The end of a year

Here we are talking about the end of the year but I can hear people say but we have a month plus before year's end. However, for us as Christian our year ends today as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. Next week we begin a new cycle of prayer and scripture readings as we begin our new journey towards the incarnation and its celebration at Christmas and then on into the new secular year with all its joys and promises that are celebrated in an orgiastic outburst of old paganism when we see the new year in. So if today is for us our New Year's eve let us prepare for the next year by reflecting on some of the things that God has called us to this past year to help us celebrate God's Kingdom present in the world.

In looking around the world and indeed our communities over the last 12 months we need to consider what it is that we as Christians celebrate as Christians. Perhaps the writer to the Colossians puts it well  by reminding us what Christ has given to us and been to us (Col 1.11-20). In fact the writer goes on to indicate our separation from God before we came to Christ (Col 1.21-22). These are the things that the Church and our faith group are committed to and have received as we have turned to Christ. This is what should be our goal each year for our communities and our families. Not only should we be modelling this but actually putting it into practice not for ourselves but also for those around us and our extended community connections.  So the expectation is, if we are upholding the principle that guides us, that is love, we should be expecting a decreasing level of violence and an increasing level of cooperation within not only our church communities but also in the broader community.

Only by sacrificing our intentions and egos do we recognise Christ's kingship

Indeed that community support and pulling together that love and ability to care for those around us have indeed been on show. Not by a community that is based in faith although the members of the community have great faith (see this video). This community shows ideals that the faith community need to be expressing. In recent reading of Sci Fi/Fantasy a theme that comes up is the greater strength that is found as people cooperate and communicate with each other in acceptance of each individual and not their racial grouping or otherness. Another key mark of our experience as Christians living within our own communities.

The reality for the Christian faith group is not as pictured. Our year this last 12 months has not displayed in the public domain much of the Spirit of Christ so that we can truly celebrate Christ's lordship and rulership over us this day. I am sure that there are many who have achieved these goals and dare to celebrate this day with heads high as they celebrate their contribution to God's kingdom. Unfortunately, the public face is a devastation of the Christian love in action that should be expected. We have had continuing rejection of those who are different within our own faith community (Anglican) and within a country whose leader purports to hold to Christian values. In our smaller enclaves of religious fervour we undermine each other for the expectation of personal gains in power and authority not the meekness and love expected from those who follow Christ. Christ surrenders himself upon the cross whilst those around him exhibit the behaviours often seen within the Church today (Lk 23.35-36). In the coming year as we prepare ourselves towards the incarnation let us deeply reflect on our own attitudes as Christians in today's world and how we may sacrifice ourselves for our King.

An SEP attitude

One of the challenges that we all face within private and public lives is what Douglas Adams described as the SEP field. Those of you that have not read Douglas Adams may not know the acronym SEP or Someone Else's Problem and the field of unknowing that it casts on everyone. It is a particular problem within the church and the parish environment let alone in everyday life. The writer to the Thessalonians puts this in perspective for us as bearers of the faith (2 Thess. 3.6-12).There are a number of forms that this imaginary field takes, often it is a blindness in people but at other times it comes out in pettiness and lust to create division as I do not get my way.

In our lives as a community together, should things not go the way we want we tend towards inaction in pettiness. We will draw attention to the smallest detail and draw attention away or create division within our communal life over the smallest disruption. Once we have brought up the smallest detail it de-rails the possibility of following an action to completion and thus nothing gets done. We fall into pettiness and un-Christian behaviour allowing our mouths to denigrate others. Why? Simply because what we considered to be the best way was not adhered to and so we caused disruption within the community.

Even in an emergency we think it is an SEP

The alternative is even more prevalent in organisations. The understanding that decisions are to be made but take no responsibility over those decisions. It is someone else's responsibility and nothing to do with me. In a way, this is procrastination in its finest form. It means nothing ever gets undertaken as it is always out of our purview. In church life and within the community of faith it becomes the task of the leader, the bishop, the arch deacon, the priest, etc. In other words it is never the people of faith's responsibility it is always someone else. A person in authority, a person we have decided is on council, etc. In casting the responsibility upon someone else we try to avoid the consequences as there is always someone else to blame or fire or denigrate. This is not the way of Christ in either case.

God calls us to move towards a place where the lambs will lie down with the wolves, a place where responsibility is on those who strive for peace and are long lived in the presence of God (Is 65.20-25). This is not some fantasy world or some reality for in the future. We hold this reality within our own attitudes and how we respond to the world around us. In everything we do is the possibility of the hope for the future if we allow God to do the talking in our lives. We are too quick to jump on our own bandwagon and allow ourselves to be carried away into a world where everything is not my issue. This is a game that is played for high stakes at the national and international level. The larger the issue the more likely it becomes that we will hand it over to someone else. We only need to look at the rhetoric from politicians around the catastrophic fires in NSW. It is not our problem, somebody else will take care of it and we can get on with our juvenile attacks against each other. By understanding that it is God's desire for us to take the responsibility of looking after each other and the whole of creation we begin to form the world in the vision of Isaiah. The moment we allow God to speak through us (Lk 21.15) we begin the journey of taking responsibility into our hands and we begin to understand that it is our challenge and not some else's. We are the ones that begin to see what has been obscured and realise that it is in our hands to resolve.

Facing the worst

No matter at what stage of life we are in there is always something to challenge us. This is the same whether it be as an individual or as a community or even as a country. The challenge is not so much as what we should do, although this is of course important as it determines the eventual outcome, but rather what is our attitude as we approach these challenges. In both the prophet Haggai (2.5) and Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2.15) the recipients are given words of hope in advice with regards attitude towards adversity.

We often loose heart especially when things become extremely difficult for ourselves as a community or as individuals. In this loss we retreat away from others and introvert ourselves in such away that we become sheltered within ourselves. This is not a particularly good thing in these circumstances as we actually cut ourselves off from the assistance that is present. Our loss of heart is reminiscent of the Israelites at the time that Haggai speaks and reminds them that God is always with them and supporting them. Irrespective of the apparent situation we are still supported by God, yet we fear as we do not allow ourselves to rely on God's presence in our lives. The comfort of knowing God's presence during a time of crisis is perhaps the best assurance that we can have as we confront the worst. Even when we feel that we are in the depths of unknowing and question how we are going to proceed this line from Haggai keeps us mindful of the presence of God.

In failing to acknowledge or even to listen for / to the presence of God and God's comforting word we can see how our attitude can easily change our own perspective of the situation. In turning from God our actions and attitudes prepare us for failure. We deceive ourselves and others deceive us as we begin to believe those who draw the energy from us. The writer to the Thessalonians names this and reminds us that deception is the easy route away from God (2.3). We are chosen at baptism to be part of God's body in Christ and as such we hold fast to what is true giving thanks to God for the grace and love bestowed upon us. To give these up we give up life in God and Christ. This attitude of failure and deception drives us towards death not life and God is a God of life not death. This is perhaps an apt reminder given the fires and weather conditions effecting the country and the denial of governments regarding changing climatic conditions.

Deceit barricades us from life and seeing God's grace

Christ in Luke's Gospel reminds his listeners of this fact as he debates with the Sadduces (20.27 ff). Once we begin to worry about the trivialities of life then we are looking for our own deaths. Whether we are individuals or a community we only find death in the details that we tend to pick to death. We need to rise above this and despite the negative comments around us we need to strive towards the greater good of our neighbour and not ourselves. God wants us to live being a God of life. We can only live if we lift ourselves, with God's grace, to seek for others to love. What we do may be small compared to what appears to be an insurmountable issue. However, once we see over the barricades that we have created in trying to fight against the trauma we find the glimpses of hope that are offered by the presence of God's grace. The deceit and the attitude of failure are barricades to new life that God offers in the most obscure paths. We need to give of our lives to God in thanks and praise for the wonders he is doing in our lives even in the face of what we believe to be the worst.

A saintly view

Daniel's dream sequence of the kingdoms in chapter 7.1-18 looks to both the past and the future for Daniel. The kingdoms although for us may be past still instil for us need to look carefully at how we approach the building of our own communities whether local or national or international. The consequences of building on pride, rage and war cannot build communities that are based in love which is the order of the day for Christians. Indeed the communities that Chris asks us to build are communities that are accepting and fulfilling rather than those filled with hate and violence. The violent character of the dream kingdoms in Daniel can be seen in the way we "play" in politics and in the relationships we have with others around the world.

So from the saints point of view what is the community or kingdom that needs to be built and how do we encompass that in our day to day lives without resorting to well worn tracks of violence and intimidation? Luke's gospel and Matthew's gospel both give us the same answer, although Luke also provides the contrast (Lk 6.20-31). The Beatitudes as they are often referred to are simple instructions for simple people. Just as we often do in all biblical interpretation these instructions are over interpreted. Christ when giving these to those that surround him whether on the plain or mountain side is not talking to well educated philosophising listeners. He is speaking to rude country folk and must be or rather should be interpreted in the light of this understanding. He would not have any high highfalutin  philosophy behind these words but rather simple instructions for simple people. This being the case then can we read these instructions as that without any need to go into "deeper" understanding.

Walking past the poor we hoard the grace of God given to us

If we wish to have a saintly view point then we need to live our lives by these rules, it is that simple. We seem to have a difficulty with this because they seem so negative. However, if we think about what each is saying we come to the realisation that all that is being talked about is a life that is lived without expectation. Yes, if we are hungry now at some point in our day we will have sufficient to keep us going as we rely on God's providence to maintain our lives. It may be a struggle, it may well mean that at times we have to forgo in order to ensure that we love those around us. Yet, if we hoard that which we have and only care for ourselves how can we believe in God''s love and grace for we who are full. This does not only apply to our food but also to our knowledge. We ride roughshod over those who we believe do not know as much as ourselves. In doing so we often go hungry as we do not have the ears to hear what is being offered to us in terms of food.

The writer to the Ephesians states quite clearly that we have been given our share in the heritage (Eph 1.11) and just as we have been given so we need to share with those around us. Only then do we begin to live as a true community of Christ and as Christ's body. In this way we become one with community of Saints that is a celebration of all who are part of the body. Yet, so often we sit back and say to ourselves that we are not hungry, we have joy, we have happiness but are unwilling or not wishing to include others as we begin to build the borders that prevent people from joining in the body of Christ. If we are to have a viewpoint that reflects the saints then we must start with inclusivity and not denial of the other. We must join together and not divide forming our own little havens of understanding that exclude others unless they see the world from our point of view.