Hello everybody, and HELLO to 2021! Aren’t you ready for 2020 to be over? What a year! We had to PUT UP WITH a lot – a pandemic, lockdowns, not being able to get together with whomever we please or travel where we please, having to wear those annoying masks – it’s been quite a year! I’m thankful for the discovery of effective vaccines and the prospect SOMETIME in 2021 of not having to put up with some of those restrictions any more. Hang on a little longer!

The Apostle Paul stated in 1Corinthians 9:12b, “...we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.” It’s difficult to ‘put up with’ all that the previous year brought us – where does Paul find ability to put up with / cope with / persevere through ANYTHING rather than hinder the Good News about Jesus?!

This isn’t a full-blown sermon, just a short introduction to an interview I did recently with “Cheryl” who’s from our area, and returning as a “cross-cultural worker” to a country far away that’s not very receptive to Christian missionaries. As you listen to the interview, watch for various things Cheryl has had to learn to “put up with”. She talks about going to a strange country, where there’s lots of pollution, and crowding, and the internet goes down often. Would YOU volunteer to go to a place with bad pollution, like Mexico City, which is notorious for its poor air quality, for example?

When I was a missionary with Christian Blind Mission in Congo Brazzaville, a hot humid country on the equator, my Salvation Army boss there observed, “Isn’t it interesting how many missionaries get called to go to Kenya?” (Kenya although tropical has higher elevation so the temperatures are cooler and more bearable.)

Cheryl also mentions other difficulties. She suffered an abusive childhood due to an alcoholic father. That can be traumatic for children: at best, suffering neglect because the parent is preoccupied with their addiction; at worst, being subjected to physical and verbal abuse when the parent lashes out.

Then more recently, when she was home on furlough, she broke her ankle and was laid up for about a year, much longer than she had planned to be out of country. Yet she redeemed the time by writing a book, “Crushed Innocence: A Journey Into Promise”. So with God’s help, Cheryl was able to turn a setback into fruitful productivity resulting in an item that can bless others who will read it and relate to her journey, and hopefully discover God’s remedy for their pain.

How do we learn to “put up with anything” rather than hinder what God’s aiming to accomplish in our lives, shaped by the gospel?

Remember who’s writing these words in our passage. Back in chapter 4 Paul gives a brief summary of what HIS experience as an apostle has been like – it’s no rose garden! 1Cor 4:9,11-13 - “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena...To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.We work hard with our own hands.When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly.We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.” Gee! Do you think Paul understood a thing or two about having to put up with hardship?

In the closing verses of chapter 9 we find three clues to Paul’s motivation, that can also spur us on today. First, OUR LIVES OF ENDURANCE INFLUENCE OTHERS TOWARDS THE KINGDOM. We “rub off” on others, our witness in adversity can be a powerful inspiration to others to likewise put their trust in God, no matter what happens. Verse 22, “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” This parallels 9:19 just previous: “I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” Jesus calls us to make disciples, to invite others to follow Him: our sacrifices and endurance become an advertisement for Him, so others may be won for the Kingdom and be saved. That’s a big part of why Cheryl’s located where she is so far away, to be a witness and win others to Jesus in a culture that largely is ignorant of the faith.

Second, PUTTING UP WITH HARDSHIP CAN BRING BLESSING IN THE PRESENT. 9:23 says, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” There are few greater experiences in the Christian walk than seeing someone else become born anew in part due to our witness. The apostles put up with so much suffering in their travels, but they also got to see churches started, believers’ lives transformed. The burden can be a doorway to blessing. Jesus taught, Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to GIVE than to receive.” Giving, like enduring, serving in the hard places, can prepare us to receive a sense of blessing from the Lord right now.

Third, THOSE WHO PUT UP WITH HARD SERVICE ARE REWARDED WITH A PRIZE HEREAFTER. 1Cor 9:24, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” And v27, “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” The Bible teaches we will stand before Christ’s judgment seat to receive what’s due for our deeds in this life (2Cor 5:10). That helps us keep pressing on when it’s tough slogging, and our flesh cries out for us to quit.

I was privileged to interview “Cheryl”, recorded in early November. She flew back November 15; the journey back took 27 hours including 8 hours at the arrival airport going through procedures, followed by mandatory 2 weeks of quarantine, but eventually she made it without serious incident. She would appreciate your prayers for her situation as she gets caught up with her students. Her example is truly encouraging!

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“Members or Mimics?” - Jan.10/21 - Rom.12:3-13

Do you remember Mr.Dressup and his “Tickle Trunk”? It’s fun to play dress-up...When my kids were young, we had a “dress-up box” which had everything from a clown’s wig to a policeman’s hat. It’s amusing for children to try on different get-ups and pretend to be different characters. Sometimes they would ‘play school’ with them as the teacher and their stuffies and dolls as the students. But sooner or later it’s time for supper and the costumes have to come off and go back in the box.

Unfortunately some adults don’t seem to grow up when it comes to their religious life – instead of actually being part of a church they’re content to just “play church”. They’re not members, but MIMICS - a mimic is someone who imitates or copies or pretends to be someone they’re not. Today we’re looking at what it means to be a MEMBER of a church – the real thing, not an imitation or pretending.

Marriage is one of the most precious covenants and commitments a person can make. Can you imagine marrying an apartment or a room? That’s not a relationship! Yet that’s how some folks approach their relationship to church. J.Vernon McGee said this: “If there is no deep yearning for a life that is well pleasing to Him, if there is no stimulating desire to know Him and His Word, church membership is just like a young man falling in love with a furnished apartment and marrying an electric stove, a refrigerator, a vacuum cleaner, a garbage disposal, and a wet mop! That is just about all it amounts to. Let's stop playing church today and start loving Christ and living for Him!”

As we look at Romans 12 and this topic of church membership, there are four main elements that stand out: 1) it’s about God-consciousness not self-focus; 2) it’s about One-Anothering - being Different BUT interdependent; 3) membership is a GRACE-gift; and 4) the ATTITUDE with which we serve matters.

Thom Rainer is a well-known church consultant with much wisdom, and I am indebted to his little book I Am a Church Member, from which I’ll draw some material today; I highly recommend you get a copy, you’ll find it edifying as I did!

1) IT’S ABOUT GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS NOT SELF-FOCUS

Selfishness is not pretty. When someone is ME-focussed, we can often spot it quickly; it’s more difficult when WE’RE the one that’s self-focussed.

I was shocked this past Wednesday by the scenes of protesters breaking into the Capitol in Washington DC, invading offices, breaking windows, guns being drawn, people killed at the very heart of the US political system. For a few hours it seemed the nation teetered on the brink of anarchy. It reminded me of the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution. The crowds were incited by a self-focused president who seemed determined to hang onto power at any cost, making false allegations of election fraud, willing to risk violence so he might stay in office. Thankfully elected officials were able eventually to proceed with certifying election results, and the way was opened to an orderly transition of power. But what chaos and anarchy selfishness sparks!

The Apostle Paul begins our passage by admonishing believers to focus on God rather than themselves. Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

Do we hear that? “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” – ugh! We like to have a pretty good opinion of ourselves. The world teaches us: “Look out for Number One.” “My way or the highway.” Instead, Paul urges, we’re to think of ourself with “sober judgment” - soberly, honestly, rightly; the dictionary translates the word in the original language “to put a moderate estimate upon one’s self”. Not over-inflated. Not in bondage to constantly giving priority to our own preferences.

And it’s to be “in accordance with the measure of FAITH God has given you.” Not our ability, or our accomplishments which we might brag about, but in accord with the amount of our FAITH, our trust, our commitment and reliance upon God in every detail of our lives. Is my faith stronger today than it was last month? Last year? Have I ventured out in obedience to God’s leading in a way that tested and proved how faithful He was? Faith has to do with my consciousness of and reliance upon God; am I just planning things in a way that relies on my own steam?

Being a real member of a church helps us become less selfish. Thom Rainer writes, "The strange thing about church membership is that you actually give up your preferences when you join.Don't get me wrong; there may be much about your church that you like a lot.But you are there to meet the needs of others.You are there to serve others.You are there to give.You are there to sacrifice."

Rainer offers half a dozen summary statements in I Am a Church Member that encapsulate the meaning of membership in a covenant sort of way. Here’s the suggested commitment introduced in his chapter “I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires.”

“I am a church member. I will not let my church be about my preferences and desire.That is self-serving.I am a member in this church to serve others and to serve Christ.My Saviour went to a cross for me.I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that just aren't my preference or style.”

2) IT’S ABOUT ONE-ANOTHERING AND UNIFYING: WE’RE DIFFERENT BUT INTERDEPENDENT

Scripture emphasizes that churches will operate like they should only when every member is functioning within the body. Every member has received different spiritual gifts that need to be used in service to the church. Ultimately, the foundation for exercising these gifts is love, which draws us together even though we’re different, it UNIFIES us.

In verses 4-6 Paul uses the analogy of a human body to make his point about how the folks in the fellowship who seem so different at first glace actually discover an overarching sense of unity and commonality as they apply their various gifts and skills. Rom 12:4-6A “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Get the picture? Many members, but one body.

It would be shame to have some body parts without the others. For instance, your mouth and teeth do a great job of chewing. But just as important in the process is your small intestine; did you know its absorptive surface area is about 250 sq m, or the size of a tennis court? Yet you never see it.

Many members, one body. 1Cor 12:20 “As it is, there are many parts, but one body.” 1Cor 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

Back in Romans 12, Paul emphasizes “One Anothering” – see vv9,10 - “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Hear the “one anothers”? “Be devoted to one another” - “Honour one another.” Unfortunately some churches fall into the trap of petty divisions and arguments and tensions because they lose sight of loving those who see things differently than they do.

Thom Rainer’s research team did a survey of churches that were inwardly focused, not serving outside their own walls. There were ten dominant behaviour patterns amongst the churches surveyed.

A) Worship wars: One or more factions in the church want the music just they way they like it; the order of service must remain constant.

B) Prolonged minutia meetings: Too many meetings, dealing with inconsequential items instead of the Great Commission and Great Commandment. They failed to keep the main thing the main thing.

C) Facility focus: Protecting and preserving rooms, furniture other visible parts of the building and grounds assumes high priority.

D) Program driven: The problem develops when the program becomes an end instead of a means to greater ministry.

E) Inwardly focused budget: A disproportionate share is used to meet the comforts of the members instead of reaching beyond the walls of the church.

F) Inordinate demands for pastoral care: people have unreasonable expectations for even minor matters.

G) Attitudes of entitlement: The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving special treatment.

H) Greater concern about change than the gospel: Any noticeable changes in the church evoke ire, while there’s little passion about changing lives through the Good News of Jesus.

I) Anger and hostility: Towards both staff and other members.

J) Evangelistic apathy: Few share their faith on a regular basis; they’re more concerned about their own needs, rather than the eternal needs of the world and their community.

Hmm, is that ringing any bells? Do we recognize ourselves in any of those characteristics of inwardly-focused churches? Our differences should not be leading to division and bickering, but appreciating and loving one another.

During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite so that he could control them. Among the Brethren assemblies, half complied and half refused. Those who went along with the order had a much easier time. Those who did not faced harsh persecution. In almost every family of those who resisted, someone died in a concentration camp.

When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between the groups and there was much tension. Finally they decided that the situation had to be healed. Leaders from each group met at a quiet retreat. For several days, each person spent time in prayer, examining his own heart in the light of Christ's commands. Then they came together. Francis Schaeffer, who told of the incident, asked a friend who was there, "What did you do then?" "We were just one," he replied. As they confessed their hostility and bitterness to God and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among them. Love filled their hearts and dissolved their hatred.

Rainer offers this corresponding pledge concerning the need for being unified.

“I am a church member. I will seek to be a source of unity in my church. I know there are no perfect pastors, staff, or other church members. But neither am I. I will not be a source of gossip or dissension. One of the greatest contributions I can make is to do all I can in God's power to help keep the church in unity for the sake of the gospel.”

3) MEMBERSHIP IS A GRACE-GIFT

It is an outflow of God’s rich grace that makes it possible for us to repent, be born again, receive His Holy Spirit, and be united with Christ, walking with Him day by day. In vv6-7 Paul underlines that the differing gifts are assigned according to God’s grace. Rom 12:6-7 “We have different gifts, ACCORDING TO THE GRACE GIVEN US.If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach...”

Don’t feel shortchanged or unfairly dealt with because your gift doesn’t happen to be as high-profile as someone else’s, or that so-and-so gets to be greeter while you’re delegated to sanitize the washroom between uses. Don’t feel jealous because Sam is such a wonderful LifeGroup leader while you feel most comfortable tending little ones in the nursery. Paul emphasizes the gifts are distributed according to God’s sovereign design, not our deserving or planning. The gifts differ “according to the GRACE given to us”. 1Corinthians 12:18,24B-25 “But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be...But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” It’s the Lord who has done the arranging / combining, assembling a marvelous diversity of giftings and personalities in a complex way that’s capable of impacting all the different types of folks who haven’t yet come to know Jesus. Divine GRACE is reflected in the different functions: some lead, some serve, some teach, some give, and so on.

Did you notice how the Apostle began this section? V3 “For BY THE GRACE GIVEN TO ME I say to everyone among you...” Exhorting and instructing were gifts of Paul by the Lord’s grace.

Thom Rainer offers this pledge recognizing membership is a GIFT.

“I am a church member. This membership is a gift. When I received the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, I became a part of the body of Christ. I soon thereafter identified with a local body and was baptized. And now I am humbled and honored to serve and to love others in our church. I pray that I will never take my membership for granted, but see it as a gift and an opportunity to serve others and to be a part of something so much greater than any one person or member.”

During the Spanish-American War, Clara Barton was overseeing the work of the Red Cross in Cuba. One day Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to her; he wanted to buy food for his sick and wounded Rough Riders. But she refused to sell him any. Roosevelt was perplexed. His men needed the help and he was prepared to pay out of his own funds. When he asked someone why he could not buy the supplies, he was told, "Colonel, just ask for it!" A smile broke over Roosevelt's face. Now he understood – the provisions were not for sale. All he had to do was simply ask and they would be given freely.

For all of us who are in Christ, we too have received a gift – the free gift of salvation. This free gift was costly; it cost Jesus his very life. Yet, it did not cost us anything! Our ministry in diverse forms springs forth from His grace.

4) THE ATTITUDE WITH WHICH WE SERVE MATTERS

Fourth and finally, besides just using our gift, putting it into practice, it matters HOW we do that – the attitude with which we serve is important. Pay attention to the progression in the modifying phrases in Romans 12:7-8: “If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, LET HIM GIVE GENEROUSLY; if it is leadership, LET HIM GOVERN DILIGENTLY; if it is showing mercy, LET HIM DO IT CHEERFULLY.”

There’s a big difference between giving grudgingly and giving cheerfully – 2Cor.9:7 “God loves a cheerful giver.” Jesus commended with special honour the poor widow who put in 2 copper coins (all she had to live on) rather than the rich folks who made large donations out of their wealthy surplus (Mk 12:41ff).

Does our attitude shine when we show mercy? A few weeks ago when wet snow made the roads slick, I passed someone who apparently had just a few moments earlier gone off in the ditch. Should I stop? Would I be late for my meeting? Did I hurry on like the priest and the Levite declining to stop and help the beaten victim at the side of the road? I turned the car around and made sure the occupant in the ditch had a cell phone and they had already called for roadside assistance, which was on its way. I carried on with my schedule, but had to watch not to become perturbed at the delay. Sometimes it’s you or me off in that ditch!

Parts of verses 10-12 hint also at the attitude with which we ought to be ministering to others. Do we just ‘do’ the thing at bare minimum, or go above & beyond? Rom 12:10-12 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.Honor one another above yourselves.Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.Be joyful in hope, PATIENT IN AFFLICTION, faithful in prayer.” Ah, being patient in affliction – now that’s an attitude that shows real character!

When we are Christ-centred rather than self-centred, we GIVE ourselves in commitment to Kingdom endeavours rather than just feathering our own nest. We become what Thom Rainer calls FUNCTIONAL church members. To what degree have you committed yourself to Jesus’ cause, in particular through the various ministries of your local church?

A man was coming out of church one day and the preacher was standing at the door as he always did ready to shake hands. The pastor grabbed the man's hand, pulled him aside, and said to him, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" The man replied, "Preacher, I'm already in the Army of the Lord." The preacher quickly asked, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?" The man whispered back, "I'm in the secret service." (!)

Let us USE our gifts, and USE them in such a manner that honours the Lord who blesses us with abilities. Rainer offers this pledge of commitment in terms of being a “functioning” member...

I am a church member. I like the metaphor of membership. It's not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It's the kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12: "Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it" (1 Cor. 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an "eye," an "ear," of a "hand." As a functioning member, I will give.I will serve.I will minister.I will evangelize.I will study.I will seek to be a blessing to others.I will remember that ‘if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.’(1 Cor.12:26)”

Perhaps you've heard the church referred to disparagingly as a "holy huddle" – that sort of implies it's just a place where believers gather together and focus on one another. But there's one problem with such a huddle, as someone has observed: the world around us has a very different perspective of a huddle...When they see a huddle they see a bunch of backsides and the view is not at all attractive!

The church was never called to be a holy huddle or a hotel for saints; the church and its members were called to be a hospital for sinners. To respond to our Lord’s calling we must be willing to serve someone beside ourselves, as the Great Commission implies. Jesus' commission to the church is that we are to go and make disciples of all nations. Now, making disciples does not take place primarily within the walls of the church. In fact, the early church did not have a building where they met each week – they usually met in homes or in the temple – and most of their time was spent fulfilling their regular responsibilities. It was in fulfilling these responsibilities that they were to make disciples. The same is true for us. "72-36-14 - hut!" Let's pray.

“The High Calling of an Elder” - Jan.17/21 - 1Tim.3:2-7, Titus 1:5-10 (1Pet.5:1-5)

THE GOLD STANDARD

Spiritual Leadership...Is it about being “in charge”? Has it to do with being able to “call the shots”? Is it about manipulating or intimidating others, wielding the power to make them cower and cringe with a single memo “From the Desk of the CEO” or tweet or other disparaging social media post?

The Bible understands “Spiritual Leadership” to be something far different. In his book Spiritual Leadership J.Oswald Sanders wrote, “One definition of leadership is the ability to recognize the special abilities and limitations of others, combined with the capacity to fit each one into the job where he will do his best.” Here the emphasis is not on one’s OWN power or ability, but being able to appreciate and serve others, guiding them into a configuration where each can share their talents meaningfully.

Today, partly in response to a request from our own church Elders, we’re following up last week’s message on church membership in general with one looking at the role of eldership in particular, how it’s a high and noble calling worthy of aspiring to.

Now, before you tune out thinking “this doesn’t apply to me”, consider this: When the apostles Paul and Peter describe qualifications for eldership, what they’re really describing is the ideal or goal to which EVERY man in the church should aspire. (And pretty much all of it can apply to a mature Christian woman, too!) If you are truly wanting to become a mature follower of Jesus, a “disciple” worthy of honour as such, you need to be reminded of these qualities and characteristics. This is the “gold standard” when it comes to how a follower of Jesus should be – not just the limited role of a select few. What woman wouldn’t want a husband that displays these qualities? What company wouldn’t be happy to have a person like this on its payroll, nay, its Board of Directors?

There are three key passages in the New Testament that go into some detail about what should describe an elder or overseer or bishop or pastor (the titles are used fairly interchangeably) – 1Timothy 3, Titus 1, and 1 Peter 5. Rather than go through the lists in sequence one by one, I find most adjectives can be combined under 5 broad headings: to keep it alphabetical – REFERENCE, RELATIONSHIPS, REPUTATION, RESTRAINT, and REWARD.

THE ELDER’S REFERENCE

First, REFERENCE – to what do we REFER to get our bearings? Are we just awash in a sea of chaos? Or are there compass points by which to chart our course?

The following illustration may date me (and you), but see if you can complete this sentence: “The beginning of the long dash following ten seconds of silence indicates...” Well? How many of you know what comes next? “...indicates one o’clock Eastern Standard Time.” The official time signal is the longerst-running feature on CBC Radio, dating back to the 1930s after it took over from Canada’s first network, CNR Radio. For decades people all over the nation set their timepieces by the radio’s daily signal. It was especially important for mariners and surveyors, who needed accurate timing for navigation. In 1975 the National Research Council developed the world’s first high-accuracy primary cesium clock, and today we just look at our smartphones which are tied in somehow to atomic clocks.

The point is, we have a REFERENCE by which to gauge our own timing. Something that’s sure and stable and reliable no matter whether the planet spins a little faster (as it has been doing lately for some reason) or slower.

For Christians, Scripture is that point of reference, as interpreted by the teachings of Jesus Christ. So Paul highlights the importance of having a good grasp of doctrine when he writes to Titus, 1:9-10 “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.” Satan is fundamentally a liar and loves to put his own ‘spin’ on things, questioning what God has revealed, cozying up to Eve and asking: Gen 3:1 “Did God really say...?” The world has all kinds of what Paul terms “rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers” – you can find a variety of conspiracy theories and “misinformation” to suit your tastes. Church leaders and mature Christians need to be grounded in and familiar with Scriptural revealed divine truth. “Hold firmly to the trustworthy message – as it has been taught” – as it has been passed on to you from those of a previous generation, extending all the way back to the first eyewitnesses. Peter could assert (2Peter 1:21) “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” And as Paul reminded Timothy, 2Tim 3:16f “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” It’s a blessed GIFT to us to be our prime point of reference. Useful for not just elders, but parents and group leaders to be teaching and training those in their care.

Other qualities the apostles mention relate to this ‘having a reference’. Paul emphasized an elder is not to be quarrelsome (1Tim 3:8) – the Bible becomes the arbiter of truth for us, not how loudly we can shout. It’s our authority, so we don’t have to come across in an ‘authoritarian’ bossy manner.

Paul also warns in 1Tim 3:6, “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.” Get more steeped in Scripture as the years pass and it will help you not become conceited, thinking overly much of yourself – the Holy Spirit reminds us of our growth areas, where we still fall short and need to mature more.

The leader is like a radio station’s clock, back when people set their watches by the station’s time signal. The leader sets the pace for our own standards of conduct. So the spiritual leader needs their own point of REFERENCE in God’s Word.

THE ELDER’S RELATIONSHIPS

Sections in all 3 passages about church leaders are devoted to an elder’s RELATIONSHIPS. In both 1Timothy 3 and Titus 1, the overseer or elder is to be “the husband of but one wife”. This is not referring to marital status but to moral and sexual purity. Literally it means to be “a one-woman man” – someone whose wife can count on him to be faithful, devoted, dependable, focused on loving her and promoting her happiness and wellbeing. Now, who doesn’t want a man like that?

Another area of relationship is that of children. 1Tim 3:4-5 “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)” It’s very true, if you can learn how to manage your offspring, it stands you in good stead to be able to provide leadership in the church – or in the corporate world, for that matter. In the family we learn how to deal with different temperaments, competing wants, conflicting schedules, having to ‘make do’ with limited resources and still be fair to all, and so on.

In Titus Paul describes - Titus 1:6 “An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.” It’s so true – want to know what a dude’s really like? Study how he interacts with his kids. Is he short with them, demanding, quick to get upset? Is Christian faith “rubbing off” on them, at least in the long run? Does he set a good example at home, in the sight of those he’s in closest contact with? Do they see Dad reading his Bible and praying, saying grace, being enthused about church life? Faith is both ‘caught’ and ‘taught’.

What about relationships with those who are not immediate family? In both 1Timothy 3 and Titus 1 Paul insists elders must be HOSPITABLE (v3&8, respectively). Literally “a lover of strangers”. Do we take time to greet and get to know those who aren’t in our immediate circle? Do we invite new people over after church (when we can)? Do we invite non-churchgoing acquaintances TO church and a meal after? Or even just get together for a meal? That’s pretty user-friendly evangelism, right there!

The Apostle Peter focuses more on the leader’s manner of relating to others: 1 Peter 5:2f “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers— not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” Are we WILLING overseers, or is it just on our “gotta do” list? Are we EAGER TO SERVE, or reluctant, begrudging? And is our style domineering, LORDING IT OVER those entrusted to us? That’s not being a good example. Nor is it the style of Jesus.

Once the disciples got into a spat about which of them was the greatest. This whole issue of domination and ‘lording it over’ was on the table. But Jesus corrected them: Luke 22:25-27 “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Serving, not domineering or manipulating or ‘one-upping’, needs to characterize our relationships – for our Lord chose a posture of ministering to us, serving us.

In our relating to others, one way we can serve them is by seeking to develop those people for whom we’re responsible. Thomas Monaghan was founder, president, and CEO of Domino’s Pizza. From 1970-85, Domino’s grew from a small debt-ridden chain to the second largest pizza company in America, with sale of over one billion dollars in 1985.

But is it REALLY just a PIZZA company? Is that its real product?

When asked to account for the phenomenal growth of the company, Monaghan explained, “I programmed everything for growth.” And how did he plan for growth? “Every day we develop people – the key to growth is developing people.” Not special cheese, not a tasty crust, not fast delivery schedules, but people! People are the key to all effective leadership.

THE ELDER’S REPUTATION

Benjamin Franklin once said, "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it." A good reputation is more valuable than money – it’s priceless! So it’s no wonder reputation features prominently in the apostles’ list of qualities for church leaders. 1Tim 3:7 “He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” When church leaders fall into disgrace, it reflects badly on the whole church, and does not commend Christ to our peers.

What are some things that contribute to good reputation? 1Tim 3:2 “Now the overseer must be above reproach...” Literally ‘un-seizable’, you won’t catch him in any wrongdoing. Titus 1:6 “An elder must be blameless...” Literally un-accusable, you can’t pin any accusation that sticks, sort of what used to be called a ‘teflon man’. Titus 1:7 continues “Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless...”

Respectability is related to reputation; being “respectable” is mentioned in 1Tim 3:2. Titus 1:8 adds being “upright” and “holy”. Do those words accurately describe how others view us? Not everyone is ‘upright’ – many just follow the path of least resistance. To be ‘holy’ means being set apart or dedicated to God’s purposes. Are we actually ‘set apart’ or going with the flow? There’s a bumper sticker that reads, “Don’t follow me – I’m lost too.” Motion does not always mean purpose. Don’t just follow the crowd, because they many not know where they’re going.

See also part 1, “Reference” – those who are endeavouring to live with Scriptural standards will often find themselves going against the flow of culture.

On this matter of having a good testimony with those outside, John MacArthur notes: “A leader in the church must have an unimpeachable reputation in the unbelieving community, even though people there may disagree with his moral and theological stands.How can he make a spiritual impact on those who do not respect him?”

THE ELDER’S RESTRAINT

Reference - Relationships - Reputation - that brings us to RESTRAINT. Much of these positive qualities is due to a leader’s being able to hold back the wrong influences and passions that would sidetrack him or her. There’s a cluster of qualities here relating to self-discipline.

1Tim 3:2 “Now the overseer must be...temperate, self-controlled...not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle...” “Temperate” (literally ‘wineless’) can mean alert, watchful, diligent, clear-headed. Self-control is also mentioned in Titus 1:8, and is part of the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5(22f): one might hope that a leader that’s supposed to be responsible for others, in some position of control, would begin by having control over themselves!

“Not given to drunkenness” is echoed in Titus 1:7...Remember that back in these times, water was not usually as pure as it comes to us today, so drinking wine was very common. A leader needs to know their limit when it comes to intoxicants: their judgment shouldn’t be clouded by alcohol or other substances.

“Not violent, but gentle”: can we restrain our temper, and not become physically or verbally abusive? Jesus described His own manner this way: Mt 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I AM GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART, and you will find rest for your souls.” (A little aside here: a good book to read is “Gentle and Lowly” by Dane Ortlund – I’ve listened to the audiobook version twice through recently, and it gives great insight into the gentle, humble heart of our Lord.) When people have dealings with you, do they come away feeling like they’ve been stiff-armed, coerced,dominated? That’s not gentle.

And “disciplined” in Titus 1:7 sums up this area of RESTRAINT. If we would be worthy of governing others or leading in some capacity, we need first to be able to govern ourselves, hold ourselves back from wrong pulls.

General Eisenhower would demonstrate the art of leadership with a simple piece of string. He’d put it on a table and say: “PULL it and it will follow wherever you wish.PUSH it and it will go nowhere at all.It’s just that way when it comes to leading people.They need to follow a person who is leading by example.” Not by violence or an domineering attitude.

THE ELDER’S REWARD

Finally, we come to the REWARD that the Lord promises to leaders who serve well. Some are now, some are later.

First, let’s rule out what’s NOT motivating the godly overseer. 1Tim 3:3 “not a lover of money”; Titus 1:7 “not pursuing dishonest gain”; 1Peter 5:2 “not greedy for money”. Remember one of our first observations, a good reputation is worth far more than money – it’s priceless! The false teachers in Paul’s day were milking their hearers and using the Gospel as a means to make an income; they were mercenaries, not missionaries. Unfortunately many preachers of the so-called “prosperity gospel” today have focused more on accumulating wealth than on tending the flock – and the cause of Christ has fallen into disrepute as a result of these and televangelist schemes.

So what ARE legitimate motivations for spiritual leaders? Titus 1:8 “Rather he must be...one who loves what is good...” Not loving money, but loving what’s good.

Another motivation is to be classed in the company of other honoured church leaders. 1Peter 5:1 “To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed...” Peter calls them “fellow” elders! Imagine – classed alongside the apostle himself. That’s an honour.

He says, “One who also will share in the glory to be revealed...” That little word “also” is significant – he’s implying the other church elders will also share in that coming glory! And remember at the Mount of Transfiguration Peter had already been an eyewitness of Jesus’ supernatural glory, so he had a good idea what he was talking about. In the light of THAT glory, our shiniest earthly trophies by comparison will pale and fade away.

But note especially 1Peter 5:4, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” In the New Testament world, crowns were given as marks of victorious achievements – kind of like medals and trophies are awarded at athletic events today. But this glorious splendid crown is one that “will never fade away” – good for eternity! What greater honour could one wish for? What more enduring one?

BEAN-QUALITY LEADERSHIP

In closing, an elder’s high calling involves these five broad categories: Reference, Relationships, Reputation, Restraint, and Reward. Determining to become qualified to be appointed to leadership in the church is a noble, honourable thing, and is something to which EVERY man in the church ought to aspire to, just be virtue of being Christ’s disciple.

Seek to learn BEAN quality leadership. Haven’t heard of that before? Let me explain. True leaders always rise to the top, especially in difficult times. They’re like beans in a jar of peas. When you place peas and beans in a jar and shake them vigorously, the peas always settle to the bottom while the beans always come to the top.

So it is with godly men. They can never be held down when shaken up. If they truly have leadership qualities and a love for God, they will always rise to the top!

Now, here’s Gary Lisle, our Elder Board Chair, with a brief “afterword” addressed specifically to our congregation...

“The Authority of Jesus – and Our Problem With It” - Jan.31/21 - Mk.1:21-28

AVERSE TO AUTHORITY, WEARY OF RELIGION

There is an epidemic sweeping the land: this epidemic is not coronavirus, it’s not appendicitis – it’s “know-it-all-itis”. Frankly, we think we know it all, and nobody can convince otherwise. We have a hard time trusting authority. Your particular position seems to depend a lot on your sources. Do you choose to listen to CBC or to Fox News? What does Dr Fauci or Dr Teresa Tam know? Didn’t you see that YouTube video your friend sent you saying that COVID is all overblown? Or your other friend who’s absolutely convinced it’s a communist plot? Or a scheme rigged by Satan-worshippers high in government and finance? Name a stance, it seems, and there’s someone out there to support it.

It doesn’t help that younger generations seem to be increasingly unwilling to trust institutions. A Washington Post article based on a Harvard poll in 2015 found that millennials “sometimes” or “never” trust the press (88%), Wall Street (86%), Congress (82%), or the Supreme Court (58%). As for the general population, a Gallup Poll in 2020 found that just 45% of people had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the church or organized religion; that means the majority, about 55%, had “some” “very little” or “no” confidence in the church or organized religion. Apparently we’re not in the Age of Aquarius, but the Age of Thomas (the Doubter).

We’re averse to authority, we’re practically allergic to it. We don’t know who to trust. Relativism and subjectivism are the gods of our times: practically anything goes, as long as you don’t try to impose your views on someone else. Society will tolerate just about anything except those who dare to hold to objective truth or that such a thing as absolutes exist.

The restrictions to worship as a result of COVID become a bit of a test; for the first time in a long time we can “skip church” without others really knowing. Will this lockdown liberty become an excuse for some to fall away from regular church participation? “Maybe I’ll just listen to the podcast instead” – and then it becomes just one of many podcasts – or perhaps eventually none.

Tuning out from faith-based institutions is not a new issue. Back in Jesus’ time, rabbis had become the main speakers in the synagogues. The synagoge was an innovation begun amongst the Jews exiled to Babylon following the destruction of the Temple in 586 BC. Wherever there were ten or more Jewish men, they would organize a regular gathering. There would be praise and prayers and someone would share about the teaching. Rabbis developed interpretations of passages in Scripture, upon which other rabbis commented and expanded, and eventually it became expositions of rabbis’ interpretations rather than a message based on the original text.

Mark 1:22 “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, NOT AS THE TEACHERS OF THE LAW.” Robertson’s Word Pictures comments, “They quoted other rabbis and felt their function to be expounders of the traditions which they made a millstone around the necks of the people.By so doing they set aside the word and will of God by their traditions and petty legalism.They were casuists and made false interpretations to prove their punctilious points of external etiquette to the utter neglect of the spiritual reality.” (A ‘casuist’ is ‘a person who studies and resolves moral problems of judgment or conduct arising in specific situations’ - you’ve got this case, then you try to extend that reasoning to another case with a different twist, often with slipshod reasoning, and so on.) It became a matter or what other influential rabbi you could convincingly quote. And so the whole matter became somewhat tiring and irrelevant.

For instance, in Jewish law there are 39 categories of work forbidden on the Sabbath. When Jesus healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath and told him to pick up his mat and walk (Jn 5:10), that was not allowed by the traditions that had been developed. By majoring in the minors, Jewish leaders missed the main point of spiritual life.

Do you ever get tired of religious details? Do you have trouble trusting in religious institutions because of some harm that’s been done to you, some unjustified guilt or spiritual abuse that’s been perpetrated on you in the past? Sometimes sin and abuse of authority creep into our human institutions. The church is ever in need of reformation, in light of God’s living word. Fasten your seatbelts: Jesus comes to upset the religious applecart and help people get back to the key matter of a relationship with God!

Mark 1:21-22 “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” We’ll explore more of the amazing quality of Jesus’ authority in a bit.

POWER OVER IMPURITY

But wait – there’s a ruckus over there on the right in the fourth pew from the front! What’s happening? Who’s that scary-looking guy, shouting loud, with his face all distorted and gesturing wildly?

Vv23f “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are— the Holy One of God!"

Some translations call it “evil” spirit, it can also be rendered “unclean” or “impure” spirit. MacArthur notes there’s some element of being ‘morally impure’. It’s not just a medical or psychological condition; the New Testament asserts there are actual spiritual entities at work in our lives, for good (angels) or ill (demons). Interestingly, this impure spirit seems to have a better appreciation or discernment of who’s really in front of them than the rest of those gathered for the synagogue service!

“What do you want with us?” could also be put, “Do not trouble us!” The spirit seems to understand the power of Jesus – “Have you come to destroy us?” A fair question; 1Jn 3:8b maintains, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” The unclean spirit has reason to be afraid.

The spirit also has an accurate understanding of some of Jesus’ divine qualities. “I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” He affirms both Jesus’ sinlessness (being holy) and His divinity (originating in God). Long before Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ in chapter 8(29), here the Enemy is voicing clues to Jesus’ true identity.

But Jesus does not welcome this evil spirit’s admission. He speaks sternly, V25 “Be quiet!...Come out of him!” The words ‘be quiet’ can also refer to muzzling an ox – something firm like ‘put a lid on it!’ (though ‘stop your mouth’ would be too colloquial). Jesus is not messing around, and won’t allow this spirit to cause further disruption of the worship service.

The hidden power of Jesus is reflected somewhat in the surprising event that happened next. V26 “The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.” NLT “the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion”; NRSV “crying with a loud voice”. Quite startling compared to your usual tranquil Sabbath service! But note the firm power of Christ: the unclean spirit can scream, can shake the man violently, but Jesus is the One in control, and Satan has to leave. As Colossians 2:15 asserts, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he [Jesus] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

As we’ve noted, the impure spirit was not just some psychological condition or mental imbalance. But Jesus can help when we’re upset emotionally or find our mental health under attack. Are you sick and tired of COVID? Is this lockdown threatening to drive you loopy? There are the obvious things, like asking the Lord to help you get regular sleep and exercise and healthy food intake. Venture to share with a friend that you know cares and you can trust, what’s bothering you; ask them to be praying for you. Talk to your pastor or maybe a Christian counsellor. Help is available when you’re feeling isolated, alone, defeated, or discouraged.

Our mouths and memory can help affirm who we are in Christ by His grace, and keep the enemy powers at bay. One simple assertion that’s been used in the past is called the Jesus Prayer; it goes like this – “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.” (Its tradition goes back to the monks in the Egyptian desert around 300 AD.) You are proclaiming Jesus’ name and divinity over your situation, and calling out to Him, calling on the name of the Lord. Let’s say it again, you can join with me in your mind or under your breath: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

A more recent memory aid Pastor Phil introduced us to is the Way of Jesus sayings. These 7 sayings help remind us who we are and what we’re about as followers of Jesus, when other things would distract or attack us. Let’s review them briefly; say them along with me if you can...

I have begun to follow Jesus and am depending upon the Spirit of Jesus in my journey.

I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him.

I am learning to be like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours, and character.

I am learning to love God and love others.

I am learning the teachings of Jesus.

I am helping someone and someone is helping me to be a reproducing follower of Jesus.

I am participating in a community of followers of Jesus on mission to the world.

(If you ever forget them, just search for “Way of Jesus Markers” on the EMCC website.)

Lots of learning going on in those areas, especially during COVID! How is the Lord stretching you to be a blessing to others, to be more loving in your attitude, to be ‘on mission’ for him rather than just snugly cocooning? Keep depending on the Spirit of Jesus in your journey, and there won’t be a way in for bad spirits to be troubling you.

AMAZING AUTHORITY WARRANTS OBEDIENCE

Well, you can guess this whole incident in the synagogue caused quite a stir! Mk1:27 “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching— and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.’” Not only was Jesus’ teaching a welcome change to the endless commentaries on commentaries of the rabbis; Jesus used no footnotes, no references, didn’t quote other famous rabbis – it was as if God was addressing them personally. As Jesus expressed it in John 12:49, “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.”

It wasn’t just that: by the miraculous exorcism of the evil spirit, people could tell divine power was really active and having effect in and through Jesus. His ability to command even enemy agents pointed to greater authority than any human teacher they had ever witnessed. Jesus commanded, and the demon left. He was obviously a force to be reckoned with.

Let’s reflect a few moments on the authority Jesus has. As we started out considering today, our society is authority-averse, we suffer from “know-it-all-itis”, we can’t tolerate anyone telling us what to do. Trust or confidence in human institutions is sorely lacking. How is Jesus’ authority different? Why should we trust it, when so many other sources of authority are imperfect, have let us down, or even turned out to be exploitive or abusive?

Several Scripture passages throw unique light on Jesus’ authority. A key overarching one is Matthew 28:18, after His resurrection confirmed His predictions about suffering and rising from the dead: Mt 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Jesus has authority to execute judgment: Jn 5:27 “And he [God the Father] has given him [Jesus] authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”

Jesus had authority to yield up His life, and authority to take it up again – who else do you know that has the power or right or authority to come back from the dead?! Jn 10:18 “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.This command I received from my Father.”

Jesus has authority to give eternal life! Jn 17:2 “For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.” A related power is that of giving those who believer in Him the right or power or authority to become God’s children. (You do know, don’t you, that not everyone is automatically God’s child just by virtue of being born of physical parents? There needs to be a re-birth by faith to become God’s child, a deliberate choosing and committing, as gets marked by baptism.) Jn 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right [authority] to become children of God...”

John MacArthur summarizes, “What authority.Authority to teach whatever He wanted to teach without any resource, without any precedent, and to make it binding on men and determinative of their eternal destiny, authority to heal the sick, authority to raise the dead, authority to cast out demons, authority to forgive sin, authority to designate children of God, authority to give eternal life, and authority to judge every person.Tremendous authority.”

What about it – are you willing to recognize Jesus’ authority, and let Him be Lord in your life? Governing your decisions, directing your choices and aspirations, shaping the course of your life?

What’s different about Jesus’ authority than other authorities? We understand the need for someone to be ultimately responsible in government, in the church, in the family, in our schools or other social institutions; there needs to be order, accountability, responsibility, so direction is agreed upon and put into action meaningfully. But how is Christ’s authority different? Is it more than just the authority of a parent to a small child saying “Because I say so”? Often with some threat of consequence or punishment lurking in the background. That’s not appealing, that’s coercive, and it’s less effective the older we get.

Thinking about this, I found there are at least 3 aspects of Jesus’ authority that stand out.

1) The authority of the DESIGNER: God made us, He is our Creator, and Jesus being part of the Trinity from all eternity was part of that. Jn 1:3a “Through Him all things were made...” Colossians 1:16 “For by him [Christ] all things were created...” He is the Son of Man as well as Son of God, Jesus understands us, He ‘gets’ us, has stood where we stand, has walked in our shoes. Heb 2:14 “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death— that is, the devil...” The Bible is the Manufacturer’s Handbook: God has shared with you the best way to live life, to spare you grief! Jesus knows us inside out like a manufacturer understands the machine or program they custom-designed. Jn 2:24f “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.”

Auto maker Henry Ford asked electrical genius Charlie Steinmetz to build the generators for his factory. One day the generators ground to a halt, and the repairmen couldn’t find the problem. So Ford called Steinmetz, who tinkered with the machines for a few hours and then threw the switch. The generators whirred to life – but Ford got a bill for $10,000 from Steinmetz. Flabbergasted, the rather tightfisted car maker inquired why the bill was so high. Steinmetz’s reply: “For tinkering with the generators, $10. For knowing where to tinker, $9,990.” Ford paid the bill.

Second, there’s the authority of the DETERMINER. Jesus’ life is bound up with the fulfilment of prophecy from centuries earlier. The disciples who were eyewitnesses of His suffering on the cross couldn’t help but be struck by the prophetic aspect of passages like Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. On the road to Emmaus, as a hidden companion, Lk 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Later He ‘joined the dots’ for the rest of the disciples: Lk 24:44f “He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”

This prophetic element of the Bible, seeing things come true after decades or centuries, is a dominant theme that highlights God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness. Thursday my One Year Bible reading in Exodus contained a very low point in the Hebrews’ existence: God had sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the enslaved Jews go, but Pharaoh resisted, and made their burden worse, tightening the screws on their suffering. It seems a breaking point is coming. But God assures Moses: Ex 6:5-8 “Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.THEN YOU WILL KNOW that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.I will give it to you as a possession.I am the LORD.’”

See the effect of God as Determiner? I will...I will...I will...THEN YOU WILL KNOW that I am YHWH – the One Who Makes Things Happen. The Lord God, the Supreme Authority over all that happens. That “then you will know” bit refers to recognition of authority, building confidence in one who’s Sovereign.

Suppose a tourist comes to the Goderich area and asks the manager of the motel they’re staying at where they can catch some fish. The manager says, “I know a guy who’s quite an avid angler; I’ll have him call you.” So the angler calls the tourist and tells him, “I often have success at a certain bend in the Maitland just below the evaporator plant, about ten to 7 in the morning.I’ll meet you there with some extra gear and we’ll have a go.”

Next morning they’re out there in the water, 6:30 am, not a fish to be seen. 6:45, still nothing. Suddenly about five minutes later the tourist’s line begins to jiggle and then there’s a tug and then a protracted reeling – next thing, a fine catch! Do you suppose that tourist is going to have some respect for that angling expert as an “authority”? What he said, came to pass.

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus predicted three successive times - in chapter 8, chapter 9, and chapter 10 - that He would suffer and be put to death and rise again. That prophecy was fulfilled. He has authority as the Determiner.

Third, Jesus has authority as our DELIVERER. In today’s passage, vv25f NRSV, “But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” Jesus proved His authority by the man’s deliverance. His own death is the price paid for our freedom from sin and guilt. Isaiah 53:4-5 “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases...But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” Jesus has become our DELIVERER at enormous cost.

Mk 1:27 “He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey Him.” Do YOU recognize His authority? Will YOU obey Him as your Lord? What do you discern the Lord may be ordering YOU to do? We owe Him our own souls (cf Phm 1:19).

We have His command; He’s not asking us to do anything He hasn’t already done for us, as our Deliverer. Jn 13:13-15,34 “You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am.So if I, your Lord and Teacher, HAVE WASHED YOUR FEET, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.For I have set you an example, that you also should do AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU...I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, you also should love one another.”

The apostle John later wrote about it this way in a letter to the church: 1Jn 3:16 “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” Let’s pray.

Sovereign Lord, thank You for giving us existence, for granting us new birth through faith, for giving Yourself in our place so we might be forgiven. Shatter our stubborn resistance and help us become more obedient to You. Let our hearts break with what breaks Yours, so we may become vessels of Your love in a hurting world. Amen.

"The Priority of Jesus -- When We're Overwhelmed" - Feb.7/21 - Mk.1:29-39

OVERWHELMED - AND OVERLOOKING

Do you get feeling overwhelmed at times? Life seems to have a strange progression: first, we’re busy getting trained - going to school, joining clubs to hone our hobby skills, taking driver’s ed, becoming proficient in sports. Then from untrained we go to trained - being able to contribute to society and our families by serving in our trade or profession, driving the family minivan to sports practices and music lessons, helping our kids with our homework. As an adult you may find that training you worked so hard to learn now makes you indispensable to any number of people who call on you for help; in fact, between home and business and organizations (yes, including church!) there’s just not quite enough of you to go around. So you fall into bed at night wondering where the day went and why you didn’t get to any of your own projects. You’ve gone from ‘untrained’ to ‘trained’ to TIRED!

So many people with demands upon our time, many of them legitimate... So many good causes begging more of our attention. We just feel so overwhelmed, there’s not time to do it all justice. What happened to those lofty purposes we were charmed by when we were growing up? How come our pet projects never seem to get the attention needed, something else always comes up and sidetracks us?

In today’s Scripture reading, we see our Lord Jesus deal with a sudden surge in popularity at the outset of His miraculous ministry. What is it that helps Him discern how to say “no” to some people in order that He might say “yes” to others?

Speaking of being overwhelmed – A father was watching his young son try to dislodge a heavy stone. The boy couldn't budge it. "Are you sure you are using all your strength?" the father asked. "Yes, I am," said the exasperated boy. "No, you are not," the father replied. "You haven't asked me to help you."

When we pray, we tap into that far greater Power that is beyond ourselves.

POWER’S POPULARITY

We’re continuing on in Mark 1 from where we left off last week: Jesus was teaching with astonishing authority at the synagogue in Capernaum, and cast an unclean spirit out of a man, causing much amazement by onlookers at both his teaching and the deliverance. We pick up the account at Mk 1:29-31: “As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up.The fever left her and she began to wait on them.”

Yes, surprising as it may be to some, the Apostle Peter was married and apparently had his mother-in-law living at his home – she may have been a widow at this point. She may have been seriously ill: she was too sick to get out of bed, and Luke (4:38) describes it as a ‘high’ fever, so it may even have been life-threatening. But Jesus takes her by the hand (a little detail suggesting His tenderness), helps her up, and the fever is gone! In fact she’s so much better INSTANTLY that there’s no convalescence needed, she immediately starts thinking, “Now, what can we have for dinner?” and begins to prepare a meal or otherwise serve them. The Greek word (diakoneo) is the one from which we get ‘deacon’, meaning to minister or serve or attend to someone’s needs. A pattern in miniature for the Christian life: we are saved, to serve!

Well – it’s hard to keep such sensational news under wraps. Word somehow gets around town and, once the Sabbath day is over – the sun sets – people are allowed to carry things around again, including stretchers. Vv32-34 “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.”

Christ’s POWER brings overwhelming POPULARITY. Note Mark’s superlatives - the people brought ALL the sick and demon-possessed, the WHOLE TOWN gathered at the door. So much for a quiet Sabbath evening after ‘giving it all’ while you were preaching! Nevertheless Jesus tends to their needs, healing many, driving out evil spirits. They knew Who He was – their theology was absolutely orthodox, they just chose to reject God. Jesus evidently did not want their testimony so did not let the demons speak. Perhaps they would have spouted wrong ideas about what His Messiahship was like. Robertson comments, “Testimony from such a source was not calculated to help the cause of Christ with the people.”

Later, Peter would rebuke Jesus for talk of suffering and dying as integral to the role of being the Messiah; Peter no doubt was aware of the prevalent hope that Messiah would kick out the Roman overlords and restore Judea to Jewish control. But Jesus wanted to show them His Messiahship worked at a different level than the political one.

Physical healing was associated with being Messiah, as the Old Testament prophets foretold the Christ would bring healing. In the day when God saves, according to Isaiah 35:5f - “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...”

Dr. Randolph C.Byrd, a cardiologist, created a stir in medical circles when he had volunteers pray daily for one group of patients in the coronary care unit at San Francisco General Medical Center. A second group of heart-disease patients served as a control group. Although neither the patients nor their doctors knew whom was being prayed for, those in the prayed-for group were five times less likely to require antibiotics and were less likely to need ventilators to help them breathe. Byrd concluded: "The evidence strongly suggests faith in God truly is linked to a long, healthy life." There is power in prayer!

PRAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Isn’t that just the greatest kick-off one could ask for to launch a successful ministry? A great sermon coupled with a miraculous deliverance at worship, followed by countless healing miracles later that same day? It seems things are lining right up for Jesus to become a household word in the whole region.

But, right here, something strange happens. He abandons it all. It’s like He walks off the platform just as the main event is about to get underway. What COULD become an overwhelming field of opportunity is nipped in the bud.

V35: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” He did not get so sunk in the demands and the busy-ness (even if people had needs that were legitimate – they WERE really sick, y’know!) – He did not become so submerged by people’s needs that He neglected to take time to check in with His Heavenly Father.

We see here the spiritual discipline of prayer requires at least 3 things: a time, a place, and a deliberate choice (a willing).

A TIME: “very early in the morning, while it was still dark” – Mark’s wording indicates sometime in the watch from 3-6 am, before it was fully light; before the crowds could find him like they had the night before.

Find the time that works best for you. For me, like many others, first thing in the morning is ideal, before the demands of the day come rushing in. Ideally right after my daily Bible reading, so I can reflect on what I hear the Lord emphasizing for me at that moment in Scripture, and so it’s a being-together and listening to His heart rather than just me presenting a grocery list of requests.

Prayer requires a PLACE: “a solitary place”, NRSV ‘deserted’, NLT ‘isolated’. Elsewhere Jesus talks about going into your inner room and shutting the door, rather than out on the street corner for people to see (Mt 6:6). A private place, where it can be just you and Him. John Wesley’s mother, having many children, used to sit on a chair and throw her apron over her head to create that ‘place away’. If it helps to turn your phone to ‘silent’, do it.

Prayer benefits from a DELIBERATE CHOICE, a WILLING. Note the verbs: Jesus got up...left the house...went off... It’s just not going to happen unless you deliberately make it happen. In case you haven’t heard, to paraphrase a popular evangelical phrase from years back and 4 Spiritual Laws, “God loves you and EVERYBODY ELSE has a wonderful plan for your life”!

Experiment a bit. Try different times and places until you find out what works best for you, what you can repeat until it becomes a habit, as unthinking as breathing. Set yourself up for success in the spiritual disciplines department. Enlist some allies – recruit your family members to help you protect that one corner of your existence that’s so important and essential.

Prayer changes things! Sometimes the thing that prayer needs to change most is US. Often the significant contact occurs when we quiet the chatter of our soul enough to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit.

Nick Thomas found himself at the age of forty-seven unemployed and under tremendous financial pressure. Though he had had a successful career in the Air Force and the insurance business, some reversals had set him back and left him with no place to go. His wife, Liz, made their situation a matter of prayer. She was in church one morning, praying about their dilemma, when she thought she could almost hear the words, "Make the mustard." Her family had a mustard recipe from Russia, and every Christmas she made gift jars of mustard for her friends. Nick and Liz decided to listen to the voice. She prepared a substantial amount of mustard. They packaged it and then called on a local cheese shop. The manager tasted it and immediately bought out their inventory. Within three months they had cracked the highly competitive New York major deli market. Because the Thomases committed their troubles to prayer and looked expectantly to God for guidance, he gave them direction. (footnote: see Liz Thomas interviewed on YouTube Jan.29/21 here)

PURPOSEFUL PRIORITY

From POWER to PRAYER to PURPOSE...Christ’s power worked wonderful healings and deliverance, pulling Him into a potential whirlpool of popularity that could have consumed His whole life. But He deliberately made a point of praying to seek His Father’s direction. That helped Him re-focus back on His original PURPOSE.

Vv36-39: “Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else— to the nearby villages— so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”

Do you feel the pressure in those words? “Everyone is looking for you!” “We can’t turn back now! | We’ve got a good thing going! | Can’t you just feel the intertia building? | Let’s grab this spinning flywheel and hang on for the ride!” That might have been the easy thing to do, even the practical thing to do – but it’s not what Jesus was called to do. At least not right there, right then. The Good News of the Kingdom of God was drawing Him further afield.

To the surprise of His disciples (who probably would have been only to happy to stay and hang around their hometown all their career), Jesus turned around and said “No” to ‘everyone’. He discerned the Father was calling Him to travel around on a preaching tour of Galilee, to the nearby villages. Josephus the ancient historian tells us around that time Galilee was densely populated with some 240 towns and villages.

We hear Jesus’ sense of PURPOSE in His words: “so I can PREACH there also.That is why I have come.” Mark adds that He traveled around the area “preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons”. Preaching was key – sharing the Good News about God’s Kingdom and how to enter it. Jesus was more than just a Great Physician: He wanted people to repent and find restoration in their souls and their relationships, to get back on track loving God and loving their neighbour, to experience divine grace and extend that grace to others who were indebted to them. To cast off old resentments and discover freedom from bitterness and hatred. To build a new people of God, agents to bring the Lord’s new birth and leadership into lives everywhere, to multiply sons and daughters of God, displaying His glorious image.

It was about far more than just physical healing. That’s great as far as it goes, but it can turn into a “what’s in it for me?” approach to religion, seeing signs and wonders as sort of spiritual entertainment, rather than allowing our own lives to become aligned with God’s direction.

Preaching - proclaiming the message - is an essential piece of the program. In the Great Commission we are charged to be baptizing and teaching others to obey what Christ commanded (Mt 28:19f). When our church distributes food boxes, there are Scripture passages included, so it’s not just material food but pointing them to the ultimate Giver.

A few weeks ago I preached a sermon about church membership based to some extent on the book “I Am a Church Member” by Thom Rainer, an evangelical church consultant. Our Elder Board gave support for me to look into an outreach program developed by Thom Rainer and associates called “Pray’n’Go”. I’ll share more in coming weeks, but basically the idea is church members spending some time praying in front of people’s homes (discreetly) and leaving door hangers that say on the front side “We prayed for you” and on the back side “We love our community, so we are praying for our community.” No high-pressure door-knocking, just a polite note letting them know we care about them and are praying for them. It’s a VOLUNTARY program, but I’d challenge you to consider it: is there a handful of homes you’re aware of that (so far as you know) don’t already have a church affiliation and you’d be willing to pray for? And our elders and Prayer Team would be praying for YOU as you go out to pray for others nearby.

Here’s a short 4-minute overview of what Pray’n’Go is about - then I’ll be back with a short closing story...[INTRODUCTION TO PRAY’N’GO]

I hope you’ll consider and be praying about whether YOU would be a part of this Pray’n’Go outreach! There are many things we CAN’T do as a church during COVID-19 lockdown, but praying at a distance is something we CAN do.

We’ve been talking about Jesus praying, and through that discerning God’s purpose for His next steps. Prayer changes things – prayer changes US, helps us hear what’s on the Father’s heart, opens us to let the Holy Spirit shape our lives to be more like God’s Son.

I was an “Akela” (a Cub leader in Boy Scouts) for quite a few years; part of that’s building Cub Cars out of blocks of wood.

When Gilbert was eight years old he joined the Cub Scouts. He had only been a member a short time and during one of his first meetings he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four little tires and told to return home and give it all to dad.

That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. There was no dad for Gilbert at home. So the block of wood remained untouched for weeks. Finally, mom stepped in to help figure it all out. The project began. Having no carpentry skills, she simply read the directions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. They read the measurements – the rules of what could and could not be done. Within days his block of wood turned into a "pinewood derby car." A little lopsided, but it looked good (to mom, at least). Gilbert hadn't seen anyone else's car, so he was feeling pretty proud of 'Blue Lightning.'

Finally, it was the big night. With 'Blue Lightning' in his hand and pride in his heart he and his mom headed to the race. Once there, it was obvious that Gilbert's car was the only one made entirely on his own. All the other cars were father-son partnerships, with cool paint jobs and sleek body styles designed for speed. A few of the kids laughed when they saw his crude vehicle. Gilbert was the only boy there without a man at his side.

The race was a process of elimination. You kept racing as long as you were a winner. In the final run it was 'Blue Lightning' and the sleekest, fastest looking car. As the final race was about to begin, it was interrupted. Gilbert asked if he could pray. The race stopped. With wrinkled brow, clutching his derby car, Gilbert was on his knees praying to his Father in heaven for a very long minute and a half. Then he stood up, smiled and announced, "Okay, I'm ready."

The crowd cheered. The other boy stood with his father while Gilbert stood with his Heavenly Father in his heart. Gilbert watched his block of wood swoosh down the ramp with surprising speed to cross the finish line a fraction of a second before the other car.

Gilbert leaped into the air with a loud "Thank You" and the crowd roared in approval. The Scout Master, with microphone in hand, asked Gilbert, "So, you prayed to win, huh, Gilbert?" To which he answered, "No, sir.That wouldn't be fair.I just asked God to make it so I don't cry when I lose."

Let’s pray. Thank You Father for the power to heal and deliver You showed in Jesus’ life. Thank You even more for His message, His preaching, giving us Your instructions on how to be carved into His likeness, how to come to experience Your hand guiding and directing and comforting in our lives. As Jesus went on to other towns, help us also carry this marvelous message to others near us who need so badly to hear it and discover You. In Jesus’ name we ask it, Amen.

"The Compassion of Jesus -- Despite Our Wretchedness" - Lent I Communion - Feb. 21/21 Mk.1:40-45

ON WHAT SCALE IS YOUR LEPROSY?

Today our Scripture reading challenges some traditional ideas about God's very nature, such as those of a stern and angry remote figure away up in the sky, like some Norse thunder-god, or the “unmoved Mover” of Greek philosophers. It may surprise us to realize that He is close and caring rather than distant and remote. We read in Mark 1:40 “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’” Leprosy is a terrible disease. Back in 1981 I visited a leprosarium in Nigeria where many people were suffering from this disease; it's just terrible to see so many people wrapped up and different limbs missing, and the sense of gloom and despair overshadowing the camp.

The origin of the word itself is interesting. The root word in Greek comes from lepra (scale) thus describing this disease by its scaliness. In Hebrew the root is a smiting or a stroke because the sickness was regarded as an infliction directly from God. The Bible dictionary says this disease “begins with specks on the eyelids and on the palms gradually spreading over the body, bleaching the hair white wherever they appear, crusting the affected parts with white scales, and causing terrible sores and swellings. From the skin the disease eats inward to the bones, rotting the whole body piecemeal.” How terrible!

The Bible dictionary goes on to say, “In Christ’s day, no leper could live in a walled town, though he might in an open village. But wherever he was he was required to have his outer garment rent as a sign of deep grief, to go bare-headed, and to cover his beard with his mantle, as if in lamentation at his own virtual death. He had further to warn passersby to keep away from him, by calling out, "Unclean! Unclean!” Nor could he speak to anyone, or receive a return of salutation, since in the East this involves an embrace." So with the isolation and social distancing measures of COVID-19 and our recent lockdown, perhaps we're getting a sample of what the lepers experienced for the rest of their lives.

What is leprosy scientifically speaking? Centers for Disease Control says it is known as Hansen's disease is caused by Mycobacterium leprae. “These bacteria grow very slowly and may take up to 20 years to develop signs of the infection. The disease can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose. The bacteria attack the nerves which can become swollen under the skin. This can cause the affected areas to lose the ability to sense touch and pain, which can lead to injuries like cuts and burns... If left untreated, the nerve damage can result in paralysis of hands and feet. In very advanced cases the person may have multiple injuries due to lack of sensation and eventually the body may reabsorb the affected digits over time, resulting in the apparent loss of toes and fingers."

Does leprosy still occur today? "Each year about 150 people in the United States and 250,000 around the world get the illness." Thankfully nowadays treatment is available involving a combination of three antibiotics.

The origins of leprosy were mysterious in Bible times, and it takes about 20 years for it to develop, and so it was viewed as a direct smiting from God. It is associated with covering and hiding and shame and alienation, in essence the person became untouchable, never able to become intimate or close, they were cast-offs, forbidden from interaction with society.

What is our leprosy of the soul? In what areas have we lost sensitivity, become numb to others? To what degree might this physical illness be representative of our spiritual disease? Last week we saw a story of police in Edmonton forcing homeless people to leave an LRT station in very freezing temperatures, without options of a safe place to go. That seems heartless. But were the police not just doing their best to enforce bylaws? When have WE been insensitive to others and forced them to do things which in hindsight were uncaring? One day this past week I used very hurtful words to my spouse when I was upset; later on she was able to help me realize how pained she was by what I said...I was very convicted, and tried to sincerely apologize – but the damage had already been done, and I know it hurt her deeply.

It's all too easy to be uncaring and insensitive to those around us, even our neighbors. Recently former MMA fighter Gina Carano was kicked off the Disney Plus show “The Mandalorian” for a tweet which said, “Jews were beaten in the streets not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors even by children...Because history is edited, most people today don't realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbours hate them simply for being Jews.How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?"

It's all too easy to find excuses to distance ourselves from others and to put them down. Sin eats away at our sensitivity, it blocks our love for others, it puts a scale over our souls, like leprosy infecting and rotting our heart.

CHRISTLY COMPASSION – A GOD WITH GUTS

If we're not careful, Pagan notions about God can creep in. We have ideas from Aristotle of God as some kind of “unmoved mover”; even our catechism descriptions can become sterile and remote. However we see in this passage God is not like that. Verse 40 The leper said, “If you are willing [if you choose] you can make me clean.” Verse 41 Jesus asserts, “I am willing, [I do choose in the NRSV]; be clean.”

Sometimes life circumstances can make it seem like God is distant and remote and uncaring, but often God's mercy and compassion does shine through if we look for it. Recently our red Maine coon cat named Regal Red was away for several nights, the better part of a week, and we were sure that we had lost him. There are any number of predators around which could have disposed of him: a hawk, an owl, coyotes – but after many nights Patti was surprised to suddenly hear the sound of a cat again outside that sounded just like Red, and lo and behold, there he was! We were very happy and thankful that God had spared his life and brought him back to us safe and sound. So, don't miss the mercies and the compassion of God that we see when it occurs in the midst of a fallen world where life is painful for many.

God's feeling and emotion stand out in this passage. The word compassion literally means bowels as in the intestines, the heart, the lungs, the liver, and so on. So today we might express it like this: you feel it deep down “in your gut”. Christ has compassion on the leper: down to his gut level, His very innards, he is moved.

We also detect God's strength of emotion in verse 43, “Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning.” NRSV says ‘sternly’. Robinson's Word Pictures comments on ‘strong warning’ in verse 43: “It is a strong word for the snorting of a horse and expresses powerful emotion as Jesus stood there face to face with leprosy, itself a symbol of sin and all its train of evils.”

Here we see God's consternation having created a good world and yet seeing it rotting away, as a result of the Fall in the Garden of Eden and the resulting sin and maladies which have brought plagues and death and destruction on humankind. What must have surged through Jesus heart at this point!

DON'T MISS THE VALUE ADDED

Jesus doesn't just heal the man and that's it; Jesus uses the occasion as an opportunity for God's glory to be highlighted. Verse 44 "See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." . Notice Jesus is emphasizing using this healing as a testimony that is to shine the spotlight on God's goodness and God's power, God's graciousness to us in our fallenness.

What's YOUR testimony? In what areas has God been gracious to you so that you might go out and tell others about His goodness and His mercy upon you?

John Newton, a one-time slave trader and merchant in human bodies, following his conversion wrote the famous hymn Amazing Grace - “how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!” We are wretched in our sinfulness, the hardness of our hearts, the self-focus of our souls... Leprosy can be cured, but can this deeply-embedded tainting of our very nature be overcome? We need divine help!

Instead of doing what Jesus says, the former leper goes out and we read in verse 45, “Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news.As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.” So what was healing for one man became a problem for the Healer. Jesus became the One isolated and lonely and cut off instead of the leper. So for us wretched and disobedient wilful people, Jesus has become isolated and cut off from His Heavenly Father at the cross for our sakes, to to bring atonement for our sins.

The parallels between this passage and Isaiah 53 are striking. We read there, Is 53:2f :“...He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Just as people must have turned away in disgust from some of the suffering of the lepers that they met on the way. Is 53:4 “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him STRICKEN by God, SMITTEN by him, and afflicted.” Remember the Hebrew word for leprosy tsara'ath means a "smiting," a "stroke". Is 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:8 continues,“...For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.” Jesus was cut off for our sakes. Just as we have been suffering lately from lockdown and isolation and being cut off from those we love, how much more was the Son of Man cut off for our sakes! Cut off from His loving Heavenly Father with whom he had enjoyed dear fellowship from all eternity?

In Walt Wangiren’s story of The Ragman (adapted here), the Ragman starts out strong and tall and muscular, but in exchanging people’s old rags for new, the Ragman himself somehow mysteriously ends taking up the afflictions of those he meets; he becomes himself afflicted, “old and frail, weeping and bleeding, staggering and falling, his body wracked with pain, sorrow and disease” – and they instead become healthy, strong, cured, restored. That is what we are celebrating in Communion: Christ taking our place, shedding His blood for our restoring and cleansing.

COMPASSION IN PRACTICE

The leper went on his way, “talking freely, spreading the news”. The verb for “talking freely” is literally ‘to proclaim’ or preach, heralding a big announcement. What difference is your faith-meeting with Christ today going to make in your sensitivity to others this coming week? As He lifts you from your wretched rotting sinfulness, are you made whole to have compassion for others?

A recent example of compassion, to inspire you. In Texas, thousands of sea turtles stunned by the cold waters in the recent deep winter snap have been rescued by volunteers. They were brought by the truckload to a South Padre Island convention centre. The Guardian news reports, “The South Padre Island convention center started pitching in Monday when its neighbor, Sea Turtle Inc, could no longer handle the number of sea turtles being dropped off, and their mostly outdoor operation had lost power.” There’s compassion again, not just for the turtles, but for one’s neighbour!

Compassion cares for others when they can’t care for themselves. Ira Byock tells the story of how years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. “The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thighbone) that had been broken and then healed. Mead explained that in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal. A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety and has tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts, Mead said." That takes compassion.

Earlier we referred to Gina Carano’s tweet about Jews being beaten in the streets by their neighbours. This week BBC carried the story of how hundreds of Dutch Jews - traders, salesmen, tailors, and others - died in a secret Nazi gas chamber in 1941, much earlier than previously thought. Yet while the rounding-up of Jews was going on in Holland, other Dutch people were quietly hiding and protecting Jews until they could be secretly taken out of the country to safety. You may remember the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family: her watch-maker father welcomed and hid Jews until his own family was found out and taken to concentration camp.

That is compassion – to care enough for the plight of another to risk becoming involved. Against all social wisdom of the time, Jesus “reached out His hand and touched the man” (v41). Who needs your hand?

I close with this quote from Corrie Ten Boom, that may point to compassion as the way for love to travel when there’s hurt involved. Corrie Ten Boom asked, “Do you know what hurts so very much? It's love. Love is the strongest force in the world, and when it is blocked that means pain. There are two things we can do when this happens. We can kill that love so that it stops hurting. But then of course part of us dies, too. Or we can ask God to open up another route for that love to travel.”

As we prepare now for communion in this context of loving compassion, let’s pray. “Thank You Jesus for not being disgusted by the person suffering with leprosy, but instead reaching out to make them well. Thank You for not writing us off on account of our wretchedness, but going to the cross so our filthiness could be exchanged for your righteousness. Shatter the self-sufficiency of our hearts and hardness of our souls, we pray. Send Your Holy Spirit to quicken in us Your love and gentleness and kindness. Make us bold to testify freely and widely about Your grace to us.

We confess to you our sins in silence...

We ask Holy Spirit Your presence in this holy ordinance: make this bread and cup be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we might become His hands and feet in the world today, led by our Heavenly Father. We ask it in Jesus’ name who taught us to pray together, OUR FATHER... [Lord’s Prayer]

Starting from Mt 26:26 we read: Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

O Lord, come! Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death til He comes.

[taking bread] The body of Christ, broken for you.

[taking cup] The blood of Christ, shed for you.

Grace be to all who love our Lord Jesus with an undying love! Amen.

"The Forgiveness of Jesus – for Our Hidden Conditions" - Mar.7/21 Mk.2:1-12

FORGIVENESS IS FREEING

Forgiveness is freeing. Nobody likes having a black mark on their record. When we come to Jesus, He has the power to clear our record and set us free from guilt’s crippling bondage.

Jay Leno was a long-time talk show host on The Tonight Show, for over 20 years. Despite his fame, there was a niggling fault in his past. Once when he was a student at Andover High School in Massachusetts, he was suspended for 3 days after ‘burning rubber’ in the parking lot. However the talk show host found a way to make amends after gaining prominence. He donated a quarter million dollars’ worth of Microsoft computer software in exchange for getting that black mark expunged from his high school record.

In today’s passage we see forgiveness emphasized by the Lord Jesus in connection with a person’s physical healing. However how Jesus goes about it challenges the unbelief of some of the onlookers, exposing the need of those who were outwardly well.

OUR PRESSING PARALYSIS: WHAT’S GOT YOU BLOCKED?

In Mark 2, Jesus returns to Capernaum, which was to become the “home base” of operations for his ministry. When v1 says “He had come home” it probably refers to the house of Peter and Andrew. The door apparently opened onto the street rather than a courtyard, so it seems to have been a modest, ordinary house. In Palestine these often had flat roofs with an external stairway so people could go up and enjoy some breeze in the cool of the evening; the roof even served as ‘overflow’ sleeping quarters when needed.

Anyway, word got out that Jesus was back in town, so any possibility that he might enjoy a quiet recuperation from a strenuous ministry tour was soon out the window. Mark 2:2 “So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.” Do you get the picture? The crowd is pressing in, filling the modest house, spilling out onto the street, jamming the thoroughfare. Everybody wants to hear what Jesus has to say – including the skeptical Pharisees and scribes who have come to criticize this new upstart rabbi.

Things were jam-packed, confined, constricted – there was practically no way for Jesus to move. The demands on Him were mounting, everybody wanted a piece of Him – the stories of miraculous healings and exorcisms were circulating. Did we mention this is a hot climate? Many bodies jammed together, no modern sanitation, not a lot of water around for washing – it was probably just a bit stifling in Peter’s home there that day.

Have you been feeling pressed in upon lately? Are the demands increasing to the breaking point? What about the confinement associated with COVID and lockdown, does the world seem like it has closed in upon you? Emails and text messages and demands fly at us from all angles. Sometimes the requests for our attention mount to the point they seem more than we can handle. Like Jesus, we are confined, hemmed in – and there in the front row are people who will be only too quick to criticize if we mess up and get something wrong. Responsibilities can multiply to the point it becomes immobilizing, we don’t know where to start, things have become unmanageable.

Sometimes obstacles and pressures mount due to circumstances; sometimes the challenge is more of a physical one. Vv3-4a “Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd...” Here’s a physical challenge: being paralyzed – somehow the muscles and nerves weren’t connecting and doing what they were supposed to. Movement was impossible. This man was dependent on others for help. At least he had some buddies who cared enough to carry him; for some with disabilities, their support circle shrinks as they are no longer able to even get to various meetings or parties they once enjoyed. And now, upon arrival, the little bed-carrying-quartet discovers they can’t even get near the One they’ve heard can do miracles.

What’s pressing in upon you, threatening to paralyze you? How are you feeling confined, debilitated, stuck? For some people, it’s physical issues. These can be complicated by sin, unwise choices we’ve made in the past, such as gluttony or sloth. For example, our North American fast-food diet can be deleterious to our health, putting us at risk for diabetes, obesity, or other conditions. Then amongst young people there’s the pressure to “look” ideal, like a movie star, pushing youth into eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.

Sometimes it’s more ‘people’ issues than physical issues that cause us stress. There can be pressure to choose just the right college when we’re not too sure what we want to do with our life. There’s the pressure to have a good ‘ratio’ on social media – number of followers compared to number of people we follow. Pressure from bullies who like to assert themselves at the expense of others. If others manipulate or shortchange us, we can start to feel boxed into a corner. Sometimes we bottle up anger or emotion until it explodes, impacting others.

This past week a man was found guilty of multiple counts of murder for driving a van into pedestrians on Yonge Street in Toronto a few years back. He’s been diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, but the judge ruled the man was well aware of what he was doing and his medical condition cannot be used as a defence. Evil sprang into a deadly plan.

Sin weighs on us, presses in upon us, and its effects can’t be ignored. Many people deal with guilt by DROWNING it. Some drown it in alcohol and drug abuse. Besides deaths due to coronavirus, there is also in Canada an opioid crisis. Why are so many drinking and drugging themselves to death? We’re trying to escape ourselves and drown the pangs of our own guilt. Marlon Brando was once young, trim, and handsome – many girls dreamed of having him. But now he weighs over 400 pounds! He told someone, “I’m sorry for all the harm I’ve done and for all the troubles I’ve brought to others in my life. I’ve never been a good parent or a good husband. I’ve been too busy with my own life to have time for others. Now I’m a guilty old man who’s ashamed of the kind of life I’ve led. There’s nothing left for me except eating.” Trying to drown or cover over his guilt with food.

Other people deal with guilt by DENYING it. As our society has become increasingly secular, it has lost respect for the authority of the word of God, and that has led to a dangerous and destructive moral and spiritual chain reaction. If there is no authoritative word of God, then there are no moral absolutes. If there are no moral absolutes, there are no ultimate standards of right and wrong. If there are no ultimate standards of right and wrong, then we can base our rules and standards on societal consensus. If we base our rules on societal consensus, then we can adjust them to our own shape and size. We can adjust them downward. We can live any way we want to, and there is no such thing as genuine guilt before God; guilt is just a nagging relic of Puritanism, a Victorian antique, a psychosis to be denied. BUT deep within us our Creator has hard-wired a moral compass, something called “conscience” that testifies way down in our soul about what we’ve done right or wrong. The guilt is really there.

Some people deal with guilt by DEFLECTING it. They blame other people for their failures and faults and shortcoming. They blame their parents or their environments. This technique goes all the way back to the garden of Eden when Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. We read Genesis 3 this past Wednesday at Prayer Meeting and noted that’s how the “blame game” begins! It’s NEVER MY fault, is it?!

But sooner or later, all these techniques fail – DROWNING, DENYING, DEFLECTING - and we find we can’t escape the consequences of our own sinfulness and guilt. Jeremiah 2:22 says, “‘Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is before me,’ declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Guilt is the corrosion of the soul. How can we get rid of it? We can’t drown it, deny it, or deflect it; we can only DISSOLVE it in the blood of Jesus Christ.

FAITH BEYOND BELIEF: DETERMINATION OVERDRIVE

So Jesus was standing there in Peter’s house, crowd pressing in upon Him, critics in their front-row seats ready to jump on Him for the slightest thing that went against their traditions. But wait – what’s that noise? Bits of clay and mud and pebbles started to rain down about where Jesus was standing! Was the sky falling?

Mk 2:4-5 “Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."”

These Palestinian roofs were typically slabs of pre-baked clay laid across the beams that stretched from one wall to the opposite wall. After the tiles were set in place, a thin coating of clayey mud was applied over everything to stop the rain getting through. (They didn’t have to be concerned about snow load!) So the paralytic’s friends began to ‘think outside the box’ - they went up the stairs on the outside and tore a hole about where Jesus was. (It’s not recorded what the homeowner - possibly Peter - thought about their solution.) What a picture of faith this is – as the paralyzed man, laying still on his mat, is lowered on ropes inch by inch in total dependence until he’s nose to nose with the Saviour! Can’t you just picture Jesus quipping, “I’m so glad you dropped in!”

The text notes, “When Jesus saw their FAITH...” Possibly meaning the faith of the paralytic as well as his carrier buddies, we’re not sure. But what faith! Not just some theoretical ‘belief’ – this faith has action built into it: faith that picks the man and mat up and carries them up the road, bringing the man to Jesus; faith that gets creative when a roadblock is encountered (the barrier of the crowd all around Jesus and even out into the street); faith that digs through the roof material; faith that entrusts their friend so obviously to the Lord, lowering him right there where He is.

Do you want Jesus that badly? Or would your faith have wimped out along the way? Seeing the crowd, would you have thrown up your hands and given up? Or would your faith persevere, get creative, and scrabble through the roof to get to Him in whom is your hope?

My wife has a good friend who is a female diving companion from some years back who we’ll call “M” that lives in London. “M” had undergone chemotherapy before a dive at Tobermory that went relatively well until she got back on the boat. Suddenly a Vitamin B12 deficiency due to the chemo kicked in and she found herself paralyzed from the chest to her toes. She was airlifted to Hamilton and London hospitals, undergoing hyperbaric treatment, but then spent about 2 months at Parkwood doing physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Over the time I’ve known her, I’ve been so impressed by the effort “M” has put into her recovery. Patti and I would visit her and find her on her exercise bike in the living room, coaxing an unresponsive leg back into motion. I’m happy to say “M” can now stand and get around the house and is back to cutting people’s hair as she did before. She’s not 100% yet but continues to make progress through grit and determination.

Does your faith have that quality of ‘grit’? Like the friends ripping open the roof? Like “M” refusing to give up? Jesus saw their faith, their intensity, their passion to come to Him.

THE SAVIOUR’S SUPERPOWERS: WHOLENESS FOR WHAT WE’RE HIDING

What Jesus said next might surprise you. Like, isn’t it obvious what the paralyzed man is there for? But that’s not the approach the Saviour takes. Vv5-7 “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"”

Jesus decides to leverage this incident for extra mileage. He sees the opportunity for ‘value added’ – to take advantage of a physical healing to make a point about who He is, to challenge His opponents’ faulty presumptions and expose their ulterior motives.

By the way, we are NOT saying that all physical ailments are the result of sin (Jesus specifically countered that in the matter of the man born blind in John 9). Yet there may have been a sin element in this case that was somehow linked to the man’s paralysis. Perhaps there was some overwhelming guilt that manifested in nervous impairment. Whether that was the case or not, Jesus made sure to address the inner man before dealing with the outer muscles. “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

This immediately sparked outrage in the religious types perched in the front row, ready to criticize. NLT v7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

Precisely! But Jesus responds more subtly. Over the next moments we see three of His “superpowers” (if you will) become evident. Superpower #1: KNOWING OUR THOUGHTS. V8 “Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?” Wouldn’t that rattle them, to realize He knew what they were thinking?! On another occasion, Jesus predicted one of His closest disciples, Simon Peter, would deny Him before the rooster crowed – and that came true (Mk 14:30). Jn 2:25 notes, “He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” So Superpower #1 is Jesus knows our thoughts.

Superpower #2 - HE HAS AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE. Jesus’ purpose in this interchange can be seen from vv10-11, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."” The words “That you may know” point to purpose, why He’s doing it: He wants onlookers to realize He’s more than just a miracle-worker – He also has the solution for our guilt-problem! Jesus truly has the authority, the right, the power on earth to forgive sins. How come? Because He is the perfect innocent Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, a propitiating sacrifice in our place. Of the cup at the Last Supper He specifically said, Mt 26:28 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” FOR many, in our stead. Jesus has authority given to Him by the Father: authority to judge, and authority to forgive, because He is both Son of God and Son of Man, He’s taken our nature on Himself, stood where we stand, shared our pains and sorrows. John 5:27 “And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”

In Jesus we find forgiveness and freedom from guilt’s bondage. John MacArthur outlines how COMPLETELY God forgives repentant sinners...

1) Removes transgressions as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12)

2) Casts sins behind His back (Is 38:17)

3) Remembers sins no more (Is 43:25; Jer 31:34)

4) Casts sins into the depths of the sea (Mic 7:19)

5) Nailed a certificate marked “paid in full” to the cross - Col 2:13f “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” IT IS FINISHED – Paid in full!!

Jesus’ 3^rd superpower is PHYSICAL HEALING. V12 “He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"” Jesus puts so much emphasis on the issue of sins being forgiven that the actual healing of the man’s body is almost anticlimactic – but what a wonder! I expect the former paralytic and his 4 buddies had quite a time celebrating!

Malachi 4:2 prophesied about the coming Messiah: “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.”

The sheer power of the healing must have thrown Jesus’ critics into consternation – how could such a healer be blaspheming? So Jesus uses a visible miracle - the healing of paralysis – to underscore an invisible reality, which was really far more profound and significant: His authority to provide forgiveness for sins.

A CLEAN SLATE

To reiterate, forgiveness is freeing. When we come to Jesus in repentance and faith, a posture of sincere and desperate dependence, He has the power to clear our record and set us free from guilt’s crippling bondage.

One night, so the story goes, Martin Luther went to sleep troubled about his sin. In a dream he saw an angel standing by a blackboard, and at the top of the board was Luther’s name. The angel, chalk in hand, was listing all of Luther’s sins, and the list filled the blackboard. Luther shuddered in despair, feeling that his sins were so many that he could never be forgiven. But suddenly in his dream he saw a pierced hand writing above the list these words: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1Jn 1:7) As Luther gazed in amazement, the blood flowed from the wounded hand and washed the record clean. Let’s pray.

Precious Lord, Like the man on the mat, we come to you in need – most especially for forgiveness of our sin. There are many things we have done we ought not to have done, and there is much we have neglected to do that we should have done...You know it all. You know our hearts, our hesitancy, the obstacles to belief that trip us up. We lay it all before You and ask that You would raise us up, forgiven and free, empowered by Your Spirit to walk before you in fresh ways that please You and our Heavenly Father. Grant us gritty faith that just won’t quit, along with full forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

"The Companionship of Jesus – for Us Outcasts & Sinners" - Mar.14/21 Mk.2:1-13-22

JUMPING TO JUDGMENT

Our key idea today is that Jesus surprised others by His choice of who He hung around with; He didn’t share common prejudices. He calls His followers to love our neighbour, to treat them as we would like to be treated ourselves, instead of looking down our nose at them because of their past or their current condition. We’re even to count others better than ourselves, to outdo one another in honouring others.

Instead, it’s easy to jump to conclusions about people, to judge a book by its cover, to form prejudices based on very limited evidence. Don’t make the mistake this lady did, who thought she was too good for her room...

A lady visiting New York for the first time was being led to her hotel by the bellboy. As she walked through the door she became indignant and snapped at the man, "I tell you that I won't have this room. I'm not paying my good money for this cramped cubbyhole with a tiny folding bed not fit to sleep on. And there's no TV, no phone, and I suppose you expect me to walk down the hall to use the..." The bellboy cut her short, "Ma'am, this isn't your room, this is the elevator."

It’s all too easy to jump to conclusions in forming our judgments!

WHAT’S JESUS DOING WITH *THOSE* PEOPLE??!

As we continue on in Mark 2, Jesus’ ministry is picking up speed, His miracles are earning quite a name for Him, He’s starting to attract a large following. V13 “Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.” A large crowd – all sorts of folks, from all across society. Some would become disciples that followed Him all the way throughout His ministry; others would remain at a distance. Jesus’ critics watched intently – who would this upstart rabbi choose to spend His time with? If He was smart, and knew what was good for Him, it would be them!

They would never have dreamed Jesus would pick a tax collector to be one of His closest followers. V14 “As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.”

Now there’s a little bit about the tax collection system in Palestine at that time you should know. Under Roman occupation, it had become kind of a mash-up between civic duty and organized crime. John MacArthur describes the system... “There were 2 categories of tax collectors: (1) gabbai, who collected general taxes on land and property, and on income, referred to as poll or registration taxes; (2) mokhes, who collected a wide variety of use taxes, similar to our import duties, business license fees, and toll fees. There were two categories of mokhes: Great mokhes hired others to collect taxes for them, while small mokhes did their own assessing and collecting. Matthew was a small mokhe.” “Matthew was a publican, a tax collector, a despised profession in Palestine because such men were viewed as traitors. Publicans were Jews who had bought tax franchises from the Roman government.Any amount collected over what Rome required, they were allowed to keep. Thus, many publicans became wealthy at the expense of their own people.”

Jesus would likely have found Levi (or Matthew) sitting at the toll-gate on the Great West Road from Damascus to the Mediterranean. So here he is, at a prime location, with the right to collect from every trader that happens to come down the turnpike. Maybe he paid handsomely for this plum spot, but now he’s set for life. Simply rake it in from his countrymen as they pass by – all with the state’s blessing. We find out from the context he probably has a fine house, of good size that could host a banquet with numerous guests.

Christ just says two words - “Follow Me” - and it’s enough. Levi gets up and follows Him. Had his conscience been bothering him, collecting over and above what was really due? Had the sneers and abuse from Levi’s fellow Jews been eating away at the satisfaction of putting food on the table? For whatever reason, something deep inside Levi prompts him to respond, to get up and get moving with Jesus. As a result we have the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel according to Matthew – with its careful tie-ins with the Jewish Old Testament, the fulfilment of prophecies, beautiful arrangement of Jesus’ teaching into 5 sub-books. Matthew or Levi was obviously a careful recordkeeper, good at his job – but he chose to give all that away to follow this mysterious Messiah.

Way of Jesus saying #1 - “I have begun to follow Jesus and am depending upon the Spirit of Jesus in my journey.” Not depending on money, or income, or the power of the government to back my fleecing of my fellow Judeans. Levi turned his back on all that and committed his future into Jesus’ hands.

He felt so good about this decision, he decided to throw a banquet and celebrate. V15 “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.” NLT “many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.(There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)”

“Many people of this kind...” Are we talking about THOSE people? I’m not just talking about people here, I’m talking about (turn up nose) THOSE people! Did your parents fill you in on THOSE people while you were growing up? I used to think my parents were pretty unprejudiced, but we did pick up also by osmosis some of their attitudes toward people they didn’t really have a very good opinion about.

There were our next door neighbours, who had more kids and seemed to keep on having more kids, who didn’t really seem to have a regular job, who dressed not as nice as we did, the kids who sometimes seemed to steal from us when items went missing. I’m guessing they drank some, and we didn’t. THOSE people.

There were the indigenous people we never met but Dad had stories about; a man who when he was growing up had walked right into their home as if he owned the place, took what he wanted to eat, and left again. That sort of story prompts you to form an opinion about a whole group of people. THOSE people.

There were the Catholics who inhabited the north half of the township and attended the big imposing Catholic church in Dublin. The Protestants in the south half preferred not to have much to do with the north half. Almost as if there was an invisible dividing line halfway across the township, and the two groups just avoided each other. THOSE people. Little did I realize I would be in close partnership years later with Frere Armand, a Catholic lay brother who would be teaching Braille and other schooling at the newly-formed National Institute for the Blind in Congo. I actually got to know him and appreciate him, one time going for a meal with his other lay brothers in their little community.

Do you have any of THOSE people in your acquaintance? What measures did your parents use to induce you to put up invisible barriers that would seal you off safe from THOSE people that might influence you, that you were better off not having too much to do with? Who for you are THOSE people, that you’d rather not meet coming down the street?

As for Jesus, He seems to have been surprisingly ‘at home’ with THOSE people. V16 “When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?"” NLT (more bluntly) “Why does He eat with such scum?” You can almost hear the sneer in their voice!

Old patterns are hard to break. Robertson’s Word Pictures notes, “It was an offence for a Jew to eat with Gentiles...and publicans and sinners were regarded like Gentiles.” See Acts 11:2f, even in the early church –“So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them."” You associated with THOSE people – for to eat with someone in the Middle East implies acceptance, even approval, if you break bread together.

Yet, Jesus is not pressured or manipulated into leaving the feast of the ‘sinners’. He uses a medical analogy. If they’re going to think they’re better than others, so be it – we’ll let them be called “the righteous”, if they think they’re such hot stuff! V17 “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."” In Luke’s account of this story, Jesus’ complete response ends – Lk 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."”

Okay, you who presume to be morally healthy, I didn’t come to call you! I came to call sinners, those who know they’ve fallen short, those who realize they’re not able to stand on their own feet before a holy God, those who are ready to submit their attitudes and priorities and mindset because they’re just not working to give the meaning and relationships life ought to have. I’ve come to treat the sick, to inoculate them with this vaccine called the Kingdom of God, to help them re-think their whole approach to life oriented around what God most wants. You’ve got to be ready to have your worldview turned upside down to discover how God really looks at things. You don’t need a do-over on the surface, you need a heart transplant!

Only those who recognize they are spiritually sick, that they are not healthy, are the ones Doctor Jesus can help. They are the ones He came to save: not the righteous, but sinners – those who have reached the end of their rope and realize there is no way they are ever going to ‘impress’ God.

G.Campbell Morgan was one of 150 young men who sought entrance into the Wesleyan ministry in 1888. He had passed his written exam but faced the test of giving a trial sermon in front of a panel. When the results were released, Morgan’s name was among the 105 who were rejected. He wired his father with one word: “Rejected.” Then he sat down and wrote in his diary: “Very dark.Everything seems still.He knoweth best.” The reply to his telegram was quick to arrive. It read, “Rejected on earth, accepted in heaven.Dad.” As G.Campbell Morgan wen on to prove, rejection on earth is often of little consequence. Jesus was in fact hanging out in Levi’s house with rejects, outcasts, those officially cut off from the synagogue, labeled “sinners”. As Morgan’s father wisely recognized, rejection on earth is of no consequence in heaven.

RELIGION – OR RELATING?

Discriminatory practices extend to religious practices. I’ve already mentioned the Catholic / Protestant divide in my home township growing up. As we gain some mastery over sins of various kinds, if we’re not careful it can become a yardstick by which we judge others, patting ourselves on the back if we think we’re further ahead than them in moral disciplines. So we conquer the more elementary or baser sins only to be caught in the devil’s trap – pride.

In our next part of today’s reading, Jesus comes under scrutiny not just by the Pharisees but by the followers of John the Baptist, who had initially hailed Jesus’ coming. But with John in prison, it seems some of his followers had gravitated back toward more established forms of the Jewish faith – including the traditional fasting on Tuesdays and Fridays each week (even though the Law of Moses only required it once a year on the Day of Atonement).

Mark 2:18, “Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?"”

There was nothing wrong with them fasting. But it was an error to project that onto others as a “have-to” or shortfall when it was simply part of tradition.

With the many forms of Christianity today, there could be any number of measuring-sticks used to criticize those of other churches, other denominations. How come you don’t stand when the gospel is being read? Or, when the prayer is being said (local tradition here)? How come you drive cars instead of horse and buggy? How come you drive coloured cars instead of all-black cars? How come you don’t use an organ? How come you use instruments at all instead of just singing a cappella? How come you don’t have an evening Sunday service? How come you don’t allow female elders? How come you allow (or don’t allow) children to take communion? How come you don’t baptize babies? And on and on.

While we would say some of these practices conform more or less closely to the Biblical pattern, none of them really address the core matter, which is a person’s relationship with Christ, their depth of commitment, their faith expressing itself through love. Do you want an external works-based religion, where we’re always sizing each other up according to where we rank on the stairs of righteousness? That’s static and stale and focused on picky details that aren’t central to what Jesus’ Kingdom is really about. Or do you want a living, breathing, dynamic relationship, an adventure that’s responding daily to the leading of our Lord Jesus, for each one?

To this prideful approach (‘why don’t your disciples fast’), Jesus responds with 3 images that help us imagine or picture or visualize what’s most important differently: Party, Patch, and Popping.

PARTY: As the Christian band Tim & the Glory Boys are wont to say - “The Kingdom of God is a – Party!” Mk 2:19f “Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them.But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.” Jesus’ choice of illustration is very wise – John’s disciples might have remembered how the Baptist spoke about Jesus back in Jn 3:29, “The bride belongs to the bridegroom.The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice.That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” John the Baptist was pointing to Jesus as the bridegroom: John was the bridegroom’s friend – so perhaps Jesus is appealing directly to John’s disciples who are laying this criticism, “Remember how your teacher rejoiced to see My coming!” Life is about relationship; rules can be set aside when special occasions come, when the Messiah’s arrival calls for celebration. All too soon Jesus would be crucified, and at that time His followers would mourn and fast.

From one dynamic image (party) to another – PATCH. Listen for the action, the movement going on in this next illustration. Mk 2:21 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.”

One might ask, “Is there ‘give’ in your relationship with God and others? Does it breathe? Or is it just rote routine?” Are you growing – or stuck and not learning anything new? Have you been putting into practice what you’ve already learned? John’s disciples and the scribes of the Pharisees were ‘stuck’ in their religious routines – it gave structure and order to their lives probably, but prevented them from seeing the new thing God was doing in Jesus’ ministry, bringing to Himself tax collectors and ‘sinners’ to whom fasting was probably a foreign concept.

See the focus on context here: in ‘party’ there’s awareness of who the other one is that’s present – the Bridegroom. In “patch” there’s awareness of the condition of the other one – unshrunk cloth is different than older material that’s already done its shrinking. Don’t try to force old established patterns on a new movement that’s drawing in folks the old community excluded.

Party - patch - and POPPING. Mk 2:22 “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins.If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” There’s risk of bursting, of ‘popping’, because the new wine has to ferment and age and convert fruit sugars into alcohol, that will help preserve it from going bad. Old wineskins have done their stretching already to the limit, there’s no “give” left: new wineskins still have their stretchiness and can accommodate the pressure as the juice turns to wine.

All these examples point to context, to relationship, to adaptability, to accommodating what’s new and changing. On an individual level, is our faith alive, listening to the new directions God would take us in, watching for His next lessons? Are we loving Him and loving our neighbour? Are there people He has brought us into connection with that we need to heed, to pay attention to, to come alongside and mentor or witness to? Or are we content to just hang around the same old bunch with whom we feel comfortable and who reinforce our notions and prejudices?

On a corporate level – is our church responding to the needs of the community around us? Are we really taking the hurts of our neighbours seriously, dreaming of ways to help them, or just perpetuating the same old programs we’ve done for decades? Some of the ‘visioning’ exercise from Carey Nieuwhof the Elders looked at this past week said: “Clarify what is mission and what is method.The mission is sacred, the methods are temporary.[AND] Connect the cultural dots (Look for cultural patterns that provide clues). When church leaders lost access to our building, we behaved as though we

lost access to ministry.”

Culture has changed since 2002-03 when this building was built. The iPhone wasn’t introduced until 2007: now everyone (practically) is online – how do we more effectively engage a digital culture? Churchgoing patterns have changed just in the past year since the start of the pandemic – will we adjust accordingly, or plod blindly on as if nothing has changed? The Elders approved a major upgrade to our AV system (along with soundbooth reconstruction) because they sense online church is going to much more important for our church’s ‘reach’ than it was before. So, as culture shifts, we adjust our method – but maintain the same mission.

COUNT OTHERS BETTER

In closing, we saw onlookers were scandalized by Jesus’ hanging out with tax collectors like Levi, and “sinners” – those who the synagogue had officially excommunicated. He responded by saying He came to heal the sick, to be a doctor, calling not the righteous but sinners to repentance. In what ways do we need to ‘repent’, re-think, jettison old prejudices, quit looking down our noses at “THOSE” people?

Like those who took pride in their fasting twice a week, do our religious customs get in the way of us perceiving the fresh thing the Lord is trying to do in our lives, in our church? Does our faith-relationship have “give” and ‘stretch’, or is it locked in an unchangeable rut?

The Israelites in the desert ran into big trouble when they rebelled and treated God with contempt, despising Him. We get into trouble when we treat with contempt our neighbour, the ones our Lord commanded us to love. Who do we need to treat better than we have been? Who have we been shunning like a tax collector, avoiding as if they are a person of disrepute? That’s not what the New Testament teaches...

Php 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Rom 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.Honour one another above yourselves.”

Mk 12:31 “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."”

Gal 5:26 “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Beware conceit, arrogance, and pride: it’s the thing that, if we master every other area of sin, the devil can still catch us on. The Holy Spirit will help us instead see ways to build others up, count them BETTER than ourselves.

Can we be self-effacing, like this example? When Charles W.Eliot, famous president of Harvard University, was being honored one evening at a banquet, a colleague said, "Permit me to congratulate you on the miracle you have performed at the university – since you became president, Harvard has become a storehouse of knowledge." "That is true," laughed Eliot."But I scarcely deserve the credit for that. It is simply that the freshmen bring in so much and the seniors take away so little."

More seriously – take the example of Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng, [IMAGE] a nun in Myanmar who knelt just this past week in front of police that had been shooting student protesters. The students ran for safety to a clinic where she was working; she knelt pleading for the police to stop the killing, and even to take her life instead of the students’. That is counting others better than yourself. That is like Jesus coming to give His own life in the stead of sinners, to be a doctor healing those who are spiritually sick and calling out for help. Let’s pray.

Father, Thank You that Your Kingdom is a PARTY! Thank You for inviting us to the feast, along with Levi and other tax collectors and ‘sinners’. You know how much we need Your healing, Lord Jesus; we need Your stretching, the pouring of Your Holy Spirit, we need Your help to move beyond stale patterns of religion in order to bring RELATIONSHIP to our hurting neighbours and world. Like Levi, help us to leave all behind that would distract us, and follow You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The Submission of Jesus – and Our Grudging Obedience” - Mar.21/21 Heb.5:1-10

OUR GLARING BLACK EYE: OUR HUMAN IMPERFECTION

Jesus, by a process of divine appointment and gruelling suffering and trusting, has become a perfect High Priest for us, the means by which we can be saved. But left to ourselves, our actions reveal a glaring ‘black eye’ characteristic of everyone who lives to glorify themselves.

Our natural inner person seems set automatically to want to protect and promote ourselves, even at the expense of others. This shows up in selfishness, envy, the desire for fame and honour. An elderly man on the beach found a magic lamp. When he rubbed it, a genie appeared and told him he would grant him any wish. The man thought for a while and said, "My brother and I had a fight twenty years ago and haven't spoken since. My wish is that he would finally forgive me." The genie clapped his hands, a bright light shot across the sky, and then he said, "Your wish has been granted." Then the genie said, "You know, most people would have asked for wealth and fame. But you only wanted the love of your brother. Is it because you are old and dying?" The man replied, "Not at all! But my brother is, and he's worth sixty million dollars."

You don’t have to look far in the news to see examples of our moral ‘black eye’. A 76-year-old Asian-American woman in San Francisco was waiting patiently at the crosswalk this past week for the pedestrian ‘walk’ sign to change, when she was suddenly struck in the eye. However with the help of a narrow piece of wood she engaged her attacker with the result he himself ended up needing to go to the hospital! Give this older gal some credit for her spunk and quick thinking. However, that’s not exactly what Jesus would have recommended, for He told His followers to “turn the other cheek.” But, back up a bit to the despicable nature of the initial crime: who walks up to a 76-year-old (man OR woman) at a stoplight and hits them in the eye?! So awful.

We don’t just suffer from personal moral failure; sometime it gets perpetuated and ingrained, to the point it’s systemic. This past week one of the top women in Canada’s military resigned over its handling of sexual assault incidents. Lt Col Eleanor Taylor said she was “sickened” by the military’s repeated failures to tackle the abuse. She happens to be a combat veteran of the Afghanistan war, served with the special forces, and has long been seen as a role model in the military. Lt Col Taylor wrote in her resignation letter: “I have spent the past decade speaking publicly and passionately about the gains women have made in the [armed forces]...While I remain fiercely proud of parts of our organization, on the issue of addressing harmful sexual behaviour, we have lost all credibility.” “I have been both a victim of, and participant in, this damaging cycle of silence, and I am proud of neither.” We have a glaring black eye – not just one instance, but systemic. In late February the Chief of Defence Staff stepped down after an investigation into his conduct was opened, and his predecessor is also facing an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Left to ourselves, we are innately selfish, catering to our passions and human desires. It’s in our fallen nature to cast off restraint and live for the moment. There were expressions of shock at the not-family-friendly performance of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion at this year’s Grammys. Yet even there they had tamed down the lyrics. So go further – what kind of society rewards songs like “WAP” by debuting it at number 1 on Billboard Hot 100 and causing it to break the record for the largest opening streaming week for a song in United States history?! Somebody is obviously craving such fare! Our glaring black eye is a leering black eye, insatiable, lusting.

The Catholic Church is not perfect, but it did get one thing right. Responding to requests for blessing of homosexual unions, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith determined God “cannot and does not bless sin”; while affirming “God loves every person and the Church does the same", and rejects all unjust discrimination.

God can’t bless sin, so how can we ever be put right with God, since we sin so often and are messed up morally? Our passage in Hebrews begins by noting the imperfection of even those called to represent people to God in the Old Testament system, the high priest. People need sacrifices presented for their sins, but even the one presenting them has sinned, so has to present a sacrifice for his own sins. Heb 5:1-3 “Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins...he himself is subject to weakness.This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.”

We all fall short. The wages of sin are death (Rom 3:23; 6:23). We need a mediator, someone who can do the job completely, adequately – but any other mortal is imperfect for such a calling.

It’s not like you can just announce yourself and presumptuously step up to the plate. Who would qualify? V4 “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.” On our own devices, we’re stuck, hamstrung, not one of us would be worthy of the assignment. Yet we are all too eager to take honour upon ourselves. We worship our music idols, those who are wealthy, the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezoses, we admire those who ‘make it’ in the business world or the arts. When you post something on social media and it gets traction, a lot of likes or maybe even some shares, that’s a good feeling — it’s as if others are honouring you. But then it can become addictive living for the ‘likes’, it starts to swallow up your time and distract you from those closest to you.

We are imperfect as humans. We need a Mediator on account of our sins. We love to take honour upon ourselves, to “look good”, be popular, receive others’ praise. But the reward soon fades, leaving us strangely unfulfilled once again.

THE PERFECTION OF JESUS

While we feel unfulfilled, incomplete, Jesus is COMPLETE, perfect, having reached His goal. There are primarily two aspects hinted at here: UNTO GOD and FOR OTHERS.

First, UNTO GOD: note how the author of the letter to the Hebrews describes Jesus’ attitude and approach toward His Heavenly Father. V5 “So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."” There’s an appointment going on here, God the Father designating Jesus as His Son – not that it wasn’t already the case, but pronouncing it for the benefit of everybody else, honouring the Son, elevating Jesus’ official status.

And it’s not an honour Jesus reaches out to grab at: it says He “did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest.” That’s very similar language to the passage about Jesus’ humility in Philippians 2:6 - “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped...” Jesus wasn’t ‘grabby’ about being honoured and glorified, but humbled Himself.

The passage describes Jesus’ total dependence upon God, casting Himself upon His Heavenly Father especially just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane: V7 “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” There’s a key phrase right there, REVERENT SUBMISSION. “Fear of God” one translation puts it; reverence, veneration, piety, seeing God large in your life.

Submission is an unpopular word in our culture, and our selfish side is not good at submission. I overheard some dads in our church talking this week about teenage offspring and the “eye roll” they sometimes get when trying to provide leadership. We too often give God the “eye roll”, instead of revering Him and being quick to get on board with God’s will, we try everything we can to do it ourselves, our own way. Jesus was entirely holy and would have been dismayed and aghast, repulsed and disgusted at being made to bear all our iniquity and shame, but because He constantly chose to align Himself with God’s purposes, He chose to go through with the cross for our sakes. He reverently submitted. V8 “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered...” He learned obedience: like when He went home from talking to the Temple teachers as a young pre-teen and was submissive to Mary and Joseph.

Jesus obeyed, He constantly was careful to remain “in sync” with what His Heavenly Father was saying and doing. His was a derivative or utterly dependent relationship, as Henry Blackaby used to point out. John 5:30,43A “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me...” Jn 8:29 “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” See how ‘in tune’ Jesus intentionally stayed with what God was about?

God the Father APPOINTED Jesus to this office of High Priest no ordinary human could fulfill. This is where those quotes from Messianic portions of the Psalms come in: Psalm 2:7 in Heb 5:5, “But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."” And Psalm 110:4 in Heb 5:6, “And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."”

Jesus bowed in reverent submission; the Father raised Him up, elevated Him in His office, establishing Him for eternity in that unique role. Echoes of this in Eph 1:20-22 “...he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and APPOINTED HIM to be head over everything for the church...”

Jesus’ completeness or perfection has to do with His relationship UNTO GOD; second, it has to do with Jesus’ being FOR OTHERS. Let’s revisit verses 1-2 to see how these apply to Jesus rather than just the Old Testament Levitical priests. V1 says the high priest is “appointed to represent them in matters related to God”, NRSV “on their behalf”. Jesus is even now interceding for you, He’s your Mediator, praying on your behalf to the Father! Romans 8:34 “Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” And Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Further, v2 says the High Priest “is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray...” Jesus can “deal gently” with us, because He Himself was subject to our human weakness, our frailties. Heb 2:17f “For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.” Christ relates to what you’re going through!

Jesus is fundamentally “for others”, supporting us, pulling for us, interceding and mediating for us. He sympathizes fully with our hassles and heartaches. Heb 4.15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin.”

His earthly existence and suffering qualified Jesus to be appointed our High Priest; but now each day He brings salvation to us moment by moment. Heb 5:9 “and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...” He has become the source of YOUR eternal salvation – the One who holds you safe, who protects you, sanctifies you, is carving you each day more closely into His likeness, so you increasingly come to reflect His glory to those around you.

Hell is a terrifying prospect, as Jesus described it – weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, fire burning, worms not dying, an “outer darkness” – but God has better things in store for those who love Him. Jesus saves you from that horror. Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

PRIESTLY – OR PABLUM?

The context here is the author of the book of Hebrews writing this extended sermon to strengthen early Christ-followers and spur them on to maturity of faith. The church was supposed to be a “kingdom of priests”: 1Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Similarly, Revelation 1:5Bf “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom AND PRIESTS to serve his God and Father— to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.”

So, we’re to be PRIESTS, are we? Go back to those 2 key phrases describing Jesus as the ‘perfect’ high priest, and how do they apply to us? “UNTO GOD” and “FOR OTHERS” – does that come close to describing our current priorities, what we’re living for?

Our world is busy living for what someone has called the ‘unholy trinity’ of “me, myself, and I”. When self is our focus, we won’t be aiming ‘Unto God’ or ‘For Others’.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews rebukes his readers for their lackadaisical approach to the Christian walk. Heb 5:11f “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”

You’re not ready to be PRIESTS – you’re barely on PABLUM! Needing milk, not solid food. You’re ‘slow to learn’; you ought to be teachers by now, but you need someone to go back over the alphabet with you! Can you tell the author is not too impressed?

So – how can we address each of these areas - “Unto God” and “For others”?

In the “Unto God” department, one option is Pray’n’Go, a simple program we’re beginning that gets us out onto the streets of our community, praying for our neighbours, inviting them to send in their prayer requests that we will in turn take and be praying for / seeking to help them with. Read the beginning chapters of Acts and you’ll see the early church PRAYED and then they did the “GO” – starting from Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria, then the further points of the Roman empire. Our church can’t be healthy and remain inward focused. God wants us to depend upon Him and be praying for His Kingdom to make inroads where we are.

There’s also the “FOR OTHERS” area. Who in your relationships needs you to be Christ ‘with skin on’ for them? Instead of rushing on with your agenda, can you stop and take time to really pay attention to what they’re saying, to help them feel they’ve been heard and validated? Who’s that person in your network that’s been feeling so isolated and lonely and your phone call or porch visit would brighten their day? What’s that volunteer agency you’ve been meaning to join but just haven’t bothered to take the next step?

A little girl's first-grade class held its "track and field" day. She won quite a few ribbons, among them one blue ribbon for a first place. Later that day, when she came home, the blue ribbon was missing, and her mother asked what had happened to it. "Oh," she said, "Bruce was crying because he didn't win a first place ribbon, so I gave it to him." Her mother hugged her and told her she thought it was very generous to give Bruce the ribbon. "Why not?" she asked. "After all, I know that I won it." That little girl was acting generously “for others”. If only all of us, adults included, had such a clear idea of what things are really important in life, and what things are just decorations!

I was pleased to hear on the news that Australia is sharing 8,000 doses of its COVID vaccine with neighbouring Papua New Guinea. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “They’re our family, they’re our friends.They’re our neighbours.They’re our partners.They have always stood with us and we will always stand with them.This is in Australia’s interests, and is in our region’s interests...I want to assure the people of Papua New Guinea and my dear friend [PNG Prime Minister] James Marape, that Australia as always, we’ll stand with them as they meet this challenge and support them in every way that we possibly can.”

Christians are called to love our neighbour as ourselves, to be there “for others”. Often that means sharing resources in practical ways.

A SAVIOUR WHO REALLY HELPS

We’ve been talking this morning about our moral Imperfection as sinners, and how greatly we need Jesus as our perfect High Priest. He lives life directed UNTO GOD and FOR OTHERS – interceding for you is His ongoing work now! V9 “...once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him...” Heb 4:16 implores us, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

We call Jesus “Lord” for we belong to Him and He is our Master, to whom we now owe that “reverent submission”. But we also call Him “Saviour” which is more the focus of His being our Priest, having offered the perfect sinless sacrifice of Himself for our sins. I close with an illustration that may help us appreciate more just what being an effective “Saviour” means.

Let’s say a man decides to swim from Sault Ste Marie to Goderich (that’s over 300 km). He hires the finest swim coach to train him and works out with Olympic gold-medal winners. He leaves no detail of preparation undone. Finally the big day arrives. He plunges into the North Channel and begins to swim. 10 - 20 - 40 - 90 kilometers he goes. Eventually he hits Lake Huron and the open water’s becoming more intimidating. The wind kicks up some waves. He begins to realize that he could never swim to Goderich; it’s just too far. In vain he tries to think of an alternative, but there is none. Then, just as he’s gasping for air and about to go down for the third time, a motorboat pulls up alongside him. With his last ounce of energy he calls out, "Save me! Please, save me!" The owner of the motorboat looks down at our drowning swimmer and says, "Friend, you're in trouble.What you need is the waterproof edition of my book on swimming the Great Lakes.It will tell you everything you need to know.Here, catch it." And then, vroom vroom, off he goes in his boat back to South Baymouth. Obviously, our swimmer needs more than a book.

Well, let's suppose that as our swimmer was gasping for his last breath and the motorboat pulls alongside him and he cries, "Save me! Please, save me!" the owner answers, "Friend, you're in trouble.What you need is someone to show you how to swim.Here, watch me." At that, the boater jumps in and says, "The secret is the Australian crawl. Watch my head. See, it's breathe—blow, breathe—blow, breathe—blow. Now, friend, it won't be easy, but if you'll just follow my example, you are sure to make it." And then he climbs back into his boat and, vroom vroom, off he heads to Sarnia.

Obviously, our swimmer needs more than an example, a model. Well, let's try again. This time as our swimmer’s gasping for his last breath and the motorboat pulls alongside him and he cries out, "Save me! Please, save me!" suppose that the owner leans over the rail and says, "Friend, you're in trouble! Even worse, you're drowning! Here, let me save you." Then the owner reaches over and grabs the drowning swimmer, pulls him into the boat, sets him down in a chair, and gives him some chocolate-chip cookies to eat and chocolate milk to drink. After some time, the owner reappears on deck and says to the well-rested swimmer, "You know, I saved you from certain death back there. I pulled you out of the water, set you in my chair, and fed you my chocolate-chip cookies and chocolate milk. Now we are only a couple hundred miles from Goderich, and I think it's time that you did something. So, you lazy fellow, get back in the water and swim!" Obviously, our swimmer friend is right back where he started, and he surely needs more than an occasional boost or help when things get rough.

Let's give it one more try. This time as our swimmer is gasping for his last breath and the motorboat pulls alongside him and he cries out, "Save me! Please, save me!" the owner leans over the rail and says, "Friend, you're in trouble! Even worse, you're drowning! Here, let me save you." And the owner reaches over and grabs the drowning swimmer and pulls him into the boat. Then he sets him down in a chair and gives him some chocolate-chip cookies and chocolate milk. The boat takes off. Eventually Goderich comes into view and the owner heads for the dock. He ties up his boat, picks up the swimmer, carries him across the dock, and sets him down with a nice view of the sunset from the Old Saltie restaurant there at the marina. Now, which of these was truly the ‘saviour’ of our drowning swimmer? Why, the last one, of course. He was the only one who completely rescued the swimmer from certain death and took him to a place where there was no threat of drowning again.

In a similar manner, God did not write the Bible to give us an instruction book on "How to Live Right, Prosper, and Get to Heaven." Nor did Christ come to show us by example only how to live a life that would be acceptable to God. Nor did Christ come to just help us out for a short period when we needed a little extra boost but who still expects us to do it on our own. No, Christ was like the boater who did it all for the drowning swimmer and so became his real Saviour." Saved to live UNTO GOD and FOR OTHERS. Let’s pray.

Father God, Most Holy, we do confess we can’t do it on our own. Our sins demand a sacrifice, more than we can manage: we have fallen short and offended Your infinite majesty and holiness. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our perfect High Priest. We bless You Jesus for persevering through the suffering and hardship, being faithful to the bitter end, even to death on a cross. Make us holy by Your Holy Spirit. Open our eyes to see others’ needs, to sympathize with them as You do, and to seek Your Father’s glory in everything we do. In Christ’s name, Amen.

“The Nearness of Our Vindicator” - Palm/Passion Sunday Mar.28/21 Is.50:4-9a

2021, THE YEAR OF TURNOVER

Life can be pretty tough at times. We get tempted to pack it in, give up, try and find something easier, even back down from something we know is right because of opposition. But the Lord has promised His strength and help to bear up under any load He gives us.

Side note on that children’s story: It made me squirm a bit when she said repeatedly “God won’t give us more than we can handle.” Joseph for example was sold into slavery by his brothers, threatened then slandered by Potiphar’s wife, forgotten by Pharaoh’s cupbearer – the disappointments at times must have been overwhelming! Yet the Lord used those crushing defeats to hone Joseph’s character and capability to govern a whole region.

In the New Testament, the author of the Book of Hebrews has quite a list of heroes in his “Hall of Fame” in chapter 11 – including some who faced lions and fire, were tortured, flogged, jeered, imprisoned, sawn in two, mistreated, and killed... Would you consider some of that ‘more than you can handle’? God’s not into the prosperity gospel! Then in chapter 12 the author elaborates how God disciplines us as sons through hardship. Even Jesus the Son of God was not exempt from hardship. Heb 12:3f “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Now THAT sounds like it’s expecting a lot – shedding your blood! Faithfulness as God’s sons and daughters involves sticking with His calling, even through tough circumstances.

A teenager had decided to quit high school, saying he was just fed up with it all. His father was trying to convince him to stay with it. “Son,” he said, “you just can’t quit. All the people who are remembered in history didn’t quit. Abe Lincoln, he didn’t quit. Thomas Edison, he didn’t quit. Douglas MacArthur, he didn’t quit. Elmo McCringle...” “WHO?” The son burst in – “Who’s Elmo McCringle?” “See,” the father replied, “You don’t remember him.He quit!”

I’ve been enjoying the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast. In episode 382 Carey interviewed William VanderBloemen, who thinks 2021 is going to be the year of turnover in organizations. Why? In 2020, almost no turnover happened because people didn’t want to leave because of COVID. The last thing people wanted to do during lockdown was add MORE uncertainty into their lives, so rather than changing jobs to start a new one, they just stayed where they were. But turnover is an unavoidable ongoing reality in an organization, so VanderBloemen is predicting we’ll see a lot of people quitting their jobs and looking for something else in 2021.

Other podcasts have noted how 2020 was a hard year for leaders in any organization, and that was true for churches as well. There were controversies over whether to stay open or just be online, to mask or not mask, sing or not sing, and in the States there was political unrest, and protests about racial injustice. Whatever you post, you’re bound to offend someone: if you post something in support of Black Lives Matter (for example), are you sincere or just ‘virtue signalling’? So you can get criticized either way. Pastors are leaders of community, and that can be challenging in normal times, let alone during a pandemic.

Today is Palm / Passion Sunday, the week before Easter, when each year we recall Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem while crowds celebrated and cheered Him on waving branches cut from the trees. But soon other crowds were calling for Him to be crucified, and watching Him be flogged and beaten. That following Friday He would be publicly excuted, crucified naked like a common criminal.

Isaiah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah about 740-680 BC, or about 700 years before Jesus was born. Yet his chapters 52-53 have strong parallels to the circumstances of Christ’s death, some parts almost as if the prophet was an eyewitness. These are the so-called “Servant Songs” in Isaiah; today we look at the 3^rd of 4 of them, back in chapter 50. Here too some suffering of the Servant is alluded to, but overall the emphasis is that God vindicates His Servant and supplies what is needed to endure even the harshest opposition.

Four times the term “the Sovereign Lord” is used (vv 4,5,7,9). “Lord” is God’s divine name YHWH in the Hebrew, “I am that I am” or “I will be who I will be”. Coupling it with the term “Sovereign” (lit.Adonai or ‘my lord’) emphasizes God’s being in control, in charge, directing events that happen, supervising or overseeing the course of events. Even when tough things happen, God has not gone on vacation, but is still in control, superintending, bringing good out of even negative circumstances.

Let’s approach this under 4 headings: Formidable Foes, Flinty Face, Fueled Faith, and Gutsy Godliness.

FORMIDABLE FOES

Sometimes foes come in the form of folks who have say over very ordinary aspects of our life. Cheryl Miller, 1995 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and older sister of NBA star Reggie Miller, recalls a moment that served as a springboard to her great playing career: "I was thirteen years old when I tried out for an all-male basketball team. The coach told me that if I could beat his son in a one-on-one game to 11 points, I could play on the team. I trounced him 11 to 1 and asked the coach when I should report to practice. He looked me straight in the eye and said, 'Miller, the only court I'll see you in will be a court of law.No girl will ever play on my team.' I ran home crying and told my dad that I never wanted to play basketball again. He sat me up straight and said, 'Cheryl, I didn't raise any quitters. Tomorrow you will try out for the girls' team and become the best who ever played.' This was a turning point in my life. From that moment on, I never accepted being second best."

Jesus faced formidable foes during His ‘passion’ or time of suffering leading up to His crucifixion. The verses in Isaiah 50 seem to foreshadow the rough treatment He endured. Isaiah 50:6 “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” To pull out the beard of an oriental man was a sign of utmost shame and humiliation.

Compare what the gospel writers record about how Jesus was treated. Matthew 26:67, 27:26 “Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him...Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.” Also Mark 15:19 “Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him.” Hard enough being struck on the head with a piece of wood once, let alone ‘again and again’!

FLINTY FACE

On at least three separate occasions Jesus predicted to His disciples the painful trial and execution that was awaiting Him in Jerusalem (see Mark chapters 8, 9, and 10 for instance), yet He was not dissuaded. In fact He was very determined about keeping this “divine appointment”. Luke 9:51 says, “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” ESV He “set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Very intentionally. Would WE have had the nerve to do that, had we known what was waiting for us?

Isaiah’s prophecy about the Servant reflects this same attitude. Is 50:7 “Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I SET MY FACE LIKE FLINT, and I know I will not be put to shame.” Christ was resolute, determined, obedient even unto death. Bruce Marchiano played Jesus in the “Matthew” film, and reflects on his experience in his book In the Footsteps of Jesus. One observation he made was: "Jesus wasn't dragged to the cross, He was crawling TO the cross..." He came among us to save sinners, that was the ‘raison d’etre’ of His incarnation, what He was here for.

Jesus’ resoluteness must have produced consternation in His accusers. Standing before High Priest Caiaphas, then King Herod, and finally the Judean governor Pontius Pilate, Jesus was silent when accusations were made against Him, rather than defending Himself. Mark 14:60f “Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.” And Mark 15:3-5 “The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, "Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.” Before King Herod, Luke 23:9-11 “He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him.Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him.Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.” But through it all, Jesus was resolute, flinty-faced, not responding to the false accusations.

Jesus’ silence forced the direction of questioning to the key issue; it was not whether He was seditious toward the Roman overlords. It was not whether He was a threat to the Jewish religious establishment, whether He would go beyond clearing the temple courts to tearing down the temple and rebuilding it, as some false witnesses tried unsuccessfully to maintain. Finally Jesus’ flinty face compelled the High Priest to pop the question that was ultimate: Mark 14:61b-62 “Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."”

Remember we were talking about Isaiah using the term “Sovereign Lord” 4 times, YHWH Adonai, where YHWH is related to the Hebrew for “I am”? In Jesus’ reply in the Greek, “I AM” is very emphatic (ego eimi yet ego is not required) – as if God is suddenly revealing that it’s GOD HIMSELF that’s on trial.

Likewise, picture John’s account of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. John 18:4-6 “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.” Almost as if the force of divine self-revelation in the voice of One who stilled the sea and calmed the storm was powerful enough to knock them off their feet!

FUELED FAITH

How does one become so strong, to hold firm and unflinching when confronted by formidable foes? Back up to verses 4 and 5 in Isaiah 50 to catch hints of the daily regimen, the regular routine by which the Suffering Servant cultivated a relationship with God so close that it laid a foundation of strength when it came to times of testing.

Vv4b-5 “...He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.” So you can tell this is not in the crisis, this is “morning by morning”, part of the practice of daily living – having God ‘waken’ your ear to listen, like one being taught, like a student enrolled in a university course and intent on passing it because it’s a required course. When you waken each morning, what grabs your ear, your attention? Do you intentionally take time to focus heavenward? Let Him ‘open’ your ears (lit.carve-out). To LISTEN – that’s more than just hearing: listening involves devoting your attention. Shut off the radio or the background noise if that’s distracting. What’s the still small voice trying communicate as you meditate ona passage of Scripture? The more familiar you become with the Bible as the years pass, the more you will be able to mine from each passage, as various passages interpret and throw light on each other.

What is it the Servant learns, that he can then pass on to others? V4 [God has given him] “an instructed tongue, to know the WORD THAT SUSTAINS the weary.” God the Father is Spirit, and doesn’t have arms and legs: God uses His WORD to command, to strengthen, to bolster us up, to ‘sustain the weary’. As God has helped us, we in turn are able to provide encouragement to others.

Does that characterize our home – encouraging words, in line with Christian teaching? “Home, home on the range – where never is heard a discouraging word...” Evangelist Bill Glass asked a group of a thousand prison inmates, “How many of you had parents who told you that you would end up in prison one day?” Almost every one of the inmates raised his hand. What messages are we communicating to our children? Do we have ‘an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary’?

GODLY GUTSINESS

Finally, our passage (and Jesus’ life in His final week) reveal a Godly Gutsiness in facing those formidable foes. It’s the climax that has been building from the crescendo of what the “Sovereign Lord” has been doing for the Servant through all these verses. V4 “The Sovereign Lord has given me...” V5 “The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears...” V7 “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me...” V9 “It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me...” With backing like that – BRING IT ON!!

Is.50:8-9 “He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.” The Day will come when you will be laid in the ground and only two things will matter: Did you love God? And did you love people? Not how fine a house you had, how expensive a car, whether your clothes had designer labels, how many digits there were in your bank account... We all ‘wear out like a garment.’

So even though Jesus has been beaten, flogged, spat upon, knocked about – He still faces His accusers with strength and calmness, almost as if HE is the One that has written the script for all this and they are just mouthing their lines. All things are culminating in His death and resurrection to forgive people’s sins and give new birth and eternal life in the Holy Spirit to those who trust in Him.

We see similar gutsiness in the Apostle Paul on a couple of occasions. In Ephesus in Acts 19, Paul’s extraordinary miracles healing the sick have led to a riot amongst the tradespeople concerned that their sales will be affected by so many turning away from idolatry. Acts 19:29-31 “Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.” He wanted to – Paul was bold and game to speak to the rioters – but others wouldn’t let him.

Then in Jerusalem turmoil develops because some assume (incorrectly) Paul had defiled the temple area by bringing in some of his Gentile traveling companions. Acts 21:30ff “The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.” He’s arrested and bound with chains. The commander orders that Paul be taken into the barracks. Ac 21:35ff “When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!" As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, "May I say something to you?"”

Now, what would YOU say to the commander? Maybe - ‘thank you for saving me from being beaten to death’ or ‘how fast can these guys get me to safety?’ But what is it that Paul wants to ask? V39b “Please let me speak to the people.” WHAT? A minute ago they were ready to tear you limb from limb, and you want to TALK TO THEM? That’s GODLY GUTSINESS.

Hebrews 13:6 “So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Paul later wrote to the church at Rome some of the most reassuring, faith-overflowing words in all of Scripture that reverberate with Isaiah’s “Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other!...Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!”

Romans 8:31ff “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all— how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ! “He who vindicates me is NEAR.” (Is 50:8) “It is the Sovereign Lord who HELPS me.” (Is 50:9)

KEEP ON PLODDING

We’ve seen that some feel 2021 will be ‘the year of turnover’. When times are tough, it’s easy to want to quit, to throw in the towel, to move on to something easier. Isaiah the prophet and Jesus our Saviour both encourage us to hang tight with our Sovereign Lord, keep listening morning by morning, to not be rebellious or draw back but set our face like flint and encounter our troubles with confidence that our Vindicator is near.

William Carey was once asked about his great accomplishments in his work of translating the Bible into Indian languages and dialects. He replied: “I am not a genius, just a plodder.” But what a plodder! In forty years of labour, he translated all or portions of the Bible into 34 of the languages and dialects of India.

Don’t be like those foes that Isaiah says ‘wear out like a garment’, and get moth-eaten. You have the backing of your Vindicator, who is near, whose word sustains the weary. Persist in His strength. Herschel Walker is a winner of the Heismann trophy which is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Herschel Walker once said, “My God-given talent is my ability to stick with something longer than anyone else.” Let’s pray.

Sovereign Lord, when times are hard, it’s so natural to want to give up. Yet we are awed by the perseverance of Isaiah and Paul and most especially Jesus during His trial and final troubles. Help us not draw back when we are challenged. Help us face our foes with confidence in You, to know Your word, to listen morning by morning so we’re familiar with Your voice. Thank You Lord Jesus for enduring so much pain and abuse so we could be put right with our Heavenly Father. Amen.

“Important News: Christ’s Appearing, God’s Grace” - Easter Sunday Apr.4/21 1Cor.15:1-11

FORGETTING WHAT’S FOUNDATIONAL

Easter is a revolutionary event, the inbreaking of God’s supernatural power and grace seen in the resurrection of Jesus and the transformed lives of His followers. In today’s passage from 1Corinthians 15 we find one of the most central texts of the New Testament emphasizing how radical this happening is.

The Apostle Paul was writing to the church in Corinth, which he had helped plant (see Acts 18). But it seems this church was about ready to fly apart like the rubber splitting off a wheel on a transport hurtling down the turnpike! As you browse through the book of 1Corinthians, you can see many fronts on which there were divisions... Some followed Paul, some Peter, while some claimed an even purer teaching. A man was living in immorality with his father’s wife – and some were even proud their faith supposedly granted them such ‘liberty’! There were disputes about eating meat offered to idols. When they met for the Lord’s Supper, some went ahead without waiting for the others. There were hyper-charismatics who emphasized the gift of tongues while others didn’t seem to have much opportunity to say the bit they had that would edify the church. In short, they were a church divided. They weren’t being considerate of each other; they have forgotten the forbearance that love cultivates. Left to themselves, they would eventually fly apart, having forgotten the central truths that should have bound them together. They needed reminding of the basics.

My wife Patti has a hair salon and spa which has a big sign out by the road with movable letters. Sometimes the wind picks up and rearranges the letters, or even blows them off completely. Last week a big wind blew some of the Easter eggs off the magnolia tree, and at the same time blew a letter “T” clear across our driveway.

A small church was affiliated with an exclusive ‘splinter’ congregation. The members had cut out some gold letters and fastened them on the wall in front of the church; the letters said - “JESUS ONLY”. However one day a gust of wind blew away the first three letters. So the sign then read, more accurately: “US ONLY”. Even churches can develop amnesia, forgetting who they are supposed to be!

1Cor 15:1 “Now, brothers, I WANT TO REMIND YOU of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.” The Corinthians needed reminding – they had started squabbling over inconsequential petty things and were forgetting the main truths of the Christian faith. They were not remembering the holiness God called them to, and were syncretizing their faith with the culture around them – Corinth had been a city so immoral, with so many cult prostitutes and being on a well-traveled canal, that “to Corinthianize” was a proverb meaning to act imorally. They were forgetting their oneness in Christ that should have prompted them to wait for each other when they sat down for the Lord’s Supper. They failed to remember it was one Holy Spirit that inspired them with various verses or songs or admonitions when it came time to worship together, turning worship into a sort of competition of who could hold the floor the longest.

Easter is an annual celebration that should prompt us to ask, “Have WE forgotten what’s most central about following Jesus? What’s most basic in Christian faith?” Is it about dutifully gathering together once a week in a common building? COVID has disrupted that repeatedly – it’s just so comfortable to merely tune in online in our pyjamas! – and for the generations younger than boomers, going to that certain spot is less important than relationships and involvement in a cause. What form is best for church to take in the future? Will it be a more accessible, diffused model, custom-tailored to each community, less barricaded by denominational walls? Being reminded what’s at our core mission (our function) should help nudge us toward the best-suited form gatherings should take.

GET GROUNDED

This past week the world held its breath as a 1300-foot container ship the Ever Given went off course in the Suez Canal and became wedged in the embankments at both bow and stern. Some 400 ships were backed up, costing each day an estimated $10 billion or about $400 million an hour! A small flotilla of tugboats pushed and pulled and finally, with the help of high tide last Monday, wiggled the 20,000-container-carrying vessel free again. Dredgers removed about 30,000 cubic meters of sand, or enough to fill about a dozen Olympic-sized swimming pools. It had been well and truly GROUNDED.

What about you? Are you GROUNDED in your beliefs, your most-heartfelt convictions, in a good way? Or are you drifting along, like the EverGiven about to be blown off course? When hard times like health issues or job loss come up, what truly grounds you, holds you fast? What keeps you from giving God the finger and walking away from Christian faith?

The apostle’s aim in writing is to help the church GET GROUNDED. Vv1-3 ...the gospel...on which you have TAKEN YOUR STAND.By this gospel you are saved, if you HOLD FIRMLY to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.For what I received I passed on to you as of FIRST IMPORTANCE...” The words translated “hold firmly” in the Greek mean literally to “hold fast”; the lexicon actually says, among other things, “to check a ship’s headway i.e.to hold or head the ship” – hence our EverGiven analogy! Are you “stuck on Jesus” – or getting blown off course, risking great loss?

There are so many gusts of wind blowing from all directions in today’s culture, it’s easy to get swept along with the latest fad or theory or trend. And parents, these gale force winds are blowing straight down the hallway into your children’s bedrooms through their screens without you even being aware (unless you’re talking with them and keeping those communication channels open). Back when I was growing up, we had black-and-white TV and just 3 channels, 2 of which were the same. No computers, no smartphones – the closest thing to social media was the party line! Times have changed. How are you GROUNDING your offspring with truth that will stand society’s testing? Will they ‘hold firmly’ to the word they’ve heard preached – not just because mom and dad believe it, but because they’ve seen how effective it is in your life, and have reasoned it through for themselves? Is Christianity something airy-fairy, reserved for an hour on Sundays, or do they see you applying its values and principles in making decisions for everyday life?

NOT A BLIP, BUT BROADCAST FOR CENTURIES

In verses 3-5 of 1Corinthians 15 Paul reiterates for his readers what are the core truths upon which Christian faith rests. He says “What I received I passed on to you” – this is sort of technical jargon for passing along a tradition that’s been handed down; scholars suggest from the words Paul uses it’s something he’s had relayed to him, it’s not his usual vocabulary. The “THAT’s” here act sort of like bullet points in a list. So, what’s at the heart of our faith?

Note it’s not a bundle of emotions or an experience like you might feel by going away to a mountaintop. It’s historical events, real happenings that took place at a certain spot and date, things that could be verified by onlookers.

Vv3-5 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.” Christ died, Christ was buried, Christ was raised, Christ appeared – real events in time-space, not lofty emotions or altruistic philosophy. Easter is at the very heart of what Christianity is about, because Jesus came among us not so much to work miracles or teach magnificent truths (though He did!) but to go to the cross, so our sins could be forgiven, and miserable sinners might come to enjoy reconciliation with God and blessed peace and eternal life, a forever relationship with the Most Holy and Loving One.

Christ died – not pointlessly, not as an anticlimax or frustrated conclusion to a promising ministry, but died FOR OUR SINS. We needed an absolutely pure and holy Saviour, the Son of God, to die in our place if our sins against an infinite Creator were ever to be compensated for. 1Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” There was purpose in His dying, a major accomplishment, it wasn’t futile. He did what He came to do.

Christ died for our sins “ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES”. As you read Matthew’s gospel, you’ll find many prophecies linking Jesus’ ministry to the Old Testament, taking care to show how He fulfilled many prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures. This was very deliberate on His part. Before He died, He pointed His disciples to what Isaiah predicted: Luke 22:37, “It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me.Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” That reference is to Isaiah 53, which contains gripping parallels to what must have gone on at Jesus’ crucifixion. Then after His resurrection, Jesus again connects the dots for His followers, saying to the two on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:25-27, “"How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Jesus’ death and resurrection were not just a blip, a one-time anomaly totally unforeseen and unexpected. They were the culmination of centuries of prophecy, even from the time of Abraham – Acts 3:25 [Peter preaching] “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days.And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers.He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’”

Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and appearances after His rising are the linch-pin of God’s plan for humanity; it is the enthronement of God’s King in God’s Kingdom. The Christ-event is central to God’s redemptive plan, drawing a sin-struck rebellion-torn forlorn humanity back to Himself.

A HAPPENING NOT A HALLUCINATION

Christianity is different from many world religions in that it’s based not on mere teaching or philosophy but on historical, verifiable events. It stands or falls depending whether the key events of Easter really happened. That’s why it was so galling for the Jewish leaders not to be able to produce Jesus’ body, even though Pilate the governor had gone to such extreme measures to make it secure. Paul alludes to this historical nature of the essence of Christianity when he concedes later in this same chapter, 1Cor 15:17,19 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

This past week saw the trial of the policeman involved in George Floyd’s death get underway. What was involved? They heard eyewitness testimony – what those saw and experienced during the arrest. They heard from the bystander that filmed that key video, a 17-year-old teenager. The jury watched the footage from the security camera inside the store. The film from the police bodycam was shown. The object is to help the jurors get an appreciation of what really happened, as close as we can get to them seeing it with their own eyes.

Now in verses 5-8 lawyer Paul introduces the eyewitness evidence which corroborated the factuality of what the Old Testament prophets had foreseen from afar – the word “appeared” occurs four times: 1Cor 15:5-8 “and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” Here he lists 5 occurrences: Peter, the Twelve, the more than 500, James, and Paul. Actually this is only half of those mentioned in the New Testament, there are ten recorded (Paul doesn’t include the appearances to women unfortunately). So don’t forget Mary Magdalene (Jn 20:11ff), the other women (Mt 28:8ff), His ascension (Lk 24:50ff), those on the Emmaus Road (Lk 24:13ff), and in Galilee (Mt 28:16ff; Jn 21). And don’t overlook Paul’s little aside in v6, “most of whom are still living” – in other words, if you don’t believe me, go check it out with them directly! Get it straight from the horse’s mouth!

It’s estimate Paul is writing about AD 54 or 55, which would make it maybe 25 years after Jesus’ resurrection. How’s your memory of notable events? Do you remember where you were when 9/11 happened? That was nearly 20 years ago, in 2001. What about when JFK was shot? That’s further back, in 1963, 58 years ago – I remember coming home from school and finding my mother crying at the kitchen table. So if Paul is writing just 25 years after the event, people’s memories of the appearances would still be prominent.

The historical nature of Jesus’ life and crucifixion are well attested, and not seriously questioned by scholars. There’s too much manuscript evidence from too many places; the records are well attested. You have the evidence from hostile sources, the priests going to Pilate asking to make the grave secure, when even the disciples themselves seemed to have forgotten Jesus’ predictions about rising again. The texts don’t gloss over the weaknesses and imperfections of the early believers who were ‘real people’ - Paul and Barnabas getting into a row over whether to take John Mark, Paul confronting Peter for backing down when the Judaizers came, Peter’s denial of Jesus – lots of things that would have been easy to ‘edit out’ to make the stars look shinier. But for me, most of all you have the fact that the apostles went to their death maintaining Jesus really rose from the dead. Even the most carefully crafted conspiracies crumble when the colluders are threatened with death. But this was no conspiracy, no mass hallucination. People don’t DIE for what they know to be a LIE. The veracity of the Jesus-account is underscored in red, with the blood shed by the earliest martyrs.

GRACE FOR THE WORST CASE

Do you consider doctrine dry? Do the creeds fail to turn your crank? Granted, it’s hard to get very excited about a creed – they’re meant to be a thumbnail summary of basic truths. Yet here we see Paul passing on a short summary of what’s been transmitted to him, what he received he’s passing on to others (v3).

But see the impact of this truth! Verses 9-10 highlight God’s GRACE (mentioned three times) at work in Paul’s life. Vv9-11 “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by THE GRACE OF GOD I am what I am, and HIS GRACE TO ME was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them— yet not I, but THE GRACE OF GOD that was with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.”

Paul’s point is that he’s sort of a “worst-case scenario” – he calls himself “the least of the apostles”, he feels he does not deserve to be called an apostle, because he persecuted the church. 1Timothy 1:13 “...I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man...” Acts 9:1 “...Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples...” Violent? Murderous threats? Saul at that point was an arch-enemy of the infant church, zealous to stamp it out. Yet God’s mercy reached out to even this most unlikely prospect and turned him right around, to the point Paul proved to be convincing defender of the faith, witnessing to the magnificence of the Saviour he once persecuted.

Or take James, the brother of the Lord, back in v7. Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him before He died. But by the time we see the early church gathered to pray in the Upper Room in Acts 1:14, Jesus’ brothers are there along with His mother Mary. What happened? What changed their opinion? Apparently Jesus showed Himself in His supernatural risen form to James, and he became convinced. James became a leading pillar of the Jerusalem church (Jas 1:19; 2:9).

So it seems God chose Saul/Paul and James to be ‘test cases’ of sorts – worst-case scenarious, but God’s grace prevailed. So Paul could observe, 1Cor 15:10 “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.”

What ‘turn-arounds’ has God’s grace brought about in your life – my life? Have we told others about the changes He’s made, the mercy He’s shown? People are hungry for others to be authentic, to be real, not to try to ‘put on a show’ or cover up our true selves, but be honest and transparent. Knowing God’s grace helps ‘settle us’ so we don’t have to try to always be top dog. God’s mercy at work in us empowers us to forget ourselves, look at the big picture, and get our hands dirty to serve others in humility.

TRANSFORMED TERRORIST

Luis Palau tells of a woman in Peru whose life was radically transformed by the power of Christ. Rosario was her name. She was a terrorist, a brute of a woman who was an expert in several martial arts. In her terrorist activities she had killed twelve policemen. When Luis Palau conducted a crusade in Lima, she learned of it and, being incensed at the message of the gospel, made her way to the stadium to kill Luis. Inside the stadium, as she contemplated how to get to him, she began to listen to the message he preached on hell. She fell under conviction for her sins and embraced Christ as her Saviour. Ten years later, Luis met this convert for the first time. She had by then assisted in the planting of five churches; was a vibrant, active witness and worker in the church; and had founded an orphanage that houses over one thousand children. The grace of God was hard at work in her life! Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, We bless you for the wonder of Easter: that You raised Your Son Jesus from the dead after allowing Him to become our perfect sacrifice, suffering for the sins we had committed. We praise You for working in Paul’s life, showing what a turn-around You can bring about even in those who would consider themselves least worthy. Father, if anyone here today or listening online doubts Your grace and mercy, or doubts the truth of the facts about Easter, be pleased to work a miracle in their life and draw them to Yourself. What we have each received, help us pass on to others. Help us hold firmly to Your word, and take our stand when culture’s winds would pressure us off course. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Confident, Cleansed, Confessing” - Sunday Apr.11/21 Heb.10:16-25

FENCING OFF THE SANCTUARY

Despite all the roadblocks sin would erect between us and God, Jesus has become our High Priest and won open access for us into the Most Holy Place. As we come to God and welcome His Holy Spirit to be present and direct our lives, our experience is transformed to become significant in our relationships with others.

Speaking of barriers – Pastor James Coates and the congregation he serves, GraceLife Church in Spruce Grove just west of Edmonton, have been encountering some barriers of their own. A couple of weeks ago Pastor Coates was released after serving 35 days in a remand centre for failure to abide by an undertaking (which he never actually signed). The congregation has been meeting in excess of the 15% capacity limits set provincially. Two February charges were dropped but a December one stands, which the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (his legal counsel) hopes to use to test the province’s legislation when Pastor Coates goes on trial May 3.

Then this past Wednesday, police and a fencing company showed up early in the morning and put up a barricade completely around the church, blocking off entry. Between July and April Alberta Health Services had received 105 complaints from the community; AHS had conducted 18 site visits and violations were noted at each visit.

It’s going to be an interesting court case, regarding religious freedoms and the authority of governments to restrict gatherings for health reasons.

THE OLD DEAL: PERPETUAL SACRIFICE / SIN CYCLE

In many respects, worship in the Old Testament involved WALLS, curtains, that kept people away from the Most Holy Place. At the temple in Jesus’ time there was the court of the Gentiles, then inside that the court of the women, the men’s court, the priests’ court, and finally the Temple proper itself, with a curtain veiling the Most Holy Place where only the High Priest entered once a year carrying atoning blood. Successive layers, from which one was barred upon pain of death. A strong sense of being forbidden from drawing closer to the Holy One.

This is alluded to in vv17-18 of Hebrews 10, “Then he adds: “‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” Sin separates us from God. Romans 6:23a, “For the wages of sin is death...” – spiritual death, such as cut Adam and Eve off from Paradise in Genesis 3.

Sin is a real barrier, and hard to eliminate. Even if you succeed in overcoming it in its more overt forms (lust, gluttony), you can still fall prey to subtler forms such as pride, hypocrisy, jealousy. At some point you start ‘faking it’. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, their “faking it” – looking good on the outside, like whitewashed tombs. Their inner core was still self-oriented not God-oriented, turning to “me” not turning to the Lord.

Patti and I started incubating our first batch of eggs for this year the day after Palm Sunday. This week I ‘candled’ the eggs, checking to see which ones were fertile and actually alive, headed in the direction of hatching chicks after 23 days. About 18 out of 30 had something definitely going on inside. But the remaining dozen showed no embryo, no blood veins - just the plain old egg yolk and white, so they’d be discarded. Which would better describe our spiritual life? Is there really something happening on the inside? Or is it dead, lifeless religious ritual?

The sin of the Pharisees was paying attention to outward demonstrations of piety for appearance's sake rather than giving attention to inward obedience. This can be well illustrated by two eggs. One egg is a normal raw egg that, when placed under the palm of the hand and pressed evenly cannot be broken because of the structure of the egg itself. The second egg is exactly the same on the outside, but its insides have been removed. When it is placed under the same palm pressure, it breaks easily because it is internally weak. So, too, one who gives himself to the sin of the Pharisees is empty of substance and will eventually crack under pressure.

That’s the legalism of the Old Covenant, where sin and lawless acts prevent genuine inner transformation. But wait! Something better is on the horizon.

THE NEW DEAL: A WAY THROUGH THE CURTAIN

Verse 18 says, “And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” No longer! Now forgiveness has been made possible!

Through the previous chapters, from chapter 4 right on up to this present chapter 10, the author has been painting a portrait of Jesus as our Great High Priest. Because of His once-for-all perfect sacrifice, not the blood of bulls and goats but the blood of the perfect sinless Son of God, true atonement has finally been made and real forgiveness is possible. The Old Testament sacrificial system was symbolic, enacted pictures pointing ahead to their fulfilment in Jesus on the cross at Golgotha. What words did Jesus use to describe the cup at the Last Supper? What was His own interpretation of the tragic events that were about to befall Him? Matthew 26:28 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Hebrews 10:19-22 picks up the significance of this NEW covenant: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” No more walls! “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place...” Remember the cataclysmic events that happened at the time Jesus died on the cross? In particular, what happened at the temple? Matthew 27:51a “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” How could God make it any more clear? The sin-barrier was being torn away, removed, through Jesus’ death on our behalf. Heb 10:20 “by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” – Jesus’ body was pierced with nails and a spear, sockets wrenched out of joint in agony, parallel to the ripping apart of the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from all comers at the temple. In this sense His body is the curtain – torn like we tear the loaf of bread at communion.

“A new and living way opened for us” – Jesus said in John 14:6, “Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Or, “I am the true and living way.” Thankfully winter now seems to be past, but remember when roads were closed and your laneway was impassable in the wintertime? Like a snowplow clearing the road, or a snowblower making a path through your laneway, Jesus has opened a way for you to access God, through Him.

How do we avail ourselves of this new way, this wonderful access to the Most Holy Place? With four things – faith, focus, fervency, and fellowship.

FAITH IN THE FAITHFUL ONE

V22a, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith...” NRSV a “true” heart; NLT “fully trusting”. Is your heart ‘sincere’ and true? Is it open, vulnerable, genuine, not guarded, glancing around checking for a back door? Are you really “all in”, fully committed, fully trusting? The next chapter in Hebrews, chapter 11, is sometimes referred to as “The Faith Chapter”, because it recites many examples of Biblical heroes who acted in faith, not sight. It’s a ‘hall of fame’ of those who trusted in God as their Saviour. Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

The faith is not in what we can do, like some Human Potential movement, but in what God has already done for us, specifically in what Jesus accomplished for us at the cross when He said, “It is finished” or “It is accomplished” or “Paid in full.” Our faith is in The Faithful One who has demonstrated through Bible history He keeps His promises. V23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” FOR (or, BECAUSE) the One who made the promises in the first place - God - proves He keeps His word. The moved stone and empty tomb stamp the seal on that.

Our trust is in Jesus, rather than our own ability or merit. As they prepared for the final exam in Logic, a college professor offered his class some relief. He told them that they could bring as much information to the exam as they could fit on a piece of notebook paper. Most students crammed as many facts as possible on their 8-1/2-by-11 sheet of paper. But one student – his name was Bob – walked into class, put a piece of notebook paper on the floor, and had an advanced logic student stand on the paper. The upper graduate told Bob everything he needed to know. Bob was the only student to receive an A.

You need Jesus standing on your piece of paper! That’s faith.

FOCUS: KEEP THE MAIN THING THE MAIN THING

Because Jesus is our “great priest over the house of God” (v21), the author sees a string of 5 “let us” imperatives flowing from that fact. V22 let us draw near, v23 let us hold unswervingly to hope, v24 let us consider spurring one another on, v25 let us not give up, and let us encourage one another. The second of these, in v 23, says: Heb 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hold unswervingly – to me this speaks of FOCUS, staying on track, not getting off course. Pastor Phil Delsaut used to emphasize “Keep the main thing the main thing.”

The COVID pandemic has really caused a lot of things to be thrown up in the air: what can we do? What must we stop doing? What is essential to keep doing? Will church ever be the same again? Is it time to put some programs on the shelf, and start looking at new ways of doing things? For instance, for some churches, perhaps the day of the handbell choir is past! For others, the day of the community kitchen has arrived, as they survey the needs around them. Some mega-churches are not meeting in person, instead relying on small group format to keep the essence of the church going – “growing bigger by growing smaller”.

Jesus did not call His followers to create programs, or build buildings – He called us to make disciples. Sometimes programs or buildings facilitate that, but they’re not to become non-negotiable idols. What tools can we use to reach new people with the Good News? I heard of one church in a former mall that set aside one area for washers and dryers, so people in the community would have a laundromat they could use.

A key characteristic of New Covenant living is found in v16, the prophecy from Jeremiah 31: Heb 10:16 “"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."” To keep from swerving, our FOCUS needs to be shaped by God’s laws, writing His truth in our minds with the help of our Teacher / Counselor, the Holy Spirit. So it seems the church will always need a teaching aspect, whether sermon or small groups or Bible study 1-on-1. Isn’t it great our Sunday School is encouraging verse memorization?

“Hold unswervingly to the HOPE we profess” – chapter 12 goes more into the matter of hope. There is so much negativity in society these days – the news can be dismal; COVID counts rising; lawlessness, unrest, demonstrations, and anarchy in various parts of the world. To have hope makes a person stand out as an exception, it seems! V25b “...and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Some are wondering if these are the end times. Christians don’t have a secret clock for reference by which we can predict the day Jesus returns, but we do have that hope! 2Thess 1:10 “...the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.”

Are you holding unswervingly? Are staying focused, keeping the main thing the main thing? Dennis Waitley and Reni L Witt note (The Joy of Working), “The late Henry Fonda once said that a thoroughbred horse never looks at the other racehorses. It just concentrates on running the fastest race it can. We have to fight the tendency to look at others and see how far they've come. The only thing that counts is how we use the potential we possess and that we run our race to the best of our abilities.”

FERVENCY: AFFECTION AND ACTION

Faith - focus - next, FERVENCY. V24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” The verb translated here ‘spur on’ is interesting, similar to our word ‘paroxysm’ - to sharpen, stimulate, incite. Maybe to nudge or irritate in a good way, like a small pebble in your shoe – you can’t rest until you’ve dealt with it.

What are we to be spurring each other on towards? “Toward love and good deeds.” LOVE – well, that’s no surprise, is it? Jesus’ command is found in John 13:34f, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” How will people know we are truly Jesus’ followers? By our big fancy church buildings? By our meticulous moral uprightness? By the size of the Bible we carry? NO - by how we love one another. Our affection for each other, our brotherly / sisterly love. Do we really care? And isn’t that what the younger generation is looking most for in terms of authentic relationships and true spirituality – do we show we really care?

We are also to spur one another on toward good deeds. Recently my daughter’s family was involved in an outreach in their central Alberta community in which their church youth group passed out 180 gift bags to their neighbours - each bag contained a personalized card about God’s gift at Easter, a Bible, and a Tim Horton’s gift card.

The Lord also sees the small “good deeds” – when you pick up some groceries for someone who has mobility problems; when you stack their firewood; when you give them a ride to an appointment. Not every good deed need be broadcast!

Our church’s Pray’n’Go door hangers got printed this week (the first batch). They will let our neighbours know we prayed for them, AND invite them to send us any needs they have they’d like us to be praying about. It could be this will bring about more opportunities for us to be ‘spurred on’ toward good deeds.

FELLOWSHIP

I find it ironic that the Sunday I planned some weeks ago to preach on Hebrews 10:25 would also turn out to be the week the province announced yet another lockdown / State of Emergency / stay-at-home order. What’s Hebrews 10:25 say? “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another— and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The fences around GraceLife Church would seem to be a signal the local authorities DO want them to give up meeting together – that is, unless they agree to wear masks, physical distance, and so on to protect their health.

I am thankful we have the option to “meet together” online – even if the sense of ‘togetherness’ is just seeing familiar faces in the band on the screen, and friendly greetings in the live chat! But I am also thankful the authorities allow us to gather in-person up to 15% of capacity. It’s not so easy to do New Testament “one-anothering” when you can’t physically be together. Hopefully this enforced apartness will foster within us a yearning to more fully appreciate and treasure each other’s presence once that is allowed again, or in our chance meetings on the street or in the store in the meantime.

My family in WhatsApp this week was reflecting a bit on the restricted attendance situation. Daughter Emily wrote, “There is something so powerful and necessary for the human soul in gathering together, physically. And our faith rises when we sing together physically. Our church is still meeting, 15% capacity, with masks and sanitizer. But for many people, the physical act of going to church is a life saver.”

In response, my son Keith observed, “Yeah, the absence we experience is only more powerful in reminding us that we need to be present to one another. It is a kind of ‘fasting’ that heightens our awareness and hopefully draws us into the ways we are connected to God’s Spirit who binds us in love for one another and for our neighbour. In communion we remember Christ but we also “remember” one another as Christ’s body (re-member, put back together even when absent).”

As the Scripture says, “Let us not give up meeting together...but let us ENCOURAGE one another...” Who is someone you can encourage by taking a moment to call on the phone, or maybe do a porch drop-off or physically distanced visit? We are to be (literally) ‘paracleting’ one another, as the Holy Spirit is our divine Paraclete / Helper / Comforter / Admonisher / Strengthener. Is there someone you know who is in particular need of an encouraging word at this season?

In 1994, Thurman Thomas, head bowed with his hands covering his face, sat on the Buffalo bench following his team's fourth straight Super Bowl loss. His three fumbles had helped seal the Bills' fate. Suddenly, standing before him was the Dallas Cowboys' star running back, Emmitt Smith, who had just been named Most Valuable Player for Super Bowl XXVIII. Smith was carrying his young goddaughter. He looked down at her and said, "I want you to meet the greatest running back in the NFL – Thurman Thomas." That must have been so encouraging to a desolate soul!

There are opportunities to encourage right inside the home, too. When he was a young boy, the great painter Benjamin West decided to paint a picture of his sister while his mother was not at home. He got out the bottles of ink and started, but soon had an awful mess. His mother eventually returned and of couse saw the mess. Instead of scolding him, though, she picked up the portrait and declared, “What a beautiful picture of your sister!” Then she kissed him. Later in life Benjamin West said, “With that kiss I became a painter.” Let’s pray.

Sovereign God, You know the messes we have made in our life. Our sins are numerous and we don’t deserve to come before You at all. But thank You for sending Jesus to be our Great Priest and open the way for us to enter Your presence! We bless You for keeping Your wonderful promises, and the hope we have in Christ. Help us keep on track for Your Kingdom, to not lose our focus. Show us ways to keep encouraging and loving one another even when we can’t meet together. Show us the good deeds You are waiting to accomplish through us, and be pleased to keep writing Your ways on our hearts and minds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The Occupation of Jesus – and Our Need for an Advocate” - Sunday Apr.18/21 Heb.7:23-28

GUILT’S GALLING GRIP

We are wired with a sense of morality, of right and wrong, of good and evil. So we are very aware of guilt. Guilt can be incapacitating, it’s hard to shake, like a burr caught on the back of your pantleg. We need someone to help remove this nagging guilt from us, but who? The Good News is that Jesus has become our great High Priest who died AND lives again forever precisely to save us for relationship with God, removing that clinging burr-den of guilt.

Young Tommy spotted the box of doughnuts on the kitchen counter. No one was around. Standing on tiptoe, he lifted the lid and spotted one that caught his fancy. It was chocolate sprinkled liberally with icing sugar on top. Ten minutes later Tommy was playing contentedly in the living room with his toy tractor and wagon when his mother emerged from the kitchen. She asked, “Tommy, were you into the doughnuts? There’s one missing.” Tommy looked up at his mother ever so innocently and said, “Oh, no, Mommy, I would never do that!” His mother replied, “Why is it I have such trouble believing you when you have icing sugar all around your mouth?! You’d better go wash.” His cover was blown!

I can relate to this story – recently Patti’s daughters were visiting and I took them for ice cream in Goderich. That store “Cravings” is aptly named! Patti remained home to do some work in the pasture, but remarked upon my return, “I see you had your ice cream.” Unfortunately my chocolatey Bear Tracks cone had left its indelible mark on my beard, despite repeated attempts to wipe myself clean!

“To err is human,” the saying goes. We have all messed up at some time or other. “Hurt people hurt people” – our imperfect parents and others in our life unwittingly perpetuate the same wounds that they had inflicted on THEM in their past. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Ecclesiastes 9:3b adds, “The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.”

In a society that is increasingly secular, this quest for righteousness and justice is perhaps an annoying legacy from its Judeo-Christian roots. If there is no God, if the material universe is all there is and we’re just random chemical composites dancing to our DNA, who’s to say what’s right and wrong? If some people choose to love their neighbour and other people would rather eat their neighbour, who’s to say one’s better than the other? Denying God and espousing pure naturalism eliminates meaning and morality and leads one down a very dark path.

German social psychologist Erich Fromm, a Jew who fled from the Nazis, wrote: “It is indeed amazing that in as fundamentally an irreligious culture as ours, the sense of guilt should be so widespread and deep-rooted as it is.” But guilt is hard to shake. It’s pervasive, even amongst those who have no idea what to do with it.

Gary Gilmore was convicted of a double murder and was shot to death by a firing squad in Utah, the first person to be executed in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. In a letter to his girlfriend, this convicted murderer wrote: “It seems that I know evil more intimately than I know goodness and that’s not a good thing either. I want to get even, to be made even, whole, my debts paid (whatever it may take!), to have no blemish, no reason to feel guilt or fear...I’d like to stand in the sight of God. To know that I’m just and right and clean. When you’re this way, you know it. And when you’re not, you know that, too. It’s all inside of us, each of us.”

I have a barometer that hangs on the wall and has a dial that goes up or down depending on the air pressure, foreshadowing changes in the weather. Similarly, each of us has a guilt-ometer inside us that gauges whether we’ve done something wrong. God has hard-wired us with conscience, a sense of morality. Paul describes it this way to the church at Rome: he says this about Gentiles, who do not have the Jewish law – Romans 2:15 “...they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.”

We’re all guilty, aware of mess-ups we’ve made, people we’ve hurt. We have secrets we keep hidden lest others find out and we’d be ashamed, exposed. Sir Arthur

Conan Doyle once played a practical jok on twelve of his friends. He sent them each a telegram that read, “Flee at once...All is discovered.” Within 24 hours, all twelve had left the country!

We noted last week that chapters 4-10 in the book of Hebrews delves into who Jesus is as our High Priest. Our passage today extols this Great Priest’s permanence, perfection, peculiarity, and petition.

THE PRIEST’S PERMANENCE

Dealing with guilt is a bit like cleaning your teeth. Do we always clean our teeth after every meal? (Don’t all raise your hands.) We know it’s good to do, but – well – sometimes we let it slide. But let’s assume we brush 2 or maybe even 3 times a day.

Are you ever done brushing, forever? No, of course not, as long as you have another meal or snack, you’ll need to brush again. And do you ever brush completely? My toothbrush has a timer on it that pulses every half minute to let me know when two minutes are up. Seldom do I go the full 2 minutes! Even if I did, would my teeth be completely clean? I’m sure if I flossed, I would find more bits. And even if I flossed, I’m sure if my dental hygenist went at it with her tools, she’d find things I’d missed even flossing.

The Old Testament priesthood was a bit like brushing your teeth. It had to be done over and over again and even then was never complete. Let’s talk first about the element of TIME, having to be repeated, not enduring. Hebrews 7:23-24 “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.”

It says, ‘many of those priests’ – someone estimated there were 84 priests from the time of Aaron (Moses’ brother) down to the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. None was permanent – they all died, and had to be replaced, there was a repeated succession. A sequence, one after the other, none persisted longer than a lifespan. They were mortal, passing, ephemeral.

By contrast, Jesus’ priesthood is PERMANENT, because “Jesus lives forever”. The word translated ‘permanent’ can mean unchanging, inviolable, valid. His priestly service will never stop. So, in terms of the TIME element, Jesus has it covered – He lives at the Father’s side and will never die again!

THE PRIEST’S PERFECTION

Back to our teeth-cleaning analogy: we have to do it over and over again, it’s never done; and we always do it imperfectly, you will never get out all those tiniest bits completely.

Compare the priests in the Old Testament, who were imperfect, men who sinned as we all do. Hebrews 7:28a “For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak...” The verse before, v27, points out “...the other high priests...need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for [their] own sins, and then for the sins of the people.”

Jesus however was able to offer the PERFECT sacrifice no one else could offer: His holy sinless self. The earliest writers testify Jesus lived a perfect life, sinless in every respect because He perfectly obeyed His heavenly Father. Heb 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— YET WAS WITHOUT SIN.” Also Paul writing about Jesus in 2Cor 5:21, “God made HIM WHO HAD NO SIN to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” His death on the cross was fundamentally not for Him – He’d done nothing wrong, He was framed – but for us.

V28b says the Father’s oath “appointed the Son, who HAS BEEN MADE PERFECT forever.” Complete, nothing to add to Him that’s missing. And V26 extols more the excellent qualities of this High Priest: “Such a high priest meets our need— one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”

He ‘meets our need’, He fits the bill, He can get the job done. We already talked about what a great need we have, in terms of guilt! Note the descriptors the author uses. “One who is holy” – that’s in reference to God. Next, “blameless” - without guilt or fraud - that’s in relation to other people, on the human level. The verse adds Jesus is “pure” - undefiled, unsoiled, in relation to His own moral cleanness. The verse goes on to say Jesus is “set apart from sinners”, NRSV separate, He’s in a class by Himself compared to the rest of us, though He identifies with us and is really our ideal type, a model, archetypal. But He’s so pure and holy He’s in a class of His own, and now “exalted above the heavens” at the Father’s side, til His return in glory on the clouds accompanied by Heaven’s forces.

Jesus has been made perfect, He meets our need like no other can. One time the French philosopher named Auguste Comte was deeply engaged in conversation with the Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle. Comte said he was going to start a new religion that would supplant the religion of Christ. It was to have no mysteries and was to be as plain as the multiplication table; its name was to be positivism. Thomas Carlyle replied, “Very good, Mr.Comte, very good. All you will need to do will be to speak as never a man spake, and live as never a man lived, and be crucified, and rise again the third day, and get the world to believe that you are still alive. Then your religion will have a chance to get on.”

THE PRIEST’S PECULIARITY

Have you heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”? In other words, “Somebody’s gotta pay.” If our sin and guilt are to be forgiven, who ends up paying the cost? It’s not just for a criminal to get off scot-free; the justice system awards penalties for crime. But as sinners, we’re already ‘broke’, we have no capacity to make payment because we’re already condemned. Our flagrant sins have offended God’s infinity and holiness, so nothing would ever amount to enough to offset the offence against our Almighty Creator. How is release to be obtained when the guilty party has no ability to pay?

No other religion has the doctrine of the Trinity. It’s an odd concept, full of mystery, hog-tying all attempts to fully explain it. It’s a cobbled-up word not found in the Bible, yet our best attempt at describing the dynamics we see in Scripture, for instance when Jesus is baptized, the Father speaks from heaven, and the Spirit descends like a dove. Three-in-one, a tri-unity: the Father is not the Son is not the Spirit yet they are all God and they are one.

In a way, the situation of a fallen humanity needing to be reconciled to a holy God begs some wonderful unplausible consortium like the Trinity. How else can payment be afforded for an infinite sin by so many people unless God Himself provides it? Yet how can God make an offering to appease God’s own holiness and just wrath? We are bankrupt, penniless to pay. We need an Advocate, a go-between.

The Book of Job is one of the oldest in the Bible (as far as we can deduce), and wrestles with thorny issues such as how God can be just in the face of suffering. Yet even there, seemingly prophetically, righteous Job, having lost all his wealth and offspring, covered head to foot with painful boils, cries out for a Mediator, an Advocate. Job 16:18-19,21 “O earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest! Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high...on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend.”

There is a High Priest who meets our need for an Advocate (v26) – it’s this peculiar God-Man, Jesus. Only a perfectly innocent, pure, holy being could pay the price of our offence; only a human person could pay our penalty, corresponding to each of us in our humanity. Most peculiar, this Advocate is both priest AND victim, the one who offers the sacrifice AND the actual sacrifice Himself. Heb 7:27 “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.He SACRIFICED FOR THEIR SINS once for all WHEN HE OFFERED HIMSELF.”

How did Jesus offer Himself? It wasn’t a suicide; yet it was the very purpose for which He came, which He repeatedly predicted to His disciples. Judas betrayed Him, the High Priest Caiaphas condemned Him, Pilate ordered Him crucified – yet it was all divinely foreordained for our salvation, without absolving the participants of their responsibility. Jesus didn’t flee when they came to arrest Him; He could have chosen a different spot to be that night. He didn’t call on legions of angels to come rescue Him; He complied with the proceedings, because that was how the Scriptures would be fulfilled. He offered Himself as the sacrifice that would atone for our sins, in our place. As Isaiah prophesied centuries beforehand – Isaiah 53:5f “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” God laid on Him (Jesus) our own iniquity, our guilt; He was stricken for OUR transgression (Is 53:8). The Lord made His life “a guilt offering” (Is 53:10).

He is a most peculiar Priest – being both priest and victim. From God, perfectly holy and sinless, yet identifying with us sinners. Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin.”

THE PRIEST’S PETITION

We’ve talked about the Priest’s PERMANENCE, the Priest’s PERFECTION, the Priest’s PECULIARITY, and now finally the Priest’s PETITION. We celebrate and exalt Jesus for His work on the cross: after which He sat down at the Father’s right hand in heaven. But did you know His work goes on? What, did you think Jesus is out just playing golf each day or binging on PureFlix? V25 tells us about His ongoing occupation: Heb 7:25 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because HE ALWAYS LIVES TO INTERCEDE FOR THEM.”

He can ‘save completely’ the verse says. There’s been a lot of debate in the news about whether certain vaccines are completely safe: both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have had very rare blood clotting / platelet issues associated with them, and some countries have stopped their use or restricted them to certain age groups, but overall we’re assured it’s safer to get them rather than risk infection with the coronavirus.

But the Jesus-vaccine is COMPLETELY safe! He “is able to save completely those who come to God through Him” (v25). Don’t put it off! Life is fragile and can end anytime. We talked last week about how Jesus made it possible for us to draw near to God through the ‘curtain’ of His body. He’s opened the way for you, a sinner, to be forgiven and put right with your Maker for all eternity.

That’s salvation; there’s also SANCTIFICATION, the ongoing process of being made more holy, more like Jesus, each day for the rest of our lives, with the help of the Holy Spirit. And this verse assures us Jesus is interceding for us, that’s what He “always lives” to do; the verb means to make intercession, pray, entreat. The Father loves the Son and inclines His ear to the Son’s pleading on our behalf. We find the same idea in Romans 8:32,34 “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all— how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?...Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died— more than that, who was raised to life— is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” This perfect High Priest is petitioning the Father on your behalf!

“STAY AT HOME” - BUT DON’T ISOLATE FOREVER

We have a permanent, perfect, peculiar, petitioning Priest, whose purpose was to break down the barrier of sin that separated us from our Holy Creator. A great High Priest who “is able to save completely those who come to God through Him...” (V25) Sin and guilt isolate us, separate us from God, cutting us off in ‘outer darkness’ as Jesus calls it. Draw near to God through faith today. Don’t be like those who ignore this only way to reconciliation with the Most High.

Jesus is worthy of our worship, being “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens” (v26). He loves you and desires a relationship with you, through the Holy Spirit, given to those who repent. But some choose to worship other things – turning from God to be absorbed in their own goals.

The book Who Walk Alone (author Margaret Evening [pseud.]) relates a dream... “Many years ago I had a dream. It was one of the few coherent dreams that I have ever had, but it was so vivid that even now I can remember the details of it clearly. In the dream, I visited Hell, where the sub-Warden showed me around. To my surprise, I was led along a labyrinth of dark, dank passages from which there were numerous doors leading into cells. It was not like Hell as I had picture it at all. In fact, it was all rather religious and ‘churchy’! Each cell was identical. The central piece of furniture was an altar, and before each altar knelt (or, in some cases, were prostrated) greeny-grey spectral figures in attitudes of prayer and adoration. ‘But whom are they worshipping?’ I asked my guide. ‘Themselves,’ came the reply immediately. ‘This is ‘pure’ self-worship. They are feeding on themselves and their own spiritual vitality in a kind of auto-spiritual-cannibalism. That is why they are so sickly looking and emaciated.’

“I was appalled and saddened by the row upon row of cells with their non-communicating inmates, spending eternity in solitary confinement, themselves the first, last, and only object of worship. The dream continued...but the point...has been made. According to the teaching of the New Testament, Heaven is community. My dream reminded me that Hell is isolation.”

Your High Priest beckons you, is interceding for you to draw near to God through Him. To love Him and love one another, in forever community not isolation. Let’s pray.

“Rejection, Repentance, Refreshing, and Restoration ” - Sunday May 2/21 Acts 3:12-26

WAIT A LITTLE LONGER

Life is filled with longings, often for things we can’t obtain right away. The promises in the Bible encourage us to wait on the Lord and look forward to His coming. Waiting for other people can sometimes be taxing, too.

Madeline Rockwell recalled (Reader’s Digest), “My grandmother was a ball of fire, while Grandpa was slow and deliberate. One night they were awakened by a commotion in the chicken house. Grandma sprang out of bed, ran to the chicken house and found the cause of the racket, a large black snake. Having nothing to dispatch it with, she clamped her bare foot down on its head. There she stood, until Grandpa finally arrived, a good fifteen minutes later. He was fully dressed, and even his pocket watch in place. ‘Well,’ he said cheerfully to my disheveled and enraged grandma, ‘If I’d known you had him, I wouldn’t have hurried so.’”

Do you sometimes feel like that grandma, waiting for what seems like forever? Today’s Scripture passage introduces us to a man who waited a long time for help to arrive, over forty years. And it also introduces us to a race of people who were longing for their long-promised Deliverer to come and save them. The Good News the apostles announce is that help has finally arrived, times of refreshing and restoration await – for those who turn to the Lord and trust in His promises.

LONGING FOR LIBERTY

We’re all ready for COVID and lockdowns to be over, aren’t we? It’s been well over a year now since life turned upside down, and we had to resort to layers of plexiglass and PPE to separate us and keep us safe. Recently a friend posted on social media a funny meme of a woman sadly pouring a bottle of liquor into a blender; the caption read, “Oh look - the virus is still here and it’s snowing again.” Sometimes things seem to drag on and on, without an end in sight. It’s easy to become discouraged, even to start to despair because our hopes are not being realized.

The prophet Isaiah lived about 700 years before the New Testament era; the prophet Daniel, about 600 years. But both prophesied God’s anointed leader (‘Messiah’ means one who is anointed) would come to deliver God’s people. Isaiah wrote the “Servant Songs” describing the just reign the Messiah would bring, and foretold a time when God would come with vengeance and divine retribution to save His people. This would be accompanied by wonderful signs in both people’s lives and the environment around them: Is 35:5f “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” Daniel spoke of a coming Messiah as well: Dan 9:26 “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” The Jewish people at the time of Jesus were very proud of the fine temple King Herod had built: even though there were heavy taxes and they were occupied by the Romans, they at least could practise their religion on their own terms. But Zealots were independence fighters who often had support of the general population. People longed for the freedom they had once enjoyed under Kings David and Solomon, their golden era.

One man had longings of a far more personal nature. He was over 40 years old (Ac 4:22) and had been crippled form birth. Friends or neighbours carried him each day and plonked him down beside the temple gate called Beautiful, where he could eke out a living by begging from those going into the temple to worship. Can you imagine being crippled, paralyzed, unable to move around freely your whole life, four decades up to that point? He would have such longing for liberty. And to be set beside that gate, likely prohibited from entering beyond the Court of the Gentiles – excluded from sacred space by his disability. So near and yet so far! One scholar writes: “There is not a conclusive answer to the historical question about the status of the lame in this era, but there is strong evidence that this man was at the gate of the temple not merely because it was a strategic location for begging, but because his physical condition would have been seen as excluding him as unclean, having the potential to profane or pollute the sacred space.”

What are YOU most longing for? Is it physical healing? Is it political change? Is it an end to lockdown, so we can move about freely again? Where God’s promises intersect with our longings, exciting change and unexpected fulfilment are about to happen.

LEAPING IN FAITH

When Peter and John went up to the temple to pray that day about three in the afternoon, they came across this man crippled from birth beside the gate. Peter didn’t have any money for him, but gave what he had: Peter told him to walk in Jesus’ name. Acts 3:7f “Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.He jumped to his feet and began to walk.Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.”

Remember the Messianic “Servant” foretold by Isaiah about 7 centuries earlier would cause the lame to leap like a deer! Peter saw such miracles as signs of the power of the Risen Lord Jesus, who in His own lifetime had reassured John the Baptist He was indeed the Messiah. Jesus had told John’s followers to report back to the Baptizer how many signs were being fulfilled: Matthew 11:4f “Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’”

It wasn’t that Peter somehow coerced the man into being healed; Peter plainly indicates personal faith in the Risen Christ was involved. Acts 3:16 “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” Sort of recalls the times Jesus used to say to individuals in His own healing miracles, “Your faith has saved you.” (E.g. Lk 7:50)

Our unfulfilled longings become opportunities to exercise faith. When we don’t already possess something, we have to trust God about it: not become impatient or bitter or resentful that others have what we don’t. Entrust it to God’s hands: He may have that or something better that you haven’t even dreamed of. As Hebrews 11:1 reminds us, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

LIVING THE PROMISES

Lately various political leaders have been setting more ambitious goals regarding the environment, specifically reducing greenhouse emissions. Slowly as a culture we seem to be coming to grips with the fact that, if we want planet Earth to be a good place for coming generations to inhabit, we’d better start taking care of it. That may mean altering our lifestyle and consumer habits to be more conserving, less demanding on limited resources.

For Peter, the healing of the crippled beggar is not just a fluke or one-off, but represents something much bigger, God’s plan for the restoration of creation. So he appeals to various writers of Scripture to show the recent happenings involving Jesus are a vital part of God’s restorative plan.

Mark particularly the use of the word SERVANT in verses 13 and 26: 13a “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his SERVANT Jesus.” V26 “When God raised up his SERVANT...” To our Gentile Christian ears soaked in Trinitarian language, that sounds a bit strange: why would Peter call Jesus God’s ‘servant’ instead of His ‘Son’ (which He is)? Probably to make the connection with the “Servant Songs” in the latter section of Isaiah (chs.40-66). As Matthew made the connection explicitly in Mt 12:15-18 (quoting Is 42), “Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, warning them not to tell who he was.This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.”

You know when you go shopping at a mall (not that we’re doing much of that these days!) and you look at the directory map near an entrance and it has that little red dot, “You are here”? Peter is placing this particular healing miracle in the context of a whole raft of God’s promises for His people, in the overview of the divine plan. Look how many other Old Testament figures he cites. V13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers...” V18 “But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets...” V21 “...as he promised long ago through his holy prophets; for Moses said...” V24 “Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days.” (Even though Samuel may not have spoken directly about Jesus, Samuel anointed David, through whom reign and leadership would continue perpetually as Nathan prophesied, and that points to Jesus.) V25 “And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’”

So Peter is saying to his countrymen, his fellow Israelites, they are seeing the fulfilment of centuries of prophecy before their very eyes! God’s power has broken in upon their circumstances. This healed man who had been begging alms from them for decades is living, walking proof that the promises are being realized: God is showing Himself faithful, true to His word. They’ve seen the Anointed One be ‘cut off’ as Daniel foretold; they’ve witnessed before their very eyes Christ suffering for others’ sins and iniquity, as Isaiah talked about; and that God has not left His Anointed One in the grave, as David sang in the Psalms. They have stepped into the climax of God’s time / God’s space.

What’s next on the agenda? For those who have been ailing so long physically or spiritually, wracked in disease or the bonds of sin, times of refreshing and restoration await. Verses 19-21 point ahead to what’s imminent on God’s calendar: Ac 3:19b-21 “...that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you— even Jesus.He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

Jesus IS coming back. Our world is SO messed up, relationships are so broken, corporate power can be exploitive, and often people get shoved to the edges of society. Sin takes its toll, whether it’s sin that selfishly transgresses to feed its own appetites or sin that hardens the soul to the cried of others. We NEED a Saviour, one who will refresh and restore the order and wholeness our Creator made possible in the first place!

LEAVE IGNORANCE BEHIND

So, what can be done about it? Peter doesn’t pull any punches in setting forth the part his fellow citizens have played in this crisis of Biblical - covenantal - proportions. V17 “"Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.” What ignorance? Their active destruction of God’s Messiah. Look at the “you’s” in verses 13b-15: Ac 3:13b-15 “YOU handed him over to be killed, and YOU disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.YOU disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.YOU killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.We are witnesses of this.”

YOU killed the author - the pioneer - the chief leader or prince - of life! How much more destructive an act could there be?! Do we do the same today by our attitudes and actions towards our neighbour in need? Toward those who warrant our own help? “Sorry, no time today – <click>”

Do we subtly participate in character assassination by our posts, by our gossip? Do we cast suspicion on others’ actions and intents without knowing the whole story? How ignorantly do WE act?

What’s the remedy, as Peter sees it? Repent; turn to God! Vv19-20 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you— even Jesus.” To ‘repent’ is to have a ‘change of mind’ (metanoia); to turn away from sin and do an about-face, turning to God. It’s for our good, really! V26 “When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” The BLESSING comes after the TURNING.

How is the Lord speaking to you during these strange times, leading you to do a ‘reset’, to stop doing some things and get focused more on HIS priorities? Seeing people we know struggle with sickness and hearing of folks on ventilators gives us pause to ask if we’re really investing our life, our energy, in what’s most important, what matters before God our ultimate Judge and in light of eternity. Repent and re-prioritize. Let Jesus take over your datebook, your calendar; make a point of checking in with Him in prayer each day so He can show you what ought to be the first claims on your time.

LISTEN WELL!

The Lord is speaking, through His revelation – in person, through Jesus; through His word shown to prophets and apostles who boldly spoke it and sealed it with their martyrdom. He continues to speak to us today through the Holy Spirit, who takes Scripture and highlights it for our own lives, to direct us how to get back on track with His program. Are you listening?

Peter quotes Moses in vv22-23, “For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’” When parents say to their offspring, “You’re not listening to me,” what they really mean is usually, “You didn’t obey me.” To listen is to obey. If we love, we will listen, and we will obey. As Jesus noted in John 14:21a, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.”

This week our horse Jade who’s 4 years old acquired a new skill; a clever skill; but it’s not one we wanted her to learn. She’s found out how to lift up the latch of her stall and let herself out. (Fortunately there’s a second pin we can put in to prevent this.) One day we found she’d escaped and began to fear she’d run off, only to find out she’d gone out to her usual paddock and was happily grazing. A couple other times she’s let herself out and been munching on the grass near to the barn. What a relief for her owners to discover she hadn’t gone far, but stayed close to home!

Robert Morgan shares some experience with dogs that can apply to us humans. He writes, “My daughter Hannah and I had a Great Dane named Samson that we dearly loved, and Samson, as it turns out, was well named, for he was big and strong and muscular – and, like his namesake, he also had a penchant for wandering. We built fences, we tried chains and dog runs, we tried everything to keep Samson at home. But he’d dig under the fence of climb over it, and it drove us to distraction. So we bought the best-selling book on the market on the subject of training dogs. No Bad Dogs was written by the famous British dog trainer Barbara Woodhouse, who raises Great Danes herself. One night when I went upstairs to tuck in Hannah, she had a sad expression on her face, and she said, “Dad, I know now what Samson’s real problem is. Let me read you this paragraph.” (Woodhouse wrote)

“In a dog’s mind, a master or a mistress to love, honor, and obey is an absolute necessity. The love is dormant in the dog until brought into full bloom by an understanding owner. Thousands of dogs appear to love their owners, they welcome them home with enthusiastic wagging of tail and jumping up, they follow them about their houses happily and, to the normal person seeing the dog, the affection is true and deep. But to the experienced dog trainer this outward show is not enough. The true test of real love takes place when the dog has got the opportunity to go out on its own as soon as the door is left open by mistake and it goes off and often doesn’t return home for hours. That dog loves only its home comforts and the attention it gets from its family; it doesn’t truly love the master or mistress as they fondly thingk. True love in dogs is apparent when a door is left open and the dog still stays happily within earshot of its owner. For the owner must be the be-all and end-all of a dog’s life.”

(Morgan adds) “The real test of our Christianity isn’t seen in our work or activity, or even in our theological purity. It’s found in this: when we have an opportunity to wanter away, to disobey, to leave his presence, do we choose instead to stay close to him, to abide in Christ, to obey?”

Are you longing for liberty? When the Lord leaves a door open, would you wander off or stay close to home? He wants to refresh and restore your world, if you will only trust Him and turn to Him – let Him become your be-all and end-all! Let’s pray.

Father, we confess we have often trespassed and gone astray, rejecting even Jesus the author of life through what happened at the cross. We praise You for Your victory over the grave, raising Him to await the time when He will come again. Thank You for His healing, His forgiveness, His gracious activity and blessing in our lives. Turn our hearts to You, increase our trust in You, so we may be made strong for Your great purposes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“The Church Expectant” - MOTHER’S DAY Sunday May 9/21 Acts 1:1-11

A HARDSHIP SURPASSED

Before we delve into our passage today, I’d like to take a few moments to acknowledge those for whom Mother’s Day can be especially difficult. This is something we don’t always talk about; it’s easy to gloss over those who don’t fit a standard ‘mothering’ model and miss including them on this annual honouring directed toward mothers. What promises and potential does God’s Word hold for those who don’t fit the standard pattern?

There are some women who never had children, whether because they stayed single or because they couldn’t due to fertility complications. God knows your situation - your longings, your contentment or wistfulness. Christian discipleship involves much more than the fulfilment that comes from raising a family. Listen for the scope of activity for a Christian woman as Paul writes to Timothy in 1Tim 5:9f: “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.” Yes, it mentions bringing up children, but lots besides: ‘good deeds’ includes hospitality and helping those in trouble – there’s broad scope. Discipleship can bear rich fruit in good deeds and influencing others for the Kingdom.

There are women who became pregnant but suffered the grief of miscarriage – this is more common than we realize because it’s not usually something you broadcast. In Acts 1:3 we read, “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.” After His SUFFERING – Jesus knows your grief, your pain, what you’ve suffered through losing your little one to miscarriage. Your unborn child was known to God: Psalm 139:13,15f - “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb...My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” God understands and cares for those moms whose children did not have much time ordained for them. He knew your child in your womb, whether that child made it to birth or not.

There are some who may have had an abortion. That can be associated with a remorse and post-abortive trauma of its own. The Lord understands your circumstances, why you did what you did, why you perhaps felt stuck or unsupported or fearful. The cross of Jesus is big enough to handle any sin. Last week we heard Peter invite us in Acts 3:19: “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord...” Be refreshed.

Last, there are those for whom Mother’s Day is difficult for a different reason: your own dear mother has died and is no longer around to hug and wish a Happy Mother’s Day to. One of the first miracles recorded in Mark’s gospel is Jesus going to Simon’s mother-in-law who’s sick in bed with a fever, and healing her. God cares about our mothers. For those who’ve died, there’s Revelation 14:13: “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."” Our mothers who are resting from their labour are not forgotten to God, but those who die in the Lord He describes as “Blessed”.

PREGNANT WITH PROMISE

Today we’re turning back a page or two from last Sunday’s proclamation by Peter after the healing at the Temple of a man crippled from birth, over 40 years of age. A couple of Sundays from today is Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter, when the Bible records the Holy Spirit came upon the church – essentially the church’s official ‘birth-day’! Just before that event, we find Jesus’ followers gathering to re-group after the Ascension, to wait and pray. Jesus’ mother and siblings are present. Acts 1:14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” It seems to have been THE CHURCH EXPECTANT, pregnant with possibility – what were they waiting for? What had they been promised that prompted them to pause and pray?

We find out in the first 11 verses of Acts 1. Before Jesus ascends to heaven after rising from the dead, He gives His apostles instruction on three areas: the Kingdom’s PRIORITY, the Kingdom’s POWER, and the Kingdom’s PROMISE. We’ll look at each of these in turn. First...

THE KINGDOM’S PRIORITY

Jesus had priorities for His followers. Our parents likely had priorities for us – you know, things like getting to bed on time, brushing our teeth, doing our chores, not being late for the bus, etc. What would you say were YOUR parents’ priorities? Have those become your own priorities over time?

Speaking of priorities – one day a small boy made it a priority to buy his mother some clothing for her Mother’s Day gift. He found himself in the lingerie section of a big department store and shyly presented his problem to the salesclerk. He said, “I want to buy my mom a present of a skirt, but I don’t know what size she wears.” The clerk commented, “It would help to know if your mom is short or tall, plump or skinny.” The little boy beamed, “She’s just perfect!” So the clerk wrapped up a size 34 for him.

Two days later Mom came to the store herself and changed it to a size 52. The little boy had the wrong size, but the right opinion! “She’s just perfect!”

Do you remember Jesus’ priority as declared at the outset of His ministry? What did He start out preaching? Mark 1:14f “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"” Throughout Jesus’ ministry, what were a lot of His parables and stories designed to point to? “The Kingdom of God is like” (He would say) – a man scattering seed (Mk 4:26); a mustard seed that grew big as a tree (Lk 13:19); a woman mixing yeast into flour (Lk 13:20) – and so on. It seemed to be His recurring theme. Even at the last, in His defence before Pilate, He would maintain, “My kingdom is not of this world.If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.But now my kingdom is from another place.”

So when we pick it up in today’s passage, what do you suppose Jesus’ priority is going to be? Acts 1:3 “After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and SPOKE ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” There it is again! He’s back from the dead, and what’s His theme? Sharing about how disappointed He was the disciples deserted Him, Peter denied Him, Judas betrayed Him? Explaining exactly what happened during those hours He was on trial before the High Priest, King Herod, and then the governor Pontius Pilate? Outlining what He experienced in the grave or what it felt like to be given a resurrection body? NO! None of these things. Jesus’ theme is same as before, namely God’s Kingdom. His tune hasn’t changed. Is that our tune? How is ‘get ready for the Kingdom’ different from a common attractional refrain of ‘come to church’?

Note, the disciples pick up on the word but give it a wrong emphasis. They bring their cultural baggage to the word ‘kingdom’. The Jewish nation, oppressed by their Roman overlords, chafed under Caesar’s taxes and the intrusion of Roman customs and emblems. So the disciples assume this is part of Jesus’ agenda. Acts 1:6 “So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"” That would be along the lines of a military coup, replacing one ruling power for another, within a defined geographical limit.

But Jesus rejected their preconceived ideas of what ‘God’s Kingdom’ would look like. It’s not just something that benefits the Jewish nation or gives them pre-eminence. In fact it’s not about territory or taxes or who’s top-of-the-heap at all.

THE KINGDOM’S POWER

At one point during His earthly ministry Jesus was asked by religious experts a question very similar to what the disciples asked before He ascended. His response was very intriguing. Luke 17:20-21 “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” Not so much external, to be seen – though Jesus goes on to tell His disciples about the coming of the Son of Man, the day He is to be revealed. The Kingdom becomes present or realized in the person of the King.

Also back in Luke 11:20 He expressed it this way, again to His critics: “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” So the Kingdom seems to be more about the person and power of God impacting a situation.

Back to Acts 1. As Jesus is preparing to ascend to Heaven, He wants to prepare His followers for the next step. It’s not about returning governmental power and authority back to the Jewish people. Acts 1:4f “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Hear that? Wait – don’t make another move until you receive this baptism, this dunking, this overflowing fountain called the Holy Spirit. It’s about having an internal surplus through a divine relationship. As Jesus had expressed it back in John 7:37 at the climax of a Jewish festival, “On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."”

It’s a gift from the Heavenly Father. Not an external concrete thing like water as John baptized with, but spiritual. Even John the Baptist had prophesied about Jesus from way back even before Jesus’ ministry began, Matthew 3:11 “"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Jesus is saying that phenomenon is about to happen.

Further, in Acts 1:8, He continues: Ac 1:8 “But you WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON YOU; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Power, energy, ability – the word in the Greek is like the root for our “dynamite”! Yield your faulty notions of “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” – this is more like Aslan the untamed lion of Narnia. Do you really want His power in your life? Or would you settle for a nice cushy once-a-week church experience with quiet hymns that lull your soul?

It’s power for a purpose. One evening this past week I mulched some branches for Patti to use in her flower garden. Our John Deere 1025R tractor has power, it converts diesel fuel into energy. But it’s no use until you hitch the chipper onto the 3-point hitch and attach the PTO (power take-off) shaft. Then I can mulch branches up to about 4 inches in diameter – it’s impressive, just put a long branch in the hopper, stand back, and watch it transformed in seconds into a pile of harmless mulch. But the tractor would just sit there and spin its shaft unless some implement were connected.

As Jesus describes it, what’s the PURPOSE this Holy Spirit POWER is to be put to? How’s the second half of verse 8 read? Ac 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; AND YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Being His witnesses! As we’ve experienced His grace and mercy and forgiveness and love, tell others!

Compare this with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” If the Holy Spirit is the tractor, the power supply, what’s the ‘mulcher’ hooked up by the PTO shaft? MAKING DISCIPLES. Being witnesses. Influencing other lives for the Kingdom.

So there IS a territorial sense – but not like the British Empire being marked ‘pink’ on so many countries of the world wall maps when we were growing up. This Kingdom advances one person at a time, two feet at a time – talking not distance but what’s in the next pair of shoes. “You will receive power...You will be My witnesses – in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Slowly expanding circles, as Luke the author of Acts portrays the message extending in the rest of his book through Peter and Philip, then Paul, gradually further and further around the Mediterranean and down into Ethiopia, away from the origin.

I don’t know if Canada would be included in “the ends of the earth” – but who’s standing next to you? As you ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’, what unmet needs do you see, what part might the gospel play? How does this person you’ve bumped into and begun a relationship with, need Jesus in their life? What are they missing in terms of the overflow and meaning and purpose He can give?

THE KINGDOM’S PROMISE

We’ve talked about the Kingdom’s PRIORITY, the Kingdom’s POWER, and now, finally, the Kingdom’s PROMISE. As Jesus is discussing this with His followers, it’s about ten days before Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit would appear to descend visibly like tongues of fire and give them new utterance. Jesus urges them not to make a move until they’ve received it: Acts 1:4 “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” The Spirit is what God has PROMISED for those who believe in His Son - a new birth, a new connection with the Godhead, a Counselor / Helper / Comforter to be with us and in us all our life long, dispensing God’s fruit and gifts in our lives, transforming us to be more like Jesus. 1John 3:2 “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” That’s exciting! We can have the Holy Spirit NOW, but He’ll keep sanctifying us to be like Jesus THEN.

Besides that, we also have God’s promise that Jesus will return, in person. What did the two angelic figures dressed in white say when they interrupted Jesus’ followers gazing into the sky after the Shekinah Glory cloud received and hid Him? Acts 1:11 “"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."” As much as to say, “Get on with it! He’s coming back.”

The Bible contains various promises about Christ’s Second Coming, His ‘parousia’ or appearing. It seems to be repeated so we can have extra assurance from various prophets and apostles. Over 5 centuries before Jesus was born - Daniel 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 24:30 (Jesus said) “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.” Then the Apostle Paul reassured the early church, writing to those in Thessalonica: 1Thess 4:14,16f “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him...For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” Paul notes that we have this “according to the Lord’s own word” (v15). However bad things may get here, whatever pandemics and pollution and political turmoils arise, we have God’s promise of the return of the Son of Man that gives us hope.

SHE FELL INTO HER ARMS

The Holy Spirit, like that PTO shaft, connects us to Almighty God, who’s been longing for fellowship with us like that father in Jesus’ parable waiting for the prodigal son to return. To receive the Holy Spirit is kind of a ‘coming home’ experience; Jesus describes that closeness in John 14:23, “Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Tammy Harris lived in Roanoke Virginia; when Tammy turned 21, she started searching for her biological mother. After a year, she had not succeeded. What she didn't know was that her mother, Joyce Schultz, had been trying to locate her for twenty years. There was one more thing Tammy didn't know: her mother was one of her coworkers at the convenience store where she worked! One day Joyce (the mother) overheard Tammy (the daughter) talking with another coworker about trying to find her mother. Soon they were comparing birth certificates. When Tammy realized that the coworker she had known was, in fact, her mother, she fell into her arms. "We held on for the longest time," Tammy said. "It was the best day of my life."

The Holy Spirit is what the Father has promised for those who love His Son; this Heavenly Helper gives us a sense of true connection with God, that we can ‘fall into the arms’ of Jesus. That’s how the Kingdom begins to be a reality in our lives. Let’s pray.

Thank You Jesus for Your instructions, giving us direction, adjusting our priorities to wait and depend on Your presence. Replenish us in Your Holy Spirit. Get us in tune with the Father’s will, keeping in step with His authority. Show us how to be Your witnesses every day, in the midst of a hurting and hungry world. Until the day You come to take us home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Breath for Brittle Bones” - Pentecost Sunday (communion) May 23/21 Ezek.37:1-14

PANDEMIC BLUES: LOCKED IN LANGUISHING

Pentecost Sunday commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the first disciples about 7 weeks after Jesus died and rose again. It marked a new chapter in the early church, an experience of God’s Spirit being present with and in believers to teach and guide and comfort them. Our Bible passage in Ezekiel recalls a time when God’s Spirit was promised to enliven His people and bring hope for their future.

As the pandemic wears on, it’s been getting more difficult to keep our hopes up. An item on CTV News this past week featured Toronto psychotherapist Sarah Ahmed talking about the phenomenon of ‘languishing’ and what to do about it. “Languishing” is the term that’s been used to describe pandemic doldrums – you’re not exactly feeling depressed, but there’s sort of an emptiness, a listlessness, there’s uncertainty and you feel emotionally stuck. News reports about high COVID case counts and escalating fighting in the Middle East don’t help, either. Sarah Ahmed says, “Languishing is essentially described as a feeling of emptiness, numb, feeling stuck, feeling as though we have no motivation, no ability to focus, tasks take longer...” Being a psychotherapist with an active practice, she warns that people’s mental health may end up being affected in the long run if our feelings are left unattended. It helps to identify and acknowledge our feelings, as a start.

Languishing is prompting some folks to have their so-called “mid-life crisis” earlier than they might have otherwise. Ahmed explains, “It’s forced people to stop and take a look at what’s going on, ...that kept me so busy, that kept me so occupied, and why do I feel like this?” It begs the question of purpose and long-term goals – “Is this really what I want to be doing with my life?”

In the news article, she offered some practical advice for the short term – identify your feelings using a ‘feelings wheel’ to help name your emotions. Take one day at a time. Book some time, such as an hour or two, to attempt something that’s a challenge for you and is stimulating and rewarding. Her suggestions are designed to help people ‘keep their head above water’.

It’s a secular article so doesn’t go beyond the immediate: there’s not a mention of reflecting on your life in the light of eternity. To be convinced our daily existence actually matters and has significance requires validation from outside ourselves; the Bible points to God our Creator and Redeemer as the One who ultimately judges our life’s worth. If you’re languishing, if you’re experiencing ‘pandemic fatigue’, there’s no better time than the present to reflect on your life goals and priorities, to weigh your activities in the light of Scriptural truth and the Lord’s calling for you.

In our passage today from Ezekiel 37, the prophet is given a vivid object lesson from the Lord that visualizes people’s need to receive God’s enlivening Spirit when all seems lost or futile, and hope has vanished.

WHEN ALL SEEMS HOPELESS

A bit of background before we dive into our text. About 721 BC the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians. By around 600 BC, the Babylonians had been gaining in power and conquered Assyria’s capital Nineveh with the help of the Medes in 612 BC. The king of Judea rebelled against the Babylonian leader Nebuchadnezzar, and in 597 BC the king’s son and about 10,000 Jews including Ezekiel were exiled to Babylon. Following further rebellion, Judea’s capital Jerusalem was laid under seige, taken captive, and destroyed.

A long enchantment with idolatry and Baal-worship, including such terrible things as infant sacrifice, had taken its toll on first the northern kingdom of Israel and then the southern kingdom of Judah, despite brief reforms under King Josiah which seem to have gone only skin-deep. They had been warned clearly by the prophet Moses even before entering the Promised Land: Deut 28:45,47f “All these curses will come upon you.They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you...Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you.He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.”

Ezekiel was both a prophet and a priest; his ministry span for 22 years starting in 593 BC, so there were 7 years before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC and 15 years after its fall. The first 24 chapters contain warnings of divine judgment. In chapter 33 an escapee relays the news that Jerusalem has fallen; chapters 33-48 shift more to oracles of consolation for Israel, comfort and promises of restoration, including some visions that would await the final coming of the Messiah. So today’s chapter (37) fits in the section dealing with consolation. Judgment has happened, Jerusalem has been destroyed, exiles have been removed in successive waves from their homeland and brought to this foreign country.

How devastating and crushing all this must have felt for the Jews! The ten northern tribes of Israel – long gone, over a hundred years earlier. Now Judah in the south, the faithful holdout where David reigned, has been conquered too. The beautiful temple of Solomon has been destroyed. The place where the city of Jerusalem once stood is now a desolate wasteland, a heap of rubble. Ezekiel, being both prophet and priest, must have felt deeply the loss of the temple where sacrifices were offered and people gathered to worship the One True God. Now here he was stuck in Babylon, some 2700 km away.

It probably felt like God had abandoned them, deserted them. They associated Jerusalem with God’s throne, the temple as the focal point of His attention when people prayed. But through visions to Ezekiel God would demonstrate He was not restricted territorially to Palestine: He could address them just as easily over in Babylon as in their homeland. His sovereignty included going mobile!

So we might say Ezekiel and the Jewish people were LANGUISHING. All hope had been lost. They were a defeated and exiled people, strewn abroad to the four winds. They were done for – or so it seemed.

Here’s where the Lord deposits His prophet in a valley of dry bones. We’re not told exactly how this happens; we know Philip was snatched up and physically relocated in Acts 8(39f) so God could easily have teleported Ezekiel to a certain spot; or it might have been a vision, it matters little. Ezekiel 37:1-3 “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."”

The question would seem rhetorical – very dry bones, similar to what one might see left over from a battlefield after many years, time and decomposition have done their work...Of course ‘these bones’ cannot live, apart from divine intervention. Ezekiel meekly acknowledges God’s sovereignty, even in this apparently impossible situation.

Does that valley of very dry bones reflect your situation today? Are you up against some seemingly impossible obstacle? Are you frightened by the global pandemic with its new variants cropping up? Has your business been curtailed because of lockdown measures? Are you worried about the added debt load incurred by the government as it attempts to keep the economy afloat? Do you just miss your relatives, being able to give hugs, it seems all too long since we could go about life as “normal”? Those feelings the psychotherapist described of being “empty” and “helpless” are very real.

PROCLAIM THE SOVEREIGN LORD’S ENLIVENING WORD

As Ezekiel is led back and forth amongst these great many very dry bones, the Lord gives the prophet instruction. Ezek 37:4-6 “Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’"”

There’s a repeated emphasis in this section on the power of God’s word, released as His people speak. “Prophesy” (and related terms) occurs 7 times from verses 4 to 12. “Say...Hear the word of the Lord...This is what the Sovereign Lord SAYS...”

God is Spirit (John 4:24); His ‘word’ is the powerful active agent by which His purposes are accomplished. At the beginning of creation, God did not point His finger and go, “Poof!” Genesis 1:3“And God SAID, "Let there be light," and there was light.” Genesis 1:6 “And God SAID, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."” He speaks, and it comes into being: He is YHWH, God who makes things happen. Jesus said in John 6:63, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

One night a Pharisee who was really sincerely seeking came to Jesus under cover of darkness to find out more about this Kingdom He was proclaiming. Perhaps Nicodemus was sensing a frustration or lack of satisfaction with the current level of spirituality amongst his colleagues; he was languishing spiritually, feeling empty, yearning for something more. Jesus pointed Nicodemus to the possibility of new birth – something that could only happen through God’s mysterious Spirit. John 3:5-8 “Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases.You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."”

It’s not enough to be born of water, to be born of the flesh: our Creator has hard-wired us with a spirit that longs for more, reaches out to Him – as has been said, we have a “God-shaped hole” within our heart, there’s a vacuum only He can fill. We need His breath to inflate us, pick us up, fill us. The terms for ‘spirit’ and ‘breath’ and ‘wind’ are all closely related in Hebrew and Greek.

Back to Ezekiel. As the prophet speaks to the bones as commanded, there’s a noise, a rattling sound, bones connect to bones, flesh and skin appear and cover them, but they’re all just still laying there: V8 “...But there was no breath in them.” Again the Lord tells Ezekiel to speak: v9, “Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’"” The expression ‘from the four winds’ can mean ‘from the four quarters of the earth’ – hinting at all the distant countries to which the Jewish people had been dispersed, first by Assyria, now by Babylon.

And that BREATH proves to be the missing ingredient! V10 “So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet— a vast army.” What a sight that must have been to see!

GLORY AND GRACE IN GOD’S NEW CHAPTER

In verses 11-14, the Lord interprets the vision to Ezekiel. He has been aware of their languishing, their sense of defeat and hopelessness. Here is named or identified their feelings and emotions. V11 “Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’”

But God has not forgotten or abandoned them; disciplined them, yes, and provided the Promised Land its missed “sabbath years” so the land can enjoy its needed rest. But God’s plans and purposes for the nation are not over.

In the immediate term, the people will be brought back and restored to Palestine. See more about this in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, as the exiles returned from captivity and the temple and walls around Jerusalem were gradually rebuilt. Here’s the promise for the Jewish people in verses 12-13: “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.”

Scholars debate whether the concept of resurrection is in view here. The main point is that God is going to do an amazing thing by bringing the thousands who have been physically removed from Judah back to that land – a promise that would have given a defeated and discouraged people hope. Especially after Ezekiel’s predictions of Jerusalem’s downfall came true in 586 BC, thereby establishing his credibility.

There is a promise even more wonderful in verse 14 – something that applies not just to the Jewish exiles, but to those who believe in God’s word here today! Ezek 37:14 “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.”

The implications of that first phrase are HUGE! “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live...” Here we have premonitions of the New Covenant in the Old. The Old Testament (or Covenant) centred on the commandments given to Moses at Mount Sinai, visually represented in the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments; these tablets were housed in the Ark of the Covenant, which was the focal point of the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple. There was no approaching the Most Holy Place without passing the altar where burnt offerings were made for the forgiveness of sin. If the people obeyed God’s commands, they would be blessed and dwell in the land; but when they disobeyed and followed idols, the gods of the nations, they would be cursed and evicted from their land. Ezekiel and the thousands of Jewish exiles would be all too keenly aware of how as a nation they had failed to keep God’s laws, and now were exiled far away to Babylon. The Old Covenant or Old Deal just wasn’t working; their stubbornness and pride, their stiff necks and evil desires, sabotaged their relationship with the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt.

So in the Old Testament prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, we begin to get hints of a new approach. Rather than outward compliance and law-obedience, righteousness would become an “inside job” – God would give a fresh start to those who repented and sought Him; as it says here, “I will put my Spirit IN you...” For more context, look back one chapter to Ezek 36:25-27: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Instead of a stubborn heart – ‘heart of stone’ – God would give them a heart of flesh, responsive, affected, loving and caring. God’s Spirit INSIDE them would MOVE them to keep His laws, out of love and care, rather than grudging compliance.

This is associated with God’s cleansing from impurities and idols, “sprinkling with clean water” (which we would see as symbolized in baptism). The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, shows us how grieved the Lord is by our trespasses and rebellion, and moves us to turn to Him in confession and new patterns of living. Ezekiel 36:31 “Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.” The Spirit opens our eyes to God’s holiness, our shortcomings, and prompts us to be pierced to the heart. That’s what happened in response to Peter’s preaching at Pentecost: Acts 2:37f “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Communion points us to the act of Jesus loving us all the way to the cross, so we could be changed from hell-bound sinners to God’s holy people. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:25b-27 “...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”

Paul describes this remarkable turn-around the Holy Spirit makes possible this way to his co-worker Titus: Titus 3:4-7 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” We are ‘justified’ – declared put right with God in His sight – by grace, what Jesus has done for us, not by works of the law. So now we are heirs, inheritors of all that awaits us, having “the hope of eternal life” – not left languishing hopelessly, no matter what pandemics or losses or challenges this life may bring us.

WHAT’S THAT NOISE?!

In closing – when our life seems like a valley of dead dry bones, lifeless and languishing, God’s Spirit can infuse us and bring some strange sounds – a noise, a rattling sound as bone connects to bone and flesh encases them, then the sound of breath coming into them from the four winds. God is preparing a vast army to stand on their feet and do His awesome will.

There was a strange sound that first Pentecost. Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” The sound of wind from heaven, God’s Spirit bringing new power and ability.

An old-timer who’d lived all his life way back in the bush by himself went into a hardware store early one morning and asked for a saw. The salesman took a chain saw from the shelf and commented that it was their “newest model, with the latest in technology, guaranteed to cut ten cords of firewood in a day”. The old-timer thought that sounded pretty impressive, so bought it on the spot.

The next day the customer returned looking exhausted. “Something mut be wrong with this saw,” he moaned. “I worked as hard as I could and only managed to cut three cords of wood. I used to do four with my old-fashioned saw.” Looking confused, the salesman said, “Here, let me try it out on some wood we keep over here out back.” They went to the woodpile, the salesman pulled the cord, and as the motor roared to life VVVROOOOOMMMM, the customer leaped back and exclaimed, “What’s that noise?!”

Trying to saw wood without the power of the chainsaw to help is sort of like us attempting to live the Christian life without the daily empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We very much need His divine breath to connect us and help us stand on our feet and know our God. Let’s pray.

Thank You Father for the word-picture of the valley of dry bones You showed Ezekiel. You know the areas of our life in which we’re feeling defeated, despondent, and discouraged. Sometimes sin leaves us feeling very far off from You, fearing Your condemnation, hopeless of ever being put right. Thank You for Your grace and kindness and love spelled out for us by Jesus at the cross. We want to live for You from now on, to know You and bring glory to You; in Jesus’ name, Amen.

At this point, we will take a moment to gather our elements in preparation for Communion at the Lord’s Table...

“God’s Power in Nature and His People” - Day of Prayer for Camp - May 30/21 Ps.114

THE MARK CAMP MAKES – EVEN MORNING DIP

Today we’re joining other churches across Canada in Day of Prayer for Camp. Did you ever attend a Christian camp growing up? What impressions did it leave you with?

I started out as a camper at Camp Bimini, a United Church camp near St Mary’s, Ontario. It was inland so used a swimming pool for swimming instructions; I think I achieved “tadpole” status my first year. I learned to make crafty items with ric-rac and popsickle sticks. I was introduced to archery, which I really enjoyed and ended up getting my own fibreglass bow later. For the first time I was away from my home and my parents for an extended period, in a safe environment with friendly counselors. In later years I would return as a counselor myself, learning responsibility for younger children, some basic interpersonal skills. Of course I learned lots of camp songs that are still ingrained in my memory – from the sublime (“It Only Takes a Spark to Get a Fire Going”) to the ridiculous (“Little Rabbit FruFru hopping through the forest picking up the field mice smackin’ em on the head”! Just WHAT is that song trying to teach?!). Each day we looked forward to Tuck Shop. And there’s no experience quite like being gathered around a summertime campfire where the sky is getting dark, the stars are coming out, and firelight is flickering on the faces of other campers gathered in a circle. It’s almost mystical.

Later, in high school, I helped as a counselor for Junior Boys camp for one week a couple of summers at Frontier Lodge in the eastern townships of Quebec, near Sherbrooke. This was a Brethren camp; staff rose at 5:30 each morning to pray for half an hour on our knees together in the directors’ cabin. Then at 6 o’clock it was time for the infamous “Morning Dip”! No matter what the temperature was, campers and staff lined up in their swim trunks for the compulsory plunge into the unwelcoming Lake Wallace before running back shivering and dripping to change into something warmer at their cabins. Great hygiene, even if it reminds one of a military boot camp!

My camp name was “Trim” and I ran a tree-and-ropes course, teaching how to make various knots with rope, and we built a zipline from trees near the shore down into the lake. (I suspect insurance policies have tightened up since then, but at least no one got seriously hurt!) Of course there was daily chapel, and counselors received extra discipleship training with the camp chaplain, Mike Wilkins, and director Phil Geldart, who shared with us insights into God’s heart from the book of Jeremiah. This camp included emphasis on Jesus’ return and the Rapture and the importance of receiving forgiveness for our sin and developing a personal relationship with God. To see young boys coming to understand the Good News for the first time was always exciting!

What memories of camp do you have? What role, if any, did it play in your own spiritual journey? I know, for this shy young farm boy from Perth County, it drew me deeper in my faith and exposed me to interactions and activities and responsibilities I might not otherwise have had.

Today we’re looking at just a couple of basic thrusts from Psalm 114, coupled with two camp-related videos. There are two main points: A) Getting out into nature reminds us of the One who transcends nature; and B) Tenting can remind us of our need for the One who wants to indwell us.

GETTING OUT INTO NATURE REMINDS US OF THE ONE WHO TRANSCENDS NATURE

Psalm 114 is tied closely to the heart of Jewish culture and worship. Each year at the Passover meal, Psalm 113 and Psalm 114 were sung before the meal started. It recalls the origin of the Jewish nation, being freed from slavery in Egypt.

We call this departure from the land of bondage the “Exodus” (literally going-out). It should not have happened: who allows a whole bunch of slaves to escape when you have taskmasters and an army to keep them victimized? But God’s deliverance of the Hebrews was accomplished through a series of miracles. Psalm 114:3 “The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back...” Inanimate objects are personified, behaving as if they are people: NLT “The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away.” This recalls the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 14:21 - “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided...”

Also, after 40 years when the Hebrews finally entered the Promised Land, the Jordan River had its waters stopped in flood stage. Joshua 3:15f “Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.” God’s sovereignty and control over the forces of nature was clearly demonstrated.

Verse 4 of Psalm 114 recalls the earth shaking when the people assembled at Mt Sinai: Ps 114:4 “the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.” Just how do you make a mountain ‘skip’?! Of course the language is figurative, referring to the ground shaking - Exodus 19:18 “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently...” When the very ground trembles, people become afraid immediately!

Another supernatural event is recalled in verse 8 of Psalm 114: “who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.” This can refer to a couple of occasions on the journey of the Hebrews from Egypt to Palestine. Once the Lord commanded Moses to strike the rock to bring forth water for the people; the other time he was simply to speak to the rock for the same reason, but in anger struck the rock instead. Exodus 17:6 “I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.” And the second instance: Number 20:11 - “Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.” The Lord assuaged their thirst both times and kept them alive in the remote wilderness, a place where (apparently) there was no water to be had.

Camping gets us out into nature, away from the comforts and conveniences of home, away from our human devices and supports, forcing us to manage with just the barest essentials. It brings us into a new environment where we can begin to notice again the other life-forms – trees, birds, creatures that scuttle and crawl through the bush – other life-forms we generally pass right by without noticing. It brings us face to face with the power of the elements of nature (I recall one thunderstorm in a camper-trailer with my family on the shore of Lake Superior in particular!). Camping reminds us there are forces in the universe greater than ourselves, it shatters the cocoon of our self-absorption. Brought face to face with nature’s elements, a very logical question presents itself: “How did all this get here?” We know WE didn’t make it. There is what’s called the “cosmological” argument for God’s existence. As Hebrews 11:3 puts it, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” There is a “before-ness” that points to God’s being super-natural, beyond nature in order to produce it. Colossians 1:16f “For by him [Jesus, God’s Son] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is BEFORE all things, and in him all things hold together.”

So, getting outside in camping reminds us of the One who TRANSCENDS nature, is beyond it – as the song goes, “In the stars His handiwork I see, on the wind He speaks with majesty...”

Before we proceed to our next point, let’s hear a word from our sponsor for this “Day of Prayer for Camp” – here’s an update on our nearby EMCC-affiliated camps, Stayner and Mishewah, from Evergreen Christian Ministries... (5 min.video)

That video is a good reminder of the beautiful outdoor surroundings and facilities at our church campgrounds, and dedicated staff who are making plans the best they can given changing circumstances. Our own church, Huron Chapel, has budgeted $1000 this year for Evergreen Christian Ministries, but if you can support our camps either by attending and renting or donating or lending some time for grounds upkeep, they would welcome your help.

My second and final main point today from Psalm 114 is...

TENTING CAN REMIND US OF OUR NEED FOR THE ONE WHO WANTS TO INDWELL US

Or, boiled down – Christian camping reminds us God is ‘out there’ (beyond nature) but also seeks to be ‘in here’ (living inside us, by faith in Christ).

Look closely at the first couple of verses of Psalm 114, which we noted was very tied up with Jewish identity. Ps 114:1f “When Israel came out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.” Judah became God’s SANCTUARY – that’s a place for the divine to dwell.

When the Hebrews were wandering in the wilderness, their perception was that they needed to take care of their camp because God Himself was present with them. This was visibly represented by the pillar of cloud by day which changed to a pillar of fire by night. Deuteronomy 23:14 “For the LORD your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.”

Does the Lord self-identify as a ‘camper’, always mobile, always on the move, not bolted down? When King David is inspired to build a temple for God, David is reminded by a revelation through the prophet Nathan: 2Samuel 7:6 “I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place WITH A TENT AS MY DWELLING.”

Subsequently, God did allow the Jews to build temples, but His real goal is something far more radical. God seeks to indwell PEOPLE! You and me. We saw last week that Ezekiel prophesied, Ezek 36:27 “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Jesus said His followers would be ‘baptized’ with the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:8) and that the Spirit – John 14:17 “...He lives with you and will be IN you.” The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, 1Cor 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is IN you, whom you have received from God?...”

Tenting, particularly Christian Camping, can remind us of the One who seeks to “camp out” in us, to indwell us. “Judah became God’s sanctuary,” the Psalm says; and goes on to add, “Israel His DOMINION.” To be a dominion means to be the place where the King reigns, the realm or space where the King has power and control. Does God have that ownership, that say, that rule in your life? Have you yielded to Jesus as Lord and Saviour? Christian camping gives people a remarkable opportunity to be introduced to Jesus and respond to His invitation.

Our concluding video today includes some testimonies of people who have benefited from Christian camp ministry and come to know the Lord more intimately through it...(“Why Pray for Camp” video)

[after video] Let’s pray. Sovereign God, we praise You for Your awesome greatness! You have created nature so beautifully, delicately, intricately, down to the earth being just the right distance from the sun and water having properties that make it an anomaly but just what’s needed. Thank You for camping and the way it gets us outdoors into the natural world You made. Thank You for Scripture and the record of Your supernatural miracles helping Your people escape slavery. We bless You for wanting to come dwell inside us, to make us living temples. We invite You to make that space in our lives, we hand over control to You. And this camping season we pray You would continue to bring people to Yourself through the ministry of Christian camps like Stayner and Mishewah. Provide the resources needed; encourage the directors and staff, protect them, and help them see ongoing spiritual harvest as they point others to You. In Christ’s name, Amen.

“Loving My Muslim Neighbour” - June 13/21 Lev.19:9-18,33-34 / various

SIX DEGREES TO A SMALLER WORLD

It’s a small world after all – smaller probably than we even realize. Have you heard of “six degrees of separation”? It’s based on the idea that all people on average are six or fewer social connections away from each other. There’s even a parlour game called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” in which you can theoretically link anyone in Hollywood with the prolific American actor Kevin Bacon within six steps (check out oracleofbacon.org). Sometimes it would surprise us to know just how closely we are connected to a particular human. This was dramatically brought home to me this past week.

You see, back in 2017 my father who was 96 at the time and a resident at Mitchell Nursing Home turned suddenly in his bare feet, lost his balance on the smooth floor, fell and broke his hip. In the ensuing months he learned to walk again with the help of a physiotherapist who circulated amongst various care homes in the region. I have a couple of emails from that time reporting to my family about Dad’s progress with the help of his health care team. Eventually he made a good recovery.

Fast forward to this past Sunday. In London Ontario, in what one article described as “the worst mass killing in the city’s history”, a pickup truck jumped a curb and struck 5 Muslim pedestrians, killing the two parents in their 40s, the man’s mother in her 70s, their teenage daughter, with only their 9-year-old son surviving though injured. The man was Salman Afzal, who had been my dad’s physiotherapist.

At first, when I heard of the crime, you think, “How terrible!” But later when I saw the name and realized he had worked as a physiotherapist at local nursing homes, the puzzle pieces began to fit together. I went back and checked my emails: there was his name. I had in fact MET this person. He had spent time helping MY father recuperate. That makes even more impact, you feel personally connected to the tragedy.

What a loss! The administrator for Ritz Lutheran Villa said, “We’re completely devastated. Salman worked in our organization for 7 years.He was an integral part of our team.He was kind and caring...He was well-respected and always had a smile and positive outlook.He probably cared for hundreds of seniors over the years, moms and dads and grandparents, in Oxford, Wellington, Middlesex, Huron and Perth counties.He worked at many, many long-term care homes in our region.”

Salman’s wife was a grad student at Western in civil engineering, working on remediating contaminated soil. Previously in Pakistan she had worked as a civil engineer on a hydro-power project for 3 years. A civil engineering prof at Western describes her as “an angel...She was so kind, so considerate, so polite.”

Such a loss! Such a waste! Hate makes waste.

It’s hard to fathom what could have prompted the driver to commit such a crime. Yes, they were of different nationality; yes, they were Muslim. But they were PEOPLE just the same!

So today I’d like to look at the topic, “Loving My Muslim Neighbour”, through a Biblical lens. God’s self-giving love for each of us sinners, though we were at enmity with Him, motivates us to love those who are unlike us.

THE LEADING LAW

Jesus clearly placed loving one’s neighbour at the top of the list. Once a teacher of the Jewish law asked Jesus which is the most important of all the commandments. Mark 12:29-31 “"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."” Did you hear that last bit? ‘No commandment greater.’ The whole law swings on them like a door on its hinges. And it’s interesting Jesus seems to link the two, as if they belong together: sort of implying that if you genuinely love God, you WILL also love His creation, your neighbour, the person next to you, whoever you come in contact with.

The Apostle Paul sort of echoes this in Romans 13:8-10: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are SUMMED UP in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is THE FULFILLMENT of the law.” The ‘root’ is love: if love is how you approach the relationship, the ‘fruit’ or outflow won’t be destructive (adultery / murder / stealing etc) but positive, not harming but helping.

James in his letter to the church also emphasizes the priority of loving our neighbour, calling it the “royal” law: James 2:8 “If you really keep THE ROYAL LAW found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.” Royal, like it’s the king or queen over the other laws. In its context, James notes we won’t show favoritism, being influenced unduly by whether a person is rich or poor, for example.

Our passage from Leviticus 19 offers several examples of what loving our neighbour might look like. V10 leave gleanings of your harvest for the poor and alien – “alien” not in the sense of from outer space, but “alien” as in from another country. V13 Don’t defraud or rob your neighbour: respect their right to ownership. V15 Don’t pervert justice by showing partiality, but judge your neighbour fairly. V16 don’t do anything that endangers your neighbour’s life: there’s an obligation to be caring, protecting. V18 (to which Jesus later makes direct reference) says, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” What’s love mean in that context? Not seeking revenge or bearing a grudge – don’t get drawn into evil-for-evil or tit-for-tat; so that MUST involve forgiveness, grace, absorbing the loss, overlooking the injury, a refusal to try and ‘get even’. If they’ve wronged you, let it go! But we need help to do that – the help of Him who died on the cross to let US off the hook in the eyes of perfect divine justice.

You might be saying to yourself, “I don’t have any prejudice toward Muslims; in fact I’ve never really had much to do with one.” But it’s easy to fall into the pattern of preferring those who are ‘like us’ – we can relate to them, they sound like we do, it’s easier to understand them, they sound familiar. Sorting through someone’s accent can be a frustrating barrier to communication – admit it, when you phone for help with some issue and the person on the other end obviously hails from some other region and is trickier to understand, don’t you secretly want to ask, “Is there anyone there who speaks English the way I do?!”

Jeff Bennett was a PC candidate in the area of London West in 2014. He followed the previous candidate Ali Chahbar, and noticed quite a few expressions of racism in the people he encountered. Even members of his campaign team expressed relief that Jeff not Ali had become the candidate: “They, ‘tried to volunteer a year earlier but the campaign office felt like the Middle East’,” they said. When he was on the trail door-knocking, people would respond with things like, “Boy are we happy to see YOU at our door this election.” And, “I can tell by looking at you that Jeff Bennett is a candidate I can support.” Such obvious prejudice against visible minorities. Bennett reflects, “I’ve come face to face with Anti Muslim attitudes in London Ontario...” “These people who’d never met me saw nothing special in me.They were happy only that my name was English and my skin was white.”

PLEASING MY NEIGHBOUR OUT OF DEFERENCE TO GOD

In contrast to such prejudice, love goes beyond merely having a positive disposition or attitude towards someone: love actually gets behind them and serves them, puts their concerns and needs first.

Writing about our freedom in Christ to the church at Galatia, the Apostle Paul noted our freedom as Christians becomes harnessed to another’s betterment. Gal 5:13f “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."” So, love motivates you to serve the other person, rather than just emphasize your freedom as if they’re not your concern. Cain asked defensively, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” after killing Abel (Gen 4:9). Love would say, “Yes, you are your brother’s keeper” – love cares for one’s sister or brother.

Paul also puts care for others in terms of pleasing them rather than just pleasing ourselves. This requires a certain “death to self” in order to forego your own happiness or pleasure so that others are built up. Romans 15:2f “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."” We are to please our neighbour for their good, so they may be ‘built up’, strengthened, helped, edified. This IN SPITE OF a culture whose siren call is always, “Please yourself!” Now there’s nothing innate in our fallen nature that would prompt us to put another’s interests ahead of our own; we’re born selfish, born predisposed to ‘look out for number one’. What then can be powerful enough to motivate us to die to self-interest and please our neighbour rather than please ourselves? The prior fact that Jesus the very Son of God chose to put us first, to die for our sakes. When it says, “the insults of those who insult YOU have fallen on me”, who is the ‘you’? I used to suppose it was God the Father, but whom is Jesus stepping in on behalf of? Us sinners! Satan the Accuser was poised to insult us (rightly so) for our sins, but Jesus took our penalty, went to the cross in our place, purchased our forgiveness by becoming a substitute in our stead, so the Accuser’s insults fell on HIM instead of us. It’s that immense grace alone that can power forgiveness of others and pleasing our neighbour instead of pleasing ourselves.

Another dimension of loving our neighbour concerns pride and humility. Who’s “Number One” in our lives? When we recall God is Number One, when we fear and revere and honour Him as ultimate instead of ourselves, love flows better to others. James 4:11-12 says, “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you— who are you to judge your neighbor?” Who are you? Are you above the law, as if you invented it, and deserve to judge it? So slandering or judging / condemning / looking down on another person supposes we ourselves are above the law, God’s ordinance that we are to love others.

Go back to Leviticus 19 a moment. These injunctions to care for our neighbour are shot through with reminders that God is God – and we’re not! Lev 19:14 “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God.I am the LORD.” V16B “Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.I am the LORD.” V18 “"’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself.I am the LORD.” And again in vv33-34, “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born.Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.I am the LORD your God.”

It’s implying that, when we remember to put God foremost in our consciousness, that will help us recognize the value of the other person, will empower us to put their interests above our own, and serve them in love.

That truck driver looked at that family grouping walking peacefully along and saw people that were different from him: different skin tone, different dress, different origin and customs. But love looks at them and sees people created in God’s image, what’s traditionally known as the imago Dei. Fundamentally, they are still humans, fashioned by God, into whom He has breathed life and crafted unique souls. We treat THEM with extra care and respect because we revere HIM, His reverberating “I am YHWH your God” – who delivered US out of slavery to sin and death.

V14 warns us not to curse the deaf or play a mean trick on the blind, “but fear your God: I am the Lord”. We see His handiwork in them, His interest in them, He has a purpose and destiny for their lives, His image and imprint is somehow stamped upon them indelibly. They are to be treated worthily, for they are His image-bearers.

LOVING WITHOUT AN AGENDA

We are to love our neighbour; we are to love our MUSLIM neighbour. That doesn’t mean we don’t seek opportunities to witness to Christ. According to the Oxford dictionary, the word Islam means “submission” from Arabic 'aslama - ‘submit (to God)’; the Christian concept of a Triune God in whom is embedded the dynamic of relationship and love and sharing is quite different from the monolithic Allah of Islam, whose will is final and must be submitted to. Muslims can only hope their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds on the day of judgment, they have no assurance of that, there is no grace involved. So some aspects of Christianity would be very appealing. But it’s important to build a relationship first, to establish trust.

An acquaintance posted on social media this week a meme that said, “I really don’t talk to anybody how I used to...All that friend [stuff] faded when I realized people only love you when it’s beneficial.” Do we only love others when it’s ‘beneficial’, when we get something out of it? Do we only love with an agenda?

Living in Huron County, it’s common not to have Muslim neighbours – we’re not that diverse a population compared to urban centres. So I reached out to my son Keith and daughter-in-law Darcie who I knew had Muslim neighbours when they lived in Barrhaven, a suburb south of Ottawa. Here are some questions I drafted and their responses, to help us understand what loving a Muslim neighbour might look like, practically speaking.

QUESTION: Can you describe (in the most general terms, without identifying particulars) the Muslim neighbours you had -- e.g. number in family, what they worked at, interests / hobbies you were aware of, how you got to know them?

DARCIE: Our three immediate neighbours in Barrhaven were Muslim with varying degrees of observance. We interacted with all of them in neighbourly ways - One family was a young couple, another a bachelor who had his mother arrange his marriage back in Pakistan, and a family of 5. We got to see both young couples welcome their first child into their homes. // We got to know them the way anyone gets to know their neighbours. The kids rode bikes on our street with the other kids. They drew roads, shopping malls, parking spots on our street in sidewalk chalk. They ate freezies together in our front yard. Our neighbour right next to us happened to smoke - and always did it outside - so we would chat while I watched the kids from the front step. We'd chat with the neighbour on the other side of us while he watered his lawn. // The family in particular was lovely to interact with. One day they were unloading after a grocery run and I happened to wave hello to them. The dad came over and gave me a whole box of mangoes. When we moved away, they gifted our kids a new scooter! One day during Ramadan, the mom was calling for her son to come inside because it was time for prayers and he wasn't listening. She didn't have her hijab on, and I could tell she was trying to decide what to do - so I just offered to get the boy for her. She was so thankful - she had been cleaning bathrooms and just didn't need one more thing to do.

QUESTION: What are some lifestyle patterns they took part in that would likely be typical of most Muslims in Canada?

DARCIE: I know there are Five Pillars to Islam, one being Ramadan - the 29 or 30 day fast that takes place each year. It signifies the revealing of the Qu'ran to the prophet Mohammad. The second I have witnessed my friends experience is Eid. There are 2 Eids: Little Eid or Eid al-Fitr is the festival of breaking the fast at the end of Ramadan. The other and longer festival is Eid al-Adha - the Festival of the Sacrifice - which comes at the end of Hajj (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca). This festival remembers the story of Abraham and the command to sacrifice his son. Only in the Qu'ran, the son is Ishmael, not Isaac.

KEITH: I had a colleague at Christian Horizons who participated in Ramadan, as I believe most Muslims do. Whether it is a practice like fasting until sundown or praying multiple times a day, the way many Muslims practice their faith in community has been an example to me of what dedication and community formation can look like. It is reassuring to me that people also wrestle with their religious practices as I do with mine - just because so many are faithful in doing it does not mean it is easy, especially depending on people's jobs and responsibilities. This past year with COVID, it took a lot of dedication for Muslims who work in healthcare to keep their fast even though they might be working long and tiring shifts at hospitals keeping people healthy and well.

QUESTION: Nabeel Qureshi emphasized that Muslim culture is especially integrated with their faith; would you agree, or have seen any evidence of this?

DARCIE: Absolutely. I had more in common with the Muslim homeschooling mamas than I did with the secular ones. Faith is so important to them and their educational philosophy. During an art lesson in a Muslim home, the mom and I were talking about trying to integrate character development into our curriculum. I mentioned I was using a book by Clay and Sally Clarkson (24 Family Ways) - and not only did she borrow it and supplement the Bible passages with others from the Koran, she loved that she could show her kids, "Look, it isn't just us! Other kids have to do this stuff too!" It was a humbling moment for me to see someone who I had assumed wouldn't be interested in something Bible-based be so open and engaged in exploring all avenues towards God. // That has been my experience with all of the Muslim homeschool moms. Jesus is a historical figure in their faith. The Bible is a holy text. They definitely hold different theological positions on who Jesus was - and I'm not entirely sure our Bibles have all the same books, and hold the same place of honour on the bookshelf, but they were passionate and open to learning and friendship and were highly invested in the education of their children.

KEITH: I believe that culture plays a significant role in all of our faith journeys. Unfortunately for many of us it is an unconscious role, and adopting the norms of the culture we find ourselves in often makes some of our behaviours and thought patterns difficult to align with Jesus' Lordship in our lives. Racism, sexism, ableism etc.are often implicit in our cultural norms, and recognizing this is a first step in cultivating a Jesus-shaped community life that refuses to bow to the cult of normalcy.

QUESTION: If we find ourselves sitting next to a person who's a Muslim, what might be some avenues of approach in dialogue that could open doorways to spiritual sharing and witness? (Are there ways in which their beliefs might predispose them to interest in the Gospel, e.g. works / grace, submission / freedom?) OR Topics best to avoid?

DARCIE: Unless the Holy Spirit is literally compelling you to proselytize, I would say don't worry about it. Just say hello, introduce yourself and comment on what book they're reading, or the weather, or anything you would normally say to someone at a bus stop or waiting in the dentist office.

KEITH: Christians have too often gone for the "short game" of attempting quick conversions. These don't tend to last (although God occasionally works in mysterious ways). Instead I try to practice the presence of Christ in a space, as Jesus may have something for me to learn about faithfulness, empathy, or love from the person who I'm with. Often this means asking questions if the opportunity presents itself, because people are fascinating and complex and I'm likely to learn something. Or, I might just keep quiet as an introvert. God's still working on me :)

QUESTION: Were there initiatives you took in terms of reaching out that seemed to start to bridge the gap and were well received in the direction of forming a relationship?

DARCIE: There was no agenda in my becoming friends with these people. It is hard to know who initiated the friendships, because they happened organically, by having a common interest or goal, by proximity, by some shared experiences and honest conversation. Never did they try to convert me, and I never tried to convert them. But we were able to talk openly and honestly about our own faith and experiences, values and traditions. I learned a lot about what foods they could eat, which ones they couldn't, and which fell into a grey area (since most of our meetings were potlucks). // I learned a bit about the assumptions made about them. How people would assume they weren't Canadian, but immigrants. How people think the hijab is oppressive and how they oppress women. Most of them were highly educated, with advanced degrees. All of them wore a hijab. // If you want to know how to love your Muslim neighbour, you have to stop trying to research them and start talking to them. You can love them by speaking up when someone makes an unfair assumption about them. You can step in if you see someone being teased or harassed because of how they dress. You can start by saying hello and building a friendship based on common interests - they honestly aren't that hard to find. Just be open and curious. Ask questions. I think the best way to love your Muslim neighbour was summed up in a story one of my friends posted on social media the other day. She wrote, "I shared with my neighbour my teen's fear of walking outside. She replied, ‘I will walk with her.’ And for that, this mama's broken heart is grateful and hopeful. " Our goal as Christians should be just that - to be the neighbour that brings gratitude and hope to those around us.

QUESTION: How does the 'imago Dei' in every person call for our respect and esteem, even for those that are very different from us and may not share our belief system?

KEITH: In terms of our belief in the Imago Dei, we have a lot more in common with Jews and Muslims than not. We share many of the same stories around how the world came to be and how God created us in His image. In interfaith settings, I am so often struck by the way these conversations strengthen my understanding of my own faith along with learning about the faith of others. Whereas so much of the world operates from a materialistic framework, there is a respect and a wonder that we share with several other faith traditions about how incredible it is to receive our lives and our humanity as a gift to be shared with others. Then, as a Christian, I am further captivated at the thought that through Christ we were all created and through his incarnation we receive a new way to be human together - a way that doesn't bowl others over but seeks to love my neighbour and learn how to love them better each day, no matter the differences we might encounter.

Let’s pray...

We bless You, Heavenly Father, for being Who You are – Three-in-One, a loving personal community since before the world began. Thank You for sending Jesus to suffer and die so we might be forgiven and brought into that precious, dear fellowship. You have SO loved us sinners despite all our faults!

We thank You for our neighbours, whether Muslim or other faith background. Deepen our relationship with them, that they might begin to see some of Your love within us as they interact with us. Guide our conversation, so we may come across as true friends, not bent on an agenda, but sharing Your very real love and hope and grace. Draw them to Yourself and show them Jesus is the One who can truly save them and give them assurance of eternal life. In His name we pray, Amen.

“Owning Up to a Name” - June 20/21 Father’s Day Acts 4:5-12

OUR IDENTITY CRISIS, AND THE DAD DEARTH

“Who am I?” That’s one of the most important questions in life, the question of IDENTITY. It’s natural to look to others to help us understand who we are, we’re constantly alert for clues as to what makes us different, how we stand out from the rest as unique.

The period of isolation during the pandemic has probably accentuated this need to come to know who we are, as connection with others has been so limited. In a recent Carey Nieuwhof podcast, author and pastor Tim Keller was emphasizing the church needs to be prepared to help people with identity issues. From the notes: “they need to have a clear answer for these...Identity Heresies: The Therapeutic/Individualistic Misplacements – where your identity is found in chasing down whatever your deepest desires are; The Progressive/Victim Misplacement – where your identity is found in whatever minority group you’re in, and how you’ve been oppressed.”

Our parents can play a big role in helping us find our identity. For one thing, they give us a NAME. Sometimes we receive other names, such as nicknames from our buddies, but our name is a significant part of our identity. Often family members use other labels or adjectives to refer to us or describe us, some complimentary (such as “speedy”), others not (such as “slowpoke”).

Dads can have a role in forming a child’s identity that is different from that of a mother. Psychiatrist Margaret Mahler developed the “Separation-Individuation” theory of identity formation. She described the “symbiotic phase” up to 5 months of age in which the child was aware of their mother but lacks a sense of individuality. When the child begins to crawl and then walk, the infant begins to explore actively and becomes more distant from the mother. By 18 months, they’re aware of themselves as separate and distinct from the mother. By 2-3 years, they have a strong sense of themselves as separate persons (it’s known as the “terrible twos” for a reason!).

What about Dad’s involvement? Researchers have found the father’s support is valuable for the infant’s long-term identity development. According to Winnicott (1960), the father’s role with the newborn is protecting the mother/child relationship. A strong relationship between the father and mother provides security and safety for the infant. According to attachment theory, a secure relationship is essential to healthy development (Bowlby, 1988). The father...functions as an important figure that can assist the child in separating from the mother and provide a bridge into the world (Mahler & Gosliner, 1955). One way the father can do this is by spending time with the infant away from the mother (Bowlby 1969; Trowell, 2002). An infant who lacks the assistance of a third figure may struggle to emerge from the maternal relationship (Greenspan, 1982).

Unfortunately too many homes in our culture lack a father’s presence. The National Fatherhood Initiative points out the following based on United States statistics:

- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19.5 million children, more than 1 in 4, live without a father in the home.

- Children who live with their dads do better in school.

- adolescent / teen boys who live with their dads are less likely to carry guns and deal drugs

- children living without their father in the home are more likely to live in poverty (47% rate, over four times as much as those in homes with married couples)

- daughters are less likely to engage in risky secual behaviour when they have consistent contact, and a sense of closeness, with their dads

- men with absent fathers are more likely to become absent fathers; and,

- women with absent fathers are more likely to have children with absent fathers (see more stats and particulars at fatherhood.org)

Sometimes we dads fall guilty to the charge of being ‘absent’ even when we’re physically present. A study was done to determine the amount of interaction between fathers and their small children. First, the fathers were asked to estimate the amount of time they spent each day with the child. The average answer was about fifteen to twenty minutes. Next, microphones were attached to the father so that each interaction could be recorded. The results of this study were shocking: The average amount of time spent by these middle-class fathers with their small children was thirty-seven seconds per day. Their direct interaction was limited to 2.7 encounters daily, lasting ten to fifteen seconds each!

Our fathers play a significant and valuable role in helping us know who we are, in “naming” us / helping us become individuated. Our parents are our originators so they have a special place, a right, to assist in our identification.

When he’s talking about praying in Ephesians 3, the Apostle Paul uses an interesting phrase to describe our Heavenly Father: Eph 3:14f “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.” [NRSV] God is the Creator of all, so our being derives from Him. For those who trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, God’s Holy Spirit has given us birth ‘again from above’, twice-born, to become God’s own children in a spiritual sense. Fundamentally we need to be learning our identity, who we are, from HIM who made us.

In today’s story from the Book of Acts we see Peter becoming ‘individuated’, owning the name the Lord has given him – as Peter acknowledges the name of the one and only Saviour.

FROM SIMON TO CEPHAS

Simon Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples from the very start. His brother Andrew heard John the Baptist point out Jesus as the Lamb of God and spent the day with him. Then, John 1:41f “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John.You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).” Both ‘Simon’ and ‘Cephas’ in the original Greek mean ‘rock’.

But Peter didn’t become rock-solid in his devotion to Christ right away. Yes there was a high point in Matthew 16 when Jesus queried the disciples as to His own identity. Mt 16:15-18 “"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Hmm, Simon’s believing declaration of confidence in Christ makes him a rock – and God would use Peter at Pentecost to preach and convince many to follow the Risen Lord. Hell won’t overcome those whose identity is established by Christ.

But if you know the story of Peter, you also know he was the one who failed to stand up for Jesus when real testing came. Like the other disciples, Peter ran for his life when Jesus was arrested in the garden, and Jesus commanded them not to fight with the sword. Then while trying to get close to the trial proceedings, Peter denied three times he even know Jesus. Remember when they were introduced, Jesus ‘looked at’ Simon? Luke uses the same Greek word right after Peter denies His Master: Lk 22:61 “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times."”

At the Last Supper Peter had boasted that even if all the others fell away, he (Peter) would not (Mark 14:29). Peter had insisted emphatically, Mark 14:31 “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” But his words turned out to be so much hot air. He turned out to be a waffle rather than a rock.

Something very significant happens in John 21. It’s after the resurrection, and Jesus has prepared a breakfast on shore for the disciples who were out fishing. After breakfast He takes Peter aside and three times, with relentless repetition, asks Peter: “Do your truly love me more than these?” then, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” and again, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter is hurt by the obvious repetition and parallelism to his own denials. But he answers affirmatively, upon which Jesus re-commissions him: “Feed my lambs...Take care of my sheep...Feed my sheep.” Christ re-affirms His call to Peter, this waffler who is in process of being chiseled into a rock, to follow Him.

So, Jesus does not just toss a nickname Peter’s way and then stand aloof. He interacts with him, shapes him, very intentionally draws him aside one-on-one to ‘rub off’ on him, life-on-life; that’s part of formation and discipleship, even for one who has failed Him at a crucial moment. Such grace! Such love and commitment, to one others might flee from as a “flake”!

BY WHAT NAME?

By the time we come to Acts 4, Peter has been an eye-witness to the Resurrected Jesus; he ran with John to verify Mary Magdalene’s account of the empty tomb with his own eyes. Jesus seems to have appeared to Peter privately, based on Paul’s account in 1Corinthians 15:5, and the disciples replying to those coming from the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:34. There’s been the breakfast on the beach episode, and the ascension, not to mention other encounters which others saw as well. Peter KNOWS what his eyes have beheld, there’s no denying it now.

In Acts 3 Peter helped a man who’d been lame over 40 years to stand up and walk. Now he’s hauled up before the Sanhedrin who are having a formal inquiry. It’s an impressive court: the Sanhedrin was made up of 24 priests, 24 elders, and 22 scribes (or teachers of the law), a total of 70 officials. These were the very authorities who initiated the proceedings that resulted in Jesus’ death. Even Pilate the Roman governor caved in to the pressure when they started inciting a mob to demand Jesus’ crucifixion. Wouldn’t you be intimidated what they might do to you?

Acts 4:7 “They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"” By what NAME? What authority? Other Jewish magicians used incantations to work wonders, what hidden power might you be invoking?

Peter is not cowed by their intimidation. I imagine him looking around at them and stretching up to his full stature. Luke the author notes Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit” (v8a) before speaking to them. This was the moment Jesus had been preparing them for back in Matthew 10:19f, “But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

That promise is for ALL of Jesus’ followers, not just the first disciples! Can you trust HIM to give you what to say when you are questioned?

Now comes the moment God has been preparing Peter for all along. No waffling this time! He’s standing on the Rock. First, note how Peter puts the ludicrousness of the official inquiry in perspective: Acts 4:8b-9, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed...” As in – is this really the sort of crime that should occupy a court’s time and resources, when a lame man can walk again? What kind of crime is that? If that’s all that’s the matter, what are the hidden motives in your putting us on trial? Don’t you have more worthwhile matters to prosecute than an undebatably good deed?

Then, in a sudden stroke of genius and divine inspiration, the accused becomes the prosecutor: those holding court suddenly find themselves put on trial and found guilty. V10 “then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” The NAME at issue is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. They ought to know Him – He’s the very One they executed scarcely two months previously. “WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED” – there it is, the charge against them: the “you” is emphatic in the original grammar. Robinson’s Word Pictures comments, “Too good a chance to miss, and so Peter boldly charges the Sanhedrin with responsibility for the death of Jesus.” What guts! To pin the very ‘authorities’ who’ve put you on trial! Yet it’s not just Peter exposing their true colours. “Whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead...” It’s not Peter’s word against theirs: God proved Jesus to be Messiah by the resurrection Peter and many others (over 500 according to Paul’s account in 1Corinthians 15) can attest to with their own eyes!

Note the shift here – Peter is not on the hot seat, it’s what God has been doing. Peter is just God’s spokesperson, a mere witness to what the Lord had done. The Sanhedrin could not ‘push Peter’s buttons’ on this because it wasn’t really about him or John at all. God was on the hot seat – and had turned the tables, announcing the charges against the Sanhedrin for crucifying an innocent man, in fact the Son of God sent to save the nation.

Peter calls an invisible attestor to the witness stand: Holy Scripture. V11 “He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’” Mind you, Peter gets no credit for originality here: Jesus had applied the very same Scripture, Isaiah 28:16, to Himself back in Matthew 21:42 – in the hearing of many of the same chief priests and Pharisees. Its truth had come back to haunt them. Jesus had added as a warning, Mt 21:44 “He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Peter’s name means “rock” or “stone”, but Peter had learned to stand on the real Rock. His name and character were becoming derivative from Jesus the true Rock, he wasn’t going to waffle now.

The transformation is astonishing. Skip down to Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” What ‘individuated’ these men? They were unschooled, ‘ordinary’, unremarkable. The same Life that rubbed off on them in their ‘ordinariness’ can rub off on you in your feeling obscure, insignificant, unexceptional. That mystery factor? As it says, “These men had BEEN WITH JESUS.” To discover your true self, that hidden potential to grow into your true ‘name’ – the person God most especially designed you to be – spend time with Jesus. Listen to His voice, not the voices of culture, or even those negative voices closer to you that have put you down like ‘slowpoke’ or ‘stupid’. Peter was living proof.

THE NAME LIKE NO OTHER

And so we come to v12, one of the most breathtaking and spectacular claims in all the Bible, one that sets Christians at odds with other cultures and idols still today. It’s an exclusive-sounding verse: but then other religions make exclusive claims, so that shouldn’t rule it out in itself. An exclusive claim is only to be rejected if it is untrue; but if it IS true, other exclusive claims that run counter to it are to be rejected, they can’t BOTH be true.

Someone once challenged Ravi Zacharias about the law of non-contradiction, objecting that it was a so-called ‘western’ way of thinking. That law maintains if something is true, then the opposite of it is false; for example, if an animal is a cat, the same animal cannot be not a cat. The objector said that in ‘eastern’ thinking, two opposite statements CAN both be true. Ravi, who grew up in India, responded: “Look, in India, we still look both ways before we cross the street – it’s either me OR the bus, not both!”

Back to Peter’s exclusive claim that sets theological liberals’ and universalists’ teeth on edge: Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” No one else; no other name. They had crucified Jesus; their very sin is eliminating and rejecting the singular Saviour or Messiah God had sent to deliver sinners from condemnation and hell.

It’s a singular NAME. Back up a bit to end of v9, they had asked “how he [the lame man] was HEALED...” The Greek verb is sozo, to save / make whole / heal. The name of Jesus is literally Yeshua, YHWH-saves. All Peter’s saying is that its by the name of Jesus / Yeshua / God-saves / God-heals that this man stands before you healed / whole. The capacity, the power to save and make whole, is branded right into Jesus’ very name. There is salvation / healing / wholeness found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved / made whole.

It is an exceptional claim, an exclusive claim, one that cannot co-exist with a philosophy of “many paths up the mountain” or the relativism that holds all religions are equally valid, if it works for you fill your boots, just don’t bother me. To suppose that Hinduism or Islam or Christianity can all co-exist and be objectively true is an affront to Hinduism or Islam just as much as it’s an affront to Christianity: all the great religions of the world make exclusive claims. So you’d better choose wisely, they can’t all be true. Look both ways, it’s either you OR the bus, but not both!

So Peter stands ready to die, as he’s there on trial before the very court that condemned His Teacher. He knows the ground, the Rock, upon which he stands. Upon what ground are YOU standing? Does it supply you with that kind of astonishing, jaw-dropping courage? How do you know?

PUTTING IT ALL ON THE LINE

Peter puts it all on the line. In many ways, being a good father requires us to do the same, to be prepared to give it all up. Fathering offers dads an opportunity to ‘disciple’ their kids at the most intimate level, day in day out, 24/7. Done well, it reaps tremendous rewards, and can be one of the most fulfilling and rewarding roles in life.

A Focus on the Family article is titled, “Fathers Encourage Identity Development.” It notes, “According to psychologist Erik Erikson, childhood development is primarily a process whereby kids gain a sense of personal identity through interaction with other people.It all begins the moment Baby comes home from the hospital, and Dad is one of the earliest and most important players in the drama. Fathers encourage identity development and teach values when they help to shape the hearts and minds of their children.This happens by simply engaging with them and being themselves in their presence.That could lead to a variety of outcomes, of course.It all depends on who Dad is and how he conducts himself.But one thing’s certain: Dads teach values by being present, caring, and involved who consciously and intentionally strive to live out their commitments, beliefs, and values in front of their kids.If a father does his job well, his children will be drawing upon the strength and goodness of his example for the rest of their lives.”

Dads encourage identity development – they help their kids find out who they are, what their real NAME is.

It says they teach values “by being present, caring, and involved...” Peter and John had BEEN WITH Jesus; good fathering requires ‘being with’ our kids – present, caring, and involved.

A young man stood before a judge to be sentenced for forgery. The judge had been a friend of the boy’s father, who was famous for his books on the law of trusts. The judge said sternly, “Young man, do you remember your father, that father whom you have disgraced?” The young man answered quietly, “I remember him perfectly.When I went to him for advice or companionship, he would say, ‘Run away, boy, I’m busy.’ Well, my father finished his book, and here I am.”

A positive example to wrap up...You’ve probably heard of a certain financial firm called H&R Block. Some time back Tom Block resigned as Chief Executive Officer of H&R Block, the $1.7 billion tax preparation firm, to become a teacher at St.Francis Xavier middle school in Kansas City, Missouri. His annual salary suddenly dropped to about three percent of his old salary. But Block knew his hectic schedule as CEO had been interfering with his top priority: his wife and their two sons. He said, "The hardest part was telling my father. But I didn't want to look back on my life and say, 'Gee, you had an opportunity to play a bigger role in your children's lives and didn't take it.'"

Let’s pray. Thank You Father God for granting Peter a filling with Your Spirit so he could boldly proclaim the truth about Jesus’ saving power. Put the name of Jesus upon us so profoundly that we find our identity in You, we know our name because we are resting upon that singular name that saves and makes whole. Help us be done with lesser idols, so we may better love and give ourselves to our family and to strangers, whomever we meet – ready to share the goodness we’ve come to experience in You! In Christ’s name, Amen.

[WE WILL NOW MOVE TO THE LORD’S TABLE - SO PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO GATHER YOUR ELEMENTS, YOUR BREAD AND CUP, FOR COMMUNION TOGETHER.]

“A Lone Traveler Finds New Direction” - July 11/21 Acts 8:26-40

PUT SOME TACT IN YOUR CONTACT

Acts 8:35 NLT “So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.” We have GOOD NEWS to share – that’s called “evangelism”: but when it comes right down to it, many of us are nervous and reluctant about sharing our faith. It’s been noted that in regard to evangelism many believers are like the Arctic River: frozen at the mouth! The hardest thing seems to be to open our mouth to get the first word out.

Another barrier we can run into is our jargon: it’s possible to fail to communicate the Good News to non-believers because we use terms they don’t use, or use in a different way. For example:

Evangelist: “Are you a member of the Christian family?”

Store clerk: “No, they live two miles down the road, the white house on the left.”

Evangelist: “Let me try again – Are you lost?”

Store clerk: “No, I’ve lived in this town for over 30 years now; I know right where I am.”

Evangelist (now getting slightly exasperated): “Let me put it this way – are you ready for the Judgment Day?”

Store Clerk: “When will it be?”

Evangelist (finally feeling hopeful like he’s getting somewhere): “Could be today, could be tomorrow!”

Store Clerk: “Well, when you know exactly, be sure to let me know; my wife will probably want to go on both days.” (!)

It’s July now, we’re in Step 2 of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen, and things are finally starting to open up again. People are getting keen to travel. My flight from Calgary to Toronto last Sunday was jam-packed full. After 18 months of shutdown, Porter airlines announced it will be resuming service to 8 Canadian and 4 US cities this fall.

People are FINALLY able to access personal care services once more, getting their post-lockdown locks shorn. My wife’s salon was humming this past week, with customers keen to get their hair done.

Speaking of hairdressers, did you hear about the barber who was newly saved and was eager to witness to his experience with Jesus Christ? As he met his first customer the next day, he was sharpening his straight razor on the leather strop. As he stood there waving the razor back and forth sharper and sharper, he began his evangelistic approach by inquiring of his customer, “Are you ready to die?” Probably some startling thoughts went through the customer’s mind viewing the finely honed razor. As has been said, “If we don’t use TACT, we may lose CONTACT.”

In today’s lesson from Acts 8, we find motivation for and an illustration of sensitive evangelism. Philip not only finds a best way to approach his audience, he also provides next steps for the Ethiopian man to continue his faith journey fruitfully.

TIPPING EVANGELISM IN OUR FAVOUR: GOD HAS LAID THE GROUNDWORK

A bit of context before we begin. Back in Acts 1 after the resurrection the disciples asked Jesus if now was going to be the time when the kingdom was restored to Israel (1:6). Jesus’ answer blows the concept of territorial political kingdom out of the water and points to a global initiative that’s just beginning: Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” You get the idea of gospel influence spreading in ever-expanding circles until the whole planet is reached!

In the next chapter, Pentecost happens; Jews visiting Jerusalem for an annual harvest festival hear Peter preach the first post-Ascension sermon and thousands soon become Jesus-followers. A new spiritual community starts to form; miracles happen; religious leaders express consternation and condemnation, with Stephen the first martyr being stoned by Acts 7. A man named Saul who’s entrusted with the coats of those casting the stones overhears Stephen’s speech, and begins to ruthlessly hunt down and imprison members of the early church. He doesn’t know it yet, but Saul will turn out to be a key agent in bringing the message of Christ before governors and even the emperor in far-off Rome.

In response to the persecution, believers flee Jerusalem, taking the gospel with them and continuing to share it with others. Philip preaches in Samaria, some 30 miles north of Jerusalem, and many are converted. Even a powerful sorcerer named Simon believes and is baptized. Church leaders in Jerusalem hear what’s happening in Samaria and send Peter and John who lay hands on and pray for the new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

The gospel influence is rapidly expanding – Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

About 500 miles upstream from the mouth of the Nile River in Egypt is found the northern edge of the kingdom of Ethiopia, also known as Nubia, at Aswan (the first cataract); it extends to Khartoum in the south, with its capital Meroe built on a large island in the Nile over a thousand miles from Jerusalem. Is it possible this could be the next region to hear about Jesus? Well, even though it’s the first century, Roman roads have made it possible for people to be on the move. God is about to arrange a divine appointment for Philip that will have long-lasting effects on this distant nation of dark-skinned people.

Vv26-27a “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road— the desert road— that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.”

Note Philip MADE HIMSELF AVAILABLE. He’d been preaching up around Samaria, well north of Jerusalem, but now was to relocate quite a bit to the south. He was obedient and made the move. Timing was critical: if he’d delayed a day, he wouldn’t have made the appointment.

Who does he meet? An important official – in fact keeper of the purse for an entire nation. In Ethiopia the king was regarded as a child of the sun-god and thus too sacred to be involved in daily affairs, so these were handled by the queen mother, whose title was ‘the Candace’ or ‘prince of servants’. This Ethiopian traveling official was a eunuch, emasculated, unable to have children (as was often the custom for officials in ancient times – I guess it made them less of a risk). So the Lord was arranging for Philip to be able to speak into the life of someone high up in government in a foreign land.

Let’s carry on and read 27b-29: “This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet.The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’” Do you see God’s hand at work already, preparing for witness? Way before Philip met the man, factors were being brought to bear that could make the official receptive to the gospel. He had traveled by land without a motor vehicle over a thousand miles to Jerusalem in order to worship. Now, when he got there, he had come so far but could not go the final few yards: eunuchs were not viewed as ‘full people’ and were barred from the temple, for as the law of Moses held in Deuteronomy 23:1 “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.”

Today in the era of the internet, information is cheap. In the days of the printing press post-Gutenberg, you still had to pay to buy a book or a newspaper, there was a cost. Back in the first century, there were NO printing presses and no internet: books were very expensive, taking the form of scrolls laboriously hand-copied. But the official not only was devout enough to travel all the way to Jerusalem, he invested significant funds to purchase a copy of this scroll, the book of the prophet Isaiah.

God was at work! He had the man in the right place. He had prompted the man to buy the scroll and be reading it. The Spirit prompted Philip to meet him on the road, and then to approach the chariot, probably hitching a ride by hopping up on the running-board.

Do you pray for your eyes to be open to divine appointments? We never know just how God has been at work in the private lives of people we meet.

Sometimes strangers may be more familiar with God’s actions in history than we might expect. Last Sunday I arrived in seat 12E on my Air Canada flight from Calgary to Toronto after considerable uncertainty. The night before I had gone to check in online only to find I was listed on ‘standby’, even though I’d bought my ticket back on May 27. After about an hour and 20 minutes on hold on the phone I sprung the extra $34 for a seat upgrade to the bulkhead, about a minute before an agent finally came on the line and assured me I had a seat and refunded the extra cost. However the boarding pass they printed for me the next day at the airport still said ‘standby’ – staff suggested I speak to the agent at the counter when the gate opened. So I finally arrived at seat 12E on a full flight, thankful I hadn’t been left back waiting in the terminal!

I introduced myself to the passenger on the window side of me. She had spoken to her friend a row behind in a language that was neither English nor French: she explained it was Farsi, and she was originally from Iran. It turns out this Toronto-area woman is a professional teacher with a Master’s degree who’s working on a second Master’s in the field of education. She teaches ESL (English as a Second Language) online to students all over the world, including China!

You just never know who you’re going to bump into, where they’re from, what their qualifications are, what the range of their sphere of impact might be. Philip had his Ethiopian official. I had my Canadian-Iranian ESL teacher. Whom might you be rubbing shoulders with?

As we talked, it came out that I was a pastor of a church, which I had to explain what that involved. She commented how the Bible like the Koran is important for a full understanding of literature, especially English literature. Later, she disclosed she had in fact read four books of the Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John!

What a SETUP! God was already at work in this woman’s life, it would seem. I was able to mention about the relationships between the 4 gospels and Jesus’ life, how Matthew and Luke seemed to add teaching details to Mark’s basic outline of the actions of Jesus, and how John took an altogether different approach. That would have been a good point to talk about Jesus’ 7 “I AM” sayings in the book of John.

The Spirit of God is at work in people’s lives even before we meet them. There is a HUMAN HOLE: God has HARDWIRED US TO HUNT FOR MEANING AND MORALITY. Eccles 3:11b “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” This ‘setting eternity in the hearts’ of people moves every person to ask questions like, Why am I here? What’s the purpose of life? What’s right and wrong? Where do we go when we die? This is Augustine’s “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.” There was a famous scientist Blaise Pascal – whose name is used now for units measuring barometric pressure! Pascal wrote: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

God’s Spirit is at work even before we arrive on the scene. God has also hard-wired each person for Himself, booby-trapping them with an inbuilt hidden hunger for spiritual truth and reality, for life to have meaning.

Once we got into the air and had conversed some, my fellow passenger prepared to watch a movie. She recommended I watch an animated one called “Soul” which is about a teacher whose dream is to become a jazz musician; it deals with the meaning and purpose of life, the “great beyond” and the “great before”, how people are given their unique ‘spark’. Here again, even in the movie choice recommended by my cabin-mate, we have modern culture wrestling with the ‘big questions’ of what’s life all about? The existential angst of possibly missing one’s calling, what we’re ‘built’ for. The Good News about Jesus would have lots to say about that!

JESUS’ APPROACHABILITY AND VULNERABILITY

Philip overhears the Ethiopian official reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, a passage from the prophet Isaiah. This would be from the Greek Septuagint, a translation into the commercial international trading language of the day. Philip asks if he understand what he’s reading; the man invites Philip to sit with him. The official then asks Philip just who the prophet is talking about. Vv32b-33 “The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’” Bible in Basic English translates v33, “Being of low degree, his cause was not given a hearing: who has knowledge of his family? for his life is cut off from the earth.”

Do you suppose our eunuch could relate to Jesus’ being ‘cut off’? He couldn’t have a family; Jesus was crucified as a single man, without a family – but His descendants would be those who are born again into God’s family by faith. Could a eunuch relate to this person Isaiah’s writing about in terms of ‘humiliation...deprived of justice’? Life sometimes just doesn’t seem fair! Jesus was a perfectly innocent man, never even committing a single sin, not a political threat, but nevertheless condemned to death by a hastily-arranged kangaroo court. But Jesus conducted Himself quietly, like a sheep not even bleating when it’s about to be shorn. Jesus was a friend of sinners; children sensed this gentleness, mothers brought their children to Him in order that He might bless them. Jesus in His humility is approachable, relatable, He understands what we’re going through, when life seems unfair and ‘broken’ He ‘gets us’. And helps us cope and even overcome.

As we become disciples who make disciples, we even become regenerative, we can beget a ‘spiritual family’ which is exactly what Philip was doing. By being obedient and listening and offering to interpret what the official was reading, Philip was about to beget a spiritual ‘son’ who lived over a thousand miles away in a foreign country, and whose skin colour was very different from his own. Note the gospel’s great INCLUSIVENESS: the Jewish law allowed a eunuch to come so close but no closer; Christ welcomed even someone whose physical configuration had been permanently damaged. This is a Saviour for EVERYONE – He relates to our most severe and life-altering human hurts, the abuses we’ve suffered, all that would tempt us to become bitter and unforgiving. His grace can heal whatever others have done to us, and give us a fresh start.

NEXT STEPS: ENCOURAGING ACTS OF OBEDIENCE

Philip must have included in his gospel presentation not just the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but also Jesus’ call for people to believe in Him as Lord and Saviour, signified by the rite of baptism. Vv35-36 “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?’” He wouldn’t have asked unless Philip had somehow indicated it was a logical next step in the journey of faith.

Our gospel presentation must describe more than just spiritual principles that can receive mental assent. As James puts it, James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that— and shudder.” Correct belief flows naturally into godly ACTION. Baptism is an ordinance commanded by our Lord Jesus that is an outward sign of inward grace, a declaration to others that we are now followers of Jesus and belong to Him. Baptism is a first step of obedience to Jesus as Lord. His Great Commandment is not a suggestion, but requires response if we really acknowledge His authority as Lord. Mt 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All AUTHORITY in heaven and on earth has been given to me.THEREFORE go and make disciples of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to OBEY everything I have commanded you.And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."” Baptism and obeying commands is linked by the ‘therefore’ to His authority – ‘all authority in heaven and on earth.’

Vv38-39 “And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.” Incidentally, it seems that baptism by immersion is implied here - they ‘went down into’ the water and ‘came up out of’ the water.

Ideally, when we’re discipling someone, there’s an extended opportunity for life-on-life encounters, we can keep meeting with them and sharing more in-depth about the basics of the Christian walk, praying with them, exploring key Bible passages together, encouraging them in challenges they may be facing in their new life in Christ. In Philip’s case, he is ‘snatched away’ much the same way Christians are spoken of being snatched away in the Rapture when Jesus returns (1Thess 4:17). The others in the caravan must have found that startling, a divine confirmation of the legitimacy of Philip’s ambassadorship. The official went on his way rejoicing, so it seems he was already equipped by the Holy Spirit and the Bible (his Isaiah scroll). Christians in Ethiopia trace their church’s history back to this individual, so in that sense his spiritual ‘descendants’ became countless!

Evangelism ultimately doesn’t create lasting dependence, but equips the new believer to continue their faith-walk on their own, to stand on their own two feet, praying on their own, studying God’s Word for themselves, becoming ‘self-feeders’. As for my fellow passenger, she made note of the Bible app I recommended (YouVersion) so she could continue reading more of Scripture, and she took down the name of our church’s website where I encouraged her to tune in and find our weekly sermons and other resources. I hope she does! We want others with whom we share Jesus’ Good News to also ‘go on their way rejoicing’.

MIND YOUR BUSINESS

Evangelist Vance Havner was once preaching at Moody Bible Institute’s Founder’s Week. Havner said, “Evangelism is to Christianity what veins are to our bodies.You can cut Christianity anywhere and it’ll bleed evangelism. Evangelism is vascular, it’s our business. Talk about majoring on evangelism, you might as well talk about a doctor majoring on healing. That’s our business.”

The following is probably a bit bolder than most of us would be, but illustrates Havner’s point. Once when walking down a street in Chicago, DL Moody found himself next to a man who was a perfect stranger to him. But he asked the man, “Sir, are you a Christian?” The man retorted, “You mind your own business!” Whereupon Moody said, “This IS my business.”

I like Moody’s boldness. However in our passage I also like Philip’s tact and sensitivity. He starts where the person’s AT – coming up alongside, listening, offering to assist. The official says, “How can I [understand], unless someone EXPLAINS it to me?” NRSV “guides” / leads the way. As we come alongside people and really give them our attention, listening carefully to their hurts and hassles, we will start to see where Jesus could relate to what they’re experiencing. “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture” – start where they’re at, what’s the “God-shaped hole” they’re trying to fill with something less satisfactory?

A Mississippi riverboat was passing another vessel. The captain grabbed the first passenger he saw and said, “Look, look, over there on the other boat – look at its captain.” The passenger was somewhat bewildered and asked, “Why do you want me to look at that captain? What makes him so special?” Then the captain told him the sotry of how he had collided one night with another boat. His own vessel was foundering and in the process he was thrown overboard. The captain of the other vessel saw his desperate plight and maneuvered close enough that he was able to dive into the water and save his life.

After telling the story, the once-saved captain then turned to the bystander and said, “Ever since that day, I want to point out my rescuer to others.” Likewise, as those who have been saved, secured, and loved by Jesus, we will want to tell others about him: treasuring Him as the best thing in our life, sharing the Good News will become a natural outflow of caring for others and hearing their hurts and hankerings for help. Let’s pray.

Thank You Father for arranging that divine appointment for Philip, converting the official, helping Him find lasting wholeness and significance, touching a far-off country with Your grace by His obedient witness. Lord, make us sensitive to encounters where Your Spirit is prompting us to share the goodness we’ve found in You with others who need You so much. We want them too to ‘go on their way rejoicing’ because they’ve found You. Start setting up our appointments, we pray! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 1: “Depending on the SPIRIT of Jesus in My Journey” - July 18/21 Gal.5:16-26

BEYOND OUR BEST ANALOGIES: IDENTITY YET INTERPENETRABILITY

We’re beginning a new series based on the Seven Sayings or Markers in the Way of Jesus. Today we look at “Depending on the Spirit of Jesus in My Journey”. When we better understand the role of God’s Spirit to guide and empower our life, we will be less likely to be drawn aside into the pitfalls of counterfeits – idols that promise to satisfy us and appeal to our passions but really don’t deliver.

The Holy Spirit can be a mysterious topic, difficult to explain. Various analogies get used to try to picture it. At Jesus’ baptism, we see God the Son being baptized, God the Father speaking words of affirmation from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove – the Holy Trinity in action. Yet even that illustration is complex.

Dorothy Sayers once told of a Japanese convert struggling to grasp Christian theology. He said to his missionary teacher: “Honourable Father, very good.Honorable Son, very good.But Honorable Bird, I do not understand at all.”

The Trinity is not neatly cut-and-dried. There’s a degree of mystery as to how the relationships work. We want to try to IDENTIFY who the Holy Spirit is, but we run up against the INTERPENETRABILITY that’s going on within the Godhead. (There’s a big 8-syllable word for you! Inter-penetra-bility.) It doesn’t fit neatly into our logical categories, yet the Bible affirms this sharing between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

For example, Luke the author of Acts can at first speak of the “Holy Spirit”, yet in the next breath he calls it instead “the Spirit of Jesus”. Acts 16:6f “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”

This sloshing back and forth in the Godhead seems to splash over and include US when we become followers of Jesus. In His High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus prayed specifically for this oneness, this unity, this binding together, for His disciples as characterized the closeness of Jesus and His Heavenly Father. John 17:20b-23 “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as YOU ARE IN ME and I AM IN YOU. May THEY ALSO BE IN US so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that THEY MAY BE ONE AS WE ARE ONE: I IN THEM and YOU IN ME. May they be brought to COMPLETE UNITY to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” See all the overlap? This interconnectedness is what Jesus is praying for at the pinnacle of His life, His very last evening with His followers before His trial and death.

His closing words also point to this keen wish, that Christ Himself would be IN us: John 17:26 “I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and THAT I MYSELF MAY BE IN THEM.”

The Apostle John in his first letter to the church also points to this interpenetration. Here the condition to receive this radical change is to acknowledge Jesus is the Son of God. 1Jn 4:13-16 "We know that we live in him and he in us, because HE HAS GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, GOD LIVES IN HIM AND HE IN GOD. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever LIVES IN LOVE LIVES IN GOD, AND GOD IN HIM."

AW Tozer wrote: “One quality belonging to the Holy spirit, of great interest and importance to every seeking heart, is penetrability. He can penetrate matter, such as the human body; He can penetrate mind; He can penetrate another spirit, such as the human spirit. He can achieve complete penetration of and actual intermingling with the human spirit. He can invade the human heart and make room for Himself without expelling anything essentially human. The integrity of the human personality remains unimpaired. Only moral evil is forced to withdraw. [Tozer continues] The metaphysical problem involved here can no more be avoided than it can be solved. How can one personality enter another? The candid reply would be simply that we do not know, but a near approach to an understanding may be a simple analogy borrowed from the old devotional writers of several hundred years ago. We place a piece of iron in a fire and blow up the coals. At first we have two distinct substances, iron and fire. When we insert the iron in the fire we achieve the penetration of the fire by the iron. Soon the fire begins to penetrate the iron and have not only the iron in the fire but the fire in the iron as well. They are two distinct substances, but they have co-mingled and interpenetrated to a point where the two have become one.”

Moving beyond this mystery of interpenetrability, we find Scripture points to four main aspects of the Spirit of Jesus in our lives: a Companion in our Wilderness; a Compass in our Wanderings; a Controller in Life’s Wild Games; and a Carrier to God’s Very Throne.

A COMPANION IN OUR WILDERNESS

Perhaps the Biblical summary word for this part would be “Friend” – someone close to you, who’s with you. Jesus said to His disciples, Jn 15:14-15 “You are my FRIENDS if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.Instead, I have called you FRIENDS, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” He promised a chapter earlier in John 14(18), “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The Holy Spirit is how Jesus ‘comes to us’ today, He’s a presence with us, so we’re not left alone as orphans.

The Old Testament foreshadowed this new development in salvation history; God promised in Ezekiel 36:26, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." But how does this happen? How do we receive the Spirit of Jesus? Through regeneration, being ‘born again / born from above’. John 1:12f “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” This isn’t some weird fringe doctrine, but central to the Good News. Jesus tried to explain it to Nicodemus who came at night to find out more particulars. John 3:5-8 “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Note how Jesus Himself points out the mystery of this event: like not being able to tell exactly how or where the wind’s going to blow.

It’s an incredible wonder that by faith in Jesus we can actually being to share in God’s divine nature. Peter uses the word “participate” in 2Peter 1:4 – by the Spirit we can overcome evil desires: 2Peter 1:4 “Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Do we have to pray extra hard or go on a retreat or to some especially charismatic church where people fall on the floor? According to the Bible, you have the Spirit if you acknowledge Jesus is who He says He is – your Lord and Saviour. Paul writes in 1Corinthians 12:3, “Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.” Similarly, in Romans 8, it has to do with ‘belonging’ to Christ, not any charismatic swoon or emotional surge. Does Jesus HAVE you? Is He in CONTROL? When the Spirit is in control, Jesus is already IN you! Romans 8:9-11 “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Notice here how interchangeable the terms are: “Spirit of God / Spirit of Christ”, or in vv14&16, simply ‘the Spirit’.

If you belong to Christ, you have the Spirit of Christ; if Christ is in you, your spirit is alive, and the Christ-resurrecting Almighty One will enliven your mortal body through His living-in-you Spirit.

Do we love and obey Jesus? Then He will make His presence known to us. John 14:19b-21 “Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."” Loving and obeying Jesus is key to coming to realize He is in us, having Him ‘show’ or manifest Himself to us.

One more reference to drive home this unimaginable mystery that the Spirit of Jesus actually indwells us who have given our lives to Christ. 1Jn 3:24 “Those who obey his commands live in him, and HE IN THEM. And this is how we know that HE LIVES IN US: We know it by THE SPIRIT HE GAVE US.”

In a world where individualism is king and independence is worshipped, where divorce rates are high and families shattered, where it’s all too easy to go cocoon in our room and be drawn into the portal or screen of our device – where consequently loneliness is chronic and we feel disconnected despite all our social media – it’s a relief to find the Holy Spirit can be our COMPANION. A July 14 news article reported overdose deaths in the US in 2020 jumped from 72,000 to 93,000, an increase of 29%. That’s about 250 overdose deaths a day! A Brown University public health researcher commented, “This is a staggering loss of human life.” Fentanyl contamination of other drugs is a factor: Fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. Experts note lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get.

The Spirit of Jesus won’t leave us isolated, won’t leave us as orphans: with Him we always have a Friend nearby.

A COMPASS IN OUR WANDERINGS

Next, the Holy Spirit is a COMPASS in our wanderings. Recently Ed Stetzer was interviewed on a podcast by Carey Nieuwhof and commented that this next decade will be one of turbulence: conspiracy theories about, there’s increasing distrust of authority and institutions, no one knows who to believe anymore. What’s true? What’s real? How do you know? In the midst of this confusion, this aimless wandering, God offers us the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.

Jesus claimed to be THE TRUTH - Jn 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.” So we can expect His Spirit to be ‘the Spirit of Truth’. John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” And John 14:15-17a “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth.” (See also John 15:26)

Your compass points north (roughly) by aligning its needle with the earth’s magnetic field. Your phone finds north in its Maps app by finding 3 or 4 GPS satellites. We need badly a point of reference for guidance in our lives! For Christians, our reference is the Bible, a Spirit-inspired book, interpreted in the light of Jesus’ teachings. The Holy Spirit was active in its production and preservation. 2Tim 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...” Peter writes - 2Pet 1:21“For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

By way of example, see how Jesus responds to the Tempter in Matthew 4(4,7,10) – three times He doesn’t get ‘creative’ in respond to Satan, but harkens back to Old Testament scripture: “It is written...It is written...It is written.” If the Son of God relied on the Bible to counter enemy attacks, how much more we need to keep prepped on our Bible truth-arrow arsenal!

The Holy Spirit not only inspired Scripture, but applies it in our conscience. It’s part of the Spirit’s ‘job description’ to get our attention when we miss the mark. John 16:8 “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment...” Heed His Counsel, that ‘pricking’ or twinge, when your actions don’t line up with Kingdom values.

Think of a flag flying on a flagpole. A flag without a flagpole would just get blown along aimlessly on the ground. A pole stuck in the ground is lifeless, there’s no action there. But stick the pole in and tie a flag on and let the wind blow and you have something worth seeing!

For Christians, the flagpole is Scripture, it’s our anchor, our reference point. The Spirit of God is the wind, picking us up, stretching us out, making us alive and active – but we need to stay connected to the flag pole, or we’ll get blown along by every wind of doctrine, be that prosperity gospel or emotionalism or dry dispensationalism. Check it against the standard!

A CONTROLLER IN LIFE’S WILD GAMES

A COMPANION – a COMPASS – a CONTROLLER. I’m not into video games myself but have some family members in the younger set that are. Video game controllers have come a long way from the first simple joystick I had into an RS232 port. Now there are a combination of buttons and sticks and bumpers for each hand – that really takes some co-ordination! My grandsons can run circles around me in car racing games.

But you don’t need a video game controller in order for someone to ‘push your buttons’ the wrong way. Why is it those who know us best, most intimately, can also be the ones that get under our skin the most? Sometimes all it takes is a single word or a ‘look’ to set us off, make us defensive, feel we’re being misunderstood or disrespected and treated with contempt. There’s no cable from that controller to the box, but our ‘flesh’ (aka ‘the old man’) reacts with lightning speed, we bristle and go into protective mode, if not attack mode.

The passage Marc read earlier details various ‘deeds of the flesh’ that erupt when our buttons are pushed, or when our baser passions and appetites are appealed to...Gal 5:19-21a “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Paul goes on to warn that such actions and God’s Kingdom are mutually exclusive: you can’t have it both ways!

When it seems like people are playing games with us (in a negative way), when we find others are ‘pushing our buttons’ – God offers us a better CONTROLLER: the Spirit of Jesus. He is the HOLY Spirit, after all. He puts a new spirit in us, removes our stony heart and gives us a living heart of flesh that can care and forgive (Ezek 36:26). His Spirit supercharges us with His love internally. Romans 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

The Spirit does more than supply us with a positive assurance of God’s love: the Spirit helps us respond in a CONTROLLED manner rather than flying off the handle. 2Tim 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of SELF-DISCIPLINE.” (Self-contol ESV RSV) What is the fruit of the Spirit? Gal 5:22f “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF-CONTROL. Against such things there is no law.” (Ga 5:22-23) Spirit-fruit folks tend to be fight-spoilers, they don’t punch back, they don’t get sucked into evil-for-evil dynamics.

We will all be controlled by something; what will we be controlled by? Flesh or Spirit? Rom 8:8-9a “Those CONTROLLED by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are CONTROLLED not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”

Self-mortification is hard! It’s difficult to put to death the old harmful and destructive patterns. The Spirit of Jesus helps us walk with Him, respond as He would, squelch those old automatic knee-jerk reactions and reach out to God for a more gracious response. Rom 8:13 “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you PUT TO DEATH THE MISDEEDS of the body, you will live...”

The Apostle Peter suggests a progression in godly characteristics as we allow the Spirit of Jesus more and more control in our lives. 2Peter 1:5-7 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” That kind of person doesn’t sound too hard to live with, now do they?

Besides such qualities which are more or less for ALL believers, there are “gifts of the Spirit” for particular individuals outlined in several places – 1Cor.12:8-11, Eph.4:11, Rom.12:6-8. Through the spiritual ‘gifts’ the Lord equips the church to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing, saving, teaching, and serving.

A CARRIER TO GOD’S VERY THRONE

Companion, Compass, Controller – finally, the Holy Spirit delights to be A CARRIER TO GOD’S VERY THRONE. When Jesus introduces the topic in John 14:16 He says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—” the Greek term is parakletos, one called (kletos) alongside (para) to help. It’s variously translated Counselor, Advocate, Helper, Comforter.

A principal way the Spirit helps us is in our PRAYING. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the SPIRIT HELPS US in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to PRAY FOR, but THE SPIRIT HIMSELF INTERCEDES FOR US with groans that words cannot express.” Hear that? Even when you can’t find the words to pray, the Holy Spirit will fill in the blanks. God knows what you’re going through and what you need, He even knows the words before they’re on your tongue. So when we’re on our knees and just calling, “Lord, help!” the Spirit can pick us up and bring us before our Heavenly Father. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Is that the connotation we have in our mind with the Father’s throne? A throne of grace, mercy, helpfulness.

As we pray, the Spirit witnesses to our own spirit that there is a kinship we share with the God of the universe, thanks to the new birth He has given us. You can call this the mystical or ecstatic aspect of the Spirit’s ministry, or simply a quiet assurance. Paul teaches the early church about this in a couple of places. Gal 4:6 “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."” And Romans 8:15-16 “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

There’s a lot of uncertainty in this life, a lot we don’t know. Have we overcome the pandemic? Will there be a fourth wave? What will ‘church’ look like post-pandemic? Will daily life ever get back to the ‘normal’ we knew before March 2020? If I DO catch COVID (vaccinated or not), how serious will it be? There’s much that we don’t know, don’t have control over, much that could cause us worry and stress. But the Spirit of Jesus CARRIES us to the presence of our Heavenly Father who knows all things, cares for us, even knowing how many hairs are on our head, who knows the lifespan of each sparrow, who has legions of angels at His disposal. The Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are HIS, and in that, we are SAFE and SAVED.

In closing, I’d say Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade for Christ / Power To Change) summed it up well. He said, “To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with Christ. The Holy Spirit came to glorify Christ. Therefore, if I am filled with the Spirit, I am abiding in Christ...and if I am controlled and empowered by Christ, He will be walking around in my body, living His resurrection life in and through me.” To Him be glory forever! Let’s pray.

Precious Father, we are all too aware of the times we fall short of honouring You in our attitudes, behaviours, and character. Cleanse us by the blood of Jesus. Help us repent and receive Your filling afresh, with all goodness and love and grace that flows from You. Teach us moment by moment to give Your Spirit control in our lives. May others come to see You in us and be blessed by the fruit and gifts only You can make come alive in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 2: “To Bless or Not to Bless?” - Aug.1/21 Lk 10:24-37

THE SECRET TO AN UNBOTHERED LIFE

Today we’re continuing our series on the Way of Jesus, particularly marker number 2, “I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him.” But why bless others? Isn’t that such a bother? To bless or not to bless – that’s the question!

Sometimes it would seem so much simpler just not to get involved. When industrialist Charles Schwab was 70, he made the following statement, spoken for the record in a court of law, after he had just won a nuisance suit: “I’d like to say here in a court of law, and speaking as an old man, that nine-tenths of my troubles are traceable to my being kind to others. Look, you young people, if you want to steer away from trouble, be hard-boiled. Be quick with a good loud ‘no’ to anyone and everyone. If you follow this rule, you will seldom be bothered as you tread life’s pathway. Except you’ll have no friends, you’ll be lonely, and you won’t have any fun!”

Suddenly the unbothered life doesn’t sound so appealing, does it?

As we think today about whether or not we should be blessing others, let’s approach it this way. God is a God of blessing. Our role is to magnify God, to help others appreciate Him as He is. We accomplish that by blessing others. This becomes especially remarkable when we redirect retaliation. It may even produce opportunities to invite others to know God better.

GOD IS A GOD OF BLESSING

Ancient cultures produced a variety of gods with different characteristics. Animist religions perceived gods in trees and streams. Hindus believe in many gods. The Greeks and Romans believed in twelve “Olympians” including Zeus who dwelt atop Mount Olympus – but the tales of which read like a wild soap opera. So, how can those of Judeao-Christian bent maintain their God is at all good, or even bless others?

God is mysterious, and it is only as He reveals Himself to us that we come to know Him. The picture we get of God from the book He inspired, the Bible, is that God is good! The first chapter of Genesis concludes, Gen 1:31 “God saw all that He had made and it was VERY GOOD...” In fact, what is God’s very first act after creating humans? Gen 1:28 “God BLESSED THEM and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."” God BLESSED Adam and Eve – so we see early on that God is a BLESSING God.

In the Desert of Sinai God told His prophet Moses how the priests were to pronounce a blessing in His Name. Number 6:22-27 “The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites.Say to them: "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."’ So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."” That’s kind of an odd expression, isn’t it? “So they will PUT MY NAME ON the Israelites”? As if something about blessedness goes right to the heart of who God is, what He’s like, His very essence. For His people He is their keeper, gracing them, defending their peace, giving them His full attention (face turned toward them) and beaming warmly as He gazes upon them (make His face shine upon them). That was to be the routine, repeated word-picture the priests were to use in pronouncing a blessing, labelling them as God’s, reminding them Whose they were.

In Jesus’ incarnation, we see God take on human form – perfectly sinless, holy, caring. Jesus taught about the Heavenly Father’s goodness and caring from the Sermon on the Mount on. Matthew 5:45b “...that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” That is gracious – sending good things (sun and rain) regardless of whether they’re deserved or not.

What is Jesus like? Scripture maintains in Him we see God’s likeness. Hebrews 1:3a “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being...” Jesus Himself said, John 14:9 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” How can we sum up Jesus’ life? Peter did it while preaching to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house in Acts 10:38 - “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” DOING GOOD and HEALING – nothing wrong with those! Pilate Himself at Jesus’ trial admitted, Lk 23:14f “and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death.” Jesus was innocent – even though the Sanhedrin, backed by a mob, persuaded authorities to crucify Him. Hebrews 4:15b “...one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are— yet was without sin.”

Jesus went around doing good, was innocent, sinless; in what He did, He reflected His Heavenly Father. John 5:19 “Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” In His earthly life He did good and healed; His supreme act though was in His death not His life, pouring Himself out on behalf of sinners. Communion (as we celebrated last week) reminded us of His blood “poured out for many” (Mt 26:28). So it’s deep in God’s nature to bless, even to yielding Himself sacrificially for the benefit of His people.

OUR ROLE IS TO MAGNIFY GOD

God is a BLESSING God: He enlists people to extend and unpack His blessing in our context. That makes His rule or Kingdom real right where we are.

Let’s back up a minute to God’s great plan unveiled to Abraham. Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and ALL PEOPLES ON EARTH WILL BE BLESSED through you."” That’s a global project! How’s it going to happen? “Through YOU” - Abraham - through God’s people.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul sees this blessing coming to pass through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Gal 3:14 “He redeemed us in order that the BLESSING given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Why are we redeemed? Just for our own benefit? No, this says God redeemed us IN ORDER THAT (purpose clause) blessing might come to the Gentiles, particularly in the giving of the Spirit.

God wants to use those who trust in Him to display His glory, make Himself better known, to others. Ps 34:3 bids, “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” NRSV “O MAGNIFY the Lord with me...” The goal here is to help others see how good God is, that He IS a God of blessing, to help them appreciate Him as He truly is (not as our man-made idols suppose He is, ready to hurl the next thunder-bolt out of sheer mischievousness). The first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?” with the answer, “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” Why would the leaders crafting that statement say that? The Bible reference they give is 1Cor 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” To unpack God’s goodness and put Him on display, let Him be exalted, made much of. Paul knew our natural fallen eyes are not geared to perceive this. 2Cor 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” So as believers our task becomes revealing Jesus to those around. (Later in the same chapter he adds) 2Cor 4:10 “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” Is that your conscious goal when you get out of bed in the morning? To reveal Jesus’ life in your actions each day?

Coming to see God for who He is, is to come to KNOW Him, He’s no longer veiled to us. Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” That’s eternal life, the “jackpot” spiritually: coming to know God truly. So we assist others to come to know Him, too.

In the New Testament you find this concept of all believers being ‘priests’ or representatives or stand-ins, access points mediating God’s goodness to those around. 1Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” You belong to God, you’re a priest, THAT (purpose clause) you may declare His praises, expose and publish His excellence. Also Rev 1:6 “...and has made us to be a kingdom and PRIESTS to serve his God and Father— to him [Jesus] BE GLORY and power for ever and ever! Amen.” As you go walking around, driving your car, listening to your phone or MP3 player, do other people see Jesus and His glory by your activity? You’re a priest, not there for yourself only but also there for them – do they detect that? Can they catch a whiff of the fragrance of Christ as we pass them? 2Cor 2:14f “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” What’s your spiritual ‘waft appeal’?

WE ACCOMPLISH THIS BY BLESSING OTHERS

Pushing further into this idea of highlighting God’s goodness by being His ambassadors of blessing – what does His Word suggest as ways of going about it? What does it mean to bless others, practically speaking?

Paul understands the promise given to Abraham to be connected with inviting others to follow Jesus and hence receive God’s Spirit – “that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal 3:14). As we bless others, some will naturally become curious and wonder, “Why are you being so kind to me?” To which we could answer something like: “I am a follower of Jesus, who calls me to bless others.” Then if they’re still curious, you can be ready with some simple invitational verses like John 1:12 and 3:15: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God...” / “that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

Another invitational approach uses what’s called the Romans Road. These verses point out not just what’s wrong with us spiritually speaking, but also what we can do about it – in view of what Christ has already done. Here’s one version of the Romans Road. Rom 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

That’s probably enough, but if you have another couple of favourites from Romans memorized, you can always throw them in too! I like 5:8 and 8:1 - “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” / “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...” You get the idea. I had the “Romans Road” verses laid out inside the back cover of one of my Bibles. Better for it not to seem like a ‘canned’ approach, but genuine, from the heart, using the Scripture promises that are most precious to you. What verses seem to you most essential and to-the-point for summarizing the significance of what Jesus has done for you?

Jesus sends us on the Great Commission, to go and make disciples of all nations – to be invitational when others ask why we’re blessing them. He also gives us the Great Commandment, to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbour as ourself. If we love them, we will bless them! Blessing can be as simple as a smile, a greeting, learning someone’s name.

Our Scripture lesson was the story of the Good Samaritan. It wasn’t the Priest or the Levite that went out of their way to bind up the wounds of the mugged Jewish man, but a despised Samaritan, a half-breed from out of country, yet he made himself and his resources available to help in a very simple and straightforward way. The fallen neighbour beside the road became his agenda for the day. He even ventured to tell the innkeeper he’d cover any further costs incurred until the man was better and could manage on his own. Is there a time in your life when someone was a “Good Samaritan” to you? How did it feel? What could have been the consequences if they HADN’T stopped to help?

One time our family was camping in southern Manitoba coming back from a mammoth odyssey down to California and BC and back. It had rained at the provincial park the night before and all our tents and clothes were soaked – there must have been about 4 inches of water in some of our tents! The next day was a Sunday so we went to a nearby Pentecostal church. It was a largely French-speaking community. After church one family invited us to their place for lunch and to use their dryer to dry out our soaked gear before heading on our way back towards Ontario. Like the Samaritan situation, we were from another region, and our language was different, but the hospitality they showed us was so much appreciated! A very practical and heartfelt blessing.

Jesus taught His followers in the Sermon on the Mount: Matt 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Here, GOOD DEEDS become the means of blessing others, and prompting them to glorify God, appreciate and praise Him more. Likewise in 1Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” Here again, GOOD DEEDS become the prompt for others to GLORIFY God.

ESPECIALLY REMARKABLE WHEN REDIRECT RETALIATION

It’s not that hard to do something nice for people that like you, that you relate well to, who would likely do the same for you if the situation were different. But what about people who are opposed to you for some reason? When you’re not seeing eye-to-eye? When others treat you shabbily? THAT’S the time when Christian witness especially shines through – when we’re tempted to retaliate, but instead overcome evil with good.

The Cross was a travesty – totally uncalled-for. Jesus was perfectly innocent, a man who went around ‘doing good’ and healing the oppressed. Yet others became envious, exposed by His truthfulness, and arranged for Him to be murdered. However even from the cross Jesus bore no malice toward His enemies. He prayed for them: Luke 23:34a “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

He was living out what He taught – grace in place of retaliation / getting even. Mt 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” Lk 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” See the connection there? God is good and His nature is to bless, to be “kind to the ungrateful and wicked”; when we love our enemies, it’s like we’re His sons or daughters, reflecting His goodness in our setting.

One more: Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” It’s so natural when we’re treated poorly to retaliate, to get back at whoever’s hurting us, “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” – but that’s not Jesus’ way, there’s no grace in that! Soon you end up with a whole world where people are blind and toothless! But when someone is unkind to you, or they persecute you, instead of cursing them can you bless them? Show them a bit of what Jesus is about? About that time you’ll discover it HAS to come from Him through the Holy Spirit, because it’s not in our fallen genes. Call on Him, dig deep in God’s promises, let His life be revealed in your mortal body.

Leave room for a sovereign and gracious God to be part of the equation in all your dealings. Let Him settle any scores, rather than being your own vigilante squad. As Paul wrote, Rom 12:19-20 “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."”

GIVING AN ENEMY YOUR CLOAK

We are called to bless others, as God has blessed us in Christ, even while we were still sinners. As we bless others in His Name, we invite them to glorify Him, we’re offering them a glimpse of His love and mercy. Especially to people who wouldn’t expect it from us.

William B.McKinley, was US President from 1897 to 1901. During one of his campaigns, a reporter from an opposition newspaper followed him constantly and just as persistently misrepresented McKinley’s views. Eventually during this campaign, the weather became extremely cold, and even though the reporter didn’t have sufficiently warm clothing, he still followed McKinley. One bitter evening, the president-to-be was riding in his closed carriage, and the young reporter sat shivering on the driver’s seat outside. McKinley stopped the carriage and invited the reporter to put on his coat and ride with him inside the warm carriage. The young man, astonished, protested that McKinley knew that he was opposition and that he wasn’t going to stop opposing McKinley during the campaign. McKinley knew that, but he wasn’t out to seek revenge. In the remaining days of the campaign, the reporter continued to oppose McKinley, but never again did he write anything unfair or biased about the future president. Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, You have been so good to us; You send Your sunshine and rain on the just and the unjust. You sent Jesus to redeem us, to purify for Yourself a people ready to do good works, to point out Your own goodness to those who’ve been blind to it before. Lord Jesus, thank You for not giving up on us, for forgiving those who nailed You to a cross, for revealing Yourself to us and in us who were sinners. Move in us to declare Your excellence by showing that same mercy to others. We need Your help to bless them as we have been blessed by You! Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 3: “Character: The Stamp of the Master” - Aug.8/21 John 15:1-11

THE TRICKY TARGET THAT THWARTS US

We are making our way through the seven sayings or ‘markers’ of The Way of Jesus. Number 1: “I have begun to follow Jesus, and am depending upon the Spirit of Jesus in my journey.” (We looked at that ‘depending on the Spirit’ part a few weeks ago.) Number 2: “I am being sent by Jesus to BLESS others and invite them to follow Him.” (Have you been intentionally blessing others this past week? A smile, a greeting, learning their name?) Today Number 3: “I am learning to BE like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours, and character.” To be holy is to be like Jesus: so really we’re talking about what’s traditionally known as ‘sanctification’, allowing God to ‘holy-fy’ our character, which sort of includes our attitudes and behaviour.

Character - the stamp of the Master, letting Jesus make His ‘imprint’ upon us. From Wikipedia: “The Ancient Greek word 'charaktir'...is thus an "engraver", originally in the sense of a craftsman, but then also used for a tool used for engraving, and for a stamp for minting coins. From the stamp, the meaning was extended to the stamp impression, Plato using the noun in the sense of ‘engraved mark’.” If you picture a coin, the “stamp” of Her Majesty the Queen is a likeness, a representation of the original, resembling what she actually looks like.

We come to resemble what we worship, we start to take on its ‘character’, our heroes make an impression upon us, they ‘stamp’ us consciously or unconsciously. From Pastor Phil Delsaut’s “Way of Jesus Handbook” - “It is true that by 'nature' each of us has a certain emotional predisposition, but it is equally true that our emotional profile has also been powerfully shaped by the people we live with, 'nurture.' Unconsciously, for the most part, we have adopted the emotional contours of the person or people with whom we identify. For example, if your role model was the Clint Eastwood lone gunslinger man of few words do not be surprised if you act it out. Of course, in the movies, the strong silent hero wins, but in real life this is often a formula for emotional disaster. This is the reason that we need a different role model with whom to identify.” So, choose carefully the heroes or stars or idols you are going to allow to ‘stamp’ you with their character!

Attitude is part of character. Attitude involves choosing our goals, what we’re about. You might think ‘happiness’ is a reasonable goal. But ‘happiness’ in itself is a tricky target: if you only aim to make yourself happy, you’ll wind up disappointed, it’s a target that thwarts you. Again, from the Handbook: “The life of the follower of Jesus is not about 'spiritual fulfillment.' Someone has observed that you do not find happiness by pursuing happiness. Happiness is a by-product of something else, and happiness shows up as 'happy' surprise. Focusing on happiness is about focusing on self, and inevitably focusing on 'self' shrivels the human heart. This is the lesson that underlies that great piece of philosophy, 'The Grinch that stole Christmas'.”

So, if we’d better not idolize Clint Eastwood or John Wayne or Anne Hathaway or Jennifer Aniston (or name your favourite), and we’d be thwarted to go after ‘happiness’ for just us, what are we to aim at? Character that’s worthwhile would imprint on the Most Worthy One.

I used the word ‘imprint’ there - it’s also a biological term. Our cat Purrl had 5 kittens last Sunday; she’s spent a lot of time nursing them this past week under the sink in the cupboard of one of our bathrooms. They are busy ‘imprinting’ on her. In imprinting, according to the encyclopedia, “a very young animal fixes its attention on the first object it sees, hears, or is touched by and thereafter follows that object.” Do a search for “imprinting error” and you’ll find a video about a Canada Goose in Alaska that thinks it’s actually a sandhill crane! Biologists speculate its mother laid the egg in a crane nest, so it was raised by a sandhill crane mother and thus formed its identity based on that. So, I’m glad Purrl’s kittens are getting lots of time with a real mother cat!

What we identify with or ‘imprint on’ has importance in whether or not we have a sense of self-worth. Your identity in Jesus secures a sense of self worth, He gives you value, you know you’re loved and treasured, you don’t have to go hunting for it in all the wrong spots! Dignity or worth or value that’s anchored in Jesus guards against needing the approval of others.

Our Scripture Reading from John 15, the Vine and the Branches, emphasizes the need for Jesus’ followers to ‘abide’ or ‘remain’ in Him, keep connected to Him, the way a branch derives nutrients and support from the main trunk of the vine. John 15:4f,7,9 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing...If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you...As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” Think of ‘remaining’ or ‘abiding’as ‘imprinting’, staying connected to, being stamped by. Here the Saviour is talking about real and lasting intimacy, knowing Him and being supplied by Him.

The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2 uses what’s probably an early Christian hymn to sketch some of Jesus’ most essential characteristics. Here’s a clue to unselfishness: remember happiness is not to be pursued selfishly, it’s a byproduct. Php 2:1-4 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” See what he’s getting at? We obtain encouragement, comfort, compassion, sharing in the Spirit by being united with (one with) Jesus. So that makes it possible for us to be unselfish, not conceited, to count others better than ourselves, to look to their interests instead of just what’s best for me.

Then Paul introduces this early hymn by saying in verse 5, Php 2:5 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus...” Now, how’s the hymn sum up Jesus’ attitude? He didn’t count equality with God something to be grasped or exploited... Php 2:7f “but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

Here are three broad categories describing Jesus’ character, we’ll use as subheadings in today’s message. The nature of a SERVANT. He HUMBLED Himself. He became OBEDIENT.

THE BLESSING OF SERVING

In a culture that cries out, “Be your own boss! Do your own thing!” the notion of SERVING would seem to be swimming against the current. But the New Testament writers exhort servants and even slaves (as existed in Roman times) to have a sort of hyper-vision, to put on their heavenly ‘Virtual Reality’ goggles as it were. They’re to see beyond their immediate boss to the One who’s looking over their boss’ shoulder, the Lord and Judge to whom one day all will give account.

Paul writes to the church at Colosse, Col 3:22-24“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” See the hyper-vision pointers? “Reverence for the Lord...as working for the Lord...It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Your boss is not the one finally in control. Be as diligent in serving your employer as you would be to Jesus Himself.

Similarly, the Apostle Peter exhorts those at the bottom of the economic scale: 1Pet 2:18f “Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.” What?! Unjust suffering?! Why?! ‘Because he is conscious of God’ – there it is again, don’t forget God is part of this picture, it’s not just your earthly master you’re serving. God is well able to square up what’s owing if you’re treated poorly in this life.

Our supreme example is Jesus Himself, who modeled servanthood in John 13. He took off His outer clothes, wrapped a towel around his waist, and began to wash His disciples’ feet. He emphasized He was giving them an example as their Teacher and Lord. John 13:14f “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Classic Christliness! He’s not asking us to do anything for others He hasn’t already done for us.

HUMILITY: THINKING OF YOURSELF LESS

Humility is not doormat theology, it doesn’t mean grovelling in the dust or self-flagellating, beating ourselves up. Remember, we have value already due to our identity in Christ, we have inherent dignity (having repented) anchored in Jesus, which saves us from needing or seeking the approval of others. “Humility is not thinking LESS of yourself (putting yourself down): it’s thinking of yourself LESS.”

The key thing is our identity in Jesus, belonging to Him. This frees us from feeling like we have to put others down or play one-upmanship. Paul writes in Galatians 5:24-26 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” If I realize I am Christ’s, I’ve received Him as Lord and Saviour and submitted to Him, I’m crucifying selfish desires, more receptive to the promptings of God’s Spirit, and I’ll come across as less conceited, and be freed from envying others. I can be content!

In John 13 we saw that Jesus stripped off His outer clothing and got down to the floor to wash the disciples’ feet, considered about the lowest ranking task in the household. Can we be humble enough to serve others? At this point in the proceedings Judas was still present – Judas, who would soon betray Jesus to His enemies, leading to His beating and painful death. Are we humble enough to serve even our “Judases”? It’s one thing to serve people you get along with, but can you swallow your pride and serve those who don’t get along with you? Even those who wish you’d never been born? Those who misunderstand you, and treat you shabbily without cause?

As Jesus proceeds with basin around the room, He comes to Peter, who at first objects to having Jesus even wash Him, then wants Him to wash His hands and head as well as his feet! Peter was trying to dictate the terms of the arrangement, but he was overridden by the Lord, who knew what was most needed. Can we accept what’s offered on the other person’s terms rather than demand more, what suits us? Can we humbly accept God’s sovereignty, His will, His placement of us, what’s happened to us? Or do we object that we want things on OUR terms?

Humility also applies to our attitude toward civil authorities. This can be challenging when our elected officials ask us to do things we don’t enjoy doing, like masking up or keeping our distance or getting vaccinated or washing our hands more often, as has been the case with the current pandemic. See what Peter counsels in 1Peter 2:13f,16 - “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right...Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” Note the phrase “for the Lord’s sake” – here again is that hyper-vision, seeing the Lord as the One we are accountable to, not just the civil authority. Our authorities are doing their best to commend those who do right, to protect the population the best they can with the tools they currently have available – tools that may or may not be ideal or fully tested but that are helping keep people out of hospital. “Live as free men” – yes we have certain ‘rights’ – “but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil”. As a follower of Jesus, my primary concern should not be trumpeting my supposed ‘rights’ but lovingly exercising my responsibility to love my neighbour as myself – even if that means some temporary discomfort or inconvenience. For example, when I’m with other people I mask up not so much to protect myself as to protect others, including those who can’t vaccinate or are immunocompromised.

In humility, we regard others as better than ourselves, we look to their interests not our own (Php 2:3f).

OBEDIENCE: KEEPING IN STEP

“I am learning to be like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours, and character.” Behaviours have to do with actions, and that’s where OBEDIENCE comes in, where the rubber meets the road. A key Biblical phrase here is keeping ‘in step with’ God’s leading. From the Way of Jesus Handbook: “...our attitudes affect our behaviours (actions). Good behaviours oft repeated become habits, and good habits form the basis of character. Identifying with Jesus (lining our lives up with Jesus) is how we develop good attitudes and healthy emotional responses to the challenges of life. Depending on His Spirit, He gives us the moral courage to make tough choices well.”

Take note in Philippians 2:13 of how being connected with Jesus (that ‘abiding/remaining’ part of the vine and the branches) has outworking in our actions: Php 2:13 “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” God works IN you – the Spirit is present in your life, influencing you, guiding you. For what? “To will” - there’s the cognitive decision-making, the determining, the choosing. “And to act” - there’s the energy being applied, the limbs moving, the action taken, the phone call made, the person visited, the firewood piled, the card written, whatever it may be. Obedience comes into play.

Next verse: Php 2:14 “Do everything without complaining or arguing...” The DOING is an outcome of God working IN you (v13). And His grace makes it an unselfish doing, without strife or complaining, not self-focused.

Christ emphasized the blessing of obedient follow-through after He washed His disciples’ feet in John 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you DO them.” The hymn containing Philippians 2:8 reminds us, Php 2:8 “...he humbled himself and became OBEDIENT to death— even death on a cross!”

To the Galatians, after the famous ‘fruit of the Spirit’ passage, Paul advised: Gal 5:25 “Since we live by the Spirit, let us KEEP IN STEP WITH the Spirit.” You’re not walking out ahead of God, or off somewhere to the side, just tracing where the Master leads, keeping “in step with the Spirit”. Similarly, Peter writes, 1Peter 2:21 “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow IN HIS STEPS.” Are you ready and willing to ask the Lord where He wants to take you this coming week? Where do you discern His footprints may be leading you? What’s YOUR next step?

CHAMPIONS CROSSING THE FINISH LINE

It’s been exciting this past week as Canadians have watched more of their athletes pick up medals at the Olympics in Tokyo. How cute to see London’s Maggie MacNeil squinting to see how she came in the 100m butterfly (and then her reaction)! And more recently Andre DeGrasse won gold in the men’s 200m sprint. DeGrasse is a Catholic who has a prayer tattooed on his forearm (“If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take”) which he prays every night. Another tattoo on his arm has the letters “God’s Gift”. He explained to CBC Sports, “When I turned 18, that’s when I got into track, and I started thinking, maybe God gave me a gift to run, so I ended up putting ‘God’s gift’ right here on my upper arm...”

What is the gift God has given YOU? How are you applying it, pressing it into service, to bring Him glory? What race has the Lord called you to run?

The Way of Jesus Handbook notes, “We find our life by losing it in [Jesus]. In a lesser way, the sports fan does not 'think' their way into a vicarious life in their sports hero. They have emotionally lost themselves in the sports hero and have found their new identity and purpose (even for short time) in that sports hero...When Michael Jordan steps on to the basketball court and scores 40 points, I rejoice and I am not diminished by his triumph. His victory is my victory and life is good...If my identification with a sports hero pumps me up, what can it mean, when the Giver of Life steps up and delivers a hammer blow to death and the eNemy, when He seeks me out and calls me by Name and then adopts me into His family! I am pumped!”

My family was saddened this past week by the recent death of a dear friend, “Auntie” Marg Snider in Sault Ste Marie, at the age of 95. From 1987 to 99, “Auntie Marg” and her husband “Uncle Jim” had played the role of adoptive grandparents to our young family when we were in Northern Ontario. We would often play music in their home with Uncle Jim playing his fiddle, Allison on the piano, and other instruments such as guitar or harmonica joining in. They were active in their community and invited us to events such as Harvest Festival and Canada Day fireworks, and we would have them over for Christmas as the children’s real grandparents lived too far away to make the trip.

Wednesday I watched the funeral livestreamed online. A parishioner from one of my former congregations recalled how she had a secret, til now undisclosed – that of all Marg’s friends, she knew she was Marg’s “favourite”. She recalled a birthday celebration for Marg’s 90^th, looking around at all the people in the hall and realizing that they all felt the way she did – that they were all ‘special’! Marg had that way about her, so kind and other-centred, she made you feel that you were the focus of her attention. My daughter Meredith wrote on WhatsApp, “She and Uncle Jim were wholly present and attentive.”

Dare we say we glimpse a bit of Jesus through people like that? The kind of person children would WANT to get close to and be blessed by, because this person makes them feel special? A Teacher who is stamping us with His Character that is completely unselfish and loving, humble and serving. Jesus invites us to keep in step with Him to discover more blessings that await as we obey and serve. Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, You are our champion, our hero. This story is not about me, it’s all about You, and Your plan for our lives. Forgive our balking at walking with You. Wash our feet, cleanse our consciences as we confess, let Your blood purge away our self-preoccupation, our sluggishness, our blind conceit and callous indifference. May Your Spirit be at work in us to will and to act according to Your good purposes. And may You get the glory when we cross the finish line! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 4: “Keeping Love the Main Thing” - Aug.29/21 1Jn 4:7-11, 5:1-5

WITH A LOVE LIKE THAT...

Let’s start off today with a pop quiz! Can you name the song that launched the Beatles into stardom in Britain, and was their first single released in the U.S.? Of course you do – you say to me, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” (!) Well, that DID become their catchphrase at the time, and in fact in some parts of Europe they were referred to as the “Yeah-yeahs”. But what was the name of the song? “She Loves You.”

That’s what we’re focusing on today – LOVE, keeping it the main thing. The fourth saying of the Way of Jesus is, “I am learning to love God and love others.” But is this kind of love the same as what the Beatles and other pop singers are singing about?

While the chorus of “She loves you” is well known (and pretty simple and repetitive), the verses actually get beyond romantic ‘fluff’ and physical chemistry to issues that really have potential to get in the way of actual sincere love. Verse 2:

“She said you hurt her so | She almost lost her mind

But now she said she knows | You're not the hurting kind”

Hmm – hurt DOES occur in relationships; pain makes us not want anything to do with the person who hurts us, we draw back, we want to keep a safe distance. How can healing occur? Hurt makes us enemies instead of friends.

Verse 3 adds more depth:

“You know it's up to you | I think it's only fair

Pride can hurt you, too | Apologise to her”

Wow – you mean the Beatles actually talked about pride and apologizing? And in a song that went on to become their best selling song during the whole 1960s? How does pride get in the way of loving? Self resists being humbled. We hate to admit we were wrong, even though we know everyone makes mistakes. But when hurt has been caused, someone’s got to pay, we need to make amends – even if that means lowering ourself to confront honestly our faults and ‘fess up’ to the other person, so the relationship can indeed return to a state of fairness and justice.

If “She Loves You” was the Beatles’ biggest hit of the first decade, “God loves you” would be one of the most basic truths of the Christian Gospel. Let’s look at the centrality of love more closely.

CHRISTIANITY’S ESSENTIAL: LOVE AS FOREMOST

Baden-Powell, founder of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, used to say, “If it’s not fun, it’s not Scouting.” Similarly we might say, “If it’s not loving, it’s not Christian.” Jesus and the New Testament writers put love squarely at the centre of the Christian faith. 1Jn 4:16b “God is love.Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” John is asserting (through the Holy Spirit) that God’s very essence, the heartbeat of God’s nature, is love. Probably Christianity’s best known verse, Jn 3:16, begins - “God so LOVED the world...”

Jesus, God’s unique Son, the divine incarnate, lived among us as a model of love: teaching, healing, feeding, caring, and at the end, dying to become a perfect substitute for sinners. Jesus’ giving of Himself for us, in our place, at the cross defines for us what real love is truly about. 1Jn 4:9 “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” And Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus spelled out for us how key love is for His followers, the kind of love that He demonstrated at the cross. John 15:12f “My command is this: Love each other AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. Greater love has no one than this, that he LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR his friends.” What constitutes ‘great’ love in Jesus’ eyes? Laying down your life for others.

Acting in love is the primary command for a Christian. We just saw (Jn 15:12) Jesus calls it “MY command”. A few verses later, He reiterates for emphasis: Jn 15:17 “This is my command: Love each other.” Could He have made it any simpler?!

In Luke 10, where we find the story of the Good Samaritan, the context has to do with what commands are the most important ones. An expert in the Jewish law asked the following to test Jesus. Lk 10:25b-28 “"Teacher...what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."” In a similar setting in Matthew 22(40) Jesus adds, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” – hanging or depending or swinging on them like a door on a couple of hinges. If it’s not loving, it’s not Christian.

Jesus clearly wanted love to be an identifying factor for His followers, something that would set them apart, make them stand out. Jn 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another.AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, SO YOU must love one another. BY THIS all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” The context here is the evening He was betrayed and would be crucified the next day; the evening He washed His disciples’ feet in the lowly style of a servant. Not mere emotion or feeling: love in action – that would stamp them as His followers.

Tertullian of Carthage was a Christian author who lived from 160-220 AD. He wrote, “It is our care for the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness, that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents. ‘Look!’ they say, ‘How they love one another! Look how they are prepared to die for one another.’” Would our neighbours say that about our church today? Is our ‘love gauge’ reading anywhere near that?

The Apostle Paul singled out love as the most enduring of the primary features of the Christian faith. 1Cor 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” In fact in that famous ‘love chapter’ Paul began by asserting that without love, we are a ‘net ZERO’ regardless of other spiritual things we might boast in. 1Cor 13:2-3 “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I AM NOTHING. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I GAIN NOTHING.” Zilch - nada!

SPOT THE CRICKET: WHAT LOVE IS / ISN’T

Has anyone else had this problem lately? Our house seems to have been invaded by crickets! Not overrun, but just the occasional one here or there we have to track down and deal with. It’s frustrating, you can hear them in the room, but they’re almost invisible until you start moving boxes and furniture.

How can we track down love? What’s it really look like? The Beatles’ song “She Loves You” had some good angles, but not every pop or country song gets beyond the ‘wow’ factor of physical appearance and personal chemistry. How can we appreciate better what the Lord means by ‘love’?

In 1Corinthians 13 Paul outlines some positive and negative aspects of love – what it IS and IS NOT. 1Cor 13 verses 4-8a “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails.”

Let’s review those one at a time, the positives first. “Love is patient” - are we generous with our time? Does having to wait for someone make us uptight? Do we cut others off in traffic? “Love is kind” – how giving are we? Generous with our money or our muscle, going out of our way to help someone? Do we exhibit thoughtfulness toward others or are we always too focused on our own projects? “Love rejoices with the truth” – do we hop on conspiracy theory bandwagons? Do we ever bend the facts to make ourselves look better? Are we susceptible to juicy bits of gossip? “Love always protects” - it covers for the other, makes allowance for them, defends them when maligned, looks out for their best interests. “Love always trusts” – puts its confidence in the other person, gives them a second chance, sees the other person in the best possible light. “Love always hopes” - doesn’t become jaded or cynical, it sees the possibilities, stays positive and edifying, building others up. “Love always perseveres” - hang in there, don’t give up, let’s try one more time.

Then there’s the negative side, what love is NOT. “Love does not envy” - doesn’t compare itself with the Joneses, is satisfied and content rather than always wanting more. “Love does not boast” – it’s not ‘full of oneself’, always needing to rhyme off one’s accomplishments looking for validation: your validation doesn’t come from other humans, but from God, whose son/daughter you are through faith in Christ, hence you have real worth and dignity; you don’t need to draw attention. “Love is not proud” – either overt pride, or hidden pride, cloaked by self-deprecation but still needing to be affirmed or in control / heeded. You know God is God and you’re not! You don’t have to force things to get your way all the time. “My way or the highway” - no!

“Love is not rude” - not butting in, jumping in to finish the other person’s sentences, steering the conversation, but showing respect and being polite, even at least ‘civil’ when tensions are high. “Love is not self-seeking” - preoccupied with the ‘unholy trinity’ of ‘me-myself-and-I’. Can we let others have pre-eminence? Does it rankle us when they get the credit, or praise? “Love is not easily angered” - not explosive, irritated by simple things, not gunny-sacking and then dumping inappropriately at the last straw. “Love keeps no record of wrongs” - doesn’t keep harping ‘you owe me’ or keep a long list of grievances, becoming bitter, resentful, having a hard time forgiving someone. “Love does not delight in evil” - careful about what we’re viewing, not fascinated with oppression or injustice or bullying, not overly impressed with ‘bad guys’ whether on the screen or in the news, not taking part in pornography or other practices that degrade others. Steer clear!

For an example of love being kind and thoughtful - a young lady walked into a fabric shop, went to the counter, and asked the owner for some noisy, rustling, white material. The owner found two such bolts of fabric but was rather puzzled at the young lady’s motives. Why would anyone want several yards of noisy material? Finally the owner’s curiosity got the best of him and he asked the young lady why she particularly wanted noisy cloth. She answered: “You see, I am making a wedding gown, and my fiancé is blind. When I walk down the aisle, I want him to know when I’ve arrived at the altar, so he won’t be embarrassed.” Such love the young woman had for her man!

Pastor Phil Delsaut writes in the Way of Jesus Handbook, “What does love mean? Doing good to someone with warmth and in deed.Love is an action word, more than a feeling, but it is a feeling.Love touches us and moves us to get involved and care about and for someone else.” (And) “How do I love others? How did Jesus treat others? The poor, the weak, the proud, the self-righteous.By serving them, doing good to them with warmth and intent.”

Scripture defines what love means in 1Jn 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” The unbelieving Greek writer Lucian (A.D.120~200) wrote this upon observing the warm fellowship of Christians: “It is incredible to see the fervor with which the people of that religion help each other in their wants. They spare nothing. Their first legislator (Jesus) has put it into their heads that they are brethren.” Love takes action, doing good, sparing nothing, helping others as Jesus leads us to do because He spared nothing to save us.

IS YOUR INDICATOR FLASHING?

At the end of July I took the “M-exit” course offered by Learning Curves in London to obtain my full motorcycle licence. During the actual driving test one becomes quite nervous, wanting to make sure you stop at the stop signs, don’t speed, and make sure you always signal so surrounding traffic can see your intentions. My Yamaha V-star 950 has a helpful self-cancelling feature on the turn signal indicator. Well, at least it’s helpful MOST of the time! Occasionally after you turn a corner, it doesn’t self-cancel. So there you are driving along with your turn signal flashing even though you aren’t actually planning to make a turn. I’m embarrassed to report that this must have happened during my actual driving test because at one point the examiner / course instructor who was following me in a car marking me and telling me where to go came on the walkie-talkie and said, “Ernest, you can cancel your turn signal anytime.” Oops!

Is your indicator flashing? Loving others is a vital indicator of our love for God. Discussing Luke 10 Pastor Phil notes, “Jesus does something revolutionary; He inseparably connects loving others and loving God. These are not separate things, but the one is the evidence of the other. Jesus weds two Scriptures: Deut 6:4,5 and Lev 19:18. Deut. 6:4f ‘Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ Lev. 19:18 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.’ ...The welding of these two texts [has] been the single most important marker of the people of God in Jesus and this single compound idea has shaped the history of the world: John 13:35 ‘By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ Jesus is unique in making love for God and love for others inseparable.”

Love for others is the INDICATOR of our love for God – “by this all [people] will know” we are Jesus’ disciples. Is our indicator flashing? You can’t separate the two: you can’t pretend to love God while simultaneously hating another human. 1Jn 4:20f “If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” Real love for God has the consequence, the outworking, the necessity of loving our sister or brother.

The Way of Jesus Handbook draws to our attention this statement: “You do not love God any more than the person you love the least.” (repeat) So, in light of that I ask you, Do you really love God? 1John 4:11 says, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” ‘Ought’ - we owe it, because God has first loved us. The handbook comments, “The apostle appears to be saying that the measure of your love for God is how we treat others.” Our treatment of others is a measure, an indicator, a gauge of how much we actually love God.

In a boiler room, it is impossible to look into the boiler to see how much water it contains. But running up beside it is a tiny glass tube, that serves as a gauge. As the water stands in the little tube, so it stands in the great boiler. When the tube is half full, the boiler is half full, if empty, so is the boiler. (Same sort of thing on those big coffee percolators.) How do you know you love God? You believe you love him, but you want to know. Look at the gauge. Your love for your brother or sister is the measure of your love for God.

HOW DO I LOVE THAT ‘OTHER’ ANOTHER?

Jesus teaches us to love God with our heart soul mind and strength; He teaches us to love our neighbour as ourself. He goes even further, and teaches us to love our ENEMY! Mt 5:43f “"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: LOVE YOUR ENEMIES and pray for those who persecute you...” Oh! That’s a tough one! Not sure about that? Go back and look at the state of the relationship when God put His own love for us on display. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us.” While we were still sinners – Romans 5:10 adds: “....WHEN WE WERE GOD’S ENEMIES, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son...” Col 1:21 “Once you were alienated from God and WERE ENEMIES IN YOUR MINDS because of your evil behavior.” God didn’t wait for us to get all cleaned up from our sin and become friendly toward Him before He showered His love upon us!

Back in Luke 10, the religious expert asking Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life had one more question after the review of loving God and loving one’s neighbour. He went on to inquire, “And who is my neighbour?” – as if to define more narrowly and exactly just WHO love obligated him to act kindly towards, what could be the reasonable cap to his obligation. Jesus’ story concluded with the question, Luke 10:36 “Which of these three do you think WAS A NEIGHBOUR to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” It’s not about who IS my neighbour, but rather, how can I BE a neighbour?

Jesus’ story is called that of the “Good Samaritan” – which in Jewish eyes at the time would be an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Could there ever BE a Samaritan who was actually “good”? The hostility between Jews and their northern neighbours went back centuries. After the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria in 722 BC, the peoples that were left intermarried with those imported by the imperial power. So Jews viewed Samaritans as impure half-breeds. John Hyrcanus destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim about 112 BC, which really finalized the breach between the two groups. So when Jesus makes the hero of the story that helped the man left at the side of the road half-dead beaten by robbers not the Jewish priest or the Levite, but a despised Samaritan, this must have stuck in the craw of many of His hearers.

Yes, we are called to love that “other” another – the Samaritan, that person with whom we have a ‘history’. Here in Canada it’s easy for us to say “Good Samaritan” – but what about our own prejudices? Are we really able to truly love those who are unlike us? In 2015 then-Chief Justice of Canada the Rt.Hon.Beverley McLachlin recalled our own sorry history of discrimination at an annual lecture on pluralism:

“In the 19th century, we welcomed Chinese men to build our railroads – dangerous and arduous work – but denied them the right to bring their wives and families unless they paid a head tax – a tax which remained on the books until 1923. When Jews fleeing the Holocaust in 1939 aboard the St.Louis sought refuge in Canada, we turned them away. Denied entry here and the United States, they returned to Europe, where many of them perished. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbour in World War II, we dispossessed the Japanese population of British Columbia of their homes and businesses and locked them up in camps. Slavery was not unknown in our country in the 18th and 19th centuries, and black people suffered systemic exclusion throughout much of the 20th century. The most glaring blemish on the Canadian historic record relates to our treatment of the First Nations that lived here at the time of colonization. An initial period of cooperative interreliance grounded in norms of equality and mutual dependence...was supplanted in the nineteenth century by the ethos of exclusion and cultural annihilation. Early laws forbad treaty Indians from leaving allocated reservations. Starvation and disease were rampant. Indians were denied the right to vote. Religious and social traditions, like the Potlach and the Sun Dance, were outlawed. Children were taken from their parents and sent away to residential schools, where they were forbidden to speak their native languages, forced to wear white-man’s clothing, forced to observe Christian religious practices, and not infrequently subjected to sexual abuse. The objective was to “kill the Indian in [the child]; save the man”, and thus to solve what was referred to as the “Indian problem”. Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A.Macdonald, explained the policy as follows: “The great aim of our legislation has been to do away with the tribal system and to assimilate the Indian people in all aspects with other inhabitants of the Dominion, as speedily as they are fit for change.” “Indianness” was not to be tolerated; rather it must be eliminated. In the buzz-word of the day, assimilation; in the language of the 21st century, cultural genocide.”

We do have blemishes on our history when it comes to how we view those who appear unlike us! It’s not unusual to be at least slightly apprehensive if not fearful of those who appear different from us, sound unlike us, whose customs are not ours. Yet Jesus makes the Samaritan the hero of the story. God reconciled us to Himself while we were still “enemies”, foreigners to grace, “aliens” from His Kingdom. But that same sacrificial love that drove His Son to die for our sins to put things right and make us acceptable before His Holiness pours into our hearts to love others however strange or ‘foreign’ they may seem to us.

It’s not easy. You have to ‘make yourself’ love others sometimes! It’s an act of obedience. Repeatedly Scripture links love with obedience. Jesus said: John 14:15,21 “"If you love me, you will OBEY what I command...Whoever has my commands and OBEYS them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” And later the apostle John wrote: 1Jn 2:5,5:3 “But if anyone OBEYS his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him...This is love for God: to OBEY his commands.And his commands are not burdensome...” Not burdensome because we have an internal Helper! As we just read, Jesus will love us and show Himself to us. Romans 5:5b “...God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Pastor Phil writes in the WoJ handbook, “Obedience is the ONLY right response to the love of God.He is my King. How can I show love to my King, unless I follow and obey Him?”

OUR GREATEST NEED

In closing, Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross had this to say about our greatest need – the absolute greatest need of every person you will ever meet! She said: "I've never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. There is no mistaking love. You feel it in your heart. It is the common fiber of life, the flame that heats our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives. It is our connection to God and to each other." Let’s pray.

Loving God, How great is Your love for us unworthy sinners! Thank You for showing us a perfectly loving human life in the person of Your Son Jesus. Burn away within us any leftover hostility, any resentments, any prejudice against You or other people. Flood our hearts with Your love that pours over into the lives of those we come in contact with. Show us the ‘neighbour’ You want us to love particularly, to make amends with, to invite into Your Kingdom this coming week. For You have been so kind to adopt us as Your sons and daughters in Christ. In whose name we pray, Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 5: “The Heart of Jesus’ TEACHINGS” - Sept.5/21 John 6:60-69

HONESTLY, NOW

Today we’re talking about Jesus’ teachings and how that relates to the Bible in general. Most of us wish we knew our Bible better than we do; it’s been called “the book we dust and trust”. You can even fool yourself into thinking you know it better than you actually do.

Two lawyers were arguing on opposing sides of a case. During the trial, one thought he would make a great impression on the jury by quoting from the Bible. So he said, concerning his opponent’s client, “We have it on the highest authority that ‘All that a man has will he give for his skin.’”

The other lawyer knew the Bible better. He said, “I am very much impressed by the fact that my distinguished colleague here regards as the highest authority the one who said, ‘All that a man has will he give for his skin.’ You will find that this saying comes from the Book of Job and the one who utters it is the devil. And that is who he regards as the highest authority!” (!)

The fifth saying in the Way of Jesus is, “I am learning the teachings of Jesus.” At first you might suppose we’re just talking about the parts where Jesus is actually quoted, that would be the “red letter” portions in some Bibles. But is it just those bits that originate with Jesus?

JESUS IS AUTHOR OF HOW MUCH OF THE BIBLE?

In the Way of Jesus Handbook, Pastor Phil Delsaut wrote, "The ENTIRE Bible comprises the teachings of Jesus.Jesus during the days of His flesh put His seal of approval on Scripture as the very Word of God.Jesus, as the eternal Son of God, is just as much the Author of Scripture as is the Father or the Spirit." How do you get from just the red-letter bits to the whole Bible being Jesus' teachings?

We read in John 1:14,18 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” In this ‘prologue’ or ‘forward’ to John’s Gospel, Jesus is called the Word, the Logos, the ‘making-sense’. Jesus became flesh, was born as a human, Son of Man but also Son of God, in order to communicate God the Trinity to us, to ‘make [God] known’. When God is speaking, that involves Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1-3a carries some of the same force: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” God is there, and He is not silent. He has spoken through the prophets, as recorded in Scripture, but most clearly and definitively He has spoken to us by His Son, Jesus, who represents God’s being exactly. Jesus’ word is powerful. It’s that word we hear coming through in the Bible.

Some people might try to drive a wedge between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the Old ‘covenant’ or ‘deal’ and the New ‘covenant’ or ‘deal’, but Jesus Himself emphasized the continuity of the two. In His initial main message in Matthew’s account, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: Mt 5:17f “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Do you think from that that Jesus had a “high” view of Scripture? At a critical point when confronted by people ready to stone Him, Jesus called upon the authority of Scripture (quoting Psalm 82:6) to underline His own identity. John 10:35f “If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came— AND THE SCRIPTURE CANNOT BE BROKEN— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?”

Scripture is trustworthy, infallible, it “cannot be broken”. Jesus refers to it as “the word of God” – and if He is God’s Son, then it is also HIS word.

The Bible is profoundly about Jesus. The Old Testament anticipates Him, the New Testament welcomes and describes Him, and looks forward to His return. After Jesus’ resurrection, He met a couple of despondent disciples on the road to Emmaus, but they were kept from recognizing Him until they broke bread together. While they were walking along Jesus treated them to an overview of Scripture that highlighted how much it pointed to Himself. Lk 24:25-27 “He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

A bit later, after they returned to Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to them and explained: Lk 24.44-47 “‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.’”

There you have the heart of the Bible in a nutshell, summarized by the Author. God has entered and acted in history to save us from the fracture of relationship that our sin caused. So while Jesus is at the centre of the story, it’s also about US, our being drawn back into friendship with our Creator.

Pastor Phil writes in the Way of Jesus Handbook, “...the Scriptures are 'the teachings of Jesus' in the sense of the teachings about Jesus.He is the subject of the Scriptures, the One Promised by Scripture.He is the author of Scripture as the agent of Creation, the Logos (the Word).During days of His flesh, He endorsed the Scriptures as the Word of God and lived in obedience to them.The Scriptures are in every way 'the teachings of Jesus.'”

The Logos was with God in the beginning; all things were created by and for Jesus, Paul states in Colossians 1(16). We need His timeless perspective to help us know what life is really all about. Recently I’ve been struck by how short life is: a man younger than me who lived near the Anglican church in Blyth died suddenly, and then another man same age as me who was the father-in-law of my parishioner. Didn’t even make the proverbial 3-score-years-and-ten, let alone 4-score! John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was also struck by life’s brevity, and his need for guidance from some eternal source. He wrote: “I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air.I am a spirit, coming from God, and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf; a few months hence I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing—the way to heaven...God Himself has condescended to teach the way.He hath written it down in a book.O give me that Book! At any price, give me the book of God!”

HOW DO WE KNOW THE BIBLE IS RELIABLE?

“Promises, promises...” We are in the midst of a federal election campaign, and leaders are rolling out promises and platforms and pledges of funding daily. The news reported one leader mocking another leader as not having to come up with new campaign promises – they just recycle the ones they failed to keep last time! (And NO, I am not saying WHO!) Political promises are legendary for not being very reliable. But is Scripture like that? Are its promises only so much hot air? How do we know the Bible is authoritative and reliable, that it can be trusted?

Through the public library I borrowed and finished listening to Lee Strobel’s excellent book, The Case for the Real Jesus. Strobel uses his journalistic skill to do an excellent job of researching whether criticisms of Christian doctrine hold any water. He does a convincing job of reviewing the overwhelming manuscript evidence that the Bible we read today is a trustworthy translation of exactly what the authors were trying to say. New Testament manuscripts are so early and so abundant that no essential doctrine of Christian faith is in question due to the slight variances that may be introduced during the copying and transmission process. Also, criteria such as ‘enemy attestation’ and the criterion of embarrassment give us confidence that what the original authors wrote was actually historical, that the resurrection really happened, and so on. You can borrow that from the public library – Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus.

What does the Bible say about itself? At the risk of being accused of ‘circular reasoning’, what is Scripture’s view of Scripture? Probably the most straightforward verses are 2Tim 3:16f - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ALL Scripture - not just parts of it. It’s divinely inspired, God-breathed, Jesus is the Author (as we said). It’s profitable - helpful - for teaching (getting to know what’s right), rebuking and correcting (getting us back on track when we go off the rails). It trains us in righteousness – the formation of godly upright character. So that we as disciples become outfitted, equipped for every good work. So the aim of Scripture is not just head-knowledge, but shaping us for action, so we glorify God by our behaviour and our achievements.

2Peter 1 also describes the inspiration process: 2Pet 1:20-21 “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The writers ‘spoke from God’, they wrote what God wanted to convey, nudging them along as wind pushes a sailboat. It didn’t originate in a person’s will; it wasn’t ‘made up’. As Peter said a few verses earlier, 2Pet 1:16 “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

Christianity is different from other major world religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism which are largely philosophical: Christianity is based on historical events, and would have fallen apart from the first if evidence against the resurrection had been presented by Jesus’ many enemies. But instead the Apostles and hundreds of others maintained to the point of death that they had seen Jesus risen from the dead. People don’t die for what they know to be a lie.

Other passages extol the excellence of Scripture, God’s revelation to people. Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” In the midst of the enlightenment, when deism was spreading rapidly, Voltaire proclaimed that within twenty-five years the Bible would be forgotten and Christianity would be a thing of the past. Forty years after his death in 1778, the Bible and other Christian literature were being printed in what had once been Voltaire’s very own home!

Psalm 19 describes more qualities of what God has revealed in Scripture. Ps 19:7-10 “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes...The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.” Is God’s word PRECIOUS to us? Do we view it as trustworthy, sure, perfect? Does it give our heart joy as we read it?

A skeptic might object that it’s circular reasoning to quote Scripture to prove the authority of Scripture. But if something is authoritative, you run into a problem if you start using something else outside that to attempt to prove it’s authoritative, because whatever you’re referring to would have to be more authoritative than Scripture itself.

So another approach is to say that Scripture is “self-authenticating”, that is, that it proves itself to us as we read it – of course because the Holy Spirit is witnessing inside us to its truthfulness, because it is God-breathed. In our Scripture passage read earlier from John 6, Jesus attested to the quality of what He was speaking: Jn 6:63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” When Jesus asked His disciples if they were going to leave like some of the others were doing, Peter responded adamantly: Jn 6:68 “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The truth of what Jesus taught was resonating inside Peter.

As for this “self-authenticating” aspect, I ran across something similar in my Quiet Time recently when I was reading Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth. 2Cor 4:2 “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Think about that. As the truth is set forth plainly (the apostle’s preaching and writing), it is commended to each person’s conscience: as you hear it, your own conscience affirms the truthfulness of it.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUTTING – INTO PRACTICE

As we read it and absorb it and apply it, it proves its own value. Scripture is God-breathed for a purpose: to be USEFUL for teaching, training in righteousness, forming Christlike character within us, imprinting us with the Holy Spirit’s truth and patterns, SO THAT we become equipped for every good work.

Don’t be thinking about the Bible as if it’s a book of RULES, like the Driver’s Handbook or your grandmother’s cheesecake recipe. Think of it more as a love-letter, something intended to draw you closer into a relationship, your Best Friend is sharing something very special with you. The Pharisees were experts on the Old Testament as a rule-book – they had all the commands classified, broken down into 613 snippets: but Jesus rebuked them for missing the main point. The Way of Jesus Handbook observes, “Walking with God is about a relationship.Walking humbly is about recognizing His leadership - His Lordship.Our identity is anchored in Him and we experience the power of His transforming friendship.We grow in our love for Him because we are coming to know Him better.And we grow in our love for others because we see this is how He loves them.And we want to be like Him.”

So the upshot of our Bible reading is not about DOING so much as about BEING – becoming more like Jesus.

What is the heart of Jesus’ teachings? We’ve been talking about the entire Bible as being “Jesus’ teachings”. But it’s not a bad idea to start with the red-letter bits and work out from there. Jesus is Lord of Scripture so we interpret the parts that are harder to understand or present problems in the light of God’s supreme revelation in Jesus.

What was most central to Jesus’ message? What is the Greatest Commandment? Go back and review last week’s sermon! Love God with all your heart soul mind and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself. What did Jesus say was “MY” command: Love one another – as He has loved us. That’s the very heart of His teaching, for sure. Use that when you encounter Bible passages that are more difficult to understand.

If you make a list of Jesus’ parables, you’ll come up with a list of about 25 in Matthew and 14 in Luke (the ones in Mark are pretty much also included in Matthew). Is there a dominant theme that stands out in these creative stories Jesus used as illustrations when preaching to crowds? About 11 or nearly half have something to do with the Kingdom of Heaven. He’d often begin a parable by saying, “The Kingdom of heaven is like...” – weeds growing amongst wheat; a mustard seed sprouting and growing huge; yeast leavening a whole loaf; a treasure hidden in a field; a pearl of great value; a dragnet catching all kinds of fish; a servant that was shown mercy but didn’t do that in turn; laborers in a vineyard, hired late but paid for a full day; a great banquet where none of the original guests wanted to come, so others benefited instead. So the Kingdom of heaven (or, Kingdom of God in Luke) is a central theme in Jesus’ teaching. In fact, how did He begin His ministry at the very outset in Mark 1:15? “‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’”

Jesus sees God’s Kingdom as not only coming eventually in history at His return: God’s Kingdom happens wherever God is ruling here and now. Where Jesus is through the Spirit, there is the King! Jesus invites us to be walking “in step” with Him each day of our lives, bringing the Kingdom wherever we are, in the power of His Spirit.

As you read through John’s Gospel, what stands out are not so much Jesus’ parables as His seven “I AM” statements - I am the Bread of Life, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Light of the World, I am the Resurrection and the Life, and so on. Who is Jesus becoming to you? Are you letting Him be your Vine?

As you read Mark’s account, Jesus is portrayed as a man of action, “immediately” doing something else wonderful. Then you hit chapters 8, 9, and 10, and each chapter has a prediction of the coming crucifixion, a misunderstanding by the disciples, and a clarification by Jesus with a call to follow Him to the cross. He is not just the wonder-working Son of God, He is the suffering Son of Man, come alongside us to share our sorrows and lead us to new life.

THE BOOK THAT READS US

CH Spurgeon said, “A Bible which is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t!” God did not give us the Bible so it could adorn our living room like some divine paperweight. The secret is to start reading it through the lens of Jesus. Find a version you can understand. Start with Mark or John and work forwards into the Apostles’ letters and gradually backward into the Old Testament, once you know where things are headed. A good Study Bible with notes at the bottom and book introductions can be a huge help. If you use a Bible app on your device such as YouVersion, there are beginner plans and more advanced plans, according to what time you have available. Personally, I like the One Year Bible plan because it has a nice variety, but that takes about 20 minutes a day; however if you use the audio feature, you can also listen to it while doing another activity.

Just start somewhere! And keep at it. I would say there are about 5 different stages in daily Bible reading.

MARVEL: When you first become a Christian, it’s all new, the Holy Spirit is highlighting exciting things, its very REVELATORY; you’re discovering.

MUST: After you’ve been a Christian a few years, the Bible becomes more familiar, it’s not new and as ‘exciting’ perhaps, there seem to be a lot of RULES; it’s becoming understood, and you may have questions or doubts about some parts.

MIMIC: as you keep on, it’s not just familiar, it’s becoming internalized, it starts to shape you. The Bible is becoming REPLICATED in you, it’s being applied.

MENTORING: by this stage, after some years, Scripture is starting to seem like an old friend. As you read, you’re also worshipping. The problem passages no longer cause you to trip or pause. Each day you anticipate getting “topped up” – it’s RELATIONAL, you’re listening for the voice of God; “What is it you want to show me today, Lord?”

MOOT: This is the final stage. If something is ‘moot’ (as in a ‘moot point’) according to the dictionary it is “having little or no practical relevance”. HUH? When does this stage occur? When you’re DEAD! Scripture becomes MOOT when you’re in heaven because you’re now seeing and adoring the Author face to face. It has become REALIZED; He has delivered on all those promises.

Until then, it is ‘the book that reads us’ – so keep on reading!

Some seem to expect the Word of God to hit them like a jolt of adrenaline each time they read or study it. Although the “jolt” may hit us periodically, the benefits of the Word of God act more like vitamins. People who regularly take vitamins do so because of their long-term benefits, not because every time they swallow one of the pills, they feel new strength surging through their bodies. They have developed a habit of consistently taking vitamins because they have been told that, in the long haul, vitamin supplements are going to have a beneficial effect on their physical health, resistance to disease, and general well-being. The same is true of reading the Bible. At times it will have a sudden and intense impact on us. However, the real value lies in the cumulative effects that long-term exposure to God’s Word will bring to our lives.

Four pastors were discussing the pros and cons of various Bible translations and paraphrases. Eventually each stated which version, in his opinion, is the best. The first pastor said he used the King James because the Old English style is beautiful and produces the most reverent picture of the Holy Scriptures. The second said he preferred the New American Standard Bible because he felt it comes nearer to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The third pastor said his favourite was the paraphrased Living Bible because his congregation was young, and it related to them in a practical way.

All three men waited while the fourth pastor sat silently. Finally he said, “I guess when it comes to translations and paraphrased editions of the Bible, I like my Dad’s translation best. He put the Word of God into practice every day. It was the most convincing translation I’ve ever seen.”

YOU are the only translation of the Bible some people will ever read! Will you be ‘stocked up’ on God’s word such that what flows out of you is what God would be wanting to express of Himself to them? Let’s pray.

Thank You Lord for Your excellent Word! We praise You, Jesus, Light of the World, for shining Your truth into our lives, making Yourself known, enveloping us in Your love, sending Your Spirit into our lives so Your Kingdom becomes real in our situation! Grant us an insatiable appetite to get to know You better through Your Word. Let it not just stick in our head but filter down into our heart, our character, and out through our hands and speech and lives. May we become Your expression to others wherever we go, conscious of Jesus guiding each step of the way. Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 6: “Becoming a REPRODUCING Follower” - Sept.12/21 2Tim.2:1-10

WHAT MAKES A DISCIPLE?

It’s right there in our marching orders, you can’t ignore it. It’s plunk in the middle of what Christ-followers call the Great Commission, Jesus’ parting instructions before His ascension at the close of Matthew’s gospel. What did He emphasize as He was about to withdraw His physical presence and move on up to His Father’s right hand in glory? Was it to build buildings where we gather weekly, out of sight of our neighbours? Was it to infiltrate our nation’s political machinery and institute moral laws enforced by drastic penalties? Was it to set aside time each day hidden in the privacy of our homes solely to engage in mystical practice at our own convenience, seeking ever-richer spiritual ecstasy? No.

Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."”

Make disciples – what’s a disciple? The Greek word means “to be a disciple of one; to follow his/her precepts and instructions”. The root verb means “to learn, to increase in knowledge” and further, “to learn by use and practice; to be in the habit of, accustomed to”. There’s a behavioural component, the idea of usage, repetition until it becomes habitual, it’s ingrained into you so it becomes second nature, virtually automatic. It has become habitual for me to turn my head from side to side, looking both ways before starting off on my motorcycle, because the course taught me to do that – and it’s a routine that helps with safety. It has become habitual for me when driving a car to begin signalling well before I slow down to make a turn: that’s just a good habit, practiced now about 5 decades. Has our faith-life become so ingrained?

The New Testament emphasizes that it takes more than just mere belief or philosophical agreement to be a Christian. We like to park on Romans 10:9 - “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” But real belief in the Biblical sense has a component of COMMITMENT, having entrusted yourself completely, such that it determines your actions. You might suppose in our secular atheistic culture that believing in God alone sets you apart. The Apostle James has news for us! James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that— and shudder.” I hope your spirituality is a bit above the same grade as the Devil!

The Great Commission is that we ‘make disciples’. This involves evangelism – sharing the Good News about Jesus – but there’s more than that. Dawson Trotman was founder of the Christian campus ministry called The Navigators. In his classic booklet Born to Reproduce, he tells the following story:

“One day years ago. I was driving along in my little Model-T Ford and saw a young man walking down the Street. I stopped and picked him up. As he got into the car, he swore and said, “It’s sure tough to get a ride.” I never hear a man take my Saviour’s name in vain but what my heart aches. I reached into my pocket for a tract and said, “Lad, read this.” He looked up at me and said. “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” I looked at him closely. He looked like someone I should know. We figured out that we had met the year before on the same road. He was on his way to a golf course to caddy when I picked him up. He had gotten into my car and had started out the same way with the name ‘Jesus Christ’. I had taken exception to his use of that name and had opened up the New Testament and shown him the way of salvation. He had accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. In parting I had given him Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” ‘God bless you, son. Read this,’ I said, and sped on my merry way. A year later, there was no more evidence of the new birth and the new creature in this boy than if he had never heard of Jesus Christ.”

Trotman concluded he needed to follow up more with those who were converted on hearing the gospel. A disciple is more than a person who has accepted in principle or in theory that Jesus is Lord and Saviour: a disciple is someone who is actually following Jesus, walking with their Saviour intentionally day by day.

What was that Jesus added in the Great Commission after baptizing people? “...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The Greek verb translated “observe” means literally “to keep, observe, watch, hold fast”. When that cloud bank rolled in from the lake late Tuesday afternoon and the tornado warnings had gone out on our phone, it had my full attention, I was observing it carefully looking for any funnel clouds, I was watching the dust eddy stirred up in the field across the road just west of us. Jesus wants us to give our full attention to keeping His commands.

The disciple doesn’t deceive themself into thinking they’re a Christian when they’re really not. The disciple keeps “looking intently” into the Lord’s instruction. Did you pay attention when you combed your hair in the mirror this morning? (That is, if unlike me you had enough hair to comb!) James 1:22-25 offers this comparison: Jas 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who LOOKS INTENTLY into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it— he will be blessed in what he does.” Looks intently – not forgetting, but doing; observing, watching, keeping with one’s full attention.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Through the centuries Christians have attempted to explain the meaning of the cross in various ways. Early on there was the “Christus Victor” theory: Athanasius said Jesus "brought death to nought" and was raised as a "monument of victory over death and its corruption."

Then there’s what’s known as the Satisfaction Theory. Anselm considered, in view of us sinning against God, only God himself -- Jesus -- can make up for what we did. The punishment for the crime varied depended upon the status of the one sinned against: in this case, God’s status was infinite, so we could never pay.

Peter Abelard advanced the theory of atonement known as the Moral Exemplar. According to Abelard, when our sin made a loving relationship between God and humans impossible, God became human to demonstrate the depth of his love by his suffering and death. Observing the love of Christ on the cross, we're motivated to reconcile with God and model our lives after Jesus. Because of Christ's example, Abelard wrote, "we cling both to him and to our neighbor by the indestructible bond of love."

During the Protestant Reformation, John Calvin promoted what’s known as the “Penal Substitution” theory of the atonement. Calvin presents God as an angry judge in a courtroom ready to punish human sinners. "We could not escape the fearful judgment of God," Calvin explains, but God spares us death because "the guilt which made us liable to punishment was transferred to the head of the Son of God."

Each of these theories of the atonement has Biblical backing, and presents a different angle on the central truth of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus’ own language at communion seems to support the ‘penal substitution’ theory most closely, as I see it. But sometimes our modern sensibilities become offended by the whole notion of blood sacrifice, and Calvin’s protrayal of God as angry. So the “Moral Exemplar” theory has become popular amongst Protestants and Catholics, especially those who are more theologically liberal.

Jesus did speak in terms that support us thinking of Him as our example (without negating the importance of His substitutionary work on our behalf). He highlighted the pattern of servanthood in His life. Luke 22:27 “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” And then the night He washed the disciples’ feet, He clearly made the point: John 13:13-17 “"You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I HAVE SET YOU AN EXAMPLE that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, YOU WILL BE BLESSED IF YOU DO THEM.” Clearly, He wants to be our example, and then some! “Lord” is a term of ownership and command – we owe obedient response to Him.

The Apostle Paul uses the language of ‘example’ in describing how believers are to follow His pattern of living for Christ. 1Cor 11:1 “Follow my EXAMPLE, as I follow the EXAMPLE of Christ.” Php 3:17 “Join with others in FOLLOWING MY EXAMPLE, brothers, and take note of those who LIVE ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN we gave you.” Titus 2:7 “In everything SET THEM AN EXAMPLE by doing what is good...”

Are we setting a good example in our own living patterns? Others are watching. If we have children around, they are impressionable and learn to copy what adults are doing. In the news this week was a 4-year-old Australian musk duck named Ripper who learned to mimic human speech, specifically the words, “You bloody fool”. That’s probably not how his handlers wished to go down in the annals of history!

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST

Who are we mimicking? What are the words that come out of our mouth when things suddenly go wrong? When the teacup is jostled, what spills out is what it’s filled with; are we filled with Christ? Or does something less desirable spill out when we’re upset?

Amongst life’s more pithy and profound sayings is this: “Wherever you go, there you are.” Do you know who said that? Thomas a Kempis about 1420 AD in his book The Imitation of Christ. A longer quote I’d like us to look at is this. A Kempis wrote: “It is good for us to have trials and troubles at times, for they often remind us that we are on probation and ought not to hope in any worldly thing. It is good for us sometimes to suffer contradiction, to be misjudged by men even though we do well and mean well. These things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. When to all outward appearances men give us no credit, when they do not think well of us, then we are more inclined to seek God Who sees our hearts. Therefore, a man ought to root himself so firmly in God that he will not need the consolations of men.” I like that last phrase, “root himself so firmly in God...” Where are we rooted? Do we seek our validation from other humans, comparing ourselves with them, judging by externals – or from Him who gave Himself for us, and sees our hearts?

When we are rooted firmly in God, we will find ourselves re-presenting Christ, imitating Him, not caught in the trap of people-pleasing, bending to try to suit their ideas of what we should say or do. God doesn’t want us to be copy-cats following the latest cultural trends, but to be originals, developing the special unique gifts He’s given us as individuals. Romans 12:4-6a “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” – prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, contributing to others’ needs, leading, showing mercy, and so on.

That duck imitated its handler; we have Christ to imitate, which is so much better! As we grow in Christ-likeness through the Holy Spirit, in many respects we grow to resemble Him, to be like Him in His goodness and kindness. The New Testament writers emphasized this “imitating”. 1Cor 4:16 [Paul says] “Therefore I urge you to IMITATE me.” Hebrews 6:12, 13:7 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to IMITATE those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and IMITATE their faith.”

Think back – who spoke the Good News about Jesus to you? Was it a Sunday School teacher, a youth leader, a neighbour? How are you imitating THEIR faith now?

WINCH BY INCH: THE COME-ALONG MODEL

Making disciples who make disciples who make disciples is not a “one and done” deal: it needs to be continuous throughout one’s life. Jesus wants us to be REPRODUCING followers, and that doesn’t happen overnight – as each of us can vouch our own Christian walk has had its own struggles and setbacks and advances. We need others’ encouragement, and to be encouraging our own ‘Timothies’ as we’ve had our “Barnabases” keep pouring into our own lives.

On the farm growing up I sometimes watched my Dad use what he called a “come-along” – it’s a type of portable winch with a cable operated by a lever you swivel back and forth with your hand. It doesn’t pull very fast – a couple of inches at a time – but fastened to a tree it can pull a vehicle out of a mud-hole (as I can attest more than once!). So think about making disciples as like operating a come-along.

In the Way of Jesus Handbook, Pastor Phil Delsaut writes: “Discipling, like raising children, is a developmental process. It is iterative - you do it over and over. It is incremental - little by little. It is cumulative - add a little more each time. It is uneven and unpredictable - sometimes quick and sometimes slow, sometimes hot and sometimes cold.”

There’s your word for the day - “iterative”! I like the image of a come-along winch. It’s repetitive, you have to swing the lever back and forth, back and forth. It’s incremental - inch by inch. It’s cumulative - gradually the vehicle’s tires emerge from the oozing mud with the sound of air being sucked in behind. It’s flexible and portable - you never know where you’re going to get stuck next!

Making disciples has to be LOL - not “laugh out loud” but Life-On-Life. Your faith ‘rubs off’ on people as they see how you handle various situations. Pastor Phil notes, “Relationship/ friendship is the most important factor in the transmission...Often the best discipling happens by inviting and including someone into your family's life.Because discipling is not about 'religious stuff' but about life.Following Jesus is a Way of Life.”

Hmm, ‘inviting and including someone’ – to me, that sounds like a “come along” strategy! Making disciples isn’t something confined to a church building or Sunday School classroom but also happens in the ‘school of hard knocks’ in the midst of everyday life. In Deuteronomy 6 the Lord told the Israelites how they were to teach their children to observe His commands: Deut 6:7 “Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” A “Come-along” strategy.

Paul instructed his own protege Timothy to reproduce himself faith-wise by choosing some other men he could rub off on. 2Timothy 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” Note there are FOUR ‘generations’ mentioned here: Paul, speaking in the presence of the ‘many witnesses’; Timothy, who heard him; the “reliable men” Timothy was to entrust Paul’s teachings to; and the “others” the “reliable men” would teach in turn. Reproducing followers.

What does this look like for me? I’m not as bold as Dawson Trotman, though I try to be sensitive whenever I’ve picked up hitchhikers, and watched for openings to spiritual conversation. I have had other people stay at my home for short periods in various life transitions, where they would see our own life-patterns. Occasionally I’ve met with others for breakfast or coffee-and-doughnuts. Very often I find myself visiting people in their homes or at hospital and there are opportunities for prayer. I’ve had the benefit of being part of a small group quite often, where one both gives and receives.

A wit once observed, “Showing up is 80 percent of life.” Sometimes having a major impact on someone’s life just involves showing up – going to them when they’re in distress, inviting them to come alongside while you go on a mundane errand. But you’re got to break out of your comfort-bubble. It’s paraclete work, like the Holy Spirit, who ‘comes alongside’ to help.

BLESSING OVER BROADCASTING

Does evangelism intimidate you? Do you find yourself tongue-tied when there’s an opportunity to share your faith? Do you beat yourself up because you lack the nerve to talk to so-and-so about the gospel? You’re not alone! These things force us to rely on our Divine Helper.

It’s not a matter of ‘one size fits all’ as if you should use a memorized approach. Start where each person is at, listen for how God may be already at work in their story. Sometimes it takes a person seven or more exposures to the Gospel for it to really set in.

Pastor Phil comments, “Depending on what it is, the level of relationship and trust might have to be really high. This is why the most important thing about discipling someone else is HONESTY about where we are in our journey with Jesus.” Honesty is HUGE for other people; without honesty, there can’t be trust. Vulnerability, authenticity are important; any “canned” presentation won’t sound genuine. Yes, try to have some key promises memorized, and have a general path to the cross, but try to put it in your own words in a way that speaks to that person’s situation.

The Covenant Players used to have a skit in which a person came along, bopped someone on the head while proclaiming, “I am an evangelist!” That should definitely NOT be our approach! How did Jesus introduce His message in the Sermon on the Mount? They’re called the Beatitudes - that’s a fancy word for ‘blessings’. Matthew 5:3-5 “BLESSED are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. BLESSED are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. BLESSED are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” See the theme here? As we look for ways to be BLESSING others, opportunities for authentic witness will arise. We’re already introducing God’s Kingdom into the situation by our action. From the Way of Jesus Handbook: “As we bless and then give Jesus the glory, this act of blessing becomes another piece of the puzzle in that other person's life.It can be incidental (a waiter, a stranger, etc.) or it can be intentional (a neighbour, a family member, a workmate, etc.). But as the blessing happens and we give Jesus the glory, the pieces begin to fit together and there is growing intrigue about the things of Jesus...Live a life of blessing and you are always ready for God to use you.'I am being sent by Jesus to bless others...'”

Begin by asking God in the quiet of your inner being, “Who is the journeyer God is placing on my heart?” who does He bring to mind?

THE MOST UNDERRATED EVANGELISTIC TOOL

In closing, allow me to introduce to you the most underrated evangelistic tool around. No, it’s not a gospel tract (though you can keep one in your car if that helps). It’s not a Gideon Bible - although those are helpful and are now being produced in the most interesting and beautiful formats! What is it?

You probably already have one in your kitchen cupboard...I’m talking about the lowly CAN OPENER! Yes, that’s right, it can be a Swing-away or other version, as long as it works. A can opener. Why? Because if you invite someone over spontaneously, probably the first thing you’re going to think about is, “What have I got for them to eat?!” Well – go with a can of soup (I like Habitant split pea soup) and a slice of bread. Or can of beans. Or whatever else you have sitting back in that corner. Point is – IT DOESN’T MATTER, just do it! They’re coming to see YOU, not your fancy spread. Invite them to “come along” regardless of how your fridge is stocked. People surprisingly open up and share their private lives if you give them half a chance over a bowl of soup.

The secret ingredient here is “hospitality”. Karen Mains wrote about the difference between hospitality and entertaining: “Entertaining says, ‘I want to impress you with my home, my clever decorating, my cooking.’ Hospitality, seeking to minister, says, ‘This home is a gift from my Master.I use it as He desires.’ Hospitality aims to serve.

“Entertaining puts things before people. ‘As soon as I get the house finished, the living room decorated, my housecleaning done – then I will start inviting people.’ Hospitality puts people first. ‘No furniture – we’ll eat on the floor!’ ‘The decorating may never get done – you come anyway.’ ‘The house is a mess – but you are friends – come home with us.’

“Entertaining subtly declares, ‘This home is mine, an expression of my personality.Look, please, and admire.’ Hospitality whispers, ‘What is mine is yours.’” Doesn’t that sound more like the echo of Jesus gave all He had to bring us home with Him eternally? Let’s pray.

Father God, You know how we struggle in this area of sharing our faith and making disciples. Thank You for those who have poured into our own lives, who spent time and coached us in our own spiritual journey. Thank you for Your grace through our Barnabases and Pauls. Show us who You want to be our Timothys, the precious lives we are now privileged to sow into in faith. And help us live lives that are examples, that others will want to imitate – lives that shine with Your goodness, and let Your blessings seep out to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Discipleship Keywords 7: “Part of a Better-World COMMUNITY” - Sept.19/21 Acts 2:42-47

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS A (NON-POLITICAL) PARTY!

Tomorrow is our national election. During the campaign politicians have been rolling out platforms designed to appeal to a variety of persuasions. The dynamics of this process has the effect of dividing people, even within a household, into different groups. The Quebecers have their party, seizing on a debate question that seemed to imply English-speaking media don’t really understand the sensitivities of their situation. Greens are strongest in BC. Urban and rural areas seem broadly different in their approach. Topics such as the environment and child care and gun control and dealing with COVID have been up for active debate in recent weeks, leading people to gravitate towards particular parties.

Tomorrow Canadians head to the polls (except for those who’ve voted in advance) to elect their government. Will it be a minority or majority government? Whatever the outcome – after tomorrow, to some degree party divisions will need to be set aside when our representatives sit down in Parliament and set out to govern the country. There may be deep divides before the election, but we need politicians to eventually start to work together and agree on key matters so the country can move ahead.

In the church, we don’t have parties like political parties, but we do have denominations. The church in a given community may have many believers but meeting in sub-groups in different buildings, due to denomination. The Bible reminds us that we are to be one in Christ regardless of how we’re organized in our congregations.

When evangelist George Whitefield preached from the balcony of the Philadelphia Courthouse to thousands who gathered, he cried out: “Father Abraham, whom have you in Heaven? Any Episcopalians?” “No.” “Have you any Independents or Seceders?” “No.” “Have you any Methodists?” “No, no, no!” “Whom have you there?” “We don’t know those names here! All who are here are Christians – believers in Christ – men [and women] who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of His Testimony.” “Oh, is this the case? Then God help me, God help us all, to forget party names and to become Christians in deed and in truth.”

Some of you will remember the musical group Tim and the Glory Boys; one of their songs is, “The Kingdom of God is a Party!” But not a political party, or a denominational party. Today as we look at how the Bible (the Manufacturer’s Handbook) describes the Church, we see it is a COMMUNITY that is PRESENTING, PROVING, PEACEMAKING, PROMPTING, and PROVIDING.

PRESENTING NOT RESENTING: THE COMMUNITY’S SACRED SORTING THINGS OUT

We begin with Matthew 18:20, one of the most oft-quoted verses on church life. Mt 18:20 [Jesus said] “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Jesus seems to be saying something special happens when believers gather in His name that doesn’t happen when we’re not gathered. You may have a very fine Quiet Time on your own, but when you get together with other Christians, whether in a small group or the weekly Sunday large gathering, the Spirit of Jesus promises to be present in a way that isn’t applicable otherwise. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This parallels what the Apostle Paul described in 1Cor 14:24f, “But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, "God is really among you!"”

Back to Matthew 18:20, the ‘where 2 or 3 gather’ verse. What’s the context? Chapter 18 begins with the disciples asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” In v10 Jesus cautions them against looking down on ‘one of these little ones’. Verses 15-17 have an important passage outlining the process to follow when our brother [or sister] sins against us. In v21 Peter asks Jesus how many times he has to forgive his brother when he sins against Peter.

Isn’t that just like what happens when people get together? We vie for being first. We pass judgment on others and look down on them. We hold something against someone because they’ve treated us badly. We avoid someone because they’ve hurt us in the past.

Yet here we find v20 smack dab in the midst of all this, people being (fallen) people. Sometimes it would be easier emotionally to just stay home and not risk having to see or greet that person who behaved badly, who we think owes us an apology, who has poor social skills or some might say came from ‘the wrong side of the tracks’. But Jesus is implying when we manage to work through all those resentments and judgments and past histories and forgive and reconcile, He becomes present in a special way. That is grace.

The objective in conflict resolution is not to “win” the battle but to “win over” your brother or sister – there’s a big difference!

When we come together in Jesus’ name, He promises, “There am I with them.” He is PRESENT. So when we gather in His name, we are a faith-community PRESENTING Jesus in our locality.

Pastor Phil Delsaut writes in the Way of Jesus Handbook, “The community of Jesus is a proving ground for helping someone and having someone help me – where I can be corrected and encouraged, where I can be protected against excess and spiritual pride, where I learn to accept His discipline through His body.” In that sense, we have Jesus’ presence helping us grow as individuals toward maturity of character.

PROVING: THE COMMUNITY’S WONDERFUL WEIRDNESS

In John 17, Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer”, He prays for the church – those who would believe in Him through the message of His disciples. His prayer seems to be saying the UNITY of the community would be very significant. John 17:20-23 “...I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them MAY BE ONE, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us SO THAT the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, THAT they may BE ONE AS WE ARE ONE: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to COMPLETE UNITY TO let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” I’ve highlighted the purpose-oriented conjunctions here: “so that”, “that”, and “to”. Why is unity or oneness important? “So that” the world may believe that God the Father sent Christ the Son. Complete unity matters because it is “to” let the world know 2 things: that the Father sent Jesus, AND that the Father has loved the believers ‘even as’ the Father has loved His Son.

If our unity is important for communicating to others that the Father sent the Son, we might say the Christian church or faith-community that shows unity is PROVING (demonstrating) Jesus really came from God. Early on the apostles could point to an empty tomb; now we ought to be able to point to how much Christians love one another!

This makes more sense when you think about the political parties we mentioned earlier. It is SO NATURAL for fallen people to gravitate into cliques, to people who are ‘like me’, who share a common upbringing, to whom I can relate, they understand me. Yet the Christian church ought to be characterized by great diversity: old and young, rich and poor, male and female, different races and backgrounds and stations of life. This diversity – the fact that people who are so different can actually get along and appreciate one another – becomes a sort of ‘divine flag’, a wonderful weirdness that stands out from most other groupings in society by virtue of our sheer randomness, we’re eclectic, we welcome all kinds.

The church on earth ought to be so diverse it’s a small foretaste of the Kingdom of Heaven, where there will be people from every tribe and nation. The church is an inbreaking of the Kingdom of God here-and-now, in our local context, with Jesus the King really present. Pastor Phil notes, “Because Jesus is alive in us by His Spirit, we have the privilege of bringing the welcome of Jesus into any group of people, but particularly into the group that is dedicated to Jesus...Because Jesus is alive in us, we are His agents, His creative community.”

The diversity of the church is a divine flag, its wonderful weirdness (incorporating people from vastly different backgrounds) signals God’s grace at work through Jesus. By that miracle we can actually get along with those who might otherwise find it difficult to get along!

Well-known Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe writes: “I had decided to be a Christian first, a pastor second, and a Baptist third. I wasn’t going to make denominational affiliation a test of spirituality or fellowship. My ecclesiastical home has been with the Baptists, and I’ve tried to live apart from anything that dishonours the Lord, but I don’t think there’s a drop of denominational blood in my veins. In more than four decades of ministry, I’ve preached in Christian churches of many denominations and no denomination; I’ve discovered that Bob Cook was right when he said, “I’ve learned that God blesses people I disagree with.”

PEACEMAKING: THE COMMUNITY’S CROSS-GENERATED COMMONALITY

Ephesians 4 presents one of the most beautiful sketches of what church life ought to be like in the whole New Testament (and we’ll get to it in a minute). But you’ve got to remember the context: in Ephesians 2&3 Paul describes how Christian faith has overcome one of the deepest divides there is, that of race and religion. Eph 2:12 “remember that at that time you [Gentiles] were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” A huge divide! Verses 13-17 continue - Eph 2:13-17 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility...His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” So Jesus’ death on the cross, abolishing the regulations of the law, was a supreme act of PEACEMAKING, so that Jews and Gentiles could now worship together in the early church. Eph 3:6 “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Sharers – having something in common – “I am participating in a community of followers of Jesus on mission to the world.” (Saying 7 in Way of Jesus) Verses 16-19 in chapter 3 are a prayer that the Ephesians be strengthened through the Father’s Spirit in their inner being, “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Eph 3:19 “and to know this love that surpasses knowledge— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Our unity is very real and organic, having the Spirit in our inner being, Christ dwelling in our hearts, knowing His love, being filled with God’s fullness. To be a community is to have something in common: we have Jesus in common! We belong to Him, we find our identity in Him – not what province we’re from or where we stand on the environment or gun control or [you name the issue]. Not our gender or background or socioeconomic status: it all belongs to Him, anyway.

This PEACEMAKING emphasis of how Christ has abolished dividing walls of hostility brings us to chapter 4, where we see unity tied together with working at peace: Eph 4:3-6 “MAKE EVERY EFFORT to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” PEACEMAKING takes effort, overcoming hostility – but the oneness is real.

Three Lutheran pastors were invited by a Catholic priest to attend Mass one Sunday at his church. They arrived a bit late. All the pews were filled, and they had to stand in the back of the church. The priest noticed them as he began the Mass, and he whispered to one of the altar boys, “Get three chairs for our Lutheran friends.” The altar boy didn’t hear so the prest spoke a bit louder, motioning to the rear of the congregation: “Three chairs for the Lutherans.” Dutifully the boy arose, stepped to the altar rail, and loudly proclaimed to the congregation: “Three cheers for the Lutherans!”

PROMPTING: THE COMMUNITY’S ENCOURAGEMENT

One of the great blessings of meeting with other Christians is to be encouraged in our own faith. We read in Hebrews 10:24f “And let us consider how we may SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER— and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” See the two “one anotherings” there? “Spur one another on” and “encourage one another”. Yet apparently even then, back in the early church, some were missing out on that blessing by giving up meeting together.

What are we to “spur one another on” towards? Spur them to become aggravated? No! “Toward love and good deeds.” Last week during a pastoral visit I heard how another member of the congregation had gone to this person’s house and made them breakfast and helped them get started on their day. I LOVE catching my flock doing good deeds with a low profile! Another member I phoned out of the blue I caught helping his neighbour with some yardwork. Keep it up! “And all the more as you see the Day approaching” – when Christ returns, may He find us practising love and good deeds.

Ephesians 4 suggests it’s as we carry out such acts of service that we become mature. Paul says the role of the pastor-teacher is, Eph 4:12f “to prepare God’s people for WORKS OF SERVICE, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Being active in ministering to others’ needs would seem to be part and parcel of attaining maturity, knowing Jesus, experiencing His fullness – and relishing congregational unity.

Paul goes on in Eph 4:15f, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things GROW UP INTO HIM who is the Head, that is, Christ. FROM HIM the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, GROWS AND BUILDS ITSELF UP in love, AS EACH PART DOES ITS WORK.” Growth as a Christian here is associated with speaking and acting in love, each one of us doing our part, contributing to the ministry of the whole Body. As we do that, we receive Jesus’ direct supply that helps us grow.

PROVIDING: THE COMMUNITY’S COMPASSIONATE CONCERN

That emphasis on loving speech and action brings us to our last point, compassionate generosity. In Acts 2 and 4 Luke gives us quick snapshots of the early church’s activity, with a focus on helping others. Acts 2:44f “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” And Acts 4:32,34-35 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had...There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

Here we see the effect of unity in community, made real by Jesus’ self-giving and our subsequent faith in Him. They ‘were together’, they had things in common sort of like Jesus having a common purse with His disciples. They gave to those in need. They ‘were one in heart and mind’ – not selfish, but caring, and shared everything. To the point that “there were no needy persons among them.” They were so invested in the welfare of the group that they didn’t count any of their possessions their own. Self-interest had been crucified: what mattered was helping others. They sought to be good stewards of the funds the Lord had entrusted to them.

And so the early Christian community became one that PROVIDED amply, it was marked by COMPASSIONATE CONCERN.

A survey by the Barna Research Group pinpointed the top five reasons why Americans choose a church. A nationwide sampling was asked what were the few key factors that determine whether they would return to a church they have visited. Of the 22 factors named, here are the top eight reasons for selecting a church, in order of importance:

- theological beliefs

- how much people care

- quality of sermons

- friendliness to visitors

- help to poor and disadvantaged

- quality of children’s programs

- how much you like your pastor

- denomination

Now, how many of those eight top factors would relate to ‘compassionate concern’? I see 4: how much people care; friendliness to visitors; help to poor and disadvantaged; and how much you like your pastor. Note especially the second top reason, “how much people care” – of course that would be important in wanting to come back to a church!

If we care, we will share. The medieval theologian John Duns Scotus was visiting Rome, and the Pope took him into the Vatican treasuries. Running his hands through the silver, the Pope said, “No longer does the church have to say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” Scotus replied, “That’s true, but also no longer can we say, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’”

LET’S MAKE THE CHURCH TOGETHER

There you have it. Christ’s community of faith is about PRESENTING Him wherever 2 or 3 gather in His name; PROVING Him by our unity despite our diversity; PEACEMAKING where divisions such as race or class might keep us apart; PROMPTING believers to further acts of service, as Jesus strengthens them internally; and PROVIDING for others as Jesus’ compassion moves us to respond to needs we see.

During Vacation Bible School one year, a pastor’s wife had an unusual experience with her primary class. About an hour before dismissal, a new student was brought into the room. The little boy had one arm missing, and since the class was almost over, the teacher had no opportunity to learn the details of his situation, but she was nervous that one of the other children would say something insensitive to him, so she proceeded cautiously with the lesson. As the class time came to a close, she asked the children to join her in their usual closing ceremony. “Let’s make our churches,” she said without thinking, putting her hands together to form the ‘church’. Then as usual they began, “Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the doors and...” Suddenly the awful truth struck her: the very thing she had feared that the children would do, she had done!

As she stood there speechless, the little girl sitting next to the boy reached over with her left hand and placed it up to his right hand and said, “Josh, let’s make the church together.” (!)

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, we bless You for sending Jesus to reconcile us to Yourself, that our sins are forgiven. Thank You also for His reconciling us to each other, breaking down dividing walls of hostility. Help us demonstrate in our church family: being one, having concern for each other, developing our muscles of compassion, reaching out with good deeds in our larger community responding to the needs of others. Grow us in Your complete love, Lord Jesus; resolving our differences, help us come to know You more and the fullness of God in our lives. In Christ’s name, Amen.

“What Can Satisfy Our Deepest Hunger?” - Oct.3/21 John 6:24-35

HUNGRY FOR THE WRONG REASONS

Our human souls are complex bundles of desires. Howard Hendricks once was trying to describe the word for ‘soul’ in Hebrew (nephesh); he said something like this: “Go over to the window and look into that robin’s nest full of young hatchlings, all straining their necks and mouths agape eager for their next feeding. What you’re seeing are five nepheshes.”

That’s what our souls are like: little bundles of desires, yearnings, unfulfilled longings, hidden aspirations vying to be satisfied. Sometimes we yearn for things that aren’t good for us. Sometimes our hungerings are for actual food, but if we pursue fastfood constantly we may end up supersized. Or sometimes we fall into ‘emotional eating’ – we resort to ‘comfort food’ in an attempt to deal with relational hurts or emptiness.

Poor communication can also have unexpected consequences. A doctor decided to put his overweight patient on a diet. "I want you to eat regularly for two days," he said. "Then I want you to skip a day. Eat regularly two days, then skip a day. Follow this pattern for two weeks and come back to see me. After two weeks you should lose five pounds." Two weeks later the man came back for his appointment. He had lost TWENTY pounds. The doctor asked, "You lost all this weight just by following my instructions?" The man said, "Yes, but I'll tell you though, I thought I was going to drop dead on that third day." The doctor asked, "From hunger?" "No," the man said. "From skipping!" (!)

Jesus had a bit of a communication problem with the crowds that were following Him. They were hungering for the wrong thing – a Messiah that would meet their physical needs. When they didn’t seem to understand that’s not what He was about, He used some food imagery to try to describe what they really needed most, and what was required for them to become truly satisfied.

MILKING THE WONDER-WORKER

A couple of weeks ago our Jersey heifer “Honey” gave birth to a lovely little calf named “Halo”. Patti and I obtained a little vacuum pump that hangs from the ceiling, and a single milking machine, and we’ve been getting proficient at milking our cow (so far we’ve tried milkshakes and yogurt and butter with the output). For successful milking of the cow, there are basically 3 requirements: a) get her where you want her – I put on a halter and tie her to the edge of the stall by her hay rack and feed bucket. b) give her what she wants – when I’ve got the milking machine already and my milk-crate stool in place, I dump a scoop of grain mixture in her feed bucket. c) take what you can – I strip out some milk, attach the milker, and massage her udder while she lets down her milk and munches contentedly on her grain (we may get up to about 4 liters per milking at this point).

Our Scripture passage in John 6 picks up the story just after Jesus’ miracle of feeding the 5,000 (that’s just counting the men, so probably more like 20,000 by the time you add in women and children). As the disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover food, word started to circulate amongst the crowd, Jn 6:14b “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” They would have made Jesus king by force but he stole away to a mountain by himself. That evening, the disciples got into a boat (the only one there) and set off from the east shore to get to Capernaum over in Galilee on the west. A strong wind was blowing, the waters were rough, and the disciples were having trouble rowing. Jesus came to them walking on the water: when they took Him into the boat, immediately it reached where they were heading.

So you have this apparently “Son of Man” human who also had miraculous powers, wonder-working Son of God – able to wonderfully multiply loaves and fishes, and also having supernatural control over the forces of nature. But the crowd wasn’t witness to the boat incident, just the disciples.

When the crowd realized neither Jesus nor the disciples were around the east shore of Lake Galilee any more, they went looking for Him back near His ministry-hometown-base of Capernaum. Jn 6:25 “When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, ‘Rabbi, when did you get here?’” They were probably also wondering, HOW did you get here without a boat?! (This might have tipped them off to the fact there was something else miraculous that had happened; we don’t know if they ever found out.) Jesus avoids the question and addresses a deeper issue: v26 “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.’”

Ouch! He puts his finger right on it. They’re not eager for deeper teaching, but for their next snack. They’re wanting to MILK this wonder-working Prophet for whatever benefit they can get out of Him (remember they were ready to make Him King by force after the feeding of the multitude). What were the steps for milking the cow? a) get her where you want her; b) give her what she wants; c) take what you can. 1-2-3, follow the procedure to obtain the expected results.

Jesus has this kind of X-ray vision spiritually speaking where He can see right through questions and posturing and pretending to what’s actually inside our hearts. Like Henry Ford designing the assembly line, you could ask Henry Ford why the line wasn’t working and he could diagnose it because he designed it and built it. So our Lord and Creator knows our deepest thoughts before we say a word. John 2:25 “He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” Jesus is ready to tell us what our REAL needs are, even though we may THINK we know what it is we truly want. He is sovereign and supreme; He won’t be ‘milked’ or taken advantage of by anyone.

A BETTER GIFT – BUT ON GOD’S TERMS

The crowd was seeking Jesus – but for the wrong reasons. Matthew Henry comments, “Not because he taught them, but because he fed them; not for LOVE, but for LOAVES. Thus do all who seek in religion secular advantages and follow Christ for the sake of secular preferments.”

Why are you here today? Are you looking for a Saviour for LOVE, or for LOAVES? Why are you here, really? Is it because “it’s the thing to do”? Culturally, that boat sailed decades ago. Are you trying to please other people, whether relatives or others, trying to look ‘respectable’? Are your motivations religious in nature? Do you need a ticket to heaven, to be assured of a fire escape? Do you come because you want to enjoy streets of gold when you die? That’s not good enough. That’s like me milking the cow so I can enjoy the homemade butter and yogurt. That’s not what Jesus came to give. He won’t be ‘milked’ for a certain product.

In v27 Jesus contrasts this desire for temporal gains with what God is really offering through His Son. Jn 6:27 “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” NLT “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food.Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you...”

We don’t worship Jesus for short-term gain, for food on our table, for our next paycheque, for a cottage at the lake, or a cozy retirement plan. Those things will all pass away. Instead Jesus coaches us to work for food that ENDURES - abides, remains, lasts; the verb is the same as John 15, the branch remains / abides / is grounded in the vine. We’re to work for food that endures to ETERNAL LIFE, spend our energy seeking the ETERNAL LIFE He can give us.

Now, when you hear ‘eternal life’ you may instantly mentally translate that as ‘going to heaven when I die’. Don’t do that! You’re missing out hugely! “Eternal life” starts RIGHT NOW when you trust in Jesus. It’s a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell inside you. It’s a moment-by-moment communion with Your Maker and Hope. It’s a continual dialogue in the Spirit through prayer and hearing Him address and comfort you by His word, His promises in Scripture. Yes you get to go to heaven when you die but think of that as “thrown in” as an extension of what you already start enjoying here and now.

Jesus says, “the Son of Man will give you” this food that endures to eternal life. It’s by grace, not earned: it’s His gift. Jesus notes that God the Father “has placed His seal of approval” on Jesus – this is evidenced by His sealing with the Holy Spirit at His baptism; by the miracles He performed; and by His resurrection from the dead. The person who has the seal is authorized to act on behalf of the One who gave the seal.

But the crowd is still trying to ‘milk’ the Messiah, to get what they want, on their terms. Remember the procedure with the cow? A) get her where you want her; b) give her what she wants; c) take what you can. The crowd is on step B, ‘give him what he wants’. Jn 6:28 “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’” What work is it you want from us, so we can then turn around and take what we want?

This is the question of RELIGION, building a self-made ladder in an attempt to reach God, bringing a sacrifice in an attempt to win God’s approval and obtain some kind of blessing. That’s how human-made religion works. But, nothing we could possibly offer would ever be enough to appease an infinitely holy and powerful God we have offended. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; our very life and breath are from Him – what could we offer to atone for our sins, that He does not already have a right to?

“What must we do to do the works God requires?” Keep all the laws and commands flawlessly? Climb the steps of St Peter’s on our knees one at a time? Give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames? Nope, it would never be enough! And that’s not even what God wants.

Jesus explains what God DOES want in v29: “Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."” HUH? But that’s not ‘work’! Precisely. Christianity is not DO, it’s DONE. Not what we could ever do to earn God’s favour, but what God in Christ has already done to reconcile us to Himself by the cross. NLT: “Jesus told them: ‘This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.’”

Believe. Commit; put your trust in; rely totally upon; yield yourself completely. Surrender, lock stock & barrel. Be ‘all in’. Not a head-knowledge, ‘belief THAT’ God exists and can do such-and-such: even Satan believes God exists, but fundamentally rejects obedience to God.

The ‘work’ Jesus wants from us is to BELIEVE, to trust Him, walk with Him, listen to Him, follow Him, moment by moment, starting this instant. Faith is the key to the entire Christian experience. Believing is antithetical to ‘religiosity’. Religion thrives on works, as if we can ‘earn’ merit and buy our ticket to heaven. Believing turns it all upside down and makes it based on RELATIONSHIP, a living dependence on a Holy Being I have to actually listen and watch for and heed and walk with for my next step.

What are we really living for? What are our dearest life goals? Is it eternal life – or something inferior, less lasting? Jesus elevates us to a new plan – eternal life – when we trust and commit to Who He is.

TRADING LONGINGS FOR LASTING LIFE

But it would seem from v30 that the crowd still hasn’t quite got it. They’re still trying to milk the Messiah, make Jesus jump through their hoops, prove Himself by their standards and expectations. Jn 6:30 “So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?”

The irony for the reader here is obvious. He’s just performed a major miracle by feeding the multitude. Overnight He walked on water and stilled a storm. And they’re STILL not satisfied? What more proof do they need? To the doubting, to those who resist entrusting themselves to the Saviour, no ‘proof’ will ever be enough.

They go on to point out Moses fed their ancestors four whole decades in their wilderness wanderings – as if feeding 20,000 people on one occasion is small potatoes by comparison. Can Jesus prove He’s greater than Moses?

Jesus responds in Jn 6:32f, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The manna had to be picked up fresh at the start of each day, and it ceased when the Israelites entered the Promised Land. Jesus GIVES LIFE and not just for our physical being, or for a short time.

They haven’t quite given up on this “loaves indefinitely” soup-kitchen dream though. Jn 6:34 “"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."” NLT “...give us that bread every day.” Robertson’s NT Word Pictures comments, “Like the woman at the well (Jn 4:15) they long ‘always’ to have ‘this bread,’ a perpetual supply.”

Jesus came to give LIFE (eternally) not LOAVES (temporarily). What He offers is for the most deep, profoundest part of our soul, that deepest hunger, that gnawing corner inside us that won’t be satisfied with anything less. Jn 6:35 “Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” The phrase ‘bread of life’ could mean two things: either that is has life in itself, the living bread; OR that it gives life to others, like the water of life, the tree of life. Here Jesus is probably leaning toward the sense of bread that gives life to others – compare v33, the “bread of God” that “gives life to the world”. Life that’s fulfilling, meaningful, on track, life that matters in the long run, life that has an overflow of love and concern for others, because it’s no longer preoccupied with amassing ‘stuff’ or awards for oneself.

The Greek text of what Jesus is promising here is emphatic: The person who comes to Me will NEVER go hungry, the person who believes in Me will NEVER - no way! - not ever be thirsty. This is Your Creator, who designed your innermost appetites, your soul’s hidden capabilities and secrets, speaking. When we are living saved in relationship with God, filled with the Holy Spirit – temporal pursuits matter far less.

The Son of Man will give you food that endures to eternal life. The Father placed His ‘seal of approval’ on Jesus. When we commit our lives to Jesus as Lord and Saviour, absolutely believing in Him, God places His Holy Spirit ‘seal’ on us too. 2Cor 1:22 “[God] set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” The Spirit is our down payment, our ‘earnest’ (in old language) or ‘deposit’. Eph 1:13 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit...”

Believing in Jesus is the ‘work’ God wants for us. That’s what launches us into the journey called eternal life, here and now, not just when we die. John 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and BELIEVES him who sent me HAS ETERNAL LIFE and will not be condemned; he HAS CROSSED OVER from death to life.” ‘HAS’ - present tense; ‘has crossed over’ - perfect tense, it’s already happened!

FAITH, NOT WORKS, THE TICKET

In closing, God will not be treated like a cow to be milked. True spirituality is not like a procedure we control, where we input certain actions in order to obtain a certain outcome. God is not a vending machine dispensing divine favours based on the nickels and quarters we insert. He has set it all up in such a way that He gets the credit and the glory: it’s by sheer grace, through the work of Christ on our behalf. Yes once we believe the Holy Spirit becomes active and transformative in our lives, producing good works – but those are the result of salvation, not a means of buying it.

Concerning the relationship of faith and works, you may have heard some people say, “You’ve probably heard it said, “It doesn’t matter what you believe; it’s how you live that counts.” A.J.Gordon encountered this philosophy one time as he talked with a fellow passenger on a train. The man believed he could get to heaven by his good works. Pointing to the conductor who was making his way through the coach, Gordon asked his new friend, “Did you ever notice how carefully he always examines the ticket but takes no pains whatever to inspect the passenger.” The man immediately caught the significance of the question. He had just been saying that God was interested only in what we do and not in a “little bit of theological scrip called faith.”

“You see,” continued Gordon, “the passenger and the ticket are accepted together.If he doesn’t have one, or has the wrong one, he will be asked to get off the train—no matter how honest he might appear to be.Just as the ticket stands for the man, faith stands for you.”

Thank God that the “ticket” of faith was purchased at a great price, but not by you or me! Have you claimed your ticket? The journey of walking with Him starts right now!

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, we have spent so much time and energy running after food that spoils, that doesn’t last. Forgive us for our wrong priorities. We recognize You are the Living Bread, the bread that gives life in abundance. We need You in our lives. We want that Eternal Life You promise. We yield to You now, we receive You now, to be Yours today and tomorrow and always. Strengthen our faith when we falter and hold us close to You forever. Thank You that in You we have already crossed over from death to life! Help us share that good news with others who are hungering and thirsting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Whose Kingdom Are You With?” - Oct.17/21 Mark 3:20-35

WELCOME TO THE PRESSURE COOKER

Did most of you enjoy a great meal sometime last weekend for Thanksgiving? I never knew “candied yam” could taste so good! What did you use to cook it? The oven and some pots? Did anyone use a pressure cooker? Pressure cookers are great inventions.

They cut down the cooking time, save energy, and are very useful to get those undesirable lectins out of your veggies.

There’s even ‘smart’ pressure cookers out there now – we have one called an “Instant Pot”, it’s programmable - you can set it to cook a given food for a certain length of time and it will shut down automatically when finished, and keep it warm.

With our fresh Jersey milk we’ve found it makes great yogurt!

There are other types of pressure cookers (metaphorically speaking) that aren’t so nice.

In today’s reading we hear about Jesus being put in a ‘pressure cooker’.

His family comes to take him into care because they think he’s out of his mind.

The teachers of the law (who at that time were a form of civil authority as well as religious authority) considered him to be an enemy, a threat to society, possessed by the devil.

And even the crowds who thronged around Jesus, those to whom He was popular – they pressed in on Him so much He didn’t even have time to eat!

What kind of ‘pressure cooker’ (so to speak) is threatening to squeeze you? Are you finding financial constraints tight, due to things like high gas and food prices, or the cost of certain other supplies like building materials? Are you finding there’s just not enough time to do all the things you want to do? Are you at the beck and call of so many others you never have time for yourself, you’re always running to satisfy others’ demands? Do you find other people’s expectations are hard to live up to, that they want you to be somebody other than who you really are, you’re not appreciated for your native giftings?

The pandemic (now in approximately month 19 - not that we’re counting!) brings with it pressures of its own, augmenting the other ‘pressure cooker’ stresses we may be feeling.

We mustn’t forget our masks.

Will that other person understand or think we’re rude if we decline to shake their hand? The debate over whether to vax or not to vax divides families, even your closest relatives.

We can’t just have a good ol’ potluck like we used to – and everyone knows the church ‘marches on its stomach’!

Statistics Canada did a review of mental health indicators during some months of the pandemic, from September to December 2020, which it reported in March of this year.

Some of its findings about the ‘pressure cooker’ effect of coronavirus on the mental health of Canadians...

- One in five Canadians screened positive for symptoms of depression, anxiety or posttraumatic stress disorder (21%, to be exact)

- Young adults aged 18 to 24 were most likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The prevalence of positive screens for major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and probable PTSD were over three times higher among young adults than among older adults.

For example, 27% of young adults aged 18 to 24 screened positive for major depressive disorder compared with 7% of adults aged 65 and older.

- Prevalence of mental disorders was more than four times higher among those who experienced feelings of loneliness or isolation as an impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost 38% of Canadians reported that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they experienced feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Those reporting this impact had more than four times higher prevalence of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and probable PTSD, compared with those who did not report experiencing this impact.

(Begs the question - What might Jesus-followers do to help people not feel lonely if it’s such a big factor?)

- (and) More than 40% of Canadians who reported difficulty meeting financial obligations or essential needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic screened positive for one of the three mental disorders.

Overall, 15% of respondents reported difficulty meeting financial obligations or essential needs (e.g., rent or mortgage payments, utilities, and groceries) due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and these were significantly more at risk of experiencing depression, anxiety, or probable PTSD.

So it seems the pandemic has definitely upped the temperature in the ‘pressure cooker’ Canadians may find themselves in.

Practical concerns like finances and mental health underscore the importance of spiritual health, namely being grounded through faith in God so hope does not waver.

Our text suggests Jesus offers His followers a new CHAMPION, a new CENTRE, and a new CIRCLE.

A NEW CHAMPION

One of the pressures that sought to cook Jesus’ goose came in the form of the religious authorities that had come down from Jerusalem (religious ‘headquarters’ as it were).

They were not impressed by Jesus’ miracles, even His exorcisms, delivering those possessed by unclean spirits.

Mark 3:22 “And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."” Beelzebub is a derogatory term akin to “lord of the flies”, meaning Satan, the head of evil forces.

Jesus points out the absurdity of their contention, as if the forces of evil were fighting amongst themselves, in which case they would be defeating their own purposes.

Note the gradation narrowing from ‘kingdom’ to ‘house’ to just one being, Mk 3:23-26 “So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: ‘How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.’” Russian dissenter Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who spent years in prison in the Gulag for writing a disparaging comment about the soviet president in a private letter, said: “Only a small crack...but cracks make caves collapse.”

Then Jesus proceeds to suggest a new CHAMPION has appeared on the scene, a champion that should be making Satan shake in his boots.

3:27 “In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man.Then he can rob his house.” Whose house is being plundered? Jesus is setting prisoners free, healing them of disease and unclean spirits, so it would seem He’s meaning Satan is the “strong man” whose possessions are being carried off.

Christ has apparently first ‘bound’ or ‘tied up’ the strong man, so that He can bring deliverance to the captives.

This is backed up by a couple of other references in the New Testament.

Paul writes in Romans 16:20, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet...” And Hebrews 2:14f adds, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Do you believe that? Jesus has DESTROYED the devil by His own death, by sharing in our humanity and carrying out God’s plan for our salvation – HALLELUJAH! Never speak as if Jesus and Satan were somehow on the same plane, as if they were duelling foes of similar strength; Satan is but a fallen angel – a mighty one, granted, but still just a created angelic being.

Nevertheless he allies himself with the fallen tendencies in our world and our own flesh, so temptations to sin can come from any of those three – the world, the flesh, and the devil; but Jesus is CHAMPION over them all!

A NEW CENTRE

If Jesus is our new Champion, in verses 28-29 He points to the new CENTRE His followers need to have operating in and ordering their lives.

He begins with a very solemn admonishment to pay close attention to what He’s about to say, sort of like ‘tweet this’...

Mk 3:28f “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” Wait a minute – who brought the Holy Spirit into the conversation? The scribes had been saying Jesus was possessed by Beelzebub, in other words, by an evil spirit.

Jesus’ statement implies they were in fact blaspheming against the Holy Spirit – which must mean it was the Holy Spirit that was indwelling Jesus.

To ‘blaspheme’ according to the lexicon means “to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, to be evil spoken of” – today we might include slandered, bad-mouthed given a bad rap.

To speak evil or abusively of someone.

The scribes were running down the Holy Spirit which led and empowered the Saviour to do whatever He did, and which prompted Him to say the things He said.

It’s a HUGE thing when Jesus says, “All the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.” Murderers? Child abusers? Scam artists that bilk people out of whole farms and life savings? Yes, Jesus says, forgiveness is possible.

The cross and grace can be a scandal, a stumbling block, for anyone who’s intent on everyone getting their ‘just reward’.

What then is the one unique sin that’s absolutely unforgivable, according to Jesus? To badmouth the Holy Spirit; to reject and despise and write off as inconsequential the One by whom God can bring repentance, regeneration (new birth), and sanctification (new living patterns) into our life.

If you put up a wall against God – if you reject Him and won’t listen to the Spirit’s prompting to repent – God can’t help you, you’ve already chosen your eternal destiny.

Hell will be filled with people whose theme song is, “I did it my way”.

We need a new CENTRE in our lives – the Holy Spirit, the same Centre Jesus had, and that allowed Him to do such wonders.

Get over yourself.

Admit you’ve botched things and need new leadership.

Repent and turn to God, turn your life over to Him, give Jesus control as Lord – because He’s the One you’ll ultimately have to render account to as Judge anyway.

Jesus once told about our need to have a positive spirit-entity inhabiting our lives to give power and direction.

The context in Luke 11 is very similar to here in Mark 3, facing conflict and criticism from the religious authorities.

Luke 11:21-26 “"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.

But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order.

Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there.

And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”

Who is inhabiting your spiritual ‘house’? Have you welcomed Jesus there? It can’t be left vacant – SOMETHING will come in and possess you, unless you keep the Holy Spirit at your spiritual centre.

A NEW CIRCLE

Finally, we see Jesus fortifying Himself against the pressure cooker by developing a NEW CIRCLE.

Families are very formative in early life, whether for good or bad.

Sometimes we say “he’s just like his old man” or “that apple didn’t fall far from the tree”.

Almost unconsciously we can start mimicking our parent’s habits, whether that be workaholism, alcoholism, being overly critical, milking the system so we don’t have to work, always being concerned about appearances and whether our house is clean, needing money in order to be secure – any number of ways we can grow up resembling our parents’ patterns.

Such generational pressures can draw us down a certain path unless we step back and examine ourselves in the light of God’s truth.

Jesus’ own family must have been concerned how Jesus’ behaviour would bring shame upon the family reputation, perhaps if others started thinking He was crazy.

Mark 3:21 “When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."” Beside himself enough to warrant taking Him into their care; maybe they were even concerned the strain of being so busy and pressured - He and the disciples didn’t even have time to eat - maybe His family felt such pressure would cause Him to have a complete breakdown.

But we also know from other passages that even Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe in Him, at least not before the resurrection.

But in verse 31, when they arrive to take Jesus into custody, they find another group in the way – and Jesus seems to now view them as His immediate circle.

Mk 3:31-35 “Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.

Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.

A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother."”

Jesus is choosing to leave behind His family of origin – who do not understand Him, don’t appreciate what He’s doing, and who would prevent Him from pursuing God’s purposes for His life – He leaves them behind in favour of those who are journeying with Him, hanging on His words, absorbing His teaching, willing to leave old ways behind in order to experience this new way of life He’s offering.

“You must be born again,” He would say to Nicodemus.

On other occasions He challenged would-be followers to let Him become priority over family ties.

Luke 9:59-62 “He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."” Leave the comforts of home and kindred, when they don’t understand and that gets in the way of you venturing faithfully on God’s plan for your life.

You need a new circle, sisters and brothers intent on doing God’s will: make them your new ‘family’.

The call to discipleship cuts across blood-boundaries because the blood of Jesus has bought us for Himself.

He would promise His disciples in Mark 10:29f, “I tell you the truth...no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields— and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” A hundred times as much! And often those faith-connections bind us even closer than normal family affection; people remarked of the early church, “How these Christians love one another!”

The common element is the new CENTRE you share with other believers – the Holy Spirit – prompting you to be pursuing the same agenda: doing God’s will.

Your values are similar, your hopes are similar, you share a common outlook and hope, there’s a certain resonance and passion for God’s priorities uniting this new CIRCLE of which you’re now a part.

That is, as long as we can keep our eyes off ourselves and our own preferences and stay focused on Jesus, what HE’s doing in the world, what God wants us to be pursuing together.

A HASTY REJECTION

The scribes made the mistake of rejecting Jesus, figuring He was an agent of the enemy, possessed by the devil.

His own family wrote Him off as being crazy, beside himself, out of his mind – though Jesus was in fact Son of God.

When we trust in Him, God gives us a new Champion (Jesus), a new Centre (the Holy Spirit), and a new Circle (the Christian church).

There is precious unity in close fellowship with our sisters and brothers in the faith.

Let’s not risk rejecting someone prematurely like the teachers of the law and Jesus’ own brothers, but instead treasure them as fellow recipients of grace and members of this new Circle.

Born in 1765 in France, James Smithson was the illegitimate son of a prominent English duke and a direct lineal descendant of King Henry VII through his mother.

Branded as a bastard, James was refused British citizenship and denied a rich inheritance through his true father.

Due to this rejection the young Smithson felt constrained to succeed at whatever he did, and he became one of England's leading scientists and a member of the Royal Society (the chief association of leading scientists) at the age of twenty-two.

In 1829 Smithson, who never married, died and left his considerable fortune to a nephew.

Rumour had it that the terms of Smithson's will stipulated that his entire estate was to go to one recipient upon the nephew's death.

The English scientific community hoped that he had made sizable grants to their favorite institutions.

But when the terms of the will were made public they were shocked! Smithson had written: "Just as England has rejected me, so have I rejected England." During Smithson's lifetime, England had fought two bitter wars with her rebellious colonies in America.

So, to show his utter contempt for those who had mistreated him, he gave everything to the United States Government for the establishment of a scientific institution in the young nation's capital.

To this day the Smithsonian Institution is recognized as one of the most prominent institutions of its kind in the world.

England made the tremendous mistake of thinking that she had no need of this man, from whom she might have benefited greatly.

Let us be careful of saying to some member of the body of Christ, "I have no need of you," only to find that the same member could have met some of our greatest spiritual needs.

Jesus viewed His followers as being as close to Him as His own mother and brothers! Can we treat each other that way? Let’s pray.

Thank You Father for Jesus’ truthfulness and strength standing up to these pressure cooker stresses from the religious establishment and even from His own family.

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, leading us to repentance and being born again from above.

We bless You that all kinds of sins and blasphemies can be forgiven – how much You know we needed that! How precious Jesus’ sacrifice that has made that possible.

Lord God, increase our love for You our new Centre; help us acknowledge every moment our new Champion, Jesus.

And help us appreciate and draw closer to this fellowship, this new Circle, the Church.

We need each other so much! Lead us into a deeper unity as we explore doing Your will together.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“A Kingdom Beyond Our Ken” - Oct.24/21 Mark 4:26-34

THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN ELDER

I begin today with a bit of a sidebar. Our annual Elections Meeting of Members is coming up in about a month (November 18). Our number of Elders looks like it’s about to decrease from 4 to just 3, as Gary Lisle completes his term, having served commendably as Chair for some time. (Thank you, Gary!) Our Elders have been praying about possible replacements and approached some potential candidates without success. I’d like to take a moment to briefly point out some of the BENEFITS of being an Elder (from Scripture) in hopes of stimulating some of you to either reconsider or perhaps consider it for the first time.

1Timothy 3:1, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.” The terms “overseer” and “bishop” or “elder” are somewhat interchangeable in the New Testament. In this chapter Paul is setting forth qualifications for church leaders. But notice his preamble before he gets into the particulars: to endeavour to be a church leader (such as an elder) is to “DESIRE A NOBLE TASK”, NLT “an honourable position”. In your spiritual walk as a Christian man, it is an honourable or noble thing to aim for, we should be aspiring to grow in our faith and character such that we are mature enough to take a turn serving in church leadership. Men, have you adopted this as a personal goal? Women, are you encouraging your man, spurring him on to develop the character that would be suitable to serve at least a term on the Elder Board?

Next, after listing the qualifications for deacons, Paul writes in 1Tim 3:13, “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” Although it comes as the end of the deacon section, it is just as true of elders / overseers, and could serve as a ‘wrapper’ for the whole section. Serve well in church leadership, Paul is saying, and that brings you two things: EXCELLENT STANDING (who wouldn’t want that?) – and GREAT ASSURANCE in your faith in Christ. Serving as an elder can certainly help you grow in your faith, both the interaction with other godly men on a regular basis, and deliberating prayerfully about decisions to be made that come up.

One more verse on this subject: Flip to the end of 1Timothy and we find (1Tim) 5:17, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” Hear that? Direct church affairs well and that makes you worthy of “DOUBLE HONOUR”! How honourable does it get?! Our elders are worthy of utmost respect and to be held in highest regard. So PLEASE consider whether you might be willing to serve in this capacity.

Our incorporation documents allow a minimum of 3 and maximum of 10 ‘directors’ (which are our elders). Ideally an elder would have about a dozen households on his ‘list’ for which he takes special responsibility – keeping in touch, encouraging attendance, notifying about communion, and so on. Our church family currently lists about 90 households: with just 3 elders that makes 30 households per elder, which is unwieldy; it would be much better to have 6 elders and 15 households per elder.

So, men, pray about whether those rewards of eldership might be something to which you aspire: a noble task; excellent standing; great assurance in your faith; double honour. And let us as a congregation keep on showering those upon our elders who are currently serving.

A RIDDLE TO ROCK YOU: WHY PARABLES?

The crowds were attracted to Jesus at the outset of His ministry by His wonderful miracles – healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the multitudes. But He did much more than amaze them: once He had their attention, He taught them. And one of His favourite teaching devices was something called a ‘parable’. It’s something put alongside for comparison, to illustrate, to prod us to think differently about, view something differently, challenge our assumptions and perception.

Parables are a bit like ‘riddles’ in that you either ‘get it’ or you don’t ‘get it’. Some riddles for example:

(following along on our church leadership sidenote) Q: “What do they call pastors residing in Germany?”

A: German shepherds

Q: Which biblical character grew up without parents?

A: Joshua, son of Nun (Joshua 1:1)

Q: Who’s the fastest runner in the Bible?

A: Adam, because he was first in the human race.

(Haha - get it? Shepherds - Nun - human race...) Riddles have that little ‘surprise’ effect that make you chuckle and ask yourself, “Now, why didn’t I think of that?!”

Parables can have at least 3 different purposes: illustrating, concealing, and subverting. Illustrating: Mark 4:33 “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.” To some extent, they could UNDERSTAND: parables help illustrate, they unpack meaning, they serve as examples or expansions of what you’re trying to get across. Not to mention they’re usually just simple interesting stories in the first place, easy to listen to, memorable.

Stories go down deeper than just plain lecture does. For instance, if I say, “Once upon a time there were 3 bears” – does your mind go to the line, “And this one was JUST RIGHT!” (Goldilocks) Or, if I say, “Once upon a time there were 3 little pigs” – does your memory skip ahead to the line you can finish with me: “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll –” (what?) “Blow your house down!” Stories and parables make excellent memorable teaching tools. Parables can serve to ILLUSTRATE, to explain, to shed light on some truth by comparison.

Bonus - here’s one I just made up, you might not get: A treble clef and a time signature walked into a bar to have a rest. (That’s the joke...Never mind – unless you’re musical it probably won’t make sense.) Another purpose of parables is to CONCEAL. Mark 4:34 “He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.” So the meaning was sometimes concealed or hidden or veiled from the general crowd, but Jesus privately explained the meaning to those closest to Him, His committed followers, the disciples. Earlier in the chapter Jesus said to the Twelve, Mark 4:11f “11 He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” Parables were CONCEALED to those who did not have faith, those who had not turned to God, who weren’t receptive of Jesus as Saviour. Sometimes parables seem multi-dimensional, there’s an intentional ambiguity as if “it could mean this” or “it could mean that” or maybe even both.

Another aspect is that parables can be SUBVERSIVE. Imagine for a moment you’re not comfortable 21^st Century Canadians; instead, you’re a first-century Jew in Palestine under Roman occupation. Yesterday a Roman soldier forced you to carry his pack a mile in the wrong direction, making you super late for getting where you were going. Last week the tax collector pounded on your door demanding the usual taxes PLUS his 30% personal markup. And you know when you take your money for a sacrifice to the Temple, when you go to buy the lamb, the money-changers and licensed animal-sellers are going to hit you up for almost double what an animal would normally sell for at your local market. All under the approving watch of the Sadducees who have rigged the Temple system for their own personal benefit.

There is SO MUCH about the current system that’s wrong! Your cousin, a rebel Zealot, was found out thanks to an informant and subsequently crucified mercilessly by the Romans. You ache for change. You would be willing to throw your support behind ANYONE that might come along and lead a multitude, armed and ready to set things right.

Now, what’s Jesus going to say to a crowd like that? How can He get the message across that things aren’t right, gain a credible hearing from the common folk, without Himself being charged with treason? How can He be at all critical of the religious authorities without being sternly disciplined by the Sanhedrin? At least – not prematurely, before His ministry is supposed to end?

This is where parables come in to serve as SUBVERSIVE CODE. You can tell a story that seems to mean one thing, but in a given context, people will see through what you’re saying to its application in the real world. In 2Samuel 12(1-14), Nathan the prophet took his life in his hands approaching King David after the king had committed adultery with Bathsheba, arranged for her soldier husband Uriah to be killed, then taken her for his own wife to cover up the resulting pregnancy. Nathan hooks David’s shepherd-origin sympathies by telling a story about a rich man who steals a neighbour poor man’s dear little pet sheep to make supper for a traveling guest. It works – David is drawn right in and burns with anger, pronouncing judgment on the villain. Nathan replies, “You are the man!” David sees his crime in a new light and acknowledges his sin.

In Mark 12 Jesus tells the parable of a man who plants a vineyard, rents it out to tenants, and sends people (including eventually his own son) to collect the rent; but the tenants mistreat and even kill those he sends. The religious leaders are incensed – although the parable doesn’t name them outright, it’s plain to all the listeners who Jesus means. Mark 12:12 “Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.” A parable can be subversive, “code language” that’s critical of those in authority, aimed ‘against’ those who work unrighteousness.

Art can still have a subversive effect. George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” is just at first glance a story about talking farm animals; but it takes a powerful swipe at communism as was practised in the former Soviet Union. “Joyeux Noel” is a movie that tells about the time in the first world war when British, French, and German troops called a one-day truce and celebrated Christmas together, sharing treats and photos and stories about their families. But how do you turn around the next day and go back to shooting at these people you’ve come to know? Those in charge were subsequently disciplined by their superiors for having such relaxed relations with the enemy. The movie today takes a pacifist poke at militaristic ways. Maybe you’ve seen other movies that challenged your views about certain things, perhaps took you by surprise, prodded you to look at things from a different perspective?

So parables can illustrate, conceal, and subvert. New Bible Commentary (Revised) says they can be “moral weapons to surprise and stir the conscience”. Today we’re looking at two short parables of Jesus: the growing seed, and the mustard seed. Both start out with the words, “The Kingdom of God is like...” To even mention another “kingdom” than Rome could be viewed as treasonous; and the Sadducees, the Jewish Temple authorities, had a very cozy relationship with the Romans. So these parables not only ILLUSTRATE something about God’s Kingdom, they also CONCEAL meaning from those who might be hostile to its application. And the subsequent growth of the Christian movement in subsequent centuries could be seen as SUBVERSIVE, undermining Roman tyranny, until finally leaders of the empire eventually acknowledged its expansion.

ARE YOU ON OR OFF THE HARVEST WAGON?

Both parables are quite short, just 3 or 4 verses; the first one occurs only in Mark’s gospel, and doesn’t have a ‘neat and tidy’ explanation by Jesus like the parable of the sower and the soils, so leaves room for interpretation.

Mark 4:26 “[He also said] This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.” Jesus drew His illustrations from everday life in Palestine, things people could relate to, they could imagine themselves in the story. The seed has potential wrapped up in it, like the seed in the parable of the sower and the soils, it could result in much or little; there’s a risk, an opportunity. In context, Jesus is spreading the seed of the gospel, crowds are listening to God’s word.

Vv27-28 “Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain— first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.” How much human agency is involved here? Absolutely none! The seed grows by itself, the soil produces grain ‘all by itself’ – the farmer doesn’t even know how it happens, it just does. The marvel of how the Creator has designed seeds to have inside them not only the blueprints for growing a plant, but also the blueprints for how that plant would develop its own seeds to carry on subsequent generations!

God’s word has power to bring forth results independent of our involvement. Isaiah 55:10-11 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” God is sovereign! He is omnipotent! He is accomplishing His purposes, whether we choose to cooperate or not.

Part of the stress of our current COVID situation is the prevalence of alternative viewpoints. Some people listen to mainstream media and accept a certain view, others listen to alternative news sources and have quite a different “take” as a result. Where’s the truth lie? Sometimes it seems there’s room for doubt on both sides. Yes, the vaccines help protect against COVID – but there are breakthrough cases. Sure, the pandemic may seem unreal because you don’t personally know anyone that’s been affected by it – yet the hospitals have patients sometimes severely affected, and some provinces are really struggling with it. We’re a bit like the farmer – it’s happening yet “he does not know how”.

Jesus is implying God’s Kingdom is growing ‘all by itself’– it is moving toward a consummation without depending on us; but we need to orient ourselves around it as a given fact. This kingdom is ‘beyond our ken’, beyond our comprehension, we can’t totally understand it; God is a God of mystery, there are secrets He’s reserved to Himself (such as when Jesus is coming back). A God we humans can totally comprehend would not be worthy of our worship!

Despite all the uncertainty in our pandemic world, the diverse viewpoints, God is quietly going about accomplishing His objectives. God is still in control, even when we can’t seem to reason our way through to satisfying explanations. This calls for trust. In fact, trust or belief or faith is the “key” to understanding the parables! You won’t “get it” without first surrendering to Jesus’ Lordship.

V29 “As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” A harvest IS coming; the Kingdom of God IS moving toward a consummation. And His work in your life IS moving toward fruition, developing the fruit of the Spirit moment by moment, week after week.

Will we be ready for the harvest? James 5:7-8 “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”

The prospect of harvest gives MEANING to our existence. The lie of modernity is that God doesn’t exist, God isn’t in control, that things will just muddle on and lose energy and increase randomness until the universe ends with a whimper and curls up in a cold little ball. Yet Jesus’ parable implies that humans have a role in the harvest, even if we don’t quite understand how it’s all going to play out. There is a GOAL to God’s universe, an ENDPOING providing meanin to our existence. 2Cor 5:9f “So we make it our GOAL to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

THE EXPANSIVE KINGDOM THAT AFFORDS MUCH SHELTER

Our second parable also stars a seed, but this time a particular type of seed: a mustard seed.

When I think of mustard plants, I don’t think of seeds so much as grown plants – the 3-foot-high ones with pretty yellow flowers we used to have to go out into the grain field to pull by hand, then pile in heaps on the gravel driveway so vehicles would run over them and grind them into withered harmless smithereens. So “mustard” to me implies not so much SIZE as PROFUSENESS – there were a LOT of mustard plants to pull, they were prolific!

Nevertheless in some parts of the world they can grow quite large. John MacArthur’s commentary notes some have grown 15 feet high and “have the properties of a tree, such as having branches large enough for birds to nest in”. And all that from a tiny seed! Again, ain’t our Creator God GRAND?!

What’s Jesus emphasize about this small, unimpressive seed? V32 “Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” The Kingdom of God is expansive, it affords much shelter. This can mean the way the gospel message has spread around the globe throughout the centuries. It can also mean the way God’s message percolates through our whole life and can bring about massive transformation, shifting our focus from self-oriented (“what about me?”) to other-centred (“how can I best serve you? What does God want from me today? How’s He waiting to activate my gifts and talents to mature as His child in worship and work?”). When you encounter such a person who is mature in faith and truly loving and caring, you notice, whether you’re saved or not. There’s something about them that attracts you, you would like to spend more time sheltering in their sphere of care, their branches.

Part of the God-awesomeness factor here is the minuscule size of the seed compared to the long-term effect – branches even birds can make their homes in. Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. Entrust your mina to the Lord and watch what He does with it, how He amplifies it, how He places you in contact with those who really need what you can offer. Proverbs 22:29 “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.”

The Way of Jesus says, “I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him.” A blessing attitude spills out in benefit to others. The goal of the Kingdom is beyond just its own interests: birds can come and nest. The Kingdom busts our conceit, our selfishness: Jesus’ way calls us to die to self, lose ourself in serving God and others with pure love.

TRUST GOD’S TIMING

Both parables emphasize that God is bringing about amazing things through the seed of His word growing, heading toward a harvest, altering lives for good. We may not understand quite how He’s doing it, but He is bringing about a harvest, and growing His Kingdom all the while in our lives as we trust Him. Trusting is the key that unlocks the secrets of His Kingdom.

Solomon Ginsburg, a Polish Jew, became a flaming evangelist across both Europe and South America. In 1911, needing rest, he decided to head to America on furlough. His route took him to Lisbon where he planned to cross the Bay of Biscay to London, then on to the States.

Arriving in Lisbon, Ginsburg found the bulletin boards plastered with weather telegrams warning of terrific storms raging on the Bay of Biscay. It was dangerous sailing, and he was advised to delay his trip a week. His ticket allowed him to do that, and he prayed about it earnestly.

But as he prayed, he turned to his W.M.U. prayer calendar and found the text for that day was Deuteronomy 2:7—“For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.” The Lord seemed to assure him that his long, worldwide travels were under divine protection. Ginsburg boarded ship at once, crossed without incident, and caught the Majestic in London. His transatlantic voyage was smooth and restful.

Only after arriving in the United States did Solomon learn that had he delayed his trip in Lisbon, he would have arrived in London just in time …

… just in time to board the TITANIC!

Let’s pray. Lord God Almighty, there is so much we don’t know; these times are so uncertain and full of doubt and anxiety. Thank You for these parables that reassure us, and challenge us. Thank You that You are bringing about a harvest, maturing Your Kingdom in us day and night as we keep resting in You. Show us the harvest You want us to reap. Show us the birds that need shelter in our branches. Put within us a willing heart that loves You more and is ready to accompany You on this adventure. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Power for Nobodies and Lost Causes” - Nov. 7/21 Mark 5:21-43

THE LIMITS OF RANK AND RICHES

Part of the frustration of mortality is bumping up against our human limits. Yes we can do some awesome things thanks to the intelligence and creativity and physical strength with which our Creator has endowed us, but at the end of the day, our mortality and physical limits catch up with us.

An example: one day this week I was listening to CBC News - the World at Six (as I often do). After all the other news (which can sometimes be rather sobering or even discouraging) the program director seems to usually try to end with a more positive human interest-kind of story. This particular day the item in the spotlight was astronauts who had succeeded in growing chile peppers on the International Space Station. This fresh produce had been growing for 4 months in a space about the size of an oven, and provided a welcome addition to the other prepackaged dehydrated astronaut fare. The newsreader said it’s an important step preparing for longer space voyages to the moon and Mars.

Yes, it’s an accomplishment, and I suppose it’s to be celebrated. But I can’t help but think, really? Is this the peak of our accomplishment, growing vegetables in outer space? Should we really be pouring our efforts into gardening on the way to Mars when we haven’t yet succeeded in feeding the hungry on our own planet? COP26 is a climate summit happening in Glasgow with 25,000 delegates from 200 countries until November 12. There have been some positive gestures in terms of goals around reforestation, methane, coal, and funding of ‘clean’ technology. But governments are from from their 2015 goal, the Paris agreement, in terms of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Are we really ready to be travelling to other planets when we haven’t yet succeeded in taking care of our own?

One post on social media was critical of Canada shipping coal and materials to China for manufacturing then marketing the resulting solar panels as ‘emissions-neutral’. Creative accounting at its best!

So, in our fallen human experience, we run up against walls. We can do much in our own power, but we can’t do everything. The vigor of youth and learning from school and study eventually fail us. As the saying goes, the two certainties of life are death and taxes. From time to time we bump up against the walls of our mortality. No amount of money or prestige can spare you the perils of disease.

In today’s gospel lesson we encounter two individuals who both approach Jesus out of just such desperation. The first, Jairus, was a synagogue ruler, the leader of the ‘elders’ responsible for administration and services at the nearby synagogue. I kind of think of Jairus as ‘chair of the board’ or a similar responsible position. He was a leader in the community, a person of rank, he had considerable social standing.

He may have approached Jesus well-dressed, in flowing robes; but then he did something surprising – he fell at Jesus’ feet and pleaded earnestly, fervently. Mk 5:23 “My little daughter is dying.Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” She was 12 years old.

How does a father feel when your little girl is dying and there seems to be nothing you can do? Money won’t save her. Your social standing won’t make her get better. A couple of times my own adolescent daughter was near death due to anorexia, an eating disorder. She was hospitalized at Toronto General on one occasion, then a couple of years later in Sault Ste Marie when she relapsed. In severe anorexia, electrolytes get out of whack and mental processing is impaired; those affected can’t even “see” themselves accurately when they look in the mirror. And parents become powerless as you watch your precious child waste away despite your best efforts.

Also in Mark 5 we meet another person who had reached her limits despite her resources. There’s an unnamed woman who has been ill with an internal hemorrhage, bleeding for some reason constantly for 12 years. Mark describes how dismal her circumstances are: V26 “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.” She had spent everything she had to pay the medical experts; so she’d started out with financial resources, but now those were all gone. Money can’t buy health. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors. Rabbinical literature contains an example of what one recommended treatment might be.

"Let them dig seven ditches, in which let them burn some cuttings of vines under four years old. Let her take in her hand a cup of wine; let them lead her away from this ditch and make her sit over that. Let them remove her from that and sit her over another. At each removal you must say to her, ‘Arise for thy flux.’"

REALLY?! And you call that medicine? I have to sit there with my bare behind exposed to smoke from some burning grapevines, and go from one ditch to another? That’s it? And what’s the cup of wine for - am I supposed to drink it, or just hold it like some magic potion? Maybe it’s to dull the pain from the heat below. Yuck! No wonder “she had gotten no better; in fact, she had gotten worse.” (NLT)

COVID has caused us to bump up against some walls in terms of our medical capabilities. Now we have various vaccines, but not everyone’s convinced that’s best for them. Premier Ford backed down from mandating vaccine for healthcare workers after British Columbia had to start cancelling surgeries due to staffing shortages when they tried it. If you don’t have the human resources, you can’t provide the services – and healthcare workers are already stressed from months and months of fighting a pandemic. Friends and neighbours we know are so hesitant about taking the vaccine that they choose to lose their employment rather than take the chance of adverse effects. They have bumped up against a wall and will be feeling the financial pinch.

Jesus has good news for both the synagogue ruler and the woman with long-term internal bleeding. But there’s a secret ingredient that’s the key to resolving their predicament. It’s called FAITH.

THE VISION OF FAITH

Faith sees an alternative view of reality. I’m not talking about alternative news sources and conspiracy theories here! Faith has the ability to see the unseen, faith sees and focuses on what God can do, rather than just what’s apparent to the naked eye. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and CERTAIN OF WHAT WE DO NOT SEE.”

We see Jairus’ faith first of all in his approach to Jesus. As noted, he’s a respected leader in the community, yet as he approaches Jesus he falls to his feet and pleads “earnestly”. He’s sincere, he’s desperate, he totally wants Jesus to step in and help. Otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered tracking Jesus down in the first place.

But Jesus schools the synagogue ruler further in what true faith is about. Mark 5:35 “While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said."Why bother the teacher any more?"” Do you hear that? Does it apply to some situation you’re facing? “Why bother?” NLT “There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” What’s the point? It’s useless.

Are you feeling that way today? Has life got you down? Are you feeling about ready to give up, that it’s useless to keep on trying, that it’s not worth the bother? Listen up! Jesus has some counsel for you.

Faith focuses on what God can do, not on the outward apparent reality, however much that may be staring you in the face. Look at vv36-37, “Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don’t be afraid; just believe." He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.”

See what Jesus is doing here? SELECTIVE IGNORANCE – like blinders on the eyes of a horse so it won’t be distracted by what’s happening on either side. Ignore the nay-sayers. Don’t be afraid; “Just have faith” (NLT). Only believe – and ignore the rest. Focus on God and His promises, who He is, how far He’s brought you, how He hasn’t abandoned you before. Even Paul near the end of his life could admit almost everyone had deserted him, yet the Lord stood at Paul’s side during his defence and rescued him. 2Timothy 4:16-17 “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.May it not be held against them.But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.” Did anyone else see Jesus standing there with Paul? No; but Paul saw the Lord, with the eyes of faith. And hear Paul’s trust and confidence in the next verse: 2Tim 4:18 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.To him be glory for ever and ever.Amen.” You can hear the ring of faith in them thar words!

So to focus on looking for what God may be about to do next, you may have to IGNORE what some others are telling you. Now let’s go a little deeper and notice how Jesus handles an even more discouraging environment. VV38-40a “When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After he put them all out...”

This crowd was weeping and wailing, causing a commotion, possibly with professional mourners called in for the occasion, crying out loudly. But Jesus in faith does not see a funeral in process; He sees an opportunity for God to work! He insists, “The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”

“Only asleep”?! This must have seemed nonsensical to those who had been there and watched the girl die. They had seen it with their own eyes. So they laughed at Jesus, jeered at Him, laughed at Him in scorn, ridiculed Him. Faith may well put you in a situation where others will do that to you, because they don’t see what you see. It’s okay; they laughed at Jesus and mocked Him, too. (I wonder how ashamed they felt after He performed the miracle?)

What’s Jesus’ response to their ridicule? “He put them all out”, made them all leave. On board with God’s plan, He took charge of the situation, carving out an environment where faith could work, creating a setting of expectancy free from doubt and despair. And He took with Him His closest supporters, Peter James and John, who seemed to be His ‘inner circle’. When others mock, draw closer to those who like you can see other possibilities, the thing of wonder God may be about to do.

THE TENDERNESS OF OUR HELPER

We’re coming to a couple of amazing miracles in a moment, but before we talk about the power of God, first note the tenderness of God’s Son. There’s His sensitivity toward the woman with the hemorrhage. Vv30-32, “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’" But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.”

He was hurrying on His way to an urgent engagement – a synagogue ruler had asked Him to come save the man’s dying daughter; this was a community leader, a Very Important Person. There was no time to lose. The crowd was thronging around Him, pressing in on Him from all sides as He strode purposefully along. But all of a sudden He stopped. There had been a touch. The crowd thronged, but only one person TOUCHED. A nobody had crept up behind Him. She had no name (that we know of); she was a woman (not allowed to testify in court in that culture); she was religiously ‘unclean’ (to touch someone with a hemorrhage would defile you under the law of Moses); she was penniless, destitute, having spent all she had. But her simple touch on the hem of Jesus’ garment stopped Him in His tracks. He felt it – despite the jostling of the crowd. He knew something had gone out of Him to her, some healing power – and He stopped to find her, to seek her, to bring her into public view, to acknowledge her, to commend her faith. Let the important people wait. SHE was important, too. The sensitivity of the Saviour, noticing those who to most of society were invisible.

Then once they’re at Jairus’ house, Mark includes a little detail, probably having heard it direct from Peter who must have watched it all wide-eyed: Mark 5:41 “He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").” Jesus doesn’t stand aloof, wave His arms over the bed and shout some declaration so loud it would raise the dead – He takes her gently by the hand, and bids this little one rise. The hand that formed the mountains and hurled the planet into orbit takes a little girl’s hand to help her up. Do you have that tenderness in your mental picture of God?

Elsewhere Jesus pulled back the curtain of His soul so we could get a peek at His real inner nature: Mt 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I AM GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART, and you will find rest for your souls.” Gentle, humble, tender – and He invites you along with Him, He’s wanting to share your load.

THE AMAZING POWER OF FAITH’S OBJECT

That tenderness conceals unimaginable strength. Let’s not forget the major outcomes of this passage: (A) a woman with an incurable internal bleeding that’s impossible for doctors to cure gets instant healing that she can feel right away has made her whole; (B) a juvenile who has died is raised back to life. Mark 5:42 “Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.” It’s not that she started breathing again, her eyes fluttered and she lay there, colour gradually returning, looking up sweetly into the Saviour’s face as He kept holding her limp hand. NO! She “immediately...stood up and walked around” – apparently with an appetite, for Jesus instructed them to get her something to eat. Where are those mockers now?!

NIV “At this they were completely astonished”, NLT “They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.” In the Greek it’s literally something like “they were amazed with great amazement”, repeated for emphasis. I guess so! “Send the mourners home, we’re having a PARTY instead!”

There are 3 recorded instances in Scripture of Jesus raising the dead. Here, privately. The son of the widow of Nain in Luke 7(11-15), publicly. And the raising of Lazarus after several days moldering in the tomb, John 11(41-46) – before bitter enemies, who subsequently began to plot Jesus’ murder as a result (Jn 11:53). Lazarus’ raising resulted in death for Jesus – but, after all, that’s kind of the way He works! His condemnation at the cross brought forgiveness for you and me.

FAITH’S OBJECT MATTERS

In closing – we’ve noted the walls we humans bump up against, the limits of our mortality, those situations we can’t overcome on our own means whether by rank or by riches. The synagogue leader and bleeding woman were both ‘stumped’, they had exhausted all options, they had nowhere to turn but to Jesus. We’ve seen the vision of faith, how it chooses to focus on what God can do instead of the simple details of apparent reality. We’ve seen the TENDERNESS of the Saviour, yet how that’s combined with His awesome POWER to raise the dead and cure the incurable.

Faith is the key to overcoming those impossible walls that would seem to close us in. Yet faith by itself is not enough: faith needs to be placed IN the right object. Today you may hear those who claim to be ‘people of faith’ but it’s doubtful they mean ‘followers of Jesus’. It’s more ‘cool’ these days to say “I’m a person of faith” rather than “I’m religious” – because religion per se has become tarred with a bad name. But you need to be clear you’re placing your trust in the right object, not just some nebulous Higher Power or the Universe or other spiritual leaders, whether living or dead. Your trust needs to be in the Lord Jesus in order to be assured you’re saved; as He said to the woman, “Your faith has healed you,” which could also be translated, “Your faith has saved you.”

The object of your faith matters immensely. The New Bible Commentary (Revised) notes, “...in the New Testament view, faith is no mere subjective experience, but something which derives its virtue from the OBJECT in which it rests, a ‘spiritual experience which begins in a venture of spirit and is constituted and made effective by God Himself’ (Vincent Taylor).”

Hebrews 11 is referred to as “The Hall of Fame of Faith” because it lists many who believed in God and through whom He consequently brought great deliverances for His people – Joseph, Moses, Gideon, David, and so on. Yet it also lists those whose commitment to God did not lead to happy endings for them: the world resisted their view. Hebrews 11:36-38a “Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY OF THEM.” Note that last phrase – ‘the world was not worthy of them’ – in other words, their lives were of great value, more than the world deserved. Psalm 116:15 “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” Faith not only permits us to see what God can do and to focus on Him and His possibilities: faith also heightens our preciousness to our Lord and Saviour. Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, thank You for rewarding the faith of Jairus and woman with the incurable medical problem; grant us help when we come up against problems that seem impossible to solve. We exalt You Jesus in Your tenderness, Your sensitivity to our condition, Your care for all who call out to You. Help us Lord keep our eyes on You, ‘only believe’ – and be prepared to see the astonishing things You are wanting to do through us and in our lives. In Christ’s name, Amen.

“Rejection and Repentance: Meeting Obstacles to Belief” - Nov.14/21 Mark 6:1-13

THE POSITIVITY OF WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER

Today’s lesson from the Gospel of Mark seems to highlight three things. It’s perilous to make hasty conclusions about Jesus or write Him off because we don’t think He’s the real solution to our issues. Unbelief can be paralyzing, blocking God from bringing about in our lives the changes that would be for our good. Yet in all this, the Good News Jesus entrusts to His followers to share with others is of great value: it’s a privilege to be one of His ambassadors and witness the positive effects His message has in a hurting world.

Let’s begin with that, the POSITIVE VALUE OF WHAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. In Mark 6 Jesus sends out His disciples on a preaching mission to various towns. VV7-10 “Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.These were his instructions: ‘Take nothing for the journey except a staff— no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.’”

Note that basic equipment is acceptable - a staff or walking stick for protection against criminals and animals; sandals for the rough terrain of Palestine at that time. But no fluff, no extras: no bread and no extra tunic, such as might be needed at night for the cold out in the open; this presumes they would find lodging that recipients of what they had would be willing to provide for them. No bag, that is, a ‘begging wallet’ or handout sack soliciting funds from passersby, no panhandling. This presumes their material needs will be met along the way. As the Apostle Paul quoted the Old Testament adage in 1Timothy 5:18, “For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."” You won’t have to mooch, Jesus implies: what you have to contribute will offset your needs. No money in your belts as a back-up plan: your needs will be provided day by day. And no moving around from house to house angling to secure the best possible lodging: be content with whoever is willing to host you.

Jesus is sending them out empty-handed and traveling light, with a focus on the mission rather than worrying about how their RRSPs will be funded. He has taught them His message and vested authority in them over unclean spirits. And you know what? It was enough! He was right! The approach worked. 6:12f “They went out and preached that people should repent.They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”

Their mission was His mission: they preached the same thing He did – that people needed to repent, have a ‘metanoia’ of mind, turn about and get right with God, leave their old ways and patterns of thinking behind. This is still a core task of the church: to call people to repent and turn from sin, so they may receive forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice and the blessing of life in the Holy Spirit. They drove out demons. How much is this needed in today’s world? There’s a drug and opioid epidemic alongside the COVID epidemic; even with just alcohol, people drink to forget, to get a buzz, to escape their reality – but it can take over and destroy their lives and families. Those ‘inner demons’ love to steer your life, threatening our mental health, sometimes pulling people to dabble in the occult or Wicca or other religions in search of meaning. But those paths ignore the truth of the Biblical worldview.

The Twelve anointed people with oil and healed the sick. How much that was needed, especially before the science of modern medicine! And even today in the era of medicine, people get worked up over our dependence on Big Pharma and all the possible side effects of prescription drugs some take. How much of our ill health is due to root causes that are not actually medical? Overconsumption trying to ‘fill that gap’ emotionally with comfort food; lack of sleep because we’re entertaining ourselves late into the night, and wind up sick. Letting God govern our living habits helps provide us with buffers and the ability to say ‘no’ which can safeguard our health. Knowing the love and goodness and meaning and worth only He can give spares us pitfalls of trying to sift those out of culture’s sands like a Klondike enthusiast panning endlessly for gold.

The church has an ongoing mission to care for the sick. James the brother of Jesus writes in Jas 5:14-16a “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Physicians can work wonders in medical care, but after the surgery is done or radiation soaks through, God’s design still has to kick in for the body to heal itself. And for those medicine fails, the church through Bible promises can still be praying and offering eternal hope.

All this to say – the Christian message is one of great POSITIVITY: we have something to offer that’s of great value, you can’t get it from anywhere else. Because God our Maker has diagnosed the ills of the human heart and provided a cure, the truth we need to get our lives on track, a sense of vision to see and appreciate what’s really of ultimate worth.

Jesus is in the business of life change, metanoia, transformation of our whole being. Think of the ‘before-and-after’ stories shared with us by Teen Challenge grads a couple of weeks back. 2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Being born anew, ‘from above’.

THE PERIL OF A HASTY DISCOUNT

Nevertheless, as life progresses, we humans tend to draw our own conclusions, develop our own biases and prejudices, that confirm us in our patterns and guard us against others who would ‘put one over’ on us and scam us, con us, take advantage of us. But when the folks in Jesus’ hometown developed their own conclusions, it backfired.

Back earlier in Jesus’ ministry it seems there had been some rejection of Him when He announced His platform based on a reading in Isaiah. That was then; now He was back as a Rabbi with a growing reputation and a band of followers. At first, this time, the reaction of the people of Nazareth starts out warm, but soon turns skeptical. Vv2-3 “When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked."What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.”

They start by noting His wisdom and reputation for supernatural miracles, but quickly divert down the siding of “but we already know this guy”. He CAN’T be anyone important because He’s LOCAL! (Justin Bieber’s TimBiebs notwithstanding.) They recall for the first decades of His life Jesus likely trained with Joseph his father as a carpenter, stonemason, or bricklayer, maybe even taking over the family business when Joseph died. Justin Martyr, a believer who died about 165 AD, wrote of Jesus making yokes and plows in His earlier career. The people of Nazareth are quite familiar with Jesus’ brothers and sisters, who are ordinary Jews just like them.

So they jumped to conclusions and “took offense at Him”; NLT “were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him.” They were scandalized, literally – the Greek verb is reminiscent of a stumbling block, a trigger in a trap that gets stepped on and trips the catch. Pre-judging – our prejudices – can be traps! Too hastily the townsfolk discount the local lad. They can’t see past their prejudices.

How often our own prejudices kick into gear and rob us of the gift of coming to an honest appreciation of a stranger. We quickly categorize them by their age, their accent, their dress, their skin colour – and we dismiss them, discount the possibility they might be a person we could learn from and even develop a last friendship with. We choose NOT to love our neighbour because of extermal factors without giving them an honest hearing. So our fallen bias, our ‘quick read’ of a person’s station, results in us disobeying one of the key commands in the Greatest Commandment.

This PERIL of jumping to a conclusion is seen also in V11, where Jesus offers guidance to His budding missionaries in the case a town rejects their call to repent. Mk 6:11 “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.” They’re not just to skulk away quietly; there’s a little ritual Jesus tells them to do that could serve as a visual rebuke, a gesture to get their attention and highlight the seriousness of their refusal to heed the apostles’ message. Shake the dust off their feet: As if to say, “We will have nothing to do with you; you’ve had your chance and you rebelled against what was offered; you are left to your own fate.” Today we might rub our hands together as if we’re washing our hands of the whole affair. It’s what Jesus calls “a testimony against them.”

In Matthew’s account, Jesus offers more parallels that point out the seriousness of such rejection. Mt 10:15, 11:22,24 “I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town...But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you...But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Do you think Jesus is trying to stress the seriousness of what they’re doing? The PERIL of writing Him off, discounting His message, not giving Him a serious hearing?

What about you? Have you consigned Jesus to a special category in your mind that makes Him innocuous, irrelevant, that prevents Him from having any ‘say’ in your daily life because you’ve discounted Him? Some people see Jesus as just a moral teacher; others as a social reformer; still others as someone that takes children in His arms but is a nut case. But read what Jesus says about Himself and you’ll find He won’t allow Himself to be categorized that way. A good moral teacher doesn’t claim to be a prophet (here in v4) or the Son of God or the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus by His assertions won’t leave that option open to you. There is genuine PERIL in rejecting His call to repentance.

THE PARALYSIS OF UNBELIEF

Last, briefly, not the PARALYSIS of unbelief in VV5-6a: “He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.And he was amazed at their lack of faith.” Matthew in his account expands the first part to highlight the role faith plays: Mt 13:58 “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”

So, taking those together, lack of faith both “amazes” Jesus – causes Him to marvel, wonder – and prevents the doing of miracles. Unbelief paralyzes us. It’s a roadblock in the relationship between God and a person. Commentators point out it’s not that Jesus lacked the power to do miracles in His hometown, just that He CHOSE not to do any – because He detected their lack of faith.

I like John MacArthur’s note on ‘faith’: he writes, “To have faith is to relinquish trust in oneself and transfer that trust to someone or something else.” It’s more than a set of intellectual propositions you may or may not assent to: it’s trust, commitment, giving yourself to someone else, counting on them rather than your own ability or merit. Have you ‘relinquished’ trust in yourself? Have you truly transferred that trust to Jesus Christ? Romans 10:9 promises, “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Jesus Himself declares in John 7:38f, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." [By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.]” Have you taken that step of committing to Him, believing in Him, receiving His living water, becoming alive in the Holy Spirit, a soul-reset? What’s holding you back? There is PERIL in waffling; unbelief is paralysing, preventing you from experiencing the healing and forgiveness and right-wising God wants to work in your life.

The Bible doesn’t mention many things that ‘amazed’ Jesus – after all, the universe came about through Him! But He was amazed at the faith of the Roman centurion who wouldn’t bother Him to actually come, just asked Him to give the command and trusted the miracle would happen, the centurion’s servant would be healed (Luke 7:9). But the other time where Jesus’ amazement is recorded is in this passage: “He was amazed at their lack of faith.” Don’t let that be Jesus’ attitude toward you!

TRUST AND RELATIONSHIP

We’ve seen that FAITH plays a key role in this passage. The townspeople of Nazareth DIDN’T have it, so missed out on the wonders Jesus might have accomplished there. The disciples on the other hand DID trust Jesus, taking Him at His word, went out and saw many healings and exorcisms take place, lives changed forever. At root, faith and trust are RELATIONAL: it’s not about believing in a formula that can be written on a blackboard; it’s about coming to know and trust your Saviour intimately, as a Friend and Deliverer.

Shah Abbis was a Persian monarch who loved his people very much. To know and understand them better, he would mingle with his subjects in various disguises. One day he went as a poor man to the public baths and in a tiny cellar sat beside the fireman who tended the furnace. When it was mealtime the monarch shared his coarse food and talked to his lonely subject as a friend. Again and again he visited and the man grew to love him. One day the Shah told him he was the monarch, expecting the man to ask some gift from him. But the fireman sat gazing at his ruler with love and wonder and at last spoke, “You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this dark place, to eat of my coarse food, to care whether my heart is glad or sorry. On others you may bestow rich presents, but to me you have given yourself, and it only remains for me to pray that you never withdraw the gift of your friendship.”

Jesus may have grown up as a young man in Nazareth and trained as a village carpenter. But in reality He left the glories of heaven in order to share himself with us. To trust Him is such a POSITIVE thing! It’s the key that unlocks the blessing of knowing Him, being able to turn to Him at any moment, and to have hope of spending eternity with Him. That gift of his love and friendship will never be withdrawn from us. When we put our faith in Him, we find He chose to be your friend and mine forever. Let’s pray.

“What Kind of 'King' Would You Really Want, Anyway?” - Nov.21/21 John 6:1-21

FACING A GREAT CHALLENGE

Are you facing any challenges in your life lately? Any obstacles or problems that may seem insurmountable? In John 6, Jesus and the disciples were encountering a challenge. On the east side of the Sea of Galilee, one day Jesus saw a mega amount of people descending upon them. Jn 6:2 “...a GREAT CROWD of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” V5 reiterates: “When Jesus looked up and saw a GREAT CROWD coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"” Our best estimate of the overall size of this ‘great crowd’ according to John MacArthur would be about 20,000 people, by the time you include women and children.

“Say, Philip, we’re having a few guests over for lunch. We’re way out here in the middle of nowhere and they’ve come a long way to get here. How ‘bout rounding up a few snacks – say, about 20,000 or so?”!

Wouldn’t the size of that challenge just about floor you? Are there similar stresses you’re facing at this point in your life you don’t feel quite up to?

When Frank Lloyd Wright accepted the task of designing the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, he realized that he had his work cut out for him. Japan is a land of frequent shakes and tremors; the challenge was to build a building that could withstand the earth's instability. He discovered eight feet below the surface of the ground where the building was to stand lay a sixty-foot bed of soft mud. This gave him an idea: Why not FLOAT the Imperial Hotel building on this bed of mud, and let it absorb the shock of any quake? The cynics laughed at him. Other architects said it was impossible. Frank Lloyd Wright built the hotel anyway. Not long after its completion, the structure was put to the test: Japan experienced its worst earthquake in fifty-two years. All around Tokyo buildings were destroyed, but the Imperial Hotel stood firm. (By the way I was told once the Soil Science building at the University of Guelph uses the same principle: it was built to ‘float’! The engineers proved they were up to the challenge.)

CAN IT BE A TEST?

The challenge becomes an opportunity for faith to grow. But to emphasize the point, Jesus first approaches the disciples to get their suggestions. New Living Translation puts His query to Philip in these words: “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” John the Gospel writer adds in v6, “He asked this only to TEST him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

What’s in your heart, Philip? Are you going to rely on your own resources? Are you automatically going to turn to the Lord, bring Him into this equation?

At first it appears Philip’s instant reaction is to approach the challenge on a strictly human level. He sizes up the number of people, multiplies by the cost of a loaf of bread, and after some quick mental arithmetic replies in v7: “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"”

God does not tempt us (see James 1:13); but He does test us. Jesus passed the tests in the desert with flying colours, relying on Scripture to resist the devil’s advances. Others wee tested in the Bible. Abraham was tested by being told to sacrifice His only son Isaac as an offering, before an angel intervened. Gen 22:1 “Some time later God TESTED Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" "Here I am," he replied.” God tested the Israelites in the desert through 40 years of wandering. Deut 8:2 “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and TO TEST YOU in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.” A test reveals what’s in our heart, what’s our root attitude toward God? Will we really trust Him, even when hardships arise? Hezekiah was one of the best kings in the Old Testament, yet God tested him, too. 2Chronicles 32:31 “But when envoys were sent by the rulers of Babylon to ask him about the miraculous sign that had occurred in the land, God left him TO TEST HIM and to know everything that was in his heart.”

The Lord is eager to know what’s at your core: a test peels back the layers to expose our root loyalties and commitments. Can we really trust Him when everything in our world is falling apart? Will we pass the test? As someone has said: “When you are going through difficulty and wonder where GOD is, remember that the teacher is always quiet during the test.”

A MESSIAH BEYOND EXPECTATIONS

The disciples are stymied. Philip’s math may be correct, but he has left Jesus out of the calculations. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, ventures just a tad further: at least he offers up what’s on hand. Jn 6:9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

How far, indeed? Do you have five small loaves? What about those two small fish? It’s not about what you don’t have, but what you already have on hand. Don’t tell me you’d give half of it to God if you found out you won the lottery and won a million dollars (not that you should be playing the lottery anyway - that’s gambling). God’s not interested in the million dollars you DON’T have, but in the limited funds you DO have – the limited gifts and abilities you DO have. Are you willing to hand them over for Him to use?

The rest of this section just blows us away by the supernatural aspects of who Jesus is. We see He is an AMPLE PROVIDER. After Jesus takes the loaves and give thanks, the disciples - Jn 6:11 “distributed to those who were seated AS MUCH AS THEY WANTED.He did the same with the fish.” WOW!

A fine point here is that John the writer is setting the stage for one of His main points about Jesus. In v4 John notes, “The Jewish Passover Feast was near.” At first that seems unimportant. But in v11 when John says Jesus “gave thanks” it’s the verb meaning to have EUCHARIST, like at the Lord’s Supper in Matthew - Mark - Luke – which John does not include in his account, probably assuming people are already familiar with it through the accounts of the others. He’s building towards another of his major “I AM” sayings of Jesus in 6:35 and 6:51: “Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life.He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty...I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."”

Are you hungry for more in life? Do the pleasures and activities of this world leave you yearning for something deeper, something lasting? John is presenting Jesus as your Passover, the One who can deliver you from bondage to this world’s woes and incompleteness.

So, John paints a portrait of Jesus as an AMPLE PROVIDER. Also as someone who has SUPERNATURAL INSIGHT. This radar-insight spares Him falling captive to the mob’s plans. Jn 6:14f “After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” Jesus knew their plans in advance and escaped, because the timing wasn’t yet right for His final confrontation with the authorities.

This is another instance of Jesus’ supernatural insight into people’s hearts. Back in Jn 2:24f we read, “But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men.He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.”

Ample Provider – Supernatural Insight – Jesus shows He is a Messiah Beyond Expectations later in this passage by His being SOVEREIGN OVER THE LAWS OF NATURE. Later that same day, after Jesus goes off into the hills by Himself to pray, the disciples start heading back in a boat west across the lake towards Capernaum (home base). It’s dark, and weather is brewing. The Sea of Galilee is some 700 feet below the surrounding countryside and cold winds can sweep down and mix with the warm moist air above the water’s surface, stirring it up. Jn 6:18-19 “A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.” WALKING ON THE WATER?! I guess they were terrified! Who ever heard of such a thing?! Somehow Jesus through whom the world was created has temporarily suspended one of nature’s most fundamental forces, the law of gravity!

In v21 there’s an additional miracle, sort of slipped in almost as an afterthought, but similarly astounding when you think about it: V21B “...and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” Sure, Lord, go ahead and bend the time-space continuum just like that! But if you can toy with gravity, it’s no big deal to move objects instantly through space, right?!

Jesus is a Messiah clearly beyond expectations. All the ‘great crowd’ were looking for was a political victor, someone who could kick out the oppressor Romans and keep their larders supplied with an endless supply of bread and fish. But for His disciples, Jesus reveals He is much more than just that kind of leader, focused on worldly power. He is God incarnate, deserving our worship and complete trust.

God is not some sort of cosmic vending machine – put in your nickel and out comes a candy. Jesus is not our magic Genie, such that if we hang around Him He’s going to keep us well fed and chase out the political oppressors. That’s the kind of Messiah the ‘great crowd’ was chasing after, but Jesus’ Kingdom is one that starts from the inside out, requiring us to confess our twisted desires and default selfishness, yielding our allegiance to Him alone, wherever He may lead. Even if He calls us to serve those wretched Romans by carrying their pack an extra mile.

Is that the kind of King you’re looking for? You need to let HIM set the terms, not dictate to Him a grocery list of what you want to make you happy.

OUR PEACE WHEN UNSETTLED: ARE WE WILLING?

So Jesus comes to the disciples in the middle of the night, about the middle of the lake (the deepest part), in the dark, when the strong wind is blowing, the waters are rough, and they’re getting exhausted from rowing. It says they were TERRIFIED.

Are you about worn out from rowing, trying to do it all on your own? Have the winds been against you lately, threatening to push you back and wipe out all your progress? Are your circumstances making you wish you had a Saviour close by? Are you drowning in others’ unreasonable demands, things you have no control over?

It’s been heart-rending this past week listening to reports from the flooded areas in BC. People whose homes and possessions have been ruined. Lives lost in mudslides. Thousands of farm animals that couldn’t be rescued, and perished. Citizens and soldiers joining together to build dikes using sandbags to keep the waters at bay.

When we are terrified, that’s our cue to look for Jesus. Jn 6:20 “But he said to them, "It is I; don’t be afraid."” The “I” is emphatic in the original language; “It’s ME!” The same Son of God that you saw multiply loaves and fish to feed thousands just hours earlier. ‘What are you afraid for, as long as I’m here?’ Can you give those fears to Jesus? That apprehension, that uncertainty, that unspoken anxiety? Can you trust He is really in control?

V21 “Then they were willing to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” Great things happen when we relinquish and welcome Jesus into the boat of our life. NLT “Then they were EAGER to let Him in the boat...” Can we be so eager to let Jesus take over the piloting of our life?

When we are willing, we soon discover He wants to involve us as His agents. He knew what He was going to do for a miracle even before mentioning it to Philip. He welcomed Andrew’s suggestion of starting with the little boy’s lunch. It was just a small lunch – but it became super-significant when placed in Jesus’ miracle- working hands!

What’s in your hands? Do you nay-say, telling yourself Jesus can’t do much with the five loaves and two fish you happen to have? I can think of 20,000 reasons you shouldn’t underestimate Jesus! Don’t be afraid: be at peace.

THE SECURITY YOU’VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR

The crowd sought Jesus out for His miracles, but He wanted them to see past the amazing feats for the amazing Son of God He was. It was around the Passover time: though they were far from Jerusalem, Jesus offered them the Bread of Life, bread which they could eat and live forever. Bread that shows us God’s love and care impacting our lives, reassuring us when challenges mount and we become terrified.

During World War II, the Germans forced many twelve- and thirteen-year-old boys into the Junior Gestapo. These boys were treated very harshly and given inhumane jobs to perform. When the war ended, most had lost track of their families and wandered without food or shelter. As part of an aid program to post-war Germany, many of these youths were placed in tent cities. Here doctors and psychologists worked with the boys in an attempt to restore their mental and physical health. They found that many of the boys would awaken in the middle of the night, screaming in terror.

One doctor had an idea for handling that fear. After feeding the boys a large meal, he put them to bed with a piece of bread in their hands, which they were told to save until morning. The boys then slept soundly because, after so many years of hunger, they finally had the assurance of food for the next day.

Do you have Jesus as your Saviour? If you do, you hold the Bread of Life in your hands and therefore have the assurance that you need not go out of this life in terror and fear. Let’s pray.

Lord, like the crowds we have been rushing around in search of the magic solution that we suppose would solve all our problems – when really it’s YOU we need, not a temporary fix. Forgive us for leaving You out of the equation, like Philip, baffled by the challenge of trying to do it all on our own. Make us willing to follow Your instructions and watch You in action; make us willing and eager to receive You into our boat when the waters are rough, for only You Jesus can speak peace to our pain and our problems. Only You can be our lasting security. Thank You! In Christ’s name, Amen.

“Hope vs.Heaviness: The Caution His Coming Affords” - Nov.28/21 1^st of Advent Luke 21:25-36

WHEN THE ROAD FALLS OUT FROM UNDER YOU

Last week it was flooding in BC, out on our west coast. This week it was flooding in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, on our east coast. What will it be next week? When calamities befall us, and it seems the proverbial stool is knocked out from under us, where can we find hope? What can keep us pushing onward towards a positive goal?

Davey Fraser works for Parks Canada as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver. On Tuesday he was just past the entrance to Cape Breton Highlands National Park doing traffic control and checking for flooding. Driving slowly in poor visibility through the pouring rain, he thought he saw some mud which he took to be runoff from the shoulder of the road. Suddenly his truck fell about 6 metres into a hole. He told CBC News, “It was almost like I hit a brick wall, but I was down in the hole when I hit.I didn’t even feel the truck drop – I was just going and, ‘Bang!’”

The paramedics advised him to get an X-ray, but there was no way to get to the hospitals because of flooding and road washouts. The area received about 26 centimetres of rain (nearly a foot). Davey Fraser says his chest and ribs are sore and figures he broke his nose.

But that’s not all. When he got home to Ingonish, he found his basement was flooded, his roof was leaking, and his well had washed away. Poor guy! He was not a well man...

Give him credit, though. Fraser plans to return to work Monday or Tuesday and chalks his experience up to being one of the duties of the job. Atta boy, Davey! What a guy!

Perhaps you have had bad days like Davey. He was having enough trouble to last a year, not just a day! Are there times the road seems to fall out from under you? Obstacles that seem like you’ve hit a brick wall? You’re just going along, minding your business, and suddenly from out of nowhere, Whammo!? What can keep us going when hard times hit? Where do we find hope when life seems to be caving in upon us from all sides?

THE PASSING OF THE PERMANENT

That last week in Jerusalem, the disciples got to ‘play tourist’ in the big city. Herod’s temple was truly an impressive structure, having taken 46 years to build. A single stone at the southwest corner measured 36 feet long! Herod donated a golden vine for one of its decorations; its grape clusters were as tall as a person. Josephus records, “Whatever was not overlaid with gold was purest white.” The Temple was a symbol of the kingdom’s prosperity and a source of national pride. Earlier in our passage in chapter 21, Luke records: Lk 21:5 “Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God.”

But what they were so impressed by was not permanent, even if it was imposing at the time. Jesus replies in v6, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” And that came true within a generation of Him predicting it, when the Romans conquered and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Is there some glistening shiny golden ‘temple’ in your life, that you’ve poured yourself into in order to impress other people? Do you suppose it’s really a lasting monument to your greatness? Is it what gives you value in your own imagination? What’s really MEANT to give our life lasting value? Is it from working long hard hours, amassing wealth? Is it from attaining positions of power, where we can tell others what to do? Is it from acquiring the latest and greatest shiny new toys? (Check out those Black Friday sales – can’t wait for Cyber Monday!!)

There’s a theme in the discourse that Jesus proceeds to give – it’s the PASSING OF THE PERMANENT. The disciples ask, “When will these things happen?” Verses 8-24 focus more or less on events that would happen in the disciples’ own lifetimes – persecution, and in particular the downfall of Jerusalem. That’s primarily His answer about ‘these things’ in their question. But those are a launching point, foreshadowings in a way of the more global or cosmic upheavals that will happen leading up to His return, which He turns to in the remainder of the chapter.

For instance, the land and sea, the heavenly bodies, in vv25-26: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars.On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

Could it be an asteroid? Some scientists conjecture that a giant asteroid was responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs. Certainly an asteroid could have been involved in triggering the Biblical Flood, leading to massive atmospheric changes on a cosmic scale. This past week NASA launched a “DART” spacecraft on a rocket aiming at an asteroid’s moonlet many millions of miles away in a ‘practice’ test, hoping to adjust the moonlet’s velocity and thus change the asteroid’s trajectory further away from intersecting with earth. Don’t sweat, we’re not in any real danger this time, it’s just a practice run!

But last week we saw Jesus multiply loaves and fishes and cause a boat to mysteriously arrive at its destination after being wracked by stormy waves in the middle of a lake. When you believe in God as Creator, you don’t even require an asteroid for system change. The so-called ‘laws’ of nature are merely descriptions of how natural objects behave, they don’t PRESCRIBE what MUST happen. If God wants to adjust the force of gravity, or the speed of light, or the ratio between mass and energy, or the strength of subatomic forces, He doesn’t require your or my permission to do so! At least, I hope you’re worshipping a God that big...Any lesser God would not really be worthy of worship, would He?

God’s right and authority to govern the universe are foundational tenets of faith. Psalm 102:25f “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.” When the sixth of seven seals is opened in John’s vision of the future, Revelation 6:14 “The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” Like a scroll; like a book being closed. When the Author ends the story, as the saying goes, “That’s all she wrote”. The Lord has a new stage waiting for the next adventure.

Jesus adds in Lk 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” God SPOKE the world into being, according to Genesis 1; so God’s word is outside of time, bigger than the created order. The world as we know it is serving His purpose, the earth is full of His unfailing love (Ps.119:64), but His word is more permanent than the Canadian Shield or Mount Everest.

Should we be concerned about the environment if it’s all just going to get burned up? Does Christianity provide an ethical basis for stewardship of our planet if 2Peter 3:10 is true? 2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

That is the larger context, yes. But as long as we are put here, the Bible does have an emphasis of stewarding the planet well. Yes, Genesis 1:28 has God commanding humans to ‘fill the earth and subdue it’; but Genesis 2:15 adds specifically, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and TAKE CARE OF IT.” Nature is something God has entrusted to our care to manage and protect, not to exploit wastefully. Last week we saw Jesus instruct the disciples to pick up leftovers from feeding the multitude in baskets so that nothing be wasted.

When God is taken out of the picture as in naturalism, the climate can become an idol, witness many protesters travelling to Glasgow for COP26. Christians do not worship the environment; but neither should we treat it carelessly, for we are accountable to God for how we manage what He has created. Just because the planet may be removed eventually does not give us an excuse to neglect it in the meantime.

THE COMING OF THE UNSEEN CHRIST

The disciples marveled at the visual treasures in Herod’s Temple; but Jesus wants them to realize their worth does not come from some external symbol of national pride that can be printed on a tourism brochure. Instead, their worth is linked to relationship with Him, even when He’s unseen.

The ‘shaking’ and ‘tossing’ of what seems permanent now – sun, moon, stars, the oceans – is but preliminary to Jesus’ return. Advent is about ‘coming’ (think: ‘venir’ in French, ‘to come’) – so the believer’s hope and significance lie in the relationship to their coming Saviour. The cosmic disruptions are pointers to Jesus’ imminent return. V27 “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” This is exactly what the Old Testament prophet Daniel was referring to, Dan 7:13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a SON OF MAN, COMING WITH THE CLOUDS of heaven.He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.” Jesus uses the same label to refer to Himself (‘Son of Man’), identifying Himself with the central character in Daniel’s prophecy.

Right from the time of the Ascension, the New Testament refers to Jesus’ coming back physically. Acts 1:9-11 “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, WILL COME BACK IN THE SAME WAY you have seen him go into heaven."”

The classic passage on Jesus’ return is in Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians, 1Thess 4:16 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” And 2Thess 1:7-10 “...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed...” You don’t want to be ‘shut out’! But to be among those in whom Jesus is glorified, who will be marveling at Him.

Our culture is increasingly drifting away from God: it’s a ‘taboo’ topic in our schools and public square. Simultaneously the culture loses a sense of its origin and destiny, and with that, morality and meaning. For Christians, the coming of Jesus presents an alternative worldview in which we have a destiny as well as an origin; the punishment and judgment associated with His coming give life meaning and purpose, accountability and a gauge of morality. It represents the visible incursion of God’s Kingdom: Lk 21:31 “Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”

Jesus’ coming also gives us VALUE and WORTH. V28B “...because your REDEMPTION is drawing near.” To redeem is to buy back; Jesus’ giving His life was of infinite value, He laid down His life to buy us forgiveness, to save us for eternal relationship with Him. V36 “...pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” To stand, to be counted worthy of entering into and remaining in His presence. King James Version renders it, “that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things...” Unfortunately many will NOT be able to stand in His presence, but will be banished forever, “shut out” from His presence as Paul put it. Looking forward to being able to stand before the Lord Jesus, behold the majesty of His power, and marvel at Him, gives us hope and anticipation on our worst days. Knowing that you are dear to Him. “O how He loves you and me!”

WATCHING AND WAITING – NOT WEIGHTED

Jesus closes this discourse on massive future events with an exhortation for His followers to be on guard against worldly cares and attractions that would ambush us and drag us off course. Verses 34 & 36, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap...Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen...”

Here He lists three things that would weigh us down, like a marathon runner suddenly being handed a backpack with several anvils inside and being told to wear it while keeping on running. Anvil #1 is “dissipation” - the lexicon describes this as “the giddiness and headache caused by drinking wine to excess”. You don’t want a drunk person to be driving because their judgment is impaired; and you don’t want to feel like they feel the morning after in the middle of their hangover. For some people today, life is about lurching from one party to the next, enduring the week for the sake of the weekend. Alcohol or drugs become the means of escape or sedation from the boredom of life.

Anvil #2 is “drunkenness”. Unfortunately the PANdemic has not helped people’s mental health, resulting in abuse of substances to become EPIdemic. But again, without the ‘bookends’ of creation and Christ’s return to give meaning to existence, what’s to stop people from living to party? As Paul put it in 1Cor 15:32b, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’”

Anvil #3 is “the anxieties of life”. Remember Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed, and the thorns that choked out the crop? Mt 13:22 “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the WORRIES OF THIS LIFE and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” Maybe you’re pretty self-controlled: you’re not the partying type, you’re not given to dissipation or drunkenness – but you can still get weighed down by this life’s concerns. This is HUGE in our affluent North American context. Worry is a robber – not just of your sleep, it can also rob you of the joy and hope of anticipating seeing your Saviour.

How can we avoid getting dragged down and out of the race by these 3 anvils, says Jesus? By being “careful”, “be always on the watch” and “pray”. Prayer gives eternal perspective to our daily challenges. When you pause to step into God’s throne room, suddenly your problems don’t seem so big, you are reminded His power and sovereignty can handle whatever is challenging you, and earth’s attractions aren’t so appealing compared to the glories that await you.

WORTH THE WAIT

The television program 20/20 once showed an experiment on self-control with children. They were told that they could have a single treat, such as a cookie, right now. However, if they would wait while the reporter ran an errand, they could have two cookies. Some preschoolers grabbed the cookie immediately; others were able to wait for what must have seemed to them like an endless twenty minutes. To sustain themselves in their struggle, they covered their eyes so they wouldn't see the temptation, rested their heads on their arms, talked to themselves, sang, even tried to sleep. Those who endured to the end received the two-cookie reward. The follow-up of this study found that the children who were able to forgo the instant gratification kept that same temperament throughout their adolescence. The more impulsive kids who grabbed the cookie were more likely to be stubborn, indecisive, and stressed.

Set your heart on the long-term target! Hoping in Jesus helps you have more peace in the interim. This life’s ‘cookie’ will be gone all too soon anyway.

Today we celebrate communion; it’s a meal at the Lord’s Table, not just here at this location but in a way anticipating the day we will enjoy a feast in the presence of our Saviour – and with those who have already fallen asleep in their Lord. Hope sustains us through daily challenges and life’s upsets and brick walls.

In 1965, naval aviator James B.Stockdale became one of the first American pilots to be shot down during the Vietnam War. As a prisoner of the Vietcong, he spent seven years as a P.O.W., during which he was frequently tortured in an attempt to break him and get him to denounce the U.S.involvement in the war. He was chained for days at a time with his hands above his head so that he could not even swat the mosquitoes. Today, he still cannot bend his left knee and walks with a severe limp from having his leg broken by his captors and never reset. One of the worst things done to him was that he was held in isolation away from the other American P.O.W.s and allowed to see only his guards and interrogators.

How could anyone survive seven years of such treatment? As he looked back on that time, Stockdale (later a vice admiral, awarded the Medal of Honour) said that it was his hope that kept him alive. Hope of one day going home, that each day could be the day of his release. Without hope, he knew that he would die in hopelessness, as others had done.

Such is the power of hope that it can keep one alive when nothing else can. Let’s pray.

Precious Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your greatness: the earth and the sun and the moon and the whole universe are in Your hands, and can’t be shaken without Your awareness. You are our foundation, our sure ground, even when we hit brick walls or life seems to be spinning out of control. Your words outlasts the created order. Thank You for the hope of Jesus’ return, for the delight it will be to behold Him and marvel in His beauty and goodness. Helps us to be watchful, to resist evil draws that might sway us off course; when life is tough, help us draw strength from You, and to stand at the last. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

[PREPARE FOR COMMUNION]

“Lockdown on Fear: The Lord in Our Midst” - Dec.12/21 3^rd of Advent Zeph.3:14-20

YOUR FEARLESS LEADER

Our main point today from the prophet Zephaniah is that we need not fear because God is with His people; in fact, He rejoices over us which in turn prompts us to have joy even when times are tough and His promises have not yet been completely realized.

Have you noticed the times lately have seemed fearful? The pandemic wears on – we’ve passed from fearful new variant Delta to new variant Omicron. The new case counts in our province have risen to over a thousand in the past week. Scrolling through the news headlines sometimes it almost seems the news agencies RELY on fear for their marketing – one scary headline after another. Trying to plan Christmas get-togethers can become a delicate dance of what’s allowed, who’s willing, what’s safe, what’s prudent (not just ‘what can we get away with’). NOBODY wants another lockdown! Instead we’d rather have a lockdown on FEAR – wouldn’t it be nice to see other people’s faces again, instead of masks? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to put this whole pandemic chapter behind us and breathe a sigh of relief? Can’t we lockdown FEAR itself and go back to ‘normal’?

Dealing with people can be difficult. Teachers know that dealing with a whole classroom of rowdy students multiplies the challenges. But one teacher refused to give in to fear when assigned a problem class.

This certain schoolteacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and wasn't noticeable at all. On the first day of the term, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school. Hmm!! Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. He had no trouble with discipline that term!

Now, we may not have chests that can take a staple – but by faith in Christ we have a Saviour in our heart that can still give us confidence and strength to stand up to tough circumstances. In today’s reading from Zephaniah we find the secret revealed – and it’s something longer-lasting than a plaster cast!

NOT FEARING THE JOY-SUCKERS

First a bit of an introduction so we don’t just parachute into the last half of the last chapter of a book in the Bible while ignoring the first two-thirds. Zephaniah was the great-grandson of good King Hezekiah, so new a thing or two about what went on at court and in the broader political sphere. Unfortunately wicked King Manasseh succeeded Hezekiah and turned the nation of Judah considerably for the worse. (The northern kingdom of Israel had fallen in 722 BC, about 25 years before Manasseh’s 55-year reign began.) 2Chronicles 33 summarizes how far Manasseh got off course: 2Chron 33:2-3,6 “He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, following the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had demolished; he also erected altars to the Baals and made Asherah poles.He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them...He sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists.He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger.”

So you have half a century of extensive idolatry being officially approved. Along comes King Josiah in 640 BC and inherits this mess, and this seems to be the time Zephaniah is prophesying, along with Jeremiah, Nahum, and perhaps Habakkuk. About the eighth year of his reign King Josiah begins to seek the Lord, does some housecleaning in the house of the Lord, and the book of God’s law is rediscovered, prompting reforms. But up to that point it appears the nation is headed for judgment. Assyria is still powerful but in 627 its king dies, and Babylon’s rise to power is imminent, to be followed by their invasion and destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC.

It’s a fearful time, rather tenuous politically: the king after Manasseh, named Amon, only lasted 2 years, being assassinated by his own officials. (2Chron 33:24) Zephaniah the prophet mentions some of the sins of the leadership. Zeph 1:4-5 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests— those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molech...” You can see the mixing of religions there: Baal, the starry host, Molech; also that some people purported to worship BOTH the Lord AND Molech, presumably attempting to cover their bases whichever god was right.

Zeph :6 “...those who turn back from following the LORD and neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him.” They treat God as irrelevant; “Who needs a divine Guide? We can manage just fine on our own, thank you very much!” They don’t seek or inquire of the Lord. See also later in the book, Zeph 3:4,7 “Her prophets are arrogant; they are treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law...But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.” Arrogance, treacherous and plotting, not respecting the holy space of God’s sanctuary, twisting the law, acting corruptly. And 3:11 “...I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride.Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.” Pride, haughtiness – we want to be in control, in charge, we think we’re pretty hot stuff.

Does any of that describe your attitude? Modern culture aims to build self-esteem in our children, but sometimes this results in egotism, pride, arrogance, not being able to acknowledge our weaknesses and faults or addictions, to admit we need help. Especially now with technology, a portable ‘god’ in our pocket – Google knows about everything we can ask it! – it’s even a greater tendency for people to become self-absorbed, walking along head down lost in our own little cyber-world. A group can be sitting at the restaurant not interacting because they’re all on their phones. Technology becomes an excuse for self to become more dominant. We find ourselves influenced by the voice of our favourite media stars and less informed by God’s word.

But through the prophet Zephaniah God predicts deliverance from the fear spread on account of these arrogant leaders (local and foreign) who oppress and prey upon people. The day will come when the faithful need not fear the ‘joy-suckers’. Zeph 3:15-16 “The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy.The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; NEVER AGAIN WILL YOU FEAR any harm.On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "DO NOT FEAR, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.”

Verse 19 identifies some of the categories of people who will experience the Lord’s deliverance: the lame, the scattered, and those put to shame. Zeph 3:19 “At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the LAME and gather those who have been SCATTERED. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were PUT TO SHAME.” The ‘lame’ - those encumbered by physical limitations, and presumably ignored or even ridiculed by the haughty and arrogant. Those who’ve suffered accidents; those who’ve had debilitating disease, like leprosy or polio.

Then there’s the ‘scattered’. Assyria had invaded the Northern Kingdom and dispersed Jews to various countries, while bringing in foreigners to settle there instead (hence the mixed-blood ‘Samaritans’). Before long thousands of Jews from Jerusalem and Judah would also be exiled to Babylon, although they would eventually return and seemed to have been able to keep their Jewish identity intact better as a group.

Who would we consider ‘scattered’ in our society today? The homeless? Refugees? Minimum wage earners who find it difficult to find a place to rent? Students far away from home at university?

Also there’s those Zephaniah calls “put to shame”. The exiles would be ashamed in their foreign placements, because Israel and Judah were defeated countries. Who might be feeling ashamed in our community today? Those who are between jobs? Those who’ve succumbed to addictions, or whose marriages have failed? When do YOU feel ashamed, not wanting to show your face in public? COVID has been an isolating time for anybody, let alone those who find it hard to go out in public in the first place. It’s much easier now to just stay home and shop online or have your grocery order put together for you.

For all these classes of people – the lame, the scattered, the shamed – the Lord has good news. Let’s look at verse 17.

ANCHORED IN GOD’S PRESENCE AND BEING PRECIOUS TO HIM

In this passage, the key to JOY is found in our closeness to the Lord. Zeph 3:15 & 17 share a phrase that emphasizes this need to be near God. Zeph 3:15b,17 “The LORD, the King of Israel, IS WITH YOU; never again will you fear any harm...The LORD your God IS WITH YOU, he is mighty to save...” How is our joy anchored? In God’s promise of being WITH us. Note the association in the context – He is King, He is mighty to save! Our problems pale in comparison with His power and possibilities.

God being WITH us is what’s at the heart of the mystery of Christmas, the Incarnation, Jesus taking on human flesh and being born in a stable like one of us ordinary plebs. Isaiah announced the promise to stubborn King Ahaz in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him IMMANUEL.” [which translates to mean ‘God (El) with us (Immanu)’]

Isn’t that the same thing Jesus emphasized when He ascended, His parting words just after the Great Commission? Mt 28:20 “...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the very end of the age.”

And that’s our hope, which Scripture paints a delightful picture of in the last book of the Bible, Revelation 21:3f “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is WITH MEN, and HE WILL LIVE WITH THEM. They will be his people, and GOD HIMSELF WILL BE WITH THEM and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."” Doesn’t that word-picture inspire joy in your heart? To be with God FOREVER!

Let’s just camp out a little longer in Zephaniah 3:17 - the verse has more for us. God’s presence with us is encouraging in part because it says He is MIGHTY TO SAVE. He has power to deliver from any problems. Likewise in the New Testament, it says of Jesus even now already in Hebrews 7:25, “Therefore he is ABLE TO SAVE COMPLETELY those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Jesus is mighty to save YOU! He’s praying for you, even now.

Zeph 3:17 adds “He will take great delight in you...He will rejoice over you with singing.” Does your brain have a category for this kind of God that treasures you, holds you as precious, delights greatly in you, just having you near Him brings Him joy? Or is your idea of God clouded by leftovers from the angry temperamental distant Greek god Zeus, or some Nordic storm god hurling thunderbolts, or some Deist god that wound up the universe like a gigantic clock then walked away and left it to itself? Those are pictures of God the Bible gives. The God Jesus describes knows the hairs on our head, is closer to us than our next breath, knows exactly how we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He’s not indifferent to us: we are DEAR to Him!

A couple of other instances...Isaiah 65:19 “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.” And Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep, Luke 15:5-6 “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’” That’s the kind of image Jesus wants us to have of our Heavenly Father.

Also in Zeph 3:17, “He will quiet you WITH HIS LOVE...” There’s that dearness, preciousness expressed again. God loves you! That’s quieting to experience, reassuring, calming, bolsters our significance, envelopes us like a warm blanket on a cold night. New Living Translation puts it, “With His love, He will calm all your fears.” Can you entrust whatever you’re most worried and concerned about to this loving God? This great love is described in John 13:1, “It was just before the Passover Feast.Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” Jesus cares for you! He would have washed your feet along with the other disciples; He went to the cross for your sins and mine, so we could be with Him forever.

In the news, it was saddening this week to see an allegation of sexual misconduct has been made against Bruxy Cavey, teaching pastor at The Meeting House, which is home to some 5000 people in 19 locations each Sunday. It was good though to see the church responding quickly and appropriately, placing the pastor on leave of absence, offering counselling and support to the woman making the allegation, and appointing an external investigator. The church’s official statement also emphasizes this aspect of how important it is to know God is with us when we are most challenged. Maggie John, Chair of the Overseers Board, stated: “Jesus is with us in the heart break.We have Jesus to keep at our centre to trust and depend on.We know he hears our prayers – the prayers we’re able to put words to and the prayers for which we do not yet have words.We need to be praying together for all who are and will be impacted in this situation...The most important thing we can each be doing is praying.Thank you for praying for our church community to experience Jesus in real and tangible ways and that in spite of challenging news like this, we will all see Jesus as true and real and with us in every moment.”

RESTORED AND RESPONDING

So, thus bolstered by God’s presence and treasuring and love, where does that leave us? Our passage has a clue as to what our upshot can be, thus reinforced. Zeph 3:16 “On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.” Don’t “let your hands hang limp”? New Living Translation puts it, “Cheer up! Don’t be afraid!” Another way of thinking about not letting our hands hang limp is to not ‘lose heart’. Paul the apostle writes in 2Cor 4:1 “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, WE DO NOT LOSE HEART.” How come? Because we have received God’s MERCY, His lovingkindness and forgiveness. Similarly Hebrews 12:3 exhorts, “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and LOSE HEART.” We can be encouraged, strengthened, motivated to endure, to carry on.

Next, v14 enjoins, “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!” Can we get excited about our faith, this living relationship with the eternal God? Isn’t that such a huge blessing and privilege? Sort of moves us to jump with joy on the inside when we contemplate it. Note the association of joy with God’s presence in Philippians 4:4f, “Rejoice in the Lord always.I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all.THE LORD IS NEAR.”

The king of a particular country traveled often, but one day a man living near the palace remarked to a friend, “Well, it looks like the king is home tonight.” “How do you know?” asked the other. The man pointed up toward the royal house. “Because when the king is home,” he said, “the castle is all lit up.” (Recalls the song - ‘Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart - for the king is in residence there!’)

And, verses 19 and 20 suggest any shame we had is gone, replaced by praise and honour from the Lord. V19b-20 “I will give them praise and honor in every land WHERE THEY WERE PUT TO SHAME.At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.”

Our culture is not as honour- or shame-based as some, such as Japan or Middle Eastern cultures. North Americans tend to emphasize more affluence, appearance, wealth, and downplay issues of shame and honour. Yet there is a little moral gauge inside each of us that keeps score, called ‘conscience’. When we come to Christ, He resets our ‘shame’ indicator to zero. Yes there may still be restitution we need to make to people to ‘square up’ the relationship, but in our core being we can know for sure we are forgiven, accepted by our Holy God because Jesus has atoned for our worst muck-ups. Instead, now we are honoured as a ‘King’s Kid’ – He calls us His own!

JOY - NOTHING IN BETWEEN

Pastor Phil Toole of Scottsdale Arizona spells ‘joy’ a little differently: J-zero-Y. The O becomes a zero instead. Pastor Toole explains, “The ‘J’ stands for Jesus; the ‘Y’ stands for you. Do you know what the ‘O’ stands for? It stands for zero. Just what it says - nothing. What I am saying here is the way to stay close to Jesus and keep joy in your heart is let nothing between Jesus and you.”

This idea of God’s nearness and joy is reflected in a story about composer Franz Joseph Haydn. Recalling his struggles while working on a certain sacred piece, he wrote: “I prayed to God - not like a miserable sinner in despair - but calmly, slowly. In this I felt that an infinite God would surely have mercy on his finite creature, pardoning dust for being dust. These thoughts cheered me up. I experienced a sure joy so confident that as I wished to express the words of the prayer, I could not express my joy, but gave vent to my happy spirits and wrote above the Miserere, ‘Allegro’.” (Musical notation for ‘quickly, lively’)

Haydn’s music was so ebullient and upbeat in temperament that it was actually criticized by the sterner members of the church. (‘joy-sucker’ alert!) Haydn replied: “since God has given me a cheerful heart, He will forgive me for serving Him cheerfully.”

When Haydn pondered the reality of a God who really cared for him, he said his heart ‘leapt for joy’. He could not prevent his music from expressing the same exuberance – even when the music was conveying Christianity’s more somber themes. Let’s pray.

Thank You dear God for taking away our shame and reproach, giving us instead praise and honour and joy. We know we owe it all to Jesus, laying His life down in love for us. Forgive our pride, our haughtiness and arrogance, our admiration for other idols that detract us from Yourself. Remind us ever of Your delighting in us, rejoicing over us, planning a better future for us – with You right nearby, our Mighty Saviour. Praise You forever! Amen.

“The Offering that Changes Everything” - Dec.19/21 4^th of Advent ~ Heb.10:5-10

THE STRUGGLE OF STUBBORN STAINS

We were in London for a medical appointment this past week, so stopped by Costco for a few items that are best obtained there. In particular we were looking for a stain remover that’s my wife’s favourite for when she’s spot-washing laundry by hand before it goes through the washing machine. That product is called “Shout” - we usually buy a big jug of it because we go through so much of it - but we were disappointed because there was none in stock. So we rather dubiously settled for an alternative product, yet we’re doubtful it will prove as good at getting stains out as my wife’s preferred brand. Will it pack a punch when it comes to dealing with those stubborn stains?

Then there are those stains that won’t come out no matter how hard you try. Some of you may have a nice coffee-table with a solid wooden top. Perhaps you use coasters or something else to protect the finish. Because at some point in your life, you may set down a hot cup of tea or water jug while watering the plants, only to pick it up after and see a permanent water stain has been created in the formerly uniform finish of the smooth wooden top. Congratulations, you’ve just discovered what doilies are for! A lacy white doily covers a multitude of stains (or, in this case, water-marks).

Stubborn stains in our clothing or on our furniture are one thing. A stain on our character is even more troublesome. There’s no “Shout”, no “Murphy’s Oil” that can restore character when it’s been marked by some transgression that becomes a target of others’ criticism. And so we feel ashamed. We try to hide that sensitive area, we keep a doily on top of it. Or we may become brusque, bristly, crusty, subtly warning people not to bring up our shortfalls or they’ll be sorry they ever mentioned it. But at nighttime when we’re alone trying to fall asleep, those indiscretions, those missteps, come back to haunt us; they become fuel for Satan’s accusations of our soul.

Our passage today begins in verse 5 with a ‘therefore’. What’s the therefore there for? It points back to the first 4 verses of Hebrews 10. In that section, the Old Testament law is shown to be an inferior cleanser, not up to the snuff of “Shout” as it were. The Law was given through Moses to keep a lid on sin, to identify it, so that people would become aware of their need for salvation. It set limits so people could discern what was ‘fair’ and what was ‘foul’. The Law served as a sort of baby-sitter to point people to the Saviour who was to come. The Apostle Paul writes in Galatians 3:19,24 - “What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come...So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.”

The first 4 verses of Hebrews 10 points out the Law’s IMPOTENCE, what the Old Covenant was powerless to do. It cannot be a REALITY, it’s just a shadow, a foreshadowing. Heb 10:1a “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming— not the realities themselves.”

The Law cannot make worshippers PERFECT. Heb 10:1b “...it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” Morally speaking, it’s not as good as “Shout” in the laundry room – it can’t make sinners clean.

The Law cannot relieve us of our GUILT, it is powerless to CLEANSE worshippers. Heb 10:2b “For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.”

The Law can’t help but remind sinners of their sin, year after year, for the ceremonies at the temple were repeated over and over as long as the tabernacle / temple system remained intact. Heb 10:3 “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins...”

And, finally in this description of the Law’s impotence, it cannot TAKE AWAY SINS by the blood of animal sacrifices. Heb 10:4 “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

So that’s the backdrop for today’s lesson; that’s what the ‘therefore’ is there for, to highlight the impotence or powerlessness of the law, to throw into relief the stunning significance of what Christ accomplished, once and for all.

A BODY FOR THE OBEDIENT ONE

Advent means ‘coming’, and refers to Jesus’ coming into the world at Bethlehem as a baby born to a poor working-class couple in less than ideal circumstances. And He is coming again, on the clouds, to take His people to Himself, as He begins to reign as Lord and King of Kings forever. The writer of Hebrews is focusing in this passage on the significance of Jesus coming as a baby, taking on human flesh, as a once-for-all sacrifice that would accomplish what the Law was powerless to do.

Heb 10:5 “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me...’” Jesus CAME INTO THE WORLD: He chose this mission, chose to be born as a human, though He had existed with the Father and the Spirit in the mystery of the Trinity from all eternity, from before time began. He through whom the heavens were made and the mountains were put in place, through whom all life-forms on earth were designed and propagated, Himself became one finite instance of a person.

V5 says “a BODY you prepared for me...” Jesus became INCARNATE, the Word took on flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us. The Father Almighty prepared a body for the Son, and Jesus made a conscious choice to inhabit it, to become knit together with it soul-and-body like any human. He stepped out of eternity and into time, left His throne at the Father’s side and submitted Himself to hunger, tiredness, having to physically walk to get anywhere, and finally to suffer immensely through scourging, beatings, and crucifixion - a slow and painful death designed specifically to bring a maximum of pain and agony to the criminal before they finally expire. That was all part of the conscious choice.

Why did He choose this path? Because as v6 points out, “with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.” Animal sacrifices could not atone for human wrongdoing; they merely ‘covered it’, were a temporary but ineffectual fill-in pointing ahead to the ultimate real sacrificial lamb, Jesus, who would be the actual Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, as announced by John the Baptist (Jn 1:29).

Verse 7 continues to quote Psalm 40 to point out how Jesus deliberately chose and accepted this appointed role. Heb 10:7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am— it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’” First, ‘here I am’ - behold, I’m here; Bible in Basic English puts it - “See, I have come to do your pleasure, O God.” It was written about Him in the scroll, prophesied by Moses, Isaiah, and others – but Jesus still needed to accept that part, to walk out onto the world stage and fulfill that script all the way to the bitter end. To become the unique offering that, once sacrificed, would be the saving means for people’s sins to be forgiven.

Who can read through Isaiah 53 and say, “Now there’s a preferred future I can truly aspire to”?! Some excerpts from that passage... Is 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” V4 “...we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.” V5 “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities...” V7 “He was oppressed and afflicted...” V8 “For He was cut off from the land of the living, for the transgression of my people He was stricken.” HUH? Despised, rejected, suffering, stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, oppressed, cut off – gotta get me some of that! NO WAY! We’d be running 100 miles an hour in the opposite direction! But that’s the playbook Jesus is accepting as He willingly funnels Himself into that helpless innocent infant form in the manger.

Heb 10:7,9 “I have come to do Your will, O God...Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He becomes the OBEDIENT OFFERING. Obedience is doing what the other person wants, doing their will. Jesus emphasized to His disciples He was always tuned in to the Father to do God’s pleasure not seek His own pleasure. John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38 - “"My food," said Jesus, "is to DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME and to finish his work.” “...My judgment is just, for I SEEK NOT TO PLEASE MYSELF BUT HIM WHO SENT ME.” “For I have come down from heaven NOT TO DO MY WILL but to DO THE WILL OF HIM WHO SENT ME.”

Which of us is perfectly obedient? We slip up in many ways.

The father of five children had won a toy at a raffle. He called his kids together to ask which of them should have the present. "Who is the most obedient?" he asked. "Who never talks back to mother? Who does everything she says?" Five small voices answered in unison. "Okay, dad, you get the toy."

THE RADICAL RESET

Today the fourth Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as the “Love” Sunday. Love is not some passing hormonal high, it is not romantic infatuation, it is not what we feel toward that can of Quality Street candy because they invoke in us a sugar high. True love is hard work, overlooking our spouse’s imperfections, waiting up for that teenager to come home when they should have been back quite a bit earlier. Love is showing forbearance to that person who views the pandemic differently than you do. Love is getting up for that aging pet when they whine to do their business in the middle of the night. Love is stooping to help that aging relative with their bathroom needs. Love is walking around with that colicy infant until they are soothed. In short – love is SACRIFICIAL, it puts the other person’s needs ahead of our own desires. Love for God harnesses us to do His will, to make our life an offering in response to all His goodness and kindness expressed toward us.

The last couple of verses in our text express a RADICAL RESET that Christ’s willing offering has brought about, in a couple of ways. First, with regard to the LAW; second, in regard to our SANCTIFICATION.

With regard to the LAW: Jesus has upset the old temple/sacrificial system, made it redundant, outdated, by in fact FULFILLING it. He has become the sacrifice to end all sacrifices, the one and only truly necessary and fitting perfect sacrifice offered in our stead to offset our sins. Heb 10:9b “He sets aside THE FIRST to establish the second.” Here the words ‘the first’ point back to v8 - sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings, sin offerings – in short, all that ‘the law required...to be made”. Jesus represents the END of Old Testament religion even as He fulfills it and inaugurates a new era, God’s Kingdom in the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling people’s lives. He establishes ‘the second’ - the New Covenant, the New Deal, what was written in the scroll, when God would write His laws in people’s hearts and move them to do His will. It really is a ‘sea change’, spiritually speaking.

When we read about the early church, we are impressed by the significance of Peter’s vision in Acts 10 of the sheet let down from heaven full of unclean animals, being told by God not to call anything impure what He has made clean, then understanding this to mean it was okay to go preach the gospel even to Gentiles at the house of Cornelius, a Roman centurion. That was a real turning-point for the early church!

This passage in Hebrews isn’t as dramatic, but no less revolutionary in terms of setting aside centuries of Hebrew belief and practice, updating it to put Jesus instead of the Torah and Temple at the centre of spiritual life. Jesus - not us! - Jesus ‘sets aside’ the first (the system based on Law) to ‘establish’ the second – Christ by the love-offering of Himself has laid the foundation for a whole new way to approach God.

So, it’s a radical reset in terms of the law; and it’s also a radical reset in terms of our SANCTIFICATION. How do we get that “Shout” in our lives to clean away our stains, blotches, and blemishes? How can we ever become clean morally in God’s sight, forgiven of our guilt and trespasses, those glaring water-rings on the furniture of our character?

Heb 10:10 “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” [NRSV] “And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Did you catch that? “WE HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY...” Jesus’ body on the cross not only performed a ‘reset’ on the whole Jewish religious system; His bodily sacrifice has sanctified us, has made us holy.

This is called ‘positional sanctification’ – judicially, we are declared forgiven by Heaven’s Judge, we are formally acquitted of all crimes. We are, in God’s eyes, ‘clothed with Christ’ – in the words of the prophecy from Isaiah, Is 53:6 “...the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Is 53:12 “For He bore the sin of many...” (Consequently, in the great swap) Is 53:5 “...the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Peace – healing - being put right with God, ‘justified’, declared righteous.

Paul puts it this way in Romans 3:22,24 “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe....[all] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Justification is like the cleansing of the glass; sanctification is like the filling of the glass by the Holy Spirit. We see the progression from being justified to being sanctified in Romans 8:29f - “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” That ‘glorification’ involves being ‘conformed to the likeness of His Son’, that is, being like Jesus in how we live.

SAINTLY OR STUNTED?

To the degree that we are conformed to Jesus’ likeness, we are holy-fied, sanctified, filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. This is now moving into what’s called ‘progressive sanctification’. We’re ‘a work in progress’ in terms of lived-out holiness; we won’t be perfect at it until Jesus comes back. 1John 3:2f promises, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.But we know that WHEN HE APPEARS, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him PURIFIES HIMSELF, JUST AS he is pure.” Because we hope in Jesus, that motivates us to purify ourselves, progress in our moral housecleaning, in response to the vast love He proved by giving Himself as an offering on our behalf.

What does ‘progressive sanctification’ look like in real life? How are we ‘being made [more] holy’ in character having already ‘been made holy’ positionally, in God’s eyes?

It’s an effort; it’s a discipline; it’s a volitional choosing to please God, much like Jesus choosing to do God’s will earlier in this passage. It’s a moment-by-moment deciding to present our bodies on the altar, sacrificially. The New Testament writers employ language like ‘put off’ and ‘put on’ like getting dressed to go outside in cold weather.

Eph 4:22ff “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to PUT OFF your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to PUT ON the new self, created to be like God in true RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS.”

It’s a conscious warring against evil, putting to death wrong desires. Romans 8:13 “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you PUT TO DEATH the misdeeds of the body, you will live...”

When the world tries to press us into its mould, it involves choosing to be non-conformist, training our minds to remember and live by God’s word not popular opinion. Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to OFFER YOUR BODIES AS LIVING SACRIFICES, HOLY AND PLEASING TO GOD— this is your spiritual act of worship.Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.” What was Jesus’ attitude, according to Hebrews quoting Psalm 40? “I have come to do Your will, O God...See, I have come to do Your pleasure.” His good, pleasing and perfect will.

A most helpful ally in this war on evil moment by moment is the habit of a daily Quiet Time, choosing to set aside a block each day to connect with the Lord by reading His Word and praying. Find the time that works best for you, and try to protect it from other incursions. That way God’s teaching is fresh in your mind for the Holy Spirit to remind you when an occasion comes to apply it. 1Peter 2:2f “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it YOU MAY GROW UP in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” That ‘growing up’ is progression in salvation, becoming more like Jesus.

Are you becoming more saintly like Jesus, or stuck and stunted in your salvation?

Now that it’s winter, the leaves have fallen from the deciduous trees, and they look quite different than they did back in the summer. What was once bushy and healthy may now reveal a hawk’s nest up in the top; or maybe Virginia creeper winding a network amongst the branches. In some places, there would be mistletoe growing. Now I know this is a popular season for mistletoe for other reasons... But did you know mistletoe is actually a parasite? Mistletoe is not a good thing for a tree to have visit it. Mistletoe as a parasite slowly sucks away some of the tree’s vitality.

We as Christians sometimes have hidden sins which - like the mistletoe - slowly suck away our spiritual vitality. Although not always evident in times of outward spiritual health and fruitfulness, we must always examine ourselves for those small, often unseen, parasites of sinful habits that will sap our vitality. And we must also remember that just because they are not apparent now does not mean that in another season of our life God will not reveal them for all to see.

JESUS’ SACRIFICE THE KEY TO SANCTIFICATION

In summary, the Old Testament Law was fulfilled by Jesus and then set aside as His sacrifice became the ‘once for all’ means by which people could truly be put right with God. He came at Christmas, chose to indwell a human body in order to effect that painful substitution that would pay our penalty and set us free to be God’s holy people. Our response to His loving sacrifice is in turn to love Him more than this world’s temptations; to put to death the body’s misdeeds; as 1Peter 2:1 puts it, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.”

See the genius of God’s plan? The Old Testament Law centred on ‘do’s and don’ts’, whereas the New Covenant supplies Jesus’ justification and the Holy Spirit’s sanctification to empower us to choose to please God whatever the situation – in complex areas more extensive than a list of do’s and don’ts would ever cover.

The great missionary David Brainerd, who spent his brief life (he died before the age of thirty) ministering to American First Nations people, wrote in his journal: “I never got away from Jesus and him crucified. When my people were gripped by this great evangelical doctrine of Christ and him crucified, I had no need to give them instructions about morality. I found that one followed as the sure and inevitable fruit of the other.” He also said: “I find my Indians begin to put on the garments of holiness and their common life begins to be sanctified even in small matters when they are possessed by the doctrine of Christ and him crucified.”

He was saying, in other words – when a Christian realizes who Christ is and what Christ has done for him or her so graciously, it tends to have a dramatic effect on your life, not only in salvation but also in holiness. Let’s pray.

Holy God, we are ever conscious we have fallen short from your glorious will for us. Yet we thank You that Your Son chose to do Your will perfectly, and by that to bear our iniquity and wash us clean by His atoning blood. Forgive our sins; help us be on guard against the mistletoe of secret sins, creeping in and drawing us away from You. We need Your Spirit to infuse us with Your power, Your love for others, Your insight into what we most need to do moment by moment. Help us not remain stunted but to live like the saints we are before You, the saints You have made us by Your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“An Unusual Plan for Unity” - Christmas Eve message Dec. 24/21 (adapted from material by Krista Campbell)

As I begin, I’d just like to express a huge THANK YOU to Krista Campbell for planning and all who are participating in this special Christmas Eve service! And I am adapting from Krista’s material for tonight’s message, she supplied the vast majority of it, which I appreciate.

Tonight, you have heard from Luke 2 the story of the birth of Jesus, but let's think about this story - it’s nothing but unusual! Let's think about that first Christmas in some detail.

How unusual is it that Mary – a virgin, teenage girl – was chosen to become the mother of Jesus?

How unusual would it have been to be Mary's parents when this happened to their daughter... think back to that time in history - how would people look at a pregnant unwed teen girl? “Where did her parents go wrong?!” Can you imagine the rumours that would have been circulating about this family?

What about Joseph, Mary’s betrothed, known to have been an upright man of good character -- how unusual did he feel when he found out the girl that had pledged to marry him was pregnant? He had to be visited by an angel to confirm he should stay with Mary and this was in fact part of God’s plan that she was going to have a baby.

Next, how unusual was it that the government made a decree for people to travel back to their hometown because, as historians point out, this is the first census recorded in history.

On top of that - Mary being very pregnant (almost ready to give birth) had to travel from Nazareth way up north in Galilee to Bethlehem down near Jerusalem in the south. I am sure that was quite an experience for them!

And then as Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem, how unusual was it for them to find out there is no room in the inn or ANY suitable living quarters, for that matter?

And how unusual is it that Mary and Joseph end up in a stable, a BARN of all things! where she delivers the baby, surrounded by animals and lays him in the feed box for his cradle -- how many ladies have delivered their babies in a barn lately?

And how unusual was it that the first people to hear the good news were the shepherds – in fact, shepherds were outcasts of society, not considered qualified to be official witnesses in court. It would have been extremely unusual that a host of angels came to visit the shepherds to tell them the good news of the baby being born, and on top of that, the angels let the shepherds know the unique, highly unusual signs of how they were to find the baby. (You won’t have trouble spotting Him – He’s about the only baby swaddled up and lying in a manger!)

And then how unusual was it that the Magi, the astrologers or ‘wise men’ showed up?! These professionals from far to the east had traveled to find the baby for 2 years with gifts - and not just your typical baby gifts like diapers and squeaky toys but gifts fit for a king - gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Great for embalming, but – that’s not quite where we’re at! There’s gotta be some hidden meaning here.

And then how unusual was it that King Herod was so enraged about the birth of a possible Messiah that he made a decree to kill all the baby boys in the neighbourhood? (Actually – maybe not all that unusual considering Herod’s vicious reputation – but still, such a remarkable tragedy!)

And then Joseph had a dream where an angel came and told him to flee to Egypt immediately with Mary and the infant so that they could escape this decree made by King Herod.

And to think - this story is woven together just as God planned it and that it’s probably the biggest surprise and MOST UNUSUAL STORY IN HISTORY. The exciting part is that we are able to benefit from this wonderful story every day of the year, and specifically meditate on it during the Christmas season.

And to highlight how special it is even further, we can look more closely at verses13-14 in Luke 2: NKJV - Luke 2:13–14 (NKJV): “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

How many of you have received Christmas cards in the past, stating "Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all men?" or have sung songs that talk about "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to men" – such as the familiar carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” - “...wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

(Actually the translation there IS a bit wild.) Probably a lot of us have received a card like this or have sung a song with this phrase in it and we may like that statement and hearing that well-worn phrase at Christmas time. However, in fact Jesus stated, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34). What? Not peace, but a sword?! (That is unusual)

Well, let's think about what Jesus said - how would you say our world is doing at creating peace or being peaceful these days? It would seem the world is not doing so well at creating peace, especially at this time in history - human conflict abounds, sabres keep rattling, coups keep happening, even families get torn apart!

Over the last 2000+ years, since the birth of Jesus, our world has not gotten better in that department: now instead of hand to hand combat, we threaten to lob missiles with atomic warheads at each other. It is chaotic, has so much fighting, as much hatred and murder as ever before!

So, did the people scribing what the angels said to the shepherds get it wrong? No; the original Scripture text bears closer examination.

In some later manuscripts, which the KJV is based upon, copyists made what they thought was a ‘friendly amendment’ of the Greek text to what seemed to them to be a less difficult reading, by dropping a last letter. The original in reality translates to "on earth, peace among those with whom he is pleased" (reference). This passage points to a particular subset of people who enjoy God’s goodwill: this particular group consists of those people who put their faith in Jesus, acknowledging that this baby born at Bethlehem turned out truly to be God’s Messiah. So, more accurately, it’s not EVERYBODY who the angels say are the objects of God’s pleasure: it is the people who accept Messiah’s birth who are told they will be the ones who have peace on earth, as they are the people with whom God is pleased.

The peace Jesus came to bring us is an inner peace in our soul, which comes to in turn to influence our relations with other people (outward peace) – how unusual is that?! This inner peace awaits those who receive Jesus as the only perfect substitute through whom their sins can be forgiven - it is an unexplainable peace that we can experience throughout our life from that moment on - during peaceful times when all’s going well, but also during the storms of life. The inner peace Jesus gives us deep down in our soul is inexplicable and hard to understand until you have experienced it for yourself. The Bible calls it “the peace of God that surpasses all understanding” (Php 4:7 ESV).

Looking at the state of people’s mental health around us, folks are in dire need of this inner peace especially right now at Christmas time. Anxieties rise, depression increases, and many other mental stresses can be associated with the holidays. We need to be able to tell others the Good News and help them know the true meaning of Christmas - of how Jesus was born with the express purpose of one day growing up and dying to pay the penalty for our sins! That is the unusual inner peace we as Christians know at our core and seek to help others come to understand too!

So, with this inner peace, as Christians it changes us from the inside out. That starts to seep out into outward peace, a new way of interacting with others, unfettered by shame and guilt and feelings of inferiority and suspicion. With Jesus in our lives, the Holy Spirit begins to change everything about us and we are transformed, we begin to live our lives differently compared to how we once lived, in competition and jostling one another in the queue. It’s easier said than done, but that’s why we need each other to help us stay accountable!

As Christians - it is very easy to get swayed into how the world around us lives and get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, that vying to be first, to get ahead of the other guy - but as we reflect - how are you doing at showing Jesus to those who don't know him? Do they see His glorious beauty in how you behave? Are you making wise decisions that would allow them to see this unusual inner peace Jesus gives us by believing in him?

Think about the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, the religious elite who were very good at the big external show but not about being changed on the inside. They were hypercritical, even about matters the Bible didn’t forbid. Once the Pharisees were asking Jesus why the disciples didn’t wash their hands before they eat, like the Pharisees always made a point of doing ceremonially (Mark 7:1-23). How does Jesus respond? He said it’s not what’s on the outside that defiles, but what comes from inside that defiles a person (vs. 20) – things like evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, greed, pride, slander - these are the things that make a person unclean.

You are tracking with this, right? Garbage inside becomes garbage on the outside – it’s what’s happening on the inside of a person that comes out of our mouths or our actions and can be so hurtful, destroying outer peace.

When people truly encounter Christ, they are changed from the inside out, and as time goes on things will start changing on the outside too! God’s love will start seeping out in what we say and do, flavouring our whole community of faith, catching the attention of those who’ve not yet believed. People today, so isolated from COVID and also isolated by our technology and fractured families, are hungry for real community. Paul the apostle talks about how Jesus came to break down the dividing wall of hostility between races, those who were so different, between Jew and Gentile. To bring peace in those outward relationships.

In the new model of how faith communities grow, people first come to church to belong, seeking community, hungry for relationship – then over time they will understand the teaching and believe and finally will work on changing to behave more like Jesus commanded us to live.

One of the best examples of people changing from the inside out was Zacchaeus. No one liked Zacchaeus because he was a tax collector and was collecting taxes from his own people to give to the Romans (the enemies). When Jesus came by and saw him up in the tree, He didn’t judge or rebuke him, but seems to accept him, surprisingly suggesting he’s going to the tax collector’s place for lunch! (Cue Pharisee grumbles.) But during the meal Zacchaeus’ heart is warmed and he announces that he is going to give half his wealth to the poor and repay people four times over for anything of which he had cheated them. Why did he do that? Because he encountered Jesus!

For us, when we truly and wholeheartedly encounter Jesus - we change too, from the inside out. This change becomes apparent to everyone around us, it seems very unusual to those who know us best; but with this change on the inside it starts to allow us to have many opportunities to shine our love for Jesus to the world around us, affecting that outer peace in our relationships.

How would you say we are doing, we in the church? As you go around and ask non-Christians – are they able to see any difference between us and them? Are they seeing those who call themselves “Christians” fighting over the issues Krista mentioned earlier (masks, vaccines, vaccine passports, race, ethnicity)? The bickering that Christians get caught up in destroys our witness and does not demonstrate to the world that we have the inner peace that Jesus is offering.

Repentance is called for, heart change. Jesus offers the hope people need, the Church is entrusted with an answer that can meet their needs - the world can't offer the same - they have tried and people are coming to realize that money isn't the answer to happiness and they are searching - so how are you going to help those around you search and find the peace and meaning Jesus brings?

We’ve zeroed in on v14, not all people, but specifically the group of people who trust in Jesus as their Saviour, the believing people upon whom God’s pleasure rests. But earlier in this passage there is a verse that addresses ALL people. The angel announced to the shepherds in Luke 2:10, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to ALL people.” THAT’s more universal in its scope. The good tidings, good NEWS of Christmas is something we can share with EVERYONE lest anyone be lost for eternity.

God calls us to love our neighbour as ourself, and to love our enemies. When you have a change on the inside (by knowing Jesus as your Saviour) you have changes that happen on the outside too, and you want to share His love and peace and joy.

Have you ever noticed that more people give around Christmas to charities, food banks, toy drives? Again - in a normally selfish society – how unusual is that? Or have you noticed that more people come to church services, especially Christmas Eve services even if they don’t know who Jesus is? Or have you noticed that more people are apt to sing Christmas carols who might have no clue what the carols mean but the singing of songs make them happy? Isn't that really unusual to compared to people’s normal routines?

Why do people do that? Because it’s what the Christmas season makes people want to do - to be helpful to those in need, to share God’s ‘goodwill’ for believers to all people.

As Christians, we will do all that we can to spread the culture of goodwill, especially during the Christmas season but also throughout the rest of the year - as this will help make our world a better place to live! We can become the hands and feet of what Jesus' ministry was here on Earth - we will be doing life with those less fortunate, those who are downtrodden, those who are hurting because we know and have the hope of Jesus living inside us and we need to be on mission for Jesus, loving those in need! We will re-focus on the imperative to love those around us who are on the outside, those who don’t have a relationship with Jesus, because that’s what Jesus calls us to do. And by loving Jesus and serving others together, we can lead others to eternal life with Jesus too! Jesus came as a baby to one day grow up to be a man and die on the cross for all our sins – that is the GRACE we can celebrate, THAT’S the true hope of Christmas and the reason for the season!

Finally, how do we show the world around us this unusual unity? How else but by coming together, loving each other unconditionally, unjudgmentally, being on mission with the same goal of loving others and bringing others to know the hope of Christ and furthering the kingdom of God... And THAT is our UNUSUAL PLAN FOR UNITY! Let’s pray.

“Rejection, Repentance, Refreshing, and Restoration” - Sunday May 2/21 Acts 3:12-26

“Loving My Muslim Neighbour” - June 13/21 Lev.19:9-18,33-34 / various

“Hope vs.Heaviness: The Caution His Coming Affords” - Nov.28/21 1st of Advent Luke 21:25-36

“Rejection, Repentance, Refreshing, and Restoration ” - Sunday May 2/21 Acts 3:12-26

“Hope vs.Heaviness: The Caution His Coming Affords” - Nov.28/21 1^st of Advent Luke 21:25-36