaimed as being more honourable for the action she took – likewise was to be the outcome with our Ruth.

Ruth dressed up and went in secret to the place where the men partied…. Kind of like the traditional cane cut out party, but then take it up a notch.  Lots of festivities would have included wine and possibly even prostitutes – certainly it was a man’s affair. 

Ruth noted where Boaz lay down for sleep and lay down at his feet.  Would we have labelled it scandalous?  We would have, which is why Boaz said to not let it be known that a woman came to the threshing floor.  But wait, he also praised Ruth for her faithfulness in requesting a relationship with him, rather than running after someone younger.

While outsiders may have gossiped and made this event into something scandalous, these people were faithful and honourable.  Boaz promised to communicate with the closer relative to see if he wanted to take Ruth as his wife, and if not she would certainly become Boaz’s wife.

Lives were put on the line because lives depended on it.  All was given, all was surrendered in the hope of something better.

Just as lives were put on the line, Jesus freely surrendered his own life as a sacrifice to remove sin.   It’s crazy stuff… it is dangerous – what if the people he died for didn’t receive the gift he was giving?   What if they didn’t understand and kept distant from God because of their sin?????  Oh and this does happen – anyone who has ever said that they can’t set foot in a church in case the roof falls in is expressing their “badness” in comparison to God’s goodness, and not understanding that Jesus has removed sin.  Which sin?  Was it the sin in the past or the present or the future?   Hebrews tells us that this was done once and for all.  The implication is that all is paid.

To the people who were looking on the events that we read about, on the outside these events look scandalous.  On the outside, here and now, there are many things we might think of as being scandalous about other people.  I love the saying, believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear.  We pretty much never get it right from the outside, but need to remember Ruth – labelled as faithful, kind and honourable, maybe if we understood God’s perspective on supposed scandals we might find those who are generally devoured with unkind words and whispers, are actually more honourable than we are.

We have God’s law written in our hearts and minds and we may be those with respect, but like the Scribes, if we make judgments on others, we have the potential to devour others who are just trying their best to live, giving all that they have to live on, while we make ourselves feel superior by adding to the rumours.

Jesus was most harsh with the religious of his day, but if we don’t examine ourselves applying the same measure – as we are the religious of this day, we risk making the same mistakes as those scribes.

Jesus laid down his life to remove sins.  Love covers a multitude of sin.  The love of God, and his mercy in our own lives, should move us to, like Jesus, stand beside those who’ve been judged as lesser.  God’s heart breaks for the broken and the broken hearted, for those labelled or treated as less.  

As the hands and feet of God we need to be heartbroken for them too and stand alongside. We have a choice; be a modern day scribe- who keeps the law, makes a show of being a righteous person and devour people by our judgments, or live like Jesus, putting our own life on the line to show love to others.  On the flip side, we may feel like Ruth, Naomi and the widow, we may not feel we have anything physical, emotional and spiritual left to give, but keep going –  God cares for the broken and God’s favour rests on you.