Programmed love or a love that never ends

 The Church has become inundated with a number of proposals as to what and how to "grow" and become relevant in society. Denominations are feeling the pinch with lowered numbers of those attending and in mainline denominations are burdened with requirements from "head office" to fulfil. Those who come to church feel burdened with the need to fulfil requirements of the "church" and then find time for the shared gospel. Perhaps the only time of solace is worship and we don't want any of that loud bangy music or a sermon that is so high powered that we do not understand half the words. We feel badgered but do not want to give up our place in the faith community's worship, We feel we don't want to contribute realistically to anything going on but rather will attend some event put on for us or the community. We appear to want to programme our faith lives as if they were computer chips rather than human beings filled with love.

So do we manage this or do we move out into mission or do we just allow the Spirit to move as it will? The literature and perhaps many of those in authority would have us believe that we must either manage our way out or go on a missional undertaking as that is the Gospel. "Prove" to our communities that we are relevant to their needs and bring the Gospel into their hearts and minds, but what is the Gospel, what do we have to "sell" that we can become more efficient like a business? At the end of the day perhaps we need to see the Gospel as an initiative that cannot be managed, be hyperactively managed or even be relevant to the local community. Huh! What a shocking thing to say for surely that is the purpose that we are asked to do in the sending out into the world? No, the heart and soul of Christ's message is in the passages from John (10.11-18), 1 John (3.16-24) and perhaps in action (Acts 4.5-12). All of these passages speak about acting and living in love, love of neighbour, love of God.  The mission of the Church is to behave in the manner that Christ behaved and by doing so spread the initiative of the Gospel, the good news, of how to live in love.

Do we programme our love like a computer chip or do we let love grow?

We have forgotten in the institutionalisation of the religious / faith journey that Christ interacted as another human being among human beings. He did not set up programs, schedules, etc for his disciples. He did not expect his followers to become followers of programs and schedules, mission undertakings to solve the problems of the world / country / community. Christ sent his disciples out into the world to bring the experience of love into the lives of others and in so doing bring them closer to God. We shepherd people through the example of our lives when those lives are consumed by love, not by money, not by comsumerisation, not by missional programmes or managed undertakings that make us more efficient. Perhaps we need to re-think how we let others know what it means to be Christian by extending our love into their hearts and minds.

Yes, we need to be part of our community to support each other and to operate as a Christian community within the community in which we live. Yes, we need to offer ourselves up as living sacrifices to enable others to find God and if this means that we attend meetings and plan goals and enable the faith community to work at showing God to the world then so be it. BUT this is not the end it is the means, it is not the purpose it is a way forward. We need to be flexible to be able to walk with people and not do for people, to show love and empathy not turn away in rejection. Even when we are tired and feel drained it is our continued outpouring of love that reaps the rewards of God's presence in our lives. If we are to withdraw to re-charge then we must come out of that withdrawal to reengage and form the bonds of love that are commanded of us by Christ.

Doubt that leads to fear

 Last week I talked about doubt. Among other things it is a source in our lives for the questioning of faith that we all need to have in our search for God's presence in our hearts. Just as with many things though doubt is two sided and last week I briefly spoke about the danger of self doubt. This week gives us the opportunity to look at the darker side of doubt and where that might lead. All of the Gospel stories of the resurrection contain elements of doubt that are handled in various ways. Last week, we heard John's story and this week it is the turn of Luke. In Luke's handling of doubt it is important to understand that Christ appears to criticise the presence of doubt in the disciples (Lk. 24:38b). Why, if we need doubt does Christ then criticise this feeling in the disciples?

Doubt if not allowed to move towards the positive need to query and investigate will descend into the festering hole of fear. Unless, hope is present as we quest for answers then the answers we seek will be obscured by our fear, which is enabled by doubt. Fear leads us towards the darker recesses of our humanness and encourages us to create our own answers that lead to depravity and a denial of our neighbours. It is our fear that drives the divide between those who our different as we fear that the difference may overwhelm us and make us also different. Science fiction, just like any other genre of fictive writing, can nudge our understanding of this phenomena if we allow it. In a series, by  author Michael Anderle, a very different world to our present one is described. However, what is clear in this particular series is the exaggeration that comes with fear of the other and how humanity can be driven clearly away from the love of neighbour. The fear that is present is driven by doubt and is clearly exploited by the books antagonists to rule over the population. In some respects these last few years have also shown how easy it is to manipulate a populace using the tools of doubt and fear.

Fear builds walls when we succumb to doubt 

Christ challenges the doubt that the disciples feel in Luke's gospel to move them away from the fear that underlies their doubt. In all the Gospels that fear is prevalent and is overcome with the coming of the risen Christ. Yet, the harbinger of fear, doubt, is also present and in later years rears its head in many ways but can be seen most clearly in the removal of women from the leadership and power positions within the growing community. This is in reality just a symptom as underlying the symptom is the actual problem that of power and authority to influence others. Christ influences others in such a manner that their natural tendencies are overwhelmed, so that they come to understand love and the need to integrate power and authority within the community. This naturally means that all may share in the boundless love that comes from Christ. But what happens when we give in to our doubt and allow our fear to dominate. Then we set our hearts on the world as John states in his letter (1 Jn 2:15). In doing so we submit to our fears and turn away from that which calls for courage and questioning to find the way forward in faith.

Our natural tendency has always been to be ruled by our fears and thus succumb to doubt rather than be challenged to change by our doubt. In our fear we grab for what is available to us and more often then not that means grabbing and holding on to what the world gives to us. In doing so we are tantalised by the promise of more and more and thus forget that we travel with companions. In forgetting those that are around us we forget to give love and see those around us solely as means to attain our goals and our needs. So as to overcome our fears by ridding ourselves of that which challenges us. This is what the world asks of us; that we remove all obstacles and difference from our path to power and authority, no matter how small or great that is. Christ calls us not to succumb to the world but to cast aside our fears and allow our doubts to fuel our faith. It is only through the love that God displays that we are able to reach out over that which divides to ensure that we form the family of God in the community. Once we can let go of the fears that our doubt allows to grow, fears that are only fears of ostracisation as opposed to the inclusion that comes with love.

Doubt is part of our lives

 The place of doubt in Christian life has always taken front seat in the days following Easter as we read about the doubts of Thomas the Apostle (John 20.19ff). This is an obvious doubt that is easily recognisable. This is the doubt that states "I do not believe you." and then it is up to others to prove the case. Yet, there is another form of doubt that we do not talk about much but is even more harmful then the doubt that is displayed by Thomas. In fact, Thomas' doubt is perhaps beneficial because we can see ourselves and the resolution of our doubts in Christ. Unseen self doubt decreases our worth in our own eyes and thus our belief of peoples opinions and society in general often sending us into a spiral of despair.

Whilst similar to Thomas in that it is doubt in what has been said, in this case about oneself, it is not so easily overcome by the use of a simple proof test. In entering into new life at Easter we should die to our sins and leave them behind at the foot of the cross. What we often do is surreptitiously pick them up again as we proceed away from the cross. This then becomes part of our denial of ourselves and of our brokenness that is spoken about in 1 John (1.10). The very act of picking up that which we dropped at the foot of the cross breaks us once more. We believe that we have put it behind us but are in actuality carrying it.  We then say that we are without sin whilst hauling the baggage of our sin behind us like an enormous snail. In leaving those things that we have burdened ourselves with at the foot of the cross means that they should stay there. However, our self doubt makes us return and pick up those things that have comforted us on our journey thus far.

Are you a light in the darkness?

It is this self doubting of our worth and our ability to be loved by God that directs us to pick up the burdens of our prior life. The difficulty of course is obvious, how do you encourage someone who doubts themselves? The Gospel faith that Christ asks of Thomas and all others is a small clue towards our healing and redemption. It is in Acts that we find the final answer for ourselves (Acts 4.32-37). This story of the early community that was the body of Christ demonstrates where our burgeoning new life needs to be present. It is outwards towards the formation of community not inwards towards ourselves. We begin new life in community and in the presence of others as we saw on Good Friday. In turning inwards towards ourselves we begin the process of self doubt and believe ourselves not worthy enough. Here Thomas's interaction with Christ should be giving us the confidence to trust in God and allow Christ's presence to flow into our lives.

If we are to build a new community as reflections on Good Friday suggest then that community begins in trust. Trust in God / Christ that our previous inhibitions and burdens have been taken from us; trust in our companions in Christ that they are walking with us along the way; trust in ourselves that we are adult enough to ask for God's presence and the assistance of our companions when things get tough. It is only then that our lights lit by Christ at Dawn on Easter day will glow in the darkness of the world. In building ourselves and our communities in this light we begin to brighten the world around us until we become like the dawn fire of Easter giving light to those who are in darkness around us, lifting them up from their self doubts into the confidence of Christ's presence in their lives. This is the change that Christ brings the change that we are often so fearful of, a change that we cannot and do not recognise as Christ walks alongside us until we cast away our doubts into the fire of Christ's love.

Outward or inward passion

 Palms waving in the crowds to welcome one who was to come or at least that is what we celebrate today. There is a certain amount of passion within the crowds on this occasion as the Christ enters into the final week centred around Jerusalem. However, there is more to it than just the passion of an unruly and supportive crowd as we also have the reading of the 'Passion' in the garden just prior to the Christ's arrest and subsequent trial. The passion that is faced is different to that which comes with the crowds and is more personal to the journey to the cross. In this passion the individual suffers under the strain themselves with little to no support from the crowds. It is a storm of doubt and faith that rages within the heart and mind of the individual. So which passion should we develop within ourselves or is it both that we need to look at.

The Passion of the crowd can genuinely be taken as a demonstration of political intent to foster and formulate change within the heart of society. This passion can be clearly seen in the political demonstrations that we see almost on a daily basis. The reason for the protest changes each day or each season depending on the issue being faced. For some years now the mainline churches has stood behind the Palm Sunday march with some passion initially but one often wonders whether these become traditions with no meaning. The reason I suggest this, is not a result of not being in favour of such things but to question the passion inherent in a tradition that appears not to make much change to society. The original procession of passion was to welcome a prospective change that occurred at the end of the week. It was symbolically challenging the arrival at the other end of the city of secular authority and oppression which resulted in death and the risen-ness of life eternal. If the protest does not evoke passion but a stale sense of 'lets do it again for fun' then we must find some other form of procession and protest to invoke the passion of society.

Faith is driven by internal passion not external

For those who follow Christ perhaps it is not the passion of the crowds that we should be emulating but rather the passion that follows in the garden. This is a passion that is more difficult to understand and is thus a neglected path when we think about this day. The crowd is fickle as it is easily turned and this is not the passion that we should be harbouring in our hearts but rather the passion of Christ that enables our acceptance in the darkest of hours. There are a number of Christian mystics and those whom we admire who talk about the dark night of the soul. This is the struggle that we ourselves have with faith. Doubt and despair accompany us on this journey and often we see the church as being against us and not with us on this desperate journey. Christ in the garden is presented with choices that he knows will end in death or reduce everything to mundanity. He wishes for those who are with him to support him on tis journey but they are overwhelmed so do not see his anguish and suffering.

We ourselves are often in the same position with our own faith decisions and our own life decisions. We feel neglected and without the support that we so desperately desire. At times we alleviate this by turning our passion into fleeting outward expressions rather than attempting to cope with them or bring them before God in the anguish of the moment. For Christians as we approach this week we need to submerse ourselves in this inner turmoil so that in the end we come out in newness of life as the darkness falls away at the dawn of a new reality.

Command or coaxing

 In looking at the covenant that God makes with the Israelites we can see that it is one that is dependant on a command situation. In this case we are looking at God laying down commandments that need to be obeyed. In a somewhat similar view to a government laying down the law. The instruction comes from above and if there is any disobedience then you are punished for such disobedience. The command structure, like the armed forces, must be obeyed. It is open to interpretation and human intervention. This changes with Jeremiah (31.31-34) as God now suggests that his commandments will no longer be imposed from without but will reside within. This means that the struggle to be more like God is not a question of following the rules but rather one of interpreting them for ourselves and living into them. The legal beagles no longer have to interpret the jargon of God but we ourselves have to live as if God was with us. The gap between interpreter and the interpreted no longer exists as we become the responsible party.

This view is emphasised as Christ becomes the incarnated one and the word becomes flesh. In John's Gospel, a voice his heard from heaven, as a sign to those present (Jn 12.28-30) yet misheard as thunder or mistaken for angelic voices.  It is as if the people were not used to hearing directly from God as in the days of Moses.  Direct intervention into our lives is something of the past but with God's pedagogic change from direct instruction to a more subliminal instruction of the heart this is to be expected.  This change from an authority figure that directs instruction to one that coaxes our hearts towards obedience is not one that we have totally accepted within our faith lives. We are often still reliant on the authority figure to pass on their perceptions rather than allow the gentle instruction of God's presence to take root in our hearts and soften them into love of those around us.  Even our education systems struggle with these concepts and on how best to have students learn so that they can move forward into their lives expanding their own knowledge and abilities whilst encouraging others.

Do we follow our hearts to God or do we have to be ordered?

The change that God encompasses is from an almost authoritarian stance to one that encourages our own encompassing of love within our own hearts. A move from a junior school scenario where what the teacher says is true to a more adult or andragogic understanding of exploration of our own hearts to find God's ultimate presence expressed in our love for others.  This move is likened by the writer of the Hebrew's letter explaining that babies are fed milk while more substantial food is reserved for adults (Heb.5.13-14).  In our own ways we occasionally need the direction as a child needs boundaries set but it must eventually give way to our own growth and exploration.  Should we transgress the boundaries in adulthood then we must suffer the consequences of our transgression.  Such consequences are found in our falling away from community and the love of a community around us that supports us through our lives.

By building on the love of God and the acceptance of the other into our lives we begin to re-orientate ourselves in terms of our communal responsibilities and the presence of God in our lives.  This may mean that we step back towards childhood and require re-direction and the sustenance of milk and authority figures, but God is forever changing and guiding us in our own need to change.  It is when we become stuck in the ruts of our own imaginations that we begin to fall away from relationship and God's presence.  Let us perceive ourselves more as adults that enjoy God's lure into a changing future that evolves with our growing community and love.

Wisdom of the world or of God

 The snake is a fascinating concept both as a symbol and as an actual entity within the pages of religion throughout the world. No matter where in the world we land up the snake or a snake-like being is associated with the mythopoetic world of the area. It can be seen to represent both good and evil, wisdom and foolishness, death and life. In the Judaeo-Christian realm the snake is associated with the darker side of humanity, either as a rather cheap trickster in Genesis or the full blown incarnation of evil in the personification of Satan. So whilst the obvious symbology of the conquest of evil can be seen in the bronze serpent of Moses  (Num 21:9) and Christ being similarly lifted high it would perhaps be foolish if we were not to pay heed to some of the alternative possibilities.

In the story from Numbers the bronze snake acts not as something that is evil in the traditional Judaeo-Christian sense but rather as a means of healing and thus for good. So, if we become stuck on the imagery of evil then we miss something in the story of the serpent. Interestingly there is an entwining of meanings in the serpent especially as we dig into some of the early Christian writings particularly Ambrose. Worldly wisdom is often represented by the serpent and a derivative formation, sapienta, and so the bronze serpent is seen as the personification of wisdom in its most ancient of forms. Worldly wisdom often leads to our own downfall as we are bitten by the snake of greed and avarice but seeking the wisdom of God we see this as being raised up beyond our understanding. In looking towards God's wisdom we come to our senses and are 'healed' so as to be able to follow God in the larger sense.

The healing staff is full of God's wisdom and not the wisdom of the world

Those afflicted with the wisdom of the world do not necessarily see the truth that God holds up but are rather discombobulated by the truth. One could say that Nicodemus was wise in the world's wisdom and to a certain extent within the wisdom of God. However, the wisdom of the world was clearly the favoured wisdom as he struggled with what God was doing. Christ in explaining God's message to Nicodemus expects him to know what he is talking about and is disappointed with his response (Jn 3.1-21). In particular Christ points out that God's presence in the world brings the light of truth but in its wisdom the world does not seek the truth but avoids the truth as it exposes wrongful deeds (Jn. 3.19-21). 

We can see that this process is played out on a daily basis within our own country and within the world even today. Any sense of truth portrayal is scorned as it highlights our own irresponsibility in the world and our own pettiness. We are so very easily led away from the truth and allow others to create the truths of the world for us. Christ's words discombobulate our own lives because they are so often the opposite of what we expect from our own reading of the world and our own interpretation of what we think God wants from us. In our lives we tend to rely on our own wisdom, the wisdom of the cunning snake. This enables us to bring sense to the world around us and thus enables us to live in a sense of false security. We are enabled to ignore God's voice within our lives a voice that pesters us to live in a manner that is contrary to the modern world. A wisdom that asks us to upset the general self satisfaction that is created by the wisdom of this world to open ourselves up to the ridicule of many for reaching out and enabling those who are ostracised in community.

The work that God enables us to undertake is the work that we do not receive reward for (Eph. 2.8-9) which is contrary to the world's wisdom. Our reward is not financial but rather the good grace of God that fills our lives with the knowledge of love. It is this knowledge that enables us to step forward in Godly wisdom to heed the concerns of the downtrodden and highlight the truth in the eyes of the world rather than masking the unwanted revelations which destroy the edifices of falsehood that we have built based on the foundations of irresponsibility. Christ encourages us to speak out in truth based on love and to build our lives around sincerity and honesty rather than hiding behind falsity.

A freedom not realised

 We try to obey specific laws to keep us on the path of righteousness and Godly life. Just, think about it a minute. All we do is obey laws. If we do not we are given punishment or are ostracised from society as a result of going against the grain of societal laws and normalcy. Interpretation of scripture being what it is means that everyone has an opinion but often it is a political decision as to which opinion is of importance. The same can be said for the Christian church as each denomination holds various interpretive view points and in Anglicanism this often devolves down to the classical split between Liberal and Conservative thinkers. In Roman's, Paul suggests that when there is law it is natural that it will lead to the law being broken (Rom 4:15) for if there is no law there is nothing to break. The law is there to provide a boundary and those that go beyond that boundary go beyond what God has ordained. However, the interpretation of the boundary is a political matter and one of legal interpretation, which is up to the person doing the interpreting.

The covenant is not a law but rather a promise between two or more people. God covenants with Abraham and Sarah changing their names at the same time (Gen 17:1-). The basis of the promise is not a basis that is set in law but in faith keeping. There is no boundary set as each party places their faith in the other to uphold the agreement. The idea that there are no limiters on what is required means that each person within the covenant must make up their own minds as to what to do. They are not forced by law and then have to break the law to find expression. They are required by the covenant to do what is right in the eyes of God without a boundary. What then stops us from doing that which is not correct in the eyes of God? Nothing. But there again if we are wishing to do that which is not right a simple law is not going to stop us as we know from those that do just that on a continual basis.

A handshake that releases the boundaries

So what makes us maintain the covenant or even want to continue to do what is right? In reality it is the consequences of our maintaining the covenant with Christ. We pick up the crosses of our own making and attempt to bring what is right into being. There is no rule or law that constrains our actions only our conscious decision to follow God and Christ in a promise. The consequences of our actions whether good or bad are felt in the community. Consequences that are bad may attract the civil rule of law and the approbation of our neighbours. We turn from God and find ourselves on the outside of love. We become isolated and alone unable to connect fully with those around us. In obeying our promise and holding to what we have said we will undertake we become surrounded by the love that is God and encapsulated within the community that is God's love. 

Christ rebukes Peter in Mark's gospel for challenging what Christ is about to undertake (Mk 8:32-33). In not taking on faith, Peter sticks to the law and tries to argue that Christ's way is against the law. What Peter does not know is that to take the way of faith is a much greater cross to bear than the cross that enables our keeping the law. It is a much more difficult thing to maintain our faith than it is to maintain that which has been given to us in black and white. Because the covenantal promise is such a nebulous thing we are more easily side tracked into doing something that is against it than we are when we are confronted with the black and white law. The law is an easy excuse for us, it is something we can point at. I am sure that Peter had a number of arguments in terms of the Jewish law which he used, not that we are told, but Christ immediately tells him to not bother in no uncertain terms. The devil is in the details or so the saying goes. Once we start with law we begin to open up all sorts of detail to argue over. The simplicity of faith is that there is only one thing to be concerned about and that is our promise before God.

Our faith has been split into a multiplicity of denominations with a multiplicity of interpretations which has as we all know driven the world apart. If we were but to stick to one faith that of obeying God and keeping his covenant made to us through Christ, no interpretation needed. What can be simpler, love God and love our neighbour? The scriptures guide us towards living as Christ, it is our interpretation that creates what we deem to be law and thus create division. It is the consequences of leaving the covenant that should concern us for only when we begin to become like Christ will we begin to bear the burden of faith to the fullest.

Beginnings start in endings

 We have begun our journey towards the cross. We have made the decision to follow Christ and journey with him towards the cross. So why do we turn back to the very beginning of Christ's journey (Mk. 1:9-15) rather than face forward towards the journey that is Lent? There is I suppose a dual answer here, the simple one being that we need to understand the start before we can begin the journey. Perhaps, more importantly it is a reminder as we begin our journey that we have to face the past as much as the future that Christ brings. It is this second that for us is something that we need to delve into in more depth. So instead of starting at the beginning of Christ's journey we need to start at the new beginning of the end of Noah's journey (Gen. 9:8-17).

All new beginnings start at the end of something. The covenant (the first one) between God and humankind was made at the end of the flood. It denoted a new start for humanity with Moses and his family as the starting point or at least the imaginary starting point. It can be seen as the tale continues it is reasonable to say that there are others from around the world but Moses is the archetype for us. The covenant marks a new beginning where God withholds his wrath and makes a promise to us that we will never suffer the same devastation as has just occurred. However, the scene prior to the establishment is the scene of import as in this scene the details are spelled out as to how we should live (Gen. 9:1-7). All covenants with God contain that detail and we need to remember that  before we celebrate the making of the covenant and the rainbow pointed at God.

Where do we begin our journey?

In beginning our beginning of Lent we are also directed to Christ's beginning in the desert (Mk. 9:12-15). The temptations of Christ are not elucidated within Mark's gospel, which means that we are allowed to use our imagination to determine what those temptations are. Matthew and Luke outline three in detail but over forty days there are many temptations that we can think of that might occur. All the temptations would perhaps be in the way of our own needs rather than the needs of others. These are the foremost temptations for us and all humans living in the world. The temptations are an ever expanding list in today's world which Luke and Matthew succinctly categorise into three broad groups corresponding to the hierarchy of needs: Food, Power and Fame. We can however think of many more that fall outside of these main categories.

Christ comes out of the desert experience of temptation to begin the proclamation of the Gospel in place of John who has been arrested. Lent is for us an entering into that same desert experience to quell our inner demons and to lay to rest our temptations. The temptations are not the problem, the problem is our response to the temptation and its consequences in our lives. This is where we need to seek repentance as we journey to the cross. It is the understanding that as a person Christ withstood the many temptations without the detrimental move of taking the easy route. We also can do this as well, as we remind ourselves were we have succumbed. In recognising our own faults we can turn to God in the road to repentance and ask for God's continued presence in our lives.

If our decisions towards temptation comes with the consequence of turning from God then there is also a consequence to repentance. Not just in our relationship with God but also our relationship with our neighbours. No matter how much we have sinned against God in doing so the consequences have truly been with our relationships to our neighbour. In turning back in reconciliation, metanoia, we turn back to our neighbour and begin to right the wrong relationships that have resulted as a consequence of our temptations. In bringing back right relationship to our neighbour we begin once more to build the community of God. A community that is based on love and seeks justice with peace within our hearts and minds. This is the journey we have embarked on.

Dis-ease created by fear and pride

 Disease is not something we are entirely comfortable with in our lives and when it comes to our own dis-ease about others we tend, still, to shun them and place them to the side. Leprosy features in both the Hebrew scriptures (2 Kings 5.1-14) and the Gospel (Mk 1.40-45), a disease which brought dis-ease to the community was marked by ostracization even to modern times (Peel Island was closed in the 50s). The term 'leper' has been part of our vernacular to designate any person who is ostracised from the group. Leprosy is a disease that is well understood today and is curable whilst leaving any disfigurement that has occurred as a result of the disease. However, our dis-ease is not so much over the disease itself but rather over the unknown, which it was in the days of Christ. How do we make whole that which is making us shun and feel dis-eased by its presence?

For most fear is the key or rather recognising our own fears and acknowledging them within our own lives. Not only our fears but those things that cause us to think in a detrimental manner. It is not something we generally dwell on when looking at our own lives or dwelling in introspection. We usually look at the positives and how we can create a better way of managing ourselves and our abilities. Our fears do not necessarily count as something that has worth. Yet, if we do not acknowledge them we will be limited by them and miss our cues in the walk of our lives with Christ. This applies equally to our own misconceptions that lead us towards actions that are detrimental towards the other and the community of Christ. The stories of the separate lepers highlight for us the two attitudes that often block our own understanding of the path that Christ is leading us down and show us the path that Christ requires of us.

Hansen's disease is curable but leaves disfigurement as much as our fears do

 In the case of Naaman which is told in the second book of Kings it is clear that his prejudice and pride are the two things that are holding him back from doing what God has asked. These are not fears but are things that often lead us astray in our thinking. They are often part of the process that generates fear within us if uncontrolled. Pride in his origins and his own cultural background prevented Naaman from accepting the simplicity of the instruction. Mixed in with this was his own prejudice against the neighbouring country. We all have these forms of issues in our lives. We are prejudicial in our judgements simply because, often, the way our parents and extended family have taught us through example either in words or in action. In seeing the other we automatically make judgements based on our own inherited knowledge. Then of course we have our own pride that tells us we should not do what we have been asked to do because it is demeaning either of our selves or what we perceive to be our position (authority, etc). Both of these attitudes heighten our fears of the other and create dis-ease in our communities.

In the Gospel, the story is not so much a story of fear but rather show us the path that Christ would have us take. In overcoming our pride and our fear we are able to reach out in empathy for those that are afflicted with what creates the disease and the dis-ease within our communities. It is about recognising that our fear of the unknown triggers our behaviour and all that it takes to understand is to reach out with an empathetic heart to determine see our way around our fear. It is our pride that instils within us a greater barrier as we have no wish to carry out those things that we feel are beneath us. This can cause issues not only for ourselves but also for the community. Think how the community reacts to the knowledge of healing causing disruption as they go out of their way to seek out the Christ rather than allowing it to be a normal part of community life. In the end either route will have reached the same conclusion as love demonstrated by Christ and love that the community demonstrates when freed from their own chains of dis-ease.

Hope's gossamer wings

 Today, we celebrate the Presentation of Christ in the temple in some calendars the final day of Christmas as a season. I am not sure that anyone has really paid attention but since Epiphany all the readings have reflected the outward movement of the Christian faith, starting with the presentation of the Magi and today Simeon's far reaching prophesy (Lk. 2. 30-32). All to often in the social environment of today Christians are forced to clam up and not speak for fear of ridicule and being shut down. Yet throughout this Epiphany season we have been encouraged by the hope that the Gospel brings to all people not just the chosen few.

What has happened to the Christian faith and those of us who proclaim or rather live the Christian life, such that we have become tarred with a brush of unwholesomeness? We can perhaps point fingers at distant ancestors of the faith and suggest that the super-secessionist  ideas of the Christian believers becoming the chosen people and replacing the older Judaic faith are to blame. Or maybe it is how the Christian faith believers utilised the economic power of their countries to become almost militaristic in mission forcing unwanted beliefs onto others. It seems no matter what the cause it is always the Christian faith that appears now to stand down and take second, third or even last place in its influence within our society today. It often appears as if the Christian faith and all those who are part of the religious structures are to blame for most of the ills in life as a result the genuine Christian voice is marginalised and / or unwanted within the discourse of the era.

In a way we are ourselves to blame as we have allowed our own authority structures to become power structures that are envied and thus open to attack. Our hope that Simeon speaks of being a 'light that will bring revelation to the Gentiles' is based on weakness not power and authority. All those who are encouraged to speak out in society are perceived to be weak and marginalised (LGBT community, Women, Muslims and other religious beliefs inc. atheism, etc). It is no wonder that those that are perceived to have authority are prevented from putting across their view.  Everyone knows their view, so why should we need to hear it, it is after all the predominate view.  In any case those proclaiming it are often hypocritical rather than genuine. This is depressing to hear but then truth often is until we can find the hope in the message of the Gospel.

The gossamer wing of hope is difficult to catch

Christ is prophesied by Simeon to be the light to the Gentiles. We must presume that that light is one that is carried within our hearts so that we can faithfully proclaim God's presence within the society in which we live. Unfortunately, for us, we have to rise to a greater proof than those around us as by the efforts of those in the past our lives have been thrust into the limelight of public criticism. We have been given a message of redemption to proclaim through the very lives that we live. We need to recognise that the hope that we proclaim is a hope that is lived out within our own interactions with all people. It is we who must set the highest example of hope in the lives of our communities by accepting all peoples for the gifts that God gives to them irrespective of who they may be. We need to overcome our own tendencies, like the tendencies of all those who are depressed, to seek out facts that fan our own uncertainties rather than those that grant us hope. In our own uncertainties we need to look for the sparks of hope in our communities and fan them into blazing fires that draw others into the flame of God's Spirit. In this way we blaze as lights to the world and become a genuine beacon to our communities that despair.

Authority and Knowledge

 Mark in his Gospel relates that Christ taught as one having authority rather than as the scribes. This appears to be a rarity at the time as the tone is somewhat of disbelief as later the congregants all wonder about this new teaching (Mk. 1:23; 27). In living the Jewish faith and being close to God, Christ is recognised for his knowledge and questions are raised as to whether this is a new teaching (Mark 1.27).  His authority is undetermined in that it appears not to have any tradition to back it up in the way that rabbi's could cite who they learnt from, i.e. my PhD supervisor was Prof X well known in this field.  In the reality of the day his teaching appears to be very different to the norm.  This is scary for some as they have a difficulty in determining his agenda (Mark 1.24).  Whilst in this particular case it is the result of "supernatural" knowledge it is still upsetting.

The question raised is an interesting one for it relates to how you use the power and authority that knowledge brings: are you going to be a dictator or someone from God?  As we ourselves grow in faith this is a question that we have to ask ourselves - are we going to dictate what others do or are we going to encourage others to emulate God?  In reaching out to obtain knowledge we are also reaching out to obtain power or a recognition of our authority which ultimately relates to power.  In striving for knowledge we are also striving with ourselves as we apply that knowledge.  We can become power hungry and use our knowledge to dictate how others are to behave, both openly and subtly.  We are all familiar with the use of knowledge and power to delude people into thinking one thing while our "secret" behaviour is the opposite.  This gives rise to inappropriate behaviours and bullying for the sake of our own self importance.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians gets annoyed at those who use their knowledge to act in a manner that appears detrimental to others (1 Cor. 8.1-13).  Not everyone is capable of taking in large amounts of knowledge and assimilating it into everyday lives.  This means that we have to be careful in our use of knowledge, especially when it comes to faith, so that we do not say one thing and appear to do the opposite.  Occasionally we may also use our knowledge to manipulate how others think and so generate division within our own faith groups.  This is the way of dictators and those who wish to have power or control over a situation.

It sometimes takes an effort to change to God's path and not follow tradition

Christ makes it very clear that this is not his way by rebuking the "unclean" spirit.  In the same manner Paul also rebukes those whose behaviour is misleading. How then can we determine what is right behaviour within our faith journey?  How can we determine that our actions are actually sowing the seeds of community and peace rather than discord and anger?  Tradition is not always something that should be blindly followed.  In increasing our knowledge and our faith we determine our actions that reflect Christ.  This may seem at odds with tradition where tradition has gone astray.  Just as Christ often did things that appeared to be contrary to tradition but actually fulfilled what God commanded.  If we are blind to our actions we may well lead people along the wrong path or misguide them by seemingly using knowledge without bringing love and understanding into their lives.  Understand that we are walking with God not that we are walking for our own agendas.  Walk the walk of Christ and not the walk of humanity so that we can change attitudes, worn out dogmas and traditions to create the new life in Christ.

St Agnes as a prototype for our journey

 Celebration of St Agnes as a martyr of the church often only occurs when there is a building named for the saint. In this case the church in Glen Huntly celebrates this day as a reminder of the name and the dedication of the church. But for most St Agnes is perhaps only a footnote in the history of the saints and perhaps the diocese of Melbourne. Yet in a similar fashion to Jonah as well as all of those called by God, the forgotten saints and others, all have something to tell us about how we should be living. Just like Jonah (Jonah 1-2) many of us seem to have a reluctance to take up that call which is from God in our lives. Yet when we take up that call we manage to make a change in the community to which we have been sent as a martyr - witness (Jonah 3).

We rarely discuss this in our communities or even interrogate ourselves about the possibility of being called into a ministry by God. Often times we are given examples of a call from scripture which gives the understanding of either an epiphany or an immediate response from those in question. Take for example the disciples in Mark's gospel who hear the call and immediately leave everything to follow Christ (Mk. 1.16-20). With this as our model of discipleship or at least a call from Christ it is not that surprising that we are negligent with regards our own perceptions of God's call upon our lives and in neglecting our listening for that very thing. It appears to be too easy and it does not really resonate with our own state of being. If it was that simple surely more people would be lining up to fulfil God's purposes. The problem for us is that we are not fully embedded within a world view that regards the spiritual as something relatively commonplace. In fact that side of our lives has been obscured by the mundane and brutally specific requirements the modern mind has had instilled into its operation.

Is our faith outlook a brutal norm or the beauty of holiness?

In some respects it is awfully similar to the way our artistic endeavours have tended in the lived world of house and home. Have you noticed that most modern houses have a brutal exterior which does not really have any "soul" but rather a modern façade of utility. This then is what life as we perceive it around us would have us be. Blank slates of non-entity and so we miss the beauty that is present when the spiritual life calls, through God's call upon our lives. We are resistant to anything other than that which is in front of us and like Jonah we have a tendency to run away as far as possible often into the suburbia of our ordinary lives surrounded by the brutal aspects of modernity that we unconsciously accept. 

The saints are not always the best examples for us to follow considering that many of them ended up brutally murdered for their faith, including St Agnes. It is not so much their ending, though this needs to be understood, but rather their persistence in belief and living out that belief in the face of the world's cruelty. It is this aspect that we need to focus on as we tend not to be persistent with our faith but rather cower in the confines of our lives presenting the brutal face of modernity to outsiders while inwardly stating our true being of beauty. This is not what we are called into for we are called by God into the beauty of holiness to be a shining beacon in the world; a different architecture that glorifies love even if we have to undergo the trials of rejection (although not as severe as in the past).

A call or our bias

 Most of us do not really think very much about God's call upon our lives. In reality most of us ignore any thought that God may call us into a new life that sees us doing God's will. In baptism we are called by God into God's presence and service whether we actually acknowledge that in our lives or not. For many it just means that there is a sense of being present to God either as part of daily / weekly worship or perhaps doing something for the Church. Few of us actually find ourselves being nudged by God into a new perspective of God's call and how we answer, that is the question that is brought up for us today. We have the classic story of Samuel's call which the experienced priest Eli only recognised after three goes (1 Sam. 3.1-10). If someone as experienced as Eli cannot see immediately the influence of God has on a person then how sure can we be with our discernment within a small community?

God knows us from birth, in a manner of speaking, God is manifest within ourselves from birth as we are made in God's image (Ps. 139:14-15). Thus, God is present to us at the beginning of our life and Christian journey. Within each us is the spark of God's Spirit that leads us, if we were but to listen to God's voice. However, we are easily led away from God's presence by the lure of the world around us. We are left to make the decisions of life for ourselves not through coercion but rather through our own endeavours. The decisions that are pivotal in life are ones that forge the way forward in determining what we do or who we are. If, we are bold we listen to God's presence and follow what God's heart wishes for us but, unfortunately, it is usually our will and not God's voice that determines the course of our lives.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians gives us some idea as to what we can do and the consequences of our decisions. Of course we have to understand the context, both social and spiritual, in which the letter is written otherwise we may have issues around sexuality. However, what Paul is indicating is that we are dedicated to God from the get go, so to speak. In being dedicated to God then we should understand that while we have the ability to determine what we do we are still bound in God's image. Anything that we do, which is contrary to God's call towards Christlikeness, is going to be detrimental in our lives. This does not mean that we have to be like the Puritans but we do have to understand what God's call on us implies and the consequences of our decisions. We often over react to Paul's words and wish to constrict our interpretation of what God calls us into being. It is the spirit of the admonitions that we need to heed not the substance. We need to live in a manner that is in keeping with Christlikeness. If we try to be Christlike whilst abusing our own lives, it does not matter what the form of abuse is, we will never truly achieve that which we are called to become, Christlike.

In what direction are you being called?

That is talking about ourselves but what about the discernment of God's call in others. Too often we are much like Nathaniel (Jn. 1:46), when we look at others, especially when we are in a close knit community. We automatically make assumptions because we have known the reputation or the history of the person concerned. If someone is called into a particular role or ministry there is often a "Can anything good come of this" response. We are automatically governed by our preconceptions and it often takes someone from outside the community to acknowledge the role and calling of people embedded in the community. It often requires us to have a different perspective whilst looking at the person to see what their role ought to be and what their role or calling is in actuality. Our preconceptions often come with how we have been taught or how we have been given information or even sometimes how others have treated us or the call God has had on us in the past. In the worst case, we may say that we actually do not have a call, alternatively it may mean that we are not genuinely following and doing what God has asked of us.

Prayerful understanding of what it is that God calls us to is the requirement. This needs and requires discernment on behalf of each of us as well as the community as a whole. We often need to suspend our own beliefs so that we can determine what it is that God is asking us to be and to become. This may mean painful or difficult transitions but once a path has been discerned it is often the case that our way forward becomes that much clearer. This often applies under the strangest of circumstances and does not stop the hardships but eases the way forward when we truly listen to God's prompting.

New beginnings at the edge of chaos

 The Church celebrates the beginning of our faith journey with baptism. A symbolism that recalls Christ's baptism (Mark 1.9-11) and death to sin over calm waters that are prepared to keep the child from being to disturbed by the event. In other denominations the event is more traumatic with the complete immersion of the person in a pool, somewhat closer to the original immersion baptism of the earlier church. However, the symbolic immersion in the waters of the deep not only representative of death but also of the chaotic structures at the beginning of time (Gen. 1.1-3). This passage is not as easy to understand as our historic roots would suggest. We make an assumption of a God that is imperious and creator imposing that imperious will upon chaos to form order and peace for the good of all who come after. This tumultuous text hides, in English translations, the Hebraic structuring of a complex sentence covering three (English) verses. Verses that recall not an imperious God but one who invites creation from the absence of things that is present in tohu vabohu (emptiness and void) of a turbulent water over which God's Spirit hovers.

Beginnings do not start from no-thing but rather from the edge of chaos and order, a decision point that either moves us away from the turbulent into a stagnant similarity to what has gone before or sends us into a frenzied creativity pulling us along to form newness and change in the face of chaos. Christ following his baptism, not surprisingly, is sent by the Spirit into the desert (tohu) of primal experimentation and creation not an abstract nothingness. The place where God's Spirit hovers refreshing, renewing and creating pathways towards life and abundance. Baptism asks us to give up, surrender the old life in place of the new. A surrendering that allows for a sundering from what has gone before creating a space for newness to appear and develop. The water's symbolism of those things which are beyond our grasp and understanding reach out to us to form newness and life.

Chaos and order at the edges leading to newness of life

It is in this place of possibilities that we hear God call to us, not in authority but rather as an invitation.  God calls to the light through an invitation to be not as a command to exist or be wrangled from out of the chaos and the deep. This is a cooperative creation that brings order out of chaos. In our baptism we are invited into a cooperative ministry that burgeons forth into the life of Christ in the community around us. It is we who are invited to go out to invite. To begin once more and undertake the process of creation. The creation of peace and justice out of the chaos of modernity. It is at the sharp edges of society where we are called to bring God's presence, it is here in the chaos of the everyday that we find the creativity of God's play as we answer the challenge that drives us into the tohu, that place were there is no-thing but every possible thing. The beginning comes at the start of all things and all times let us begin once more to taste the flavour of God's creativity in our lives.