Epiphany 3
26th January 2025 (Luke 4:14-21)
Jesus neither reminisces about the past nor forecasts the future. He comes to his people and speaks about today. He says that today is the day of fulfilment.
If it’s not happening today what does it matter if it happened yesterday? If it’s not happening today it probably won’t happen tomorrow. Today is the day. And what we do or do not do today makes a difference for the lives of our children and grandchildren, the life of the word, and what tomorrow looks like.
Today the Spirit of the Lord is here. Today is the day of anointing. Today is the day to bring good news to the poor. Today is the day to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Today is the day to let the oppressed go free. Today is the day is the day to proclaim 2025 as the year of the Lord’s favour.
Today is the day to love, today is the day to tell the truth, today is the day to forgive, today is the day to end racism, today is the day to feed the hungry, today is the day to reconcile and make peace.
Today, not yesterday and not tomorrow, this day, is the day of fulfilment. There is no other day. I won’t get yesterday back and I don’t know if I’ll have tomorrow. Today is the day. If not today, when?
This fulfilment is always in progress. It’s who we are becoming and what our lives are to be about.
Epiphany 2
19th January 2025 (John 2:1-11)
I love Mary’s words, “Do whatever he tells you.” She has no idea what Jesus is going to do, but she knows it will be OK. And this is not some great, earth-shatteringly important world event. It’s a friend’s wedding, and the caterers have messed up.
This is ordinary, real life. And God is right there, being involved. This is prayer about real things. Sometime,s I feel a bit of a fraud when I pray.
A friend is ill. Do I pray for miraculous healing, for a favourable outcome to his latest blood test, or for fortitude to cope with the symptoms?
Exam’s time. Do I pray for straight As, for good questions, or for a positive attitude for whatever results I get?
I don’t want to second-guess God, or tell him what I think he should do, but I feel like a fraud for praying ‘do whatever you think best, God.’ Isn’t that a bit of a cop-out?
I suppose it is. It’s an easy prayer and I can look back and say ‘Yep, my prayer was answered’, no matter what the outcome. It feels a bit wish-washy. There is none of the assurance that comes with praying for a specific outcome and then seeing it.
So which should I do?
Daring prayer is good. But we do not have to plan God’s solutions for him. We can trust that our Lord knows what he’s doing better than we do.
God loves to hear us pray and wants us to bring our requests to him, however small.
We also need to bring the big issues before him, not because he does not know, but because in doing that we can join our hearts and minds with his. Praying is much more about changing us than changing things. Praying is simply sitting before God and allowing him, through Jesus, to shape who we are.
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The Baptism of the Lord
12th January 2025 (Luke 3.15–17, 21–22)
Do you know your purpose in life? Do you have a clear idea of why God made you and what you are supposed to do with this one precious life you’ve been given?
Jesus did. He understood that his primary purpose was to bring humans into the right relationship with God. That was the whole reason he came into the world – God With Us, Emmanuel – not to condemn the world (John 3:17), but to save it. To accomplish that, he had to become one of us.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not only immersed in water; he is immersed in the light of God’s presence and the breath of the Holy Spirit. His baptism is not for the forgiveness of sins, like all those other people coming to be baptized. Jesus is baptized into his mission, the mission the Father has given him – to redeem the world, to save us from our sins.
And God is pleased with him. “This is my son, whom I love, and with whom I am well pleased.”
When we allow ourselves to become fully immersed in God’s mission to make right what is wrong, to heal what is hurt, and to save what is headed for destruction, we can know God’s pleasure just as surely as Jesus did there on the banks of the Jordan River.
When we commit ourselves completely to following Jesus – not only in baptism but in every aspect of living, we can experience the full depth of God’s love for us.
See what love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God – and that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)
The Epiphany of Our Lord
5th January 2025 (Matthew 2:1-12)
Today's story teaches us that Jesus is our King, and we should put him first in our life. The Magi could collude with King Herod, but for them, Jesus Christ is greater and more powerful than Herod. They endured a long journey from Persia to Bethlehem to meet Jesus, the King. They risked their lives for the sake of Jesus. They rejoiced when they met him. Matthew tells us that they paid Jesus homage, not Herod.
Are we willing to put Jesus first in our lives? This is a personal question that requires a thoughtful response.
When making this decision, we should remember that Jesus took on human flesh and was born in Bethlehem to teach us what it means to live in love, with love and from love. And Jesus not only taught but also showed this type of life by the example of his life: He died for this love, and for this love, He rose from the dead. The Son of God entered the sinful world to be the sacrifice for our sins. He was a king like no other, laying down His own life for the good of His people. Jesus was both our High Priest and the Lamb of God slain at the altar of the cross.
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The word “EPIPHANY” means "to shine upon," "to manifest," or “to make known.” The feast of the Epiphany celebrates the many ways that Christ has made Himself known to the world, mainly the three events that manifested the mission and divinity of Christ: the visit of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12), the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:9-11), and the miracle at Cana (John 2:1-11).
1st Sunday of Christmas: The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
29th December 2024 (Luke 2.41–52)
This text is a Christological revelation about Jesus. It reveals Jesus’ growing in wisdom and favour and recognition as distinctly tethered to his being with the Father (in this case exemplified by his being in his Father’s house, the Temple). Jesus’ calm reaction to his parent’s looking for him further reveals how normal this bond with the Heavenly Father is for Jesus: it is everything for him, his baseline and basic disposition.In contrast, I see Mary as a stand-in for humanity in this story. She and Joseph have been in the ordinary routine of parenting Jesus so much that these signs and reminders about the Christ can be a bit of a jolt to the system. It’s a story that captures the human faith condition quite well. We are so into the ordinary business of living, that every once in a while, we get awakened (sometimes a little harshly) by reminders that the story of God is always at work, that God is keeping his promises, whether we acknowledge it or not. Whereas Jesus grows in wisdom and favour, Mary grows in faith.May each of us, like Mary, ponder and treasure all of these things (signs of the promises we rely on in faith) in our hearts.
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Christmas Day
25th December 2024 (John 1.1–14)
This passage from John’s Gospel is so well known. We hear it every Christmas, and it becomes so familiar that the depth of it is often lost on us.
At that first Christmas, the Word became flesh. God walked among us, full of grace and truth. But there is a sadness in this too because, as John reminds us, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.”
The Son of God became visible to us and walked among us at Bethlehem. But the great tragedy of history is that he was not accepted or recognised.
The Christmas story, sadly, is the story of the unwelcome Christ. “He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.”
This morning, we come to All Souls to celebrate the Christmas story. And the question before us is whether we will accept him and welcome him into our lives. Welcoming Christ into the world, into the church, into our lives, is what Christmas is all about. Welcoming Christ is actually at the heart of the Christmas story.
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4th Sunday of Advent
22nd December 2024 (Luke 1.39–55)
In Advent, we live between times, like Mary in today's reading. She knows it is going to happen, but it has not yet. This is a time of waiting, looking forward, and preparing. Mary was waiting for Christ's first coming, and we are waiting for his second.
Just like a pregnancy, there is plenty of ordinary living to do alongside the preparation. You cannot spend all your time knitting tiny socks and neglecting washing your own. But it would help if you did not arrive on B-day and had no ridiculously tiny socks. Similarly, we must ensure we live our present lives with one eye on our eternal lives.
Also, like pregnancy, the waiting can be a bit of a drag. As centuries have passed, we may feel like heavily pregnant Elizabeth. We are waiting, waiting, waiting. Will this baby ever come? OK, being a Christian does not usually cause people to throw up in the morning, but are we ever tempted to leave the preparations for meeting our Lord until later because, face it, it's really not happening any time soon, is it?
Perhaps we are waiting for other promises, too. You might resonate with Zechariah and Elizabeth's long time waiting for a child. Maybe you are waiting for that right person, your life ministry, or a healing. There are many things we wait for, which can be very hard. At least Elizabeth had a due date. One of the hardest parts of waiting is not knowing how long.
But be assured, the waiting has a purpose. It may not be obvious; it may seem completely pointless and a waste of time, but I am firmly convinced that God knows what he's doing.
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​3rd Sunday of Advent
15th December 2024 (Luke 3:7–18)
We are wired in such a way that we find our greatest joy when we become a blessing to others. We are created in God's image. We are stamped with divine DNA. And because God indwells us, because we share in the divine life and divine nature, we will never find true happiness apart from consciously living out of our oneness with God. We are at our best, and we are most joyous and fulfilled when we allow God's Spirit to flow through us – when we allow God's love to fill our lives and overflow into the lives of others. When we bless others, we bless ourselves because we do what we have been created and called to do. Whatever happiness we may have as a result of self-serving actions is always fleeting and temporary. And once it runs its course, it leaves us feeling empty because it's not real happiness. It doesn't reflect who we really are. Repentance then, is a realigning of our actions and attitudes and desires with who we really are as God's children and that brings joy.
2nd Sunday of Advent
8th December 2024 (Luke 3:1–6)
John was waiting for this, for the Word of God to come to him. In fact, he was born for this. Living in the wilderness, becoming strong in spirit, waiting for the day that he would be called to appear publicly to Israel. And now, that day has finally come. The Word of God has come to John the Baptist in the wilderness.
The Word of God comes to us, too, in many ways. The Word of God comes to us in whatever way that God wants, I suppose, because God is God. But it is worth asking today what some of these ways are. John was in the wilderness, waiting for this event.
He spent his whole life waiting for this moment.
But what about us? When and how has the Word of God come to us?
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Advent Sunday
1st December 2024 (Luke 21:25–36)
​​​It will once again be another Advent to test what we really believe. The nations of this world are in tumult and respond the only way they mostly know how: meeting fire with fire. Yet we in the church believe that the kingdom of God is the greater reality, even right this very moment. We believe that the kingdom is spreading like yeast in dough, like a seed germinating and sending down roots silently in the soil. We believe Jesus HAS come once and WILL come again, and all that we do—how we pray, how we worship, how we preach in especially times of fear and tumult—has to witness to our ardent belief in the power of Jesus to heal. Because we seek the deeper things of joy, not mere happiness. We seek to celebrate the coming of shalom and the incarnation of a grace that alone can save us from our sins and this world from its addiction to evil and violence.
We seek something more profound than that which is merely "merry." And thankfully, through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have that something, too.
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Christ the King Sunday
24th November 2024 (John 18:33b–37)
Today, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. We celebrate Christ, risen, ascended and glorified. We thank God for all he has done for us through Jesus and for the difference Jesus makes in our lives. Today, we celebrate the Kingship of Christ, but what sort of Kingship are we celebrating? What kind of King is Jesus?
Jesus preached the kingdom of God… yet did not promote himself as King. There were those who followed him, listened to his teaching, were amazed at the display of God’s power in the miracles...and they wanted to make him King.
Did they understand Jesus well? What kind of King is Jesus? Jesus is a King who is not seeking power and glory, who does not want to conquer new territories, but he is the one who walks humbly and who seeks to serve others. The power that Jesus wields is love, and the tricky bit is that the nature of this love insists on our freedom. It is a power that is not interested in control. It is the kind of power and love that trusts the subject to grow and respond from a place of freedom and within a context of grace. The King of kings chooses to rule through boundless love, committed to the freedom of those loved – so that our love may be ours to declare and give.
The exciting thing about this King is this. Jesus is not a strict ruler who forces people into loyalty. Jesus does not command our obedience. When I look at Jesus, I see someone who ruled with compassion and looked at people who needed God’s mercy and forgiveness. When I look at Jesus, I see him loving the stranger and the outcast, calling all people into his kingdom. And we are called to follow him out of a grateful heart, not out of fear.
Jesus is the kind of King who chooses to love like a mother achingly loves her children – children who must carve their paths. Jesus loves like a mother who wisely places boundaries but allows her children to experience the consequences of their actions. Jesus loves like a woman who knows she cannot make the choices that her loved ones must make for themselves – in the face of all the fear that might awaken her. Jesus loves like a mother who continues to remember about them what the children cannot always remember for themselves: that they are loved, they are beautiful, they are gloriously reflective of the image of God, and they are never alone. Jesus loves like a woman who knows that her children’s capacity for self-love will come at their own timing, influencing and influenced by their choices.
When we live for ourselves, when we see life as living only for our own needs… we put ourselves on the throne; but when we surrender our lives to Jesus, when we are ready to live life as committed followers of Jesus, then we put Jesus on the throne of our lives.
When we love others in the way Jesus taught us, we come to know the heart of God – and we are drawn into deeper maturity because this kind of love requires faith and hope, and it asks us to surrender what we grip most tightly.
All revelation is invitation. In other words, all that God reveals to us invites us to live with him. This is the reality of Jesus' kingship. Jesus is Lord, so we might live near him in love. He is King of the World, not over us but for us and with us.
On this Christ the King Sunday, let us rejoice, give thanks, and sing. Our God, our Lord in the one who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and we come to serve this Lord with gladness.
Safeguarding Sunday
17th November 2024 (John 13:33-34)
The setting for this passage is the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. After washing his disciple’s feet in an act of servant leadership he goes on to tell them of a ‘new commandment’ he has for them. This is not ‘new’ in the sense that people hadn’t heard this teaching before. Rather Jesus was setting a new standard in how to show love, through the humble service of each other. So often when we think of safeguarding it can seem like a barrier to mission, a list of ‘shalt nots’ much like we see the commandments in the Old Testament. When at its heart safeguarding is all about loving each other well and raising standards in the way that we love and care for one another. Rather than a burden, putting the safety and wellbeing of those in our community front and centre is one important way we can demonstrate the love Christ speaks of.
Remembrance Sunday
10th November 2024 (Mark 1:14-20)
The message we have to proclaim, embody, and exemplify is the same now as it has always been: the kingdom of God is at hand. Today, as much as ever, people need to know that this kingdom is real and available. They need to see that kingdom's joy and possibilities in us. Because people are often too easily satisfied just to make do with what is quick, easy, and cheap. People settle for sex, liquor, a rock band or the distractions provided by entertainment. They look to these things to save them or help them move forward in a grim world. But, as C.S. Lewis once wrote, we are far too easily satisfied. We're like a child who turns down an invitation for a day at the beach and chooses instead to stay sitting in a slum alley making mud pies just because the child really can't imagine how much better a day at the shore can be. "What could be better than making these slimy mud pies?" the child might think. Ah, if only he knew!
Maybe the kingdom is like that: it's here, it's real, it's right outside your door. The kingdom of God is at hand! Don't be so easily satisfied with the temporary pleasures of sex and money, power and food, cable TV and the wonders of technology. A better, exciting, hopeful, joyful kingdom of life is real. The kingdom of God is at hand. We live knowing that this is true! We live to help others believe it, too.
All Saints' Day
3rd November 2024 (Matthew 5:1-12)
The beatitudes describe the character of God's kingdom, but they are not conditions of salvation. Jesus does not say, for example, "Only the pure in heart may enter the kingdom of heaven." This is good news because the beatitudes are impossibly hard to fulfil. Given that Jesus says, "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28), who could truly be "pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8)? If it were not for God's grace, no one would actually be blessed. Beatitudes are not judgments against all who fail to measure up. Instead, they are a blessing for any who consent to join themselves to God's kingdom as it "comes near."
A further grace of the Beatitudes is that they bless God's community, not just God's individuals. By following Jesus, we become blessed members of the kingdom community, even though our character is not yet formed in God's likeness. Individually, we fail to fulfil the characteristics of some or all blessings. But we are blessed nonetheless by the character of the entire community around us. Citizenship in God's kingdom begins now. The character of the kingdom community is perfected when Jesus returns, "coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matt. 24:30).
The Fall still taints even the best organisations and most admirable people. None are perfect. The eighth beatitude serves as a reminder to us that working in a fallen world requires courage.
Last Sunday after Trinity (BIBLE SUNDAY)
27th October 2024 (Mark 10:46b-52)
Mark 10: 46-52 is to be read in the context of 'seeing' and 'being blind' in the sections and passages that precede and follow it. The faith and persistence of the blind Bartimaeus is a sort of lens bringing into sharp focus the faithlessness and spiritual blindness of many who encounter Jesus.
The story of Bartimaeus reminds us that being blind can be understood in both a literal and a metaphorical way. Physical blindness may be
a disability, but it is not a morally blameworthy condition. In fact, we have many examples of blind people who are entirely admirable from
a moral standpoint. They work with their blindness and accomplish much that is good and worthy in their own lives and the lives of others. Blind people also bring out unselfish behaviour in others.
Many maintain that narcissism, an excessive preoccupation with oneself, is a growing sin of our times. Narcissism makes us blind to other people, human needs, and actions for a better world. Narcissism is a form of spiritual blindness and a denial of reality. We can all engage in narcissistic behaviours to a greater or lesser extent. The Bartimaeus story, understood in its context, challenges our narcissistic tendencies and offers instead the example of Jesus, the Man for Others.
Luke the Evangelist
20th October 2024 (Luke 10:1-9)
Today's story is about Jesus sending out his followers on a mission. And you would think that, before he sent them, he would want to give them strong words of encouragement, stir up their spirits, and fill them with a sense of joy and hope for the future mission journey. But he doesn't do that.
We know there is a huge task that Jesus wants his team to undertake, so what does he say? "The harvest is plentiful. But the labourers are few". It's not much of a way to motivate the team, really: there's a lot of hard work to do, but hardly any of you can do it!
And as if that wasn't bad enough, he compounds the problem further: "Go on your way! I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves", and "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals".
This task doesn't sound very inviting, does it? It's too big for the team; we are likely to get ravaged by wolves, and we can't take anything to help us on the way. Welcome to Christian Mission!
But what we learn from this passage about the task of mission to which we are called is this:
1. Mission is a partnership activity between us and God: if we are obedient to God in responding to the mission call, he will empower us for the task and give us the words to say.
2. Mission requires that we be absolutely focused on the task at hand: we have to be a mission-shaped church, constantly seeking ways to share the Gospel with others. Sometimes, we can be asked by God to step outside our comfort zone to find new and creative ways to reach out with the Gospel. And that can be as challenging as it is exciting…
3. Mission is activity-based: being involved in a mission is about more than words; it's about active engagement (sharing of hospitality, compassion, and care; proclaiming the Gospel).
20th Sunday after Trinity
13th October 2024 (Mark 10:17-31)
This story is one of the healing stories. The rich man runs up to Jesus and kneels, just as countless other Jesus-pursuers have done throughout the Book of Mark. The scene is set for him to request and receive healing, and his running and kneeling show that his request is both urgent and sincere. But he is the one person in the entire book who rejects the healing offered him.
In today's story, Jesus looked at the rich man with love and said to him, "You lack one thing."
If he were to look at you today with love and say the same thing, what would that one thing be? You lack one thing. What is that one thing? That thing you are holding onto too tightly to give yourself entirely to Jesus? What is in your jar? What are you tempted to keep your grip on, to cling to, that you might need to let go of, to follow Jesus more faithfully?
That, to me, is what this story is inviting us to think about today. And it may not have anything to do with your possessions. It may be something else entirely for you. Something that keeps you from being all that Jesus wants you to be. But here's the thing about it. It's not something you have to do. It's not something you have to add to your busy life. You just have to let it go. Loosen your hold on it a little.
​If it has become a burden, let it go. Trust Jesus. That is all he is asking.
What can I do to inherit eternal life? Nothing. For mortals, it's impossible. "But not for God; for God all things are possible." So, to inherit eternal life, we ​​only need to be close to God.
Harvest Thanksgiving
6th October 2024 (Luke 12:16-31)
The key to understanding this parable is in verse 15. Luke says, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Jesus says this to the man who asked Him to arbitrate between him and his brother. In ancient times, the firstborn was guaranteed a double portion of the family inheritance. More than likely, the brother addressing Jesus was not the firstborn and was asking for an equal share of the inheritance. Jesus refuses to arbitrate their dispute and gets to the heart of the matter: Covetousness! Jesus warns this person that our lives should not be about gathering wealth. Life is so much more than the "abundance of possessions."
Jesus proceeds to tell the man the Parable of the Rich Fool. The point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is twofold. First, we are not to devote our lives to gathering and accumulating wealth. God tells the man in the story, "And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" You see it all the time in people who are singularly devoted to accumulating wealth. What happens to all that wealth when they die? It gets left behind to others who didn't earn it and won't appreciate it. Furthermore, if money is your master, God is not (Matthew 6:24).
The second point of the Parable of the Rich Fool is that God does not bless us to hoard our wealth to ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing in the lives of others, and we are blessed to build the kingdom of God. The Bible says if our riches increase, we are not to set our hearts upon them (Psalm 62:10). The Bible also says there is one who gives freely and grows all the richer (Proverbs 11:24). The point is clear: if we honour God with what He has given us, He will bless with more so that we can honour Him with more.
The Feast of St Michael and All Angels
29th September 2024 (John 1:47-52)
Using the eyes of faith is crucial to every Christian’s life. It leads us to understand senses could be limits of human belief. It also brings us to awareness that things that happen in our daily lives are graces coming from an “Unseen Being” whom we call God. That's why today I have the courage to say that we have seen nothing yet! What God has in store for those who love and trust Him is so much greater that we have yet seen or imagined.
Ezekiel 1:7 (about angels):
Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze.
Most people didn’t know much about other ethnicities around the world, so people tend to depict angels that look like themselves even if they were documented to look otherwise. Thus, Japanese depictions have them look Asian, Europe depictions have them look European, African or African-American people depict him as black, and so on.
But why are the porcelain-white depictions so ubiquitous? This is because Europe art dominates much of the perception of Christian mythology and historical figures. In this case, when we think of Christian figures, we’re all used to seeing Europeans and ignoring the fact that non-European cultures have created their art.
In African traditional art, especially in regions such as West Africa, we can see sculptures, masks, and paintings depicting dark or black-skinned angels or spirits. These images usually reflect the cultural and religious beliefs of a particular African community.
The biblical concept of angels is not explicitly associated with any particular race or ethnicity. However, the possibility of angels appearing in different forms or races is not ruled out. The primary focus of the biblical account is their spiritual nature and their role as messengers and servants of God.
​​17th Sunday after Trinity
22nd September 2024 (Mark 9:30-37)
​It has been said that Jesus came proclaiming an upside-down kingdom. It's a catchy way of saying that so much of what Jesus said and taught turns our way of thinking on its head. He said things like, if you want to live, you must die; and if you want to save your life, you must lose it. Our natural way of thinking is to hate our enemies and to look for opportunities for revenge, but Jesus said Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. The ways of Jesus are counter-intuitive and counter-cultural.
As we come to Mark 9, we find Jesus expressing yet another paradoxical way of thinking. He says that the way to greatness is the way of service. And if we want to be great, we need to be the greatest servants. And, of course, this isn't simply something Jesus says; this is the way He lived. The life and the death of Jesus are the ultimate demonstrations of the greatness of humility.
Once again, we see Jesus turning our way of thinking on its' head as He redefines the path to greatness. The way to greatness is the way of service. To be great, we must be the greatest servants we can be.
While a call to servanthood is a call to humility, it's not a call to passivity or to retreat. Jesus is our example (Philippians 2): To be a servant means to go toward those in need and to seek out the forgotten. And Jesus didn't serve out of fear or guilt but out of joy, not out of cowardice or coercion but of courage and desire.
Feast of the Holy Cross
15th September 2024 (John 3:13-17)
The best way to teach is to tell a story. And, the best way to tell a story is to use pictures. Just like Jesus did when using the Old Testament picture of the brazen serpent on the pole.
Moses "lifted up" the bronze serpent in the wilderness to bring about healing and restoration of life to those bitten by deadly serpents. This plague of death was the result of the people's stubborn refusal to follow God's counsel and direction for their welfare. God, in his mercy, heard Moses's prayer to free his people from this curse. God instructed Moses to "make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live" (Numbers 21:8).
Jesus clearly links Moses' act of deliverance in the wilderness with his impending sacrificial death when he will be "lifted up" on the wood of the cross at Calvary. Unlike Moses' deliverance in the wilderness, which only resulted in temporary relief for the people, Jesus' atoning death on the cross brought decisive victory over sin, Satan, and death. Jesus' victory on the cross cancels the debt of our sin, and releases us from guilt and condemnation. His death and victory bring us new, abundant life in his Holy Spirit that lasts forever.
There is no greater proof of God's love for us than sending his Son to become one with us in our humanity and lay down his life for us. God sent his Son to free us from the worst of tyrannies - slavery to sin and the curse of death. Jesus' sacrificial death was an act of total love through self-giving. Jesus gave himself entirely out of love for his Father. And he willingly laid down his life out of selfless love for our sake and for our salvation. His death on the cross was both a total offering to God and the perfect sacrifice of atonement for our sins and the sin of the world.
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​The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
8th September 2024 (Luke 1:46-55)
This text is so deep and rich that it would take weeks to pull it apart and display all that is here. Nearly every word Mary speaks is taken from the Old Testament as she weaves a beautiful tapestry of praise. I've been studying these verses and chasing the various threads that run from them for days and am convinced I have not fully plumbed their depth.
These verses have come to be known as Mary's Magnificat. The word "Magnificat" means to lift up or to make something great. It means to esteem through praise, which is exactly what these verses do. This is Mary's psalm of praise and exaltation of God. This is the outpouring of Mary's soul as she worships the Lord.
Worship must first engage the brain. To worship God begins with an understanding, believing, and trusting who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised to do. Most churches do whatever they can to disengage the brain from their "worship" by dimming the lights, singing repetitive choruses that lack meaning, and just putting the people into a catatonic state.
We cannot worship God if we do not know God. We cannot exalt or magnify Him if we have no idea what He has done or what He has promised to do. We cannot obey Him (the fruit of true worship) if we do not know what He has commanded. True worship begins with the head, turns the heart to God, and flows through the hands in obedience. But it always begins with the head. This psalm of Mary reveals what she knew, believed, and trusted about God's person, works, and promises concerning her son.
​14th Sunday after Trinity
1st September 2024 (Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23)
In the Gospel reading today, the religious leaders criticise Jesus' disciples for not washing their hands before eating. This is clearly about more than just a concern for their hygiene. For the Pharisees, this is about tradition, faithfulness, respect and honour. The ritual washing was a whole routine about spiritual and ceremonial cleanliness… something that's hard to draw a parallel to today. Maybe think about when you were a kid and were about to go into your grandma's house, and your mom would make you spit out your gum, tighten your collar, straighten your skirt, smooth out your hair. Washing hands was about being presentable before God. The commitment to the ritual came from a deep desire to be faithful to God and respectful of the cultural and religious tradition of honouring the faith and the elders. It came from a good place. There's some value in respecting and appreciating the rituals and traditions of the community elders.
But when it became something used to draw lines between the insider and outsider, and when it became the measuring stick for faithfulness and loyalty to God, Jesus was compelled to call them out on it with some pretty harsh language. And while it's easy for us to read this text and point out the judgmental nature of the Pharisees, Jesus' response cautions us to be aware of our tendencies to this kind of behaviour. It's not the washing or not of washing hands that determines your faithfulness, Jesus says. It's what's in your heart.
It's not that the ritual cleansing was a bad tradition. Jesus wasn't saying the tradition of the elders needed to be thrown out. He's saying that this tradition had become the evaluation of the heart stuff: faithfulness to God and commitment to the community. That tradition was used to point out the deficiencies in other people.
13th Sunday after Trinity
25th August 2024 (John 6:56-69)
When was the last time Jesus offended you? When has he said something that caused you to trip and stumble? Which of his teachings has caused you to think or say, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" When have you wanted to turn back from following his way because it was more than you could swallow?
Many of Jesus' disciples grumbled and complained to each other that his teaching was difficult and more than they could accept. "Many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." They could no longer stomach his Gospel and what it asked of them. The bread of life isn't always sweet.
I don't think we want to be offended. It might reveal things we don't want to see or hear. I think most of us work hard not to be offended by Jesus and his Gospel. But what if we should be offended?
If loving, forgiving, welcoming, and taking up our cross – and a thousand other things Jesus taught and did – do not offend and challenge us, cause us to look at how we are living, make us reconsider our beliefs and actions, then maybe the Gospel just isn't flesh and blood real for us. Perhaps we've disembodied the Gospel and separated the Word from everyday flesh. I want us to live a gospel that is flesh and blood real. I want us to be offended by it.
I hope the Gospel never loses its power to offend. And I hope you and I never lose our capacity to be offended.
Why? Because every time the Gospel offends us, we bump up against a limitation in our lives. When the Gospel is offensive, it shows us something about ourselves. It's revealing the limits of our love, forgiveness, welcome, our justice and compassion, and our life and humanity. And it's pointing the way to new life and more life.