Turning to Jesus in Lent

Once again we focus on the first chapter of Mar's Gospel. On this First Sunday in Lent we reflect on Mark 1:9-15. Sunday 26th February 2012

A lot happens in the first chapter of Mark.
 In the space of these few (only 7) verses...Jesus is baptised, 
he hears the voice of God, 
he goes into the wilderness and is tempted by Satan. 
John is arrested, 
Jesus goes back to Galilee 
and he makes a public declaration of what his ministry is about.

"The time is fulfilled 
and the kingdom of God has come near
therefore I call you to repent and believe in the good news"

It's a lot!

The Spirit affirms Jesus in the profoundest way possible

What ever it means, 

Jesus hears the voice of God saying

"You are my Son, and I love you, and I am well-pleased with you"

What does God say to you? 

What is God saying to me?

At our deepest level?

In Lent 

we are being invited to pay attention to God.

The idea of God 

                 ---speaking to us---

is not without problem.

What do we mean by it?

It is not clear, for example, in this passage

whether Mark wants us to understand this 

as an external, audible voice.

Whether others might have heard it,

or whether this is just fanciful stuff.

I suspect if we allow ourselves 

to accept this passage,

not worrying too much about the mechanics of what is being addressed

that many of us 

would allow 

that God might be speaking to us

(heart-to- heart someone once suggested to me ).

The wilderness

What unlocks some of this for us 

is that the same Spirit

who speaks this deep affirmation 

of Jesus's personhood

drives (a very strong word) 

Jesus into the wilderness.

This wilderness as we know, 

is an ambivalent place,

at once threatening (beasts)

but also where we are thrown back 

on total reliance on God.

It is as though Jesus not only has to hear the affirmation

but also has then to go and appropriate it.

This needs the confrontation and threat of the wilderness.

It is not just nice words.

What might God be saying to you at this time of your life?

Can you take time this week to struggle with that a bit?

What don't I like about what God is saying to me?

Where do I resist? Where am I vulnerable?

Where do I deceive myself...about myself/about God?

It is out of this struggle

that Jesus comes to some realization

of what is happening!

The time is now, 

God is close

Things must change...

I need to repent, to behave differently

(what will this mean for me today)

The time is NOW!

This Good News, if we are to believe it,

is for 

now

and will affirm us at our deeepest  level.

It will require some change,

and that we trust God for all that is necessary to effect it.

It is not without beasts,

but also with angels!

Do we trust God enough to enter into this?

THIS WEEK

• What is God saying to me at my deepest level (heart to heart)?
• Can I strip back everything and allow the wilderness to speak this to me?
• Will I decide to embrace the freedom that is being offered? To be free of sin? To live as one who tries to accept others? To embrace the possibility of failure? To trust only God?
• What is to stop me doing this now?

RIP-Trevor Dart

A reflection at the funeral of Trevor Dart  on John 3:16-21, 17 February 2012
It is not common in Australia to meet a man who is so upfront about his Christian faith. But Trevor always was.
This was not an offensive characteristic--not bible bashing-
but rather part of Trevor's approach to life
Somewhere on his journey through life 
he had discovered the truth of the words that he himself chose for the reading for his own funeral.

"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believe him should not perish but have eternal life."

These are perhaps the most famous words of the New Testament.
This passage reminds us that God LOVES us
God wants the BEST for us
God is not trying to CONDEMN us , nor does God want to PUNISH us.
It is this Spirit, I suggest, that enlivened Trevor's life.
The essential goodness, and hopefulness that is the Gospel of Jesus.
It is not that there are not times when things are less than perfect
It is not that we always succeed, 
in fact often we look back at our lives and see that things were not as they should have been.
What Trevor understood is that there is a way back from this...if you do what is true...then you will come to the lighht and that light is Jesus.
I am sure Trevor will be hoping that as we reflect on his life
and think about our own lives
we will be seeking to do what is true
to walk in the light
and to find that that truth, that light
is ready and present
and is Jesus.
May Trevor rest in God's love.
May each of us be challenged by his example

Some thoughts about Lent

Readings for Sunday 22nd February. 2009: 2 Ki 2:1-12; Ps 50:1-6; 2 Cor 4:3-12; Mark 9:2-9. The Last Sunday After Epiphany - The Transfiguration of Jesus

Well we have got to that point
where Lent is just around the corner
almost, but not quite, as late as it could be.
For most of the world, of course,
Lent means little or nothing.
Although in some ways like the great Moslem fast of Ramadan
Lent is probably less well known.
It is for Christians a time when we get our act together
There are many traditional ways of doing this
and they are not without merit
But let me draw your attention to three of the more obvious ways
for Christians to "get their act together". Prayer At the heart of any Christian's life
is our relationship with God
so we will want during these 40 days
to try and strengthen that relationship .
like any relationship it is strengthened
through quality time.
If we want our relationship to get better then we need to commit to it.
Lent gives us a focus time...less than 6 weeks
so it is not a long commitment
and we find each year that it is worth it.
I suggest...three E's Each day-make a commitment to pray at least once each day
The Lord's Prayer, a time of quiet or a short time to pray for someone special Each week- as part of our commitment to build up each other
let's endeavour to make each of the Sundays in Lent
a time when we will be there Extra- I do not think prayer is about volume or length of time
It is about "quality" time not "quantity"
So what I need to give during Lent
is extra quality.
This might mean making sure that we give proper attention and not pray on the run
It might mean keeping a little Lenten journal
or setting aside a deliberate time each week to just be together with God.
Fasting & Giving The one thing people often do know about Lent is "giving things up"
this giving things up...lollies, alcohol, meat, bread or what ever
breeds a little space and a little discipline.
It allows us to be more conscious of those who have not
and also to redirect some of our resources through giving


Certain 'traditional' support has often been highlighted


and they are worthy of our consideration.


Not so much 'what takes your fancy' as where do I feel the Spirit challenges me to be generous and give

• Charity
• The Poor
• Mission
• Jerusalem
• The Church

What appeals to you? Make it a special 6 week project.


Service Our relationship with God is fostered through our care and service of others
Lest we think that Lent is a narrowly religious exercise
or even that Christianity is "narrowly religious"
we balance our spiritual exercises with our service and ministry.
This is the mistake that Peter makes on the mountain today
Seeing Jesus for who he really is ...the glorified one of God....
he doesn't know what to do.
We could think of a thousand things
let's tell others
let's inspire each other
let's commit to follow him to the end
But Peter says "No!! Let's build a shrine"
And Jesus has to say No!
There is suffering to be shared
there is work to be done.
So where will you serve this Lent.
I suggest that the words we need to guide us are these:

Personal
Responsive
& Unconditional
We need to respond in such a way that we are caring for a real person
and not an idea, or a bureaucracy
It will in a practical sense involve us with another person.
We need to be responding to real needs
That is doing what God want us to do
and not what we think we should do.
So often what we choose to do
serves our own needs
instead of those of others,
we do what makes us look good and successful
instead of what attends to the needs of another.
Finally our service should be unconditional.
We help a sick person go the doctor
so that they might get well
Not so that they might come to church.
We take food round to the family who have lost their father
because they need food
not so that they will do it to us in return.


Prayer Giving and Service.
Do not think you can do everything or the impossible.
Have a think about what you can do,
write it down
so you can promise yourself
and promise God
Do not be deceived into thinking Lent
is a pious few weeks, rather accept it as a challenge
to become more deeply in love with God.

How does God heal?

Readings for Sunday 12 February 2012, Epiphany 6 :2 Kings 5:1-14 Psalm 30 1 Cor 9:24-27 Mark 1:40-45

In this week's readings we see something of the application
of Healing, wellness, and wholeness
as I was talking about in the last reflection (see here)
God wants more for us than we want for ourselves
The story of Naaman the leper
that we read this week
is a confronting one for all of us who think
we have our lives well under control!
He is a powerful, successful man
and yet he is sick.
He has the sort of sickness
that people will not tolerate socially-leprosy
Quite what this was in his case is not clear.
we have rather poor attitudes
to leprosy
largely what we have been (wrongly) taught. (see for example the life of Damien of Molokai)
Nevertheless it is something that would have taken
Naaman out of circulation,
perhaps by disfigurement
certainly because of ritual prohibitions
designed to prevent infection
---Primitive but effective---
Naaman, like many who become seriously sick,
find their life is taken over
and they are no longer free to do what needs to be done.
Naaman the handsome, the powerful, the successful 
is sick.
I have a friend who find himself in this situation at this time
What to do?
He uses his connections to get to the doorstep of Elisha.
He will have done this sort of things many times before.
As a highly motivated person he is used to:
identifying the problem;
finding a solution;
and effecting the operation.
This is how a highly successful person seems to operate
in our sort of world

The only trouble is that sickness
is not a cash flow problem
it is not a stock shortage
or a management crisis.
If we are to be made whole
then we will need more than just management
or even skill.
We will also need openness to God
a fair degree of humility
and preparedness to change.
If you think about in-depth healing
or wholeness as we have been calling it
we understand that there is more to it
Confrontation 
so he is deeply confronted.
Elisha is not actually over-impressed by Naaman's status
he can barely come out of his house!
He sends an underling to communicate with Naaman
and Naaman is not impressed.
Let us look at some of the things that Naaman does
which might expose some of the issues

• he brings lots of money but his healing is not going to be paid for by lots of money
• he shifts the responsibility to another person, In the process that person (the king of Israel) is deeply stressed and he doesn't know what to do. We often do this. This isdifferent from sharing the responsibility by inviting others to pray for you. Healing will require that we open ourselves not just that we get someone to do the slog for us
• he needs to learn about simplicity, humility and obedience.
• Elisha is very offhand with him. He refuses to let Naaman think that this is the only problem in the world. This is hard for us to endure. In the end he is required only to be faithful to a simple process and to submit to that

• he is seduced by the spectacular. "‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of theLord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage."...when things do not go as he wants then at least he demands spectacle

• spectacle that shows he is pretty special?; spectacle that shows God is taking notice?

Are you beginning to get the idea that there is a lot going on? 
Naaman needs to confront a whole lot of stuff in himself: Pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, lack of faith....
all of these things will be up for grabs 
if we open ourselves to wholeness rather than just removal of symptoms.


Conclusion
Finally, the Gospel reading (Mark 1:40-45)
tells of another leper
and the dialogue with Jesus says..."‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’
There is more here than waving of hands 
the man is asking to be brought inside the ambit of Jesus's life and faith...
If you choose 
and we are assured that Jesus does choose
But he chooses not just symptoms
but fulness of life
wholeness
not just a narrow healing.
To us Jesus says, 
I do choose
...but we may have to confront like Naaman
our pride, our lack of humility, our notion of our own importance,
certainly our sinfulness
and be prepared to enter into the abundant life
that we are being offered.

Been there done that!

Readings for reflection for Sunday February 5th 2012: Epiphany 5 - Isa 40:21-31, Psalm 147:1-11; 1Cor 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39

I always find Jesus' encounter with Peter's mother-in-law 
a bit shocking.
How men so often presume 
on the generosity of women,
not even recognising 
that they are not well,
and just assuming 
that they do what they are told.
They have obviously never lived 
with the 4 sisters, 
or the 3 daughters
that I have been blessed with
in my gifted life.
None of whom have done what they are told!!!

But I think there are some points in this story
that we overlook:
Jesus heals
 so that we might live our lives 
with better quality
not so that we might continue to moan 
about being sick.
We are healed 
so that we can continue living
and so we should not be surprised
when a sick woman gets healed
and gets on with her life!

Nor do I think 
that we should overlook that 
Jesus heals 
even when the sickness 
seems to us
to be minor.
I never understand people who say
"Don't pray for me, 
there are others who are more needy"
As if there is only so much to go round.
This story 
at least 
might tell us that
God's concern 
is not just with 99% sickness
and maybe 
we should be more faithful 
in bringing 
even small matters
to God 
for healing.
THIS WEEKIs there somewhere 
we have been healed, forgiven, 
reconciled 
where we haven't actually 
appropriated that gift? 
Have we chosen to remain sick 
when we are actually healed?We don't need to play games, but nor do we need to lack faith.

Are there some areas of our life 
that we think are not important enough 
for God's care?
Do we maybe even consider 
that we are not important enough 
for God's grace?Pray to trust God in all things great and small! 

O come let us sing!

I am going to prepare a series of reflections on some Psalms.  Particularly for the season of Lent and Easter. 
These might be released electronically and/or in pamphlet/booklet form in the next few weeks.
These could be particularly useful for reflection and devotion during Lent and Easter
My question?
What Psalms would you find it helpful to be discussed
I begin from a very simple place...thinking that Psalm 23, Psalm 22, Psalm 150...would be featured. What other Psalms would be helpful...either comment on this post or email me at coro35@tpg.com.au

Jesus has authority

The readings for Sunday January 29th 2012: Epiphany 4 - Deuteronomy 18:15-20; PSALM 111; 1 COR 8:1-13; MARK 1:21-28

In this first chapter of Mark we are gradually brought into the process of understanding who Jesus is.
We have seen how individual disciples
are called to follow him
and now we have declared about him
that he has Authority.
The authority is no less than that of the authority of God.
This is why he is so important
he puts us into touch with the reality of God.
If we want to know God’s will,
if we want to understand God
then we look to Jesus.

The problem of authority is not without issue
Moses tells the people how to discern whether a person speaking in God’s name is an authentic prophet:

His principle is “If prophecy comes true then it is vindicated!”
This may raise more questions than it answers
Paul also tells people that they need to exercise discernment about what they believe and practice
While there are no longer “rules” not everything is necessarily helpful.
He tells people to be sensitive to other people’s weaknesses.

What Mark’s statement is about this is...that we have a new seat of authority
Jesus….the signs and wonders that he does, and principally his resurrection, validate his authority.

How then can we be in touch with Jesus?
It is simple and it is hard!
Simple because it is the straightforward job of just doing it: through, prayer, scripture, worship, talking with Jesus. By serving Jesus in others.
It is simple basic Christian stuff

But hard because we are also a bit deceptive about this sort of stuff
and it requires
honesty, openness and integrity
It is interesting to note that this does not always go down well.
And we ourselves can be slow to respond
or even just plain wilful.
This week:

• What is Jesus saying to me about my life?
• How can I better respond?
• Can I pray deliberately each day to pay attention to God’s will for my life and to respond to that

Returning to God

Reading for Sunday 22nd January 2012 are for the 3rd Sunday in Epiphany and can be taken from: Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; and Mark 1:14-20

Unfortunately most of us know only one thing about the prophet Jonah
and that is that he was swallowed by a big fish!
It is of course a compelling story, but what is it actually about.
Most of us don’t know that Jonah was actually running away from God
nor that God had asked him to go to the roughest toughest place in the world and tell the people to repent
(no wonder he ran away)

When he finally yields to God’s will
he gets annoyed with God
because God accepts the repentance of the Ninevehites
and doesn’t just blast them out of the water!
This repentance is a call to change our ways
As we continue to focus on the call of Jesus
are we like Jonah and running hell for leather in the other direction?
and/or are we also angry that some people seem to get closer to God than we do? Particularly angry that so often it seems they are the ones who don’t deserve it.

The Call to Repent is genuine
This call that we hear to get serious is a genuine one
God is not playing games with us
but are WE playing games with God
The time is short
people need to be healed
Sinners need forgiveness
It is not a call to wait until it is convenient
It is a call to act now.
So we see:
these disciples drop everything and act
those who, like Jonah, run away are pursued by a devouring spirit. The sources of discomfort and disease may well be our own wilfulness

Where am I being invited to act, and to act now?
Where am I running scared?
Where am I resentful of God’s grace to others?

The call to repent is a genuine one
It is not only to other people via my mouth (it may be)
It is also to me...to you
And yes, the time is short
...the time to act is now….

Who's that?

Readings for Sunday January 15 2011...The 2nd Sunday after Epiphany include I Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20), Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18;I Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51

I find the story of Nathanael (or Bartholomew as he seems to be known elsewhere) in the first chapter of John 

to be strangely intriguing.

John is still setting up for us 

the thrust of his gospel

and thus having declared 

that this is the Word made Flesh, 

the Lamb of God, 

the Messiah

people are drawn into the circle of faith

Simon Peter and Andrew respond readily and quickly, 

Philip is not far behind

but Nathanael...is not so easily convinced...

his natural instinct is to be dismissive...he has perhaps (like us)

heard all this before.

Philip says to him...Why don’t you just come and check it out!

Because Nathanael does in fact then respond and decide 

to adopt this open attitude

he is able to hear Jesus.

Jesus speaks to him in a fairly low key sort of way

….here is someone who calls a spade a spade….

and Nathanael, I think, likes being taken seriously

and finds this Jesus engaging,

and so follows.

A lesson for us

the two dimensions that I think we can well pay attention to are:

not taking the call of God for granted or just hoping it might go away (this is echoed in the Samuel story)

this is often the way we deal with our religious conviction

...let’s not take it terribly seriously…..

I suspect that this is the cause of great spiritual weakness in the church today

Nathanael’s stance (and indeed Samuel’s) is

give God the opportunity

and God will do what is necessary

....but we need to give God the opportunity.....

The second thing that we can note is 

that another person encourages a positive attitude

Philip is a source of encouragement to Nathanael (as Eli is to Samuel)

Without that comment...Come and See... or Go back and listen again...

would Nathanael or Samuel have taken the final step

Is there someone who we have to support in a similar way?

Can we ask God to show us that this week, 

and also to give us the faith and the courage to be quietly and gently supportive?

• Are we prepared to look again at what God is seeking of us?
• is there someone I need to encourage?

The Illustration is Open Voyage by Michel Rauscher

My Son the beloved

Readings for Sunday January 8, 2012...The Sunday after Epiphany include Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11- often called the Baptism of Jesus

In these weeks after the feast of the Epiphany (January 6th...or Twelfth Night) 
we focus on how Christ is made known 
beyond the bounds of the inner circle of God's revelation.
It begins on January 6th 
when the Christmas story is expanded 
by the arrival of the Wise Men
this is to show us 
('epiphany' means to manifest or to show forth)
that this Christ, 
is not just for the narrow concerns 
of a little group of people
in a strip of Mediterranean Land 
--which has been and is presently much-troubled--
but for the whole world.
The Wise Men are presented in Matthew 
as the fulfillment of prophecy
that shows God will be made known 
through this Messiah
to all peoples 
As the story moves 
on we see one of the incidents 
in which the identity of Jesus is declared
...the event is his baptism by John, 
which Mark offers as the beginning of the Good News..
What is interesting to us 
is what this baptism confers
It is an understanding that 
as God speaks into the situation
this is what he says
"You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased"
These words will be spoken again 
at the Transfiguration
when the disciples recognise Jesus
for who he really is.
And because the climax of Mark's Gospel 
is the Crucifixion
we are invited to see
that these are words that are spoken at that time, 
this time by the centurion who says for all to hear
"Truly this man was God's Son"
are indeed insightful and true

Because in Mark's Gospel we are being invited to share
in this journey
These are words that we might see
are being spoken to us
"This is my Son, the Beloved"
"You are my daughter, and I love you"
I find these words deeply assuring
and perhaps we need to hear God 
saying this to you and me 
often and deeply 
during this Epiphany season.
--You are my son, and you are my daughter--
and I love you!
This is not the message of idle comfort,
rather it will lead us, like Jesus,
to the Cross.
Our faith tells us
that the Cross, 
though it looks like death,
is the way to fullness of life.
THIS WEEK

• Allow God to assure you of his love for you, and to confute everything that says anything less than ...I love you, and I am well pleased
• Pray for Grace to respond to that love, and to open yourself to the power fo the Holy Spirit
• Pray for Courage to embrace the Cross

Christ in the world - Christ in our lives

In this season we have "Twelfth Night!"...you know the twelve days of Christmas!...which is January 6th we call this day "Epiphany"

Some readings for this season include Isa 60:1-6, Ps 72, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matt 2:1-12.
I like to burn incense on this day because incense reminds us that, apart from everything else, Jesus is the object of our prayer.
And the smoke of incense is meant to remind us of the holiness of Jesus,
and that Jesus is the source,
the motivation and the mediation of our prayers to our loving Father.

In the Christmas story
Epiphany celebrates the coming of the Magi, the Three Wise Men as we often call them.
In our church  (All Hallows Blackwood) they have been walking round the church(!) since Christmas Eve
.....see the picture above.
They were probably not there at Bethlehem
(this may seem, but is not, controversial. They were coming  from a far off land)

Thematically this event expresses the Christian Gospel moving outside the narrow confines of Israel

to all the people of the world.

So we think about God being made known (epiphanised) to all people.

This is in fact what the word "epiphany" means.

--demonstrating, showing forth, exposing,----

This is a most important theme.

Christ is for the world

not just the temple or the Church.

I often say my job as a pries is

to stand aside

so that people can see Jesus

And, indeed, I think that despite all the Church troubles in recent times it is the Church that people don't like not Jesus.

Where is Jesus in your life?

Where do you need him

Where could he fit?

Where is he reaching out to you?

Where  does Jesus meet us

Typically the words that trigger off responses

to these questions...are love, forgiveness, healing and intimacy

You don't have to be genius to realise that we all crave these things.

I try to bring people to Jesus so that we may know his love, care, forgiveness and healing.

You may wish to pray for yourself that you might know his real presence

touching those places where you are most in need.

Lord Jesus, come into my life today

that I may know your closeness, your care,

your healing and your forgiveness

Lord Jesus, make yourself know to me today. Amen