Be Ready for Hope

“Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.”

The whole problem with this is that we don’t know when it will be, so how can we be ready? 

It may surprise some of you to know that I was a Girl Guide, and the motto is ‘Be Prepared’.   Going out for a walk would mean a backpack, water, food, phone money, first aid kit etc. you can imagine the amount of stuff that was packed for a camping trip.

Somehow, I don’t think Matthew was meaning ‘be prepared’ by carrying a compass, Swiss army knife, matches, map, ……

What might it mean, in the gospel sense, to Be Prepared?

The disciples were waiting for the return of Jesus. They had expected that he would have returned by the time Matthew was writing this gospel, thought to be just after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD/CE. The disciples were wondering if Jesus would ever return.

“Always be ready! You don’t know when the Son of Man will come.”

During Advent we think about the coming of Jesus for the first time, as a baby many centuries ago, and also the time when the Jesus will return, when the kingdom of God will be completed.

When I was a young adult, there was lots of talk about the second coming of Jesus. I don’t know if that is a young adult thing, or something that was common in the late seventies and early eighties.

For a while I kept hoping the second coming would arrive before my next assignment was due or the next exam. J

We live in what has been called ‘the in-between time’. Jesus was another step in the coming of the kingdom of God. But we aren’t yet living in the fullness of the kingdom of God. The images of Old Testament prophets of the lion laying down with the lamb, of peace and health and wholeness for all people and the whole creation, are not yet reality.

We live in this in-between time, we live in the tension of knowing Jesus, but looking to a future where we more fully experience him.

We live in the tension of seeing glimpses of the kingdom of God, and the yearning for the kingdom to be fully experienced.

We live in the tension of being faithful, forgiven people and being aware of our own shortcomings and limitations.

I have a story for you:  it reminded me of the people of Israel, they needed constant reminders of what God had done in their lives, of how to live, of judgment, and images of hope in the form of the kingdom of God.

STORY : The Duck and the Darkling by Glenda Millard

This week we think about hope.

The Isaiah reading is dripping with Hope.

I wonder if we would hear this passage differently if we were living in a  war zone, or unable to feed our children.

This first 39 chapters of Isaiah are predominately about divine judgement; how the land will be desolate and the people in exile. Yet interspersed, there are some passages of hope. Jerusalem was the site of many battles, and was overrun by other nations. The Israelites saw this as punishment from God. The five verses we heard today are one of the passages of hope, promises of God, hope for a future.

A future that will be different to their current experience.

It can be easy to think that things will always be the way they are now, or that evil and violence and greed will become more powerful. That society will become meaner and more fractured.  But here in these wonderful verses from Isaiah, we have a picture of a future that is different, a future where we will no longer needs the means of war.

This was an agricultural society, so if you can turn your fighting implements into farming tools, life becomes about food and drink, not fear and death.

Many people have attempted to update these verses from Isaiah,

They will pound their swords
and their spears
    into rakes and shovels;

Some modern phrasing: 

 -They will turn weapons into welcome signs
........and bombs into tools and toys.
 - They'll turn their swords into shovels,
       their spears into hoes.
 - They shall turn their bombers into flying doctors,
        and their warships into food freighters;

As I was thinking about these passages I thought of the great speech by Martin Luther King Junior. [some excerpts] http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.”

“And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!”

“This is our hope, ..”

“With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

Advent is a time of waiting, not a time of idle waiting, but waiting with a purpose, with hope.

During advent we look for signs of hope in our midst. Where do you see signs of hope?

There are plenty of areas of concern, plenty of opportunities for despair:

• Climate change
• Political corruption
• Treatment of people with mental illness
• Terrorism
• Pollution
• Unemployment

Friday was White Ribbon Day, a national day for the prevention of violence against women. This year, White Ribbon Australia is asking men to stand up, speak out and act for the women in their lives, as violence against women is a man’s issue too.

One in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual abuse perpetrated by someone known to them, and on average, one woman is killed every week in Australia as a result of domestic violence. https://www.whiteribbon.org.au/2016/11/17/white-ribbon-day-2016/

We look for signs of hope, and we are also bearers of hope.

Just as the Peterboy found hope in Grandpapa’s stories, and looked for ways to brighten his grandfather’s eyes.

We too can look for signs of hope.

We too can bring hope.

There are two campaigns being run by the social justice group of the Synod at present:

·    Affordable housing campaign and

·    Give Hope campaign for people seeking asylum

          https://uniting.org/social-justice/causes-and-campaigns

Where do you see signs of hope?

Where do you bring hope? 

This morning in baptising E, we acknowledged that she is a precious child of God, known and loved by God. Each time we baptise I am also reminded that God also loves me, and I hope each of you are reminded that you are also loved, that you are also precious to God.  All people are loved by God, warts and all.

This passage from the letter of John, not only tells us that we love because God first loved us, but that we are to love one another and that whoever loves God must also love others, because if we don’t love others, we can’t love God.

Compare this to the behaviour of the leaders in the reading from the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah spoke the word of God to the people of Judah. He spoke God’s words of judgement, and God’s words of hope. The section we heard this morning records the judgement of the bad shepherds.

Kings in that part of the world were often called shepherds, they were to care for the people as a shepherd cared for his sheep. But these were not good shepherds, they did not care for the people, they did not keep the people safe.

God saw that the people were lost, they were being taken to Babylon by force, the leaders were not taking notice of God.

About 300 years before Jeremiah, the people of God did not have kings, and they asked the prophet Samuel for a king. God told Samuel to warn the people what life would be like with a king:

If you have a king, this is how he will treat you.
He will force your sons to join his army.
Your daughters will be forced to make perfume or do his cooking.

The king will take your best fields and your slaves and your donkeys
He will also take a tenth of your grain and grapes
and a tenth of your sheep and goats.

 … and you will finally cry out for the Lord to save you from the king you wanted. But the Lord won’t answer your prayers.

And the people said: “We want to be like other nations. We want a king to rule us and lead us in battle.”[i]

Thinking about these two passages this morning, I thought about the different kinds of leaders we have in the world and in our lives.

There are leaders who care for people and leaders who care only for themselves

There are leaders who unite and leaders who divide

There are leaders who take for themselves and leaders who share resources.

Today is the last Sunday in the church year, Christ the King Sunday. Next Sunday we begin Advent, 4 weeks of preparing for the birth of Jesus.

Christ the King Sunday celebrates the all-embracing authority of Christ as King and Lord of all things. It is a relatively new celebration in the life of the church, first being celebrated in 1925. [ii]

Proclaiming Christ as King means that nothing else and no one else can claim our ultimate loyalty and devotion. ^[iii]  

Remember the picture book, Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare discussing how much they love each other. [iv]

Do you think God loves you to the river, or the moon?

Remember the words I spoke to E just before the water was poured on her head?

E,
for you Jesus Christ has come,
has lived, has suffered;
for you he endured the agony of Gethsemane
and the darkness of Calvary;
for you he uttered the cry, ‘It is accomplished!’
For you he triumphed over death;
for you he prays at God’s right hand;
for you,
even before you were born.
In baptism, the word of the apostle is confirmed:
‘We love, because God first loved us’

We love because God first loved us. and God showed that love in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus, the one who is named King today,
not a King who enjoys displaying his power,
but a king of love,
of compassion,
of generosity.

A good Shepherd,
one who keeps the flock together,
who protects,
who nurtures
who forgives.

God is love,
and those who live in love
live in union with God
and God lives in union with them.
There is no fear in love;
perfect love drives out all fear.

We love because God first loved us.
The command that Christ has given us is this:
whoever loves God must love others also.

I wonder what the love of God looks like in your life?

Who or what do you fear?

How do you love others as God loves you?

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[i] 1 Samuel 8

[ii] http://www.churchyear.net/ctksunday.html

[iii] Monica https://revgalblogpals.org/2016/11/15/revised-common-lectionary-who-reigns-edition/#comments

[iv] Guess How Much I love You by Sam McBratney

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Working with God for a new world

The people of Jerusalem had been in exile, when they returned to the devastated city, they set about cleaning up the rubble, and rebuilding. Imagine what is must have been like, you have seen images of war from the middle east, a few years ago it was eastern Europe, and before that Vietnam and Korea. We have seen devastation by earthquakes and cyclones, so imagining a ruined city is not all the difficult. But imagine this is your city, your street, your place of worship that has been destroyed. After years in exile you are excited about returning home, but what is it you return to? 

What do you build first?

The Temple. It isn’t as grand as Solomon’s Temple, and the rebuilding of other buildings is slow. Life is hard, food is not plentiful, the vegetable gardens were destroyed in the war, the vines, the fruit trees are gone. Life is hard.

Will things ever be the same?

Then Isaiah, the prophet, the man who speaks God’s word, says:

God is creating a new heaven and a new earth,
the past will not be remembered,
there will be rejoicing instead of distress;
every person will live a long and full life;
people will eat from the trees they plant;
people will live in the houses they build;
death and devastation will not be part of this new creation.
The new creation, the new thing God is creating will be so harmonious
that the lamb and the wolf will lay down together,
and neither will be in danger.

A beautiful image of the kingdom of God, the kingdom that God is creating. A word of hope for people who were struggling.

Sometimes life is a struggle.
It may be illness, grief or uncertainty about the future;
sometimes the struggle is about strained relationships, poor housing options or lack of work.

Life can be a struggle.

The message of Isaiah isn’t that everything will be perfect in an instant, but that God is creating a new heaven and a new earth.

God isn’t finished with us yet.

And God isn’t finished with the world yet.

As people who profess to follow the way of Jesus, what might this passage be saying to us today?

In a world in shock over the US election results
in a world where violence and war seem never-ending
in a world where poverty is real for too many people

What might this poem from Isaiah say to us?

God is creating something new
a world where everything is in harmony
where every creature is safe
where the environment is cherished
where people are treated with dignity
where life matters
      black lives and Asian lives and brown lives and white lives

God is creating something new, and as people of God we get to work alongside God. We are the people who see the promise of God at work.

We are called to live out God’s kingdom where we are.
To live as God’s people,
living in peace and justice,
living in harmony with all creation.
In our actions, our working, our speaking.

Sometimes that means we will be unpopular.

When the Uniting Church started up the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Kings Cross, there was vocal opposition from within the Uniting Church, from some other churches, and from many in the community. But the people who were given the task of getting it up and running persevered. Many lives have been saved, and many people have been referred to drug rehabilitation facilities.

Sometimes we can speak about our faith, but we need to always live our faith.

As we baptise Heath this morning, I wonder what kind of world he will grow up in. I wonder if he will glimpse the vision of the new heaven and new earth that God is creating.

I wonder in what way Heath will be working with God, and celebrating the work that God is doing
in his life,
in the lives of people around him and
in the world.

The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of peace and justice,
a kingdom where we know our brokenness,
where respect is offered to all people,
where God’s love is the standard we live.

We work with God in the coming kingdom.
A kingdom of peace and justice.
We live the kingdom;
we take risks;
we offer hope;
we trust in God.

It is time for us to listen for what God is saying to us today.

Living Saints

Tuesday was All Saints Day.

I wonder what do we think of when we talk about saints?

Someone with a day named after them, like St Patrick?

Can only dead people be saints?

In the Apostle’s Creed, which we say each time we baptise, we say the following:

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

And what is the ‘communion of saints’ that we say we believe in?

The communion of saints is about connection,

connection with God: creator, redeemer and Spirit;

connection with members of the congregation;

connection with Christians across the world and throughout history;

connection with the creation;

connection through participation in sacraments;

connection through participation in the activity of God in our everyday life.

And the source of that connection is God who lives and moves through the Holy Spirit.

The communion of saints is the people of God across time and space, known and nurtured through the gifts of God for participation in the activity of God in the world.[ii]

The Gospel reading set for All Saints Day this year is the Sermon on the Plain that we also heard this morning:

blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the excluded

Woe to the rich, the well fed, the laughing and the popular.

Not such a pleasant message.

Then the hard part:

love your enemies

do good to those who hate you

bless those who curse you

Turn the other cheek

Give away your shirt

‘do to others as you would have them do to you.’

Wow!

Makes one bride for 7 brothers look easy J

But does this tell us anything about Saints?

I wonder if Saints are people who live into God’s future now

A future where the hungry are fed

The lowly are lifted up

The rich go away empty and

the powerful are brought down

which may sound familiar… Mary’s Song of Praise, from Luke chapter 1.

you are part of the communion of saints

you are known and nurtured by the Holy Spirit

for participation in the activity of God in the world

We take some time to reflect on what God is saying to us this morning.

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[ii] This is the conclusion of an essay I wrote at college that drew upon multiple sources. 

resurrection life is not like this life

The passage we just heard about one bride for 7 brothers sounds weird to our modern ears. While technically it was feasible that a woman could be married to 7 brothers, one at a time, it is highly improbable.

But this reading isn’t about brides or brothers. This passage shows the increasing tension between the Sadducees and Jesus. The Sadducees were the group in charge of the temple. And the Sadducees took the Pentateuch, the first 5 books of the Bible as we have it, as their sacred scripture. That is the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, for the Sadducees, these were the books that mattered. As Resurrection isn’t explicitly mentioned, then it isn’t a part of their belief.  

In asking Jesus the question about marriage and resurrection, they are trying to show the absurdity of the idea of resurrection, and trying to catch Jesus out. ‘Their question is premised on the assumption that eternal life is an endless state of “more of the same.”[i]’

I have had people ask me, will someone with a disability still have that disability in resurrection life? The question makes the same mistake as the Sadducees, that is that resurrection life looks like this life.

Here is a story:

Story: Waterbugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children"

by Doris Stickney

From: "Waterbugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children"  by Doris Stickney  https://www.rainbowsbridge.com/belovedhearts/stories/doris-waterbugsanddragonflies-632617144169637500.aspx

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[i] David Lose, Questions About the Resurrection, November 04, 2013

Seeing and Hearing and Obeying

This morning we meet two people with names that are unusual in our culture: Habakkuk and Zacchaeus.

Habakkuk is one of the prophets. Prophets were people who reminded the people and nations of Israel and Judah to return to God’s ways.

In this passage, we hear Habakkuk asking God why did he have to see so much violence and injustice.

On the news at times the presenter will make an announcement like: Warning, some people may find the following images offensive.

There is violence and injustice and poverty and oppression in the world.

Yes, that is offensive.

And sometimes we want to say: I don’t want to see this anymore

I don’t want to know about homelessness or war or abuse.

It is all too much to bear.

Join Habakkuk.

The book of Habakkuk is 3 chapters long and well worth reading in one sitting.

Chapter one is basically a list of problems in the world, and Habakkuk asking God why the world is in the shape it is in;

Chapter two is mainly God responding.

 “I, the LORD, refuse to accept
    anyone who is proud.
Only those who live by faith
    are acceptable to me.”

…

You’re doomed!
You made your family rich
    at the expense of others.
You even said to yourself,
    “I’m above the law.” [Habakkuk 2:9]

………..

Let all the world be silent—
the LORD is present
    in his holy temple. [Habakkuk 2:20]

chapter 3 is a prayer of Habakkuk:

    “I know your reputation, Lord,
and I am amazed
    at what you have done.
Please turn from your anger
    and be merciful;
do for us what you did
    for our ancestors.” [Habakkuk 3:1-2]

…..

And even though the harvest may fail:

“but I will still celebrate
because the Lord God
    saves me.” [Habakkuk 3:18]

I will still celebrate because the Lord God saves me.

Despite the doom and gloom,
      the violence in the world and in our hearts
      the pain of illness and bereavement
      the horror of child abuse
      the destruction of the environment
      the breakdown of relationships.

Despite what we see and hear, God is God.

And sometimes we need to be still and silent.

The hymn[i] we sang a few minutes ago is about a God who has spoken through the words of the prophets,
and through the life of Jesus
and still speaks to us today through the Holy Spirit.

How do you respond when God speaks to you?

The second person we meet this morning is Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus, the short man, the tax collector, one of the unpopular people in town.

A friend wrote some comments on this reading, and suggested that it would be strange for us to see a man in a suit up a tree. [ii]

We have all been to parades; small local parades, or large parades; some sombre, some festivals. Anzac Day, football final, Melbourne Cup parade. 

Sometimes you will see a child on the shoulders of a parent or grandparent, so the child can see over the crowd and see what is happening.

Zacchaeus must have noticed the gathering crowd, being short he looked for a way of being able to see what was happening.

As Jesus travelled around, people come to see and hear him.

They came out of curiosity,
they came looking for healing
      for sight
      for salvation.

Some just wanting to see this man they had heard about, others desperate to get close enough that Jesus might touch them, renew them, make them whole and holy.

We don’t know why Zacchaeus was wanting to see Jesus, or if he wanted Jesus to see him. But Jesus does see him, and says: Come on Down!

“Zacchaeus came down at once, happy to welcome Jesus.”

The text doesn’t suggest that Zacchaeus is upset or ashamed to have Jesus come to his house.

Jesus doesn’t mention guilt, shame or sin.

It is the crowd boo and hiss! Why him! He is a sinner!

Jesus is going to the house of the villain!

I wonder do you ever find it easier to look for the bad in a person or situation, rather than looking for the good?

The crowd are upset that Jesus is going to the house of Zacchaeus, but it is Zacchaeus who responds by saying – hey, I’m not that bad. Look “I give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I repay them four times as much.”

How would you respond if Jesus said to you: Come on Down, I’m going to your place?

I asked this question in a group at one time. I was thinking, Jesus can’t come home, the house is a mess, what is there to eat? I wasn’t the only one worried about those kinds of things.

The children had completely different ideas. They were thinking about what Jesus might like to eat. One child was going to make pizzas with Jesus so Jesus could choose what he wanted on his.

How would you respond if Jesus said to you: Come on Down, I’m going to your place?

Zacchaeus found that Jesus was looking for him, even as Zacchaeus was trying to get a glimpse of Jesus.

Habakkuk found that God was aware of the situation.

At times, we may feel that the world is a mess. We don’t want to see or hear about the reality of poverty and injustice. But just as God named the injustice and violence, we too need to name what is happening in the world.

And we need to stop and be still and listen for the God who still speaks to us today.

And with listening, come obeying.

What is God saying to you this morning.

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[i] God Has Spoken by His Prophets George Wallace Briggs

[ii] https://talbragar.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/tree-change/

Habakkuk verses from the Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Increase our Faith!

This week I have been thinking about faith. Like the disciples, our prayer is often “increase our faith!”

But these same disciples had left their workplace and home to follow Jesus, how much faith do they want! The picture we have of the disciples from the gospels shows us they didn’t always understand what Jesus was talking about, they were often confused by his actions, but they still followed.

“Faith is not believing that certain claims or statements about God are true. Genuine faith presumes a relationship with God. It implies a radical trust in God, faithfulness in one’s relationship with God, and a way of seeing the world as life-giving and nourishing rather than as hostile and threatening. “ [i]

Faith allows us to join Habakkuk in saying: For crying out loud, LORD! – What is going on in the world, or why is my life such a mess.

Faith is waiting for God, listening for God.

Faith is trusting that what God says will come true, even if not in my lifetime.

Without faith in God, we wouldn’t be so open and honest with God about how we feel,
about how we feel about injustice in the world,
about we feel about the pain in our lives
about how we feel about evil.

Faith isn’t a magic wand that we wave and everything is suddenly OK.

Faith is trusting that God is present when things are going against us, when we are in pain, when we are confused.

Sometimes we think about the so called giants of faith, the people who seem to have been given a double dose of faith.  Faith “is simply and humbly doing what needs to be done, big or small, great or mundane, just because it needs doing.” [ii] Faith is simply the willingness to do what needs to be done, to respond to the call of the Spirit in our lives. It isn’t a commodity to be hoarded, it isn’t a scarce resource.[iii]

The rest of the Luke reading is a story about a slave and master, this is an image that might not resonate with us.

But if I said, you go to work for 8 hours a day, you come home and do some housework, look after children etc. That is life. You don’t get a medal for doing your job. Same deal with being a disciple, offering hope and love and grace, living in faith, that is what a disciple of Jesus Christ does, so what do you expect, a Parade! 

I wonder what it really means when we pray Lord, increase our faith.

What is it we are looking for?
- a bigger God?
- courage?
- recognition?
- a way out?

Biblical Scholar Tom Wright comments that this is not so much about having a big enough faith in God, but faith in a big enough God.[iv]

There is a wonderful story, “Mister God this is Anna”. One story Anna tells her friend is why she won’t go to Sunday school anymore. She has sensed that the Sunday School teacher tries to make God small, because Sunday School teacher is scared of God.

Are there ways in which we try and make God smaller, easier to understand?

In the letter to Timothy we read:  “God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.”

Maybe rather than praying for more faith, we need to recognise the faith we have, and live out that faith.

That doesn’t mean doing something major and heroic.
It means being honest with God and ourselves.

In response to the request for more faith, Jesus tells the disciples that faith the size of a mustard seed – which is small - is enough to uproot a tree and plant it in the sea. This isn’t literal, I mean why would you uproot a tree and plant it in the sea except to show off, and faith isn’t about showing off.

I think Jesus is saying that we have enough faith, enough faith to live as the people of God.

Faith is an action, it isn’t being able to recite the Ten Commandments or knowing the Apostles Creed of by heart.

Faith is not measured in the quantity that we hold for ourselves, faith is not something that we can store away for a rainy day. Faith, enough faith, is when we act.

Faith is living out the love, the forgiveness and the mercy that God shows us. Faith is trusting that God is God. And that will show up in a myriad of ways in our lives.

I encourage you to think about when you acted in faith this week.

- have you listened when someone needed to talk?
- have you volunteered at a local charity
- have you written a thank you note to someone who has done a kindness
- have you cooked dinner
- have you prayed for a neighbour who is having a hard time.
- have you spoken a word of encouragement to someone who needed it

None of these is any big deal, and yet it is just these kinds of acts that occupy so much of our lives. They are acts of faith.[v]

And faith means sharing in bread and juice and allowing that something happens when we eat this bread and drink from this cup. Not something magical, but something significant.
Somehow we grow close to God, somehow we connect on a different level with God and each other and Christians around the world.

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[i] Br. David Vryhof Society of Saint John the Evangelist email 1/10/2106

[ii] In The Meantime , David Lose

[iii] In The Meantime , David Lose

[iv] Spill the Beans

[v] In The Meantime , David Lose