God and Caesar can co-exist

  In the passage from Matthew that is read today we have the very famous quote which is often misused for either political or pecuniary gain; "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's" (Matt. 22:21b) or similar depending on translation. Even today this is applicable but what is Caesar's and what is God's; how do we discern what is correct; do we have to rely on some formulaic response or does everything belong to God? The saying raises so many questions as to what is appropriate and what is not. It can have so many meanings that we have to worm our way around many corners of interpretation to find one that applies to ourselves in the current age.  Perhaps in our complacency we try not to make any decision as to what we actually need to give either financially or in time and talent to God. What is clear through out the Gospel and Paul's letters is that we need to give our all.

To render to Caesar and to God could look something like this for many Parish churches throughout the world but it depends on the resolve of those involved. It means that people have to be committed to God and have the faith to step out of the ordinary. There is a parish in the Anglican Communion that is a joint plant between the Anglicans and the Presbyterian denominations. In their founding documents it was agreed that they would give away all the loose change that was placed in the Sunday plate to God, that is to mission work throughout the world. In order to satisfy Caesar (the Diocese and the need for ongoing running costs) the decision was made to rely purely on the envelope system what we would now call it DG or direct deposit. Their faith understanding was that they were obliged to give to God and did so by placing their loose change, notes etc that they had in their wallets when they came to worship, not just what they thought was the right amount but what they had in their pockets at the time. In addition to this chance giving all of the parishioners gave money to their best ability to Caesar by way of the envelope or DG. The parish continues to thrive through the blessings of God as they maintain their commitment to this way of honouring both God's presence in their lives and the needs of Caesar in the form of the Parish expenses.

Render to Caesar in the Church as much as to God

When we read scripture in this way we find an additional means for us to secure our commitment to both God and the needs of the everyday. It is on occasions such as these that we can see why we often neglect what can be seen as something that is apart from but close to God. We are often very good at giving to God in terms of our charitable works but Christ also mentions Caesar in this passage. We make sure that this refers to our civic duty (taxes, rates, etc) over which we grumble and moan. We then do not see anything else but ourselves as we understand that we have made our commitments in the small amounts of energy we place on the side for the work of God and the ongoing work of the denomination we belong to. When things that we love or have loved deteriorate we then find it in ourselves to blame everyone but ourselves for the lack whether it is in ministry, charitable donations, advocacy or anything else inside or outside of the Church. Our lack of foresight in terms of the things we love are often the issues around our sense of dedication and commitment. Often the issue is we do not apparently own the buildings, owe for electricity, need to maintain the Church's property (note not ours). It all belongs to the nebulous 'Church' and is their responsibility without realising that we are the Church.  

In Isaiah 45, God sends Cyrus to raze the nations and to take up the reigns of righteousness let lose by the people of Israel. The lack of commitment has passed things over to another, so that they learn the lesson of commitment to God as their wishes and wants have turned them away from God's presence in their covenant and its promise. Paul is quick to praise the Thessalonian church (1 Thess. 1:1-10) for its steadfastness in God. They have become an example within the burgeoning faith community due to their commitment. It is a commitment in faith to those things that bring God into the midst of the community. If we allow ourselves to be drawn away from that commitment then we languish and it will come as no surprise as our presence in our communities contracts. Often this contraction is due to our contraction in being committed to our faith journey with the other in community as we rely on, not God, but alternate agencies to do what we used to do to foster community. 

We need to be active in the same way as the Thessalonian church was active but not in the same way. I know that this is a contradiction but we are not living in the Roman Empire. Our actions need to be the same in that they need to be outpouring of God's love in the life of the community. This means that however aged we may be, however incapacitated we may be, however neglected we think we are and however impoverished we believe we are; we need to be active in the application of God's presence and the outpouring of God's Spirit in the world. We are not as poor as we believe. I suspect that if each person was to forgo a cake, a coffee, a drink, a lunch, a piece of chocolate and the money / time we spend on the frivolities of our lives went towards God or Caesar in our faith community our communities would be richer places. I am truly amazed at our own selfishness in terms of time, talent and finances within our communities. I have had people come looking for food and petrol with the latest technology dangling from their hips who have rejected the food that those with no finances have donated for their need. Yet this selfishness has been conveyed to an impoverished generation by their forefathers in the faith community as they have denied the other and indulged themselves. God cannot be seen face to face if we do not show God's face to our communities and we cannot do that if we are ourselves selfish with out time, talents and money.

Accepting the invitation

 Some years ago, when my daughter was much younger than she is now, had an invitation to go to a get together with "mates".  She was not sure whether they were going or had pulled out, did not want to bother her Dad if it was going to be a non-event, had no way of contacting the others (surprising in this day and age of instant comms) and all the other incipient anxieties that many of us have experienced one way or the other.  Who hasn't?  The invitation says 6.00 for 6.30 and no one is outside at 6.05.  Do we dress or do we go casual?  Anxieties that are so common place for some that they are really only irritants.  We boldly go with what we think is the correct response.  So what if we are early.  Perhaps we can ask to look inside if our friends cannot be seen outside.  These are easy response to soothe the troubled mind.  What if the questions are of a bigger or rather greater nature?  The Israelites were waiting for Moses and were filled with the same fears (Ex. 32.1-14).  They had an invitation from God but were waiting for him.  Their fears were expressed in the form of an alternative to God, the golden calf, as God did not appear to be with them at the time.

Those that were invited in Christ's parable (Matt. 22.1-14) find themselves trying desperately to get out of going.  If we worry about the minor details we are also prone to saying yes as a matter of politeness knowing that we will not turn up for the event in any case.  We have no qualms about this.  We want the person to know that we are friends but are really not wishing to be put out.  It is we that matter not anything else.  We are invited by Christ to form a relationship with Christ and with God and just like those other invitations we accept out of politeness. To be honest means that we have to change our lives and centre God above everything else.  It is like changing our clothes to go out to that gathering to which we have been invited.  In deed changing our clothes is perhaps easier than changing our lives for Christ.  Often we pretend, as it easier to wear an appearance than it is to make an inward change.

When will you accept God's invitation?

The invitation we accept but have no intention of going to.  The social grace of the appearance of intentionality in attending rather than the actuality of attending.  If we were to truly accept then our lives may actually be changed.  The invitation that we actually accept and participate in is the one that changes our lives totally.  Even when we have our last minute doubts outside the venue or whether our friends are actually going to be there.  In loosing heart at the last minute we condemn ourselves just as much as when we chicken out with a polite acceptance that means nothing.  We find other things to attract our attention and divert them away from God / Christ, just like the golden calf.  If we are to be honest with ourselves our whole life should be different to the one we have accepted as we pretend to live as Christ has invited us to do.  The abundant life that is Christ has been subverted by structure that is in place for our convenience.  We have had innumerable opportunities through out the ages to make changes in how we live our lives in Christ.   Each time we have been invited out of our own lives and out of the lives we have made for ourselves we become frightened.  We are like those that sit outside the venue debating as to whether anyone else is going to turn up.  If we do not see our friends we turn away.  We use any excuse to drive away and do it ourselves.  We find any excuse, rules, regulations, societal pressures to not attend or accept the invitation honestly.

We are invited into abundant life in Christ.  We are invited to love God and our neighbours as our selves.  At what point are we going to see that acceptance means change.  It means a move away from our own self indulgences into a more permanent life that is filled with the abundance that comes with the grace of God.  It means a move away from petty cruelty of lost invitations and moments to a life filled with God's presence and opportunities.  It means a fulfillment of our desires without the worry and struggle that comes with the task of doing it ourselves. SO when will you truly accept Christ's invitation?

A commandment between friends

 Do we have to obey the ten commandments (Ex. 20) or are they just moral guides to our living in the world?  What happens if our moral guides become so over interpreted and restrictive that we can no longer reflect God's love into the world? About nine years ago I posted on the legalistic viewpoint that we have turned our faith communities into following as opposed to the rule of love that is expansive and welcoming of all.  In today's reading we follow Moses reception and delivery of the basic tenets of the third covenant, the 10 commandments, and so I pose the question above.

In trying to understand these laws both the Judaic and Christian faith have interpreted them in many different ways. According to scripture at the time of Christ the interpretation was rather legalistic and Christ kept on poking at religious authorities with this in mind. The writer to the Ephesians (whether Paul or Timothy or some other) has this same thing in mind. Despite having been brought up in a culture where the Law mattered the author is still striving towards a perfection that is beyond the Law (Phil. 3).  If this is a true reflection of our own journeys in faith then we too should be striving to go beyond that which is laid down by law. Only when we fully understand the ramifications of the law will we be able to surpass the law. Yet, we strive only with the interpretation and simply to fulfill our interpretations by being legalistic around what, where and how we should respond. The exact interpretation of the law is the requirement to our mind and yet we bend that to our will and our wishes rather than seeing beyond the legalistic response. Let us look at the commandment at Genesis 20.15 (Do not steal for those that did not know). What is theft? Does the Australian government steal when it unfairly distributes the GST revenue or is this acceptable?  By whose interpretation of theft do we go on?, How do we determine whose right? and we could go on. If this is the case lets set up judges, but do they have it right? what about juries, etc, etc, etc. The interpretation of the three words Do not steal. depends on point of view and who instituted how property was distributed, etc. We become bogged in a quagmire of interpretation when we actually need to see the crux of the whole.

Do we steal when we eat well?

Christ circumvented the interpretive dilemma by giving us a complete "law" - Love your neighbour as yourself.  This "law" is a condensate of the final laws of the 10 commandments (Ex. 20.13-17) and forms how we need to relate to each other. The golden rule so to speak. A rule we are unable to fulfill because we are so weighed down with our interpretive quagmire that we think we can not reach dry ground and must delve deeper and deeper into the marshy depths of our own wants and needs.  It really is simple when we think about it.  However, because of our own requirements for power, prestige, authority, admiration from others, etc we flounder in how we treat others. This operates within our diocese in the current receiver environment as we see the receiver taking what should be ours without understanding that the receiver is taking what we would be giving to keep the diocese alive. We do not really care about what our neighbours want, we only care for our own benefits, our own fitness to rule. It is the Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest that consumes us not the requirements of the other.  Indeed when our deficiencies are highlighted through the action of a prophet we become enraged and try to obstruct, obscure and otherwise discredit the one who is pointing our faults out.

Such behaviour is outlined in Christ's parable of the vineyard (Mtt, 21.33-46) a telling story against the religious authorities of the day that is as equally relevant for the Church today.  It is only when we actually begin to give away our limited power and authority do we begin to live as Christ wants us to. Protection of what we consider to be sacrosanct is not necessarily what God holds to be sacrosanct.  It is only God that matters not our human made rules and regulations.  God requires us to fulfill the commandment of love not our needs, because in fulfilling God's requirement the rest comes through God's grace.

Promises, promises

 Promise keeping in today's world does not rate that highly. The old adage that you are as good as your word does not resonate well in business circles with its unending demand for contracts and legally binding clauses to keep everyone doing the things that they promise to do. Looking at Christ's parable of the two sons (Matt. 21.28-32) seems to indicate that this was the case even way back then. Moses shows this when he does not do what God has asked of him ((Ex. 17.1-7) but does something in anger leading to his downfall. What promises do we find hard to complete and what promises do we find easy? It really depends on our attitude as does everything we do in terms of our Christian walk. The attitude is brought out in Christ's parable supremely well. It is not just about doing but also about doing for the right reasons and in obeyance of God.

Our promise keeping is desultory at best non existent at worst. We require of ourselves written contracts to maintain the promises we keep. Even when we are considering our bond to a person for life we hesitate and hesitate until we become content in a less formal relationship. We are unable to make the commitment of a promise to a person we wish to live our lives with. Either because of legality or because we are too scared to make that commitment. We promise our children the earth but force them to undertake a style of education that is better suited to 100 years ago than to a world that has changed.  We make a commitment to our faith at baptism and again at confirmation only to find ourselves breaking those very promises each time we turn around. We are happy to make voluntary commitments if it does not inconvenience our life style or what we believe should be the manner in which we live.  The leaders of the temple were the same they had a viewpoint that was from a theological perspective, which was in keeping with how things were buried in the past and not a view of God's promise and future. Christ challenges them to have an alternative view of God and not being able to in their pride and ambition they condemn and judge. This seems to be a perennial problem for us as we pride ourselves on our own knowledge and have ambitions about surpassing others that means we look for opportunities to further ourselves. Our own self esteem is more important to us then any other thing. Education is about ensuring that others achieve knowledge so that they can assist and help others not to empower themselves. We enable others in their faith journey by opening their eyes not to our understanding but to the presence of God in their midst. It is not sufficient for us as Christians to be ambitious for ourselves but rather we need to be ambitious for our neighbours so that we can enable them in the path towards God.

Are we obedient and good at promise keeping?  Which dog are we?

We break our promise to God each and every time we fail to stand up for someone who is less fortunate then ourselves. Like the first son who promises to work the fields and then goes to his pleasures we often neglect that which God demands of us.  We place our own selfish desires before the obedience to a promise we have made in our baptism and confirmation. We often do this in small things, neglect of our community, for our own pride and vanity. Unlike more indigenous cultures who are brought up to place community first we who pride ourselves in following Christ place ourselves first.  It is the humbleness of heart that allows us to give to the other that which we want that sets us apart from everyone else.  Christ shows us the way by stating the position of the second son.  We can renege, if we are honest, but that very honesty allows us to turn around to find the grace and assist. In acknowledging Christ in our hearts we mirror his giving in our lives.

Part of our promise keeping and obedience to God is to be honest in all our undertakings in God's name.  Christ critiqued the institutional church much to their chagrin in many ways.  In doing so Christ enabled others to see the true face of a compassionate God in their lives.  Whilst we strive to do God's will within our structures it is often more important to be honest with our own obedience.  This means that we may be at odds with what is perceived to be unwarranted promise breaking within our own structures.  Yet, in order to fulfil God's commands we need to ensure that our own promises and our own commitments are true.  We need to be involved with and committed in our time, our giving and our obedience to God's will.

Is justice individual or communal?

 Equal pay for equal work. That is a motto for today and has been for an extensive period of time.  Indeed it is or should be equal pay in the world around us for an equality in work and contribution. Yet it is often the case where some are more equal then others and where there is an inequality in power the likelihood of an inequality to exist increases. In Christ's parable about the workers in the vineyard (Matt. 20.1-16) there is an inequality in pay and work and power. Or is there. Yes, perhaps what the owner does is of consequence in levelling the playing fields but he is using an inequality in power to do so. I think if I had worked in the fields for longer than everyone else I would also be a little bit peeved in seeing the inequality that power has created to benefit the "lazy". Do I not have rights as well? I was able to be up at dawn and willing to work just as much as the others could have been. There is a certain amount of inequity in this situation even if the owner can do with his money what he likes. We always consider it from the owners point of view not from the viewpoint of the workers. What does this largess mean for those who have worked?

There is no question that the power of the owner is sufficient that he can do what he wants. That is not an issue. If we are to be concerned about equality what question needs to be asked in terms of those who have been employed? I am sure a rights lawyer would quite rightly say that one has to look at the contract before signing. True. We also know that the contract with the later workers was a bit loose as the wage mentioned was "fair".  From the later workers perspective the wage received was probably a very fair one but each group was probably somewhat miffed that each group after received the same.  The question I ask is what justice is there here when power is greater and it is at the whim of power that generosity is created?  Is the expectation then for us that no matter what we contribute we should receive the same reward?  That would certainly rock the economics of the system that we currently have.  If those with power were expected to have the largess to contribute equal wages to all. Then we could truly realise that any and all contribution to our own commitments should be as equal by all.

Did we come late and is our pay equal?

We would then ensure that everyone has the ability to contribute to our faith endeavours, our social endeavours and our environmental endeavours as equally as everyone else.  That would be an expectation which we could hardly deny and our ten percent would be equal to everyone's ten percent of giving. However, this is not the economic reality.  We live in inequality of both power and finances.  Our true dilemma is not one of equality but one of sacrifice.  How much are we willing to sacrifice to ensure that there is a semblance of equality or at least a striving for equality?  The Philippians author in his struggles of commitment (Phil. 1.21-24) brings this to the fore.  It is a struggle to determine what is the best for the community rather than ourselves.  Power inequality notwithstanding suggests a certain amount of "I" in decisions. In our circumstances the greater faith demand is for the "We".  Our sacrifice is for the greater good.  Those working early need to realise that it is there sacrifice to allow for a greater equality for all as they do not know the circumstances of the later arrivals.

Forgiveness begins in our selves

 Our present society is a society that is based on the rationale of judgement. If we take someone to court we expect a judgement to be handed down to us. If we take someone to task about a wrong doing we expect that there is some form of judgement to be handed down. If we malign someone with intent that intent is surely to bring the community's judgement upon that person. Our goal is to ensure that our petty squabbles are finalised with someone else's judgement and thus allowing us to move forward with our lives not caring about the other only about the fact that they got their just deserves. Often this seems to be the case even in the Hebrew scriptures that God passes final judgement rather than some form of forgiveness (Ex. 14:19-31). Is this solely the case when we look at this passage? The Egyptians have done wrong in the sight of the Lord and have refused God's openness and freedom only seeing the dictates of pharaoh. Dictates that constrain and curtail the freedom that comes from God.

Yet, in some allegorical way at looking at the Red Sea passage we can see it not as retribution on the Egyptians but rather a removal of the past guilt and excess that the Israelites had accrued during their time in Egypt. The washing away of their past is a symbolic understanding that is celebrated on the shores of the Red Sea by the women, immediately following on from this reading in Exodus.  The parable from Matthew (Matt. 18:21-35) seems to instantiate this powerful supremacy of God with a suggestion that God's retribution is still alive and well in the eschaton, if we do not follow God's offer of redemption through forgiveness. This is the power of the bully in the playground who loses face and requires violence to show their strength. It reflects our own judgemental attitudes when it comes to the actions of the other. The passage from Romans asks us "Who are you to pass judgement on someone else's servant?" (Rom. 14:4). God has accepted each person for who they are not for who we think they are. It is not our role to fall into the habit of upholding our power by judging others and utilising our power to condemn whether they have acted in a manner that is contrary to what we believe to be God's purposes.

Open arms embrace the hurt in the other as we forgive the hurt in ourselves

We do not enter into the cycle or circle of forgiveness as more often then not we seek judgement on those who have created the issue for us. In the parable the pain of bearing a debt of such worth and being allowed to let it go is too much for the servant as he attempts to retrieve his own self pity by passing judgement on those that are unable to fend for themselves. Michael Lapsley reminds us that we need to turn to our own frameworks or faith to find healing and a response to hurt. Often it is not only the other that we need to blame but also ourselves who are guilty. We blame all manner of outside influences and people rather than looking first to ourselves, even as Christians, and forgiving our own faults that may have given arise to the situation in which we seek judgement. Our own failings may be a remnant of our own histories that we fail to acknowledge and leave in the past or they may be the result of an in built prejudice gifted to us from our community and our growth into adulthood. No matter which it is these chains also need to be broken through seeking our own forgiveness before we can make the amends that is required to form community in the present.

God's power comes from forgiveness and the setting of things into right order without the need to resort to violence as love is not violent in nature. We need to avoid the trap of judgement and enter the cycle of forgiveness. The first step on that cycle is to forgive ourselves and to understand that it is often our own faults that bring about the trap of judgement rather than faults in others. By embracing the presence of God's love in our hearts we are able to embrace the love of the other that is inherent in our faith journey. In taking that step and opening our arms to the other we allow God's love to flow and improve the community to which we belong. We also decrease the animosity of the other within the community as they are not judged but rather welcomed and listened to by those around them so that their woes and our woes are eased in forgiveness.

Festina lente

  Festina lente I was told by my father. This is what the Israelites do on the night that God leapt over them as they initiated a celebration of the past before the fact (Ex. 12:1-14). It is something we sometimes forget to do in our haste to accommodate or pursue something that appears to be important to us. Often we understand what we want to do and leap into action before making some form of understanding as to how we can get there. There are some people who are able to do that because they see the end result without having to see the way there but for most of us we have to be careful as the end result may not be the one we expect to come from the actions we take.

There is a sense of urgency as the story progresses, from the Egyptians. A wish for the Israelites to disappear from their land as quickly as possible and indeed in a later text (Deut 16:1) it appears as if the Israelites leave in the night. Yet, they stay in their houses waiting as if with bated breath, for the morning when they leave with the gold of their neighbours. In this stillness before the action of leaving takes place they undertake the pesach meal prior to God's leap yet undertaken in remembrance of that leap that is in the future. There is a tenseness in their waiting, girded for flight but not moving in their established dwellings. Only when morning comes does the action of flight take place and with it the recovery of wealth from their neighbours. There appear to be all sorts of paradoxes inherent in the text a remembrance meal before the event, a need and pressure to go yet a waiting in tenseness. All of these things point to a need to control our haste our need to jump in and flee the horrors of life to attempt a plan without that first hesitant stop.

Decide only when we swim like a dolphin whilst being anchored in God

This is perhaps distinguished to a certain extent in the passage from Matthew and our response to those things that occur around us (Matt. 18:15-17). There is a sense of going forward in a manner that is both fast and slow, a paradox. So often in today's world our first response is to go directly to some form of judgement, either a court or tribunal, before even beginning to sit down with the people supposedly in opposition to try and work out the issue. Often times the issues are around how we perceive things and our interpretation of what is required. Unless we can firmly state exactly what is required our words are indistinguishable from threat and violence. Each step in the process that Matthew outlines is a step that slows everything down. In our modern age we will, like Trump and other Americans, go directly to the courts. Everything we do is around how quickly can we involve the court system. This does not speed the process but rather slows it till it crawls like a snail and we are left wondering for years as to what the outcome will be. Taking our understanding from Exodus, we still ourselves before God and wait for God's response in our hearts and then follow with the slow response. How often in the past have our actions been quick leading to poor repercussions? The quick response to the insult, the quick response to violence leading to more violence, the quick response to someone pushing an agenda with an opposite response. All of these things we can see in our lives and in the various power levels of the world. China in a hissy fit America responds with one of their own; Liberal policies and Labour spins the opposite way. These are like young teenagers who squabble over the slightest defamatory remark that is perceived to have been aimed at them. No wonder we cannot move forward either in our own lives let alone the lives of our communities.

It is often the consequence of leaping ahead of ourselves that devolves down to a split or a division where there should actually be none. By moving to fast and without understanding we fool ourselves into believing that we are moving forward. We have been fed the illusion that we need to complete everything in the quickest possible time to reap the reward. Just as with any growing thing in nature, maturity takes time, there are no shortcuts either in growing plants or in relationships. If we want a community that is based on the precept of God's presence then we need to take time to listen. to hear, to see, to contemplate and to mature our relationships. Only when we can truly give ourselves can we truly become true citizens and able to obey the laws not only of authority but of love. In order to forward ourselves and grow as a child we must open ourselves to the other in harmony and in understanding which takes time and a hesitancy before action to ensure the consequences are the ones that we desire.

Small protests to affect large changes

 Today there is a remarkable number of injustices being perpetrated upon the world and its people.  From racist comments to the incarceration of those looking for new homes. From ideological maniacs seeking their own power to those who have rights blocked by bigotry and hatred, with a misplaced and unshakeable understanding that will fracture at the slightest push. In Isaiah God seems to indicate to us that his presence alone will give us the plenitude we long for even in the midst of desolation (Is. 51.1-6). Sometimes we need to assist the changes that God will bring by making a small protest to change the bigger realities. In the midst of trial and labour brought about by the rulers of the day the Israelites managed to assist life by a small protest (Ex. 1.17-20). The world around them seemed to be falling apart for their people and yet by their simple act of defiance they allowed their people to have an opportunity at the start of a journey toward the realisation of becoming God's people. Their protest brought life not death and in doing so secured a new future for the world.

Our instinct is to protest against the injustices of the world, which is right and proper, but sometimes our instincts can lead us astray and we have to take care that we are not being led down the wrong path. However much good we think we are generating or however much we think God is leading, we can and are led astray. This seems to be counter everything that we might think is right. It is often the smallest protest that sparks the road to life and not the major undertakings of change that bring about Christ's freedom in our lives by initiating God's swift deliverance rather than shouldering the issues ourselves (Is 51:5).  The midwives, in the Exodus story, did a small thing, they delayed their coming to the scene of birth and as a result allowed new life into the world contrary to the law.  In allowing life into the world they allowed the seed of hope that was Moses to become a moment of grace and change later in life.  The major protests of the world have been sparked by a small change in someone's attitude, a small protest against and injustice which has slowly built, sometimes over generations. I wonder how many people actually thought that protesting against the issues in the Middle East or the violence and war in the Ukraine were dumb ideas at the time or get fed up with the protests of those wishing to see change in climate policy? Even thinking about the diocese's own issues and the protests over property sales will achieve a new prosperous diocese or an old aging behemoth.

Are you a midwife of life and faith or selfishness and despair?

(https://www.stemfellowship.org/the-history-of-medicine-childbirth/)

Peter confesses Christ (Matt. 16.13-20) but just shortly after this he is rebuked by Christ as in his enthusiasm he reaches out to over protect Christ. For him a seemingly small protest but one that goes awry. Peter's protest was not a protest for righteousness but a protest for self preservation. He protested for himself and for the concern for his future not for the concerns of those who suffered. In comparison the protest of the midwifes was for a community.  In our individual lives we need to be careful about what we are protesting. Our protest, even if it is a small one, needs to be a protest for the wider oppressed community and not for our personal survival in the world. We need to be honest in our reflection of God's justice in the world.  We need to remind ourselves that at the beginning of creation God made humanity in his own image; a humanity that strives towards the life that God has given to us. The signboard outside the Gosford Anglican church is used a a small sign of protest for many things. It names for us those things that we feel ashamed of because we do not say anything. The midwives also named something because the rest were not. Each of us are capable of stepping onto the faith journey and naming the things that are detrimental to life. The moment we do this we invigorate those who are suffering and bring hope into the world and we bring God's righteousness into being. We become the midwives of new birth and new life in faith. In reflecting on the midwives and on Isaiah's message we need to ask for ourselves: In our protest are we protesting for ourselves or for the oppressed and for God's justice?

Ma'en or amen

 It is not often that we are accepting of others within our midst. Unfortunately our innate wariness of things that are different prevent us from seeing the good in others. Often the attitudes of those around us in society are the attitudes that we portray to others. In the Gospel passage today even Christ appears to succumb to the attitudes of the day (Matt 15:23-26), most particularly the reference to "dogs" (Matt:15:26). Each community determines the boundaries that it is willing to accept within itself and those boundaries and prejudices are in built into the society in which we live. Generations of people have passed down their own understanding of who is in and who is out, which leads to our present day issues around the other who is different.

Matthew's Christ eventually comes to the inclusive understanding of community which we need to follow today. His thinking is not so much different from any in society and yet acknowledges that faith can be found outside the accepted boundaries that we the people have put in place. And yes it is we people. Irrespective of when, people have been responsible for the institution of our dogma and our own prejudices determine our reaction to those who are external to us. We can see this in recent movements such as Black lives matter and other movements throughout the world. Today the world is about a people who have been grafted one onto the other through the numerous interconnections that we all share. Paul was only concerned with those who were grafted on to a single root (Rom. 11:17), today we are considering multiple grafts on multiple roots. Our inter-connectedness in the world is greater now then it has ever been in the past.

Recognise the connection through the root stock that is God

Our predispositions to hatred and ostracisation need to be re-evaluated in light of our connections not only with other people but also with our environment. Joseph was sold into slavery and found a way forward but still held a dislike of his brothers which is played out in the story of his trickery and deception when they come to Egypt for relief. This is overcome not through his own immediate insight but rather as a result of his interaction with his brother, Judah. Like most of us Joseph needs proof of the brothers' credibility and honesty after his betrayal; can he trust these men who are his brothers? If he can then he can reveal himself and his connection to them and their family. Just prior to the passage that has been read today we hear Judah's impassioned speech, which for the midrash descriptions, is a re-description of himself which influences Joseph's understanding and thus eventual breakdown before the brothers. Joseph moves away from the need to seek proof towards an acceptance of who they are and their inter-connectedness with with each other. Prior to this he was unable to believe their words, not accepting (ma'en) as opposed to accepting (amen).

It is this moment of change that we need to achieve within us in our own interconnected world. It is an understanding that overcomes the awkwardness of our conditioned response to the other and an acceptance of our own inter-connectedness. We need to be able to say amen rather than our normal ma'en to those that surround us. Christ has a moment of denial before he too can admit the amen and need to establish God's community with those who are exterior to the community. It is only when we become one recognising that the divisions we uphold our of our own making, whether they are a result of selfishness or tribal preservation, are little more than tactics to preserve our individuality as opposed to our acceptance of God in the life of others. We do not have to control everything but rather we need to overcome our reluctance to accept God's presence even if we have no proof of God's presence. Our ideas of self have overcome our ideas of knowing even without grounds, so that we can say "Amen" to God in our lives. In doing so we overcome our reluctance to see beyond the graft and discover the root in others is their connectivity to God.

Imagining faith

  Reliance on our own understanding often leads to issues and challenges in our lives that are frequently beyond our ability to cope. In doing so we may interpret situations and form our own interpretive story that fits with our view. Through our interpretation we form an understanding of the world around us and its impact upon our lives. Joseph's story starts, for many sources, a long and convoluted interpretation not of Joseph but of Jacob and his whole family (Gen 37.1-ff). It is a story of the loss of connection with God leading to a re-imagining of familial and community connections over time. For those interpreting in this manner it is not a simple story of betrayal and remorse but one that sees the actors as caught within God's plot rather their own individual autonomous tale. In seeing this story from this perspective our own interpretive perspective is altered as we in turn look at the story of our lives and our community.

These interpretations point to our own lack of imagination when it comes to our faith and how we engage with our communities. We are in a similar boat to Jacob in that to a large extent we seem to have lost our connection to God as a community. Not just as a parish community but as a community in the much wider sense both nationally and internationally. Peter's attempt to walk on water demonstrates that failure of the imaginative process in our own faith journey (Matt. 14:28-29). Peter is called out of the boat onto the water by Christ but is almost immediately side tracked away from the impossibility by the mundane. There is a certain amount of imagination that is needed when we encompass our own faith journey. An imagination that suggests we can do anything beyond the normal that Christ / God calls us into overcoming the mundane that pulls us away from God.

Allow our faith to follow God's imagining

For most of us we are, like the brothers, unable to come to terms with the imaginative process so that we become caught up within the mundanity of our lives and concentrate solely on the ever increasing calls upon our time that is the world in which we live. Our response to the act of imagination that is the faith journey, is to hide it away in a hole or sell it of to become enslaved to situations that we are unable to comprehend or become involved in. The sleazy normality of the flux and flow of the ties that we have to the modern society prevents us from rising above the waves that overwhelm our lives. The very concept of retreating from the everyday into prayer or reflection or the imaginative process is abhorrent to modernity. The press of society around us is towards an evermore efficient lifestyle that is filled and, at the end of the day, exhausting of our life energy.

The retreat into the imagination to allow ourselves to take the step that enables our feet to walk upon the fluid surface of the water is an almost forgotten understanding. It s being retrieved into modern life by the more esoteric spiritual journeys of the Far East and alternative culture. The church appears to have lost itself within the fabric of modernity without realising that it has lost the imaginative process. This allows it to be divided by the self delusion that a reading of scripture is best interpreted by a literalist or someone embedded in a specific understanding and outlook. This dogmatic thinking is robust but static and does not allow for the breaking in of God's presence to lead us into the wonders that God's love brings to those who dedicate their lives in contemplation and reflection of that love. Our failure in our worship, in our lives and in our understanding of God's fluid and changing nature is re-lived in a lack of commitment to the belief that God can perform the imaginative miracle even while we shiver in the fear of overwhelming mundanity.

Lead from the front or from the rear

 I am not sure about you but when I make any major decision I struggle. I can spend a number of nights and days just coming to grips with the fact that a decision has to be made. In some respects I think we are all prone to this sort of struggle at least once in our lives. In a manner of speaking this is what is represented in the story of the night long wrestling match that results in the change of name from Jacob to Israel (Gen. 32:22-31). The decision from the various rabbinic sources is a decision with regards authenticity and authority rather than something more mundane. The change in name realises the change in Jacob's acceptance of who he is and his relationship to power and authority. This is not just a struggle that makes a decision but rather it is struggle that makes us change. In this understanding lies the challenge due to the fact that the result is a change to ourselves something that we fear that we will become injured and debilitated in the process.

Jacob sends his family and his household ahead of him across the river, like a good general he is leading from the rear by planning and trying to gauge the effects of his coming meeting with his brother. Also like any good leader he looks to rest from the distractions of leadership to have quiet time, like Christ (Matt. 14:13), to review the past and set up for the future. Yet, he is set upon and has to wrestle the night away. His wrestling is within himself, and is allegorically displayed by the "angel", perhaps Esau's guardian angel, as he struggles with his own doubts and fears of the life he is living and has lived. The decision to hold on to what has been or to move into a new life is a large one and is only made after we see the harm holding on does to us. The pain can become physically disabling not only for ourselves but also for the communities that we lead. Acceptance means that we begin to see ourselves in a new light and our ideas mature us towards the person that God wants us to be. In our own wrestling with our selves we begin to understand the needs of the people in the community around us. We place out needs behind us so that we can give to our community in such a manner that the gift becomes life giving. Where others may quail and step back we are able to step forward and find the solution that God has already prepared for us.

Leading from the front takes the pressure off but is a struggle

In many ways when we wrestle with our decisions we are wrestling with God as we are wrestling with a decision that will change our lives. If we are to grow in accordance with God's will then we struggle as our own thoughts and perceptions colour our decisions and deceive us away from what God would have us achieve. While we wrestle with God and our own way of doing things we will naturally change, even our names just as Jacob did. Even if we think we are not leaders or in positions of leadership we are indeed leaders as we portray God's way of love to the world and should be leading in this very thing. If we push people from behind, like Jacob, we will soon loose their interest and our own ability to lead them into new life. At some point we need to have courage to actually lead from the front with our convictions centred in God's presence. God inspired leadership takes us out of ourselves to see and lead with compassion from the front. The disciples come to Christ in a quandary about food even though Christ has been giving his all all day (Matt. 14:15). Instead of telling them to make the decision or moving of for quiet space, sympathy and compassion lead so that others may find comfort. In our own way we need to be able to do the same. We too often allow the attitude of Douglas Adams' SEP to come to the fore and not take the initiative. We often allow ourselves to make suggestions and let others do when often it is needful for us as Christ followers to lead our communities from the front. We then place God's love to the fore and become true disciples. This is where the struggle becomes part of our own being as we overcome and make things smoother for those behind.

Looking beyond the ephemeral

 We often overlook things in life especially when it is close to us. In finding out the excellence that has been hidden from us we quite often become total boors in our outlook much as the friends and family of Christ did when he preached in Nazareth (Matt. 13:53-58). Instead of praise we become jealous of that which has been hidden in plain sight but we have completely overlooked or assumed something that was different. This most often occurs within the family but is rife within our society and community. It can be seen in the way we react to difference and our assumptions as to what should and should not be present. The other side of the coin is as equally true in that those who are different often feel discouraged by the reception they receive from those who are assumed to know better. In this case the light is lost as a result of our own perception of unworthiness as we rely on the perceptions of others rather than on the perception of God's presence (Rom. 8:31-35).

In the love life of Jacob, we see how this playing out of perception actually works in the lives of people and because we are so often guided to see this story one way we miss the obvious undertones that are present (Gen. 29:15-28). We focus on the love of  Rachel and Jacob without paying much attention to Leah. Perhaps it is time for us to actually take a little more note of this hidden character because we have been taught to disregard this person, we know that she is there but she obviously has little bearing on the story as that is about how Jacob has been denied the love of his life Rachel. Do we really know any information other than the fact that she appears to be "dull eyed" (Gen. 29:17). How derogatory can we get? What does the story actually tell us of this person? Let us just imagine ourselves in her shoes for a few minutes. Here is a woman who has put aside any enmity she might feel for her beautiful sister despite being married to the same man. Here is a woman who actually bears the majority of Jacob's children and is obviously very much in love with him. We could almost say more so than Rachel as she does not appear to have any animosity towards her sister while the same cannot be said for Rachel's jealousy. Despite her looks she does more for Jacob then Rachel and is in some ways more honoured as in her death she is buried in the family plot while Rachel is buried on the road to Ephrath (Gen. 48.7).

Determining the value of anybody from what is seen is difficult without God's help

We are extremely quick when it comes to our relationships and how we see others. If things are not quite what we would like we are very quick to charge those that we do not get on with for bringing down the establishment. We often miss the jewels of God's love that works in all our hearts and minds because we judge only by what we think and not in prayer. Like Leah some people are just rough or rather have a demeanour about them that is problematic to our own way of thinking. They rub us up the wrong way because they either hold strong views as to the way things should be done or else they do things that we believe are wrong or disrespectful. The moment we set our eyes on others without seeing to the depths that God sees we lose sight of the gem that glows. This does not mean that every one is good, it just means we actually have to strive harder in love to see the good if it is obscured by our judgements. The merchant in the parable was able to see more than those around him to value the pearl. By selling everything he obtained the wisdom that the pearl represents. The question that this suggests is that can we see beyond our own prejudices and presumptions to see the pearls that are in those who we have rejected within the community in which we live? Just as Christ was rejected in his home town so we often reject those we have known within our own communities because we "know" them. The answer is that we do not truly know those in our own community until we have strived to be with them and walked beside them. We miss the pearls because "well everyone knows that (s)he is no good". Is that really the case or is it our imagination because we think or have been told it is the case? Are we able to put aside our past interactions and form a new relationship with those who are despised by others?

Immediate satisfaction or a long term solution?

 Christ tells us stories (Matt 13.24 ff) that come from an agricultural landscape that we are probably unfamiliar with in today's world of high tech and vicarious pleasure.  As with last week, it is story set in the seasonal growth of a agrarian growing period and not the fast paced www highways that extend around the world.  It is about looking towards a future that is down the long road and not immediate, it is about looking at our fast paced lives through the eyes of God.  The human agenda is strewn with details and minuscule events that in actuality turn out to be non-events in the bigger picture world that is the God story, the story of salvation.

We are sometimes pathetically upset by the long way round or we become fascinated by the view of time held by those who work the land.  We often fail to see the driving motivation resulting in an agitated state when the result is not immediate.  Not to be overwhelmed by traditional methods that take the slow way, we have moved this attitude of speed into our modern farming productive methods because we want to have immediate results.  A good example of this need for speed is found in the modern production of vinegar. Unfortunately, nature and God do not really work like that no matter how much we would like it to be.  Like God we need to start to look towards the future, it may not happen in this generation but if the seeds are correctly planted no matter what the vicissitudes of life there will be a harvest at the end.  We sometimes concern ourselves overly much, like the servants and the workers in the Matthew parable, with obtaining an immediate satisfactory perfection.  This can be applied to any situation within our spiritual as well as our mundane lives.  Yes, occasionally, there is a need to act with haste and immediacy but we need to remember that there is a consequence to every hasty action we take.

Can you tell the difference?  What is wheat in God's eyes and what is a tare?

The servants and stewards in the parable want to remove the weeds immediately but it is the sagacity of the owner who reminds them that in taking out one weed the probability of taking out good plants is high and therefore likely to reduce the final yield.  We want to focus on the irritants, we want to dive in and save the day with our programmes and our schemes.  Once again we forget that God is the one who is leading us along the path to redemption and salvation. We only have to look at our hasty actions of the past (reminding ourselves about the effectiveness of hindsight) when it comes to our goals in terms of the environment and our human sustainability.  We see the immediate benefits of something and jump in to utilise that for our benefit.  In this day and age it would have been thought that we would have learnt from the hastiness of the past and be more deliberate about how we take up new things.

Looking at our political decisions in recent years it is fairly obvious that greed is the motivating force behind many decisions and not the good of the world or for the long term benefit of humanity.  Even when we consider the benefits for a country we only consider the economic benefit in the short term not the long term.  We do the same thing within the church.  We look to solve the short term issue and not look at the long term issue.  Christ shows us God's view point in this parable, a viewpoint taken up by God in the vision that Jacob had on his journey (Gen. 28.10-19).  This is not a dream of the immediate goal but a dream of a long term vision.  A dream that takes Jacob into a blessed future but one that does not suggest that there will be no hardships.  In looking to the future whether politically, spiritually or in our everyday lives we need to hold to the dream not to overcoming the small irritants and details.  They have a way of working out but not the way we either expect or necessarily want in our own minds.  Yet, they will be what God wants.

Is the sower a professional?

 The old saying is that we reap what we sow in life. So what is it that you sow or have sown during your life? Looking back we often find that we have regrets somewhat like Esau, who sold his birthright (Gen 25.32-33), had later in life. Ours may not have been as great a foolishness but looking back it often rankles and hurts. Yet, sometimes what we perceive to be a disaster is what God is asking of us as he plants a seed to mature in the time to come. Retrospective looks back in time are said to be 100% and that is how we learn. Yet the ramifications from our regrets may actually be positive in the lives of others.

In the parable that Christ sets up in Matthew's gospel (13.1-), the sower does not appear to understand what it is that he is doing.  Seed appears to be scattered willy nilly all over the place.  Christ gives a very specific meaning to each type of ground the seed falls on, yet, I feel we are missing something if we take a simplistic view. Jewish midrash interprets the simple and finds some very interesting understandings as a result. They want to know the story behind what is written. Christ was a rabbi a known interpreter of scripture. Lets try thinking more laterally in this well known case.

The seed falls here and other times some falls there. Surely, one has to ask, when sowing for good yield shouldn't the sower be a little more deterministic when it comes to the scattering of the seed. If we want a good harvest we must direct the seed into good ground.  There is no point in scattering it around. I would have fired the sower, if it was my farm, I want a good yield not a bit of this and a bit of that (100% or nothing).  That is how we operate in today's world.  That is how any good farmer would want from his employer or himself if he was sowing the seed, care in deployment. No matter what we do, the expectation is that the out put of our work will be beneficial to the company for whom we work. I suspect in earlier times the same would also be the case especially with regards to the distribution of valuable seed. In looking at the church or the parish in terms of what we do, a recent trend has been to emphasise mission based programs.  We are told you have to do this, or you must do this or this is where you will achieve growth in the church, follow this evangelistic method / program / etc.

Let God direct the sowing of the seed not our own imaginations

God does not work with programs, God works with the world the way God wants the world to be.  God calls us into difference not sameness.  Each programme of evangelism that is promoted is looking for sameness not difference. God determines where the seed should fall, by placing all our seed into the one basket of programme evangelism we deny God access to the fruits of the seed.  Our evangelistic programme may well be scattering the seed on a well trodden path that does not allow for it to grow.  I suspect that more often than not, this is precisely what is happening; we continue to sow good seed onto the well trodden paths of human expectations only to find it trodden under foot.  It is only when we allow God to direct the sower of the seed that we begin to see the fruits of God's labour.  We talk of good and bad ground as if these were dualistic opposites.  Perhaps yesterday's poor ground will become today's good soil as God directs the seed and the growth.

Paul reckons us to live on the level of the Spirit not on the level of what has gone before (Rom 8.5-6) when we live in Christ.  Yet we tend to live in the world and ignore Christ except as a passing whisper or throw away line.  If something has achieved good results elsewhere then surely it will achieve remarkable results here in this place all it requires is the 'minister' to put in the energy.  Or if what has worked in the past should be re-iterated, again and again and again, then we will achieve the same results now as then. However, good soil soon becomes poor if we over produce again and again.  In undertaking these thoughts we also actually undermine God. We are second guessing where the seed that the farmer has granted to us through grace is to be planted by our knowledge not by the farmers understanding of the fields to be sown and then reaped. Only when we understand that it is by allowing God's hand in our work for God that we achieve the remarkable. It is not in following previous things or other programmes as these may not be what God is calling us to in the present. In living into the Spirit we live into Christ and we allow Christ's guiding light to be ever present in our hearts. We go where Christ wills not where we will.

Where has it gone?

Paul in a number of the epistles uses the terminology of the 'Body of Christ' to represent the Church. It has been a well accepted paradigm to reflect what the Christian church should emulate and more often than not we fail in this endeavour. In doing so we sort of shrug of the understanding and go on our way not really engaging with the spirit of the message or the purposeful meaning that Paul puts in the use of this analogy. It has become increasingly obvious that the Church has never really embraced this idea of the body and its understanding of cooperative purpose. Either across denominations or even within them as differences in dogma stymie the effort.

Indeed theological discussion whilst often referring to this understanding of community and neighbourliness  refuses to really engage as the modern philosophical trend has been towards the autonomous self. This very Western understanding of personhood is embedded in much of our traditional theological viewpoints so that we become mired in our individual uniqueness and miss the opportunity of seeing God in those around us. This is particularly brought home to those that tinker in the ecclesiological space when the structure of church governance is considered. Whilst Rome has come to tinker with an understanding of synodality as a result of Francis' push the Anglican church has been immersed in synodality for some time. Yet, the concept of travelling together has been lost over time in the Anglican church with its concentration on small empires whether they be op-shops, catering groups or individual parishes and councils.

In a lot of respects this lack of fostering the understanding of one body as seen in the various scriptural references of assistance and understanding is being highlighted in the Anglican church around the world with the GAFCON breakaway but also within the Australian Church. The very fact that it is reasonably well known that senior members of the clergy have been known to refuse to gather around the Christian table of fellowship and love is a clear indicator of the paucity of understanding in the concept of one body. This in itself is or should be unimaginable in the Christian faith journey but it becomes even more devastating when nobody  seems to understand the words that are prayed at the end of most Eucharistic services within the Anglican prayerbook. Each person prays to be a "living sacrifice" but as soon as they walk out the door they forget everything that faith teaches.

Are we one body or are we one building?

In a Diocese that is in dire straits in terms of not only claims arising out of the abuse scandals of recent years but also the result of National church failures to maintain promises in the late 1990s one would expect, from a Christian viewpoint, a certain amount of collegiality and coming together to steer through the winds of change. As we know change often means sacrifice and in Christian terms we would understand that through death comes life. Yet, it is obvious that however good leadership has been the concepts of togetherness and community mean nothing unless there is the stability of a building. It has been made very clear that the process with regard the debt means that property must be sold for the good of the body and should one property not be sold or forfeited than another property or properties must be found to compensate. Thus, our selfishness over the retention of one property could make another part of the body suffer, but then 'Hey its not us. Shame!'. Our treasures are meant to be in heaven not on earth yet we still focus our lives on our property. Perhaps, it comes from calling ourselves 'church' instead of an 'ecclesia'. 

The question is of course to be asked where is the National Church?  Or perhaps where is the greater body of Christ? Well not their problem as each diocese is an 'individual' not part of a community or the body of Christ. Of course, they are at liberty to state that the plan forward by the diocese some three years ago cannot take place but have to bow before the Supreme court when the same plan, in essence is put forward. This attitude of complacency and being the little finger on the body's right arm is especially so of the more affluent dioceses who not withstanding their riches on earth believe that they are the only ones who know God's word. Sounds a bit pharisaic to me.

To take up or not to take up

 We are told that we are to take up the yoke that Christ gives to us so that we may rest from the burdens that we carry (Matt. 11:29). This seems at first glance a somewhat paradoxical statement as the yoke, any yoke, implies some form of weight. If we are already overburdened how can taking more weight upon ourselves lead to rest. Perhaps we can see a glimmer of an answer in the story of Isaac and Rebecca's first meeting (Gen 24:58-67). In this section of the story Rebecca first sees Isaac in the field as she and the servant approach following the journey from her home. In this, as in similar Hebrew texts, the interpretation that we have is somewhat prosaic in comparison to the wealth of interpretation available in the Hebrew / Jewish interpretations. In this instance it is said firstly that Isaac was not just walking but rather there is a sense of his communing with God and perhaps recalling the akedah that was spoken about last week. In observing him Rebecca falls "in love" and falls to the ground in front of him because of the respect for his connection to God (much more romantic). It is however what comes after that needs our attention as in verse 67 Rebecca takes on the burden of Isaac's grief over his mother.

Rebecca is already burdened, if we think about it, with the re-location from a loving home into an unknown circumstance. She has given much up for the possibility of happiness with an totally unknown man and in a totally unknown culture. Yet, she willingly picks up the burden of grief that Isaac is suffering from and consoles him. This leads to what appears to be  a comfortable life or at least as comfortable as things can be within the harshness of nomadicity. Rebecca here makes a knowing sacrifice in love and lightens the burden not only upon herself as she becomes accepted within the new community but also that carried by another. This is perhaps what we need to understand when we are asked to carry the load. It is not that our concerns or worries are disappeared but rather by picking up the load we share our toils and our burdens with each other. In carrying our own burdens we actually destroy our lives both physical and mental. It has recently been brought home to me how anxiety and worry are easily manifested within the physical to such an extent that it incapacitates our own ability to function. If we decide to carry our own tears and our own anxieties then we will suffer greatly. It is often our response of not sharing that leads us to the physical dependence and pain we suffer in later years.

The yoke shares the burden or lightens the load

So how can we take the extra load and be relieved of the burden we carry so that the load becomes light? The main issue is not that we do not care but rather that our needs always predominate. The taking up of another load appears to be us to be something that is deleterious to our own health. In this case we are cautious if not downright over protective and selfish. We have to take real care here because selfishness leads us to act in such a manner that is overwhelmingly problematic for our community. Once we take this route we are on the mind bending logic that Paul uses to account for his ability not to do that which ought to be undertaken (Rom. 7.14-ff). The reality is that we need to take up the yoke that God calls us to take for this eases the burden not necessarily for us immediately but certainly in the long term. The reason for this is that the old adage " a problem shared is a problem halved" is so true even in the current day. In sharing the burdens of the community we are able to half the real issues that we think that we have to carry on our own. So often we have and start with good intentions that eventually become burdens usually because of our inability to share. 

Just think in terms of Parish councils or centre committees or any other sort of governance model that you wish to think of. The council / committee is often there to assist and share the burden of leadership. what so often happens is that it comes down to an issue of power and politics. The more power I have the less I wish to share and once I have power the less I wish to give that power up. The yoke that Christ asks us to pick up is so light because it is a shared responsibility. We do not take the burden on ourselves but share the burden with the other. Just as Rebecca learns to do and does with the burden of sorrow within the family. Only when we are ready for this sharing can we begin to understand how light God's burden is upon us as all of our brothers and sisters are able to share the burden with us.

To be a willing living sacrifice

 We pray at the end of our Eucharistic services for God to send us out as a "living sacrifice" into the world. I wonder what you think a sacrifice is in your life. We can think of anything that may be a sacrifice but most of us think of something that would in reality only inconvenience ourselves. To make a sacrifice is to make sacred that which you do. Quite often it may mean a giving up of something or at least entail some sort of real hardship for and in our lives. However, I suspect that it would not be as great a sacrifice that Abraham was preparing to make (Gen. 22.1-14), although in some circumstances it may entail an equal amount of heartache. Looking at the Jewish sources of interpretation of this passage, the Akedah test, (and there are many) there is a suggestion of inner paradox being played out (see Zornberg for example). How much do we give to God and how much do we give to ourselves? We often want to protect what we give rather than give to God as a sacrifice. We do not actually sacrifice but rather appease our own sense of worth in what we do.

We are often eager to complain about the sacrifices that we do make when looked at on a greater scale. The sacrifice we brag about is nothing more than an inconvenience in our lives. Abraham walked in the way of God, much as Christ did in a later age, and in doing so he is portrayed as the Father of the faith, not only Jewish but also ultimately the Christian faith. Yet, looking at the Jewish sources of interpretation there is an interesting back story to this passage. The possibility is that in walking in the steps of God and celebrating  God's presence while spreading the "good news" of God's presence in his life he neglected the simplicity of sacrifice after his son was born. He gave his all towards being a father and relinquished his giving of all to God. It is this that requires God to test Abraham. This is a dimension of Abraham's journey both inwardly and outwardly as he celebrates the presence of his son. Does the mere movement towards family suggest that ultimately we are moving away from God and forgetting to live up to God's requirement to sacrifice? Perhaps, this is where we are living in the current age. We do not see the purpose of "sacrificing" our time in praise and thanksgiving to God when we have family and lives to live. The modern turn allows us time for those things that encourage our happiness which in turns allows us to turn a blind eye to the injustices of the world. This extends to the term of "sacrificial" giving and other "sacrificial" things we do. The modern state has allowed us to sit back and relax in terms of our own personal sacrifices, which in turn has allowed us to sit back and relax in terms of the requirements of God.

We forget the sacrifice and continue to ignore the purpose.

In this we are often governed by a Law of Tradition. The reasoning goes somewhat like this, "We have always ... and that is the way we will continue to do ...". You can fill in the spaces with whatsoever you like that covers any form of sacrifice. Unless we hear otherwise tradition is tantamount to having come from God. We can always find an excuse for not doing what sacrifice asks us to do and this is always easier than actually making the committed sacrifice. In this Paul has it right in Romans (6: 12-13) if we are to label ourselves as followers of Christ. Christ sacrificed himself for us and we are obligated by faith to do likewise as we follow in God's way of love. All love demands sacrifice to a greater degree than we allow. Any family knows that in order for the family to grow certain things have to be let go, we term this a sacrifice but often it is no more than disallowing certain luxuries. However, on occasion it is a large sacrifice of everything that is normal for the household. In coming to terms with the enormity of the sacrifice we come to understand the harsh reality of sacrifice and can no longer consider the simple things we give up as a sacrifice. If we begin to really understand what it means to sacrifice in a simple thing like family, can we who dwell in Christ and accept the hospitality of Christ, not sacrifice for God. It is easy to say that we will become a living sacrifice at the end of each service in which we receive the hospitality of God at the communion table, a reminder of a greater sacrifice then we are able to give, but not so easily translated into our common Christian life. This is applicable to all of us not just a few. A real sacrifice means something that is more than uncomfortable or prosaic, it means that it will hurt us and we do not want to let that happen in our comfortable lives and thus we turn from God.

Growth implies change

 No matter how we look at the world around us there are a couple of certainties other than death and taxes. The most prominent one is the prospect of change in our comfortable spaces. No matter who we are the very thought of change makes us shiver and become somewhat afraid. It does not matter whether the change is one that is sponsored by ourselves, such as a change in direction, home, living arrangement, career, etc or comes to us from an outside source COVID 19, restructure of work environment, new laws, etc. The very mention of the word creates division and this was understood by Christ as he spoke of the future to his disciples (Matt. 10.34-39). As Christians who have died to Christ (Rom 6.3-5) we must expect significant change in our lives, not only when we accept Christ but also when we continue with Christ in our lives.

In speaking about change we seem to accept the enormous change that Christ brings because we have died but wish to negate that change when it effects our more mundane lives. It is as if we believe that what ever spiritual or faith change is undertaken our secular and normal lives must remain unaffected. This is clearly not the answer as the Gospel passage indicates. Christ lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that the traditional place of comfort, the family, cannot remain the same when we take up the cross and follow Christ. If our safe place, our traditional place of comfort and security is no longer a safe haven to retreat to then how can we expect the world to be a safe place amidst change. The disruption that has occurred to our lives and the changes that must happen as we move forward into the unknown future must for us become a force that allows us to increase our resilience in the face of the inconsequential upheavals that we face on a daily basis. Just think of the changes in the life of Hagar and Ishmael faced in the wilderness when cast out by Abraham at the behest of Sarah (Gen. 21:14-21). The indication here is that no matter how cast out from our family we are God has a greater purpose that shows us a path along which we must strive.

We change our diet as we mature otherwise we do not grow

Any young person faces the challenges of change in the  formative years of their adulthood. In leaving home they must strive to find their place in an ever changing society and yes sometimes the challenges in this process of change are significant. At other times we shelter them from the raw experiences of life so that they can find safety in the bosom of their family but... It is a big but for even the family cannot shelter us in the long term. Just as we cannot expect in naivety that what we have always experienced will always remain the same. Christ calls us deliberately into something that changes leading us away from our comforts so that we too can change our own way of thinking to bring the Good news into those areas which are not ministered to as a result of our neglect. We often have to find a new way to express ourselves, away from that which is comfortable, how else can we spread God's love if we do not enter into new places. Remaining within the comfort of what we know and understand places us into the sheltered space. Yes, occasionally we have to place ourselves in that space but we cannot remain there or we will stagnate and die. A pond that does not refresh itself with a stream of water is likely to stagnate and die. If a herd of animals remained in one place they would stagnate and starve. We will not get the same ongoing sustenance if we remain in one way of thought and it is quite often the case that we also stagnate and die.

Even when we want to be fed we automatically want what we have had before or what we believe is life sustaining for ourselves. Once again we fall into a trap because if we are to grow we need to seek out new richness in the food that is provided. Like a child or a baby we require so much more than our initial serving. Baby food cannot sustain our growth into adulthood and so the diet is changed: can we expect any less with our faith journey? Christ calls us to grow into God's presence and life this is not something that can be done if we only have the food that sustained the beginning of growth. Any farmer knows that crops have to be nourished and as they grow they get different feed. This automatically means change, something we need not be afraid of or hostile to but rather open and encouraging so that we can get a fresh vision of God's path.

The education of charism

 Sometimes we think we can do it all.  I can undertake all the ministries in the Church and in the world.  All I have to do is put my hand up and I will be there. If we are excited to participate we jump all over the place and try and put our hands on the wheel, so to speak, in as many different places as we can. What happens is that we get ourselves mixed up and eventually cause a disaster as we tangle everyone else up. Christ sends his disciples out in a deliberate and calculated manner (Matt. (9.35-10.8 ff) having understood what was required.

At baptism we pray that the child / adult will be filled with the charisms of the Holy Spirit. If it is a child, I do not think that we expect him/her to jump up and speak in tongues immediately. These gifts take time to develop and come to maturity just as the child grows. The same is true for an adult, occasionally the gift manifests itself immediately but often there is a period of maturing and discerning before the full gift is manifest in the life of the individual. There are times when we need to set time aside and pray about our situation before undertaking a course of action. This is of course quite easy for a child as it has its parents and God parents to guide it in its first tentative steps towards making a decision in faith. But what of an adult, as we can be extremely impulsive especially when it comes to our likes and dislikes, our comforts and our intrusions, our future and our past. We have a tendency to see where others are not stepping up and feel that we need to fill the gap.  At the end of the day we become rag and bones because we are not doing what God wants us to do but what we want to do.

Only in listening and in harmony with God do we grow

There are a number of questions that we need to ask ourselves as we grow into our charisms and as we educate our children towards the next step in faith that they need to take. In asking these questions of ourselves we take a step back and allow God's Spirit to interact with us through prayer, contemplation and the discernment of others. We need to ask, Is this truly what God is calling me to and how am I to know that this is God's call on my life? In answering these or encouraging our children to answer these questions we actually have to do some work. It is not a question of "Oh this is what I think I want to do"  which is typical of children taking their first steps towards adulthood. It actually means that we have to sit down and discern where God is calling me. How? By listening to what others are saying and reflecting on our decisions, in relation to the choices that we are making. By spending quiet time with God and allowing God to speak (we so often speak and don't actually listen to God). By allowing God's Spirit to call to you in the quiet moments of your life. Only through such a process do we discern a true call into ministry.

We allow our children room to discover these options of listening through their lives if we are being true to our baptismal call. We go out of our way to encourage others to rightly discern the paths of God's Spirit in their lives through encouragement and listening. We are present to the other as sounding boards so that we discern with the community the charisms of our neighbours and our fellow sojourners in Christ. It will be Christ who leads us as he becomes manifest in our lives and as we are encouraged in the path of discernment for ourselves. Only when we recognise the Christ that is indwelling in our own selves will we understand the gifts of the Spirit and how we release them into the community. It is only when the gifts begin to help the other and encourage those who are lost that we can know that the Charisms of the Spirit are invigorating the community.