Wine at the wedding...

John 2: 1-12

⁵His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 

Have you ever been to a wedding where the wine runs out?  Some of us have been a few when we prayed that it would! Jesus attends a wedding and what do you think happens? Yes you’ve got it the wedding planner got the numbers wrong and underprepared for the big event and they ran out of wine. Jesus makes wine from freshly drawn water with the purpose recorded in verse 11 of revealing ‘His Glory’. So the question is how does this story in general and in the making of wine from water in particular reveal who Jesus is? Jesus is an invited guest; perhaps a relative is getting married and Jesus has come to the wedding with a few of His friends. His mum appears to be involved in the organisation at some level and she comes and tells Jesus the wedding is about to turn into a disaster.  Jesus is concerned about His mother. She has heard what happened with John the Baptist (see the previous chapter and Matthew 3).  The Pharisees have been refused baptism; accused of being unrepentant religious frauds by John. Jesus has been identified as the “Lamb of God” and has been baptised by immersion in water and into the ultimate concerns of His people.  In Mary’s mind its time; her son is about to embark on His life work that terrifies her. Jesus knows His mother, He sees her distress and he asks her in the most respectful of terms a rhetorical question; ‘what is your real concern mother?’ Jesus reassures His mother He is not about to die; there’s time yet. Be calm and try and enjoy the wedding ‘My hour has not yet come’.  Jesus reveals His heart of concern for the worry of His mother. He is not scolding His mother and then giving in to her and an inappropriate request. Jesus knows that even at weddings people are concerned about the troubles of their life as well as the things they are celebrating. Mary will remain worried, she is a loving mother and let’s face it she pays a terrible price for work that Jesus is now undertaking; it costs her Son. Mary gives some sound advice; advice that she has come to live by, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ She has had thirty years of living and learning with Him it’s now time to let Him go but it’s so hard. Here Jesus is revealed in the words of His mother as the ultimate authority in all matters. Jesus makes wine and ensures the wedding celebration continues to focus on the most important thing at that particular moment; the celebration of marriage. Perhaps Jesus will be reflecting, looking forward to a time when he will be the Bridegroom and He will be one with His Bride? (See Revelation 19: 6-9).  But there is a lot to do before that, the road will not be easy but in the meantime Jesus reveals that he can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves in the making of wine out of water. Jesus glory is revealed in His divine concern for the troubles of His mother and all mothers, He is revealed to be the divine authority over all our lives and in making wine from water He is revealed as the divine power that can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Do we live lives of concern for others through being dedicated to the task God has given us? Let us not forget to celebrate life in the midst of our concern.      

Community Matters

John 1: 38-42

³⁸When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ ³⁹He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.

Today is Sunday and perhaps you’re off to church? Or maybe you’re thinking about it? Where should we go? When the first disciples heard who Jesus was they followed Him. Jesus was aware of their presence and asked the age old question that He asks you and me today all over again… ‘What are you looking for?’ A great question! In today’s church experience the offers seem endless… are you looking for: physical healing, miracle evidence, someone to hear your sins and give you absolution, are you looking to be confirmed as one of the chosen elect or are you looking for the confirmation of your free choice? Well it’s all out there; keep looking you’ll find it. I hope you’re not disappointed with what you’ll get. The first disciples wanted to know where Jesus was staying.  They were not too concerned with themselves and their own narrowly defined set of personal needs; they wanted to be where Jesus was. I wonder what it was like to spend that first day with Jesus. One of the two guys, Andrew, went and got his brother and brought him. When he arrived Jesus knew him straight away. Jesus was expecting him. The true disciple wants to be where Jesus is and wants to share Jesus, that is, His time and space with others. As Christian people we have to ensure that Jesus is the centre of our gatherings and when people come they will see that Jesus is among us and that they were expected. Jesus expects us to turn up and He promises to be all we need Him to be. Perhaps you have recently heard who Jesus is and are looking for a community where He lives. Then look for where Jesus, the biblical Jesus is the centre of everything; where His story is told, accepted and lived by. Jesus is present where His words are taken seriously and lived by.  Grace and peace to you this Lord’s Day; Jesus is expecting you!  

Tempted

Matthew 4:1-11

4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

The early disciples of Jesus had a clear understanding of who they believed Jesus was and is. They understood Jesus to be the perfect and just Servant King, the perfect human being demonstrating authentic humanity and He was and remains the Redeeming Creator God. In all these realities of His life Jesus demonstrates, He reveals the Divine; Jesus reveals God to us in human form. Jesus is both God and Perfect Man. In the temptation narrative the unity of this human and divine expression is challenged. The accuser in the story, God’s ancient enemy the devil, the father of lies makes Jesus a series of offers to demonstrate who Jesus really is. Firstly he challenges Jesus to demonstrate He is the Creator God and make bread from stones; he challenges Jesus to: ‘give up on this humanity of yours!’, Who needs to be human? Secondly, he challenges Jesus to give up on His Divinity; you’re God and you can’t die. Come on, there is no way the Trinity is going to allow itself to experience death and brokenness. So let’s see the Divine die; let’s see your humanity Jesus; if you are truly one of them then die; but God won’t let you. Thirdly, Jesus is challenged as to the nature of His Kingship. You want to be a King? I’ll make you a King!  You can have it all Jesus, just give up on all this Divine humanity stuff and you can have whatever I can give you. ‘We can rule this lot together’, is the offer to Jesus the Divine Human from His enemy the Lord of the Flies. However, Jesus in His Divinity cannot be tempted, the Trinity by nature is Redeeming and Creative; in His humanity Jesus refuses the easy option to be deceived; authentic humanity is clear minded and voluntarily intentionally obedient.  In His Kingship Jesus cannot accept the exchange of His liberation Kingdom for any or all of the oppressive and violent kingdoms of this world. Jesus is the Prince of Peace; not the prince of this world. Jesus in His humanity is hungry for food but knows that humanity falls in the dessert place because of unbelief not a lack of bread provided by God. In His Divinity Jesus is hungry for a restored relationship with His creation and this hunger can only be satisfied through self-sacrifice not self-indulgence. In His Kingship Jesus hungers for a Kingdom of Faith, Hope and Love; and the greatest and summation of these is expressed as the Kingdom of Love. Tempted? Then let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ and be the people God created us to be renewed in the image of His Son; the perfect King, Human and Creator God. We can only achieve this through hearing the words of Jesus and putting them into practice. Read Matthew 4:1-11 again and hear again the words of Jesus. 

With God on our side? Not in the curse of war!

Baptism

Matthew 3: 13

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

There are times in life when we want to mark something as new and life defining. A new beginning may be celebrated as the start of something that will be a hallmark on our lives. We sometimes want to symbolise the completeness of our decision of embarking on a course of action that will characterise the rest of our lives. The graduation ceremony, the wedding, the special birthday celebration and retirement are all examples of how life is punctuated and given meaning by marking occasions and identifying ourselves with something new; a new beginning. John the baptiser spent an important part of his life offering people the opportunity to mark the occasion of beginning a new way of life through offering them the opportunity to be baptised. This involved people publically identifying with an old and new way of life. They publically turned from the old way of doing things and turned to a new yet not totally unknown life to them. John baptised Jewish people who were acknowledging that they were not living out their true identity. They were not meeting their needs and the needs of their community in the way God intended. It was time to make a fresh start and turn again and be the people God created them to be. That’s why John is so surprised when Jesus comes to be baptised. John knew Jesus was the new way of life and did not need to turn from anything. But Jesus insists on being baptised; He insists in joining ordinary people like you and me in the waters of change, sorrow and repentance; He insists in the gospel the of Matthew on being a King who joins the people in their watery struggle to be part of a new Kingdom based on the love of God; in the gospel of Mark Jesus insists on being present with the people in the immersion of the deluge of change as a servant King for the people; in the gospel of Luke Jesus joins the people in the immersion act but as the representative of the possibilities of inclusion offered by unspoiled humanity; and in John’s gospel Jesus joins the people in the waters of baptism as the Creator Redeemer God and plunges Himself into the cause of establishing something new for ordinary people; eternal life. Jesus does not need to be baptised; but we need Him to be baptised. He plunges into a symbolic death and rises again with the seal of approval from both the God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus baptism announces the solidarity of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit with us in our turning to Him in order to receive New Life. The water baptism of Jesus is followed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the approval of God the Father and this signifies what Jesus will carry on and complete through His baptism on the cross and in His resurrection life. Jesus identified with us in His baptism; have we identified with Him? Anybody for baptism? 

Greatness

John 3:30.

 ³⁰ He must increase, but I must decrease.’^*

In our culture greatness in human terms is recognised for a whole assortment of reasons. Sporting success, political leadership,  popular music performance, design fashion, being born into the right family or part of the right economic dynasty; these all seem to indicate the possible ‘X Factor’ for greatness in our everyday culture.  But what about greatness in terms of the story of Jesus life, who was the greatest person according to Jesus? In Matthew 11:11 Jesus named the person who was the greatest person who ever lived. He was the most unlikely character. A person, who lived in the sticks, ate the most simple of foods and dressed in the most basic of clothes. He challenged the most powerful religious elite as being a bunch of snakes and challenged a national leader on his corrupt lifestyle as symptomatic of the desperation of the nation.  On a more positive note he told ordinary people that they could be better people than their current lifestyle suggested. They were struggling under the tyranny of a violent military occupation and a bunch of religious fundamentalists. He told the people that a great liberation was close at hand and that they should be part of it; they should prepare the road for a great liberation King as He is on his way; it’s close now, so close we can see all the evidence of His coming. He was of course talking about? Yes you’ve got it; Jesus. The key to this person’s greatness is that He recognised that Jesus was the person who would liberate all humanity from the life controlling issues that they experienced.  As a result of fulfilling the life that he was called to, this man paid with his life so that many lives could be saved. What was his name? ‘John the Baptist’ the greatest man that ever lived according to Jesus.  John had no fancy house, clothes or food. He simply became the person God created him to be. So how great is it possible to be in this life? It’s possible to so great that you can actually be your true self. Your true God appointed self; it’s possible to be the person God created you to be. This is achieved the same way for us as it was for John; by recognising who Jesus is and preparing the way into our lives for the teaching and practices of the liberation King Jesus. John said of Jesus: ^‘He must increase, but I must decrease.’ This is the way of true greatness.   

Sons and Daughters in Our Fathers Plan

Luke 2: 41-52

41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.

Have you ever become acutely aware how quickly the years pass? Promotion at work, business growing, family getting bigger and more expensive and you fit your career just perfectly.  Or perhaps the kids or anybody else for that matter don’t want, or see the point in the business you built for them; career seems to be being overrun by adolescents hardly old enough to be out alone and the house you have spent a lifetime building is empty now, just you, left alone, the rest have ‘flown the nest’. Oh yes, and that early retirement, the new name for losing the job you gave everything to get.  It’s not that we don’t expect these things to happen; but not now, it’s too soon. If only we had spotted it earlier we would have prepared or adjusted our expectations or gone about it all differently. Well, there is still time!

The parents of Jesus were Godly people; Jesus grew up in a family that honoured the Lord. Every year His parents went to the Passover festival. Only His dad needed to go but they both went, every year. Jesus is now twelve and as our story indicates is maturing physically, socially and mentally (52).  Jesus is now mature enough to be out and about alone, moving around crowds and participating in the festival. He is a sociable young man, speaking to those he comes across and He is confident and keen to know about the Passover as well as share His reflections on why ‘Passover night is different from all other nights’. His questions and answers were beyond His year; He’s a mature 12 year old (45-47). Somehow Jesus got separated from His parents and they were naturally anxious. But He reassures them that all is well and it’s time to take stock and evaluate how their life story is unfolding. When Jesus reminds them that His role in life is to be ‘in my father’s plan’, He is saying it’s time to start thinking out how life will unfold; that they are not victims of random chance but part of a life story that makes perfect sense. They are not ready yet to let Him go, not just yet, so He does what they ask Him. However, Mary continues to think it all through and they both watch Jesus grow in body and mind into the man they were promised He would be. There is still time for you and me to do the inventory needed and take the action required to make sure we too are not victims of random chance but full participants in the story of Jesus and live as ‘Sons and Daughters’ in our Father’s plan.  

Galatians 4:4

…⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ….

Expectations are often very wrong indeed; even when we have lots of information about events we will be involved in. We hope for so much, at times dream beyond imagination, ponder, think and meditate; all to be present in some way in what is not yet available to us. The new job, partner, house, car, holiday, church or business fill our minds and take for a test run our hopes yet to be realised. Ah, but then the reality. The holiday is passed; and the new partner? Well I’ll leave that up to you to complete. The point is this, mental events and imagination are real and very much part of us, but they may be very imprecise approximations to what we experience when the event we have been considering takes place in physical time and space. They are types, or models of what we will actually handle and participate in.  In ancient Israel the ordinary people, the religious, social and political leaders got very carried away with who they thought the Messiah was going to be. On reading and hearing the Hebrew Scriptures only a few of them accurately understood and recognised what Jesus would do and teach. They read and heard the scriptures and by interpreting them their own way they got it very wrong indeed. Some exceptions that spring to mind are recorded in Luke 2: shepherds, Simeon and Anna recognised Jesus as a baby to be the promised One who would set His people free. They all accepted what God said about His Messiah and they were blessed by divine revelation. We too have access to what has been written about Jesus. What conclusions have we drawn? Do we accept what the bible says that at the right time God sent His Son to save us from imagining ourselves to be the people we are not? The story of Jesus is presented in scripture as a set of answers to our personal and community needs. It’s a story that demands a response either by accepting what Jesus does and teaches and follows him by putting these things into practice or rejects Him as portrayed in scripture. We shouldn’t let our imagination run to far ahead of the story. If we do, biblical history demonstrates that we will get it very wrong indeed. 

The Anabaptists: Called to be Peacemakers...

Remember you are part of God's creation

John 1: 1-5

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life,^* and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Those first century Hebrew people who anticipated the coming of their Messiah (and not all did), had many competing views of who the messiah was expected to be. Although He was described in many passages of the sacred Hebrew Scriptures the teachings of the various schools of thought distorted the reality of who was to be expected. The scriptures were interpreted to suit the interpreter and their political position.  The Pharisees were expecting a religious fanatic, the Sadducees were political realists, the compromisers who would have the Messiah politicise Israel around them and overcome the power of Rome and the legalistic Pharisees.  The Zealots had war on their mind; theirs was to the pursuance of politics by that other deadly means. The masses were a fickle bunch; they were always up for a ‘meal and a miracle’ but when the push came to a shove they fell in line and seemed to prefer what they knew as to what was possible. They were others each with their own expectations and no doubt their own disappointments.  John, writing of Jesus and to many competing groups with the hope of revealing to them who the Messiah really was (John 20:31), takes his readers right back to the beginning; first things first, ‘remember how in this story you are created in the image of God’.  One of the reasons we fail to see the meaning and potential of our present situation especially if  the situation is not of our own choosing is because we fail to know deep down who we are created to be. In the act of creation God not only creates life but reveals that He in Himself ‘is life’. We should expect life from the God of the bible and His promised Messiah. We should have high expectations of God and the life He offers; this is why we were created.  The darkest running commentaries of our lives cannot destroy who God is and what he has created us to be part of.  According to John, life is created again and again in the coming of Jesus; renewal in the here and now; Jesus has come to restore us personally, socially, psychologically and environmentally to be part of the story of life (John 20:31). 

Accept

John 8: 43

43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word.              

Why do we not understand who God created us to be? John 8 addresses some of the great errors of understanding in life. Here, in this passage Jesus is asking us if we would rather accept the great untruths about God and Himself and the misinformation of the powerful and dominant views of Jesus. Will we accept our place in their misinformation story or will we know and understand who God created us to be as individuals and as a community?  Read John chapter 8. Will we continue with the oppression of women (1-11) through portraying women as being the cause of masculine failure?  If women refuse their part in the male dominated story of life will they become objects of stoning? This part of the story may not be from the time of Jesus but it does show how early disciples understood the emancipation that Jesus brings to the lives of women; but do we? Jesus brings the ‘light of truth’ to the story of human relationships (12-20). The darkness of prejudice and exploitation is banished in the light of the teachings of Jesus. Jesus liberation narrative is empowered through self-sacrifice not self-promotion and self-interest (21-30). The true disciples of Jesus are those who accept the word of Jesus (31-38). We can point out how our position of dominance is part of some sort of historical natural order all we like (39-50) but Jesus points out this is misconstruing the story of who God created us to be. In the unfolding of the story in chapter 8 the acceptance and promotion of prejudice is clearly labelled as evil; it’s the weapon of lies and comes from the forces that rage against God and His creation (44). The opponents of Jesus go on to mobilise their narratives of racism and religious heresy to attack the inclusive and liberating message of Jesus. The murder of women or men is not beyond sexism; it is sexism.  Jesus knows that His murder is not beyond them; they plan it and follow it through.  John is clearly stating that for the disciple, sexism, racism, homophobia and religious prejudice are examples of the much larger list of oppressive acts that make up the sin of murder.  The only way to avoid tasting the death of religious bigotry and its first cousins of racism, homophobia and sexism is to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice today (31).

Questions answered...

The Prologue:  Matthew 1:1; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:1-4 ; John 1:1-18:

Matthew 1:1: An account of the genealogy^* of Jesus the Messiah,^* the son of David, the son of Abraham. Mark 1:1: The beginning of the good news^* of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.^*  Luke 1:1  Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,  John1:1: 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

If you had the opportunity to ask any question of the gospel writers what would it be? Would you like to know what ethical government and community living would look like? Or how about: what is the most valued status to achieve in society or in community? Or how about: what does it mean to be authentically human? Or perhaps your would ask: what would the life of a human being look like if that human being was one with God; fully human and fully divine?  The four gospel writers were exploring these and indeed many other questions that were on the minds and lips of the communities that they were writing to. Matthew is indeed concerned with the state of government that human beings have instituted and the corruption that he sees all around him. He writes about the reality that another way of life and governance is possible. He presents good news about a Kingdom based on the values, attitudes, beliefs and actions made possible in the teachings and practices of Jesus of Nazareth. Mark likewise is announcing a change in values, attitudes, beliefs. The old ways of self-superiority and domination is displaced by the teachings and practices of Jesus. Mark understands the social change that Matthew sees as so central, begins in a total reorientation in personal values to that of seeing life opportunities as those that can be used to serve others and build a kingdom of mutually valuing participants; a place where everyone can belong. Luke is concerned to portray Jesus as an inclusive human being; doing away with the old codes of legalistic behaviour. A new human order is revealed based on the values, attitudes and beliefs of Jesus. In doing so, a new humanity is revealed in Jesus; an authentic humanity based on inclusion. John is a bit different than the others. When we look for answers in John we are directed to the source of all that can be said about anything that is worth speaking about. Jesus is all that can be said about anything that’s worth saying. Jesus is the first and last Word on our questions regarding our lives!  So how is that list of your questions shaping up?

Jesus sustains all things by His powerful word.....

Hebrews 1:1-3

1Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,^* whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. ³He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains^* all things by his powerful word.

We have all anticipated the arrival of someone close to us and in the time of waiting described what life will be like when they arrive. The Hebrew people of the first century were expecting the arrival of someone they expected to transform their lives.  They were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah as He was known in Hebrew or the Christ as He was known in Greek. But who would he be? What will be his family? Where will he come from? How will He make a difference? The writers and early followers of Jesus were convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised and anticipated One. Jesus was described as the Creator, Giver of Life, the Great King, He was known as the Liberator from slavery and Exile, the All Embracing and Eternal Provider of All and by many more titles. Why did Jesus have this effect? What was and is so special about Him? The writers of the New Covenant scriptures were clear that it was because Jesus although like them He was very different also; He kept His word, He fulfilled the scripture and He did this because He was indeed the second person of the Trinity; The Son of God. This is the Jesus of scripture; one of us yet Divine who can still be anticipated to transform lives today. Do we know this Jesus? Jesus once said in John 14:6 : ‘…. I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ The answer to the questions of our lives is to be found in Jesus and His reconciling love leading us to God the Father. Is this the Jesus we are anticipating to come through His Kingdom rule in our lives today and in His second coming glory at the end of the age? 

  

Questions, questions.....

2 Corinthians 3:18

¹⁸And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Have you ever written down the questions that are being acted out in your life? As a teacher and lecturer I have watched students act out their questions through their studies and choice of profession and career. As a father I have watched my children consider their options in sport, partner, career and indeed what kind of people they are going to be. As I look back over my own life I see these and other questions unfold and my own response to them. It goes on all the time and perhaps for the most part we are unaware of them; we are just getting on with life. However, we all end up with a story to tell and we try to make meaning for ourselves and others. Becoming consciously aware of the meaning of our lives and the questions our lives are addressing was one of the central concerns of the readers of the New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures. They understood that the questions of life were and are addressed through the story and stories that unfold in the bible. There is an ongoing offer to us to consider our life story in developing our understanding of life in relationship with these ancient stories of life and how life unfolds and makes meaning. The apostle Paul and those he addressed considered that life in the light of the story of Jesus was transformational; this process is the divine method used by the Holy Spirit to transform human life. The time has come to consider the questions of our lives in the light of the life of Jesus. Tomorrow we begin a new series of reflections on these questions of life using scripture as a mirror and make meaning consciously aware. Why? Because we need to take action in the light of the story of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to be progressively transformed into the people God has created us to be.  

     

Zion & Babylon

Preferential option for the troubled...

John 14

Jesus the Way to the Father

14‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe^* in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?^{* 3}And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

Last week  there was a conference on the use of rape as a weapon of war and the need to recognise this evil as a war crime. Surely rape must be a war crime! I was troubled by those brave victims who told their story of abuse and violence and their lasting troubled hearts.  Trouble and fear are the stuff, the lasting legacy of the war lords of this world; those who terrorise through bombs and bullying.  The trouble of the silenced suffering of the community raped with crime, the country raped with war and the women raped as a weapon of war; must trouble all of us to take action. Jesus promises the troubled, the silenced sufferer that His kingdom is being prepared for them by Himself.  Jesus is taking steps to end the age of the war crime and the weapons of war. Jesus promised that He was acting through the preferential option for the troubled; for those the world forgets and leaves to their troubles.  The Kingdom of God is promised to those who are troubled! Are we troubled by the violence of this world?  If we believe that we are part of His Kingdom here and now then we must be one with the troubled and we should take action as Jesus does, we must take the preferential action in favour of those who suffer the degradation of being the objects of abuse of those who pursue  power through terror, violence and war in any form.   Let us make peace, with God, ourselves, our communities, our churches. Let us advocate for the troubled locally through our own lives and globally by pursuing peace-making and the destruction of all weapons of war. See the links below.

  How did rape become a weapon of war?

 Baptist Peace Fellowship 

Now!

2 Corinthians 5: 17;  20; 2 Corinthians 6:2….

¹⁷ So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!.... 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. ^6;2 For he says,

‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!

The first followers of Jesus were very conscious that they lived in a unique time in human history; they also knew that this time is precious.  The uniqueness of the time meant that all the old ways of resolving the problems and troubles of life had now passed into history.  The creation story that had begun in Genesis and appeared to go so badly wrong so quickly had turned out not just to be a story of creation but of redeemed-creation. The person and personality revealed in the biblical story was not just of a creator but of a redeemer creator. For these first followers, the story of Jesus was the culmination of a long trek through history. It was now the beginning of a new age ‘the new creation age’ and this new age is revealed in the redemption and renewal contained in the story of Jesus. To these first disciples their life was to be a time of sharing the hope, possibility and reality, that change is possible; reconciliation is possible through putting into practice the teachings and practices of Jesus now. When Paul uses the word ‘now’ in the final sentence of 6:2 he uses it in a very special way. It’s not just a time; it’s an activity, a practice. The appeal is to live out the salvation story of the new creation in the activity and practices of life. This means living the story in our family, work, recreation and communities. God appeals through His disciples to those not yet disciples to enter the story of the new creation. We do live in unique times and this time is precious; it’s the time God makes His appeal to our neighbours though us. Are we living in the light of the new creation; in the certainty that all things have been renewed in Jesus?  

Our Hope is Jesus.... So sing, sing, sing!

Jesus holds the whole world in His hands and that includes me and you!

Justification through Faith

Romans 3: 21-25

21 But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ* for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement* by his blood, effective through faith.

The early Christians were committed to the belief that God was revealed in His Story recorded in scripture. The God of the bible is a ‘God of Virtue’ and He reveals His ethics for life through the life, death and resurrection of His Son. Right knowledge of God is demonstrated in right action revealed by God in His son and this produces right hope in God.  The early Christians knew the story of Jesus began long before the New Testament story and that the restoration of the whole of creation rested on this story. The glory of God in humanity had been sullied by humanity meeting its needs in any way it chose other than God’s way. The result was disaster; right living being replaced with self-centred personal gain. Cooperative human relationships were replaced with the survival of the fittest or at least the fittest to oppress and dominate. All this runs contrary to God’s plan and purpose for productive human life based on caring and nurturing of each other and God’s good creation. However humanity has hope of restoration and justification and this can be achieved by accepting the Story of God as revealed in scripture and our place as humanity within it. This is a crucial point; we have to accept our part in how it’s all gone wrong. We have all met our needs our own way and denied God’s way. This heartfelt conviction that the responsibility for what’s wrong centres on how we as human beings have abandoned God and  have misused the resources of creation for our own gain and at the expense of the physical, social, psychological, environmental wellbeing of each other and the environment. But this recognition and acceptance is the potential turning point towards God and His way of life. The turning point towards God is the ‘here and now’. God’s provision for our restoration is on offer in the present; it is revealed in Jesus; He is God’s provision for our restoration and for our re-occupying our proper role in the story of creation and new creation as ‘made in the image of God’. God’s way of saving humanity is through accepting our responsibility on how things have gone wrong, turning towards God and accepting His free gift provision in Jesus; this accepting of Jesus must include both His words and deeds. We must put the words of Jesus into practice in our own lives and communities. This is what is called by theologians ‘Justification by Faith’.  Accepting what the God states the problem of our life is, that is, meeting our needs our own way (sin) and turning to God, accepting His undeserved provision of His Son’s life, death and resurrection as the pattern of provision for satisfying our need for a restored relationship with God and each other. This surely must result in ethical living. Both the love of God and our neighbour are required evidences of Justification; they are inseparable parts of the one authentic Justification by Faith.

1 Thessalonians 1: 9b-10

…. and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

The life of waiting for the fullness of the Kingdom of God is not an inactive and passive life of acceptance of the values, attitudes and beliefs of oppression, violence and death of the present age. The wait we as disciples participate in, is realised through our service to God and each other. We have turned from the idol worship and obsession with the culture of death all around us and its manipulation of anxiety for personal gain. The ‘wrath to come’ can be understood most perfectly as the ‘death of death’; we are no longer part of the culture of death; we have been spared its ultimate demise. We have life; eternal life that will be fully realised at the coming of Jesus in all His fullness. Eternal life has begun in the present age in each of us who have turned from idols to serve a living and true God….   Jürgen Moltmann in "The Crucified God" put it like this…

‘At the end of days God will raise the dead, and in so doing will demonstrate his power over the power of death. However, in the middle of our days God has raised Jesus from the dead, and the proclamation of this event is nothing less than the claim that the future of the new world of the righteousness and presence of God has already dawned in Jesus. This one man has been raised before all others and with him the process of the raising of the dead has been set in motion. Believers no longer live in this unredeemed world of death. In faith in the risen Jesus, men and women already live in the midst of the world of death by the power of the new world of life that has dawned in him.’

Are we actively waiting for Jesus to come and fill the new creation with eternal life?

That's my King: Do you know Him?

Rediscovering Anabaptism: Church After Christendom

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all

Titus 2: 11-15

11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,^{* 12} training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, ¹³while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Saviour,^* Jesus Christ. ¹⁴He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. 15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.^* Let no one look down on you.

When we think of how the scriptures applies to us today the temptation is to allegorise and over symbolise the scripture to make it fit the dominant world views of our present age. This has long been a problem in reading the bible. In our day and age, Christians in post Christendom Scotland, do not accept slavery as an acceptable set of social relationships either economically or socially. At one time however, Christendom of which Scotland was part did accept slavery. Christendom were those countries where nominal Christians formed a majority and had their position of numerical, social dominance and cultural forms supported and enforced by the state. The bible was often used to justify oppression. One of the most terrible scenes in the film ‘12 years a Slave’ is the scene where a slave owner is reading the bible and enforcing a perverse religious observance based on the supposed authority of what he is reading. At the time, various biblical passages were cited by those who were pro slavery to support their position. This now lasts as an example of how the bible can be made to say anything you like if you simply rip words and narrative out of the socio-political setting of the text. This is only one example of how the bible has been used to oppress; we could easily cite others. However, when we take the bible seriously within its own historical context and discern the background of the text, the meaning of the words, metaphors and their grammatical use; when we hear the text with the ears of the various social actors within the text and when we read the whole story we experience emancipation from dominant world views. What is revealed when we read in this way is a liberation story that is counter cultural, inclusive and empowering in its course of progressive revelation of who God is and who He has created us to be. That’s why we spend so much time in the text of scripture; we need to understand the story, all of it, in the ‘there and then’ to have any hope of standing in front of the text in the ‘here and now’ and knowing how to apply it.

The early Christian (Titus) in our text was obviously under the impression that God’s love and mercy may not be directed to all of humanity. Paul instructs him otherwise. Paul is teaching that the disciple of Jesus may be trapped in the social context of their period, but that is no excuse for not recognising that they no longer live under the same values, attitudes and beliefs of the dominant culture.  Disciples are to be living in a state of anticipation and hope that although liberation is not yet complete the times are changing and ultimate freedom is nearer day by day.  Those who know the story of Jesus and accept it, live God honouring and neighbour valuing lives because they recognise that’s what Jesus gave His life for.  This is no inferior way of living out the story; it’s the only Jesus honouring way to resist oppression and violence directed towards human beings. It’s time to take the liberation narrative of scripture seriously and find ourselves within the text and so discover who God created us to be. 

May we all  repent and make amends for justifying our prejudiced and self serving ways of life demonstrated in the oppression of other human beings in our own time and space and justified through

 the abuse of scripture.

One Church: From Baptist to Anabaptist (Greg Boyd)

From Baptist to Anabaptist by Greg Boyd offers a fresh view of what it means to a disciple of Jesus in the 21st century. 

   

Feel thirsty?

Revelation 22: 16-17

16 ‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

Early Christians had a highly valued appreciation but not an elitist view of their position in Christ. They understood that the position of Grace that they valued and enjoyed was extended to them by the fulfilment of the scriptures as revealed in the story of Jesus the Son of David.  Early disciples had a scriptural view both of Jesus and themselves. Their privileged position was also offered by Jesus to all people by the Holy Spirit and through His indwelling in the church; the community of believers. The only qualification for inclusion in the eternal Kingdom of peace is to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice. This is symbolised in our passage as having an overwhelming thirst for inclusion; that is, a profound sickening of meeting personal needs our own way by disregarding the ways of God. The water of life for inclusion is coming to Jesus and accepting Him as He is revealed in scripture.  Jesus is Lord. There are no entry fees or religious rituals just a heartfelt need and a simple and genuine acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour. This turning to Jesus is confirmed by Jesus with the free gift of inclusion; a transformed and eternal life. Feel thirsty? Then come there is room for us all.       

Welcome to the world of football

The world cup begins today. I'm looking forward to seeing some good football and the unity and solidarity that sport can at times produce. 'At times', has to be emphasised. The spending of huge sums of money and at the same time the perception  of the neglect and even disregard of those in real need raises the question  'in whose interest does these and indeed any of the 'World Games' operate? Ethical government has to operate in the interest of the most vulnerable and there seems to be a significant group of the most vulnerable who experience anything but unity and solidarity from the world cup being in their country.

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War rape summit begins in London

Ending war seems a far off prospect. But is it? Ending the violence, the rape and the devastation caused by war and all hate crimes  is a core message contained in the story of Jesus and the liberation power of the love of God and neighbours; the two commandments that sum up all the 'Law and the Prophets'. When we claim that the the return of Jesus is near, we are saying the end to these despicable crimes is near also. All Christian disciples are called to be peacemakers and take action to end war and all dehumanising violence.

An International summit to raise awareness and promote action to stop war rape is being held in London. Its getting a lot of coverage on the BBC ; check it out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27783363 

Revelation 5: 13

¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,
‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honour and glory and might
for ever and ever!’

The early disciples had a very high view of Jesus.  He was to them simply God in a human form, who sacrificed everything for them, He was raised from the dead and exalted to the highest pinnacle of importance for whole cosmos. However His was no rule of fear. The power of the exalted Christ is a relational power; a power rooted and tested in love. This power and position of love evoked love, blessing, honour and recognition that everything had changed in the light of the liberation of Jesus.  I was watching a news article the other day on the anniversary of the D-day landing and the liberation of Europe.  Some of the surviving soldiers were present and the people of a local village, liberated by these very same brave and noble men, gathered to thank them.  A small child perhaps 10 years old cried out ‘we love you!’  One of the old men gently took her by the head and bent down and kissed her on her head.  She knew her liberator and loved him for his sacrifice; she was grateful for her life.  He simply kissed her to reassure her she was worth it. He loved her too.  The early Christian community looked to Jesus and sang ‘we love you’; they knew their liberator from the hate of legalistic religion and the rule of Rome. He looked on them and kissed them with the Holy Spirit to always remind them, that to Him they were worth every drop of His blood that He shed.  You, we, all of us, are for Jesus worth it too.  Let us live not just in peace because many people and communities still live under the tyranny of poverty, oppression and violence.  Let us live as Jesus commanded as ‘Peacemakers’ and in this way we too will sing;  ‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!’. You and I can live out this song in making peace. 

Revelation 4:1-3

4After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ ²At once I was in the spirit,^* and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! ³And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald.

Can you imagine being in a community where it’s all going very differently than you first thought. The possibility of persecution has turned into reality. The person who has nurtured you, taught and led you has been arrested and sent to a prison island. The promise and hope of a new community that you once felt is ebbing away. A letter arrives from your friend who is being detained on the prison island.  He writes that there is no need to worry, all your hopes for freedom and peace are coming true and soon you will all be together again in the Kingdom of Peace. Your security is assured and it’s all working out according to the plan. Very difficult days lie ahead but the hope of the Kingdom of Peace and the rule of the liberation King are encoded in every line of your friend’s letter. It’s difficult to speak openly with so many enemies around. Life is dangerous at the moment. The coded message speaks of the promises sent directly from the King. A rainbow is described to remind His people that every time there is a flood, a storm in life it will not drown us. Never again will we live under the threat of being overcome with the storm of adversity and oppression. Our hope is built on the rock of following our King not on the sand of disloyalty. Our liberation King of Peace is already on His throne; He is faithful and will keep all His promises. We are suffering but safe. Red, white and green precious stones form the basis of a rule of great human value and worth, incorruptible by the tyranny of the present time. Despair gives way to determination to remain faithful to the King of Peace. He is on His way to set us finally free and we will reign with Him forever. Just imagine and be thankful.

Revelation 1: 17-18

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.

It’s an interesting question; how did the early followers of Jesus understand His ‘Ascended Glory’? It’s a question that we ask too.  Who is Jesus, now in our day and time?

Life can often feel as if God is silent, distant, uninvolved and inert; is God unaffected by our situation? Those 1^st century disciples that John was writing to were given a vision of Jesus that was anything but uninvolved, untouched or unaffected. Jesus was understood by these disciples to be all that could be said about life; he had tasted death and appealed to His followers to recognise that in His ascended Glory He was alive for them and they should rest in the fact that He held the keys to all that that threatened them. They were safe; the future now belongs to Jesus. There are fewer more comforting and assuring words that come from the mouth of Jesus than these; ‘Do not be afraid;’

So? Do not be afraid when people let you down, do not be afraid when your education lets you down, do not be afraid when health let you down, do not be afraid when the church lets you down, do not be afraid!; because Jesus is the living One; He never leaves us and is active preparing a place for us, a Kingdom of peace that he invites us to participate in right now. May the peace of Jesus infuse our lives in all the circumstances that we find ourselves in; especially those not of our own choosing. Jesus in His Ascended Glory hold us and our future in His life giving and peaceful hands.  

Anne Graham Lotz Has A Magnificent Obsession

Finding ourselves in the Story of God is indeed 'A Magnificent Obsession'

Hebrews 10: 12

¹²But when Christ^* had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’…

For the early believers the ascension story of Jesus was part of the resurrection narrative; part of the new life and new creation story.  Jesus was raised from the dead and he ascended to heaven to be in the presence of His Father. In Acts 1 Luke continues the story of Jesus through the ascension story and the post resurrection discussions about the ‘restoration of the Kingdom’. The introduction to Hebrews also emphasises that Jesus, when He completed His work of making purifications for sins He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus are a completed work that allows His disciples to undertake and complete their part of the story. As N.T. Wright has claimed it’s helpful to think of the story of the Revelation of God in Christ as being, made up of parts like acts in a play; Creation, Fall, Israel, Jesus, the Present Age and the Age to Come. The present age is the period of time between the ascension of Jesus and His Second coming. This is the time when we are as individuals and as the community of believers are writing our part of the story of the Revelation of God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus sat down and calls us to stand up and be counted as His. We are called to acknowledge Him as Lord through putting His words into practice in our lives and communities; establishing a Kingdom alterative to the same old death and taxes narrative of the Empire. Jesus promises to be with us through His Holy Spirit until the task is done and then He will return to complete the story and finish the establishing of His Kingdom here as it is in heaven in the ‘Age to Come’. Jesus ascended and sat down; will we stand up and live out His Kingdom’s values now in the Present Age?

Check out N T Wright and his work for yourself.