Sermons

Servant, Slave, Service! Epiphany 2. Isaiah 49: 1 – 7;  John 1: 29 – 42 Are God’s children also servants?  We commonly understand a servant to be someone employed to to carry out domestic chores. The term, servant, has become a demeaning term in our society. Our labour saving devices, fast food places and meals delivered to the home have all made the domestic servant obsolete.  In a time long past servants were essential to the working of the home. In fact we could not have achieved much without servants.  And some servants became valued members of the family. I recall from my childhood in South Africa that servants were very much part of the family, especially on farms. The problem today is that the concept of servant is taken to mean someone who is inferior to others and of little worth. In the ancient world of the Roman Empire servants and slaves were important. Some slaves and servants became so valued and respected that their masters adopted them as their heirs. The slave owner would set a slave free and then adopt him to be his heir under the rule of paterfamilias. As I have mentioned before some of the Roman Emperors were adopted.  E.g. Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire [63BC- 14 AD] who established the Pax Romana, was adopted by his uncle Julius Caesar. Incidentally Julius Caesar already had a natural born son by Cleopatra. Neither is it strange to read about the servants of God in the Bible.  Moses, Joshua, Paul, James and Peter are specifically described as servants of God.  The people of God were also referred to as servants. Mary, the mother of Jesus, declared herself a bond slave of the Lord [Lk 1: 38]. Nehemiah spoke of the people of God as servants of the Lord [Neh 1:10] and Isaiah speaks of the people as the Servants of God [Is 48:1 – 49:3]. What is a servant?  The dictionary defines a servant as ‘one who performs duties for others, especially a person employed for duties in a household’.  Most definitions add that a personal servant will be devoted and helpful.  The root meaning of ‘servant’ has the notion of waiting on and serving another with devotion. I have selected six characteristics of a servant that I believe may help our understanding of the worthiness of servanthood.  Integrity: Servants doesn’t only have to be honest, but should have a sense of wholeness about themselves. They need to see servanthood as an important part of what they do and who they are. Servanthood has an honourable role.  Humility: Out of their sense of well-being the servant need to be willing to humble themselves in the service of others. Their work is not about themselves but about the one they serve. Loyalty: The concept of loyalty captures the sense of dependability, commitment, and trustworthiness. Listener: A servant needs to listen and empathise with the one they serve and sense their needs and understand the tasks they are to carry out.  The good listener is attentive to others. Adaptability: A servant needs to be adaptable to the situations and demands of the one they serve.  Flexibility is important in adjusting to different situations. Resilience: Resilience flows out of being flexible and leads to that quality of endurance and toughness required to serve dutifully during difficult times. So we begin to see the important role a servant plays. We note that there are periods in our history and possibly in our lives where the notion of being served or serving is critical to our well-being. We note too that to see the role of servant as merely a demeaning role is not helpful. We note that the characteristics of a servant are essential to any household or organisation’s health.  That is, we cannot really progress, develop and reach our potential without the qualities that go with servanthood. Today we don’t speak of servanthood except in leadership roles where we speak of servant-leadership. The Servant-Leader takes on the characteristics of a servant. So why am I talking about Servanthood? I imagine if I had asked you whether you saw yourself as a servant of God, or of the Church, or other Christians, you would say you don’t. I guess that would be the last concept you would use to describe your relationship with God. Most likely you would think of yourself as a child of God or a member of the Church. Yet this is what our texts are talking about – the people of God are God’s servants. In the Corinthian reading Paul describes himself as an Apostle [1Cor 1:1], which is just another name for a leading servant. In the John reading we have the call of the disciples. We are told that two of John the Baptist’s disciples decided to follow Jesus. Jesus turns to meet them and merely invites them to ‘come and see’ [Jn 1:39]. Andrew is one of them and he goes off to get his brother, Simon Peter.  Jesus’ response is gentle and pregnant with conviction – ‘come and see’. Andrew and Peter follow and stay and become witnesses and martyrs for the Gospel of Christ Jesus. They gave their lives.  They took on the qualities of servanthood: integrity, humility, loyalty, empathy, adaptability and resilience. Legend tells us Peter chose to be crucified upside down by Nero because he felt unworthy to be crucified in a similar fashion to Jesus. The Isaiah reading, which is another ‘Servant Song / Poem’ in the book of Isaiah, speaks of the ‘Servant of God’ as an individual and also as a member of the people of God. In Isaiah 52 the servant suffers for us, bears our sins and secures our healing with humility [Is 53: 4-9].  Christians unreservedly see the Isaiah prophetic poems as foreshadowing the ministry of Jesus. The early church in one of their hymns speaks of Jesus as not regarding equality with God as something to be

Theological Justice. Isaiah 42: 1 – 9; Matthew 3: 13 – 17 God’s justice more than social-justice! A man was brought before a jury of respectable educated townsfolk to be tried for a crime he had allegedly committed. As the court began the accused asked the judge how qualified the jurors were to judge him.   “Are they experienced thinkers able to determine right from wrong?” he asked. He requested the judge to ask the jurors separately to write an answer to his question: ‘what is bread?” These were the jurors’ answers: The 1st juror wrote; ‘Bread is food.’ The 2nd; ‘It is a gift from the Almighty.’ The 3rd; ‘It is a mixture of flour, yeast and water.’ The 4th; ‘It is obvious, it is baked dough.’ The 5th; ‘It depends very much how you use the word bread.’ The 6th; ‘No one really knows.’ The accused man looked the judge squarely in the face and said;  “When the wise and educated decide what bread is it may be possible for them to determine what is right and wrong.” What is justice? Definitions of justice run like this:  the quality of being fair and reasonable, the administration of the law, what is morally right and fair. As much as we might have a problem defining what bread is we might also have a problem with the concept of justice. Cicero said that the fundamentals of justice are that no one shall suffer wrong, and that the public good be served. Let it be known that the demand for justice does not come from Karl Marx, or the poor, or the rich, but from the Hebrew prophets and it is embodied in Jesus. When we ask what is justice? we may too readily think of equality of treatment and opportunity, fairness, and punishment of the unjust. The Isaiah text implies it is more and certainly suggests a distinctive administration of justice. We remember today the baptism of Jesus by John.  The lectionary includes Isaiah 42 implying it has something to say about Jesus. We can note two things that connect the Isaiah reading to Jesus and his baptism. Firstly, the Baptism of Jesus has more to do with him being anointed by the Holy Spirit than water baptism. The key point in Jesus’ baptism is the anointing of the Spirit described as a ‘dove’ descending on him accompanied by the words, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” [Mt 3:17]  The Servant in Isaiah 42 is also anointed with the Spirit. Secondly, Jesus begins his ministry, according to Luke, citing a passage on justice from Isaiah. Justice, theological justice, is strongly tied to Jesus [Lk 4:18]. Isaiah chapter 42 is most significant. Scholars spend a lot of time reflecting on who the ‘servant’ is in this visionary reflection.  Scholars also spend a lot of time discussing how this vivid piece of writing connects to other passages in the book of Isaiah. I am not interested in these reflections.  I believe, as some scholars point out, that Jesus embodied the task given to ‘the servant of God’ in chapter 42.  So let us look at the task given to the servant and the manner in which the task was to be accomplished. The passage begins with; with here is my servant, whom I have chosen [Is 42:1]. What stands out in this passage is that the servant of God is chosen and God puts God’s Spirit into the servant.  The servant of God is chosen and anointed with power. Throughout the Bible God calls people and anoints them with the Spirit. Remember in creation it is the Spirit of God that breathes life into the whole of creation. The Scriptures consistently tell that the Living God breathes life into this world. Nothing can be done without the Spirit of God empowering and breathing life into our lives.  The first lesson we learn is that God never leaves God’s servants to act alone. Every time we step out in faith and serve God in what we say and do the Spirit of God is with us. Remember in our baptism we celebrate God’s anointing of us with the Spirit.  God gives us what we need. We are never alone.  It is only in our ignorance, unfaith or arrogance that we may feel and act alone. Every time I stand at this lectern I am conscious of God’s Holy Spirit being with me and speaking through me. I see the Spirit’s anointing of our worship leaders as well. But it is much bigger than that.  Have you not noticed how ordinary people become powerful when they address the daunting task of injustice? The OT prophets and leaders all received the anointing of the Spirit. I cannot overlook the powerful prophetic people who confronted Apartheid in my birth-land; and while preparing this sermon I couldn’t help thinking of the powerful voice of Rosie Batty, the domestic violence campaigner. Whether she recognises it or not I believe the Spirit of God rested on her, for God’s Spirit breathes life into all of creation. The task of God’s servant is to bring forth justice to the nations [Is 42:1] – yes, justice to the nations!  In verse four the scope of the justice is re-enforced where the servant’s task is to establish justice in the earth.  What we easily overlook or simply fail to understand is that God’s justice doesn’t only concern God’s people; i.e. it is not parochial justice – it is worldwide justice. Psalm 82 makes it abundantly clear that the domain of God’s justice is the whole earth with its climatic statement; Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you! [Ps 82:8]  In Psalm 82 the direction and nature of God’s justice is determined. Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute [Ps 82:3].  What is patently clear is that God’s justice

The Gospel in an ever-changing World  Jeremiah 31: 7 – 14; Ephesians 1: 3 – 14; John 1: 1 (10) – 18 What does it mean to be a Christian in the 21st Century? What does it mean to be a Christian in the 21st Century? We’re in the final year of the second decade of the 21st Century. It’s fascinating to reflect on the Church in our time. When I think of my own family – I’m thinking of my wife, my parents and our children – we span three centuries. My father was born in 1895. So much has changed in this time. We’ve witnessed remarkable changes over the last 120 years or so which have revolutionised our lives. What has this meant for the Church universal? What has it meant for the churches in the Western World?  We might think that the biggest change is how small the local churches have become. Now that is only a problem if we think we should be like the churches we grew up in or raised our children in.  They were large and booming with children. We call the children of the post-WWII era the baby-boomers. That era was merely a blip in the Church’s life during the 20th Century. Now I do not intend to provide a brief lesson in social history. I merely want to point out a few things. Social change has always taken place. However in our life time the pace of change has increased exponentially. We’ve witnessed the greatest number of changes in the shortest space of time; e.g. from horse and cart to space travel. Secondly, 100 or less members is now the average size of local churches throughout the Western World. When I attended in 2007 the 8th World Methodist Conference on Evangelism in Atlanta in the USA I learnt that the average USA congregation had around 100 members. I was reminded of these facts in an email I received this week. We are a normal sized church. We are a strong church in good heart, but do we still operate with the sense that we should be bigger? Are we hanging onto structures and practices that really suit a much larger church? I believe our Synods and the Assembly need to address this question too. Thirdly, the changes in our society present and always have presented a challenge to the church to re-think how it expresses and practices the Gospel of Christ. A cursory study of the history of the Church will uncover this. The difference today is that such changes take place more rapidly than ever before. I’m not going to provide answers to these questions. Rather the questions are a constant work-in-progress. The answers lie in prayerfully considered experiments, of which some will not work.  I have raised these questions because they are relevant to us. They are always relevant.   Our texts set for today prompted me to take up this tack. The Gospel according to St John clearly indicates in its concepts and metaphors that the Church is wrestling with this issue of relevance. In fact the writings of the New Testament all reveal that the Christians of the 1st Century wrestled with such issues.  Within the first 100 years Christians were adjusting their concepts and understanding of the Gospel of Christ to their new situations.  The Gospel of John is a fine example of this. The Gospel begins with a reference to Jesus being the Logos, the Word of God. This concept was used in Greek philosophy to describe the ‘reason’ or ‘plan’ for the ordering of the universe. John uses it to describe the eternal being of Jesus the Christ. This suggests to us that the Church has moved into the Roman Greek world and beginning to use concepts of the Roman-Greco world to help explain who Christ Jesus is. The Gospel according to John is usually dated late in the 1st Century or early in the 2nd. My personal view is that it is about 95 A.D. The other three accounts of the Gospel of Christ are earlier and reflect an earlier period in the Church’s life.  John also introduces us to the understanding that Christianity is not something you are born into. That is, you are not a Christian because your parents were Christian.  He wants people to understand that the blessing of God is something each individual must affirm.  Jesus makes this point by calling people to follow him and emphasising that to do so means giving up all to become one of his disciples. John says this in his opening remarks in his Gospel account. He (Jesus) was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.  But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.  [Jn 1: 10-13] John stresses Jesus’ own people, his family so to speak, did not accept him and that the world did not know him, but everyone who sees and accepts Jesus becomes a child of God. The logic of this is that we only become God’s children when we accept Jesus who has the power to make us God’s children. So John talks in chapter 3 about being born again, or more accurately being born from above. This concept of becoming God’s children, not by natural means but by the means of God adopting us, would not have  beend a strange concept to the Roman-Greco culture. The man of the household had the right to adopt. The Roman imperial succession was secured by adoption.  For example Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Nero were all adopted as adults and thus became emperor. John makes perfectly good sense when he states

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS 2019 What did 2019 meaningfully bring for you? This is not what Father Christmas brought you but what was something significant which you were involved with during 2019? I invite you to share this at the end of my homily, after covering the set Bible readings for today. We could have a mini Q and A between us or else if that is too public, then just in a huddle between two or three or you. We had as a Call to Worship, the first five verses of Psalm 148. This is full of praise for our creator, God. I quote: “Praise him, all his angels”! The psalm celebrates God’s nature and purposes, revealed in creation of our world, our universe and every living creature, including human life. Humankind can best fulfill God’s command by living as God created us to live. This psalm calls creation to join in praise of God. We are tasked with stewardship of creation, rather than having dominion. The reading from Isaiah 63 reminds me of the old gospel song: “count your blessings, name them one by one.” Recounting God’s gifts of creation and redemption makes us happy, healthy and thankful.  Isaiah looked back at the gracious deeds of God in the life of his people where God had been with them in all their pain and difficulties and carried them when they had no strength. Looking now at our Gospel reading from Matthew 2, the Christmas we have just celebrated marks the beginning of the earthly life of Jesus. Because Jesus was who he is, the messiah, our Saviour, it is also a new beginning for us, the human race. His flesh is our flesh, born of Mary a representative of ordinary humanity which he takes into the Holy of holies, the most holy place, with God. Through our flesh he was able to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus coming into our world is bracketed with Herod who fakes worship on one end while instituting infanticide on the other. Matthew shows the baby Jesus as the culmination of what was promised. He was the foretold Saviour of the world who had to navigate Egypt, evil and egos. Matthew also recounts that dreams also save Joseph and his family. It appears that guardian angels are working overtime in the first part of our Lord’s life. Three times a messenger from God, an angel, converses with a sleeping Joseph. The first dialogue proclaims the birth of Jesus. The second provides a way of escape, the third dream gives the all clear signal. Joseph is to leave Egypt because the security and refuge that it offers is no longer needed. The fourth dream alerts Joseph to danger lurking in Judea where Herod’s son Archelaus is the new ruler, a very bad apple from a rotten tree. So, Joseph sensed foul play and heads for Nazareth, the subject of previous prophecy.   The Bible never states that each child of God has a guardian angel. These spirits cannot or will not save us from all suffering. Maybe their function is not to shield us from danger but to cool our feet when we walk through the flames of adversity. I wonder though who of us have had a flesh and blood messenger whom God sends just at the right time, with just the right word: a word of comfort, hope or wisdom. On the other hand, who have we been sent to as guardian angels with a message form the Lord? Eventually, the Holy family established their home in Nazareth but of course it was just a temporary home, as the Lord ended his life without having a permanent address. At Christmas we turn our thoughts toward home. When we were children it was our parent’s home with escapes to our grandparent’s homes if we were lucky. Jan has two sisters so every year we meet at one or another’s home with as many of the extended family to celebrate another year of ups and downs but richly greeting each one present. Christmas time can be very difficult for believers. What grief do we as individuals or as a congregation bear currently or through the past year? How do we cope with trauma, suffering or disappointments? As we praise God, how do we hold our experiences in tension with God’s promises? What traditions have been meaningful for you? Do we recognize the presence and power of God? Is he close or distant? Do you want to now  share a magic moment which happened to you during this year or maybe changed your life for better or for worse?  We can have an open time now for a few minutes or would you prefer to confide with someone next you? Conclusion: God’s power and love are ready to be experienced, lived in, and celebrated. Prayer:  Dear God, I praise you, Lord of creation. You spoke the word, and all things came to be. Lord of life, you speak the word, and all creation lives, echoes and shouts with life. Your life. And yet Lord, pressed by my own busyness and self-created doubts, I lose my grip on you. The clouds draw in and shadow me. The mist wet blankets me in the billows of uncertainty. My doubt shouts out for reassurance and comes echoing back, empty handed. Yet still you are there. Your presence is patient and dependable, and in its magnet field I turn again to find you. True north, by which I orientate my life. And praise returns.

The Man who ‘fathered’ Jesus.   Matthew 1: 18 – 25; Luke 2: 1 – 7; A distinction can be made between the one who fathered a child and the one who did the ‘fathering’. In the first instance the man is the originator of the child and has paternity. In the second the man has provided for, protected and raised the child.  So we can speak of the Church Fathers or a scout leader having a fathering role. (This distinction is simplistic but makes the point.) Now I don’t know if you are like me, but I have tended to skip over Joseph the Carpenter, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus.  It’s easy to do this as Christmas is about Jesus and of course Mary.  Mary and Jesus are centre stage and Joseph stands in the background. And Mary pops up every now and again in the ministry of Jesus and she is there at the Crucifixion of Jesus. Joseph isn’t mentioned and we assume he had died. Most probably that is the case. I was listening to a pod-cast on the readings for Advent given by my daughter Robyn, lecturer in NT at the UCA theological college, and her colleague Fran.  In their conversation they spoke affirmatively about Joseph. This Christmas day I want to share with you some interesting insights into Joseph.  We start with the cultural context of Jesus’ times and recognise how important it was for a mother and child to have a father. Single parenting was not something accepted in those days. A woman without the protection of a family, a father or a husband was extremely vulnerable.  Joseph was important to the well-being of Jesus.  But there is more. Well not much more.  Joseph is mentioned in passing in Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus [Lk 1:27; 2: 1-7]. He is simply there doing his duty as the father.  Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus is clearly through the lens of Mary, the mother of Jesus.   In Matthew’s account  [Mt 1: 18-25] we are presented with a view of Jesus’ birth through the eyes of Joseph. We are told that Joseph was betrothed to Mary, had not had sexual relations with her, was a righteous man and sensitive; he planned to divorce Mary but changed his mind and married her. Joseph and Mary were betrothed.  Our English translations simply tell us they were engaged by which we understand they had made a commitment to each other.  However under the Jewish Law male and female could be engaged to be married simply by the decision of the parents making that arrangement in early childhood. The women coming of age had the freedom to accept that or not. Then they became betrothed. Betrothal lasted one year. This was a legal state and they were regarded as man and wife but they did not to live together. Once betrothed a couple were to marry unless death or divorce stopped the marriage. The divorce procedure largely lay in the hands of the male.  So Joseph under the law could divorce his betrothed. If Mary was pregnant and the child was not his he had every right to divorce her publicly and she could have been stoned to death on the grounds of adultery. Joseph was a righteous man. He new the Law, but righteousness in Scripture is not simply about following rules. Righteousness is also about relationships:  the relationship we have with God and the relationship we have with each other and the people in need. People who merely follow the Law may be correct in doing so, but their actions can be both hurtful and harmful to others. Joseph is a sensitive man.  By sensitive I mean that Joseph was a person who was considerate, kind-hearted, understanding and sympathetic.  He did not want to publically divorce Mary. That would have put her in a very dangerous position so he determined to divorce her quietly. Again our English translations do not do justice to Matthew’s Greek word, lathra, which means secretly. Secretly is stronger than ‘quietly’ or ‘privately’.  Joseph loved Mary and did not wish her harm. He was going to follow the Law but follow the Law with mercy, observing the essence of the Law.  That is the intent of the Law, which is founded on the two great commandments to love God and love our neighbour. Yes, Joseph planned to follow the Law. Yes, the right thing to do was to divorce her.  He was legally bound to Mary and the proper way out of this relationship was divorce, but he would divorce her with mercy. Here is a sensitive man. Here is a big man. He hasn’t retreated in pettiness, legalism and self-righteous vindictiveness, like small people do.  This man saw the bigger picture. Yes, he saw what was right for himself, but he saw that his betrothed also needed protection and care. His planned method of divorce showed the bigness of the man and the sensitive wisdom of the man. Let’s pause here for a moment. God had chosen Joseph and Mary to nurture Jesus and raise him up in the Law of God.  Anyone raised and nurtured by a father like Joseph would be fortunate. S/he would have a father who understood the legality of law and the essence of the law.  Here was a wise parent and surely his children would benefit from such a parent? Joseph is a righteous man and righteousness is not simply about doing things justly but doing justice with mercy. The prophet Micah said,  “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? “ [Micah 6:8]  Joseph understood that the essence of the Law of God is about goodness for all. He understood that God was a merciful God and a just God, but mercy was at

Freed by Vulnerable Love.   Advent 4   Isaiah 7: 10 – 16; Romans 1: 1 – 7; Matthew 1: 18 – 25 God rescues by making us stronger: that’s love. Our readings are about a miraculous birth and a baby boy who is a sign of God’s presence. The big problem here is not the miraculous birth; it is the notion that the sign of God’s presence is a baby.  Yes, a baby!  A baby is dependent and vulnerable. Babies consume time and resources. Yes, a baby gives us joy.  Yes, a baby may speak to us of hope and promise, but it is a baby.  But do we get it that a baby is a sign of God’s presence? I mean, couldn’t God come into our midst and do something spectacular? When we’re down, feeling helpless and hopeless don’t we want God to do something amazing?  We would like to be rescued.  We want God to change things. But what the prophet says is that this child is a sign of God’s presence. Don’t be ensnared by the ‘virgin birth’ thing. It’s not the problem.  The problem for us is recognising how God works in the world.  And in the first instance I am going to suggest to you that God doesn’t come and snatch us out of trouble, but comes along side us in a way that we become strong. Let’s look at our texts. The Isaiah reading contains that well-known prophecy, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel [Is 7: 14].  The Hebrew word, almah, does not mean a virgin, but a young woman who could be a virgin. The prophet Joel uses the term almah to describe a young widow who is childless [Joel 1: 8]. Matthew misquotes Isaiah 7: 14 assuming Isaiah meant a virgin.  Isaiah’s prophecy is saying to a besieged King Ahaz that the threat to the Judean kingdom will be over before the child is weaned. That is, the threat of the two kings hanging over Ahaz and the Judean kingdom will have dissipated within 4 years or so. A child in those days was usually weaned by the age of four.  The prophecy has these key components. Firstly, do not fear because these enemies of Judea will be defeated.  Secondly, God is with you.  Thirdly the sign of God’s gracious presence is a baby.  Isaiah says; the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.  The sign is a baby boy.  Here lies the puzzle.  Notice that God will not be present in some awesome overwhelming presence and action that will render us dependent upon God. Rather it suggests that things will work out and God will work with us in bringing about God’s vision for us. The rider to this is that God works with us gently and through human action.   Because of God’s approach there is vulnerability, and this vulnerability reveals God’s love for us.  The Christmas story is pregnant with this meaning. God’s self-disclosure in our history is clothed in humility and vulnerability.  There is nothing more vulnerable than a human baby. Both Luke and Matthew in their presentation of Jesus’ birth portray the vulnerability and humility of Jesus. The baby is vulnerable and needs the protection and nurture of father and mother. The baby’s surroundings are humble rather than palatial. Therefore ‘God-being-with-us,’ means that God is with the people, not merely the powerful. The scenes of shepherds and wise men tell us that this baby Jesus attracts the full spectrum of society.  Reflecting on this image of the Christ-child in a manger we are confronted with the question of what we do with God who comes not as the dominant ruler of the world, not as One whose very words leave us speechless, not as the mighty Creator who controls, but as the One who meets us with humility and vulnerability. The humility is self-evident as is the vulnerability. God allows God’s self to be rejected.  The wonderful thing in God meeting us like this is that this is the best way to set us free.  This is the best way to make us strong.  It is no surprise that we find in Scripture Jesus speaking of coming to give himself for our freedom [Mk 10:28]; taking up a towel and basin and washing his disciples feet [Jn 13: 1f]; showing compassion for the hungry crowds [Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:31-44; Lk 9:12-17; Jn 6:1-14] and facing his betrayers and executioners with compassionate integrity [Mt 26:63f].   It is no wonder then that the followers of Jesus could compose such beautiful word pictures of Jesus of Nazareth. John writes; And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. [Jn 1: 14] Paul includes the following creedal hymn in his letter to the Philippian church [2:5-8].  Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.   I have witnessed many things God has done in my life both personally and in the lives I serve. Just two incidents help me see God working in those quiet ways with us making us stronger. May I share two personal experiences? I hope they may encourage you. Last Sunday many things were running through my head when I entered our worship space. I stood at the lectern and welcomed you. I looked down at the Order of Service to see what was next. My mind was still

The Surest Mark of the Christian is Joy.   Advent 3 Isaiah 35: 1 – 10;  Luke 1: 46b – 55; Matthew 11: 2 – 11 Joy is the serious business of heaven. (C.S.Lewis) The announcement of a pregnancy usually brings great excitement and happiness. That’s goodnews. The goodnews of a birth morphs into joy.  The joy lasts longer than the happiness. Any announcement of good news engenders a measure of joy whether a planned holiday, a long dreamed of destination, or the announcement of new medical treatment that will help.  Our spirits are lifted, we gain new energy and our hopefulness is restored.  Arising from within us there is joy that lasts longer than a happy feeling. Let us see how this common experience helps us understand today’s readings. Our first reading is the prophetic-poem of Isaiah 35.  The prophet sets forth the promise of God in poetry. An expansive view is expressed of a desert flowering, danger removed, well-being restored and a return to the temple of God. The latter means that their relationship with God is restored.  Isaiah’s prophetic-poem spoke to the people’s deep longing for the security of their nation, justice and God’s blessing.  The prophet is conscious of his people’s long history of God’s guidance, protection and blessing. Their history with God goes back to the time of Abraham’s and Sarah’s call to leave home and become a family and a people for God.  God had brought them through many trials and tribulations and now they were a nation. God had rescued that nation from slavery in Egypt using Moses and Miriam. We call that me momentous historical event ‘The Exodus’.  Isaiah speaks to his people through this prophetic-poem encouraging them to trust God for their future, because the people were dispirited and lived in a time of much injustice and political uncertainty.  Here lies the first and enduring message of our readings.  It is a message that fills us with a hope that the God who has brought us to this point in our lives will be with us in the future. That hope nurtures our hope and the seeds of joy are sown.  I believe this is true for us today at Leighmoor when three key people move on:  Gillian, Joy and myself. Already I am seeing signs amongst both current and new members in the church of folk who are willing to take up the reins so to speak.  God is acting amongst us. In the second reading from Luke Mary speaks with joy and wonder of her unnerving task as the mother of the Lord’s anointed – a saviour who will bring in God’s Kingdom.  Can we begin to imagine what she felt?  A young woman engaged to be married is pregnant in a war torn land oppressed by an arrogant conqueror. She has a spiritual visitation announcing she is pregnant with God’s child.  This story is told to us in a few short sentences.  We cannot really imagine her initial fear and bewilderment. Neither can we imagine the mechanics of her pregnancy. They are irrelevant really. We cannot imagine her courage in carrying out God’s commission. We cannot imagine her thankfulness that her fiancé will stand by her. We cannot imagine her growing joy and the awesome privilege of being entrusted with mothering God’s anointed. The mothers hearing this can imagine some of her feelings. Luke gives to us a poetic account of her joy, wonderment and prodigious responsibility. Again we see that God is acting, but in a way that only a few can see. That’s right only few knew what was going on – Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Anna, those humble shepherds and those learned men from the East: a small group of disparate people. Yes in all this God was acting and only a few could see! We also see that their hope and joy was related to the political situation, which they believed God would address with a new order. Today we have twisted the Faith so that it only relates to our personal lives and not our political.  I think we make a grave mistake in so doing. Right now God might be more active in the actions of those involved in addressing our world’s most pressing needs of climate change and homeless millions than our personal lives. I suggest when you think of God’s future be aware that God’s future and blessing for us includes our political life. That is, how we organise our society and practice justice in the community.   Our Matthew reading jumps some 30 years to Jesus with John the Baptist in prison. John the Baptist’s ministry led to a number of his disciples becoming Jesus’ disciples. But what was happening to John? His ministry had been successful. At least many people came to him for baptism. The expectation of a Messiah soon to come would have excited the people with hopeful expectation. Yet we can sense the doubt rising in John when he sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus whether he is the Messiah, the Christ. That would not be surprising.  John’s despair and sense of failure is understandable. Uncertain, alone and imprisoned it seems that all was lost.  Jesus sends an enigmatic reply: “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.  6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”[Mt 11: 4-6]  Jesus was going about healing and teaching – yes impressive stuff but it was not bringing down the Roman rule. In fact, Jesus didn’t seem overly concerned about the Romans. John found it hard to see that Jesus was the one that he, John, had imagined. There lies the issue. We often imagine God’s future using our preconceived notions of what God’s future might look like.  But God’s future is

The Absurdity of Peace   Advent 2 Isaiah 11: 1 – 5;  Romans 13: 11 – 14; Matthew 24: 36 – 44 Peace is a by-product of love and love is a by-product of God. We lit the Peace Candle today. Peace is the theme for this 2nd Sunday in Advent. There is something absurd about the notion of true and lasting peace in this world so torn apart by violence. Our world faces many uncertainties: family violence, white collar corruption, politicians involved in ethical compromises, entrenched conservatism, fear of refugees, the share market not performing very well, wages stagnating while the top end of town continues to rake in large salaries, there’s fires, the potential dangers of global warming with increased heat and bushfires and our Pacific Island communities facing rising seas. Then we have our personal issues.  Peace, what a laugh! Where’s there peace?  Do our texts have anything to say to us?  I believe they have much to say. The prophet Isaiah provides us with a beautiful poetic view of his understanding of God’s vision of peace.  The images of the wolf lying down with the lamb, the cow and bear grazing together and the lion eating straw with the ox portray an absurd picture of peace. In painting such a word picture the prophet Isaiah points us upwards above the mayhem of the injustice and violence. Those ancients faced an uncertain world just as we so do today!  The context of Isaiah’s prophetic vision is the political manoeuvrings of Judah’s king, King Ahaz. King Ahaz had made an alliance with the Assyrian king which led to heavy taxation of the Jewish people, corruption of temple worship and widespread injustice.  Isaiah responds to the political uncertainty and social injustice with this ‘poem’: –  A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, … of counsel and might, …  of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. [Is 11:1,2] The prophetic word states that God will not raise just a new king, but a king that comes from the original source, the stump of Jesse.  Jesse was the father of the great king David.  However the new king will not come through the natural Davidic family lineage. Rather the king will come from the very source of Jesse – the stump:  a new shoot and a new branch.   This will be something entirely new.  It is not strange to read that the Gospel writers and Paul understood this new shoot to be Christ as we see in Mt 1:5; Luke 3:32; Acts 13: 22 and Romans 15: 12.  The significance of this prophetic poem on peace is that Isaiah sees God going back to the beginning – the source Jesse. Here lies our first absurdity. Instead of the Davidic line following natural birth through natural parentage we go back to the very source of the Davidic line, which in human terms is impossible.   The next absurdity is the scene of peace – the wolf lying with the lamb, ox and lion eating together, bear and cow grazing and the child playing with a poisonous snake. In this poem a child will lead and the weaned child will place his hand on the adder’s head. Let me point out some absurdities. The notion of a lion eating straw and a bear grazing in the paddock is absurd because those animals have a different anatomical system of processing food.  The absurdity is deliberate and not meant to be taken literally. It is not a scene of a futuristic ecology that will save the earth.  The point of this prophetic poem is that peace will only come as a result of returning to the very source of kingly rule.  The subliminal message is that we will only find peace when we submit to the rule of the ultimate source of life and kingship – God’s anointed.  We Christians take that to be Christ Jesus. We see Jesus as the true Messiah, the Christ, who comes from the source of all things – from the very stump of the living tree – God.  Jesus is God with us. Isaiah tells us that the Spirit of the Lord rests on the one who comes from the stump of Jesse. This anointed king will rule not by his natural senses but with righteousness.  This anointed one of God wears a belt of righteousness.  As much as a belt holds our clothing together so a belt of righteousness holds our character together.  What is righteousness?  We might automatically think of righteousness as moral and ethical correctness, but in the Bible it refers to a right relationship with God.  That is why John the Baptist called people to a baptism of repentance. That is, a turning away from the things of this world and turning to face God. That is why Paul in Romans 1:16-18 says that all who believe and trust in God will be saved and enter God’s righteousness. Righteousness has more to do with a state of being than moral correctness. This notion that peace begins with a relationship is implicit in our Romans 15 reading. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul adds some very practical things for us to attend to. Be welcoming of each other for the sake of Christ  Include those who are very different. For the Jews it was the Gentiles.  Live with hope because hope will fill you with joy and peace. This is how I see the Christian

Guard your Faith    Isaiah 2 1 – 5;  Romans 13: 11 – 14; Matthew 24: 36 – 44 The eyes are blind when the mind is elsewhere. [Latin Proverb] One morning in the early 1890s, four workers were busy harvesting corn. One man cut the corn with a scythe, another followed making bands of twisted corn stalks, the third worker had a small wooden rake gathering bundles of the cut corn, and a forth worker, a young lad, was making each bundle into a sheaf. At noon they stopped for a lunch break. They sat down and opened their lunches. The lad unwrapped his sandwiches. He looked at his food, as it lay open on his napkin. He had come to know the Lord at Chapel the night before, so he closed his eyes and thanked God for his food. When he opened his eyes his sandwiches had gone. The dog had taken them! The farmer had seen it all. Much amused he said to the lad, “It is a good thing to pray but you must also watch”.  [P Hargreaves; “Quotes & Anecdotes” p. 145] A spiritual truth which we ignore at our peril was uttered by the farmer,. “It’s a good thing to pray but you must also watch.” When the prophet Nehemiah led the people of God back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon he recorded one of their actions. So we prayed to our God, and set a guard as a protection against them day and night. [Nehemiah 4:9]  Watchfulness and prayer go together. Why do we need to be both watchful and prayerful?  The life-giving blessing of God is a relationship?  Relationships need to be looked after. They need nurturing and they need protection. I believe that there is many a human relationship that has broken down because it was neither nurtured nor protected.  So much more our relationship with God needs nurturing and protection. The parable of the Sower tells us that the seed of God’s Word falls upon us and that sometimes the cares of the world or the pleasures of the world over come us and destroy God’s Word in us.  The parable of the Sower reminds us that the seed of God, if it is not nurtured, does not grow [Mk 4: 1 – 20].   Our relationship with God needs protection. There are many voices in our world that pull us away from God.  These current cases of corruption in our society have not come about because people took up their career paths with the intention of being corrupt. No!  Definitely not! They went down the slippery path of corruption slowly – bit by bit. It all starts slowly and that is so with our spiritual lives.  Early enthusiasm wanes until one day we say, ‘I’m tired; it will be OK to skip my devotions today. Before long we’re skipping more devotional times. We fall into that false situation of turning to God only when we are in need. It is the same with attending Sunday worship. We skip a Sunday or two then it becomes a habit. Before long Sunday worship is just another option along with sport, family and other commitments. Now I know there are a few problems and challenges in what I am saying. And I am not saying you have to come to church every Sunday. But what I am saying is that there are many distractions that take us away from a special time with God. It may seem quite reasonable to put family first, but if family comes before time with God then that is a problem. In my many years of ministry I have noted folk who put their friends, their family and their children before God.  You should remember the foundational principle of ‘first things first’.  It is a business principle. Stephen Covey wrote a notable book, ‘First things First’.  In it he told how in business one needs to get the core business principles right and the rest will follow. He used the metaphors of compass and the cardinal points.  So he spoke of one’s true north.  The point is you can’t sail across an endless ocean without knowing your bearings – where you’ve come from and where you are going to. If you don’t have those two positions clearly in your head then you will wander the sea aimlessly and get truly lost. The spiritual life is just like that. Get things right and everything else will follow. Jesus said, Seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well [Mt 6:33].  By the way Stephen Covey’s valuable management advice sounds the same.  It is interesting to note that Stephen Covey is a Christian. My brothers and sisters in Christ do you know how many times the Bible talks about watchfulness, guarding your faith, disciplining and taking care of our walk with God?  The nouns watchfulness or vigilance capture both the sense of expectation and the danger in the Faith. Practising our faith is relatively easy in our country and we are lulled into thinking all is well. But then we lack vibrancy in our walk with God.  I want to suggest to you that this may be a result of not being watchful and nurturing our relationship with God.  What I am focusing on today is the importance of watchfulness and vigilance to all our relationships and especially with God. Jesus was welcomed into this world by the awareness, alertness and vigilance of the women, Elizabeth, Mary and Anna. The diligence and vigilance of Zechariah, Joseph, Shepherds and Wise Men matched that of the women. Throughout the ages the great advances of the church were met and supported by faithful watchful men and women. Watchfulness is mentioned many, many times in Scripture. Proverbs 4: 23 talks about guarding our hearts. In 1 Peter 5:8 the reader is encouraged to be disciplined and alert because our

What is the Christian Life? Christianity in a Nutshell. 3. Luke 10: 25 – 37 Does to love someone mean I must like them? In this series on Christianity in a Nutshell I have said, that there are very sound reasons for believing in God. The reasons are not proofs, but they point to a longstanding intuition of humanity that says there is something greater than us and we name that something or someone God.  I have argued that to think and speak of God only as the Father, Lord and King limits our understanding of God. I urged you to expand your concept of God to include the notion that God suffers with us and for us.  This concept that God suffers with us and for us reflects more accurately the Biblical understanding and experience of God. I would say that the concepts of Lord and King are best used in our praise and worship of God, but they should not be exclusively used. In terms of our everyday understanding of God, God is the One who suffers with us and for us.  Today I will address the third element in this attempt to capture Christianity in a Nutshell. What is the essence of the Christian life? Yes, of course, it is love. That’s all it is – love your neighbour?  But is that all we need to say? Luke’s account of the parable of the Good Samaritan has much to teach us.  When Jesus asks the lawyer what is written in the Law – referring to the Books of Law – the lawyer replies; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.” [Lk 10:27] This lawyer is clever. He has accurately summed up all the law in these two principle statements. He knows the Scriptures. He is clever but is he wise?  The Jewish lawyer reveals his lack of understanding by asking Jesus, “who is my neighbour?” If the lawyer needed to know who his neighbour was then he didn’t understand fully the concept of ‘love your neighbour’.  That’s the problem. Has the lawyer fallen into the trap of thinking that love is that feeling between people who know each other and like each other?  For us love is enmeshed with liking. But Jesus is not talking about this personal love. For God, loving is not about liking! When I became the CEO of the Churches’ State school chaplaincy and religious education ministry I knew I had to relate to a whole lot of people as their leader. I now had a particular responsibility for them. How was I going demonstrate this seeing that I was quite friendly with a few, got on well with a number and others not so well.  That is, there were a few with whom I had a lot in common and others with whom I had very little in common. I didn’t dislike them but we weren’t close. I reflected on how I might love them as my neighbour. I took God’s command to be very relevant. All I could do was to love them by being just and fair and making sure everyone had equal access to me. I wanted the best for all in that work environment. I resolved to be fair, just, and respectful to all.  The book of Leviticus contains many rules, commands and principles for living life. In Leviticus we find the command to love your neighbour as yourself  [Lev 19:18]. It is the only place in all of the Old Testament that this commandment is found. In Leviticus cascading down from the command to love one’s neighbour we find a number of rules about one’s relationship to others and to the land.  A few verses later God’s people are told to love the alien as yourself  [Lev 19:33]. I love this word alien. It is a small word but so strong. These people don’t belong here. They have no right to be here, BUT you will love them too.  What is clear is that God expects us to love all of creation – people, animals and all God has created.  Why?  Because God created the world! You see all the laws, rules and principles in the Bible are derived from this Great Commandment to love God and love others. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us what loving our neighbour entails. Here are the three characteristics I have identified. Firstly, the Samaritan came near the man who was robbed and left for dead [Lk 10:33].  The Samaritan didn’t need to come near the man.  Everyone would understand that. Firstly, you don’t know if the man lying there is a decoy. Secondly, the naked man could not be identified. You see in those days people’s clothes indicated their status and culture. He could be anyone. He could be an enemy. But the Samaritan’s compassion leads him to this person in need.  The Samaritan shows Grace-full love.  Grace in the Bible means giving love to the undeserved. They have neither earned the love nor have merit that deserves it. The first thing we identify about loving our neighbour is that the love is freely given and unconditional. This is the Christian concept of love – the Jesus concept.  This is what grace means for the Christian.  Secondly, we see that the Samaritan not only took a risk in stopping, but also ended up giving his time, resources and money. Costly love is the character of loving our neighbour as ourselves. Jesus showed us how costly love can be.  Now the Christian is not asked to simply love her/his friends and associates but to love all, even those we perceive to be undeserving. Our love will cost us in one way or another, because loving is about giving not taking.  Thirdly, Christian love is Courageous love.  Christian love is not about being nice to