Return on your gift

We have a number of challenges that face us in today's society.  In a fluid job market and an world were certainty is a word that can only be used with caution we often find ourselves in difficult positions as we grow older.  Difficulties are not only monetary but also emotional, psychological and spiritual.  If we have been wise over our life we may have been able to make a number of investments that will stand us in good stead as the inevitability of age eases into our lives. The question is do we make similar investments in the other areas of our lives in the same way we do with our money?

Christ's parable with regards the giving of bags of Gold to the servants (Matt. 25.14-30) refers to monetary investment but let's just change the perspective and think in terms of the gifts that are given to us by God.  We are all given gifts of one sort or another.  We may think of them as things that we ourselves have developed over time, something we seem to be extraordinarily good at, or just something that we are asked for each and every day.  Often we hide these things that we are good at and only allow a few people know.  Even if it is a simple thing it is a gift given to us from God.  Trouble is we do not see the investment potential in these things.  They are just abilities that we have nothing more.  More often then not we allow them to lie idle for months on end or even years.  All of a sudden somebody says something and Auntie Ada knows all about it.  We all turn around and say "AUNTIE ADA!!" with astonishment.  In the long run when we consider community and the way of life that a Christian needs to lead it is this hidden asset that is important and needs to be cultivated just like the monetary investment we make for our old age.

An extraordinary gift given in love rejected with scorn

Just as much our own gifts are not invested in, except poorly, our spiritual gifts are even less wisely invested.  We lack the time and the interest to invest any amount of improvement on our own spiritual well being.  As a result we are poorly prepared for any involvement in activities that are of a spiritual nature.  We turn aside from the pursuits that our parents and grandparents found so satisfying and involve ourselves in those things that at the end of the day bring no benefit to the soul.  We are much like the servant who buries the gift and gives back only what was given.  We are asked to surrender ourselves totally, instead we halfheartedly give to God what God has given to us.  We now approach Advent a time for preparation, a time that allows us to ensure that we are ready to meet God in the incarnation.  This is the time when we need to start to invest some thought and time into our spiritual and emotional investments.  If we cannot allow ourselves to do that then we are no longer walking the way that God wishes us to walk.  This means that we all have to bring our gifts to share with each other and with God.  As a recent post said "God did not call the Lone Ranger he called the twelve apostles".  This means that we are in this together as a community.  Our investment must be in our compassion, our justice and our willingness to be what God wants us to be.

Unlike the person given the least we must not be afraid of the consequences of investing.  There are risks as with any investment but the rewards are God's to give and ours to receive.  Yet in fear and trembling we hide away and do not offer our gifts to friends, family and community thinking only of the benefits for us.  The other reason we do this is because we are also so judgemental of others.  Deborah did not judge Barak (Judges 4.1-10) she just advised him of God's gift to others who would use the gift that he spurned.  Are we willing to spurn the gifts of God and judge those around us who use theirs.  How often I wonder have we sniggered over someones ability because it is not to our standard, perhaps it is to God's standard and that is all that matters.

Being prepared - Ups and downs

We are asked to be prepared for the coming of he Lord as we do not know either the time nor the place as is highlighted in the parable told in Matthews Gospel (Matt. 25.1-13).  The village situation that brings this to mind is the progression of a bridal party.  In a village wedding the whole community is involved and the bride and groom move in a progression through the village.  Some stops take longer than others, hence it is not known when the main participants, in particular the groom, will arrive at the final stop for the wedding feast.  The procession takes from early afternoon until late at night when the main meal begins.  Being prepared means that the unmarried girl guests need to be ready at any time of the night for the grooms arrival.

In preparing ourselves as a Church for the arrival of our Bridegroom, Christ, we need to be as prepared in all that we do.  Our preparation begins with baptism.  We attempt to instill in the parents and Godparents the understanding that they are charged with this preparation.  It is by no means an easy task.  The chances are that there will be ups and downs along the journey.  Like the Israelites in the acceptance of God and God's commandments (Joshua 24.14-25) the Godparents and parents accept a duty of following and teaching.  This does not automatically mean that everything will be alright.  Just as the Israelites failed in their journey so we will expect that, being human, children and others will fail on their journey.  Yet we must understand at the deepest core of our instruction to those beginning their faith journey is an instruction to parents and Godparents that is enduring, just as the instructions to the Israelites are enduring.  We acknowledge this failure and yet persevere on the the journey into new life.  It is not an easy task.

Are we protecting our source or squandering our resources?

The women with the lamps are probably childhood friends of the bridegroom looking to be amongst those who are taken in to enjoy the feast and joy of the marriage feast. They have journeyed through life to this point with the rest of the village.  Is it wrong that their irresponsibility should deny them the opportunity of the feast?  The light of their lamps are their passport into the safe haven of the feast.  Their identification and invitation.  Those that did not take care of that invitation are denied entry.  In the same way our responsibilities not only as Godparents but also as members of the body of Christ, are to take care of the life that has been given to us to guide.  It would be wrong for us to throw away the opportunity that God has given to us.  We do so when we become involved in our own lives and miss the opportunity to form a relationship.  The relationship that is given to us as is lifelong one which is often neglected for one reason or another. 

Yet in neglecting the ingredients of a life that is whole and has been given an invitation to become holy amounts to foolishness.  Yes, the Godparents role is often neglected but it is our way of daring those who are growing to consider the fuller aspects of life not just the mechanics.  In order for any person to become greater than themselves it is necessary to guide them into a new and fresh aspect of life that may not have been considered.  (W)holeness can become empty of meaning a hole that drains life. or filled with the holy as we take on the wisdom of our spiritual and faith journey.  It is up to our lifelong guides to bring the reality into being.  Yet as the story of the Israelites who accepted God's promises and covenant shows us this is a journey that has ups and downs.  Sometimes we are doing the things that make the community Holy and whole whilst at others we are thinking solely of our selves.  We constantly remind ourselves of our journey as we ourselves relate to God's presence.  The question to ask ourselves is are we foolish (neglecting our wholeness and identity) or are we wise (nourishing ourselves with the oil of gladness and keeping the flame of God's Spirit alive).

For all the Saints

The many glorious saints of yore are celebrated each year at this time.  The many who we know of and celebrate throughout the year and the many who just are even if we have not heard of their deeds.  What precisely are we celebrating here and what is it that we are yearning for within ourselves as a result of this celebration?  We can point to a number of readings from scripture that highlight what we would expect of a saint and say that this is what we strive for.  Yet, each reading we point to can have an alternative view that destroys our thinking.  Take the reading from Matthew's gospel 5. 1-12 that is in the lectionary today.  This is the classic beatitudes passage.

I am sure that we can see these as a basis of what to strive for as we reach out and embrace the concept of sainthood.  The symbolism captured by Christ's opening to the sermon on the mount is perhaps something that is beyond the ability of mere mortals.  For some, especially when reading Luke's  version (6.20-26), it seems a cruel and biased charge that castigates the rich and happy whilst elevating lives that are spent in poverty and weeping.  Do we some how see a reversal of what we consider to be of value by placing the hell holes of poverty and misery as must see / live places in the world as opposed to the Beverley Hills and posh waterfront areas?  An individual recently asked, after hearing an exposition of Luke's version, does this mean that I cannot be a Christian if I am rich and happy?  The dissonances in such a reading of Christ's propositions and our celebration of the Saints should be obvious, yet, how many actually believe these interpretations thus negating any increase in faith or movement towards saintliness?

The walls we create to divide rich from poor, hungry from full....

Perhaps we need to approach these readings from a different perspective and see for ourselves a window of opportunity that takes us beyond the walls that are erected around the dichotomies of wealth vs poverty, happiness vs sadness, emptiness vs fullness, etc.  Instead of seeing the dichotomous nature of these things let's rather view them as a spectrum and suggest that all of God's people are somewhere on this spectrum.  It is not that the rich are more or less important or that those who are hungry are better than those who are full but a recognition that living in the world produces a spectrum as a result of circumstance and the individual's outlook on life.  The second thing, which I believe is as important or more so in light of a Gospel of love, is that we are relational in everything.  Our whole society as a collective humanity is based on relationships.  Relationships, however, are influenced by perceived and actual power, which is often based on the dichotomies that are the focus of this reading.

In bringing these two together we have the path and the circumstance that we celebrate today.  In recognising our relatedness we understand our responsibilities in how we use our situation in life to the improvement of those who are not as fortunate.It is not for us to preference either the poor or the rich it is for us to utilise our wealth (finance, happiness, food, etc) to bring about a change in tthe circumstances of those who are less fortunate then ourselves.  In doing so we bring forward the gospel of love into the hearts of those who are in need. We become saints when we entertain the idea of hospitality to those who are at the opposite end of the spectrum.  We bring our laughter, our love, our food, our financial wealth into the need of the world rather than concentrating on the dichotomy between rich and poor.  We tear down the walls of division and open everything up to the presence of God's Spirit.

The centrality of love

The commandment to love is a central tenet of the Christian faith that is proclaimed by Christ as he sums the law of God given in the commandments of God's covenant with the Israelite people (Matt. 22.34-40).  This is perhaps the essence of the Gospel that is given to us to proclaim in our everyday lives.  Yet, these concepts seem to be hard work for the majority especially when it comes to the display of political or institutional power.  Once authority is achieved it seems that these two basic commandments fly out of the window of consciousness rather than being the basis upon which we form our authority.  Although love of God comes first it is out of our love of neighbour that we can even begin to conceive of God's love in our lives as we express that love in our relationships with those around us.  So what is this love that we must give to another in the same way that we give to ourselves.

Love of self is what we do on a constant basis as we place ourselves at the centre of our lives.  It is self love that drives us in an economy that expands on the expression of our self love.  The basis of our whole economic structure is a basis of love of self as we strive to obtain those things that we desire and those things that will please our inner selves.  Consumerism is based on our own self love and we drive that search for the ideal in everything that we can obtain irrespective of its origins in marginalisation or injustice.  There is no weakness here as we strive to strengthen ourselves through the obtaining of our desires. It is circular driving force as we have to have the next thing as it is better and shows our love for ourselves.  We have no thought for anything outside of our own wills and our own needs that drive us in a perpetual striving for fulfillment.  In understanding our own love for ourselves we need to understand the downside of that love.  We need to understand and acknowledge that it is our love for ourselves that does not allow us to look outside of ourselves.  We have to provide for that burning and driving love with no regard for those outside of ourselves and thus we come into a continuing spiral of depression and dis-ease as we are made to be communal and not monadal / singular.

To meld into the other risks our own self love in weakness

 (http://adamakis.blogspot.com.au/)

Christ commands us to use this love that we apply to ourselves to those around us.  In other words we need in terms of the Gospel to turn our inner love's drive into those outside of ourselves.  This means that we must leave the circle of security which drives our lives.  In leaving the circularity of self love we open ourselves up to dissonance and disruption.  We deliberately make ourselves vulnerable so that the other can claim a part of our self.  This disruption weakens our own inner love and we feel ourselves being drained of our own self realising power as we see the reality of the other.  This is a deliberate subsuming of our desires below the desires of the other, whatever or whoever that other may be.  We do this not in recognition of gain for us as this would be no more then the exercise of our power over others to the glorification of our self (in other words a re-iteration of self love to the detriment of the other). We are asked to do it in the framework of a non-expectatiory move that relegates our self motivations to the back and seek only the well being of the other as we have sought the well being of ourselves in the past.

This non-expectatory move frees us from the cyclical nature of self love as the other responds to our weakness and fills the void created with creative force.  The force of love given freely in return that forms the bonds of relational living and the acknowledgement of others outside of self.  This is the love that God calls us to through Christ's re-iteration of the commandments.  A love that can change the world but only comes to pass when we begin the process by allowing ourselves to become vulnerable in our own love of self.

Caesar's recompense - the obligations of tithing

We all complain about the taxes that we are required to pay.  We all complain about the amount of money that the local council demands from us in rates.  After all even Christ suggests that we should give to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar (Mtt. 22.17-22).  We all give generously to the needs of our clubs and societies to which we belong whether it be the Embroider's Guild, the Art Appreciation Society, Rotary or some other group such as the Golf Club, etc.  The difference being the fact that we want to do those things that we belong to and we moan about anything imposed on us by "authority".  Let us just think about this in a different manner.  What would happen if we did not pay our taxes as a collective, our rates and our club dues?  What difference would it make to anything if we did not give?

In looking at the situation from this viewpoint we automatically see that things would start to become significantly problematical for us.  Let's us the council rates as an example.  If I was the Council and did not receive what was asked what would happen.  Well perhaps, one could start by withdrawing services, no rubbish collection for that household.  Any repairs to roadways outside the house be put off.  Perhaps spend a little less on the upkeep of the local park, the local services (library, sport venue, etc).  We soon see that there is an inconvenience placed on the householder that begins to affect the neighbour and then ultimately the community as resources keep on being diverted away from the area in which the house is situated.  We can obviously take the implications of this on to the larger problematic of taxes to the Federal government with the resultant consequences.  I am sure that Christ was equally aware of these same consequences in his era and the time.  Our society and our community does not depend purely and simply on goodwill.  At some point in the complexity of society there has to be a means of ensuring that essential works are undertaken,  By choice we make this an issue of financial return.

Is our tithe barn empty?

It can be seen that we would also be breaking the commandment of love of neighbour should we be so neglectful in our duties.  The same applies at the lower level of clubs and social societies as these would inevitably fold should there be a lack of income to pay for their modest upkeep and continuance.  This situation equally applies to the Church as without income there is a challenge in terms of material continuance in a specific place.  In the absence of such income there would necessarily be a downgrading of services and structure in any locality.  However, for the Christian church there is a further obligation (Mtt. 22.21b).  Here, Christ is referencing the tithe that goes back to Abram's interaction with Melchizedek (Gen. 14.20) that amounts to 10 percent.  A tithe that was to be made for the making of wholeness (Holy) in ones life (Deut. 12.5-6).  This tithe was used for doing God's will making justice, righteousness and peace something that in times past was undertaken by the Church not the government.  So what is our response.  Usually towards those structures that move towards justice and relief of poverty which is not always the Church.  It is towards making life holy and in conformance with God's love.

So we have two obligations as members of the faith community to which we belong the tithe that must go towards making our lives and the lives of our community.  Restoring justice, alleviating poverty, care for the aged and the vulnerable and creating communities of peace.  This can be through our faith community or through our actions.  This is our obligation to God.  Our second responsibility is towards our structures, our services and our faith home; this is the obligation to Caesar.  We forget either and we forget that we are a community.  We either forget our holiness or we forget our need to build community.

Invitation - Do we accept or not

Recently my daughter 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?

Commandments and authority

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?  Earlier this week 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.  In which 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.  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.