Trust and obey

Barring some great moment of inspiration next week, I think that this might be my final piece of waffle for the year. Thanks to those of you who inspired me to get back into regular publication of my meanderings.

Last Sunday I spoke about John the Baptist and asked you to think about the second part of Luke 3:2, where we read: ‘the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.’ I don’t whether those words actually did take root for any of you but they certainly did for me. Since last Sunday I have reflected on this word of God stuff quite a bit. In Mark 2 we read of the calling of Levi (Matthew) the Tax Collector. We read that, ‘as he (Jesus) was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him “follow me.” And he got up and followed him.’

Many people today love an argument. They will argue and pontificate on any subject under the sun and seem to have a clear opinion on almost everything and anything. Now, Matthew would have been a reasonably astute character, yet he folded without any resistance at all when Jesus called him. I mean; where was he supposed to follow Jesus to? The least he could do was produce a road map or an itinerary for the trip. Why exactly should Levi even consider following him? What did he do with the money he was collecting at the time and did he have a locum all ready and waiting to take over? So many questions.

It is Advent; a time of waiting. Mary was confronted by the angel Gabriel – not an everyday occurrence – yet her response was ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Joseph, a decent enough bloke, was thinking to handle the pending scandal quietly, until an angel appeared and said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’ The story goes on to say that Joseph, ‘did as the angel had commanded him; he took her as his wife.’ This word of God stuff is powerful!?

At least Mary and Joseph got visiting angels! Matthew got two words from a passing Rabbi; but it was enough. ‘Follow me.’ He was never the same again.

Sometimes we need to collate enough information to ensure that we have all of the available facts to hand before making a decision. Trouble is some people never stop collating. The other side of this is the accusation of people doing things on blind faith, with no information at all.

I have never had Jesus walk past and say ‘follow me’ and I have never – to my knowledge – been visited by angels. I have known moments however, when I realised either at the time, or when looking back, that I have had God speak to me at many different times along the way. I recognise hearing God speak long ago when a special young lady spoke into my cynical heart one Sunday morning in country Victoria. I felt the presence and the word of God calling me to baptism as part of my conversion journey. I have known the comfort of God’s word at times of loss and great discouragement.

A secret to this? For me it is best illustrated via the words of an old song – ‘Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.’

It is my ‘green light’ theology. Trust it because it might just be God! If you don’t trust it and simply set the moment aside you might never know if it was God. If your lifestyle is not to trust before a thorough analysis, you risk analysing yourself out of God’s word.

Faith and obedience are not two separate things with one following another. They are a unit designed to join hands and walk through together.

I hope that you have a great Christmas season and – wherever you are - find time to attend a local church and recall the fact that Jesus is the reason for the season.

How much does it mean?

Feeling the need to read something a little deeper than a lot of the material around today I have taken Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship off my shelf for a re-read. It would be easy to put it straight back on the shelf as in the first line of the Foreword we read one of his most famous quotes:

‘When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die.’

Of course some eight years after writing this book Bonhoeffer did in fact die as a martyr hung by the Nazi’s on April 9 1945 at Flossenburg Concentration Camp. His brother and two brothers-in-law were also executed as traitors for standing for Jesus Christ instead of Adolph Hitler.

This book flowed out of the growing tide of fascism in Germany during the 1930’s. Dietrich spoke against cheap grace and instead compared it to costly grace:

‘Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field, for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy for which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble. It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his net and follows him.’

I couldn’t simply keep on writing after putting in the above quote. The words caused me to stop and reflect on my own journey of faith.

You may have noticed that there is a move in the Education Department, via the NSW State government, to introduce an ethics class for those children who are classified as ‘non-Scripture’ kids, to give a secular alternative for those choosing not to be involved in the Scripture classes. Since when did Scripture become an ethics class whereby other kids need an alternative ‘non-religious’ view? I certainly don’t teach Christian ethics at my classes. To steal from a guy named Paul back in the New Testament, as best as I can, I teach Christ and him crucified!

It would be easy to blame the Premier of NSW (Who has got the job this week by the way?) but I believe that we can trace it back to the cheap grace that has seemingly convinced so many followers of Jesus today. Christianity is basically about being good people. Follow the golden rule, whatever the heck that means, and do unto others before they do it unto you!

Jesus and a few mates went for a mountain walk one day and when they reached the top they had a meeting with Moses and Elijah. Now, the fact that Moses and Elijah hadn’t been around for a few hundred years didn’t seem to faze Jesus though his friends were a little taken aback. Having had the mountain top experience they came back down to witness the rest of the gang struggling to heal a young demon possessed man.
I can tend to get too caught up in a Scripture story, so take your own look at Mark 9:14-19 and work out your own feelings about Jesus’ mood. Me, I do tend to think that Jesus is less than pleased. The man’s father says to Jesus ‘If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ I love the response of Jesus – ‘If you are able! – All things can be done for the one who believes.’

When Jesus was hanging from the cross that first Good Friday they were all gathered there. We find some of his followers, family and friends. We will also find his accusers and his executioners; maybe the recently released Barabbas was looking on? The religious, the righteous, the poor and the rich were all spectators. He had a couple of companions hanging either side of him for company that day. There was a point in the crucifixion when Jesus uttered the memorable words: ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’

Was Jesus simply asking forgiveness for those who had brought him to this place - Those evil men wearing the black hats? Or do we all need to hear those words today? Cheap grace or costly grace? Have we left any nets lately?

Thank you

With our Thanksgiving service this Sunday I have fairly predictably been giving the matter of thanks giving some serious thought this week. If we look at the Holy Scriptures we find that ‘thanks’ was a very common offering to the people of Israel.

The Book of Psalms has many places where it says ‘O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.’

In the service of Holy Communion we focus on the words of Jesus when we hear:

‘For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.’

Jesus didn’t dream up that thank you bit just so that it would look good in the Bible. The ‘attitude of gratitude’ was a part of his being – his essence if you like. He would have learnt this fact from the very beginning. He wouldn’t have remembered, but would have been shown the family photographs, about the day his mum and dad took him to the temple and offered him to God. It was a sacrament of thanksgiving.

Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ is not simply about teaching good manners; but it is acknowledging that we are not on this journey alone and that we are communal people who need each other. A person with a thankful spirit is a gift to their community. Thankfulness is a sacrament!

Each week I do battle with a generation that has been given so much that it seems to me that they have convinced themselves that everything they have and get is a birthright. Yes, I am referring to so many of our children today. When we lose a spirit of thankfulness, we lose contact with our own identity. It is music to my ears when I hear – unprompted – ‘Thank you Pastor John’. The music becomes a symphony when they look you in the eye and you know that they mean it.

Sadly, a common response is a snatch for a biscuit and when rebuked a grudging ‘thank you’ with their eyes never leaving the object of their desire. Let’s not blame the kids though, as I believe that there is a growing understanding that we are placed on this earth to be served rather than serve. Many would not have a clue that Jesus once spoke about being a servant rather a master.

When I came to faith there was a song around that really touched me. It referred to a passage in Matthew 10:8:

‘Freely you have received, freely give.’

It was a song that kept me grounded for a long time as I regularly had cause to reflect on the great love of God that had so transformed my life. I couldn’t save up and buy this love or put it on Lay By at Big W; it was a free gift, yet bought at such great price. This kind of reflection gives birth to a grateful spirit. The whole verse goes like this:

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

A thankful heart clears the way for God to work. While I am in reminiscent mode let me close with this great old song from D. T. Niles:

‘The great love of God is revealed in the Son, who came to this earth to redeem every one. That love like a stream flowing clear to the sea, makes clean every heart that from sin would be free. It binds the whole world, every barrier it breaks, the hills it lays low, and the mountain it shakes. It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given! The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven.’

Cultivate a grateful heart! It will make a big difference.

For those who have hung around with me for a while you might know that my favourite gospel is that of John, as I love his passion for the centrality of Christ as being the key focus for his life. I am continually gob smacked that people say they are Christian but seem to sideline Jesus?

John draws a line in the sand very early in his writings by naming three moments in history that are - for him anyway – key to the whole of history. We have this tiny, at times even insipid and apologetic faith, and yet John throws it right out there! Three points:
•

‘In the beginning was the Word’ – ‘Word’ is capitalised here as John equates Jesus with God and puts him at the very head of the whole creation story. The word that spoke creation into being was Jesus!
• ‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us’ – There came a moment in history when God chose to intervene. We have unconsciously made a thick barrier between things of the Spirit and things of earth. The Celtic faith speaks about thin places. They believe that the veil between earth and heaven is thin. Sometimes so thin that God breaks through.
• ‘From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace’ – We should not dash past these words. John is saying that the life of this Jesus has profound and long lasting – eternal - consequences. What began as a partnership at creation continues, as we who say we are followers of Jesus, take up the participation and the ongoing renewal of creation, from generation to generation.

As I can recall saying to someone years ago now as we discussed what it means it to be a Christian – ‘Is that big enough for you?’ People are not put off Christianity by Jesus. They are convinced that it is small and of no consequence by Christians – his followers – those who bear his name.

Just what did the apostle Paul mean when he said:

‘But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through Go.’. Galatians 4:4-7

I often think that we are forcing / allowing our children to grow up too quickly these days. What is true in a worldly sense is also true in a spiritual sense. It doesn’t matter how old we are as long as we understand that we must hold within us an understanding that we are children of God. Our problem can be that we actually think that we are wiser than we are and try to act like spiritual adults. It seems to me that the best place to stay is in the mind of a child.

There was a guy in the Bible who thought that he was all grown up and wise and he asked his dad for the inheritance long before his dad died, and long before he was ready for it. Dad let him go. Sometimes all you can do is just let ‘em go? This man finished up feeding pigs and considering joining them for lunch when he became a child again:

‘But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands." 'So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.’

I love the church. Not the one that is but the one that might be. Sadly it is too big for many people and we default to a safe and manageable faith. Me? I remain a dreamer.

It is a challenge being a prophetic voice. Calling people to change and recognising that while many might be interested in listening to the theory, reality is that we usually don’t! That is why the role of prophet can be a very hard, challenging and fairly often a disappointing one.

As one of those who have moments of knowing how old Isaiah, Jeremiah and friends must have felt ages back, I have been able to build in a kind of defence mechanism that allows me to – most of the time – remain standing.

By nature I am not an optimist. Indeed I tend toward being something of a melancholy type. I would not put myself at the pessimist end of the scale but consider myself more of a realist. However, I have developed over the years a mind set that sees a glass as being half full rather than half empty.

I have a friend who calls me the king of spin! I think that it is meant as a compliment and I certainly take it that way. There are more than enough available to tell you what is wrong and that this or that won’t work, so I choose to talk things up rather than down. I get encouragement out of quite small things that others may not see as significant. I would rather give permission and help pick up the pieces later than withhold it and crush someone’s spirit.

My model of course is Jesus. Not the kid’s picture book type guy that way too many adults believe in today; but the REAL one you find in even a passing consideration of the Scriptures. Years ago the American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) wrote:

‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.’

F. Scott Peck wrote a brilliant book called ‘The Road Less Travelled.’ Of course Jesus took that road long before either Mr Frost or Mr Peck.

Jesus saw hope in those whom others ignored and oppressed. He spoke of faith as being like that of a child. The disciples were concerned about keeping things tight around the Jesus ‘gang’ while Jesus had more of a ‘let things happen and we will see’ type of ministry. When his disciples came back from a successful time of ministry Jesus talked it up even more by saying, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.’

Jesus had a habit of changing people’s names! He met a guy called Simon and nicknamed him Rocky, long before Sly Stallone! Simon was a bit of an impulsive guy; but Jesus saw a boulder in there somewhere, so dubbed him ‘Cephas’ – or Peter - translated ‘The Rock. The brothers James and John he called ‘Boanerges’ – sons of Thunder! The Rock went on to become the first and possibly greatest apostle. One of those Sons of Thunder was an early martyr when King Herod put James to death by the sword and John had such a fire burning for Christ that no one could put it out. Even as an old man they had to deport him to the Island of Patmos, where he wrote the last book of the Bible!

It wasn’t all wins for Jesus. As the reality of his claims began to bite many took a step back: ‘Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.’ John 6:66 Of course we all know the Judas story at the end and Peter’s time of denial. In fact at the cross it seems that only John had seen the journey through. Even then Jesus couldn’t help himself and made sure that his mother was taken care of and asked forgiveness of those who had brought him to this place. It’s called grace and I love it!

Years ago I was at a church in Kyabram, Victoria and the preacher spoke from Jeremiah 20. One verse galvanised me and has been my prophetic inspiration ever since:

‘If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.’ Jeremiah 20:9

This occurred not long after I chose to take the road less travelled and for me it has made all the difference.

I have been wrestling in recent days with some thoughts about faith: how much of it is has substance and how much is merely a shadow of faith? At our weekend camp worship service on Sunday morning I used the story of blind Bartimaeus who threw away his cloak and ran to Jesus. I asked our kids if they were willing to throw away everything and run to Jesus and they said ‘Yes!’ most enthusiastically. When I suggested that everything meant giving up the latest version of their Nintendo DS the enthusiasm waned dramatically.

The easy line is to assure the kids that Jesus doesn’t really mind us having our favourite toys; but I wonder? Western thinking does not align with Jesus thinking very often. If we read more of the gospels we might actually come to an understanding that, well, actually, Jesus DOES ask us to give up everything and follow him!!

I am spending a lot of time in the Book of Hebrews right now and have come to a halt at the part bridging the end of chapter 7 and into chapter 8. It is a consideration of shadow and substance.

It seems to me that many today are content with the shadow of faith. Jesus seems to always be calling us forward to something else and it is that something else that intrigues me and drives me.

‘The true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.’ John 1:9
‘But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the father seeks such as these to worship him.’ John 4:23

‘but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.’ John 6:32

‘For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.’ John 6:55

There are a great many ‘trues’ in there! It seems to me that Jesus is suggesting that his coming is a watershed moment in history and we would do well to consider our response very deeply.

In Hebrews the author is comparing the Old Testament temple system to a new faith in Christ and we discover another true.

‘Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up.”

Hebrews 8:1-3
In verse 5 of this same chapter we read: ‘They offer worship in a sanctuary that is a sketch and shadow of the heavenly one.’ Before designers or architects settle on a final plan they do concept drawings and play around with ideas. The very latest top of the line sports car began its life as a sketch; but one day it became reality – it emerged from the shadows and had substance. It became true!

Is our faith based on shadow or substance?

The Hebrews passage goes on to remind us of the words in Jeremiah 31:31-34, which speak of a new covenant that replaces the old. It speaks of a time when the law of God will be placed in our minds and written in our hearts. When Jesus gathered with his disciples that last night he chose his words very deliberately:

‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’ Luke 22:20

The coming of Jesus among us heralded a new beginning. This is a time when we are not constrained by temple law but are freed to love and worship God in fullness and in truth. So it is not written in a book, or kept as a holy secret by some holy guru’s, or hidden behind some great curtain. However, it is also not something that is defined as people simply being ‘good’ and living by some golden rule of behavioural modification. Thankfully the substance – despite all of the evidence to the contrary – is not all about us!

‘Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or observing, festivals, new moons or Sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.’ Colossians 2:16,17

If the sketch or the shadow does not satisfy then perhaps I need to take seriously the substance and to do that I need to choose to follow Jesus. He doesn’t want me to draw a picture but to get up and follow him. He doesn’t want the word Christian to be a brand name that I can wear and stay in the shadows.

For many years now the substance has seduced me! It is the reason that I do what I do. As Jesus continues to invite me into his journey, so I will continue to do the same to others.

Let me close with one of my favourite Jesus quotes from John chapter 4. The disciples had gone off to grab some take-away for lunch and returned to find Jesus having a yarn with a woman of shall we say a ‘colourful’ background. They were sitting around having their burgers and Coke, just a little frustrated that Jesus was showing no interest in lunch.

‘Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”’
I think that is a question of shadow or substance.

Try the marshmallows

I have been asked by a friend to preach at their ordination service next week. This is quite an honour and privilege and I have been wrestling with what one might say at such an important moment. I have been pondering over different Bible passages and considering the ordination vows and in doing so have been given cause once again to consider my own spiritual journey.

In my considerations this week I stumbled across the opening response of the Heidelberg Catechism – ‘I am not my own but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful saviour Jesus Christ.’ Wow! Better not use that quote too often! Many today prefer a Christian faith less in your face than that. We prefer marshmallow ahead of caramel – less chewing and it goes down easier.

‘I am not my own but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful saviour Jesus Christ.’

In today’s secular society these words must surely be considered close to heresy?!
I am not my own. Of course I am my own! If I belonged to someone else it would mean having responsibilities and being accountable for my actions. I have responsibilities to my family but they are of my own choice, so let’s just keep it contained there shall we.

We live in an options world. I’m not as young as I used to be so can be forgiven for being a little slow; but I do try to keep up with new things. Texting nowadays is more Hebrew than English as we have learnt that we can communicate without vowels. A new word has entered our lexicon – Apps. No, it is not short for Fuji or Granny Smiths; I think it is an abbreviation for applications. All that we need is at our fingertips.

In today’s consumer world matters of faith become another ‘app’, something we can plug into should the time or occasion arise. In fact you don’t have to go anywhere to do this because of course we can get our church on-line these days as easy as we pick up a bargain on E-Bay.

I continue to drift back to Studdert-Kennedy the missionary to China who gave up everything to follow the call of Jesus. He was once asked why he gave up wealth and fame to follow Christ and he replied, “If Christ be God and died for me, no sacrifice too great can be, for me to give, I give my life as a living sacrifice.” (Romans 12:1,2)

As I said at the beginning, way too serious for many to cope with; Marshmallows go down easier.

I think that many of us prefer the Readers Digest version of faith. At a quick glance it all seems to be there but a closer inspection reveals that it is actually the condensed version and some key things are lacking.

‘Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own. For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.’ 1 Corinthians 6:19,20

You probably don’t get the above in the condensed version. Pity really; as it is probably something worth giving thought to.

If Christ be God? What if..?

A visibility problem

As I was doing some of my devotional reading this week I came across a comment of King David as he spoke to those who might well have been his enemies:

‘David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship, to help me, then my heart will be knit to you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, though my hands have done no wrong, then may the God of our ancestors see and give judgement.”’ 1 Chronicles 12:17

I say occasionally that if you can’t bear to mark your Bible with underlines or comments then you need to get another Bible just for making a mess in! A trip through my Bibles over the years is a journey full of clues about this particular pilgrim’s progress. I was struck by the opening couple of lines of David and they earned yet another underline in my Bible.

‘David went out to meet them’ As a local church leader, this seems to me to be a fairly obvious comment; but increasingly I am becoming aware that it is not nearly so obvious to many others. I am occasionally accused of being an idealist and I always take this is a compliment, even though most of the time it is meant as a put down. I have this theory that the church could do with a few more idealists.

A regular comment that I receive from church ‘experts’ now that we have moved into the factory estate, is that we need to do something about our visibility. Now, I agree with them but not for the same reasons. Many experts still live in the 1950’s when people actually might be looking for a church building to worship at. Visibility today means something else.

We have to be visible. We, the church, need to be the best advert for Jesus in town at all times and in all places. Years ago a church building with tower and steeple were the biggest buildings in town where nowadays even the great city cathedrals are swamped by the modern day places of worship – corporate towers and shopping centres. But that’s fine because I have another theory that Jesus never dreamt of a church being defined by towering steeples and uncomfortable pews.

Our biggest challenge as a local congregation is not better signage (I hate that word!) but better visibility and the two are not the same.

‘If you have come to me in friendship, to help me, then my heart will be knit to you..’ The upcoming Jesus All About Life campaign asks a question something like – ‘How come I have lots of friends but no friendships? Real friendship is a very risky engagement and I use the word engagement deliberately, as David used the term ‘my heart will be knit to you’.

To grow a new church today is less about buildings and more about connections. It is less about the style of music and more about the depth of love. To grow a new church today is less about a greater understanding of the Scriptures and more about a greater understanding of the one who is called the Word of God – Jesus. To grow a new church we have to follow the one who says ‘I will make you fishers of people’, and I just about guarantee you that Jesus will not lead you anywhere near a church building on that mission.

‘but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, though my hands have done no wrong, then may the God of our ancestors see and give judgement.’ With this level of openness we will risk moments of loss and betrayal. The ones who love most are the ones who have the most to lose and the ones most open to be hurt. Many choose not engage because of previous hurt and that is easy to understand. I believe that the call of the church is to ‘Go’ as Christ calls us to and trust God for the outcomes. I know, too simplistic; guilty as charged.

Where is your heart?

I read a quote this morning from Thomas Watson a former president of IBM. He said,

‘To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.’

Those words struck me as something of an encouragement at the beginning of the day.

The small reflection that I was considering went on to quote from Colossians 3:1 & 2:

‘So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.’

As I write this piece the clock is ticking around to 10.02. For those of you who were in church on Sunday morning hopefully you took home a 10.02 card calling us to pray each day at 10.02 for a few seconds, or minutes. The idea comes from the passage in the Bible where Jesus says: ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into the harvest.’ Luke 10.2

These past weeks have been very busy for several of our number as we have been working hard to set up our new Ministry Centre at Annangrove Road. I know that I have spent an inordinate amount of my time focused on giving this new era every chance of success. However, my heart is not encouraged by property, or finance or structure of any particular kind.

I find encouragement in people and that encouragement is made most clear through an ordering of my life. I love people; but unless I spend time with the Author of life, my love for people is very easily diminished. You see, twenty six years ago I made a decision to risk this journey with Christ as head. I read the Bible and began to haltingly pray and decided – with a very incomplete knowledge – that above any other philosophy or ‘ism’ the claims of Christ were authentic and deserved respect. Indeed, I came to a place of agreeing with the great missionary Studdert Kennedy, who once said when challenged about his highly focused faith – ‘If Christ be God and died for me, no sacrifice too great can be..’

In the busy times of recent weeks I have on occasions been knocked off course and forgotten that I am ‘raised with Christ’. If I am raised with him then I need to be seeking the source of strength that was the basis of His life. I need to seek the things that are above because my heart and mind are too easily nourished by short term – yet quite tasty – stuff! It might be tasty, but it is hardly nourishing and within a very short time period I am hungry again, seeking the next fix it pill.

There are so many claims on our time these days; so many attractions bidding for a place in our hearts. Until my mid 30’s I was always in the market place trying on the latest trifles for size. I wasn’t the world’s worst husband or dad; but I was conscious that try as I might I just wasn’t making headway. The more ‘successful’ I became the less traction I seemed to have in my life; it was a crazy time.

Then through a number of ‘God-incidences’ I found myself in a local community of faith that nurtured and nourished me. I don’t think that I am overstating things when I say that this group of Christian people saved my life! Some people wonder why I believe so strongly in the local church – it’s where my heart is.

Back in the good old days!

Of recent times I have been reading a little about the work of St Patrick and his amazing success in converting the ‘barbarians’ of Ireland during the 5th century. Patrick had all of the odds stacked against him as despite his being a Briton and connected to the Celtic peoples his family were aristocrats, who had converted to Christianity and his first language was Latin and he was therefore more Roman than Celtic.

In a book that I have enjoyed by George C. Hunter called ‘The Celtic Way of Evangelism’ there is a marvellous quote in the Preface:

‘In the face of this changing Western culture, many Western Church leaders are in denial; they plan and do church as though next year will be 1957.’

Beautiful!!

Having been about this new church stuff for almost twenty years now and finding the journey ever more lonely as I continue to head along the road, I am always finding myself in a quandary. You see, while I believe deeply in reaching to people outside the life of the church, the easier way forward is to go back to 1957! Dare I say this to my own flock? It is not the pagans / barbarians that make me nervous it is the Christians.

The one regular part of the life of our local church community over the past three years has been the regular departure of Christian people. Oh, we have also lost a good few people on our outer edges who have tasted for a while and then seemingly spun off; but almost without exception these people remain a part of us in some way or other, whereas ‘the believers’ just disappear?

One of the key aspects of Patrick’s work was that he simply went and spent time amongst the various tribes of Ireland. He didn’t impose his views without first listening to those with whom he was visiting. Patrick did not bring a church structure with him; he created an indigenous church in the form of the particular village / community where he was based. The early church was less an institution and more a movement.

Patrick formed monastic communities but these were not birthed to lock people out; rather they were designed as a haven of grace, care and hope for the people of the district. It was the openness of the Christian way that attracted the people.
Here is the problem. If you are a church that is open to all, the ever present temptation is to close it down just a little bit, and then a little bit more and then.. As I say, 1957 is a very tempting option. Provide the ‘customers’ with the right stuff and build from there. Gosh, get a few more good and solid Christians in and we might start paying a few more bills!? Does the term ‘good and solid’ make you a little nervous when related to the church? It does for me. When I hear someone described as being a pillar of the church I get this picture of something very large, heavy and totally immovable.

Mind you this way is probably much easier than seeking to find out what God might be up to among the great unwashed of the community and then perhaps even allow them to be part of the shaping.

I found it really encouraging that in the case of Patrick those who supported his great journey to Ireland eventually were offended by him. Patrick maintained a passion – a call he believed that was given him by God – to give the best of his time and effort to those on the outside of the church. The Church of Rome and his immediate chiefs in England had instituted a faith that looked after the saints first and foremost. Once the pagans were ‘civilised’ and ‘Christianised’ then look after them so that they stayed that way!

My naïve theory is that followers of Christ are much better equipped to look after themselves than those who are not a part of his community. We have the Scriptures, we have the Holy Spirit and we have the church to encourage and equip us. Some one told me recently that while I speak of our community being different to other churches, in reality we are no different. I figure that we might not look too different (that is a deliberate ploy) but I still think that we are very different underneath. Don’t judge a book by its cover!

The A and W gland

It has been an exciting, exhausting and puzzling few weeks. It has been exciting to see a long held plan in terms of property development come to fruition and at the same time personally exhausting as a great deal of the final detail type stuff fell into my lap. Not a problem as a bit of short term pain is easily overcome with a great result which everyone agrees is true in our case.

The puzzling bit is a little more difficult. We have not yet quite gone through the rotation of our attendance roster each Sunday, but the support and excitement level has been very high indeed. There is little doubt that the transformation from a concrete box to a workable and pleasing worship and ministry space has worked out better than anyone could have imagined. It has been most gratifying for us all to be enjoying the ‘Wow!’ factor as people see the finished product for the first time.

The puzzling bit is what I think I will call the ‘Ho hum’ factor. I naively thought that we would get a significant little spike of interest as people would be keen to see what we have been up to all these months at Annangrove Road. Wrong!

Allow me to share my, until now hidden knowledge of the workings of the human brain.

It is a little known fact that every man, woman, boy and girl has a tiny gland placed in the frontal lobe of the brain known as the ‘awe and wonder’ gland. The fact may be little known but its evidence is clear as we so often enjoy the experience of seeing our children and grandchildren revel in a new and as yet untamed discovery. The awe and wonder gland is at its peak during childhood and it sadly diminishes as we age and yet as I move well into the second half of life I want to testify to the fact that this gland still lives!! As the stupid STUFF that we waste our energy on in our prime begins to be set aside the old A and W gland kicks right back in there!

I have a simple theory that the busier we are the less interested we are and – to be blunt – the less interesting we are. A tiny pea-like thingy is contained in the A and W called the Curiosity Oomflageckyburga (strange, the spell check doesn’t recognise this well known scientific word?). Excuse the technical language but sometimes I just can’t help myself. As a kid my CO was at its highest as I was always pushing buttons and pulling levers to see what made things work. When I was making my way in the world I didn’t have time for curiosity and I focused on what was REALLY important. Thank God – literally – that in my mid 30’s I was hit by a piece of spiritual 4 x 2 and discovered what was important and received the bonus of reclaiming my A and W along with my CO!

I love the journeys of Jesus. In his early 30’s he and a bunch of mates set out to change the world. I am not at all sure that they knew that at the beginning. It was an emerging thing.

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other,

“What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.”

News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. Mark 1:27,28
The presence of Jesus re-activates our Awe and Wonder gland. Sadly for some people being a Christian is like being a member of the NRMA. Its good to be a member but you would rather that you didn’t use it too often.

For me? Well I’m a glutton and I’m up for the whole show. I think it makes people uncomfortable so let me keep on saying it: I wouldn’t miss this gig for the world. There is nothing like the local church when the local church is working right. I readily confess that the gathering together of a bunch of spiritual misfits each week is my lifeblood. With it I am constantly in touch with my trusty old Awe and Wonder gland and its good mate the old CO.

So I remain your excited, somewhat less exhausted and still puzzled Pastor John.

Gotta work on that limp!

This morning I was reflecting on a passage of Scripture from 1 Kings 18, just before old Elijah has the great BBQ challenge with the prophets of Baal. I was struck with Elijah’s words to the people of Israel: ‘Elijah then came near to all the people, and said,” How long will you go limping with two different opinions?”’ 1 Kings 18:21

It got me thinking about some of the things that might cause me to limp. Then I kind of turned it round a bit for my old brain to handle the question, and I considered some of the things that helped me NOT to limp as often as I might.

READING / REFLECTION – I read for enjoyment but I also need to read so that I can walk confidently. Over the last six to eight months I have put in place a ritual of reading the Scriptures as a reflective exercise. Rather than just getting the words of the Bible in me, I deliberately seek to get me into the Bible. Does it make a difference? I don’t seem to limp as badly as previous.

PRAYER – Flowing out of the above ritual has grown an enhancement of my prayer life. I read, reflect and then allow my reflection to flow into a time of personal worship and prayer. I am not the world’s best pastor but be assured that each week you and your family are prayed for at least once and often more than once as I bring the church that God has given me responsibility for, before him in prayer. I don’t seem to limp as badly when I pray and who knows, others my walk a little better because of my prayers?

PRIORITIES – Over the last twelve months I have become very mindful of the issue of priorities. There are any number of things that call upon my time, and many of them are good and positive things; but I have had cause to be more ruthless about the many things that invade my life. A check of my birth certificate indicates that unless my dad was called Methuselah, chances are I have lived much longer than I am going to live!

Being pastor of a young church is fun .. and exhausting! Increasingly there are many ‘good and worthy’ things that I do not attend. Last night was a combined churches prayer meeting for the Jesus All about Life campaign. A great initiative, but I do quite like my wife and I like to rest and have almost forgotten what a night at home during the week is like. So I stayed home.

I was asked to attend an ‘important’ meeting this coming Saturday morning and said no, simply because Ronnie and I enjoy a slow relaxed start to a Saturday that is invariably a busy one for me. Taking some control of my priorities has helped me to walk a steadier gait.

WORSHIP - Some months ago I was at a meeting where I was asked; ‘John, if you didn’t HAVE to go church on Sunday morning, would you still go?’ My answer was simple – it was an emphatic yes. Corporate worship has been my life support for more than 26 years. I get such a buzz out of the gathering of people for worship that I don’t understand why more people don’t sign up for it! I love the preparation and then the occasion and the after party!! Wouldn’t miss it for the world and I have no doubt that it helps me to walk straight.

PEOPLE – The key to my growth in faith apart from the grace of God has without doubt been other people. My world is so much bigger than it used to be. As I have consistently risked building new relationships the blessings are way ahead of the train wrecks. Every person reading this piece of trifle has contributed to my life in some positive way. We may have had our moments but that is part of relationships.
Knowing that every single person is created in the image of God has been a life changing truth for me. In one way I always walk with a limp because I am as broken as the next person; and yet in another my commitment to follow this Jesus and hang in with some of his strange mates has given me new strength and hope - but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Thanks for helping me walk straight - John

It is good news - so tell somebody!

I have had a couple of good conversations this week about the church with a number of questions being thrown at me. ‘So, John, tell me about your church. What are you on about? Why would someone bother with you guys?’ One conversation was with a regular church goer and the other with a religious cynic.

To one of these people – not the Christian – I was able to say, ‘Well you know, I am of the strong opinion that the local church is the hope of the world.’ Now, if you use that as an opening line, there is every possibility of a response and there was, and a great conversation began to flow. You see we have to have a big enough dream for people to even consider us. If the dream isn’t big enough for us then you are hardly going to excite others.

How big is your dream for the local church? I have come to a place of accepting that for many – across a whole bunch of things – mediocre is a good standard to achieve. You ask people how they are going and you will often get a deep sigh, or the rolling of eyeballs, or if words are used it will be along the lines of ‘Oh, I’m hanging in there’ or I’m surviving’, or the classic ‘Don’t ask!’ Then I read the words of Jesus:

‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’ John 10:10

What are our words and actions like? Do they bring life and hope to others, or do they steal, kill and destroy? Are our lives and words of such power and grace that people are lifted up and encouraged, and even perhaps tempted to ‘have what we are having’?

This Sunday morning I am going to be looking at the story of Jesus restoring life, health and hope to two women. You can find it in Mark 5:21-43. No. I am not going to give you the message now to save you coming this week; but I do invite you to read it and get into the story. I love the BIG and POSITIVE words that are used of Jesus’ ministry. ‘Great crowds gathered’ and a ‘large crowd pressed in on him’. People were often described as being full of awe and wonder. John Thornton’s translation might be that people were gob smacked when Jesus was around! Being anywhere Jesus was; was amazing!

One of the most public networking arenas for many of us these days is Facebook. I generally get to it about once a week for a look see and our emotions these days are there for all to see. Someone asked me recently if I had discovered a way to use Facebook as a tool to grow the church and I had to say that I hadn’t. However, my viewing would indicate that we already have in place a very effective tool for not promoting a local church or the Christian faith. I have noted the number of times that we use Facebook as a forum for grizzling.

I like the openness of this kind of communication; so maybe the tool that we do need to give our faith / church a positive chance can be found in the way that we share our stories? Let’s commit to talking things up not down. The old adage of ‘if you have nothing good to say don’t say it’ is probably a good one. Let’s get the good stuff out there! We had a fabulous church lunch last Sunday where over 30 of us had a great afternoon that for some flowed into the evening. Talk that up. We are just weeks away from a new property. Give that some air play. Collingwood beat the Swans last Saturday … sorry, just had to get it in. We have a great new website that is growing by the day. Tell people about it. If something excites you it might just give someone else a lift.

How big is your dream for your local church? Are our words and our lives a good testimony? Is it really possible that the local church might really be the hope of the world?

Cheers - John

Jesus was quite smart you know!

More and more in this strange old world we seem to be majoring on minors. Apparently some foul mouthed English cook has upset one of our lady TV personalities and the world may never be the same again. Call me old fashioned if you must, but I have always been of the mind that if you can’t utter a sentence without swearing, then you don’t really have much to say that is worth listening to.

A few days back a young man was shot and critically injured while his girlfriend also suffered slight wounds. For the last few days we have seen great in-depth reporting by one of our tabloids, who, by my estimation for three days running have shown this young lady in various stages of undress. Clearly this is an important part of the case and gives vital clues to the whereabouts of the perpetrator. Shallow is a word that comes to mind.

It seems to me that many people today disregard the Christian faith because they see it as too shallow, simplistic and even riddled with superstitious nonsense. This thinking does not surprise me – indeed there is a part of me that agrees – but it is conditioned by the shallowness of thought today, both within and outside the church. Working from this shallow basis we then have the temerity to suggest that in the time of Jesus people were much simpler and less sophisticated than we are today and therefore were much more easily swayed by fear and / or superstition. What a load of self righteous clap trap!

Jesus was one smart guy! We have created him in our own image so that he is nowadays just some kind of religious icon that we pull out from time to time when considered useful. The Jesus that the Bible speaks of is someone of great ability and intellect. We are told that even as a young boy he was one who was much admired and who ‘increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.’ This was not some holy guru divorced from life and offering occasional religious platitudes! Here was a man who was surely one of the cleverest of his time.

People didn’t choose to follow Jesus because if they didn’t they were all going to hell! They didn’t devote their lives to him – many to the point of death – because his message was something that they simply HAD to believe. Dallas Willard puts it like this:

The life and words that Jesus brought into the world came in the form of information and reality. He and his early associates overwhelmed the ancient world because they brought into it a stream of life at its deepest, along with the best information possible on the most important matters.
The sights and sounds of this man Jesus were so startling and deep in their impact that people chose to follow because they would have been fools not to. They didn’t describe Jesus as the ‘Prince of Life’, or the ‘Lord of glory’ for a good headline, or for fun and special effect. Jesus was and is the most significant person ever born and the lives of those he touched reflected this.

So for those who are looking for DEEPER truth, stop letting us (Christians or the church) get in the way; go ahead and dig as deep as you like and my bet is that you will not be disappointed. Or can I say, stop using us as your excuse for not digging deeper. You are quite right, the church really is full of hypocrites; but jump right on in because there is always room for more.

Gordon Ramsay, Bikie broads, Desperate Housewives, Swine Flu, Footballers dreary dramas, PM Kev desperately trying to sound like a ‘dinki di’ Aussie, Nathan – red hot go – Rees, economic meltdown, the corporate ladder / rat race or Jesus?

Let me think about that for a moment.

Cheers - John

News Flash - IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU!!

I am catching up on the news after spending yesterday afternoon and evening tied up with a meeting at Uniting Church headquarters in Pitt Street. The news that has had me reeling this morning is in no way connected to the adverse State of Origin result in Melbourne. Surely we have plumbed new depths with the ABC’s showing last night of the latest Chaser’s garbage. Apparently their warped minds think that making fun of sick and dying children is a source of humour.

Author, theologian and Philosopher, G. K. Chesterton once said that when people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing, they believe in anything. Whatever garbage happens to bubble up from the cesspools of depraved brains is okay and is occasionally even lauded as something called art?!

One of the major reasons I keep doing what I am doing is that I still firmly believe that the local church is the hope of the world. Of course I understand that many people – even those within the church – find this statement perhaps naïve, or even presumptuous; but I can cope with that. Frankly, as I look around the world I think that most of the evidence is on my side.

Church confuses me! It seems to me that for so many it is about what the church can provide for ME and those close to me? It is about the music, or the preaching and teaching. It is about correct doctrine and theology. Then I look at Jesus.

I can’t get around the fact that Jesus spent a fair amount of his time getting up the nose of the religious? I still stumble over the unavoidable reality that Jesus enjoyed hanging out with people that many ‘churched’ people don’t enjoy hanging out with? We (the church) can sometimes demonise sinners, while Jesus welcomes them. Jesus went out of his way to be with people on the fringes of society, while we too often seek the safety zone of church buildings and church friends.

As a local congregation we have a little tag line that hopefully defines us. Building communities of care and hope is a mirror of what Jesus appears to be on about. One day Jesus was on his way to help a local dignitary when an outcast woman desperately grabbed at the hem of his robe. People were pushing and shoving as Jesus and his disciples moved along and who could be bothered with a sick woman? Jesus could. Jesus specialised in bringing care and hope to people. What do we specialise in?

I saw a T shirt recently that simply said – ‘It’s not about you’. It seems to me that we have convinced ourselves that actually, it is all about us! When we reach this stage of course anything goes. Hence, we have seen the growth of a selfish lifestyle to go along with the growth of voyeuristic TV shows. If we can’t be famous, at least we can watch people just like us, who can be. We have such enormous capacity to do good and continue to see this in our response to various disasters, and yet we can tap new depths of care-less and hope-less life styles. We can even make fun of dying children.

‘There is nothing like the local church when the local church is working right’, says Pastor Bill Hybels, and I remain convinced of this truth. If we can build enough communities of care and hope, then I would like to believe that we can see a new Pandemic sweeping the world that is far more potent than something called Swine Flu.

The problem of course is that our message is not a popular one today. We have convinced ourselves that it really is all about us and those close to us. With that mindset it becomes an enormous risk to trust ourselves to others and jointly work for something bigger and better than ourselves. Stupidly, I continue to believe in that risk.

Cheers - John

A Pentecost thought

This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday for the Christian church. Throughout the world Christians will gather to celebrate the ‘birth’ of the church on that first Pentecost some 2,000 years ago. That particular day was a day of very special happenings:

‘Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.’ Acts 2:2,3

It was truly a day of signs and wonders. Of course we are a church that is big on signs and wonders. On any given Sunday as I am out the front, people give me a variety of signs and I am usually left wondering. Sorry about that.

Events like that first Pentecost are very special and I have been fortunate to experience a couple of times not unlike those events. Please note that I say a couple of times; and that is in more than 25 years of a Christian journey. Does that mean we only get to experience the work of the Spirit of God on the occasional blue moon Sunday? Let me introduce you to another Pentecost experience of the disciples that happened several weeks earlier.

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:19-23

Here was a quieter, gentler experience of the coming of the Holy Spirit and I believe that we can learn more from this passage than the more well known Acts version. Most of my spiritual heroes were touched by the Holy Spirit in a way more like John than Acts.

John Wesley’s ‘conversion’ occurred just over 271 years ago on May 24 1738:

‘Before I could raise my usual question (concerning this change that God works in the heart through faith in Christ) the Holy Spirit performed His miracle, and I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust Christ, Christ alone for salvation..’

James Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China, was born in the Yorkshire mill town of Barnsley in 1824 and from a young age was convinced of God’s hand upon his life. Hudson Taylor recalled his holy ground experience on the 2nd of December 1849:

‘Never shall I forget’, he wrote, ‘The feeling that came over me then. Words can never describe it. I felt I was in the presence of God, entering into the covenant with the Almighty. I felt as though I wished to withdraw my promise, but could not. Something seemed to say “Your prayer is answered, your conditions are accepted”. And from that time the conviction never left me that I was called to China.’

So many look for the grand show but more often than not God works quietly yet profoundly in the lives of those who seek to know and love him more. The Catholic French mystic Jeanne Guyon (1648-1717), frustrated in her efforts to find God’s blessing was told by a priest, ‘Why do you seek without what is within?’

. We are all created in the image of God – ‘imago Dei’. Perhaps our challenge in these crazy times is to simply be still long enough to feel the breath of God upon us and hear Jesus’ word for us?
Cheers - John

Never, ever, give up!!

The writer of the Book of Hebrews says:

‘Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen.’ Hebrews 11:1

Good isn’t it? I am glad that God chose people who could put such meaningful summaries together in the Bible. In a former life I used to have a large picture on a wall in my office, facing my desk. The picture had a somewhat bemused, large long necked bird – eyes almost popping out of its head – as a large monkey had both hands squeezing tight around its scrawny neck, clearly strangling it to death. Beneath was the caption which is my simplified version of Hebrews 11:

‘Never ever give up!’

Funny thing faith; it is best experienced in the midst of trauma or confusion. We get some good pictures of Jesus’ faith when all appear to be going well with him personally but others are a little confused. As a kid he was surprised that mum and dad were concerned about him when he was lost one time. He was a bit surprised that they didn’t know where to find him and said words along the line of, ‘didn’t you know I’d be about my Father’s business?’ Stuff didn’t faze him all that much. He was having a nap on the boat one night while all hell was breaking loose around him and again couldn’t quite see what all the fuss was about.

It is good to know that someone has a sense of control and certainty when everything around you is falling.

Of course Jesus knew many moments in his life that we would have cause to call a crisis of faith. At the very beginning of his ministry he was sent into the wilderness and there tested for forty days by the Devil. There were moments throughout his ministry where he was challenged by friend, family and enemies and of course at the end of his ministry we witness betrayal, injustice, brutality and death.

I’ve been thinking a lot about faith this past week or so. Sometimes you just have to keep doing the stuff even when nothing much is happening. Faith is about remembering that we serve an ‘audience of one’ and as I was reminded last night; we may not know the future, but we do know the one who holds the future. Faith is less about dreaming great dreams and more about just getting up every day and giving it another go, secure in the knowledge that we don’t walk the road alone, even if it seems quite lonely out there!

Coming back to Jesus – As I like to do – what were some key faith points that might help us out as we walk the road?

‘It is written.’ Jesus knew his Bible and when the enemy tried to knock him off the path he responded by ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”’ Lots of people will contort the words of God to suit their short term goals. We need to be Biblically literate enough not to be scared off by people who are in fact much more afraid than we are. We need to know what is written.

‘I have prayed for you Simon..’ As the whole darned plan seemed to be unravelling in front of the disciples, Jesus gave a word of prophecy and a word of eternal hope. My translation? ‘Simon, you’re really going to stuff up and when you do you will be so down on yourself that giving up will seem your best option. But I have prayed for you.’ Prayer – for him or for others – kept Jesus focused. The news gets better! Paul assures us that: ‘Who is it to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.’ Jesus still prays for us!

‘Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.’ At the point of abandonment and apparent defeat, Jesus had every reason to retreat inwards and begin the pity party. Instead, at the height of his pain and desolation he turned outward rather than in. As the cross of Christ is open and reaching out to all people, everywhere; so the crucified Christ reminds us that in the midst of our pain and loss, there is yet hope.

‘Never ever give up!’

Cheers - John

A couple of gum trees

Veronica and I spent a good part of Monday enjoying some time out on a River Cat trip to Sydney and then we had a wander around the Rocks, Opera House and Botanical Gardens. The day happened to be our wedding anniversary and seeing as how we honeymooned in Sydney we kind of retraced a few of our steps. Now, it has to be admitted then when we married the Opera House had not yet been opened; but it was well into construction! We could see what its finished shape would be.

NorthWest Uniting Church’s official photographer took a picture that had three iconic symbols of Sydney framed. In the forgeround two red gum trees, then the OPera House and a backdrop of the Harbour Bridge.

The two Eucalypts are said to be the oldest trees remaining in the Sydney CBD, possible dating back before white settlement. At the very least they were there when sailing ships and row boats were the only vessels seen on the harbour.

The big coat hanger in the background connected the city to its northern suburb just over 70 years ago and of course the Opera House is a relatively new arrival on the landscape.

If only those two trees could talk; what a story they could tell.

As I consider these three icons from three different periods in Sydney’s history I think about our journey here in the North West of Sydney and wonder what kind of story we could tell. As long as the traffic is kind to me I always enjoy seeing those great pylons as I approach the harbour bridge, and I enjoy the trip across the harbour, while at the same time preparing myself for the drama just moments way as I enter the city and try to park the car. The Opera House is now seen as one the world’s great buildings and we are privileged to have it sitting at the entrance to Sydney much as the Statue of Liberty dominates New Yorks harbour entrance.

Up until last Monday I had never taken any notice of those two gum trees; yet now they are of more significance to me than the two man-made attractions in the above picture. They make me consider again the words in Psalm 1:

'They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do they prosper.’ Psalm 1:3

To have stood where they have for so many years those two trees must have a life source not immediately visible to the human eye. They have been battered by many hundreds of storms and slowly seen many of their mates disappear in the name of ‘progress’. Despite the pollution of a modern city, to my untrained eye they still looked strong and appear to have many years left in them. As tall as they stand, to grow so high, they have had to sink their roots to depths that we cannot imagine. The key to their health is found in what you cannot see rather than what is presented to us.

It is my hope and desire that we can be a people that grow deep. So much of life today is about what we can see. The latest ‘reality’ show is something to do with looking 10 years younger. I have told the story before of the time when I went with a family to view their deceased father before the funeral service. The classic line for me was when a daughter said ‘Doesn’t he look well?’ Now, the Funeral Directors had done a top job, but one thing this dear man was not, was well! He was dead!!

Many years ago now I was inspired to go deeper in my new faith by these words: ‘I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe’ Ephesians 1:17-19.

I pray that we can be a people who go deep and can therefore leave an inheritance for many, many years to come.

Even though I wlak through the darkest valley ..

Wherever we look these days there is crisis. Floods in the north of our country have devastated thousands and bushfires to the south have left all of us shocked to the very core of our being. Internationally we have seen the Sri Lankan cricket team terrorised and many others killed in Pakistan, only months after the horrors of terrorist attacks in India.

Locally there is fear and uncertainty as economic pressure squeezes at our own frail emotions and physically, mentally and spiritually we are stretched almost to breaking point.

Sometimes when faced with a crisis our immediate default response is to ask two impossible questions: ‘Why?’ and ‘when?’ This will often only cause the crisis to deepen as the questions do not have an obvious answer. We don’t know why this tragedy has struck us and we have no idea when the pain will end.

There are two difficult questions that can be asked that might cause us to wrestle our way forward to an answer and they are, ‘How?’ and ‘what?’ The crisis is very real; but how do I react in the midst of this struggle? I do not understand much of the mess that is dragging me down; but as I examine and re-evaluate where I am right now, what avenues and options are open to me? These are hard but potentially constructive questions that can provide hope.

I wonder how the carpenter Joseph managed when faced with the crisis that Mary dropped on him many years ago? She announces that she is going to have a baby and that Joseph, her fiancé, is not the father; indeed, she is still a virgin. ‘So, who is the father?’ ‘Well, funny you should ask. It’s God actually.’

We read that Joseph was a righteous man and in the midst of this rather unique crisis he could have made things very unpleasant for Mary. How he reacted was vital and I am sure that he took a lot of deep breaths and counted to ten several times before he was able to come up with an answer to what he needed to do.

Perhaps it was in the slowing down and taking time to ask the how and what questions, that Joseph found an answer beyond himself? He had decided to ‘dismiss her quietly’; much the kindest option in those days. Could it be that in Joseph’s human offering of grace, he found himself in a place where he was open to hearing from God and finding a grace option far beyond his ability to offer?

‘Her husband Joseph, being as righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’ Matthew 1:19,20

Sometimes in the midst of crisis we are brought low, to a place that has stripped away our defences. If we put aside the why and when questions, that are often unanswerable, and focus for a time on the how and what; then maybe the place of defeat, great pain, hopelessness and helplessness can become a sacred place where the Spirit of God might meet with us?

Blessings - John

Bushfire reflection

I read a quote from one of the many messages of condolences being sent to those in the Victorian bush fire disaster: ‘I don’t believe in God but I do believe in the courage and strength that comes from being an Australian.’

Whilst disagreeing with the first part of the above statement, I applaud the sentiments but wonder if we can go a little deeper. While risking offending some I believe that courage and strength comes from something deeper than accident of birth. People around the world will invariably rise to a disaster and give all that they can to bring restoration and hope to those who have suffered. I am always thrilled with the way Aussies respond to disaster whether home or abroad and offer help without fear or favour; yet I feel that there is more to it than this.

It is interesting to note the way in which some nations and governments respond to disasters and offers of help. A good deal of time passed after the earthquakes in China before the government conceded it could not cope and accepted overseas aid. There we have a government that believes only in itself and to ask for help would be a loss of face.

During the Tsunami disaster parts of the Indonesian government were suspicious and fearful of the outpouring of help offered by Western nations. ‘What were we after?’

Some might ask ‘Where is God in the midst of this disaster?’ and I might use a saying of Jesus by replying, ‘those who have eyes to see let them see.’ I see God in every tear that is shed. I see God in every shoulder that is offered to cry upon and every gift, gesture and greeting of goodwill. I see God in the tired and traumatised faces of fire-fighters, police and emergency workers. I see God in the shocked and stricken faces of young children, unbelieving and lost.

I believe that courage and strength do not come via our birth certificate but through something far more profound. It comes from the spiritual air that we breathe. Oh, I know that people will say that we are the most secular nation on earth – and I believe that also – but what we say we believe or don’t believe is not necessarily relevant at this time. It is more about who we are and the legacy that still lives through us.

We highly value individuality, a fair go, respect and a soft spot for the under dog. When our neighbour hurts (no matter where that neighbour may live) we hurt also. If we can lend a hand then we will do so. This is stuff of God!

‘Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.’ Psalm 23:4

I have learnt that God is much bigger than me. I have also learned that God is not restricted by constraints of a church and is perfectly capable of working with and through any number of believers and / or unbelievers!

Where is God? His Spirit is with the people of Victoria, wandering the blackened ruins and weeping with a shocked and stunned nation. Last Sunday I spoke of Jesus taking a woman by the hand and lifting her up and I have all faith that he continues to do that right now in the blackened and broken villages, bush and forests of our neighbours. He does the same for those to our north struggling to rebuild after devastating floods and his hand is held out to us as we seek strength to cope with shocking images invading our senses right now.

What can we do? We can talk it out and share the grief, giving permission for others to do so also. We can give money as a way of helping many thousands to start again and build a new future. We can pray. What difference will that make? Over many years now I often remind people that I have been praying for them and never has that news been received with derision. Prayer can give us comfort and the combined prayer of many – across the world right now – will bring comfort to the suffering. These things we can do.

Blessings – John

Bushfires on Lake!!

Veronica and I slipped down to Victoria during the week – our passports were up to date – to catch up with my mum in Ballarat for a brief visit. While there I came across one of the more interesting headlines of recent times: ‘BUSHFIRE IN LAKE WENDOUREE!’ Now, Lake Wendouree, along with the adjacent Ballarat Botanic Gardens is one of the major tourist attractions of the city. It was the site of the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games Rowing but after years of drought, it is now completely dry; the first time in 60 years, and the reeds and grass have become a fire hazard. In fact during the week the lake flared up on two more occasions during Victoria’s blistering heat.

With my decision to back away from regular involvement with our Go M.A.D. activities this year I was asked by someone recently as to what I might be doing with the extra hours in my week. A good and perfectly reasonable question and it has caused me to be even more focused in seeking to hear a word from God in recent days.

One of the things that is becoming increasingly clear to me is the need to build a stronger spiritual base across our congregation. It is hard to build something big and strong if the foundations are shaky. Jesus may have had similar thoughts at times as we find in Matthew 7:24-27: ‘The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell – and great was its fall.’ We are a very exciting congregation to be a part of and our open, courageous and friendly manner has allowed us to build a great network across our community. We are excellent at doing stuff; but I want to help take us somewhere deeper.

I like the part in the Book of Acts as the early church wrestled with an emerging church that was vastly different to the way that they might have guessed – ‘For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials.’

It excites me that we have several people among us who are eager to go deeper in their faith and to discover what it means to walk with Jesus. So, a major focus for me in 2009 is to assist up close and personal as many who might want to make this journey as possible. I want to offer people greater opportunity for prayer and more space and time for worship.

Those of you who have been around in January and / or have kept up with a couple of my notes will know that I am presently very proactive in the ‘being’ part of my life; yes, even to the cost of my doing. One of the key things that I have learned from wise mentors over the years is that you can’t take people where you haven’t been yourself and I am already enjoying my new role, even as it has barely begun. I have managed to slow myself down and am enjoying the scenery!

I have seen too many over a long period now who have appeared to prosper and grow, only to find that in fact they were like that lake in Ballarat; bone dry and susceptible to bushfire and burnout. I know because I have been one of those fires and appreciated the spiritual hosing that I received from a great mentor only a few years ago. Without that life saving intervention I am not sure that I would be in ministry today.

Psalm 127:1 says, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.’ I want to be a part of building a great faith community in this district and I want to do it because it is God’s idea and not mine. Call me naïve but that is my hope and dream. Part of that hope is to build a legacy for of faith, grace, hope and love for generations to come and there is no better time to start than right now.

Cheers - John

So this is 2009?!

My first contribution for the year and I find myself wondering how to go about kicking off another 12 month journey.

Firstly I guess I need to say that while breaking things into bite size chunks – days, months, and years - allows us to keep life in some kind of perspective, it is a very limiting way of viewing things and perhaps we need to change our perspective? There always seems to be a goal to reach or a line to be crossed and of course this is true. However, for me these artificial lines are all about the ‘doing’ part of our lives and has very little to do with our BEING. For us to nurture a more ontological (go on, look it up) way of viewing life then we have to look beyond human chronology. That’s two ‘ology’s’ in one paragraph! See what a slower lifestyle can do for you?

The church also is ruled by days, months and years; but there is more to it than that. Or at least there should be. John Howard Yoder once said: ‘The work of Jesus was not a new set of ideals or principles for reforming or even revolutionising society, but the establishment of a new community, a people that embody forgiveness, sharing and self sacrificing love in its ritual and discipline. In that sense, the visible church is not to be the bearer of Christ’s message; but to be the message.’

Humankind is designed for worship. We love on a human level and yet regularly sense that there must be more; something, higher, wider, deeper and stronger that we sense and often yearn for, even occasionally stumbling across a clue. Lots of people boast that they are not religious. We are all religious. We all worship something. It can be power, possessions, money, popularity, people, organisations, or failing any of those, it can be the person we look at every morning in the mirror.

As boundaries increasingly contract, the church is one that is encouraged to expand. Against the odds and a growing culture of fear, the church is ordered to love foolishly and extravagantly. As the world continually defines our enemies for us the church is called to love them!

We enter a New Year that is one of the most unknown of modern times. The economic downturn will continue to bite and many things previously considered safe as the bank, are now feeling the creak of unstable foundations, including those banks! That which was sure is no longer assured and the unthinkable becomes possible.

I ask myself, ‘from where will hope come this year?’ That which is breaking down is too focused on survival to be of any use. Politicians now seem to have a haunted look in their eyes as their ‘spin’ is now spinning out of control. Church leaders moralising from ivory towers are at best ignored and at worst scoffed at as being out of touch and irrelevant. We of course have people who are convinced that this is the ‘real’ world and can give a perfectly rational explanation of our demise, and why there can be no God, to anyone who cares to listen. I have a hunch that their audience is rapidly shrinking?

So what is left? Maybe it will come down to local groups of people who are foolishly committed to each other, recklessly committed to love and serve others and deeply committed to growing closer and deeper in relationship with God. I think they call that a local church congregation. A faith community that will not be diverted by the colour of the flowers, a crying baby, hymns, choruses, chants or silence, a poor performance by the preacher or the brand of coffee. I’ll sign on again for that!

Cheers - John