I had to replace the battery on my car on Sunday. Now, that statement is not quite true. I didn’t have to replace the battery. I could have said to the mechanic type person, ‘Yeah, thanks for that mate; but just leave the old one there, it’ll be okay.’ I have to get a fill of petrol sometime this week; but I don’t have to get more petrol. Your right, Pastor John is once more beginning to talk jibberish. Of course you have to replace a dead battery and fill the car full of petrol otherwise you are not going to get anywhere.
Hmmm? I wonder how many people who say they are Christian have had a spiritual battery check and filled up with petrol lately? A reading from one of my devotional books struck me yesterday morning: ‘May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.’ 2 Thessalonians 3:5. Sorry, I have claimed this little verse its mine!
These words come after the writer – Paul – has asked for prayer so that God’s mission might flourish everywhere. He seeks their support in being protected from wickedness and reminds the church at Thessalonica that God is faithful and that he will guard us from evil.
In our busy lives I am always fearful that we are trying to be good Christian people without regularly taking on fuel for the trip. How is the battery – our prayer life? How much fuel is in the tank – reading of the Scriptures? What is the tread like on the tyres – meeting, sharing and being open to others?
The latest gadget for our cars is of course a Satellite Navigation system. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. How is our Sat Nav system going? Is the Lord directing your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ?
I love the passion of St Paul. He was full on for Jesus! So much so that then and even now many people can’t stand the bloke! If he was an Aussie, he would have fitted the tall poppy syndrome and we would have chopped him down long ago! I think that it was the great hymn writer Charles Wesley, who said that it was his desire to be so on fire for Jesus that people would come from miles around just to watch him burn.
If you had cut Paul – or either of the Wesley brothers – they would have bled mission. It was all they knew. Paul’s constant prayer was to have the way clear so that the message could be proclaimed and that the good news of Christ’s love might be transmitted and heard far and wide.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. Are you making space for the Lord to speak into your heart? If we don’t, we do so at an enormous risk and potentially enormous cost, because our hearts have to be directed and filled with something.
There are so many TV shows these days that show human bodies disfigured, butchered and cut open that we have become immune to it. Nothing shocks us anymore. It is so for the subject of love. We have become engorged with so much love/lust that this has become our norm. We have allowed the bar to drop far too low and we are satisfied with too little.
What does the love of God mean for you? How is it being seen in your life? If you were a poster boy/girl for Jesus how is the ad’ campaign going right now? I have never suggested that it is an easy road and there are easier gigs, but I have found that it is worth the journey and that the steadfastness of Christ is enough for me to press on.
I didn’t have to replace the battery. I could have left the car in the driveway; maybe sat in it occasionally to remind me of the good old days. Looks good, but is totally useless.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thanks Sir Francis
I came across a prayer attributed to Sir Francis Drake the British explorer of the 16th century. It is a long one so excuse me if my waffle is mostly poem:
It must be a part of the process of age; but I have to confess to frustration at what I frankly see as a narrowing of vision in society today. When something of a controversial nature crops ups like disposal of nuclear waste or the settlement of a less than popular ex-criminal, we often come across the letters NIMBY – Not in my back yard. ‘Yes, we know that something has to be done; but not in my back yard.
Might I suggest that here in good old OZ – I can only speak for what I know – we might also suffer another societal malady called OIMBY – only in my back yard. I am thrilled that we can invest so much money into research for the many cancers that assail us across the world and that a worldwide disaster invariably finds Australians digging deep to generously give support; but what are we doing on a regular basis, week in and week out for a pain wracked world?
It is estimated that a child dies every ten seconds in the world and many of them don’t have to. We have the resources – money, medicine, food – to prevent this yet somehow these children keep on dying. Ronnie and I have sponsored children via Compassion Australia for many years now and will no doubt continue to do so, probably only increasing our support. I have taken too many funerals of little children; but my heart also breaks for the ones that we never hear of. Do we not bear a responsibility toward them?
‘
It is over 200 years since William Wilberforce and his supporters brought an end to the African slave trade and yet slavery continues in 2010 right on our doorstep. ‘Disturb us O Lord when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.’
I don’t believe in the church because of what it is; but because of what it might be, if we could only break the sin of apathy and neglect that contains us in middle class mediocrity, where we have convinced ourselves that all is well on our little ship, while all around others are sinking. Thanks Sir Francis. I appreciated the wake up call.
Disturb us, Lord when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope and love.
It must be a part of the process of age; but I have to confess to frustration at what I frankly see as a narrowing of vision in society today. When something of a controversial nature crops ups like disposal of nuclear waste or the settlement of a less than popular ex-criminal, we often come across the letters NIMBY – Not in my back yard. ‘Yes, we know that something has to be done; but not in my back yard.
Might I suggest that here in good old OZ – I can only speak for what I know – we might also suffer another societal malady called OIMBY – only in my back yard. I am thrilled that we can invest so much money into research for the many cancers that assail us across the world and that a worldwide disaster invariably finds Australians digging deep to generously give support; but what are we doing on a regular basis, week in and week out for a pain wracked world?
It is estimated that a child dies every ten seconds in the world and many of them don’t have to. We have the resources – money, medicine, food – to prevent this yet somehow these children keep on dying. Ronnie and I have sponsored children via Compassion Australia for many years now and will no doubt continue to do so, probably only increasing our support. I have taken too many funerals of little children; but my heart also breaks for the ones that we never hear of. Do we not bear a responsibility toward them?
‘
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40Are you aware that slavery is still rampant in the world today? Known today as people trafficking, some 700,000 to two million people are trafficked each year. Children of primary school age are sold into slavery – most often prostitution – just so that their families can eat. As the Delhi Commonwealth Games are in full swing it is worth noting that of the 74 million women reported missing in South Asia, some 20 million are thought to be in Indian brothels of Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata.
It is over 200 years since William Wilberforce and his supporters brought an end to the African slave trade and yet slavery continues in 2010 right on our doorstep. ‘Disturb us O Lord when we are too pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.’
I don’t believe in the church because of what it is; but because of what it might be, if we could only break the sin of apathy and neglect that contains us in middle class mediocrity, where we have convinced ourselves that all is well on our little ship, while all around others are sinking. Thanks Sir Francis. I appreciated the wake up call.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
All things new?
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22, 23
William Law was an Anglican priest of the 1700’s who is once reported to have said, “If we are to be new people in Christ, then we must show our newness to the world.” As I reflected on this after a busy couple of days, I asked myself, how my newness might have been showing lately. I of course keep some good excuses up my sleeve just in case my ‘newness’ might be seen to be a little tarnished; I have of course been sick, very busy, family pressures and of course work is crazy right now and don’t forget that we have a wedding coming up!
It was probably easier for William Law to be new and people like St Paul and Jesus of course had no problems with newness being the Son of God and all. Good grief, they didn’t have to put up with the stuff that we are engaged with day in and day out!
There is another favourite passage of mine that comes from the Book of Lamentations:
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
I spend a lot of time absorbed with me and my problems and sometimes this self absorption can so possess me that I forget some key truths. The first truth for me is that of free will. I have choices as to how I face my day to day activities. It is good to stop and call things to mind. A young fellow was stuck in a real mess once and it was hardly possible that things could have been worse, until one day ‘he came to himself’. A favourite word these days is another one of those that is of religious nature but has been picked up by the world – epiphany. Perhaps we all need regular epiphanies that allow us to come to ourselves.
Another truth is one that people must be tired of hearing by now; it is not about me! John Farnham had it right – One is the loneliest number. The creation story makes it clear that we are not designed to fly solo. We are at our best when in community.
I believe also that vision is a powerful reminder of the nobility of humanity. Again the Bible says:
‘Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.’ Proverbs 29:18 (New King James Version)
I am regularly concerned at the lack of vision among us today. There is no grand picture to inspire and encourage. Words of vision or revelation are drowned in the drab beige of life. I am always inspired by the story of Nelson Mandela. If someone had reason for bitterness and revenge it was this man and yet he overcame this because his vision was greater than his hurt:
‘During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’
How is our newness of life going? How will we spend tomorrow and hopefully, the many tomorrows to follow?
Friday, April 1, 2011
I am a bit stuck on this giving thanks stuff right now. I focused on it last Sunday morning and have to confess I am not sure that I did the subject justice; hence my second try via this medium.
One of the verses that I mentioned last Sunday deserved far more thought and so here goes:
The bread spoken of here is referring to the feeding of the 5,000. Now, there was only a kid’s lunch – five barley loaves and a couple of little fish – but after Jesus gave thanks, five thousand were fed and they picked up five baskets of scraps after the meal! The author points out that people saw Jesus’ giving thanks as the catalyst for a miracle.
I talk a lot about climate change and am convinced that a simple act of thanksgiving can change the environment in which we live. People today just assume that what they get they have a right to! With such a mindset thanksgiving is hardly a high priority. While my Year Two Scripture class might think that Pastor John fulfils the task on automatic pilot, the two or three, who each week, without fail, come up to me and say ‘Thank you Pastor John’, have no idea what an encouragement that is. Incidentally, by Year 5 and 6 we have knocked that grateful chromosome out of them and I rarely hear a similar word from those older kids.
Why do I believe so strongly in the local church? Mainly because I am so deeply grateful for what a local congregation in Victoria did for me a good many years ago now. I remain so thankful for the friends who continue to support me from previous congregations and am humbled by the continued love, care and support of this local faith community at NorthWest Uniting. If you haven’t felt thanked lately, my apologies!
Why is the Christian faith more important to me than a set of moral laws to live by and a tag that says I am apparently not an atheist? It’s simple really. You know that stuff in the Bible about God giving his Son to come and live among us and show us an alternative to the bland ‘religious’ existence that we have become used to? I believe that. The words of Jesus: ‘life in abundance, streams of living water, take up your bed and walk, Lazarus, come out! Father, forgive them.’ All those and many more, I believe! I believe and am grateful.
The whole Jesus story, birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension; I believe and am thankful, because without this amazing truth, I am unsure where I would be today.
In the same chapter as the above reading about giving thanks we find that Jesus’ popularity has dropped away and people were leaving him. Jesus turned to his mates – the twelve – and said, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ Simon Peter gets a bit of bad press, but surely his reply is one of the great moments in Scripture:
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68
I give up! Where else am I going to go? As a pastor who for the past twenty years has been involved in a challenging ministry of clearing, ploughing, sowing and nourishing new ground, there has been any number of disappointments and hurts. But man, where else am I going to go? Amidst all of the hard ground, pilfering birds, stones, rocks and weeds, I have seen God powerfully at work. I have been given so much and experienced so much blessing that the best I can do is continue to be thankful to God through Christ and hopefully encourage a similar spirit among others.
If something else works for you, that’s cool I guess; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
One of the verses that I mentioned last Sunday deserved far more thought and so here goes:
Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. John 6:23
The bread spoken of here is referring to the feeding of the 5,000. Now, there was only a kid’s lunch – five barley loaves and a couple of little fish – but after Jesus gave thanks, five thousand were fed and they picked up five baskets of scraps after the meal! The author points out that people saw Jesus’ giving thanks as the catalyst for a miracle.
I talk a lot about climate change and am convinced that a simple act of thanksgiving can change the environment in which we live. People today just assume that what they get they have a right to! With such a mindset thanksgiving is hardly a high priority. While my Year Two Scripture class might think that Pastor John fulfils the task on automatic pilot, the two or three, who each week, without fail, come up to me and say ‘Thank you Pastor John’, have no idea what an encouragement that is. Incidentally, by Year 5 and 6 we have knocked that grateful chromosome out of them and I rarely hear a similar word from those older kids.
Why do I believe so strongly in the local church? Mainly because I am so deeply grateful for what a local congregation in Victoria did for me a good many years ago now. I remain so thankful for the friends who continue to support me from previous congregations and am humbled by the continued love, care and support of this local faith community at NorthWest Uniting. If you haven’t felt thanked lately, my apologies!
Why is the Christian faith more important to me than a set of moral laws to live by and a tag that says I am apparently not an atheist? It’s simple really. You know that stuff in the Bible about God giving his Son to come and live among us and show us an alternative to the bland ‘religious’ existence that we have become used to? I believe that. The words of Jesus: ‘life in abundance, streams of living water, take up your bed and walk, Lazarus, come out! Father, forgive them.’ All those and many more, I believe! I believe and am grateful.
The whole Jesus story, birth, life, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection and ascension; I believe and am thankful, because without this amazing truth, I am unsure where I would be today.
In the same chapter as the above reading about giving thanks we find that Jesus’ popularity has dropped away and people were leaving him. Jesus turned to his mates – the twelve – and said, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ Simon Peter gets a bit of bad press, but surely his reply is one of the great moments in Scripture:
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:68
I give up! Where else am I going to go? As a pastor who for the past twenty years has been involved in a challenging ministry of clearing, ploughing, sowing and nourishing new ground, there has been any number of disappointments and hurts. But man, where else am I going to go? Amidst all of the hard ground, pilfering birds, stones, rocks and weeds, I have seen God powerfully at work. I have been given so much and experienced so much blessing that the best I can do is continue to be thankful to God through Christ and hopefully encourage a similar spirit among others.
If something else works for you, that’s cool I guess; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
By what standard
I asked the question last Sunday: Are you a disciple of Jesus or simply a Christian by current standards? The question is not my own as I read it somewhere and I read so darned much that now I can’t find the source. I think that it is a question worth consideration.
The current standard will offer a wide range of choices depending on the context and culture in which we live. Being a disciple of Jesus – a follower of Jesus – is a very different call indeed.
We will all have a favourite Bible verse that speaks to us and I guess that mine change on a regular basis. However one verse sticks with me and I am aware that it is a favourite of many:
It is an Old Testament reading and I like to think that it might have been a favourite of Jesus also. I have several Bibles but I like to keep one as my ‘working’ Bible. I have two on my desk that offer me a whole bunch of trimmings. One is an excellent study Bible and the other a great devotional resource; but my working Bible is the one that gets dog eared, sweat stained, underlined, highlighted and scribbled on. Maybe Jesus had special parts of his Scriptures highlighted and old Micah was one of them?
Certainly as a disciple of Jesus I see his justice shine through as I follow him along the road. I see him take time for an outcast woman so desperate for healing that she had faith enough to just touch the hem of his robe. ‘Who touched my clothes?’ Jesus asked. Who touches us today? Who is it pushing through the usual crowd of our favoured ones, just seeking to be touched, seen or heard among the throng?
I see kindness as I follow Jesus along the way. I see it in the way he called children to him in a time where little ones had little or no status. I see it in the crying out of a blind beggar and Jesus stopping on his way to simply offer him hope. Perhaps Jesus’ stopping and taking notice was the beginning of healing for a man who not only could not see; but others failed to see him also? People talk about doing random acts of kindness. There was nothing random about Jesus’ kindness, it was who he was.
As I follow after Jesus, I see a life of humility. For Jesus it wasn’t a matter of ‘look at me’ but ‘look at them’. It all began in the feed trough of animals in a stable and it ended on a rubbish dump hanging from a cross. In between he rejected popularity and power, instead choosing to follow another voice; a quieter but a greater one.
At the end of his life Jesus stood before the ‘powers’ of the day. He was called before the religious leaders who scorned him, spat on him and struck him. He was sent to the political power of the day in Pontius Pilate who had him whipped and then crucified in exchange for a bandit named Barabbas. His best friend denied him and the crowds who cheered him on Palm Sunday gathered for the execution on Friday. Predicting Peter’s betrayal Jesus promised: ‘but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail’. To those gathered at the cross: ‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’
Am I a disciple of Jesus or simply a Christian by current standards?
The current standard will offer a wide range of choices depending on the context and culture in which we live. Being a disciple of Jesus – a follower of Jesus – is a very different call indeed.
We will all have a favourite Bible verse that speaks to us and I guess that mine change on a regular basis. However one verse sticks with me and I am aware that it is a favourite of many:
‘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
It is an Old Testament reading and I like to think that it might have been a favourite of Jesus also. I have several Bibles but I like to keep one as my ‘working’ Bible. I have two on my desk that offer me a whole bunch of trimmings. One is an excellent study Bible and the other a great devotional resource; but my working Bible is the one that gets dog eared, sweat stained, underlined, highlighted and scribbled on. Maybe Jesus had special parts of his Scriptures highlighted and old Micah was one of them?
Certainly as a disciple of Jesus I see his justice shine through as I follow him along the road. I see him take time for an outcast woman so desperate for healing that she had faith enough to just touch the hem of his robe. ‘Who touched my clothes?’ Jesus asked. Who touches us today? Who is it pushing through the usual crowd of our favoured ones, just seeking to be touched, seen or heard among the throng?
I see kindness as I follow Jesus along the way. I see it in the way he called children to him in a time where little ones had little or no status. I see it in the crying out of a blind beggar and Jesus stopping on his way to simply offer him hope. Perhaps Jesus’ stopping and taking notice was the beginning of healing for a man who not only could not see; but others failed to see him also? People talk about doing random acts of kindness. There was nothing random about Jesus’ kindness, it was who he was.
As I follow after Jesus, I see a life of humility. For Jesus it wasn’t a matter of ‘look at me’ but ‘look at them’. It all began in the feed trough of animals in a stable and it ended on a rubbish dump hanging from a cross. In between he rejected popularity and power, instead choosing to follow another voice; a quieter but a greater one.
At the end of his life Jesus stood before the ‘powers’ of the day. He was called before the religious leaders who scorned him, spat on him and struck him. He was sent to the political power of the day in Pontius Pilate who had him whipped and then crucified in exchange for a bandit named Barabbas. His best friend denied him and the crowds who cheered him on Palm Sunday gathered for the execution on Friday. Predicting Peter’s betrayal Jesus promised: ‘but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail’. To those gathered at the cross: ‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’
Am I a disciple of Jesus or simply a Christian by current standards?
What's it all about church?
Many years ago now I attended a workshop at an evangelism conference that focused on reaching young people. It was almost twenty five years ago but I still remember the workshop leader’s name and I can recite the main verse of his text from Ezekiel chapter 3 by heart:
Whenever I risk getting a little down on myself and begin to doubt my ministry and calling, I recall those words from Ezekiel and give myself a swift upper cut and get back to things. I am an evangelist and teacher. There may be times when some will think I am not very good at either, and that’s okay because I am not here to pander to others, but rather to serve an audience of one.
Another key verse for me is in Luke 19: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
I am really good with ‘exiles’ and ‘lost’ people and not so good with those who are already found, because I see the lost as the work of the church and the found need to be about that work.
Ezekiel was called to ministry among his own people. God was kind and made sure that he was well equipped: ‘See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead.
I was reminded this week of the ‘Liverpool kiss’. If you are a Scot it can be known as the Glasgow kiss also. In fact it was a Scot who tried it out on me one day during a soccer match. We had been having a good tussle all day and at one point, late in the game, my opponent grabbed me by the shirt and clearly was about to administer his trade mark love tap to my nose. Now, I am not fond of pain and in positions of danger my reflexes used to work really well. As his head powered forward I dropped mine and our foreheads collided. I was okay but my friend lay at my feet bordering on unconscious! God gave me a hard head.
He also gave me a soft heart and particularly soft for those who – in church parlance – are lost. You see, I was lost for a long time and I know the feeling. In fact while the lostness has long gone I still retain a good memory of these times and it is that which continually shapes my ministry.
I still like to sit among the exiles and very often I am stunned in their presence. Oh, many play a good game; but you see I played that game as well. I could probably have captained the team; I was that good. There are different things that tell about being lost. Eyes are windows into people’s world and it is hard cover the feelings of being lost and empty. Mouths are clues to people’s worlds as well. We try to cover being lost with clever words, loud words, deceitful words or insulting words. Of course it is not just the ‘lost’ that suffer from these symptoms.
When I begin to tire of church budgets, Occupational Health type stuff, property and meetings for this or that matter - When feelings of disappointment, disillusion and/or any other dis’s I might think of, begin to invade my territory; I remember the exiled and I remember my gifting and call.
The call is not mine alone; it is the central call of our lives as Christ followers. If we follow Christ then He will lead us to serve with him among the exiles. It is in our DNA. We can do no less.
‘I came to the exiles at Tel Abib, who lived by the river Chebar. And I sat there among them, stunned, for seven days.’
Whenever I risk getting a little down on myself and begin to doubt my ministry and calling, I recall those words from Ezekiel and give myself a swift upper cut and get back to things. I am an evangelist and teacher. There may be times when some will think I am not very good at either, and that’s okay because I am not here to pander to others, but rather to serve an audience of one.
Another key verse for me is in Luke 19: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
I am really good with ‘exiles’ and ‘lost’ people and not so good with those who are already found, because I see the lost as the work of the church and the found need to be about that work.
Ezekiel was called to ministry among his own people. God was kind and made sure that he was well equipped: ‘See, I have made your face hard against their faces, and your forehead hard against their foreheads. Like the hardest stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead.
I was reminded this week of the ‘Liverpool kiss’. If you are a Scot it can be known as the Glasgow kiss also. In fact it was a Scot who tried it out on me one day during a soccer match. We had been having a good tussle all day and at one point, late in the game, my opponent grabbed me by the shirt and clearly was about to administer his trade mark love tap to my nose. Now, I am not fond of pain and in positions of danger my reflexes used to work really well. As his head powered forward I dropped mine and our foreheads collided. I was okay but my friend lay at my feet bordering on unconscious! God gave me a hard head.
He also gave me a soft heart and particularly soft for those who – in church parlance – are lost. You see, I was lost for a long time and I know the feeling. In fact while the lostness has long gone I still retain a good memory of these times and it is that which continually shapes my ministry.
I still like to sit among the exiles and very often I am stunned in their presence. Oh, many play a good game; but you see I played that game as well. I could probably have captained the team; I was that good. There are different things that tell about being lost. Eyes are windows into people’s world and it is hard cover the feelings of being lost and empty. Mouths are clues to people’s worlds as well. We try to cover being lost with clever words, loud words, deceitful words or insulting words. Of course it is not just the ‘lost’ that suffer from these symptoms.
When I begin to tire of church budgets, Occupational Health type stuff, property and meetings for this or that matter - When feelings of disappointment, disillusion and/or any other dis’s I might think of, begin to invade my territory; I remember the exiled and I remember my gifting and call.
The call is not mine alone; it is the central call of our lives as Christ followers. If we follow Christ then He will lead us to serve with him among the exiles. It is in our DNA. We can do no less.
Joined and knit together
I have been reflecting on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians of late and particularly chapter 4. My focus has been on the role and responsibilities of leaders within the church as I seek to bring a more regional style of ministry to the church in this region. However, once I got past our task to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ’; I then dallied on the rest of this magnificent picture of the church. Challenging – but magnificent!
Paul uses some great nouns in this chapter: humility, gentleness, patience, unity, truth, kindness, forgiveness. How many of those did you tick?
He uses a lot of ones. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith one baptism, one God; Unity was really big for Paul. It was big for Jesus also:
My quote in the first paragraph was incomplete and it goes on to paint what Paul saw as the ultimate goal of the church: ‘..until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. That was Paul’s goal, but he was no blind optimist: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.’ Here is a Pastor/colleague who sees what might be but is ever aware of what is.
I have often said that I see one of my key roles as being that of defining reality. Everybody else has a go at it, so surely those who believe that we are created in the image of God are entitled to enter into the debate? Paul builds on the image of a body ‘joined and knit together’ that has each part contributing to the whole as it builds itself up in love. This might be the moment when you take a little ‘dream moment’ and reflect on what that could look like for you, your faith community and the world.
We have just survived yet another election here in New South Wales. These events bring language very much into focus for me. We hear different words at these times: factions is a popular word, and we hear that some are left or right of centre, wet or dry, conservative, labour, green and so many other shades or interest group. You don’t hear ‘joined and knit together’ all that much?!
I love Paul’s touch of irony: You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
There are truly delicious pictures here! I have no idea why people would opt for a bland, lifeless, formalized – can I toss in anaemic – faith, when an offer such as this is on the table?
I don’t know, it’s got me beat. We are offered this amazing gift and sometimes we might stop for a while and ponder; but too often, our response is, ‘Nah! Thanks all the same. I’m cool.’
Paul begins this chapter by begging his audience to take seriously their call to faith and he ends it superbly:
Thanks Paul. If no one else reads this bit of trifle today; the exercise of reflection in the midst of a busy day has done my heart good.
Paul uses some great nouns in this chapter: humility, gentleness, patience, unity, truth, kindness, forgiveness. How many of those did you tick?
He uses a lot of ones. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith one baptism, one God; Unity was really big for Paul. It was big for Jesus also:
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17
My quote in the first paragraph was incomplete and it goes on to paint what Paul saw as the ultimate goal of the church: ‘..until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. That was Paul’s goal, but he was no blind optimist: We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.’ Here is a Pastor/colleague who sees what might be but is ever aware of what is.
I have often said that I see one of my key roles as being that of defining reality. Everybody else has a go at it, so surely those who believe that we are created in the image of God are entitled to enter into the debate? Paul builds on the image of a body ‘joined and knit together’ that has each part contributing to the whole as it builds itself up in love. This might be the moment when you take a little ‘dream moment’ and reflect on what that could look like for you, your faith community and the world.
We have just survived yet another election here in New South Wales. These events bring language very much into focus for me. We hear different words at these times: factions is a popular word, and we hear that some are left or right of centre, wet or dry, conservative, labour, green and so many other shades or interest group. You don’t hear ‘joined and knit together’ all that much?!
I love Paul’s touch of irony: You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
There are truly delicious pictures here! I have no idea why people would opt for a bland, lifeless, formalized – can I toss in anaemic – faith, when an offer such as this is on the table?
You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
I don’t know, it’s got me beat. We are offered this amazing gift and sometimes we might stop for a while and ponder; but too often, our response is, ‘Nah! Thanks all the same. I’m cool.’
Paul begins this chapter by begging his audience to take seriously their call to faith and he ends it superbly:
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Thanks Paul. If no one else reads this bit of trifle today; the exercise of reflection in the midst of a busy day has done my heart good.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Great Fear Trap
Surely one of the great prophetic speeches of all times was that of Martin Luther King Junior on 3 April 1968. He began by recalling a moment several years earlier, when he was almost killed by a crazed woman’s failed stabbing attempt. The blade just missed penetrating his aorta which would have been almost certainly fatal.
At the end of the speech he finished with these words:
The next day, Dr Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead by an assassin’s bullet.
I am struck this morning by just five words of King: ‘I’m not fearing any man.’
Fear is such a powerful beast isn’t it? When I was a youngster I would spend time on the farm where we first lived as new arrivals in Australia. Occasionally I would walk with my friend Ian and check his rabbit traps. Ian was always joyous at any success where I was less than thrilled. I have never liked traps.
I love the words from the Transfiguration story where Jesus gobsmacked disciples were cowering in fear at this new experience. Jesus’ spoke strongly to his disciples: ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’
Taken seriously, the Christian walk is one of new horizons along with more than its share of traps. There will always be fear filled people who do not hold a Christian view who will mock us and take any opportunity to trap, criticise and belittle.
There will be ‘moderate’ Christians, who prefer a sanitized, easy faith who will raise their eyebrows at your zeal. And of course there is our greatest fear filled enemy; the one who greets us every morning in the bathroom mirror.
There are a whole bunch of ‘fear not’s’ in the Scriptures. We should take strength from this. It means there were as many fearful followers in Jesus’ time as there are today and those men and women did a fair job!?
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
I always like God’s word to a new leader in Joshua following an amazing time in Israel’s history: ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ I may lack the confidence of a Martin King Junior, but I do believe that Jesus is still calling us to get up and not be afraid.
At the end of the speech he finished with these words:
‘Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountain top. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you.But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the Promised land. And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. ‘
The next day, Dr Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead by an assassin’s bullet.
I am struck this morning by just five words of King: ‘I’m not fearing any man.’
Fear is such a powerful beast isn’t it? When I was a youngster I would spend time on the farm where we first lived as new arrivals in Australia. Occasionally I would walk with my friend Ian and check his rabbit traps. Ian was always joyous at any success where I was less than thrilled. I have never liked traps.
I love the words from the Transfiguration story where Jesus gobsmacked disciples were cowering in fear at this new experience. Jesus’ spoke strongly to his disciples: ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’
Taken seriously, the Christian walk is one of new horizons along with more than its share of traps. There will always be fear filled people who do not hold a Christian view who will mock us and take any opportunity to trap, criticise and belittle.
There will be ‘moderate’ Christians, who prefer a sanitized, easy faith who will raise their eyebrows at your zeal. And of course there is our greatest fear filled enemy; the one who greets us every morning in the bathroom mirror.
There are a whole bunch of ‘fear not’s’ in the Scriptures. We should take strength from this. It means there were as many fearful followers in Jesus’ time as there are today and those men and women did a fair job!?
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:18,19
Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 3:14,15
I always like God’s word to a new leader in Joshua following an amazing time in Israel’s history: ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ I may lack the confidence of a Martin King Junior, but I do believe that Jesus is still calling us to get up and not be afraid.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What does hope look like to you?
I love the piece in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, where Christian and Hopeful are seemingly sinking in the river within sight of glory:
Those words have always meant a lot to me and even more so in my years of establishing a new church in this North West district of Sydney. There have been many occasions when the ‘billows’ have been over my head and I am ever grateful for my friend Hopeful, who keeps reminding me that he can feel the bottom and all will be well.
Hopeful comes in a variety of forms for me. It can be the encouraging words of a spouse who believes in me far more than I believe in me! It can be conversation with a friend/friends and/or colleague. Hopeful often speaks to me in a quiet place where I can hear a still small voice call me forward, and my friend Hopeful so often speaks to me out of the words of Scripture. Through these various avenues Hopeful opens my ears to hear the voice of Jesus saying to me, ‘Get up! Don’t be afraid.’
Last Sunday I heard an inspiring message of hope from a member of our community. Born very prematurely this tiny life was kept going by bucket loads of deep care, love and prayer. We heard of the times in those very early days when her dad would often re-start her breathing! That is INSPIRATION of the highest order.
Since our beginnings as a new faith community in the outer North West suburbs of Sydney I have talked about building communities of care and hope. Care and Hope are two very simple words but both have the power to transform and inspire people’s lives. The church will focus on the great miracles of Jesus: feeding thousands with a few fish sandwiches, or turning water into wine, or healing the sick, giving sight to the blind or even raising the dead!
Much of my inspiration from Jesus I find behind these things; in-between the lines of the great story as it were. Most of the stuff that excites me about Jesus isn’t even written down – it is more imagined. Mark 12:30 intrigues me: And the large crowd listened to him with delight. I don’t think it was just his charismatic way, his charm or even his wise words that did it for people; but there was / is something about this man that defies a simple description. There was about Jesus something about REALLY caring. There was something about Jesus that REALLY gave hope.
In Brian McLaren’s new book he quotes a Brazilian man called Claudio Oliver: ‘The Bible is a book that isn’t meant to be read.’ I know exactly what Claudio is saying. For centuries the Bible was only heard. It is only in recent times that we now have mass produced Bibles that often carry more dust than hope! If all we do is read the Bible then it is the words that we wrestle with not the things in between and around those words. Each Sunday at our church we have the Bible read and pandering to our modern needs the words are on the big screen for everyone to see.
More often than not I try close my eyes to shut out the vision and HEAR the words being spoken. It is in the hearing together that a community of faith can then wrestle with what these words mean for us today. It is why Christianity is not a singular – I can be a Christian at home – faith. That is a fairy story perpetuated by lazy people unwilling to test their faith in the cauldron of a gathered community. It is the gathered community that provides a crazy, confusing cauldron from which new lives reflecting a new hope and a new focus of care can be born.
Be of good cheer .. I feel the bottom, and it is good.’
They then addressed themselves to the water; and entering, Christian began to sink, and crying out to his good friend Hopeful, he said 'I sink in deep waters; the billows go over my head, all his waves go over me!’Then said the other, ‘Be of good cheer, my brother, I feel the bottom, and it is good’
Those words have always meant a lot to me and even more so in my years of establishing a new church in this North West district of Sydney. There have been many occasions when the ‘billows’ have been over my head and I am ever grateful for my friend Hopeful, who keeps reminding me that he can feel the bottom and all will be well.
Hopeful comes in a variety of forms for me. It can be the encouraging words of a spouse who believes in me far more than I believe in me! It can be conversation with a friend/friends and/or colleague. Hopeful often speaks to me in a quiet place where I can hear a still small voice call me forward, and my friend Hopeful so often speaks to me out of the words of Scripture. Through these various avenues Hopeful opens my ears to hear the voice of Jesus saying to me, ‘Get up! Don’t be afraid.’
Last Sunday I heard an inspiring message of hope from a member of our community. Born very prematurely this tiny life was kept going by bucket loads of deep care, love and prayer. We heard of the times in those very early days when her dad would often re-start her breathing! That is INSPIRATION of the highest order.
Since our beginnings as a new faith community in the outer North West suburbs of Sydney I have talked about building communities of care and hope. Care and Hope are two very simple words but both have the power to transform and inspire people’s lives. The church will focus on the great miracles of Jesus: feeding thousands with a few fish sandwiches, or turning water into wine, or healing the sick, giving sight to the blind or even raising the dead!
Much of my inspiration from Jesus I find behind these things; in-between the lines of the great story as it were. Most of the stuff that excites me about Jesus isn’t even written down – it is more imagined. Mark 12:30 intrigues me: And the large crowd listened to him with delight. I don’t think it was just his charismatic way, his charm or even his wise words that did it for people; but there was / is something about this man that defies a simple description. There was about Jesus something about REALLY caring. There was something about Jesus that REALLY gave hope.
In Brian McLaren’s new book he quotes a Brazilian man called Claudio Oliver: ‘The Bible is a book that isn’t meant to be read.’ I know exactly what Claudio is saying. For centuries the Bible was only heard. It is only in recent times that we now have mass produced Bibles that often carry more dust than hope! If all we do is read the Bible then it is the words that we wrestle with not the things in between and around those words. Each Sunday at our church we have the Bible read and pandering to our modern needs the words are on the big screen for everyone to see.
More often than not I try close my eyes to shut out the vision and HEAR the words being spoken. It is in the hearing together that a community of faith can then wrestle with what these words mean for us today. It is why Christianity is not a singular – I can be a Christian at home – faith. That is a fairy story perpetuated by lazy people unwilling to test their faith in the cauldron of a gathered community. It is the gathered community that provides a crazy, confusing cauldron from which new lives reflecting a new hope and a new focus of care can be born.
Be of good cheer .. I feel the bottom, and it is good.’
Thursday, March 3, 2011
I like the thoughts of General Schwarzkopf of Gulf War fame in the early 90’s:
I always remember a quote from an old Melbourne High School Principal, George Langley, who liked to remind his students: ‘They are only truly great who are truly good.’
When I think back to my dalliances with the church over the years, the thing that attracted me – against all the often imagined negatives – was the issue of goodness. From childhood, I have found myself attracted to people who have a goodness about them and more often than not I found them to be Christian people. Now, in these multicultural days I do not deny the goodness of others, but I speak of my experience as an older bloke these days.
Now my Bible students are going to get into me here and tell me that Jesus says: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Jesus had a wonderful way of exaggerating a point to make a point and surely this was one of them? Ultimately I agree with Jesus – He will be pleased about that I am sure – but can I be allowed to keep the debate at an earthly level?
Goodness has been something of a magnet to me over the years, probably due to my struggles with matters of self esteem. For years and years I would hide behind a curtain of lies because I was not particularly fond of myself. I became a champion liar, which probably explains why I generally have such a good ‘liar antennae’ system and am able to pick up truth benders fairly early. Don’t try to kid a kidder, especially one as good as I was!
Goodness for me is not about behaviour. It is about character. Over the years I have been involved in many job interviews and my overriding criteria was that of character. I remember a man called Colin. I was interviewing for the position of Stores Coordinator in my textile days and worked through a large list of applicants, narrowing it down to three. Of the three Colin was the least experienced never having worked in the rag trade before as had his rivals. He was also the oldest by quite a few years. When I told my managing director that I was going to appoint Colin he was surprised and wanted to know why I would pick him above the more qualified applicants. My reply was simple enough: ‘It comes down to character Max, I trust him.’ Col was probably the best appointment I made while at that place.
The great blessing for me in life is identifying the people of character. They may or may not be the smartest in the group but something about good people draws me to them. Good people are not flawless; but generally I find that they can own the faults and hiccups as they journey and still have the courage to push forward.
It is interesting to consider the people that Jesus gathered around him on the journey. It was hardly the Who’s Who of the Middle East! Tax collectors, zealots, hot heads, prostitutes all figured on Jesus’ hiring list. I wonder by what criteria Jesus appointed people to his inner circle?
‘Leadership is a potent combination of character and strategy.But if you must be without one, be without strategy.’
I always remember a quote from an old Melbourne High School Principal, George Langley, who liked to remind his students: ‘They are only truly great who are truly good.’
When I think back to my dalliances with the church over the years, the thing that attracted me – against all the often imagined negatives – was the issue of goodness. From childhood, I have found myself attracted to people who have a goodness about them and more often than not I found them to be Christian people. Now, in these multicultural days I do not deny the goodness of others, but I speak of my experience as an older bloke these days.
Now my Bible students are going to get into me here and tell me that Jesus says: “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Jesus had a wonderful way of exaggerating a point to make a point and surely this was one of them? Ultimately I agree with Jesus – He will be pleased about that I am sure – but can I be allowed to keep the debate at an earthly level?
Goodness has been something of a magnet to me over the years, probably due to my struggles with matters of self esteem. For years and years I would hide behind a curtain of lies because I was not particularly fond of myself. I became a champion liar, which probably explains why I generally have such a good ‘liar antennae’ system and am able to pick up truth benders fairly early. Don’t try to kid a kidder, especially one as good as I was!
Goodness for me is not about behaviour. It is about character. Over the years I have been involved in many job interviews and my overriding criteria was that of character. I remember a man called Colin. I was interviewing for the position of Stores Coordinator in my textile days and worked through a large list of applicants, narrowing it down to three. Of the three Colin was the least experienced never having worked in the rag trade before as had his rivals. He was also the oldest by quite a few years. When I told my managing director that I was going to appoint Colin he was surprised and wanted to know why I would pick him above the more qualified applicants. My reply was simple enough: ‘It comes down to character Max, I trust him.’ Col was probably the best appointment I made while at that place.
The great blessing for me in life is identifying the people of character. They may or may not be the smartest in the group but something about good people draws me to them. Good people are not flawless; but generally I find that they can own the faults and hiccups as they journey and still have the courage to push forward.
It is interesting to consider the people that Jesus gathered around him on the journey. It was hardly the Who’s Who of the Middle East! Tax collectors, zealots, hot heads, prostitutes all figured on Jesus’ hiring list. I wonder by what criteria Jesus appointed people to his inner circle?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
New Year reflection
In my final few days of holidays I am slowly shaking myself awake for another session of tilting at windmills. I received a small email devotional today and want to share the gist of it in my own words.
In the two big football codes last year St George and Collingwood came out on top, beating the Sydney Roosters and St Kilda respectively. Now, please keep in mind that neither the Roosters nor the Saints were bad teams; they were both very good teams indeed. Here is a truth to reflect on this year: In sport, if you are good, chances are that in the last game of the season you will lose. At the end there are two really good teams who play off and only one of them can win. If you are mediocre and it doesn’t really matter, you get used to losing quite early on. Striving to be the best can end in pain.
This is a useful parable for life and it is always helpful for me who suffers from an acute desire to be the best I can be. There is a cost to wanting to be the best. You can train, study and strive your backside off and just as you reach out to touch the peak of Everest somebody reaches that bit further and pips you at the post. I have reached out for any number of Everest’s over the years and occasionally have even enjoyed the view from the top. My dear old Collingwood have played in 42 Grand Finals over their 109 year history and have won just 15 of them. We have a lot in common!
During holidays I try not to answer any phone calls and my darling wife is fairly zealous about guarding me from doing so. She was out this morning and when the phone rang I just couldn’t help myself! I am pleased that I did answer the call as it was a colleague and friend. For some strange reason this person sees me as a mentor and amazingly seeks my wisdom from time to time.
You know, speaking in general terms, the church talks up a storm about doing new stuff and wanting to touch the lives of their community; but too often, when push comes to shove, we don’t really mean it! We want new people to join us but we would prefer it if they looked, thought and lived like us. ‘You are more than welcome but please don’t move the furniture!’
My friend was lost and deeply emotional as they shared the frustration and great hurt of Christian ministry. Their faith in God is without question but faith in the church has taken one hell of a beating. We share a common desire to seek to tell the great gospel story of Jesus but in language and concepts that are understandable to today – 2011.
Jesus had choices. He was a well respected Rabbi and with his charisma, wisdom and clear leading of God could have lead any Synagogue in the Holy Land; maybe even the Temple itself!? His faith was informed by the narratives and examples of the great saints of the past, but his eyes were ever looking at the distant horizon. In striving to be the best, chances are you will lose the final game.
So 2010 is now consigned to the history books because it belongs there and a new season is upon us. History may inform us but the Spirit of God is to be found calling us to those distant horizons.
Mediocrity allows us to stand at a distance; but I am still keen to tackle the thick darkness.
In the two big football codes last year St George and Collingwood came out on top, beating the Sydney Roosters and St Kilda respectively. Now, please keep in mind that neither the Roosters nor the Saints were bad teams; they were both very good teams indeed. Here is a truth to reflect on this year: In sport, if you are good, chances are that in the last game of the season you will lose. At the end there are two really good teams who play off and only one of them can win. If you are mediocre and it doesn’t really matter, you get used to losing quite early on. Striving to be the best can end in pain.
This is a useful parable for life and it is always helpful for me who suffers from an acute desire to be the best I can be. There is a cost to wanting to be the best. You can train, study and strive your backside off and just as you reach out to touch the peak of Everest somebody reaches that bit further and pips you at the post. I have reached out for any number of Everest’s over the years and occasionally have even enjoyed the view from the top. My dear old Collingwood have played in 42 Grand Finals over their 109 year history and have won just 15 of them. We have a lot in common!
During holidays I try not to answer any phone calls and my darling wife is fairly zealous about guarding me from doing so. She was out this morning and when the phone rang I just couldn’t help myself! I am pleased that I did answer the call as it was a colleague and friend. For some strange reason this person sees me as a mentor and amazingly seeks my wisdom from time to time.
You know, speaking in general terms, the church talks up a storm about doing new stuff and wanting to touch the lives of their community; but too often, when push comes to shove, we don’t really mean it! We want new people to join us but we would prefer it if they looked, thought and lived like us. ‘You are more than welcome but please don’t move the furniture!’
My friend was lost and deeply emotional as they shared the frustration and great hurt of Christian ministry. Their faith in God is without question but faith in the church has taken one hell of a beating. We share a common desire to seek to tell the great gospel story of Jesus but in language and concepts that are understandable to today – 2011.
Jesus had choices. He was a well respected Rabbi and with his charisma, wisdom and clear leading of God could have lead any Synagogue in the Holy Land; maybe even the Temple itself!? His faith was informed by the narratives and examples of the great saints of the past, but his eyes were ever looking at the distant horizon. In striving to be the best, chances are you will lose the final game.
So 2010 is now consigned to the history books because it belongs there and a new season is upon us. History may inform us but the Spirit of God is to be found calling us to those distant horizons.
‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ John 4:32I am presently committed to some pretty solid training for the upcoming game. Part of my position on the team is to be a leader and teacher, and I am presently focusing hard on my first few games looking at ‘Moving Closer’ in our faith. In the opening round of the season on Sunday week my goal is to look at the subject of Sabbath, and my Bible reading is taken from Exodus 20:1-21, where Moses receives the Ten Commandments. My main subject matter is found in the first eleven verses but verse 21 gave me some food for thought: ‘Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.’
Mediocrity allows us to stand at a distance; but I am still keen to tackle the thick darkness.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
God bless you St Mary!
I came across a quote recently which I think originated with G. K. Chesterton:
‘Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain, but from being weary of pleasure.’
Each month local ministers in this area meet for a time of personal sharing and prayer. While not as regular in attendance as I perhaps could be, I am always struck by the wonderful heart of these men and women. As in all of life we may well disagree on some aspects of faith, doctrine or theology; but we are inevitably one in our desire for people to come to a faith in God through Christ and grow as a disciple of Jesus.
The other thing that strikes me in this region where virtually all of the leaders are involved in pioneer ministry is the enormous strain and physical tiredness of spiritual leaders. You don’t plant a church and then watch it grow. You plant it and then replant it and then …. Well you get the picture.
What makes ministry so darned hard in our context I think is this matter of pleasure. We are satiated with the desire for pleasure. It is a sickness that has become so prevalent that we have come to see it as normal. There has been a gradual evolution whereby we have adjusted almost without knowing it and now – while I joke about it – we are truly convinced that it is all about us. It is not something written on a T shirt but a very disturbing reality. It is a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sickness that is as lethal as any cancer!
Let me be a Jeremiah (he’s in the Bible!) and give a doomsday prophecy. This worshipping of pleasure is still in its early days; but one day the fruit that seems so pleasing to the eye and tasty to the tongue will be found to be rotten and of no lasting value. Yet, it is a legacy that we are passing on to our children that is nothing more than a poisoned chalice; but we are deluded into seeing it as good. Is it any wonder that the first two of the Ten Commandments warn us about worshipping only the Lord your God and not making for ourselves any false idols?
Ronnie and I were watching the Canonization of St Mary of the Cross on Sunday evening. The fact that the service was in Latin did not for us detract from the awesomeness of what was going on at this moment in time. The presenter on one of the commercial channels had clearly decided that because we couldn’t understand what was being said, she had to fill up – what she saw as empty space - with endless chatter and questions of the resident experts.
We switched to the ABC which was a good deal better. You see the space wasn’t empty. The language didn’t matter. People of God, from all over the world, were gathered for worship!! With all of the colour, regalia, tradition and history (good and bad) of the church on display, millions there in person or around the planet spent time in the presence of the living God. The people honoured with Sainthood on Sunday were ordinary people who were empowered by the Spirit of Christ to do extraordinary things. God bless you Mary McKillop!
From the Vatican to the North West of Sydney, and people are saying that this moment could speak into the spiritual apathy of Australia and be a catalyst for revival. Bring it on I say. Anything has to be an improvement on the spineless, anaemic, wishy washy faith of the here and now that is seduced and deluded by the gods of our times. There are no non believers in this country - we are all worshippers. It is simply a matter of recognizing which altar we bend our knee to.
Please pray for the spiritual leaders of this district. Pray for those in your congregation who are seeking to make a difference but might be finding the journey tough right now. If you have dropped away from worship for whatever reason – build a bridge - get over it and get back to the Body. If it has been a while since you’ve attended a local faith community; give them another go. We are all pilgrims on a journey. Be encouraged – none of us has it right!
‘Meaninglessness does not come from being weary of pain, but from being weary of pleasure.’
Each month local ministers in this area meet for a time of personal sharing and prayer. While not as regular in attendance as I perhaps could be, I am always struck by the wonderful heart of these men and women. As in all of life we may well disagree on some aspects of faith, doctrine or theology; but we are inevitably one in our desire for people to come to a faith in God through Christ and grow as a disciple of Jesus.
The other thing that strikes me in this region where virtually all of the leaders are involved in pioneer ministry is the enormous strain and physical tiredness of spiritual leaders. You don’t plant a church and then watch it grow. You plant it and then replant it and then …. Well you get the picture.
What makes ministry so darned hard in our context I think is this matter of pleasure. We are satiated with the desire for pleasure. It is a sickness that has become so prevalent that we have come to see it as normal. There has been a gradual evolution whereby we have adjusted almost without knowing it and now – while I joke about it – we are truly convinced that it is all about us. It is not something written on a T shirt but a very disturbing reality. It is a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sickness that is as lethal as any cancer!
Let me be a Jeremiah (he’s in the Bible!) and give a doomsday prophecy. This worshipping of pleasure is still in its early days; but one day the fruit that seems so pleasing to the eye and tasty to the tongue will be found to be rotten and of no lasting value. Yet, it is a legacy that we are passing on to our children that is nothing more than a poisoned chalice; but we are deluded into seeing it as good. Is it any wonder that the first two of the Ten Commandments warn us about worshipping only the Lord your God and not making for ourselves any false idols?
Ronnie and I were watching the Canonization of St Mary of the Cross on Sunday evening. The fact that the service was in Latin did not for us detract from the awesomeness of what was going on at this moment in time. The presenter on one of the commercial channels had clearly decided that because we couldn’t understand what was being said, she had to fill up – what she saw as empty space - with endless chatter and questions of the resident experts.
We switched to the ABC which was a good deal better. You see the space wasn’t empty. The language didn’t matter. People of God, from all over the world, were gathered for worship!! With all of the colour, regalia, tradition and history (good and bad) of the church on display, millions there in person or around the planet spent time in the presence of the living God. The people honoured with Sainthood on Sunday were ordinary people who were empowered by the Spirit of Christ to do extraordinary things. God bless you Mary McKillop!
From the Vatican to the North West of Sydney, and people are saying that this moment could speak into the spiritual apathy of Australia and be a catalyst for revival. Bring it on I say. Anything has to be an improvement on the spineless, anaemic, wishy washy faith of the here and now that is seduced and deluded by the gods of our times. There are no non believers in this country - we are all worshippers. It is simply a matter of recognizing which altar we bend our knee to.
Please pray for the spiritual leaders of this district. Pray for those in your congregation who are seeking to make a difference but might be finding the journey tough right now. If you have dropped away from worship for whatever reason – build a bridge - get over it and get back to the Body. If it has been a while since you’ve attended a local faith community; give them another go. We are all pilgrims on a journey. Be encouraged – none of us has it right!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Botox Jesus
September tends to be a reflective and somewhat melancholy month for Ronnie and me, and no, it has nothing to do with a certain football match coming up this Saturday afternoon. September is the month where we both lost our dads and of course it just happens that Father’s Day comes around each September. So there are times during this month that we might just have a quiet moment or six to remember.
For our local church the past couple of September weekends have been busy as we celebrated two Sundays back the anniversary of our moving into new premises and last weekend we enjoyed hosting our fourth annual Ladies Day. For me anyway, probably connected to my September mood, these occasions gave cause for reflection on how our journey has gone thus far. It is always good to see new people connecting with us along the way and this year has been no different; but it has also been a year where we have probably had more drifting off than ever before.
This morning I was reading through the sixth chapter of John and particularly spent some time considering verses 60 – 69. I was initially struck with the words in verse 6: “This teaching is difficult who can accept it?” I like the fact that Jesus asks a good question when he hears the grizzling of his followers – ‘”Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.”’
As one who is trying to age graciously, let me give you who are younger a heads up on Jesus’ theory about the flesh; he’s right! The flesh is useless. This is really funny when you consider the amount of stuff being pedaled these days – male and female – to keep that old flesh young, tight and glowing.
I still remember the time I had been asked to support a family for the viewing of their dad who had died at a good old age. The classic line will live with me forever as one member looked at dad in the coffin and said, ‘He looks well doesn’t he?’ Now, the funeral director had done a fine job in exercising his skills and many words might have been used to describe the deceased at that time; but well was not one of them. He was not well, he was dead and the flesh really was useless.
Perhaps we prefer the Botox Jesus? The occasional injection to keep us in shape and all will be well. A gentleman chastised me once for preaching about the Passion (suffering and death) of Jesus on Palm Sunday. He came along wanting the donkey, the palm branches and the hallelujahs and the minister stuffed it up by talking about the cross a week early! A quick injection of the jollies is what we need Pastor.
Following Jesus is not meant to be a misery trail but it is not meant to be a fairy tale either! Jesus said that he came to bring life and life in abundance. For me these words conjure up thoughts of substance, depth, hope, strength and joy. These are gutsy solid words, something that you can build life on – a rock maybe?
what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.”’
The invitation from Jesus is to enter into a new / old form of life. Christianity is for me the only faith that actually provides answers that make sense. In all honesty we know that we are ‘fallen’ people. No matter where we stand, there is something within the human psyche that says there is something about us that is better than what we are right now. The coming of Jesus is the door through which we can walk to discover a way of life that faces the garbage and hurt and yet strengthens us to go on. If it doesn’t it’s Botox.
But ‘The teaching is difficult’ and as we read in John 6:66: ‘Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.’ I personally like the image of the Son of Man ascending to where he was before. The disciples that remained with Jesus did see that (Acts 1:6-11) and I wouldn’t mind a look either!
For our local church the past couple of September weekends have been busy as we celebrated two Sundays back the anniversary of our moving into new premises and last weekend we enjoyed hosting our fourth annual Ladies Day. For me anyway, probably connected to my September mood, these occasions gave cause for reflection on how our journey has gone thus far. It is always good to see new people connecting with us along the way and this year has been no different; but it has also been a year where we have probably had more drifting off than ever before.
This morning I was reading through the sixth chapter of John and particularly spent some time considering verses 60 – 69. I was initially struck with the words in verse 6: “This teaching is difficult who can accept it?” I like the fact that Jesus asks a good question when he hears the grizzling of his followers – ‘”Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.”’
As one who is trying to age graciously, let me give you who are younger a heads up on Jesus’ theory about the flesh; he’s right! The flesh is useless. This is really funny when you consider the amount of stuff being pedaled these days – male and female – to keep that old flesh young, tight and glowing.
I still remember the time I had been asked to support a family for the viewing of their dad who had died at a good old age. The classic line will live with me forever as one member looked at dad in the coffin and said, ‘He looks well doesn’t he?’ Now, the funeral director had done a fine job in exercising his skills and many words might have been used to describe the deceased at that time; but well was not one of them. He was not well, he was dead and the flesh really was useless.
Perhaps we prefer the Botox Jesus? The occasional injection to keep us in shape and all will be well. A gentleman chastised me once for preaching about the Passion (suffering and death) of Jesus on Palm Sunday. He came along wanting the donkey, the palm branches and the hallelujahs and the minister stuffed it up by talking about the cross a week early! A quick injection of the jollies is what we need Pastor.
Following Jesus is not meant to be a misery trail but it is not meant to be a fairy tale either! Jesus said that he came to bring life and life in abundance. For me these words conjure up thoughts of substance, depth, hope, strength and joy. These are gutsy solid words, something that you can build life on – a rock maybe?
what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.”’
The invitation from Jesus is to enter into a new / old form of life. Christianity is for me the only faith that actually provides answers that make sense. In all honesty we know that we are ‘fallen’ people. No matter where we stand, there is something within the human psyche that says there is something about us that is better than what we are right now. The coming of Jesus is the door through which we can walk to discover a way of life that faces the garbage and hurt and yet strengthens us to go on. If it doesn’t it’s Botox.
But ‘The teaching is difficult’ and as we read in John 6:66: ‘Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.’ I personally like the image of the Son of Man ascending to where he was before. The disciples that remained with Jesus did see that (Acts 1:6-11) and I wouldn’t mind a look either!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Age shall not weary them
It is late Wednesday afternoon and slowly the bruising is fading and I am sure that the pain in my left knee and lower back will eventually recede to something approaching a dull roar. You never know, perhaps the old bloke might one day concede that he is an old bloke and stop pretending that he is still in his mid 20’s!
There should be a support group for people like me. A place where I could confess with my peers, that, ‘My name is John, and I am a football addict!’ Oh yes, I do love my Collingwood AFL team and as Manly are as hated in New South Wales as my beloved Magpies in Victoria, it is only appropriate that I support the Sea Eagle in NRL; but the round ball is and always has been my first love (in football that is!).
It was a lovely afternoon on Sunday for our church birthday picnic at Fagan’s Park and as is normal for our mob, there were as many kids as there were adults with cricket and soccer clearly on the agenda. Now, Brendan will try to say that it was an accident and that his feet just clipped mine as we fought for the ball; but the incident deserved a red card and my fall deserved several freeze frame replays as well as a Gold Medal. On the tenth anniversary of the Sydney Olympics, I deserved a 9.9 for my triple somersault with half twist and pike on the run.
A few weeks back I was informed that my old soccer club, Ballarat, a long time member of the Victorian Soccer Federation had chosen their top 100 players of all times and that one John Thornton who played between 1972 and 1978 had been honoured among that number. I played for three other senior clubs in my time but those years with Ballarat were easily the most enjoyable of my sporting life. We played a high standard of football and generally the people were of a similar calibre. They were really good days and those times summed up why I hardly see a soccer match from one year to the next. It’s just not the same unless you are in the game. I’m a lousy spectator.
In the Book of Hebrews we read: ‘And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.’ Hebrews 10:24, 25
When I began to attend a local church on a regular basis in 1983, I was not going there to learn about Jesus, though I did learnt a lot about Jesus. I was not going along to sing my favourite songs as I didn’t really know any. I was not attending to hear inspiring messages, though I did get to hear a lot of those! Initially I went because I promised the God that I wasn’t completely sure I believed in that I would go; but I stayed because I felt my life being restored. Bit by bit.
Church for me has never been something that I attend as much as it has been my life blood. I loved the camaraderie of a sporting club, but the company of the saints beats it comprehensively. Sunday worship is the pinnacle of my week and now that I have the privilege of leading a congregation the mountain has just grown a little higher. I know people who say that they live out their Christian life and don’t need to attend church. Of course you can and I feel dreadfully sorry for you as you are content with the appetiser and so often miss the main course and sweets.
Yes, the church will let you down from time to time and if you commit to a group of people you are going to get hurt occasionally. It is all true. But among all of the dross for some strange and wonderful reason, God loves to be among his gathered people just doing all kinds of good stuff. Over the past two Sundays in particular, I have been blessed by simply being in the company of the saints. I love it.
I was approached to sign for the Ballarat Soccer Club several years before I eventually chose to join in 1972. I was enjoying being a big fish in a small pond with another club. Playing at a level that immediately stretched me and lifted me was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had joined years earlier when the opportunity was first offered. I feel a bit the same way about my late commitment to the church; but I’m still glad I signed on when I did.
There should be a support group for people like me. A place where I could confess with my peers, that, ‘My name is John, and I am a football addict!’ Oh yes, I do love my Collingwood AFL team and as Manly are as hated in New South Wales as my beloved Magpies in Victoria, it is only appropriate that I support the Sea Eagle in NRL; but the round ball is and always has been my first love (in football that is!).
It was a lovely afternoon on Sunday for our church birthday picnic at Fagan’s Park and as is normal for our mob, there were as many kids as there were adults with cricket and soccer clearly on the agenda. Now, Brendan will try to say that it was an accident and that his feet just clipped mine as we fought for the ball; but the incident deserved a red card and my fall deserved several freeze frame replays as well as a Gold Medal. On the tenth anniversary of the Sydney Olympics, I deserved a 9.9 for my triple somersault with half twist and pike on the run.
A few weeks back I was informed that my old soccer club, Ballarat, a long time member of the Victorian Soccer Federation had chosen their top 100 players of all times and that one John Thornton who played between 1972 and 1978 had been honoured among that number. I played for three other senior clubs in my time but those years with Ballarat were easily the most enjoyable of my sporting life. We played a high standard of football and generally the people were of a similar calibre. They were really good days and those times summed up why I hardly see a soccer match from one year to the next. It’s just not the same unless you are in the game. I’m a lousy spectator.
In the Book of Hebrews we read: ‘And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching.’ Hebrews 10:24, 25
When I began to attend a local church on a regular basis in 1983, I was not going there to learn about Jesus, though I did learnt a lot about Jesus. I was not going along to sing my favourite songs as I didn’t really know any. I was not attending to hear inspiring messages, though I did get to hear a lot of those! Initially I went because I promised the God that I wasn’t completely sure I believed in that I would go; but I stayed because I felt my life being restored. Bit by bit.
Church for me has never been something that I attend as much as it has been my life blood. I loved the camaraderie of a sporting club, but the company of the saints beats it comprehensively. Sunday worship is the pinnacle of my week and now that I have the privilege of leading a congregation the mountain has just grown a little higher. I know people who say that they live out their Christian life and don’t need to attend church. Of course you can and I feel dreadfully sorry for you as you are content with the appetiser and so often miss the main course and sweets.
Yes, the church will let you down from time to time and if you commit to a group of people you are going to get hurt occasionally. It is all true. But among all of the dross for some strange and wonderful reason, God loves to be among his gathered people just doing all kinds of good stuff. Over the past two Sundays in particular, I have been blessed by simply being in the company of the saints. I love it.
I was approached to sign for the Ballarat Soccer Club several years before I eventually chose to join in 1972. I was enjoying being a big fish in a small pond with another club. Playing at a level that immediately stretched me and lifted me was the best thing I ever did. I wish I had joined years earlier when the opportunity was first offered. I feel a bit the same way about my late commitment to the church; but I’m still glad I signed on when I did.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Funny stuff salt
When people ask me what they should be reading in the Bible, I rarely if ever point them in the first (or second) instance to the Books of Leviticus or Numbers; they are not often seen as inspiring reading. However, as we grow in faith a trip into these ancient books can be very useful indeed.
The week began with what was hoped to be a special Sunday service as we had invited well over fifty people to join us for a ‘Let’s all go to church’ Sunday. It was an opportunity for people to set aside something else perhaps and join us for worship. Well … let’s be blunt; it didn’t work.
It was in a fairly sombre and hopefully reflective mood that I turned to the Scriptures for inspiration this week and for some reason I found myself in Leviticus – as you do! I got stuck in a strange place: reason all your grain offerings with salt.
I know, it isn’t doing much for you is it? For me it got me thinking about salt and probably more specifically the place in Matthew five where Jesus reminds us that we are the salt of the earth.
Salt of the earth? In ancient times – and even today – a covenant will be ratified and celebrated by a formal meal. Any old enmities are set aside and we sit down and share food and drink together. In Biblical times salt was shared between parties as a key part of the covenant ceremony. Salt was in those days a very important preservative and at this important occasion it was symbolic of preserving the particular agreement from corruption.
The instruction in the Leviticus reading that caught my notice was that the people were to make sure that every offering made to God was to have salt added to it. It is powerful stuff this salt. It is one of the things on this earth that we have plenty of and there is little likelihood of it running out. In these days of lack rejoice in the plentitude of salt!
For the people of Israel – for Jesus – salt was a reminder of an eternal covenant with God. No matter what our circumstance at any given time God’s abiding love is a constant that will never run out. There is no use by date on God’s love. The covenant of salt should remind us all that we have an abiding and eternal relationship with God. Nothing will change that. But wait; there’s more!
Ancient covenants were usually offered by a dominant king to a less powerful people and therefore we had an imbalance from the very beginning. The Covenant of salt that God offers is clearly unbalanced – there is no bigger King than God – but the terms of the covenant is astonishing. We are offered a part in the care and nurture of all of creation!
‘You are the salt of the earth’ said Jesus. He also said; ‘you are the light of the world’. But over time the salt seems to have lost its taste and the light has been too often hidden under a basket.
Funny stuff salt; you can put into or onto stuff and it dissolves really quickly. You can be cooking up a meal and ask your partner to taste and see what they think. For me, a salt lover, my most common words are; ‘I think it needs more salt.’
In these days where our political leaders are offering us lots of toys to seduce our vote and when materialism appears to have won the war. When you are wondering just what the next ingredient needs to be; it is good to be reminded by a quiet word from the Spirit of God – ‘I think it needs more salt.’
The week began with what was hoped to be a special Sunday service as we had invited well over fifty people to join us for a ‘Let’s all go to church’ Sunday. It was an opportunity for people to set aside something else perhaps and join us for worship. Well … let’s be blunt; it didn’t work.
It was in a fairly sombre and hopefully reflective mood that I turned to the Scriptures for inspiration this week and for some reason I found myself in Leviticus – as you do! I got stuck in a strange place: reason all your grain offerings with salt.
Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings. Leviticus 2:13
I know, it isn’t doing much for you is it? For me it got me thinking about salt and probably more specifically the place in Matthew five where Jesus reminds us that we are the salt of the earth.
Salt of the earth? In ancient times – and even today – a covenant will be ratified and celebrated by a formal meal. Any old enmities are set aside and we sit down and share food and drink together. In Biblical times salt was shared between parties as a key part of the covenant ceremony. Salt was in those days a very important preservative and at this important occasion it was symbolic of preserving the particular agreement from corruption.
The instruction in the Leviticus reading that caught my notice was that the people were to make sure that every offering made to God was to have salt added to it. It is powerful stuff this salt. It is one of the things on this earth that we have plenty of and there is little likelihood of it running out. In these days of lack rejoice in the plentitude of salt!
For the people of Israel – for Jesus – salt was a reminder of an eternal covenant with God. No matter what our circumstance at any given time God’s abiding love is a constant that will never run out. There is no use by date on God’s love. The covenant of salt should remind us all that we have an abiding and eternal relationship with God. Nothing will change that. But wait; there’s more!
Ancient covenants were usually offered by a dominant king to a less powerful people and therefore we had an imbalance from the very beginning. The Covenant of salt that God offers is clearly unbalanced – there is no bigger King than God – but the terms of the covenant is astonishing. We are offered a part in the care and nurture of all of creation!
‘You are the salt of the earth’ said Jesus. He also said; ‘you are the light of the world’. But over time the salt seems to have lost its taste and the light has been too often hidden under a basket.
Funny stuff salt; you can put into or onto stuff and it dissolves really quickly. You can be cooking up a meal and ask your partner to taste and see what they think. For me, a salt lover, my most common words are; ‘I think it needs more salt.’
In these days where our political leaders are offering us lots of toys to seduce our vote and when materialism appears to have won the war. When you are wondering just what the next ingredient needs to be; it is good to be reminded by a quiet word from the Spirit of God – ‘I think it needs more salt.’
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The greater good
A couple of words have been important to me as I continue on this journey of Christian leadership and they are: greater good. I really do understand that we need some guidelines by which we can monitor the journey, but as I will be talking about on Sunday morning; the Christian journey is ALL about grace.
From time to time I will quite deliberately choose to ignore some particular parameters that, chances are we have wrestled over in previous times. I am well aware that this causes some consternation, but will continue to rock the administrative boat for what I perceive as the greater good. We are an organisation that needs rules to move forward but must never forget that we live not by rules but by grace.
Jesus once said: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfil.’ What does it mean to be people of fulfilment? Fulfilment is quite a delicious word don’t you think? I dream of a community that is committed to fulfilment. Not fulfilment for themselves but for all.
Making your goal the greater good means that the rule book becomes a resource not a gospel. It becomes a vessel of hope instead of an anchor around our neck. Oh yes, we have agreed that this is the fence line; but for the greater good we might have to occasionally just push it off line a little. Occasionally that which is well entrenched might have to be inconvenienced just a little bit for something that is new and has the potential to bless.
I love the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus in Luke 19. The opening lines of this yarn make it quite clear that Jesus was passing through and had no intention of any great delay. It was a little cheating tax collector up a tree that changed his plans. His disciples were checking their Iphones and Blackberries to see if they had this stoppage slotted in while Jesus organised lunch! Now, you might make some adjustments to your schedule for an unforeseen opportunity to catch up with friends or a worthwhile new contact; but lunch with a tax collector!? Come on.
Here is the bit that so many Christians still, for reasons absolutely beyond me, do not get. IT IS NOT ABOUT US!! It is all about the greater good. When Jesus told a story about a banquet where the honoured guests didn’t turn up, the host said to go out and hunt the streets and alleyways for anybody to come; credentialed or not. Greater good.
For anyone taking notice you will see that I am happy to bend or even break a rule, to ensure that the road is made clear for people to find the kingdom of God. Yes, I do have a different expectation for those who are already a part of us and that expectation is that we see that the greater good is paramount and that grace is our watchword.
Is this a recipe for anarchy? I don’t think so but then again I have become convinced that I live at a different address to some. My goal is and has always flowed from that same story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. At the end of this little interlude Jesus gave us his job description: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.’ That’ll do me. How about you?
To seek and save the lost is a tough gig. It is easier to serve the already saved and keep the regular customers satisfied. Seeking and saving is dangerous. It could get you crucified?
From time to time I will quite deliberately choose to ignore some particular parameters that, chances are we have wrestled over in previous times. I am well aware that this causes some consternation, but will continue to rock the administrative boat for what I perceive as the greater good. We are an organisation that needs rules to move forward but must never forget that we live not by rules but by grace.
Jesus once said: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfil.’ What does it mean to be people of fulfilment? Fulfilment is quite a delicious word don’t you think? I dream of a community that is committed to fulfilment. Not fulfilment for themselves but for all.
Making your goal the greater good means that the rule book becomes a resource not a gospel. It becomes a vessel of hope instead of an anchor around our neck. Oh yes, we have agreed that this is the fence line; but for the greater good we might have to occasionally just push it off line a little. Occasionally that which is well entrenched might have to be inconvenienced just a little bit for something that is new and has the potential to bless.
I love the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus in Luke 19. The opening lines of this yarn make it quite clear that Jesus was passing through and had no intention of any great delay. It was a little cheating tax collector up a tree that changed his plans. His disciples were checking their Iphones and Blackberries to see if they had this stoppage slotted in while Jesus organised lunch! Now, you might make some adjustments to your schedule for an unforeseen opportunity to catch up with friends or a worthwhile new contact; but lunch with a tax collector!? Come on.
Here is the bit that so many Christians still, for reasons absolutely beyond me, do not get. IT IS NOT ABOUT US!! It is all about the greater good. When Jesus told a story about a banquet where the honoured guests didn’t turn up, the host said to go out and hunt the streets and alleyways for anybody to come; credentialed or not. Greater good.
For anyone taking notice you will see that I am happy to bend or even break a rule, to ensure that the road is made clear for people to find the kingdom of God. Yes, I do have a different expectation for those who are already a part of us and that expectation is that we see that the greater good is paramount and that grace is our watchword.
Is this a recipe for anarchy? I don’t think so but then again I have become convinced that I live at a different address to some. My goal is and has always flowed from that same story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. At the end of this little interlude Jesus gave us his job description: ‘For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.’ That’ll do me. How about you?
To seek and save the lost is a tough gig. It is easier to serve the already saved and keep the regular customers satisfied. Seeking and saving is dangerous. It could get you crucified?
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Just before I went away our kid’s choir sang an old favourite of mine called ‘I have decided to follow Jesus’. One of the verses goes, ‘Though none go with me still I will follow, though none go with me, still I will follow, though none go with me, still I will follow, no turning back, no turning back.’ It has taken a long, long time but I think after many years I actually understand those lines.
Church life is not about building enough numbers so that our worship is as good as Pastor Whosit down the road, and it is not about getting enough bums on seats to pay the bills, or making sure that everybody is happy and content. Surprise, surprise it is about following Jesus. And if we are in any way au fait with the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (they are in the Bible!) we should have understood this simple fact many moons ago. I am always strangely encouraged by the verse in John:
My quirky nature sometimes wonders if someone deliberately made sure that this verse was positioned so that it is found at John 6:66??
I think it is why Jesus used examples of nature so much in his stories. Nature is so unpredictable. There are seasons of good harvest and all seems to be following a natural flow and then we fall into seasons of drought, loss and instability. Jesus tells his stories and I nod along with those who first heard them 2,000 years ago.
Probably my favourite is the parable of the mustard seed:
He also said,
Jesus doesn’t talk about building a 25 storey hotel from small beginnings. He talks about seed, shrubs, fields, flowers; things that are small and often hardly noticed. So we faithfully bury our mustard seed of faith and we might be surprised what crops up! Our faith may be rewarded by birds coming and making a nest in the fruit of our seed planting. However, birds don’t stay forever; they have seasons also and before you know it they fly off to another nest, perhaps, bigger, safer or more immediately rewarding or pleasing to the eye.
I have decided to follow Jesus and though none go with me, still I will follow. This message is so foreign for the ME society of our times. Because you see it is not about me – it is about Jesus. It is not about how powerful, popular or proficient I am – it is about Jesus. It is not about theology, doctrine, dogma, a three fold plan of salvation or 40 days of whatever the latest fad is. It is all about Jesus.
I worshipped in another place a couple of weeks back. It was a good service, good message etc; but my experience was blighted by a simple incident at the front door. As we entered a very eager man with the gift of perception noted that I was male and confronted me with a clip board and asked if I was going to the upcoming Men’s Weekend. There was no introduction – just the question.
I read somewhere recently that grace has to be experienced – not explained. I believe that the churches greatest challenge today is not about music, worship, prayer or preaching. It is not about children’s ministry, adult ministry or whatever the heck ministry is trendy at the time; but it is all about finding a way for people to meet with and perhaps choose to follow to Jesus.
Perhaps the best way to do this might be for us ‘Jesus followers’ to remember that we are not Good Friday Christians but Easter Sunday people. We follow a resurrected Christ, which by my strange logic says that he is still alive?!
Church life is not about building enough numbers so that our worship is as good as Pastor Whosit down the road, and it is not about getting enough bums on seats to pay the bills, or making sure that everybody is happy and content. Surprise, surprise it is about following Jesus. And if we are in any way au fait with the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (they are in the Bible!) we should have understood this simple fact many moons ago. I am always strangely encouraged by the verse in John:
‘Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.’
My quirky nature sometimes wonders if someone deliberately made sure that this verse was positioned so that it is found at John 6:66??
I think it is why Jesus used examples of nature so much in his stories. Nature is so unpredictable. There are seasons of good harvest and all seems to be following a natural flow and then we fall into seasons of drought, loss and instability. Jesus tells his stories and I nod along with those who first heard them 2,000 years ago.
Probably my favourite is the parable of the mustard seed:
He also said,
"With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." Mark 4:30-32
Jesus doesn’t talk about building a 25 storey hotel from small beginnings. He talks about seed, shrubs, fields, flowers; things that are small and often hardly noticed. So we faithfully bury our mustard seed of faith and we might be surprised what crops up! Our faith may be rewarded by birds coming and making a nest in the fruit of our seed planting. However, birds don’t stay forever; they have seasons also and before you know it they fly off to another nest, perhaps, bigger, safer or more immediately rewarding or pleasing to the eye.
I have decided to follow Jesus and though none go with me, still I will follow. This message is so foreign for the ME society of our times. Because you see it is not about me – it is about Jesus. It is not about how powerful, popular or proficient I am – it is about Jesus. It is not about theology, doctrine, dogma, a three fold plan of salvation or 40 days of whatever the latest fad is. It is all about Jesus.
I worshipped in another place a couple of weeks back. It was a good service, good message etc; but my experience was blighted by a simple incident at the front door. As we entered a very eager man with the gift of perception noted that I was male and confronted me with a clip board and asked if I was going to the upcoming Men’s Weekend. There was no introduction – just the question.
I read somewhere recently that grace has to be experienced – not explained. I believe that the churches greatest challenge today is not about music, worship, prayer or preaching. It is not about children’s ministry, adult ministry or whatever the heck ministry is trendy at the time; but it is all about finding a way for people to meet with and perhaps choose to follow to Jesus.
Perhaps the best way to do this might be for us ‘Jesus followers’ to remember that we are not Good Friday Christians but Easter Sunday people. We follow a resurrected Christ, which by my strange logic says that he is still alive?!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A reality bite
Last Saturday evening I was heading up Windsor Road from Parramatta and passing Bella Vista I noticed some flashing blue lights heading in the opposite direction down Windsor Road. Those blue lights grew as I realised that there must be some serious incident to attract this many police bikes and cars. It was then that the cavalcade passed me and in the middle of the escort were three hearses. I remembered the news report just minutes earlier telling us that the bodies of the three soldiers killed in Afghanistan had just landed at Richmond air base.
Afghanistan is thousands of miles away, but there, just across the median strip, was the grim reality of a war that for that brief moment came home to me. It made a night at the football quite mundane.
I have to confess that it made my Sunday morning message on ‘Come and die’ all the more important to me personally and if no one else listened to me, I did!
There is a passage in the Book of Micah that I was reflecting on this morning:
It is of course an impossible dream – or is it? When Jesus came among people his common greeting or call to others was that they might have peace or go in peace. In Hebrew the word for peace is Shalom and while Jesus undoubtedly spoke in Aramaic, I like to think that for such an important word he would have used the language of the prophets and said ‘Shalom’.
An important part of the ministry of Jesus was that of peace carrier. A key part of our growth as disciples of Jesus is to move from having faith in Jesus to having the faith of Jesus (I think I pinched that from Dallas Willard but am not sure where?) Having faith in is cerebral, while having the faith of is gut. There is a very big difference.
Having faith in is like believing that the Parramatta Eels is a good football team. It’s a faith statement that really requires nothing more from us. We can attend the occasional game if we like but the hard work is done by others who we can feel free to boo and criticise because after all, we are believers!
Having the faith of is a different matter altogether. It lifts our eyes to far horizons and gives us hope and vision far beyond ourselves and the tiny kingdoms that we have built for ourselves. I was once abused and accused of being self righteous because I was thinking of giving a large amount of money away to a worthy charity. Strange behaviour you might say; but I think it is becoming normal in a society of shrinking worlds and shrinking values.
Leonard Sweet tells this story:
People can keep their ‘ticky tacky’ faith; I want something with a bit of guts. For me three hearses on Windsor Road has been a powerful impetus to faith. It has been a powerful reminder that we followers of Jesus are ‘Shalomers’, people of peace. It starts where we are but who knows where it might go?
Shalom - John
Afghanistan is thousands of miles away, but there, just across the median strip, was the grim reality of a war that for that brief moment came home to me. It made a night at the football quite mundane.
I have to confess that it made my Sunday morning message on ‘Come and die’ all the more important to me personally and if no one else listened to me, I did!
There is a passage in the Book of Micah that I was reflecting on this morning:
‘He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.’Micah 4:3,4
It is of course an impossible dream – or is it? When Jesus came among people his common greeting or call to others was that they might have peace or go in peace. In Hebrew the word for peace is Shalom and while Jesus undoubtedly spoke in Aramaic, I like to think that for such an important word he would have used the language of the prophets and said ‘Shalom’.
An important part of the ministry of Jesus was that of peace carrier. A key part of our growth as disciples of Jesus is to move from having faith in Jesus to having the faith of Jesus (I think I pinched that from Dallas Willard but am not sure where?) Having faith in is cerebral, while having the faith of is gut. There is a very big difference.
Having faith in is like believing that the Parramatta Eels is a good football team. It’s a faith statement that really requires nothing more from us. We can attend the occasional game if we like but the hard work is done by others who we can feel free to boo and criticise because after all, we are believers!
Having the faith of is a different matter altogether. It lifts our eyes to far horizons and gives us hope and vision far beyond ourselves and the tiny kingdoms that we have built for ourselves. I was once abused and accused of being self righteous because I was thinking of giving a large amount of money away to a worthy charity. Strange behaviour you might say; but I think it is becoming normal in a society of shrinking worlds and shrinking values.
Leonard Sweet tells this story:
‘There was once an old Jewish man. All he ever did in his spare time was to go to the edge of the village and plant fig trees. People would ask him, “Why are you planting fig trees? You are going to die before you can eat any of the fruit that they produce.” But he said, “I have spent so many happy hours sitting under fig trees and eating their fruit. Those trees were planted by others. Why shouldn’t I make sure that others will enjoy the enjoyment that I have had?”’ So Beautiful – David C. Cook – 2009 – pg 188
People can keep their ‘ticky tacky’ faith; I want something with a bit of guts. For me three hearses on Windsor Road has been a powerful impetus to faith. It has been a powerful reminder that we followers of Jesus are ‘Shalomers’, people of peace. It starts where we are but who knows where it might go?
Shalom - John
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I was struck this week by the contrast between two Old Testament brothers, Moses and Aaron. It is worth reading the Book of Exodus and thinking through what is going on in this tumultuous time. Moses, hardly the man that we would employ as God’s spokesperson, was a coward, a murderer and struggled with public speaking because he had a speech problem. Aaron was second in charge to Moses but was the better speaker, perhaps even the more ‘charismatic’ figure?
This Sunday I am speaking on the theme ‘Come and Die’; a title not really guaranteed to pack in a big crowd; but come along if you dare! The surrendered life is such fertile soil for God to grow fruit that will last. Jesus was in a garden of olive trees – so traumatised that his sweat ran like blood – facing torture and death; yet following his prayer his final words were ‘Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.’
Queen Esther had it all, but when her faith in God was challenged, she responded by saying; ‘After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’
As I trace the faith journey of Moses, I am struck by his almost constant sense of not knowing! ‘Moses take off your sandals the place you are standing is holy ground’. ‘Looks like a desert to me Lord; but if you say so ..’ ‘Moses go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go.’ ‘You say what??’ Moses, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.’ ??? It seems that the closer Moses got to God the less he knew.
Moses was delayed on Mount Sinai – volcanic ash or the Ten Commandments or some such thing was causing concern and he had to stay over for a few days. His articulate brother Aaron, though distant from God apparently knew exactly what God looked like –He had the people of Israel build the Golden Calf while they were waiting.
It is interesting to me that those who are distant from God have little trouble drawing a picture, whereas those who continue the struggle to know and discern the work of God spend a lot of time in Puzzle Land?! The closer you get the less you know. The further apart the surer you are.
These first six months of 2010 have been some of the most personally challenging that I have known. As a church leader the end of 2009 contained much that gave encouragement for the future. While I have enjoyed seeing people grow significantly in faith, I have also been bemused at the stark reality of something that can only be called the fickleness of faith. When I retire I think I know the name plaque for our home that will be dedicated to my ministry experience. I will have a sign that reads ‘Gunnadoo’. It has a nice Aussie sound to it after all.
In recent weeks I have experienced the loss of one of my dearest friends. Sad though this time has been it has reminded me of the power of the gospel to transform lives that are submitted to Jesus. At the same time I am coming to terms with a sense almost of betrayal, faith that seems to offer much but is in reality a façade, a ‘noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.’
It all takes me back to Ezekiel 47 and the vision of a man being lead though various depths of water. Ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep, then a place where the river is so deep that it cannot be crossed and all you can do is give yourself to the river! Deep river faith is never going to be a popular gig and yet this is the task that I believe God has called me into. At my best moments I love it and at my worst I would gladly trade it for a Golden Calf. Yet ‘within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot.’ Jeremiah 20:9
This Sunday I am speaking on the theme ‘Come and Die’; a title not really guaranteed to pack in a big crowd; but come along if you dare! The surrendered life is such fertile soil for God to grow fruit that will last. Jesus was in a garden of olive trees – so traumatised that his sweat ran like blood – facing torture and death; yet following his prayer his final words were ‘Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.’
Queen Esther had it all, but when her faith in God was challenged, she responded by saying; ‘After that I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.’
As I trace the faith journey of Moses, I am struck by his almost constant sense of not knowing! ‘Moses take off your sandals the place you are standing is holy ground’. ‘Looks like a desert to me Lord; but if you say so ..’ ‘Moses go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go.’ ‘You say what??’ Moses, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.’ ??? It seems that the closer Moses got to God the less he knew.
Moses was delayed on Mount Sinai – volcanic ash or the Ten Commandments or some such thing was causing concern and he had to stay over for a few days. His articulate brother Aaron, though distant from God apparently knew exactly what God looked like –He had the people of Israel build the Golden Calf while they were waiting.
It is interesting to me that those who are distant from God have little trouble drawing a picture, whereas those who continue the struggle to know and discern the work of God spend a lot of time in Puzzle Land?! The closer you get the less you know. The further apart the surer you are.
These first six months of 2010 have been some of the most personally challenging that I have known. As a church leader the end of 2009 contained much that gave encouragement for the future. While I have enjoyed seeing people grow significantly in faith, I have also been bemused at the stark reality of something that can only be called the fickleness of faith. When I retire I think I know the name plaque for our home that will be dedicated to my ministry experience. I will have a sign that reads ‘Gunnadoo’. It has a nice Aussie sound to it after all.
In recent weeks I have experienced the loss of one of my dearest friends. Sad though this time has been it has reminded me of the power of the gospel to transform lives that are submitted to Jesus. At the same time I am coming to terms with a sense almost of betrayal, faith that seems to offer much but is in reality a façade, a ‘noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.’
It all takes me back to Ezekiel 47 and the vision of a man being lead though various depths of water. Ankle deep, knee deep, waist deep, then a place where the river is so deep that it cannot be crossed and all you can do is give yourself to the river! Deep river faith is never going to be a popular gig and yet this is the task that I believe God has called me into. At my best moments I love it and at my worst I would gladly trade it for a Golden Calf. Yet ‘within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot.’ Jeremiah 20:9
Thursday, June 17, 2010
For God's sake grow up!
I came across a story recently about a Scottish lady whose name was Margaret. Perhaps it was the recent loss of my own dear friend Margaret that made the story stand out for me? Margaret was dying from cancer of the throat that was so badly constricting her breathing that she was slowly being strangled to death. People would come and visit this lady and so often the conversation went along the lines of, ‘Oh Margaret, you’ve suffered so much and now this’. Margaret became so frustrated that – now unable to speak – she wrote her own statement of faith as a response to give to visitors:
That my friend is a gutsy earthy faith! I am well over the wishy washy, anaemic little thing that seems to suffice for some and yearn for a good belt of Margaret faith.
Last week my theme for the day was ‘Come and obey’ and I suggested that it would be absurd to still be breast feeding our children into adulthood, putting forward the radical idea that likewise there is a place where we might need to ‘grow up’ spiritually. I’m glad to be able to report that at least one person in history agrees with me:
I am seeing a bubbling up of desire for some solid food these days. Oh, there are not hundreds beating a path to my door, indeed it doesn’t even number in the tens; but this Pentecost season I am seeing some bubbles! I am being inspired by the way in which people among us have taken some massive hits and yet still stand! More than that; they are moving forward; groggy, but determined to not only rebuild but offer themselves yet again to God, daring to ask how they might better worship, witness and serve him. Gutsy faith.
A lot of faith for me is BCEF – Baptism, Christmas, Easter and Funeral. Get the child done so that grumpy god is appeased, then we will drop in to have a look at the baby Jesus or be brave and reflect on the cross of adult Jesus, until its time to stamp our passport for heaven at our funeral service. Here is the good news! We worship a God of infinite love and this God cannot help himself, it is intrinsic to the divine nature – God will bless.
God doesn’t have off days when he takes time to have a sulk and go through the good book crossing off names in a fit of temper!
God is love! However, I think that the Jesus story tells us that there is so much more for us to seek. We tend to settle for the easy bargain basement toys of life. We are after all not here for a long time but a good time? Recent days have reminded me of just how great is the love of the Father that we might be called children of God. I think that is something worth thinking about.
This is not the worst thing to ever happen! Cancer is so limited. It cannot cripple love, shatter hope, corrode faith, eat away peace, destroy confidence, kill friendship, shut out memories, silence courage, quench the Spirit or lessen the power of Jesus.’
That my friend is a gutsy earthy faith! I am well over the wishy washy, anaemic little thing that seems to suffice for some and yearn for a good belt of Margaret faith.
Last week my theme for the day was ‘Come and obey’ and I suggested that it would be absurd to still be breast feeding our children into adulthood, putting forward the radical idea that likewise there is a place where we might need to ‘grow up’ spiritually. I’m glad to be able to report that at least one person in history agrees with me:
Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, Hebrews 5:13-6:1
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Ephesians 4:14
I am seeing a bubbling up of desire for some solid food these days. Oh, there are not hundreds beating a path to my door, indeed it doesn’t even number in the tens; but this Pentecost season I am seeing some bubbles! I am being inspired by the way in which people among us have taken some massive hits and yet still stand! More than that; they are moving forward; groggy, but determined to not only rebuild but offer themselves yet again to God, daring to ask how they might better worship, witness and serve him. Gutsy faith.
A lot of faith for me is BCEF – Baptism, Christmas, Easter and Funeral. Get the child done so that grumpy god is appeased, then we will drop in to have a look at the baby Jesus or be brave and reflect on the cross of adult Jesus, until its time to stamp our passport for heaven at our funeral service. Here is the good news! We worship a God of infinite love and this God cannot help himself, it is intrinsic to the divine nature – God will bless.
God doesn’t have off days when he takes time to have a sulk and go through the good book crossing off names in a fit of temper!
God is love! However, I think that the Jesus story tells us that there is so much more for us to seek. We tend to settle for the easy bargain basement toys of life. We are after all not here for a long time but a good time? Recent days have reminded me of just how great is the love of the Father that we might be called children of God. I think that is something worth thinking about.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
tribute to a friend
I stumbled across a really good proverb this week:
The above piece of wisdom struck home to me this week when Ronnie and I attended the funeral of one of our very closest friends. Margaret was for me one of the finest people I have ever known and to have played a small part in her coming to faith was a gift to me as much at to her. I regularly tell people that Margaret gave me the greatest compliment ever about my gifts of faith sharing. She once said, “John, thank you for showing me that you can be a Christian and still have fun!” She was a very wise, gutsy and dear friend whose loss has affected me more deeply than I could
have imagined.
I guess this is so because Margy was more than a friend; she was one of my greatest supporters and prayer warriors. Sadly in this line of business you can get knocked about a little more than you might expect and it is always good to know that certain special people have you covered. The older and (hopefully) wiser I get, the more I am valuing the company of good and wise friends and the more I am trying to be a similar friend to others.
One of the marks of my ministry I am told is my openness and transparency. This is good because it is one of the things that I believe in very deeply. However I do understand why people in ministry leadership may tend not to be open and transparent. Putting it simply; hurt and disappointment is normal and distance is a way to avoid it. In any relationship, the person who gets hurt the most will be the one who loves the most.
So what is the secret to my staying in a very difficult ministry role? It has a great deal to do with the grace of God who thinks more highly of me than I do; but it is also that over the years I have harvested some very significant wise, loving and prayerful friends. It is a small circle but is a powerful one!
Of course there is another circle of friends that I am greatly thankful for and this particular group is one that is beyond corruption and rather than in danger of diminishing, it continues to grow. We find a clue to this group in the Book of Hebrews chapter 12:
These are my balcony people. These are the saints who have touched me over the years and are now in glory standing on the balcony of my life and cheering me on. I have to tell you that is some cheer squad!!
If someone were thinking of going into ministry my first advice would be to pray really hard and then I would advise them to gather some good and wise friends. My guess is that it will not be a very large group at all. At any given time mine would rarely – if ever - reach double figures.
In whatever we do in life we are always exposed to a wide network of people. As best as you know how, bring a spirit of acceptance and a transparent heart. Offer to everyone you meet – as best as you can – gifts of love and grace. Along the way you will bump into fools and occasionally be a fool yourself; but keep good company with the wise it will be an excellent investment.
I hope that the great cloud of witnesses enjoy a glass of red Margaret!
Grace and peace - John
'Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools suffers harm.’ Proverbs 13:20
The above piece of wisdom struck home to me this week when Ronnie and I attended the funeral of one of our very closest friends. Margaret was for me one of the finest people I have ever known and to have played a small part in her coming to faith was a gift to me as much at to her. I regularly tell people that Margaret gave me the greatest compliment ever about my gifts of faith sharing. She once said, “John, thank you for showing me that you can be a Christian and still have fun!” She was a very wise, gutsy and dear friend whose loss has affected me more deeply than I could
have imagined.
I guess this is so because Margy was more than a friend; she was one of my greatest supporters and prayer warriors. Sadly in this line of business you can get knocked about a little more than you might expect and it is always good to know that certain special people have you covered. The older and (hopefully) wiser I get, the more I am valuing the company of good and wise friends and the more I am trying to be a similar friend to others.
One of the marks of my ministry I am told is my openness and transparency. This is good because it is one of the things that I believe in very deeply. However I do understand why people in ministry leadership may tend not to be open and transparent. Putting it simply; hurt and disappointment is normal and distance is a way to avoid it. In any relationship, the person who gets hurt the most will be the one who loves the most.
So what is the secret to my staying in a very difficult ministry role? It has a great deal to do with the grace of God who thinks more highly of me than I do; but it is also that over the years I have harvested some very significant wise, loving and prayerful friends. It is a small circle but is a powerful one!
Of course there is another circle of friends that I am greatly thankful for and this particular group is one that is beyond corruption and rather than in danger of diminishing, it continues to grow. We find a clue to this group in the Book of Hebrews chapter 12:
‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us ..’
These are my balcony people. These are the saints who have touched me over the years and are now in glory standing on the balcony of my life and cheering me on. I have to tell you that is some cheer squad!!
If someone were thinking of going into ministry my first advice would be to pray really hard and then I would advise them to gather some good and wise friends. My guess is that it will not be a very large group at all. At any given time mine would rarely – if ever - reach double figures.
In whatever we do in life we are always exposed to a wide network of people. As best as you know how, bring a spirit of acceptance and a transparent heart. Offer to everyone you meet – as best as you can – gifts of love and grace. Along the way you will bump into fools and occasionally be a fool yourself; but keep good company with the wise it will be an excellent investment.
I hope that the great cloud of witnesses enjoy a glass of red Margaret!
Grace and peace - John
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Last Sunday I used a couple of quotes from one of my favourite Christian writers, Dallas Willard and I would like to use them again as the basis for my weekly waffle / trifle:
What does it mean to follow the resurrected Christ? Is it just a good idea or a fine philosophy for us to live by? Is it just a myth out of history that gives us a framework through which we can live our lives? Is it a kind of coat hanger that we can hang our ‘stuff’ on? Or is it really REAL?
I dropped in and out of church as an adult for about 15 years. It began with being greatly attracted to a gorgeous young lady, so much so that I married her and for a brief time we had a dalliance with the church from which that wedding took place. A few years on and I picked up the church relationship again with the advent of children and the need to get them ‘done’, that is baptised. On each of these occasions I walked away and yet at the same time I felt a sense of disappointment; as if there was something more to find behind the words and the ceremony.
So what changed? I guess I did. For so long I had been the resident judge, jury and executioner for church and all its failings; the non-resident expert if you like. Being in actuality quite ignorant of most of the facts, this made me eminently qualified to be an expert on the subject!
There is a lovely phrase in the story of the Prodigal son, who is enjoying the five star luxury of a farmers pig pen, when he says: ‘But when he came to himself..’ I think that is the most important moment in any person’s life; that time when we stop kidding ourselves and have a reality check. Well, over a period of months from September 1982 to February 1983 I had experienced the joys of the pig pen until I came to myself.
I came home to the father. Not as a doubting, cynical and ignorant expert; but as one who acknowledged that he was lost and needed a Saviour.
Over many months of earnest searching and of taking the enormous risk for me of opening myself to others, I found that the living Christ was not some churchy catch-word, but was true. Through giving myself to the crazy journey of a local church I began to see things – not through my eyes or the churches eyes – but to my amazement and wonder, I began to see the world through the eyes of Christ. I discovered that this was truly a God bathed and God permeated world.
Oh, there is a lot of stuff that I do not get. On Monday Ronnie and I found that one of our very dearest friends is seriously ill. All we have been able to do is pray and even as I write this paragraph word has just come though that Margaret has died this morning. I don’t understand what goes on around these things; but I do know a God of unconditional love and infinite grace and have known and experienced enough of that grace and love to hold fast to this faith.
I strive to share Jesus’ view of this God breathed and God permeated world. I share the hope that every component is within the range of God’s direct knowledge and control.
‘Jesus’ good news about the kingdom can be an effective guide for our lives only if we share his view of the world in which we live. To his eyes this is a God bathed and God permeated world. It is a world filled with a glorious reality, where every component is within the range of God’s direct knowledge and control.’
What does it mean to follow the resurrected Christ? Is it just a good idea or a fine philosophy for us to live by? Is it just a myth out of history that gives us a framework through which we can live our lives? Is it a kind of coat hanger that we can hang our ‘stuff’ on? Or is it really REAL?
I dropped in and out of church as an adult for about 15 years. It began with being greatly attracted to a gorgeous young lady, so much so that I married her and for a brief time we had a dalliance with the church from which that wedding took place. A few years on and I picked up the church relationship again with the advent of children and the need to get them ‘done’, that is baptised. On each of these occasions I walked away and yet at the same time I felt a sense of disappointment; as if there was something more to find behind the words and the ceremony.
So what changed? I guess I did. For so long I had been the resident judge, jury and executioner for church and all its failings; the non-resident expert if you like. Being in actuality quite ignorant of most of the facts, this made me eminently qualified to be an expert on the subject!
There is a lovely phrase in the story of the Prodigal son, who is enjoying the five star luxury of a farmers pig pen, when he says: ‘But when he came to himself..’ I think that is the most important moment in any person’s life; that time when we stop kidding ourselves and have a reality check. Well, over a period of months from September 1982 to February 1983 I had experienced the joys of the pig pen until I came to myself.
I came home to the father. Not as a doubting, cynical and ignorant expert; but as one who acknowledged that he was lost and needed a Saviour.
Over many months of earnest searching and of taking the enormous risk for me of opening myself to others, I found that the living Christ was not some churchy catch-word, but was true. Through giving myself to the crazy journey of a local church I began to see things – not through my eyes or the churches eyes – but to my amazement and wonder, I began to see the world through the eyes of Christ. I discovered that this was truly a God bathed and God permeated world.
Oh, there is a lot of stuff that I do not get. On Monday Ronnie and I found that one of our very dearest friends is seriously ill. All we have been able to do is pray and even as I write this paragraph word has just come though that Margaret has died this morning. I don’t understand what goes on around these things; but I do know a God of unconditional love and infinite grace and have known and experienced enough of that grace and love to hold fast to this faith.
I strive to share Jesus’ view of this God breathed and God permeated world. I share the hope that every component is within the range of God’s direct knowledge and control.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
One for the true believers
It is State of Origin time and – of much greater interest to me personally – it is also World Cup time. I didn’t watch all of last night’s game; but saw enough to feel a pang of jealousy! There were almost 80,000 people there in soaking wet conditions to cheer their respective teams. Come World Cup time some people – me included - will be getting out of bed at all sorts of hours to watch their team take on the worlds best and then somehow stagger off to do whatever the day holds for them.
You learn a lot when God calls you to do new church stuff. Occasionally I will have a fight with the Almighty and ask why I couldn’t just have some nice little church somewhere and do nice little church stuff. However, I acknowledge that the Lord does have a sense of humour and clearly prefers to have me as light relief for boring moments in heaven.
Where am I heading with my bit of waffle this week? Well you see it is those 80,000 that bugged me. How come they were there – most to see their team lose – on a night unfit for human habitation? One of the things that I have learnt about doing new church stuff is that disappointment is normal. Almost 80,000 at the footy and on Pentecost Sunday, the third biggest festival of the church, we had one of our lowest adult attendances of the year? Conditions were good, the weather cool but fine, with parking right next to the stadium and all seating under cover. Strange days indeed.
I have a theory. It is always good to have a theory as I believe it helps to keep you sane and it is actually one of the reasons that I keep pouring out things like my usually regular waffling. For those who love Rugby League there has been no shortage of pre-match entertainment. For weeks now there has been endless speculation as to who will be in and who will miss out. Is so and so fit and will whatsisname fire up on the big day? The thing is that fans absolutely devour it all. By the time the game comes around we are as match fit with information as the players are fit for the game. They love it! It isn’t just the event but the lead up the speculation and anticipation is as exciting as the game.
The church? I don’t think we love it!? As a matter of fact it is counter cultural in good old Oz to love something like the church, or even perhaps God. All things in moderation dear friends, let’s not get too excited here.
I believe that mankind has a default button that is hard wired to love and worship and so we will find things to satisfy these desires because love and worship is the oxygen of our being. The obvious question then is what do we put in place to satiate our desires?
So disappointment is normal and the question I face on a regular basis is how do I respond? Oh, I could head off for a pity party in the local phone booth with all of my friends, but you don’t see many phone booths these days. No, after a lot of years I have learned that the best way forward is to be at least true to myself. I will continue to push out some pre-match information to hopefully excite the fans and each month we will provide a regular progress report to monitor our journey. Our leadership group will continue to maintain and enhance our stadiums facilities and remain committed to providing opportunities for people to meet together in various situations to study form and even meet with the star of the show occasionally (that would be God not Jarryd Haynes).
Another thing I have learned about doing a new thing is you never stop doing a new thing. My constant challenge is not to worry about Origin 2 of 2010 that is way too short sighted for this gig. We are talking about eternal stuff here not footy. I will try, as best as I know how, to keep us finely tuned to be open to new opportunities under God to build His church. I’m 62 going on 16 and still foolishly believe that what we are on about is a darned sight more important than a footy match. As a matter of fact I am convinced it is the basis of our being.
I know; I’m a fanatic! Just like those 80,000.
Cheers - John
You learn a lot when God calls you to do new church stuff. Occasionally I will have a fight with the Almighty and ask why I couldn’t just have some nice little church somewhere and do nice little church stuff. However, I acknowledge that the Lord does have a sense of humour and clearly prefers to have me as light relief for boring moments in heaven.
Where am I heading with my bit of waffle this week? Well you see it is those 80,000 that bugged me. How come they were there – most to see their team lose – on a night unfit for human habitation? One of the things that I have learnt about doing new church stuff is that disappointment is normal. Almost 80,000 at the footy and on Pentecost Sunday, the third biggest festival of the church, we had one of our lowest adult attendances of the year? Conditions were good, the weather cool but fine, with parking right next to the stadium and all seating under cover. Strange days indeed.
I have a theory. It is always good to have a theory as I believe it helps to keep you sane and it is actually one of the reasons that I keep pouring out things like my usually regular waffling. For those who love Rugby League there has been no shortage of pre-match entertainment. For weeks now there has been endless speculation as to who will be in and who will miss out. Is so and so fit and will whatsisname fire up on the big day? The thing is that fans absolutely devour it all. By the time the game comes around we are as match fit with information as the players are fit for the game. They love it! It isn’t just the event but the lead up the speculation and anticipation is as exciting as the game.
The church? I don’t think we love it!? As a matter of fact it is counter cultural in good old Oz to love something like the church, or even perhaps God. All things in moderation dear friends, let’s not get too excited here.
I believe that mankind has a default button that is hard wired to love and worship and so we will find things to satisfy these desires because love and worship is the oxygen of our being. The obvious question then is what do we put in place to satiate our desires?
So disappointment is normal and the question I face on a regular basis is how do I respond? Oh, I could head off for a pity party in the local phone booth with all of my friends, but you don’t see many phone booths these days. No, after a lot of years I have learned that the best way forward is to be at least true to myself. I will continue to push out some pre-match information to hopefully excite the fans and each month we will provide a regular progress report to monitor our journey. Our leadership group will continue to maintain and enhance our stadiums facilities and remain committed to providing opportunities for people to meet together in various situations to study form and even meet with the star of the show occasionally (that would be God not Jarryd Haynes).
Another thing I have learned about doing a new thing is you never stop doing a new thing. My constant challenge is not to worry about Origin 2 of 2010 that is way too short sighted for this gig. We are talking about eternal stuff here not footy. I will try, as best as I know how, to keep us finely tuned to be open to new opportunities under God to build His church. I’m 62 going on 16 and still foolishly believe that what we are on about is a darned sight more important than a footy match. As a matter of fact I am convinced it is the basis of our being.
I know; I’m a fanatic! Just like those 80,000.
Cheers - John
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Ministry By Wandering Around
I always get a little excited when a significant church anniversary day approaches and this coming Sunday ranks in the top three with Christmas and Easter as we celebrate the great day of Pentecost.
Pentecost is celebrated as the birthday of the church. We call to mind the moment when the promised Holy Spirit was poured out on those first believers some 2,000 years ago and it is fair to say that the world has never been the same since.
I posed the question last Sunday: ‘At what point did we turn the power of the Gospel from a force into a farce?’ Please don’t hear me complain – or feel sorry for me - when I say that I spend a great deal of my life in Christian leadership being frustrated.
I have so many questions: When did we turn Jesus into some religious icon instead of the living resurrected heart beat of the church? Where along the way did we make Jesus our resident four leaf clover or rabbit’s foot who will be our good luck charm? Why is the Bible the most popular and yet the least read book in the world? Why do people say that they follow Jesus but know very little about him and show little interest in finding out about him? When did we make Jesus into a great moral teacher when he was crucified for teaching heresy and sedition?
This reading is the beginning of the description of the great day of Pentecost. Remembering that the people here gathered were Jews and that the feast they ‘were all together in one place’ for was the Feast of Weeks (Hebrew ‘Shavuot’). It was a time to celebrate the culmination of the season of harvest, seven weeks after the festival of first fruits.
I call to mind our 10.02 prayer focus – ‘Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”’ Luke 10:2
It is not a commonly known fact; but Jesus had a degree? He was known by those of us in the loop as Jesus of Nazareth MWBA. For three years Jesus, with his band of followers went from place to place preparing the ground for harvest. Some places were harder than others and the best he could do was clear away the stones and a few weeds for a plough that might come later. In other places he was able to plough a furrow or two and even sow a few seeds and sometimes enjoyed a harvest. The MBWA? He had a degree in something that we all could take note of in a world that is growing way too complicated. Jesus did his work through Ministry By just Wandering Around.
At Pentecost the amazing revelation to these male and female followers of Jesus – children of Israel – was that they were the harvest! The clearing of stones, preparing of ground, sowing of seed and nurture of soil over which Jesus had toiled was now ‘ripe for the harvest’. Through my reading of Scripture and study of the church throughout history I have come to a sure and certain conclusion: nothing has changed.
We, as followers of Christ, are part of that great harvest and the seeds of the harvest are called to be planted into the many and varied places where we live so that generation by generation God continues to find fertile soil.
Blessings - John
Pentecost is celebrated as the birthday of the church. We call to mind the moment when the promised Holy Spirit was poured out on those first believers some 2,000 years ago and it is fair to say that the world has never been the same since.
I posed the question last Sunday: ‘At what point did we turn the power of the Gospel from a force into a farce?’ Please don’t hear me complain – or feel sorry for me - when I say that I spend a great deal of my life in Christian leadership being frustrated.
I have so many questions: When did we turn Jesus into some religious icon instead of the living resurrected heart beat of the church? Where along the way did we make Jesus our resident four leaf clover or rabbit’s foot who will be our good luck charm? Why is the Bible the most popular and yet the least read book in the world? Why do people say that they follow Jesus but know very little about him and show little interest in finding out about him? When did we make Jesus into a great moral teacher when he was crucified for teaching heresy and sedition?
‘When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them’ Acts 2:1-3
This reading is the beginning of the description of the great day of Pentecost. Remembering that the people here gathered were Jews and that the feast they ‘were all together in one place’ for was the Feast of Weeks (Hebrew ‘Shavuot’). It was a time to celebrate the culmination of the season of harvest, seven weeks after the festival of first fruits.
I call to mind our 10.02 prayer focus – ‘Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”’ Luke 10:2
It is not a commonly known fact; but Jesus had a degree? He was known by those of us in the loop as Jesus of Nazareth MWBA. For three years Jesus, with his band of followers went from place to place preparing the ground for harvest. Some places were harder than others and the best he could do was clear away the stones and a few weeds for a plough that might come later. In other places he was able to plough a furrow or two and even sow a few seeds and sometimes enjoyed a harvest. The MBWA? He had a degree in something that we all could take note of in a world that is growing way too complicated. Jesus did his work through Ministry By just Wandering Around.
At Pentecost the amazing revelation to these male and female followers of Jesus – children of Israel – was that they were the harvest! The clearing of stones, preparing of ground, sowing of seed and nurture of soil over which Jesus had toiled was now ‘ripe for the harvest’. Through my reading of Scripture and study of the church throughout history I have come to a sure and certain conclusion: nothing has changed.
We, as followers of Christ, are part of that great harvest and the seeds of the harvest are called to be planted into the many and varied places where we live so that generation by generation God continues to find fertile soil.
Blessings - John
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