Bearers of the Image of Heaven

 SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY   Year C   February 20, 2022

  • Genesis 45:3-11, 15  •    Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40  •    1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50  •    Luke 6:27-38

In last weeks readings we were exhorted to rejoice when people speak ill of us because of the Gospel.  This week follows on with this tough message, but take heart, it isn’t all that you might think.

Our Psalm reading tells us this; “Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb.”

 

The tough times are here and probably there are more tough times ahead, and so it is wise to think through our reactions so that we can respond appropriately instead of reacting inappropriately.  Have you ever had the experience where you know you are going into a difficult interaction with someone?  When we know what it going on and what needs to happen, we tend to play the scene over in our minds and this can sometimes help us, as we can clarify in our own minds just what the issue is, what out come we want, and how to best resolve the conflict.

This is what Jesus does for us in telling us to rejoice when people speak badly of us for the sake of the Gospel.  He gives us a better perspective… a heavenly one.  We rejoice because we know that we are in good company, that of the saints and prophets.  This perspective enables us to be resilient in the face of hardship.  But wait there is more….

Now, I have just become a grandmother and I have some pretty strong opinions about what should be told to expectant mothers.  I have heard people say, “Oh we don’t want to tell them about the difficulties associated with breast feeding, because it might put them off the idea”.  Now my opinion is the opposite.  I believe that new mothers are more likely to push through the pain if they know that it is part and parcel of the experience.  The benefits are great, but there is a cost.  My daughter, it appears, has an allergy baby.  (no surprise), and so Brittany has had to go on a very narrow and strict diet so that Ellianna is kept healthy.  I had warned Brittany about this possibility and she is handling it all pretty well.  It is tough, but the benefits, she knows, out weigh the cost.

In the same way, I believe, Jesus warns us about the things that can happen to us also, so that we can have the resilience to endure, but not only the resilience, but that we might respond in a way that is loving and bears witness to the glory of God.

This week’s Gospel reading tells us that we need to love our enemies, pray for those who abuse us and turn the other cheek to those who strike us.  This is just to name a few of the things we are asked to do.

Now let me be clear– this up-side down way of thinking was revolutionary and it still is.  There is great potential for good, for conversion and for life by following this way.  But before I go on, I have to qualify the reading and put it all in context because a great deal of abuse within the church has, in the past, gone un-checked because of this misunderstood exhortation.

Just to pull out one example of misunderstanding; this idea of turning the other cheek is not about allowing ourselves to be abused.  I can tell you that when someone up-town is punched, very seldom does the other person not punch back… As a Christian, what would our response be and what should it be?  To understand, we need to look into the culture of Jesus time and this little article from the net explains it – from - https://shortdailydevotions.com/turn-the-other-cheek-meaning/

“To be slapped on the right cheek meant someone would be hitting you with the backside of their right hand—or with their left hand, which was associated with weakness and even impurity.  Even more, in their culture any slap was considered an insult. It was a degrading action and a sign of great disrespect. And it was doubly so if someone backhanded you.  Surprisingly, pastor Keith Krell explains in this article that if a man hit you “with the back of his hand instead of punching you in the mouth, you could collect twice the damages because an insult was worse than an injury in Jesus’ honour-shame society.” Jesus’ teaching was a sign of both brilliance and humility before God.”

 

So the equivalent on the streets of Mackay would be someone who was punched, placing their hands in the air as a sign of surrender, but moving themselves into the vision of the security personal or police.    The brilliance of the lack of retaliation means that only the perpetrator will be charged.  Most of the time, both are charged because the police don’t know who is to blame and if both have been fighting it doesn’t matter much who started it.

 

This is the kind of response that Jesus expects of his people.  Not that they allow abuse to continue, but that they bring to light the injustice and show themselves to be innocent and above reproach.

As far as loving your enemy – a couple of years ago, 2020 while in covid lock down, I decided to go through the pascal meal and ceremony.  It was a big learning curve for me, where so many things that were eaten were symbolic of the events of the Passover.  One thing that particularly struck me, was where we had to take the red wine and place drops of it on the plate in recognition of the sorrow of the Egyptians – A drop to represent each plague.   This was the enemies of the Israelites, but every year still, they perform an act that compassionately recognises the sorrow and loss of their enemies.

 

We think of our own situation.  There may be hurt there from people at work or in our families.  There are people who have hurt us.  Sometimes they have taken our opportunities to shine, sometimes they have taken our reputation, sometimes they have taken the heirloom that was meant to be ours.  Can any compare to Joseph?

 

Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him.  That is how much they hated him, but instead they sold him as a slave.  He was only a boy at the time.  They lied to their father and made out that an animal had killed him.  How much pain they caused!  They knew the truth.  They knew their father’s sorrow.  They had years of chances to repent and go search for Joseph to bring him back into the family, but they didn’t do this.  They lived years of lies.  Their father lived years of sorrow.  But Joseph was in Egypt, after spending time in prison, he was finally recognized as a man with integrity and giftedness and was made the leader that he was born to be.  Strangers enabled him to shine, where as his own family rejected and almost killed him, but certainly left him for dead.

 

Of all people, Joseph had good cause to hate his enemies – his brothers.  Joseph even had the power to harm them.  Joseph did delay in revealing his identity to his brothers, testing them and causing them to reflect on their horrific act towards him, but he certainly didn’t treat them as they deserved and he recognised the hand of God in the whole situation.  Joseph could have spent that time in Egypt becoming more and more bitter and hard – hearted, but instead, Joseph remained connected to God and he was able to see with God’s perspective.

Sometimes our own enemies will have no ability to understand us and our pain.  But we know that God died to save us all.  Jesus died to save us, and we have not always been so true to him either.  Certainly, there were those in the crowd who shouted, “Crucify him”, who were then repentant at the preaching of Peter at Pentecost.  We also know, St. Paul, who was a huge enemy of the Christians, was struck blind by God and converted.   And so, it follows that not everyone who is an enemy will always BE an enemy. 

We are all people who have gone astray at some time or other.  None of us is perfectly perfect.  Our reading from 1 Corinthians explains that we bear the image of the man of the dust - a reminder that we are approaching Ash Wednesday of our mortality and connection to Adam who sinned in the beginning.  What this image of the dust implies is that we are all imperfect.  The Good news is that, through the sacrifice of Jesus, we also now bear the image of heaven.

 

This is an incredible spiritual reality!  Are you aware that you bear the image of heaven?  As a bearer of this image, we are required to respond in integrity to the situations we find ourselves in.  In fact, we need to respond in the way that Jesus does.

People readily admit it is the golden rule – “Do to others as you would have them do to you”, but it is not so easy when we have been hurt, to ponder the example of Joseph, or to ponder the example of Jesus.  Understand that we bear the image of heaven, and though it is tough sometimes, lets determine to live in a way that bears witness to the glory of God.

A Godly perspective is one that understands that we bear the image of heaven and one day that is where we will be.  The trials of this life take on a different perspective and life’s trials pale at least a little when we understand who we truly are in God through our unity with Christ.  We are children of God…. Bearers of the image of heaven.  Let us not retaliate and repay wrong for wrong, but instead, walk in integrity, revealing the image of heaven and the love of God.

Like a tree planted by the river - stand firm.

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY   Year C   February 13, 2022

• Jeremiah 17:5-10  •    Psalm 1  •    1 Corinthians 15:12-20  •    Luke 6:17-26

A plaque on my wall reads; “Those who leave everything in God’s hand, will eventually see God’s hand in everything”.  It is there because I need to be reminded to place things in God’s hands.  Honestly, I’m a little too inclined to try to fix things myself and not naturally inclined to trust God.  I strongly suspect I am not alone – but learning to trust God is vital.  Our life depends on it, because it was a lack of trust that caused Adam and Eve to disobey God.  It is the original sin.

 

This is why our reading from Jeremiah can rightfully declare that those who do not trust in God, but who only trust in mere mortals, are cursed.  Trusting in mere mortals is to choose ourselves instead of God.

 

I love the imagery from Jeremiah that follows, about the tree that is planted near the river, with roots that run deep.  When the drought comes it doesn’t fear… it stands strong throughout.  The implication is that we need to be firmly established in God so that when the drought comes, and it certainly does, we can stand firm.

 

Now, we all read these things and acknowledge the truth of it, but we might not think too much about the drought, what it is and how it impacts, so today, lets pause for a short reflection on the drought.

 

The drought is the time when friends are not there to support us.  The drought is when we have neglected our spirit and not spent time in prayer or scripture or had fellowship with the people of God.  The drought is also when our pain is so great that we can’t hear God’s voice.  In times of drought, we need God more than ever, but in times like these we might turn away from faith, our spirit withering much like a shrub planted in the desert.  A shrub in the desert has shallow roots…. And that shallowness is not necessarily their own fault, but could well be because we, the church, have not adequately supported, nurtured or watered.

 

Last week’s reading from Corinthians told us what Saint Paul was passing on as of first importance about our faith; that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried and that he rose from the dead and appeared to eye witnesses.  This is the message that we too must pass on.  This is the message that waters our soul and feeds our spirit, but do we ourselves truly and fully accept it?  Does our life reveal the truth of our faith?  Do we forgive & love others as Jesus commanded?

 

In the letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians there are harsh, but important words. 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  I have known of people who were Christians and they converted, one to Judaism and one to Muslim.   It baffles me.  How could they forsake such good news, unless they never truly grasped the divinity and all-embracing love of Christ. In accepting Jesus as a good man and nothing else, we effectively put our trust in mere mortals.  We remain spiritually cut off from God because we haven’t accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.  We would, in this hypothetical case, of all people be most pitied.

 

Those Corinthians, to whom Paul wrote were authentically Christian.  They fully proclaimed that Christ died and rose, but they were a little soft on the proclamation about the resurrection of the dead.   In essence, they were giving credibility to other beliefs.  They were whittling away at the message of salvation.

 

In all we do and say, we reveal to others the truth of what we really believe, and the truth of what we don’t believe.

 

Many years ago, I often played piano and sang for funerals.  I actually enjoyed playing for the funerals of strangers, as I would come to feel as if I knew the person through the eulogies, and I would do my best to give a fitting tribute by my music.

On one occasion, the very tiny funeral of a little known, elderly gentleman, there must have been some problems with the sound system and I remember the Minister saying to me, “don’t worry about it, the person you are playing for won’t complain.”

 

I’m not sure of the exact words, but I distinctly remember the impression.  It seemed abundantly clear to me that the Minister did not believe that the person was alive in any form.  For me, I certainly treated what I did as if that person was watching from heaven and it shocked me that a Minister would be so dismissive and faithless.

 

What we do and what we say, shows other people what we truly believe or not, and it is all too easy to compromise and go with the popular belief of the day.

If we should Compromise as a church, or fail to declare the message fully, or, perhaps most importantly, fail to exude the love of God, we are potentially stunting the growth of our people, not allowing them to send down deep roots so that God’s children become firmly established in the kingdom of God.  We need to be sure of our faith and stand firm. 

 

 

In our Gospel reading we have, what some would identify as the famous sermon on the mount – except it isn’t.  This is Luke’s Gospel and where as in Matthew’s Gospel it is a very similar story and portrays Jesus preaching on the mountain, this story is set on the plain.  Jesus is clearly described as standing on a level place.  The fact that it is from a level place, implies that Jesus came down to the people, bringing the glory of God down to the broken.

 

 

Luke 6:19 tells us that all in the crowd were trying to touch Jesus, and power came out from him and healed all of them.  Last week we read about the glory of God from the vision of Isaiah and how just the hem of God filled the whole temple and that the glory of God fills the whole earth.  A spiritual reality of which we are mostly unaware, and a reminder to realize that God is bigger than, and beyond our finite imaginings.

Jesus brings the glory of God to broken people.  He came down to them in an act of love and compassion, and power came out from him and healed all of them.  Our God is love and our God is powerful.

 

What follows are four blessings and four woes.  Most important for today’s message is 6:22-23 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.”

 

This is a message about being absolutely sure of our faith and not compromising for the sake of popularity.  This is a message about knowing God’s love, glory and greatness and trusting him above all.  We find the corresponding woe a little later, in 6:26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets."

 

Back when the Israelites were in slavery in Egypt we read in Exodus 12:36  NIV  “The LORD had made the Egyptians favourably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for….” 

There are certainly times when Christians have been looked upon highly.  The people of God are meant to be a blessing to the community, but this should happen because of our value for the dignity of life, our fruit of the Spirit manifest as love, and our integrity to stand firm in the truth of God regardless of temptation to compromise, because our message is GOOD.  Our message is the truth.  Our message, and our God is powerful.  Woe to us if people speak well of us because we water down the message of Christ and limit the glory of God.

 

The vision of Isaiah showed us that we can’t limit God to our own image and that if the mere hem of his robe fills the whole temple and His glory fills the whole earth, then God is bigger and beyond our image.  When we compromise on God’s truth to fit in with our comfort, woe to us. We are making God into our own image.

 

In today’s society the Christian is not popular.  Recently our Prime Minister came under fire about that Christian school’s code of conduct.  We need to pray for our Prime Minister.  He is in a very tough place and a place of great responsibility - and I don’t mean because he is answerable to the whole of Australia, but because he is answerable to God and it is so very easy to say the wrong thing to keep people happy.  Woe to us if we compromise the truth of the Gospel.

 

I feel like I need to really emphasis this because we are in a time of figurative drought.   We are in a time of desert where it seems as if all the elements are against us – Woe to us if we compromise the truth of the Gospel.  Woe to us if we deny that Jesus came and died for our sins… Woe to us if we deny that he was buried and woe to us if we deny that he rose from the dead.  Woe to us if we fail to acknowledge that Jesus, after he rose, appeared to the apostles.

 

But blessed are we, if stand strong, like that tree by the river.  And blessed are we, if we encourage others by declaring the truth and Good News of the death and resurrection of Christ.

 

 

Our world is a desert where the elements are against us, but those elements contain people who don’t know how to trust in anyone but themselves and they are cursed, because they don’t know the love of God. 

 Some of those people are afraid to trust God because they are so hurting, grief-stricken and misled by mis-information about God. They are also a people so full of despair that they can not even see the relief that God brings and we need to have compassion enough to bear the notoriety to continue to speak the absolute Good News.

 

In the light of eternity, it doesn’t matter that people speak badly of us.  With our roots deeply watered and fed by God himself, who loves us completely, we can stand firm through the drought, knowing we have been able to bring the life, love and the truth of God to a world so in need.  A world that Christ died to save.  Woe to us if we should deny the fullness of the message of salvation thus allowing his sacrifice for any single person to be in vain.

A lump of Coal - more important than you realize.

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY - Year C - February 6, 2022

·       Isaiah 6:1-8, (9-13)  •   Psalm 138  •   1 Corinthians 15:1-11  •   Luke 5:1-11

I realize it has been over a month since Christmas, but I’m wondering if anyone received a lump of coal for Christmas.

Most often said, tongue in cheek, about Santa dropping a lump of coal into the stocking of someone who has been badly behaved, our lump of coal might have a whole new spin after exploring the scripture readings for this weekend.

Our first reading comes from the prophet Isaiah, who had a vision of the Lord on a high and lofty throne.  The enormity of God is such that the mere hem of his robe filled the whole temple.  The imagery of this enormous hem is simply to present us with a picture of the complete and utter superiority of our God.

The vision speaks about a particular kind of angelic being, identified as Seraphim.  This kind of angel has six wings and its name means “burning one”, probably signifying its burning devotion to God.  The seraphim call to one another and declare words which echo those which are part of our service each week, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory."

This vision of Isiah is a declaration of a spiritual reality.   We come to church each week and we might say, we come into the presence of God, usually meaning we come to become aware of God’s presence with us, but our awareness is so limited.  In Isaiah’s vision just the hem of God’s robe filled the whole of the temple and now we read that the Seraphim are declaring that in the same way as the hem of God’s robe filled the whole temple, the whole earth is full of the glory of God.

To have any understanding of Isaiah’s vision we need to take a minute to let these images sink in.  We might watch a movie about Chris Hemsworth as Thor and mistakenly think that our God is not much bigger than this fantastical image of a demi-god.  Also, we might read the stories of Jesus and think of God contained to the image of a man.  In fact, we probably do.  But just for a moment, let’s open our minds to the vision of Isaiah and realize just what it is that God is showing him….. God is showing Isaiah and us, through him, that God is bigger and so completely beyond our finite comprehension. 

God does relate to us personally and through the person of God the son, Jesus, but we should hold in our minds, that fact that God is bigger. 

A man said to me recently, “God is simply a megaphone for the individual Christian’s self.”  Meaning, that what we preach about God is simply a megaphone of ourselves, and not God at all.  

I can tell you that made me stop and think.  The problem that the Pharisees of Jesus time had, was this very thing… they promoted God as a megaphone of their own voice.  They failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah because they thought that they knew God.  They had an image of God that suited them and they were sticking to it, and they would crucify anyone who might preach otherwise.

We can not make God in our own image.  God made us in his image and Jesus is the visible expression of our God, but we need to know the magnitude of God, the enormity, the majesty, the holiness and even the mystery.  We don’t know everything and it is ok to sit with that mystery and question because God is bigger and what’s more, quite amazingly, God loves us.  But let’s not make the mistake of limiting God into an image that suites us.

Confronted with the enormity of God, Isaiah becomes acutely aware of his deficiency. 

Fast forward to our story of Jesus in the Gospel reading.  We find that a group of fishermen have been out fishing all night.  They had washed and cleaned their nets when Jesus came aboard so that he could speak to the people without them crowding in on him.  After he had finished, he told the men to go back into deep waters and cast out their nets again.  Can you imagine how you might feel?  Exhausted…. Just got everything cleaned and ready for home and then Jesus needs to use the boat to preach from… when he finishes, instead of going home he wants you to start fishing again.

Simon Peter doesn’t really feel like doing this, but because of who Jesus is, he complies.  How often, when we don’t really feel like it, do we comply with God’s will?   Though we don’t feel like it, it is always wise to do what God asks, as Peter discovered, God comes through with surprises beyond our imaginings.

The nets were so full of fish that Peter had to call their partners in the other boat to come and help.  Now, I’m only guessing, but my guess is, this was a haul of great financial reward.  And this was something that God did for the people whose boat he used to preach from.  After fishing all night with little to show for it, to suddenly have this huge haul in just one cast was phenomenal and a huge gift from God, who really does want to delight and give gifts to his people.

People often think that to go that extra mile and do the will of God… to give our lives to God, means poverty and hardship. And honestly there is an element of sacrifice – no doubt, but in the end there is a harvest of plenty and God provides abundantly.    God certainly provides, but we also have our part to play.  We don’t simply clean our nets and go home…. We cast them out again when God asks us. 

At this point of provision in our story, Simon Peter has a glimpse into that image of God…. He realizes that God is bigger than he had previously imagined.  And, he realizes, Jesus is part of this majesty.  Suddenly Peter is aware that he is in the presence of the majesty and glory of God and he is overwhelmed…. He is a person of “unclean lips” also and falls at Jesus feet saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!"

Both Isaiah and Peter, when presented with the reality of the majesty of God, become acutely aware of their deficiency and confess their inadequacy.   In our Gospel story Jesus simply says, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people."  Isaiah’s story has something more. 

A Seraph takes a live coal from the altar and touched Isaiah’s mouth with it.  The explanation is that the altar is holy and so, all that it touches is also holy.  The altar coal touching the prophet’s mouth, makes him holy.  He is told, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out."

It has been suggested that there is deep meaning in this vision.  That the coal from the altar is actually a rock… maybe a cornerstone?  Signifying Jesus.  It is Jesus who takes away our guilt and blots out our sin.  It is Jesus who makes us holy and acceptable to God.

In the letter to the Corinthians, we read this; “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.”

At the center of our faith is this most important fact that Christ died for our sins. And also, that he undeniably rose from the dead.

In recent times, SIN has become a rather unpopular word.  In recent times the church has become less and less relevant to people.  After all, if none of us are sinners, then none of us need Jesus to die for our sins and his death is irrelevant. 

The truth of the matter is that the prophet Isaiah who proclaimed the word of God was a good man, but in the presence of the glory and majesty of God he still cried out that he was unclean.   Are there any among us who would be different?  If Isaiah needed Jesus to blot out his sin, then we surely do also… and it isn’t so much about the evil we do, but the fallible nature that we are.  God knows who we are, and what we are, and actually, the best Christmas present we could get is a lump of coal.

That live coal, that represented Jesus, is what we need.  But the point of the death and sacrifice of Jesus is greater than taking away our sin.  Jesus came to take away our sin so that we could truly live.  

In both the case of Peter and Isaiah there was a realization of their unworthiness and separateness from God. That separateness was impeding them from the call of God.  After his confession, and God’s absolution, Isaiah then responded to God’s call declaring, “Here I am, send me”.  After the confession of Peter, Jesus assured Peter that he would be catching people in the future and Peter left everything and followed Jesus.

What would be your thoughts if I said, “God is calling you”.   He is!  And in the reality of the majesty of God, we do feel acutely aware of our shortcomings and somewhat inadequate for the call, but that is why we need our lump of coal.  

The truth is, that even though we are mere humans, God so loves us, that he sent his only begotten son to save us.  And the truth is also, that God is calling each of us to respond to him all the time.  There are so many who need the encouragement of God.  So many who need to know about God and that God loves them and they will only know this if we answer God’s call.  

We are worthy, not in ourselves, but because Jesus Christ really did live and die and rise from the dead, and HE makes us holy.   Figuratively we all received that lump of coal for Christmas… the rock that makes us holy.

It is no fairy tale.  There were eye witnesses to the story of our faith.  But what will we do with this story?  Will we compartmentalize it so that it fits inside our comfortable existence or will we acknowledge that God is bigger…. Respond to the call and say Here I am, send me.

Encourage each other.... antidote for Tall Poppy Syndrome

 

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY  Year C  January 30, 2022

 

·       Jeremiah 1:4-10  •   Psalm 71:1-6  •   1 Corinthians 13:1-13  •   Luke 4:21-30

 

 

Have you heard of the “Tall Poppy” syndrome?  In Christian circles we quote our Gospel reading and say, “a prophet is never accepted in their home town”.  In Australia we’d simply say it is the tall poppy syndrome.

 

In essence it is the rejection of a person because of our perception that they are just one of us and when they appear to have success, beyond our own experience, we can’t comprehend it.  And that is the nice definition.  A more truthful and blunt definition would be to simply name it as ugly jealousy.

 

In a way, the rejection is due to a perception.

 

Have you ever had someone have a perception of you that you just can’t change?  I have.  I was studying at the conservatorium of music and doing performances with the Jazz department.  Even though I would do my solo gigs on the weekend, carrying and setting up all my own equipment, for some reason I was labelled as Barbie who wouldn’t lift a finger to help in case I broke a nail.   I remember one time as I was carrying gear, I put it in place and turned, empty handed to go and get the next load.  The person in charge had a go at me for not having anything in my hands and told me to go and help.

 

Perceptions can be completely false and lead to others having the same misconception because of the way we talk about them.  Are there any people that we have misjudged?

 

Another aspect of the perception is that people can become what we judge them to be because if we say it to them enough, they start to believe it.  There is a meme I have seen often on social media.  It is often attributed as a quote from Einstein, but where it really originated, no one seems to know.  It is this;  "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

 

Who are we and what are we?  The truth of our identity is found in God.  What God says about us is the bottom line and a truth beyond all perceptions.

 

In our first reading we find a young prophet who does not see himself as anything significant, let alone a prophet.  Jeremiah was too young to be taken seriously, what’s more he was in his father’s shadow.  His father was the priest Hilkiah.  While the fact that Jeremiah’s father was priest, meant that Jeremiah was likely to have a thorough knowledge of the scriptures, it is clear from our reading that Jeremiah felt very insignificant in the bigger scheme of things, yet God chose him and gave him a reassurance that leaves a legacy of truth for us all.

 

God explains to Jeremiah that God had chosen him before he was born.  In fact we read that God had chosen him before he formed him in the womb.  How wonderful it is to know that God not only chooses us, but that there are aspects in our being and nature that are there, because that is the way that God formed us in the womb.

 

Even though Jeremiah feels that he is too young and there is a perception that his youth might disqualify him from being taken seriously, God anoints him as a prophet to the nations and admonishes him, saying, “Don’t say I am just a boy”.

 

We may feel we are insignificant, but God says to us, “Don’t say that you are Just…that… . “ what ever it is that you feel…. He says,  “I have chosen you…. I chose you before I formed you in the womb”.    Just sit with that for a moment and let it sink in……

 

Jeremiah was also known as the weeping prophet.  He had great compassion, and had the difficult task of telling the nations that they needed to repent.  Can you imagine… he was possibly about 20 years old and being told to proclaim about disaster that was coming because of the sin of the nation.

 

Hmmm… I wonder where the prophets are today and what they would say….   Do we have any ways in our society that God would deem sinful?  Are the laws of the land at any time or in any way against the values that we find in God? 

 

I’ll leave that as a point to ponder, but most importantly, point out that God is a compassionate God.  When God asked Jeremiah to proclaim disaster to the nations it was God giving the nations a chance to repent to change and to be saved.  In every prophetic disaster it was God’s compassionate way of saying, “you are hurting my children.  You need to change”.    Do you remember Jonah and the people of Nineveh?  The Ninevites repented and God did not send the disaster. 

 

 

Jeremiah was a powerful prophet because he had such compassion and love for those to whom he had to give the prophetic word.  He expressed the heart of God and embodied the love described in the letter to the Corinthians; “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

 

Jeremiah was something… he was a faithful prophet.  Where is the faithful prophet today?  I suspect some in the freedom rally thought that they were being faithful prophets…. But the proof would be in their love.  Do they have the deep compassionate love of God.   Are they speaking up for the voiceless… and are they protecting the vulnerable, or are they causing fear and division?  And I don’t actually have the answer.  Are our own opinions being voiced in a way that causes division and hurt?  Are we speaking up for the voiceless and vulnerable?  I can tell you that as a compassionate society, we ought to be concerned about protecting the vulnerable and not just counting them as collateral damage.   Sometimes we need to stand up for things or against things, but if we do this without love, scripture tells us, and makes it clear, that we are nothing but a clanging cymbal.

 

Last week we read that Jesus had just proclaimed that the prophecy from Isaiah was being fulfilled.  He proclaimed freedom and the year of the Lord’s favour.  People enjoyed that speech, but when he continued to talk about how they would reject him and then talk about the prophets, and how they were rejected by their own people, the people were so enraged that wanted to throw Jesus off a cliff.  The truth hurts I guess.

 

It was pride that stopped them from hearing God’s message.  It was also fear and jealousy that stopped the people from accepting the Good News.  Actually it is interesting that Jesus uses the example of Naaman who was cleansed of leprosy, as he nearly let pride get in the way of his healing.  Perhaps our world can be healed in the same way…. Letting go of our pride and humbling ourselves…. 

 

 Naaman was told to plunge 7 times in the river Jordan.  Naaman was indignant and wasn’t going to wash in the muddy river, but his servants spoke up.  We could say, they were minor prophets… and little insignificant ones, who were not even identified by name, but without them there would have been no healing.

 

We were chosen before God formed us in the womb.  We are not insignificant, but we all need encouragement to know that the little things we do have a great consequence.  It is possible that the best thing we can do for each other is to encourage each other…. To look for the great in each other and to strive to see each other as God’s purposely designed and chosen people. 

 

Our nation is in need of healing and it isn’t just healing from COVID-19.  Our nation and our world is divided and hurting.  People are feeling frightened, rejected and that they have no power or control over their lives.  For our nation to be healed we need to humble ourselves before God and rid ourselves of hard-hearted pride.  We need hearts filled with the love of God and to be encouraged that we, like Jeremiah, though feeling insignificant have the ability to bring about great change when we speak the words of God.

 

May we be filled with the Holy Spirit of Jesus, whose anointing we share, to bring Good news to the poor.  To proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.  Today, this scripture is being fulfilled in your hearing, if only you accept the mission.

 

 

AND.... on the third day....

 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY   Year C   January 16, 2022

Isaiah 62:1-5  •    Psalm 36:5-10  •   1 Corinthians 12:1-11  •   John 2:1-11

On the third day we came down the mountain and went back to our usual work. 

Are you confused?  You should be, because it is as if I have begun my story at the middle or end instead of at the beginning.  In normal story telling I would say to you, that Rex and I went up to Eungella.  I would talk about the things we experienced, like the cold water we swam in and the platypus we saw, and then I would end my story and on the 3rd day we came down the mountain.

Our Gospel reading begins with “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee,…”.   If you are like me, you will turn the page back because it seems like we missed the beginning of the story, however if you do so, you will find that the previous chapter has nothing to do with this story.

On the third day could easily mean that it was Tuesday – the third day of the week.  According to the internet (https://18doors.org/timing_and_location_of_a_jewish_wedding/ ), “In traditional Jewish communities, Tuesday is considered an auspicious day to hold a wedding because it is a day that a portion of the Torah is not chanted in the synagogue.”  So it is most likely that our story begins “On Tuesday there was a wedding”…  But this is the Gospel of John, and there are layers of meaning in all that he writes.

 Immediately looking for famous third days, we know that on the third day Jesus rose from the dead.  It isn’t that he was literally in the grave three days, as complained about by those who look for literal truth.  When we look for the literal we can often miss the truth we are searching for because we are unaware of the Jewish culture and way.  Jesus rose “on the third day”. 

Speaking of “On the third day”, it is only logical to look for the full meaning of the third day from the book of Genesis, where we find that on the third day God created life.

Once again from the internet (  https://bibleproject.com/blog/why-did-jesus-rise-on-the-third-day/#:~:text=The%20Third%20Day%20Matters,activates%20his%20covenant%20with%20humanity.   ) we read,  “For Jesus and the apostles, the timing of his resurrection has strong theological implications. The three-day timeline matters to the biblical narrative, because it is the special day on which God creates new life and activates his covenant with humanity. ”

The wedding at Cana is considered the first of Jesus’ miracles and the beginning of his ministry.  It took place on the third day and the implication was not merely that it was Tuesday, but that it was a sign of God creating new life through the activation of His covenant with humanity.

 Knowing, from the very onset of this narrative, that the creation of life is the purpose of this story, we read on.

Mary approaches Jesus to tell him that they have no wine.  Jesus’ reply and reference to her as “woman” is not gruff and not a put down, but lost in the translation is a common pattern of speech inferring that “I don’t need to take this responsibility”.

Who is God that he should care for us?  We find this sentiment throughout the Bible from the Psalms in the Old Testament to various places including the letter of Hebrews in the New Testament.  When Jesus says, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? “ … I feel that Jesus could well be saying, “What is it to me that I should care for the salvation of the world?” and then Mary instructs the servants to do all that Jesus commands, as she knows his purpose and the vocation of his life.

Who are we that God should care for us?  We who constantly make selfish choices, and we who war with each other,… who are we that God should care for us?  And yet he does.

There are six large jars at the wedding.  They are there for the purification rites.  Six is the number of mankind.  Human kind, made in the image of God – whose number is seven… we were created on the sixth day, which is described in my research as the 2nd third day, implying the creation of life magnified. 

To recap, our Gospel tells the story of a wedding.  The host had run out of wine.  Jesus’ Mother tells Jesus and then tells the servants to do whatever he says.  Mary has a role here that is also worth looking into.  Mary is a believer.  Mary prepared the way for Jesus to act.  She instructed the servants to do all that Jesus asked of them. 

When Mary went and spoke to Jesus, she didn’t have the solution to the problem, but she knew the power of Jesus.  We, as Christians, are faced with many problems in this life.  Many times, we don’t have the solution – but we do know the power of God to act.  Mary knew that she didn’t need the solution, but she trusted completely and instructed the servants to comply with the wishes of Jesus.

We have problems today.  Our world needs the solution that can only come from God – a miracle.  Our part is to prepare the way by taking those problems to God.  Then, with trust, we leave it in his hands, knowing that he will act – but we also need to encourage others to work WITH Jesus and do all that he instructs.  Then we will see the miracle.  John called it a sign rather than a miracle as all that Jesus did, John saw as having layers of meaning.  There was a very true and simple meaning -God cares for our cares and did not want the bridegroom to be embarrassed by the lack of wine.  There is a deeper meaning – God cares for us and will answer our prayers.  There is an even deeper meaning;

We, the church, are the bride of Christ.  Though we are like ordinary empty vessels, He fills us with pure water and then turns us into something extraordinary.  He makes us his children, and the church his bride.  He fills us with the wine of the Holy Spirit and gives us gifts.

Through the Holy Spirit he gives us spiritual gifts and these are for us individually, but more importantly, these are gifts for the church.  We read about these gifts in our letter to the Corinthians which starts by explaining that no one speaking by the Spirit can be speaking curses.  He says this for a couple of reasons.  At a simple level, those followers of God should be identified by their words.   He is also speaking about the gift of tongues.  There is always a bit of suspicion when someone is speaking words that we can’t understand, that maybe they are not speaking from God.

I want to digress a little to explain, because I was once one who was ignorant of the fact that the gift of tongues is not something that was just given to the disciples at Pentecost.  As others came to believe and the Holy Spirit came upon them, those also spoke with different languages and this has happened right up and to this present day – and still is met with some suspicion.

The gift of tongues is the gift that seems to receive to most attention and criticism and yet we should remember that it is just one of the gifts. 

St Paul talks about the other gifts also in his letter to the Corinthians. 

“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  This is the most important point.  The gift is given to individuals but it is for the purpose of the common good.  It is not a gift that we should bury in field like a treasure that we are afraid someone will take, but the purpose is to be a blessing to others.

We read that the other gifts are wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

The first time I came in contact with a church that was gifted with these gifts I was just a naïve teenager, but I heard other teenagers and young adults speaking about current world issues with such incredible wisdom that I distinctly remember thinking, “I wish the world leaders could hear these people”, and they truly amazed me.

Our world is in deep need of wisdom, knowledge, faith and healing.  We need prophets with visions of insight to show us which way to go and to give us hope.

Jesus instructed that the water jars be filled to the brim with water.  There are some very natural things that we can do.  As empty vessels we can be filled with the word of God, the love of God and the willingness to do God’s will. 

The servants might have said NO to Jesus requests and there would be no wine and no story about the wedding in Cana, but they said YES.  We need to also say yes to the will of God.  We need to be willing to submit our will to the reign of Christ.   This is all we can do.

Who are we that God should care for us, or be mindful of us, or answer our prayers?  We all feel this way at times, but the truth is magnificent, because we are his precious children and he longs to give us his gifts.  They are not just for the church but for the wider community – the nations are to be blessed because of his gifts.  But I feel that we, the church, have neglected those gifts. 

We need to accept the gifts, say YES to God, trust in his provision, do as he tells us, be filled with his word and on the third day we will find that our water is wine.   Not just any wine – or gift… but a wine that is better than all that has gone before.  The gifts of God are GOOD.  We, the church need them…. And right now…. the world needs them.

A part to play in history... Advent 4C 2021

Micah 5:2-5a  • Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80:1-7  • Hebrews 10:5-10  • Luke 1:39-45, (46-55)

Image from: https://www.learnreligions.com/city-of-bethlehem-overview-700678

I have not travelled anywhere near as much as I would have liked, and so, places like Israel are completely unknown to me, except for what I read.  Some of the Christmas cards that we sometimes see would have us believe that Jesus was born at a time of deep snow, a fact which some have used to say that our celebration for the birth of Christ is at the incorrect time.  And so I have done a little research….. 

 

I have found a picture of the city of Bethlehem that I really love as it looks to me like one of the places I have actually seen, briefly.  The place of my heritage, Malta and the city of Valletta.  The city of Bethlehem is located about six miles southwest of Jerusalem.  The climate is similar to the typical Mediterranean climate, but milder because of its altitude and nearness to the sea.  Winter time temperatures are between about 14c and 5c and Summer 30c and 19c.  It does snow sometimes in December, but more likely in February.

 

To be more accurate, from the Website  https://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/Israel/Bethlehem/14-Day-Forecast.aspx  

 "Over the next 14 days the Bethlehem forecast suggests the average daytime maximum temperature will be around 11°C, with a high for the two weeks of 12°C expected on the afternoon of Friday 17th. The mean minimum temperature will be 8°C, dipping to its lowest on the morning of Monday 20th at 4°C."

 

Some other facts that we should know about Bethlehem are that it is the place where the favourite wife of Jacob (AKA Israel) was buried.  Rachael died after giving birth to her second son Benjamin. 

Something else of significance about Bethlehem is that this is where Naomi and Ruth returned to after having lost husbands and sons.  This is where the story of Ruth and Boaz took place and where Obed was born.  Who is Obed?  The grandfather of the great King David.  Therefore, Bethlehem is known as the city of David.

Bethlehem was a little village and it rose to prominence because of the connection with King David, but at the time of Christ’s birth, it had once again diminished in size.  This is where Joseph went with the very pregnant Mary to be registered because he was of the line of David.

 

Our first reading comes from the book of Micah and the prophecies of this book are most important because they tell of the coming of Christ.  They also tell of the reign of Christ where all the nations worship him and live in peace… a time yet to come with the second coming of Christ. 

 

Our familiarity with the Bible and the reading of Micah may numb us to the implications.  Let me try to put you into the picture.  This very same scripture which was written something like 700 years before the birth of Christ, is likely the one that was shown to the Magi when they came to Herod to look for the King whose star they were following.  We are reading the ancient prophecy, other than the translation, exactly that which was shown to the Magi.

 

The prophecy includes a promise made for all the nations and clearly shows that the Messiah is for people of all nationalities.   Another interesting fact is that Bethlehem means “House of Bread”.   Jesus referred to himself as the bread of life.  All things are more that mere coincidence, but show the design of God.

 

Bethlehem is described as one of the little clans.  King David was little and the youngest of his family.  Time after time we read of how God chose people that were either insignificant, without hope or rejected. The whole tribe of Israel fits in with this theme of choosing the rejected ones, as Israel was a nation without a home.  A tribe of slaves, but favoured, cared for and delivered by the very mighty hand of God.

The message for us in this, is that we should treat all with care, but especially those most rejected, because they are the ones through whom God is most likely to show his might.  God often chooses to speak through those we are inclined to dismiss.

 

In this same tradition a young girl, Mary is chosen to bare the Messiah.  Mary’s role is confirmed by Elizabeth when Elizabeth greats her as the Mother of her LORD.   I can imagine that this was great reason for Mary to proclaim the good that God had done for her.  Let me explain; It is one thing to have a vision and message from God, but as every prophet knows, to pass that message on is another thing completely.

 

Mary had to face telling Joseph about her condition.  And he doubted her and was going to divorce her quietly.  This is the bit the Bible tells us.  What it doesn’t tell us is what the rest of the community was saying.  It doesn’t tell us what her parents were saying.  I do however, imagine that the buzz around the community was NOT that the virgin was going to bare a child. 

 

When Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and the supernatural knowledge of the enormity of situation, and then proclaims her greeting, this must have been a huge relief to Mary…. “At last someone else knows the truth…. I’m not alone”. 

 

It was thought to be a huge privilege to be the one who would bare the Messiah, but the fact is that many hardships went with it.  It honestly could have meant being stoned to death for Mary.  If God called her to it, then we expect God would see her through it, but from moment to moment, I can only imagine how frightening it must have been.

 

Where are we in the story of the Gospel?  Are we those who are believers in God, but not likely to believe the young girl who claims to be a virgin with child?  Are we like Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit and able to discern God’s hand?  Are we like Mary, saying yes to God?

 

Where we need to be is both Elizabeth and Mary.  Like Elizabeth we need to be discerning and filled with the Holy Spirit.  It is the Holy Spirit which gives us the supernatural ability to know when things are from God – or not (or just plain crazy). 

 

I can’t emphasize this enough, that we need the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We are living in times when there are many voices with many opinions all claiming to be right.  How can we make heads or tails of it all?  We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit to know, otherwise we will surely get it wrong and possibly be stoning when we should be greeting… or buying into things that are certainly not of God, when we should be standing against.  We will be walking in fear and acting out of fear, instead of walking and acting in courage and love.

 

Courage and love are attributes that we see in our Christmas story.  A privilege to bare the son of God – yes – but not without hardships and persecutions. Having courage is not the absence of fear, but about knowing what needs to be done and doing it regardless.  It doesn’t mean that there are not times to get up in the night and run – as we know Joseph and Mary did.  But there is a need to know the difference.

 

When we are called to God’s purpose he will bring us through it, but that doesn’t mean that all will be smooth sailing.  There will be times of great distress, especially from those who don’t understand.

 

Even among the church there are those who don’t understand – and at different times this is all of us as we struggle sometimes to understand.  There are those who believe Jesus came, but don’t understand his way of peace – and don’t quite understand the Good News of the New Covenant.  Our Hebrews reading explains that “when Christ came into the world he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me;..”

 

Throughout the known world, at that time, it was normal to offer sacrifices of animals etc… to appease the Gods.  The Israelites had a similar but different system, as God always works within our ways of understanding.  The Israelite system of offering and sacrifices was all about their relationship with God.  It was a way that God tried to show them that all belonged firstly to him and the way in which there would be atonement for sin, so that His relationship with the people could remain intact.  Time after time, however, the people slipped into thinking that these sacrifices exonerated them…. Where as what God always preferred was that they turned their hearts to him.

 

When Jesus came, he abolished the sacrificial system by being the final sacrifice.  Our letter to the Hebrews explains, “And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

 

This tells us that we have been sanctified – Made Holy – by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ – Once and for ALL – there is no longer any need for anything else.  This is Good News.  We are acceptable to God and we can be sure because this is the purpose of Jesus death -to bring us true life by being united to God…. Nothing impeding our relationship.

It is done… It is accomplished. 

 

There are many who still don’t know or fully understand the Good News.  There are many that have not come to know Jesus.

 

We, the church, like Mary, are also called to bring forth the Messiah.  We are called to bring him into the community.  But it is something that happens with the cooperation of all of us.

 

To each of us God says that he does not require burnt offerings and sacrifices, but a heart that says “Yes” to God’s call.  We all have a part to play in history.  Elizabeth’s role in our reading was to affirm the call of Mary.

 

You may feel that you are very little and insignificant.  Rest assured, then you are the one that God is calling.  He chose the little town of Bethlehem, he chose the young girl, he chose the barren Elizabeth. 

 

The prophet Micah was one who was from a small village and lived among the poor.  About 700 years before Christ came he was to give a most important message.  Though only 7 chapters long, it is from this book that we have the most memorable quote about what God really requires and remember that this is more than 700 years before the sacrificial system was abolished by the coming of Christ.

"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

 

The prophet Micah understood the heart of God.  Our call today is to heed the message and to also understand that God’s call to us is to say, Yes to the call of God. It will not be easy, but God who brings us to it, will mightily bring us through it and we like Mary will proclaim; "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;  for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”