Christmas: A Cultural Phenomenon? Galatians 4: 1 – 7; Luke 2: 1 – 20 Christians down through the ages, have converted the prevailing culture’s traditions and beliefs. Let us take Christmas Day as an example and see what we can learn from this. The most probable reason for Christmas Day being the 25th December is the Roman feast of Saturnalia. Saturnalia was a feast that was celebrated during the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. The solstice takes place somewhere between 20th and 23rd December. We commonly mark the occasion as December 22nd. Saturnalia was a family and community time of merriment. During the festivities of Saturnalia things were turned upside down. Dress codes were relaxed and gifts were exchanged. Slaves were treated to a dinner where their masters served the slaves. It celebrated the death of the sun and then the rise of the sun with the shortest day being the turning point. The 1st century Roman poet, Gaius Valerius Catullus, described Saturnalia as the best of times. It is not surprising to see how Christians could look at the Saturnalia festivities and the winter solstice as natural symbols for the birth of Christ Jesus. It is the very nature of God to turn things upside down. Christ Jesus said the first shall be last and the last first. God’s grace is the very epitome of things being turned upside down. And of course, the notion of the sun dying but then rising is an example of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. There is something about seeing nature as revealing the character and mind of God. Why wouldn’t it if nature is Created?  It would be quite reasonable for pagans to interpret the winter solstice as symbolic of their agricultural god, because that is exactly what happens. Plants seem to die and then burst into new life. Naturally for Christians the winter solstice would be an example of the sacrificial death of Jesus and the Resurrection of Christ Jesus. In short we bring our beliefs to the reality we face and we make sense of reality. Christians make sense of reality through the lens of a God who comes in human form, who re-forms the tradition, expands our view of who our neighbour is, and shows us that unconditional love is the ante-dote to our fear and hate, our anger and despair. So the first lesson  we may learn is that Christianity, like other religions, has adopted the local traditions and converted them. So it is not that the Romans gave us Christmas but Christians converted a Roman festival that celebrated the change from darkness to light, the dying sun to the rising sun, and family life, into a festival. As I said this is the most probable reason for Christ Jesus’ birth being celebrated at this time. You’ll remember that when you were younger the Christmas dinner was roast fowl of one sort, roast potatoes and vegetables, and of course, Christmas pudding. Above all it was a day when the family got together. It still is a family day. What or who forged this tradition in the English speaking world?  Charles Dickens is the answer. Dickens in his little book that became so very popular, A Christmas Carol, set the scene of a roast dinner, boiled Christmas pudding and a day for the family. What Dickens was concerned about was the state of the employed, who were being deprived of celebrating the birth of Jesus with their family. In the early 1800s Christmas Day was not a public holiday. It was a workday. Why would a businessperson stop his business because of Christmas? Scrooge argued that Sunday was more than enough for a holiday! Remember holiday comes from ‘holy day’. One ‘holi-day’ is quiet enough. Dickens was concerned with the exploitation of labour, the lack of charity and the nurturing of family life. To address this situation he wrote A Christmas Carol.   A little sketch were Scrooge represents the avaricious business person ruthlessly working his labour force. Bob Cratchit is the family man struggling to make ends meet yet retaining the family identity and Fred, Scrooge’s thoughtful and charitable nephew, represents the family torn apart by naked commercialism.  This delightful tale unwinds with Scrooge being visited by Marley’s ghost and his companion spirits. Marley is Scrooge’s deceased business partner. Marley and Scrooge are clones of each other. Marley comes to warn Scrooge of the dangers of an uncharitable life. This simple tale ends with Scrooge a changed person who now becomes the epitome of a charitable and happy wealthy businessperson. Recently cricket’s Big Bash League floated the idea of a game on Christmas night next year. A howl of protest took place. One of the chief reasons being that Christmas is family time. Nothing about Jesus is mentioned. It is a family time and we should not interfere with this. The second lesson is that traditions change and are reconverted. Our secular society has adopted Christmas to be their cash injection into the economy and a prime family time. This is not necessarily a bad thing, except that Christmas was not merely about enhancing the economic system and family life, but about unconditional forgiveness and love of God meeting us in our humanity. The third lesson closely follows the second. Lose sight of the purpose of a tradition and you will set loose the tradition. Dickens’ focus on the family and charity lessened the focus on the Christ-child. Dickens did not intend that. No he was trying to get people to practise Christ’s love for the world in our daily lives. It seems that our society has taken the first part of the gift of Christmas, but not the second most enduring part. I spoke with my older non-Christian brother – he is quite clear about not being a Christian – who now concedes in his old age that he has practised Christian values all his life without worshipping God. Today

Joy Promotes Positivity: Advent 3. Isaiah 35: 1 – 10; James 5: 7 – 10;  Matthew 11: 2 – 11 “The surest mark of a Christian is not faith, or even love, but joy.” (Samuel M Shoemaker: Preacher & Priest) Uummm! “Christian eschatology has never thought of the end of history as a kind of retirement or pay day or accomplished purpose, but has regarded it totally without purpose as a song of praise of unending joy, as an ever-varying dance of the redeemed in the Trinitarian fullness of God, and as the complete harmony of soul and body. [Jürgen Moltmann, Theologian] This third Sunday in Advent we lit the Joy Candle. Joy is today’s theme. Joy is the mark of Christmas. Hence we sing songs of praise and glory. Joy was the mark of the first Christians. Luke describes the disciples, in spite of suffering persecution, being filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. [Acts 13:52]  Joy, not jolliness or a smiley face, but joy is what characterises Christians. Joy arises out of hope and peace.  Joy is evoked by hope that springs from the promises of God and the peace of God. Remember hope is one of the primary sources of healthy living. Remember peace is much more than the absence of conflict. Joy is that feeling that pervades our being even when the storms and calamities of life strike us. Joy lies in shadows of our lives waiting to be awakened by God’s love, God’s grace and God’s presence. Now we tend to associate joy with happiness. But in that association we have tended to think that joy like happiness comes as a result of something good happening to us. A deeper reflection on the concept of joy reveals that joy is not dependent upon some happy event in our lives. There are a number of elements that go to make up joy. I will identify some of them to help us cultivate deep joy in our lives. The first element is that Joy is a gift. Albert Einstein said; “Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.”  Einstein understood that the very act of studying nature resulted in joy. There is a theological logic there. To study nature is to study God’s at work.  Joy is a gift that seems to reside in the very nature of this world. No wonder then that men and women of faith have understood that joy is God’s gift to us. We see proof everywhere in God’s creation – birds singing, animals leaping, flowers blooming, brooks bubbling and sun and moon shining. No wonder NT writers encourage us to set our hopes on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. [1 Tim 6: 17] Thanks why we say grace at mealtimes. The second element is that joy is in our control. It is right to treat ‘joy’ as a gift, but it is not a gift we must wait for or hope for. It is already given to us. It is a gift given that we can open. We can close ourselves to the gift of joy or open ourselves to that gift. Helen Keller, who learnt to cope with blindness and deafness, said; “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” I believe that it lies within us to choose to enjoy this world or not. But it is possible to be so hurt by life that to trust anyone becomes difficult. So instead we build a wall – a set of defenses – and though they may protect us from some hurt they also shield us from experiencing joy. Some may have their senses marred by disappointments and broken trusts.  Such experiences colour the way we see life and may lead us to suspect the worst in things. We need to develop a positive approach to counter the negativity. We’re all a little tainted with negativity, some to a point where the negativity suffocates the spirit. The third element of joy begins with gratitude. Practising gratitude is the antedote of negativity and cynicism. Wake up each morning with a sense of gratitude.  Thank God for being alive, for the warm bed you have have risen from, for the promise of the food that you will eat, the family and / or friends you will talk to, the people in the community who offer a smile, the sunlight on the flower and … one could gone on.  I will quote the words of three significant people for you to ponder. William Arthur Ward, a writer said.  “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” Karl Barth, a great 20th century theologian said. “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” The Buddha.  “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”  Growing Joy: We can grow joy. Loving others and especially loving God is the major pathway to growing joy. Growing joy is more about giving than receiving as Scripture reminds us [Acts 20:35].  Little practises of gratitude produce joy, whether the gratitude is for oneself or others. [1 Thess. 5: 16-18; Roma 12: 15] The equation of joy is:  add humility, forgiveness, faith, hope, patience and love to life, then take away resentment, anger, fear, worry, materialism, greed, jealousy, complaining and pride. The outcome is JOY. Think of joy as a strong foundation that supports a variety of healthy emotions, including happiness. Joy builds in us contentment, optimism, a sense of freedom and general positivity. These are the measurements of joy, not a smiley face. The Bible speaks of joy more often than happiness. Happiness results from something good happening. Joy is a deeper feeling.  God wants us to be joyful.  Jesus said that his joy would be in us and that

Working at Peace: Advent 2. Isaiah 11: 1 – 10;  Matthew 3: 1 -12 (1595) What a beautiful picture Isaiah sets? The messiah will judge with righteousness and decide with equity for the meek of the earth. And the wolf will live with the lamb and the lion will eat straw like an ox. It’s bizarre but beautiful. It is a word picture of peace – real peace. On the second Sunday in Advent we light the Peace candle. Peace is the theme of our Bible texts. It is explicit in the Isaiah text and implicit in the other texts.  Isaiah provides a rich insight into God’s peace. Isaiah’ word pictures show that peace is not merely the absence of conflict but Creation living in harmony.  Listen again to the words of Isaiah chapter 11. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. This prophetic picture shows the vulnerable and the powerful living together in harmony and wholeness. It is a picture where the enemy and foe have moved beyond the cessation of violence to the place of togetherness. The wolf lives with the lamb, the leopard lies with the kid, the cow and bear graze together as does the lion and the ox.  A child leads all. Isaiah paints a picture of Creation living in community and harmony. Not surprisingly a statement about God’s judgement precedes this futuristic scene.  God’s Servant will judge us not by rational evidence that is seen and heard, but by the deeper measure of equity and righteousness.  [Is 11: 1 -10]  God’s righteousness is never just moral rightness. God’s righteousness is about relationships. God’s righteousness starts with right relationships. So from the Isaiah text we learn that God’s peace is more than a cessation of violence but the development of harmony and wholeness for the whole of creation. Though Isaiah has articulated these thoughts so eloquently they are found elsewhere in the Scriptures. Commonly speaking we think of ‘peace’ as the absence of war and strife. The dictionary provides us with richer meanings:  a) the freedom from disturbance; b) a period of time where there is no war or conflict; c) an agreement of harmony between people; and d) personal inner peace. Now the absence of war or conflict does not mean the same thing as ‘an agreement of harmony between people’.   Harmony, as in music, means far more than the absence of the clash of sounds.  Harmony in music means we have a composition that is greater than the sum of parts or notes of music.  Harmony speaks of balance and symmetry. The harmony speaks of working together and relationships. Harmony speaks of the cooperation not competition. It is important to distinguish between peace as an absence or cessation of conflict and peace that has established harmony. The first simply means there is no fighting. The second meaning means we have something new and beautiful, for harmony is always beautiful. We mistake the absence of conflict as true peace at our peril. We have all witnessed a scene where some innocent remark ignites a fiery response. The reaction is disproportionate to the action. What has happened? The remark has opened up an old wound. It has unlocked a vault full of emotions. Like a volcano the emotions have erupted and spilled their destructive forces on the relationship or community. This is because the former offences were never properly dealt with. They were merely suppressed: placed beneath the surface waiting to erupt when the right trigger occurred. True peace results firstly from a process of forgiveness and reconciliation. True peace arises when reconciliation, justice, mercy and equity take place. We see this happening at the personal level or in an organization like a club or church, and it happens between nations. Wherever past offences have not been properly dealt with, where there is inequity, unforgiveness and injustice, conflict will lie beneath the surface to only erupt in one way or another. History provides us with some good examples. The Peace of Versailles established in 1919 following the World War I (WW I) was negotiated and imposed upon Germany with some very punishing clauses. This caused resentment in Germany. There had been a real struggle during the establishment of the peace to get the right balance. But the voice wanting punishment not reconciliation was not silenced. Many say that WW II was a result of the Peace of Versailles. That may be debatable, but it illustrates the fact that peace that amounts to a cessation of war and strife is a shallow peace that will most likely erupt into conflict later. What followed for Germany was the rise of a politician who led a movement to restore Germany’s national pride. In recent times we have seen that when politicians have not been listening to the people who have suffered real or perceived injustices and inequity there has arisen a strong reaction insisting on change. Now Christ Jesus taught that God’s peace begins with us. If we are not at peace in ourselves we will not be peaceful people. Peace begins within us. We need to make our peace with God, others and ourselves. Remarkably we overlook the enormous impact on our lives when we don’t accept, forgive and treat respectfully ourselves. We need to love ourselves, as we are worthy of love.  First we need to acknowledge our part in the breakdown of relationships with God, others and ourselves. We need to ask God’s forgiveness for the hurt we have caused.   Secondly, we need to accept God’s forgiveness and gracious acceptance of us. We are created

Hope is a Candle in the Wind. Isaiah 2: 1 – 5:  Matthew 24: 36 – 44 “Hope is one of the principal springs that keeps humankind in motion”, wrote Andrew Fuller.  Today we lit the Hope Candle in the Christmas wreath.  Hope is the theme of the first Sunday in Advent. Advent is the season when we remember how God had long prepared people to receive a very special revelation of God’s love. The word, ‘advent’, means the arrival of a notable person or event. An example is the advent of television in Australia. Bruce Gyngel introduced television to Australia in 1956 (Nov 5) with the words “Good evening, and welcome to television”.  So, welcome to Advent 2016 and let us prepare ourselves for Christmas. We will spend this Advent season following the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Each Sunday’s Lectionary readings will be read, but the sermons will focus on these four themes. Today, Advent 1 celebrates hope. This powerful life shaping emotion kept the faith of God’s people alive. They lived in the hope that God would forgive and restore them. When we read the background story to Jesus we are reading the story of a chosen people’s faith in God. That’s why Jesus began his ministry with a call to repentance and the offer of forgiveness [Mk 1: 15].  Jesus began his ministry with people whose hearts and minds had been filled with the great promises of God, the love of God and God’s faithfulness. They knew God would come again to rescue them. They longed and hoped for God’s messiah to come and save them. Their love and faith were fuelled by this hope. Let’s remind ourselves what hope means. So often we use words assuming that we all understand what is meant.  Clarifying our understanding sharpens our insight. The Dictionary defines hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen. So we use the word hope in different ways. The detective searched through his belongings hoping to find some evidence. She has high hopes of making the Olympic team. They hope that the surgery will make all the difference.  He is hoping he will be successful with this application.   We use ‘hope’ in a number of phrases:  ‘hope for the best; hope against hope; hope springs eternal in the human breast; not a hope in hell; in the hope of’ and so forth. Some synonyms for ‘hope’ are aspiration, dream, desire, yearning and longing.  What is important is the basis of our hope. Sometimes we hope things will change when all the evidence suggests the opposite and there is no ground for that hope.  It is one thing to hope that the venture will prosper when you have put in the hard work. It is another thing to hope that a venture will prosper when you are relying more on good luck. Hope based on daydreams is nothing more than wishful thinking. Hoping for success when one has not done the preparation is fruitless. While reflecting on hope I came across this story of two senior men, Bill and Pete. Bill said to Pete one day; “Have you ever realized any of your childhood hopes?”  Peter replied, touching his bald head; “ Yes, when my mother used to brush my hair I often wished I didn’t have any.” In past times hope was used as an expression of trust. So to hope was to trust.  John Calvin, the great Reformer, captured this thinking when he said; “The word hope I take for faith, and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.”  So when we speak of Christian hope – that is, hope in God – then hope is truly a first cousin to faith.  I understand that Calvin has put his finger on the very nature of hope. I see, like other saints of the Church, that hope is an essential part of Christian belief. Indeed, did not Paul say when speaking of the gifts of God that faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.  [1 Cor 13: 13] Hope stands alongside faith and love. Hope is part of that sacred triad – faith, hope and love. The Bible is full of stories of God’s promises that gave people the motivation to follow God. Their faith in God’s promises gave them hope for a better future – a God given future.   When Sir Walter Scott was a boy, he was considered to be a dull lad. His accustomed place in the schoolroom was the ignominious dunce corner, with the high-pointed paper cap of shame on his head. When about twelve years old, he happened to be in a house where some famous literary guests were being entertained.  Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet, was standing admiring a picture under which was written the couplet of a stanza. He inquired who the author was. No one seemed to know. Timidly a boy crept up alongside Burns and gave the name and quoted the rest of the stanza. Burns was surprised and delighted. Laying his hand on the boy’s head, he exclaimed, ‘Ah, bairnie, ye will be a great man in Scotland some day’.  From that day Walter Scott was a changed lad. One word of encouragement set him on the road to greatness.  Walter Scott became a great historical novelist with such books as Ivanhoe and Rob Roy.  Abraham and Sarah trusted God. They left their home and became nomads living in the hope that they would establish a great family.  How long did they hope for a son? And how long did they live by faith and in hope? Many years!  Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers and later imprisoned never stopped hoping and believing in God’s future. The Hebrew slaves in Egypt hoped and believed in their liberation and finally God sent Moses, Miriam and Aaron. The faithful kings and prophets lived with

Contrasting Political Powers. Deuteronomy 17: 14 – 20; Luke 23: 32 – 43 The Cross frees us from the fantasy that our power is like God’s. ‘Remember me when you come into your kingdom’ says the most unlikely of characters in this enduring crucifixion scene. Jesus crucified depicts Rome’s supreme power. Political activist and criminal alike are crucified. That’s the power! We have just witnessed a superpower choose who they want to represent their power. The drama has dominated our news media. We loosely speak about our politicians and the power they desire. It is almost amusing to hear people talk about politicians desiring power forgetting who has put them there – the people. You! Me!  Power is something we all seek. Let a little honesty prevail, please. We vote for the party or person we want to hold power, because we share their views that we want these views promoted through influence, coercion and compulsion. We want others to conform to our view, or at least let our views dominate. Political power is about influence, coercion and compulsion. It is false to label the politicians as the ones wanting power. We vote for them so that we can have our views influence the future direction of our country in law. When our views are enshrined in law people are coerced and compelled to live with them. In a democratic system power can be shifted in time to another party. In autocracies the power shifts when those in power become weakened and other autocrats build up their power base to take over. Our political leaders most often work with what is expedient. Expediency is a key principle. Will x produce y in the most effective and efficient way?  That is the prevailing question. The reality is that when expediency is the principle of operation it usually involves a moral loss. For example, Australians believe that it is imperative to protect the country’s borders. In fact we would all agree. Border protection is important. When we place it as an absolute then the cost is justified. The current way we protect our borders is to limit the migration of people to what we think is reasonable. This too is an acceptable point. This view leads to desperate people, who have been forcibly displaced from their homes through political unrest, being herded into virtual prison camps at a great cost to their mental health and dignity. The financial cost is huge. But it is expedient to protect our borders at all costs even if fellow human beings suffer intolerably. I don’t know how many of you share my view that what we are doing is immoral and further to the point, I don’t believe we have fully exhausted other ways of protecting our borders and controlling migration. But let us be clear we – the people of Australia – support the current situation. Now I am using this as an example to illustrate not only how politicians use the principle of expediency to carry out their policies, but that the electorate shares the power of the politicians.  This power, our votes, is exercised through influence, coercion and compulsion. When we develop a better understanding of our political power a number of things will take place.  We will recognise where the power lies and its nature, and have a better understanding of God’s power. I want in this sermon to remind us of God’s power, its nature, and its call on us, and how this illuminates our perception of God. It hopefully may throw some light on local, national and global politics as well.  My big concern is two-fold. I think we miss seeing God because we are looking for God in the wrong places and with the wrong concepts. Secondly, I wish to de-bunk the fantasy that God’s power is like ours. That is, when we speak of power with respect to humans and then speak of God’s power we are not speaking about the same thing. We have come to the end of the Liturgical year – the worship calendar of Christianity. We begin the new liturgical year next week with Advent 1. Every year the liturgical calendar ends with the theme of Christ Jesus the King. Kingship is about power – the power to rule. So to speak of King Jesus is to speak also of his power. Luke’s account, consistent with the other Gospel writers, highlights the contrast between God’s power and the world’s power. Jesus is nailed to a cross and crucified. Two other criminals are crucified with him. The Jewish leaders insult him saying; “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers make fun of Jesus saying,  ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself’.  One of the criminals also says; ‘If you’re the Messiah save yourself and us’.  All the actors in the scene bar one taunt Jesus with the question about his lack of power to save himself.  This taunting, scoffing and derision is explicit in the Roman Governor’s inscription on the cross, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’  And so all scorn Jesus except one person. It’s the other criminal who remonstrates with the first criminal saying that they deserve to be there, but Jesus doesn’t. He also says to Jesus,   “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. The Crucifixion is all about power. We see clearly the power of the World’s way.  There is the government’s power to execute political dissenters and criminals. In fact it is the government’s responsibility to do so. There is the Jewish leadership, a political group, with the power to influence the trial of Jesus.  And if there is a little misinformation about Jesus it all goes for the good of keeping things orderly and the tradition in place.  Jesus has been accused of perverting the nation, advocating a tax revolt and setting himself up as ruler in place of Caesar.

Thankfulness an act of the Will.     Page 1 of 2Thankfulness an act of the Will. Habakkuk 3: 17 – 19; 1 Thessalonians 5: 4  – 23   Thankfulness is an act of the will not an emotion of the heart. We tend to see thankfulness as a response to something received. We are thankful when something good comes our way. For all of us most of the time and for some all of the time, we link thankfulness to something we have received from someone – a present, an invitation, a compliment or a good deed.   I am suggesting to you that thankfulness can be an act of the will. The spirit of thankfulness has more to do with a mindset than an emotion of gratitude. I will add a qualification to ‘thankfulness’ and call it a theological thankfulness. Thankfulness has more to do with the way we see things, than the way we receive things. If we see thankfulness as only to do with the reception of something, then we can only be thankful when we are receiving good things. If we see thankfulness as having something to do with God, then it will include giving as well as receiving.     My first discovery of theological thankfulness – the thankfulness God wants us to embrace – was when I was in my twenties. I had come upon these verses from 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  I began to think about this concept of giving thanks in all situations. That means being thankful even when we are disappointed or overwhelmed. To be thankful when life is hard would be an act of the will. To give thanks when things seem to be going wrong in one’s life does not make sense. One naturally would not respond with thankfulness in the hard times and the dark moments of life. Our natural instinct is to give thanks when something good comes our way. That is what we have been told. The little child is instructed to say ‘thank you’ when they are given something. Therefore we grow up thinking that we only thank when we are receiving what is good. Paul’s injunction to give thanks in all situations contains a profound spiritual truth. Indeed Paul says that to do so is the will of God. Yes, the will of God!  It is God’s will that we will ourselves to be thankful.   I remember when I first heard this text I came to see that my praying was all about me. It was like looking into a mirror where all I could see was myself and to a lesser extent the needs of others’.  My prayers were largely about my world. My prayers tended to focus on what I wanted and how bad or ordinary life was. I began to realise that one step towards doing God’s will was to be thankful. I understood my praying to be like looking into a mirror and seeing myself and my world. I came to the realisation that prayer is not looking into the mirror of my world, but looking out the window into God’s garden. I came to realise that looking out the window and seeing God’s garden, so to speak, was a better way of seeing myself. That is, praising God actually gave me a better perspective on life. Not only did I gain inspiration by praising and thanking God, I gained perspective.   The Scriptures are full of references to theological thankfulness. Psalm 50, for example, reads – Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. And goes on to say; Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.   The Westminster Catechism was composed by 121 Puritan clergymen of the English and Scottish churches in 1647.  Catechesis was the main method of teaching the faith. A series of statements were to be remembered. What is interesting is the focus of the first article of faith:  What is the chief end of humankind? Humankind’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy God forever. [Ps 86:9; Isa 60:21; Rom 11:36; Ps 16:5-11, Is 12:2f; Lk 2: 10; Phil 4:4] The first thing a Christian learns is that their purpose is to praise and thank God and enjoy God. Isaiah expresses this truth in chapter 12: 2 -6:   Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD,  call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.   The Uniting Church’s hymnbook, Together in Song, places the hymns in categories. The largest single category is the ‘praise and adoration’ category in the hymnal. Praise and thankfulness are an essential part of the Christian life.   Although there are ample reasons for thanking God such as being created in God’s image, loved unconditionally by God and all our resources and gifts being given by God, thankfulness remains an act of the will. Why?   Let me offer you some other reasons. First of all the notion that ‘thankfulness’ has to do with the will comes from the forerunners of the Faith. Paul, for example, encourages thankfulness in all situations mentioning that this is the will of God. Implicit in Paul’s encouragement is the notion that thankfulness is an act of the will.

Bread of Heaven. Look for the right food for life otherwise you’ll die before your body dies. John 6: 22 – 51 Our Scripture reading began with the words, “The next day”.  These words link our reading to the feeding of 5000 people by Jesus on the day before. Jesus took a boy’s lunch – five barley loaves and two fish – and fed 5000 people. Such miracle stories challenge our Western scientific minds. During the sixties it was popular, but cheap theology, to describe the feeding of the multitude as Jesus inspiring others to share their lunches. This interpretation left Jesus as nothing more than an inspirational speaker. The Gospel writers believed it took place. After pages of scholarship one is left with no convincing evidence that it did not take place except for the prejudice of a scientific mindset, and no evidence that it did take place other than blind faith.  I find more reasons to believe it took place than to dismiss it. But neither side can prove it conclusively. The feeding of the multitude is found in each of the Gospels and walking on water in three. [Mt 14: 13-21 et.al.] John makes a strong connection between Jesus’ lordship over nature and Jesus being the true bread of heaven [John 6: 41]. The crowd, not surprisingly, wanted to make Jesus king. John tells us that when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. [6: 15]. And later when the people find him he says to them; “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” [6:26,27] Jesus knew that meeting people’s physical needs is good up to a point, but ultimately shallow and useless, if it doesn’t lead to a relationship with God the Creator. We should ponder the truth that our physical needs do not ultimately satisfy. I recall hearing the Australian soprano, Marina Prior, speaking about her faith. She said she had been brought up a Christian. In her teenage years she came close to God and made a commitment. As her singing career unfolded busyness intruded and she went less and less to worship until she stopped. Then she recalls that at the height of her career when all was going very well she would wake up in the wee hours of the morning depressed. Yes, here was a person who had everything. She is beautiful, has a beautiful voice, is a successful singer and has a very attractive bank balance. All seemed perfect. But she was missing something. She was moved to turn to Christ and found peace. This is not an uncommon story. Marina’s story  mirrors many of our stories. We have come to God in Christ Jesus because we sense something is lacking in our lives.   Jesus is saying that if we had all the bread in the world we would still not be full. We would still experience the emptiness of a spiritually barren life. Jesus uses the metaphor of bread to drive home his true place in our lives. As bread is essential for our physical health, Jesus is essential for our spiritual health. His language is almost barbaric. He says unless you eat my flesh you will never be satisfied. Eat of me and you will be fulfilled [6:51]. I find these words uncomfortable. They only make sense if we take them in their context and as a metaphor. John records Jesus saying, ‘I am the bread of life’.  ‘I am the bread of heaven.’ He leaves no doubt that he is referring to feeding us with spiritual food saying, ‘the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world’. [6:33]  ‘I am the bread of life.’[6:35] ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ [6:50,51] Let us play with this metaphor that Jesus is the bread of life. We know that bread is a part of our staple diet that keeps our bodies functioning. Now we all need bread or the equivalents like rice, corn or potatoes in our diet. These foods form the staple part of our diet. We get hungry and we need to eat. In fact our bodies get hungry on a regular cycle. Our bodies tell us when they need food. We get hunger pains, or feel faint or weak. For us there is no problem finding bread. We eat, and if there is no bread, like Marie Antoinette (Louis XVI’s wife), we eat cake.  We are the fortunate ones of this earth. We eat at regular intervals of our choosing. Let us reflect on what we do when we eat our ‘bread’.  The first thing we do is prepare to eat. Preparation involves our purchasing the bread or the ingredients and then preparing the bread bought or the bread to be made. Our preparation involves thinking about what we do and how we do it. It is true that most of this preparation we accomplish automatically. But it might be good to think about how we prepare our food. Secondly, we eat. Eating involves many things and not least chewing our food. Chewing is a necessary part of consuming food. We know what happens when we don’t chew carefully. We feel uncomfortable and depending on our bodies we react negatively one way or another. Thirdly, our bodies digest the food. That to me is a mystery. But I do know that chewing carefully, not rushing a meal helps digestion.  Note that we take most of our meals