Reconciliation

2Corinthians 5:16  From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17  So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20  So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This letter suggests that Reconciliation begins when I view another person with fresh eyes. I am challenged to give up looking at that person “from a human point of view” and see that person instead through the eyes of Christ. This remembers that God is “reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them”. When I choose to set aside the sense of damage that has been inflicted on me - my injured ego – I have space to remember that God is also “entrusting the message of reconciliation to us”.

You’ve called me out of death 
You’ve called me into life 
And I was under Your wrath 
Now through the cross I’m reconciled 

Chorus: 
At the cross You beckon me 
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am 
Lost for words, so lost in love, 
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered 

Sweetly Broken by Jeremy Riddle 

Ordinary 18

40 God’s Abundant Provision

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 249.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

God is not against us......

Romans 8:31  What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32  He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33  Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34  Who is 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. 35  Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36  As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39  nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This passage is written against a backdrop of a Jewish Christ-following community that believed God rewarded righteous people with long life, wealth, and children. Conversely, God was thought to withdraw from the unrighteous, allowing hardship, suffering, poverty and even death to become their punishment.  Paul wrote to correct this:  he posed the question “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”  The answer is emphatic: nothing that has traditionally been called God’s punishment “will be able to separate us from the love of God”.

When tough times come along, they are not a sign of God’s displeasure. Instead God accompanies us through every moment of the hardships of life. And because of the Divine presence “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

o    Refrain:
It is well with my soul,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

                                                                         Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

Ordinary 18

40 God’s Abundant Provision

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 249.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Treasured Possessions

Deuteronomy 7:6-14:  For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. 7  It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that the LORD set his heart on you and chose you--for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8  It was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 10  and who repays in their own person those who reject him. He does not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him. 11  Therefore, observe diligently the commandment--the statutes and the ordinances--that I am commanding you today. 12  If you heed these ordinances, by diligently observing them, the LORD your God will maintain with you the covenant loyalty that he swore to your ancestors; 13  he will love you, bless you, and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock, in the land that he swore to your ancestors to give you. 14  You shall be the most blessed of peoples, with neither sterility nor barrenness among you or your livestock.

The people are called a “treasured possession” of God. This is deeply affirming for people who were “the fewest of all the people” and redeemed “from the house of slavery”.  Sadly, what was an act of Divine magnanimous compassion in the Exodus, had become a badge of exclusive privilege by the time of Jesus. He confronts the religious leadership of his day for the way they thought to claim exclusive ownership of God’s love.

Let those of us who have had an experience of Divine love be reminded that the love of God is given to share with other people, and not to cling to as a sign of spiritual superiority.  

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

 Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns for Those that Seek and Those That Have Re­demp­tion in the Blood of Je­sus Christ, 1747.

Ordinary 18 

40 God’s Abundant Provision

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 249.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

The Memory Text: 1 Corinthians 1:9

1Corinthians 1:9  God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

I grew up learning texts from the Bible. We were taught them at Sunday School, at Church youth camps and from slips of paper in boxes that contained daily texts. At the time this was an adventure in memorization, and useful for winning Bible quiz competitions.

It was only much later that I have discovered another dimension to learning texts. This has nothing to do with ‘being clever’, or knowing more than other people. Instead, this connects me to the many, many people of faith who have gone before me. Learning texts introduces me to the lives of those who wrote the Bible; these are texts that remind me of those who have encountered these same words through thousands of years; texts that move me into a larger faith community; and texts that allow me to borrow courage from the “great cloud of witnesses” that have used them, and continue to use them.

This is not an unthinking “lifting’ of a text from its context. We still need to do the work of understanding where the words originated, and how they have helped people of faith during the passing of time. Memorizing a text serves as a trigger for the rest of the teaching associated with the text, and becomes an opportunity to be refreshed by ancient wisdom.

If you have not done so before: begin by memorizing the above text.      

"The best book to read is the Bible/ The best book to read is the Bible/ If you read it every day/It will help you on your way/ The best book to read is the Bible."

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Renewing Creation

 Revelation 21:1  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4  he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." 5  And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6  Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7  Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."

It is in our bones to wish for a world where things are better. And so we resonate with the longing of Revelation for  “a new heaven and a new earth”, where “death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more”

So here is my question: “Why does God put us through all this?” Why not just create us in the new heaven and the new earth... why the hardship / the sadness / the suffering / the death.... and then the new heaven and earth?

The short answer is that I really do not know....and I find it frustrating. The fact is that life is difficult, and it is difficult for everyone: rich and poor alike. So let me offer an opinion, and an invitation:  

Here is My Opinion:

I am convinced that life here on earth is part of God’s purpose. This is the preparation for eternal life with God. When we die we will not sit on clouds playing harps – we have work to do in the next life. And this life prepares us for it. This life is the “university for eternity”.  We have lessons to learn, and most of them are best learned in times of difficulty and struggle.

The Invitation:

To use every moment of life to the full:

-      Do not waste opportunities to learn as much as possible

-      Do not waste opportunities to put back into life.

Rev 21:5  And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."

This is not a future promise – this is the present reality: God’s renewal has already begun. And we can either miss the opportunity or be part of it. The essence of the invitation is to open our eyes and discover the new creation of God – within us, and in the relationships around us.

Rev 21:6  Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

Creation is not over until God says so!

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Provoke one another…

Hebrews 10:19  Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22  let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24  And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25  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.

Being “provocative” carries many connotations. If a woman is “provocative”, it suggests that she is leading someone into thoughts and actions that are less than appropriate. If someone is accused of “provoking” a situation, it meant that person is stirring dissent or is the cause of difficulties.  So it is refreshing to hear the writer of Hebrews using this word in a positive way: the invitation is to “provoke one another to love and good deeds”.  This is about encouraging each other in living good lives. Instead of provoking anger, rage, dissent or unhappiness – provoke people into actions of love.

The question for today asks if we can - like those who first read the letter to the Hebrews - provoke each other to acts of  ‘love and good deeds’?

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Summonsed to His Service

Isaiah 41:1  Listen to me in silence, O coastlands; let the peoples renew their strength; let them approach, then let them speak; let us together draw near for judgment. 2 Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service? He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. 3  He pursues them and passes on safely, scarcely touching the path with his feet. 4  Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am first, and will be with the last. 5  The coastlands have seen and are afraid, the ends of the earth tremble; they have drawn near and come.6  Each one helps the other, saying to one another, "Take courage!" 7  The artisan encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smoothes with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved. 8  But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; 9  you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off"; 10  do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah’s words come at a time when the Persian King Cyrus is growing in political power. Shortly after 550 b.c., Cyrus was able to unify the Medes and the Persians and to defeat the powerful kingdom of Lydia in Asia Minor. Then in 539 he turned south to conquer Babylon. The Israelites are afraid, because “He delivers up nations to him, and tramples kings under foot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow “. Some make plans to create a protective magical figure: “The artisan encourages the goldsmith, and the one who smoothes with the hammer encourages the one who strikes the anvil, saying of the soldering, "It is good"; and they fasten it with nails so that it cannot be moved”.

In the light of this Isaiah asks the rhetorical question: Who has roused a victor from the east, summoned him to his service?”  Isaiah says that Cyrus’s ascendency is no accident “Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, am first, and will be with the last.”  God is behind all this – and will continue to be in world events until “the last”. We discover these words again in a much later period, when the writer of Revelation describes Jesus as the “first and the last” (Revelation 1:17 and 22:13). 

The Creator of our world does not stand outside of history watching humanity drive ourselves to destruction. Instead, God is active within history, using those people who would follow Godly ways. The choice we face is quite simple: either we complain about everything that is wrong – or we become part of God’s work of bringing light into the darkness. I choose to be part of the solution.

Prayer for today

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Psalm 44:

To the leader. Of the Korahites. A Maskil.

1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us,

what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

2  you with your own hand drove out the nations,

but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;

3  for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory;

but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.

4  You are my King and my God;

you command victories for Jacob.

5  Through you we push down our foes;

through your name we tread down our assailants.

6  For not in my bow do I trust,

nor can my sword save me.

7  But you have saved us from our foes,

and have put to confusion those who hate us.

8  In God we have boasted continually,

and we will give thanks to your name forever. [Selah]

This praise song, attributed to the sons of Korah, celebrates the activity of God in their lives, and responds with a commitment (vow) to “give thanks to your name forever”.  . Beware of the temptation to treat God as our service-provider whose sole task is to provide us with good things in life. This psalm can become a prayerful reminder to live in an awareness of the unmerited blessings shown us by our Creator

Ordinary 17

39 God, Our Source of Hope

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 243.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Examine Yourself

2Corinthians 13: Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test! 6  I hope you will find out that we have not failed. 7  But we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong--not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8  For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9  For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect. 10  So I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I come, I may not have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

St Paul sets out the cutting edge of Christian faith. Those who follow Jesus are not free to do as we please. We are to test our lives against the truth – “for we cannot do anything against the truth”.   And there are leaders such as Paul who have been given authority over us “for building up and not for tearing down”.

This runs counter to the dominant permissive culture we live in – one that emphasises personal freedoms at the expense of the welfare of the community. Many people in our society live to a common creed of “If it feels good, then do it!” This is life without restraints; life that does not ask “what is right” ; life that no longer lives “only for the truth”. 

We can be different. I recommend the Jesuit spiritual practice, which calls for a daily examen: this is a moment at the end of each day when we examine our day with the intention of living better the next day. This builds on the instruction of St Paul to “examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith (2 Cor 13:5).

Why not try this tonight: (This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.+
1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.
For details about each step of the Examen, read How Can I Pray?

Fourth Sunday after Trinity

35 The Cost of Servanthood

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 219.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Generous Support

Philippians 4:10 I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it. 11  Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. 12  I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14  In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. 15  You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. 16  For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs more than once. 17  Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. 18  I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19  And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Philippian followers of Jesus proved themselves to be thoughtful and generous in their support of the Apostle Paul. Their concern for Paul led them to care for his needs “more than once”. This letter is written to acknowledge gifts brought by Epaphroditus – which Paul experienced as “a fragrant offering”.

Let us learn from their example. Pause and ask who God wants blessed today – and think of a way that God might use you to be a blessing.

34 Our Weakness and God’s Strength

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 213.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Do you not know...have you not heard?

Isaiah 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? 13  Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has instructed him? 14  Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? 15  Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like fine dust. 16  Lebanon would not provide fuel enough, nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering. 17  All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. 18  To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? 19  An idol?--A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold, and casts for it silver chains. 20  As a gift one chooses mulberry wood--wood that will not rot--then seeks out a skilled artisan to set up an image that will not topple. 21  Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22  It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; 23  who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 24  Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25  To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26  Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. 27  Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29  He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30  Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31  but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the followers of Moses, the people of the Covenant, have been carried off to Babylon as captives. They look in despair at the heavens and ask “Where is God in all this”.  And at this point Isaiah brings a word – in the shape of Isaiah Chapter 40. It begins with the instruction to Isaiah to comfort the people because the moment will come when God will level the mountains and fill in the valleys to make a highway that will take them back home. There is a pause – where we can almost sense those who hear Isaiah shake their heads in hopeless despair.  The road home seems impossible because those who hold them in captivity are too powerful, and the Children of Israel are too weak.  Isaiah’s reply is decisive: “To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.”  The God of all creation is more powerful than any earthy ruler and so will make this happen. In addition to this, the people are not to think of themselves as weak because “He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless”.

These words have sustained generations of people since then. Whenever people have felt demoralised, we have turned to Isaiah 40 for words of comfort. Whether we read them aloud – or we sing them as in Part I of  Handels’ Messiah – they remind us that God is larger than our history and will carry us through the particular moment we are experiencing.

Just as God speaks words of freedom from captivity to Israel in Isaiah 40, so God continues to speak these words of rescue. And we who follow the ways of our God are partners in bringing comfort to those who have lost courage, and liberation to those who are held captive. Whether this is a woman living in fear of a bad husband, a child who is crushed by the burden of bad adults, a refugee running from bad government, or someone who is terrified of their own bad decisions – the truth remains: “those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”    

Do not fear your particular moment in history. The “everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” is with you!

Third Sunday after Trinity

34 Our Weakness and God’s Strength

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 213.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Unmerited Generosity

2Co 9:6  The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7  Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8  And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9  As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10  He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11  You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12  for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13  Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, 14  while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Why are we so grasping? Why do we clutch so tightly to our possessions; why so limited in our capacity to forgive; and why do we part with every coin with such a grudging spirit?

The reality of our life is that the Spirit of our Age is a selfish spirit. The essence of our economy is about grabbing all the money I can get, accumulating possessions, and holding onto savings. When I have surplus I invest it. When I have more than I can use today, I put it away for tomorrow – “just in case”. This is even justified as prudent financial management.  I have found this to be even more acute when I have lived close to poverty. I find that I grasp tightly onto every coin that comes my way, angrily denouncing those who have more than me.

This selfishness has even found its way into Christian teaching. We have invented a prosperity theology that satisfies our selfish cravings. Christian teachers have used (abused) Scripture passage such as this one to preach that we are entitled to be wealthy – to be “enriched in every way” – and that this “glorifies God”! [1] 

A closer reading of the above passage discovers that Paul invites us to a life of unmerited, merciful generosity. Our faith is summed up in this: God has blessed us in abundance so that we might be able to share what we have with those who have need. This is not about accumulation, but is instead about redistribution. All that I have is given by God so that I can share with others:

·         I have been blessed with forgiveness so that I might be forgiving

·         I have been blessed with love so that I might share love

·         I have been blessed with friends so that I might be a friend

·         I have been blessed with food so that I might share with the hungry

·         I have been blessed with money so that I can share with the poor

And this is to be done cheerfully, and “not reluctantly or under compulsion”. It would seem that we demonstrate our grasp of God’s generous loving of us by the generous love we show towards other people.

In the words of Francis of Assisi

“......it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.”

Third Sunday after Trinity

34 Our Weakness and God’s Strength

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 213.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

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[1] Creflo Dollar ministries

Treasure in Clay Jars

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. 8  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 11  For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. 12  So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13  But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture--"I believed, and so I spoke"--we also believe, and so we speak, 14  because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. 15  Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16  So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. 17  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, 18  because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

Here Paul borrows a familiar image and applies it to our faith relationship with God. He speaks of “treasure in clay jars”. It was common for people to hide their money in non-descript clay jars. In this way they hoped that if robbers searched their homes for treasure, they would overlook the common pot in favour of the ornate.

Paul speaks of the treasure of God’s power being hidden in very ordinary human beings. But here is the twist to the image: this treasure is not placed in non-descript people so that it can be hidden! Instead it is placed in us so that “it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”     

If you feel inadequate to the task of serving Jesus, you are exactly the one that God needs. God supplies the strength. All that is required is a willing spirit.

Prayer:

Master, speak! Though least and lowest,
Let me not unheard depart;
Master, speak! For O, Thou knowest
All the yearning of my heart,
Knowest all its truest need:
Speak! and make me blest indeed.

Words: Fran­ces R. Hav­er­gal, Min­is­try of Song, 1869.

Fourth Sunday after Trinity

35 The Cost of Servanthood

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 219.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Faith and Violence

Act 7:54  When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 55  But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56  "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57  But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58  Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59  While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60  Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.

Like Jesus, Stephen was offering an opportunity for spiritual renewal within the faith of the people of Israel. But the guardians of the faith refused to listen to him: “they covered their ears and ...rushed together against him”. Tragically this difference of opinion led to Steven’s death.

This seems to be a recurring pattern in human history. All too often differences of religious belief result in violence, bloodshed, and even death. A close study of each of these Abrahamic religions will show that at their core they teach love and respect. However, followers of these faiths have perverted their beliefs into the language of war. Christians lead crusades against infidels and heretics, Muslims declare jihad against the kafir, and Jews persecute the pagan gentiles  who are called acum.

When you and I are tempted to insult someone of a different faith, let us remember St. Stephen, who was killed because he dared to believe something different.  I follow the Jesus-way of peace, which includes giving space to other people to practice their faith in ways that are different from mine. Today’s challenge for Jesus-followers is to commit ourselves to respecting Muslim and Jew, Heretic, Agnostic and Atheist, as part of our human family.

Are you afraid of what's going on
Right before our very eyes, people losing their lives
It's not a matter of right or wrong
Everyone who's alive has the right to survive
We're all in this together, my friend
Our indifference must end

We're calling out to you, wherever you may be
Everybody take responsibility
This world was made for you and it was made for me
All of us are part of the human family

Nylons - Human Family Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Fourth Sunday after Trinity

35 The Cost of Servanthood

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 219.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

Faith and Family

Mat 12:46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. 47  Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." 48  But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49  And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 50  For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Jesus was part of a family. In addition to his parents Mary and Joseph, he had brothers[1] (we know of James, Joseph, Simon and Judas[2]) and some unnamed sisters[3].  This was a culture that demanded loyalty to family, and expected respect for parents. For this reason it is unthinkable for the son of a Jewish family to deny his own flesh and blood ("Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"). This shocking statement must therefore be more closely examined.

Matthew writes for a predominantly Jewish audience – one that would have recognised the significance of this interchange between Jesus and his family.  Jesus was not denying that he had family. Neither was he denying the importance of family. Throughout his life he had received support from his family, and they would continue to support him and his disciples in the future.[4]  Matthew wants Jewish Jesus-followers to recognise the difficulty of being loyal to both family and to their new Jesus-culture. For this reason he includes a story that shows how even Jesus struggled with this. Matthew wants his readers to recognise that there will be moments when very difficult choices have to be made. A few chapters later Matthew picks up this theme in Jesus’ recognition of those who who “left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name's sake” .[5]

So what do we make of all of this?

I really do not know. The post-modern, capitalist-economic culture that engulfs so much of our consciousness allows us to sacrifice family in pursuit of our goals. This seeps into our religious practice too, and family is often a secondary concern for many Christian leaders who are intent on expanding their sphere of influence.  Offering purpose-driven Christians various Bible-verses that suggest that we can neglect our families in the service of Jesus is not the way forward. Perhaps this passage is a useful stopping point for us to reflect on the interface between family and faith. It is my opinion that – irrespective of the above scripture passage - following Jesus in our present circumstances and cultures ought to strengthen the bonds of family.

Song

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

Everyone can see we're together
As we walk on by
(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather
I won't tell no lie
(ALL!) all of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose

Sister Sledge - We Are Family Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Fourth Sunday after Trinity

35 The Cost of Servanthood

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 219.

This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.

 

 

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[1]  Matthew 12:46, Luke 8:19 and Mark 3:31.

[2] Matthew 13:55

[3] Matthew 13:56.

[4] John 19:25; Acts 1:14

[5] Matthew 19:29.