The unfinished tale

 The story of the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15.11-32) is well known and has been written about with some superb insights around God's love for us (e.g. Henry Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son and John MacArthur's  The Prodigal Son). The majority of such books focus on the Prodigal and the welcome he receives from the Father. Yes, this is astonishing but what is perhaps even more astonishing is that the tale is not completed. There is no end. We all know that towards the end there is a discussion with the eldest son but we need to ask: What does the the eldest son do? There is nothing in the parable to tell us and it is up to us to come to a conclusion so that we can complete the story.

We are so often told to place ourselves into the mindset of the prodigal but in reality we need to really work on the mindset of the older son as more often than not this is our mindset, not that of the prodigal. We are often told that we need to acknowledge our sin and find the extraordinary love of God surrounding us. What happens when we are given the freedom of choice to do what is desired but refuse to and turn away deliberately thinking that we are better. The older son denigrates the father as the father holds out his love waiting for the older son to come into the house. Is not his sin against God just as great even when he has been in his fathers house all the time receiving the benefits of that love? Remember that all of the material possessions of the father actually belongs to the son. He knows he has a close relationship and yet he has not asked for anything willing to be a servant rather than receive the benefits of the estate.

Have we locked ourselves out like the older son?

Often having gained our inheritance we either squander it or we do not utilise it to the benefit of those around us. We try to hoard it and thus lose our relationship with God as we rail against the disasters that have come upon us. If we are the older son, what is our response do we go of in a huff because of our expectations of a generous handout when it already belongs to us? The older son appears to be more lost than the prodigal as the prodigal at least realises that he has sinned. Seemingly the older son has not. In the prodigal's realisation he has come begging and not expecting the generosity that has been given. Note that his plea to his Father loses the conniving end of the original thought as he is welcomed by the generous father (Lk 15.19, 21). This is the prodigal's real turning point as he is faced with the generosity and humility of the father in front of the village. Having the inheritance that we have been given are we not as rude, in some ways as the older son, as we often do not realise our own sinfulness and cannot repent in the face of the love that is given to us. Instead we are true to our human nature and we take offence, walk of in a huff, complain, bitch and moan.

We are often in need of recognising both sides of the equation of repentance and forgiveness. Just as the pharisees listening to Christ tell this parable we need to be challenged not by the easy and foreseeable result of the returning prodigal but by the attitude and non-resolved situation that involves the older son. In our own situation and in the situation of our community whether it is the wider church or secular society we need to end the story and not leave it hanging as Christ does. We need to write the story in our answer to God, not for ourselves but for the new life that is promised as we climb beyond our own response to God's forgiving love.

Pride and its consequences

 In our Lenten journeys we are continuously looking at ourselves to strive towards the pattern that Christ lays before us in his life. Some of us may believe that where we are is where we need to be at which point we stop listening to God's presence in our lives and start thinking about ourselves. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians warns of the consequences of ignoring the lessons from the Exodus story (1 Cor 10.1-5). In a similar manner these warnings are for us today as we contemplate our own reactions to those things that occur around us.

We are very quick in our condemnation of those who belittle others and yet we fail to live out the teachings of God. An article appeared in Grafton, in the aftermath to the New Zealand shooting, with regards to how our own inconsequential thoughts change how we perceive the reality around us. In our communities around the globe we all say that we are inclusive, we are not like others in that we welcome all. These are the messages that we give each other and those around us. But I ask you are we? Are we actually as inclusive as we think we are? Sometimes it is hard for us to understand that our own rhetoric does not reflect what we project into the community. Then when we realise our faults we delve into them and make them our martyrdom, the cross on which we hang ourselves.

Our pride blinds us to our reality

God offers us more than we can provide for ourselves, if we are only able to follow where Christ leads us. The gospel that we proclaim is one that does away with the idols that we set up for ourselves. Those idols are the ones that lead us astray. We allow the mind of the community to sway us because that is what they see and are blinded to the actuality of their own thoughts. If we truly proclaim inclusivity then we should not harbour anything but love for those who are outside of ourselves. Yet, we constantly align others and those who think differently from us. We are a listening people. In order or us to form a relationship, no matter how difficult we think it is, we need first to listen. As a country and as a community of faith this is the one thing we are appalling at. We only listen to the voices of dissent whether from the past or from a perception of what we think is happening. If, we are at odds with someone then we stop listening to them and portray our own beliefs by ass u m(e)ing to bring it into conjunction with our own thoughts. This happens in small groups as much as in wider and larger groups.

Going back to the Grafton article for a moment the community has the belief in the idol of inclusivity when they are homogeneous. We often proclaim our inclusivity and yet exclude those we deem to be different from us. It is not in the big things but the small things that this often occurs. The Christian church proclaims an inclusive gospel of peace and love. Yet, more violence has been perpetrated in its name than anything else. We still set up the idols of ignorance and faithlessness as we follow our own paths and not the path of Christ. Paul reminds us to look back to our past in the scriptures and history to understand that we are imperfect as we look for God's presence. In our imperfection we set ourselves up for a continuous fall away from Christ's love. We allow our pride to show us the way rather than our humility to allow others to teach us. Scripture is there to teach us, the other is there to teach us and until we all start to listen we will not hear what there is to hear and we will not learn.

Left in the past for a new future

 It is a strange world we live in. Some years ago around this time of year we were subjected to the horror attack that killed 49 people at the shooting in NZ. Despite the outcry of many in the face of such utter vilification of people made in the image of God I suggested at the time that in times to come this will be just another tragedy just like the fall of the tower at Siloam (Lk. 13.4). Indeed we have gone through many such tragedies and the vast majority have been forgotten. Whilst the scale may be different the voices are the same in the blame game of culture and religion. In the same passage this is foretold as Christ himself states that this will continue until we repent but of what?

In the Philippians passage the writer suggests that we need to model our behaviour on that of Christ and he will be there as we transform ourselves into such a being that our transfigured selves can shine as a light to the world. What our problem is, or at least one of our problems, is the holding on to of either untruths or truths that have been manipulated to conform to our wishes rather than those of God. We are like those that follow Christ in that we hold to our beliefs, rather than to what scripture and God tells us. We place ourselves above those things that we should be believing and undermine our own beliefs. It is surprising for some that many non-Christians are more Christian than most Christians. Our belief systems often overlap with the belief systems of others but we are to engrossed in what we think we are meant to do that we fail to see others doing what we should be doing. We are quite honestly unable to conform to Christ, more often than not, as we uphold those who would have us  denigrate those not of our ilk. Our neighbours and our fellow inhabitants of earth are seen only as tools to be used for the benefit of ourselves and not for their own selves. Too often our sins are the sins that we perpetrate everyday without realising our own self hypocrisy. Perhaps, solely as a result of our 'enlightenment' when Descartes promoted the ideal of autonomy rather than a love that encapsulates the other.

Only when we see beyond the past do we see a new future

Today we are reminded of the covenant that was made with Abram at a time when he was extremely uncertain of the future (Genesis 15). The promise that was made at that time was a promise of land and of fecundity. This to a certain degree mirrors the promise that is made right at the start of Genesis at the creation for man created in the image of God to go forth and multiply. How else but through his and Eve's offspring to become a multitude on Earth. This same generosity of fecundity is being offered to Abram and his descendants even if none are apparent at the time. Yet, it is a promise that is not without its challenges. Challenges that are to be faced and in turn become a challenge to the descendants' faith, which we know through the scriptures is not always true. This then is perhaps the crux of our question and how we are true to God as God is true to us.

It is only when we remove our own petty hypocrisies that we are actually able to follow Christ and fulfil that which we are destined to. It is when we form our own self fulfilling dreams that we revert to the continuation of Siloam and all that that means for us. It is only when we recognise the truth of God's promises to us that we are able to fully transform our lives and live as Christ would wish us to. Then the petty hatreds of today will fade away and we will begin to understand what it means to love. It is the influences of the past that colour the thoughts of the future. If something has happened in the past that has angered, disappointed, depressed, turned us away, upset us, etc. then anything that is similar will cause us to react in the same way. We need often to let go our past experience and allow ourselves to experience God anew for us to step into a new future. We have to reset our lives in accordance with God's purposes and allow our new eyes to see more clearly through the obstructions of the past.

A drive towards the void rather than love

 Tolstoy's piece of fiction set in Russia is a good reminder for us in today's world, simply in the title, War and Peace.  We strive for peace and a world torn by war due to greed, insecurity, power, etc. All of these things are elements of our own selfish being.  I believe that at the beginning of our Lenten journey we should reflect on our own responsibilities regarding these two aspects of God's presence and absence. Neither of these antithetical conceptions appear out of nothing but have substance in our own being declaring the absence or presence of God. There is a direct correlation with what we are seeing in the world today and the second temptation in Luke's Gospel which relates to power and authority within the earthly kingdom (Lk. 4:5-7).

At the start of our Lenten journey it is important to realise that the temptations that Christ overcomes are the same today as it was in the time of Christ. The temptation that Trump and others of his ilk have succumbed to is this second temptation; the pursuit of power in the world. Irrespective of the reasons be they religious or pure secular power that places us in the position of seemingly absolute authority is a power that corrupts our internal life. On the road to power of this sort we overlook what and who our neighbour is. We turn our backs on others only seeking to further our own needs and wants over that which is beneficial for those around us. It is a selfish thing that leads to violence and the sundering of relationship within the community to which we belong. We also enter not the desert but the void which is absent of love as opposed to the raw fecundity of the desert that can lead to newness of life. Our desire for control leaves others in poverty and depression as their desires, their needs are overlooked and neglected in preference for our own satisfaction. We do not have to look at the world stage to see this but rather in our own backyard for those who would bully and intimidate to achieve their own wants and ambitions. We can see this occurring in all parishes and faith groups as one person or group attempt to have others accede to their demands. These tactics are a mirror of the greater world that we see in the politics of this country and the world.

A fractured world results from following our own agenda

In succumbing to this temptation, at what ever level, we allow ourselves to turn away from Christ and following his way. In entering into our Lenten journey we need to reflect on what Christ's actions in the moment of this temptation. Christ reminds the tempter that it is God who leads us and deserves our very being and no other. The self deludes us and turns our thoughts away from love in our relations. Love is purposive in building relationship as it guides us into a fulfilling relationship that cares for each other and the world around us. This is the road of peace; a harder road from war and the following of our own desires as it means that our own pleasures are put on hold for the benefit of the other. The road to peace can often be seen as a road of compromise but in reality is not just compromise but a true listening to those around us and a discernment of a way beyond selfishness that brings benefits to all rather than just a few.

For us, in the secular society in which we live, as a faith group, this is one of the most difficult things to do as we feel ourselves being dis-abled from society rather than en-abled in society. We look to often to the past and try to retrieve the prosperity of the past through tactics of intimidation and force. God calls us into a future that is filled with love and community. However, if we constantly turn our backs on that call we embitter ourselves and seek what we had through violence and control. Putin's would be Tsarist mentality is but an extreme demonstration of this keeping us in a fruitless and fear filled void. The fecundity of the desert space where Christ dwells invites us into newness of life and the road towards peace. However, this self fulfilling mindset can only be removed from our local communities by understanding our own motivations and our own thoughts towards the structures and traditions of the past. If we yearn for something that was then we are no longer on God's path but our own route towards selfish domination of others. It is only when we open ourselves up to God's love as it changes us towards a new future that we can truly understand that we are walking in the way of Christ.

Changing who we are

 Christ calls us to transform our selves and change so that we may become transfigured in his image. This seems an amazingly difficult undertaking to transform and change so that we become transfigured. We need to really understand these terms and how we use them. This last Sunday of Epiphany is the day that is often used to celebrate the transfiguration as told in the gospels (Lk 9.28-36). The term used in the Greek is metamorphoses but in Latin transfigure which seems to indicate both transformation (metamorphoses) and transfiguration. Neither of which is used as part of the Greek in this passage. The wording translates to "change" but actually signifies a change of person. So what are we actually being asked to undertake and perhaps become?

The possibilities are endless as we transform ourselves into newness of life

Perhaps, it is true to say that the very first thing we are being asked to achieve is change. No amount of words can get around this fact. We are all reluctant to participate in change unless we ourselves become enamoured and enthused by the process. The only way that this will actually occur is if we ourselves change. That seems a bit of a chicken and an egg and perhaps it is but the seed of change is introduced into our lives at baptism. It needs to be watered and nurtured so that change can take place. This does not mean that someone outside ourselves has to enforce the change or be the continual source of water. They may inspire us and trickle some water into our lives leading us to a starting point to begin the process of change but cannot do it for us. So, our first port of call, so to speak, is our selves. In understanding our selves we begin to understand the issues that initiate our ability to encompass the transformation that Christ requires of us. Simply put Christ is asking and drawing us away from our selfish inner selves towards a transformation that opens our hearts to those who are other. This is perhaps the first stage in the process of transformation, an understanding of our own being that shows us the accumulation of harmful debris and sheltering obfuscation that prevents us from opening our hearts.

In beginning this process we begin the process of change and transformation. Like a caterpillar cocooning itself we breakdown our internal selves to allow a reformation into something different but the same. If we ourselves do not undergo this transformation our glory will not be available for our transfiguration. Christ shows us his glory in his change, not his transformation, for he does not need to transform it is we who need to transform. If we were to try to become transfigured we would expose only our ugliness to the world. Our hatred, our vilification of the other, our darkness because that is what transfiguration does it exposes our inner selves to the world. That is what Christ exposed to his disciples the pureness of his inner self that was not different from himself. It is this state of being that we are called to in Christ for if we are in Christ the pureness of our being will be shown to the world.

So this brings us back to our own selves and are ability to change from who we are into what Christ calls us to be. It is our transformation that is asked for at Baptism not our transfiguration. Until we are able to embrace this change, the change that totally changes our very being into something more glorious, we cannot strive towards our transfiguration. This is the hard journey. This is the journey that takes us beyond even ourselves so that we can embrace our totality and not hide the darker side of our selves behind the falseness of everyday living. We cannot and should not shy from this task and our coming Lenten journey is a place for us to start, or continue, or end our own transformative process.

Hard love

 In thinking about love we tend towards a mushy expression of romanticism which has been conveyed to us by the ever helpful media and social mores of the world. In coming to terms with love as it is expressed by Christ and God we have to enlarge our view and overcome our own inbuilt biases. The passage from 1 Corinthians (15.35-50) outlines what appears to be totally un-achievable for those that are mortal. The very fact that we are mortal seems to suggest that we cannot achieve that which is only available to the spiritual. Yet why would Paul suggest this if it were not achievable within our own mortal bodies.

The issue perhaps is how we understand and how we cope with the feeling and ideology of love in the first place. Too often perhaps we relegate it to a forgotten world of pinks and hearts and softness that enfolds us in comfort and bliss. However, the love that is from God is not this marshmallow style of love. Yes, there is an element of protection and forgiveness but there is a much harder aspect that forms and moulds us into something other. Let's look for example at the speech that Joseph makes to his brothers in Genesis (45.3-11). We see this often as a lovely reunion of a family split apart from each other and forgiveness on the part of Joseph. Midrashic sources delve much deeper into the psychological processes that are in play here. From these sources comes an understanding that this speech is a result of an about face almost in Joseph's thinking that has been brought about by the impassioned speech from Judah in the foregoing chapter. Joseph has been trying to piece together a story over the period of his interaction with the family, a story that he casts over the familial members and creates the conditions for them to participate in. Yet, following Judah's speech he comes to the realisation that his story will bring shame upon the family, a shame that will cause even greater divisions than have already been wrought. His love for them makes him abandon the "revenge" and holds out a branch that will draw the tattered remnants of the dispersing family into a whole despite the cost to him. It is this love, which breaks us down, so that we can reform ourselves and our families into a new understanding.

Christ offers us an alternate way of looking at the other through the eyes of love. In Luke's gospel (6.27-38) the actions of love are broken down into what can only be described in this day and age as the "Idiots Guide to..". Perhaps, this is actually all we are good for, being spoon fed the requirements of this extraordinary love that comes from God. Unless we are prepared to unpack ourselves and understand our agendas like Joseph, who almost mid story, returns to himself and begins to understand the sacrifice it takes to re-draw the family. Christ re-draws humanities response to the other on the cross through his sacrifice, making holy, and re-drawing our relationships in the midst of chaos. The steps are simple. They are laid out in black and white in Luke's gospel (Lk. 6.27-38). These are the simple steps that lead us into the moment of re-drawing our lives around love. It is we who have to sacrifice the story that we build around ourselves in order to accommodate the stories that are told by others. In the same way the other also sacrifices there story once they have heard our re-interpretation of our lives so that they can do the same for themselves and have the courage to return to the basic format of love that is acceptance of self and other.

Love that transforms our lives is harder than we think

In taking the route of extreme love we open ourselves up to transformation. In re-writing our story we understand what has been hidden by the mushiness of our understanding. We transform ourselves so that we become spirit. The malleability and ease with which the spirit is accepting becomes our physical home. We are able to transcend the limitations that our earthly life places upon us and are able to embrace the strange, the unusual, the other in an accepting love that is not only transformative but also deeply protective and life giving.

Faith to weather the storms

 As a faith community we are meant to lead the way in terms of faith. This is after all what we proclaim to do as a community.. have FAITH! Yet, this is perhaps the one thing we tend to struggle with on a constant basis as it is asking us to place our whole being into an unknown. If we look at Jeremiah (17.5-10) we can see God saying something along the lines of: Have faith in me and you will grow like a tree beside life giving waters, if you do not you will be similar to a tree in the middle of a harsh desert. A similar theme is struck in Psalm 1. The early Christians also struggled with belief and faith but I suspect for different reasons (1 Cor 15.12-20).

Today faith and belief are not well known commodities, at least not in the spiritual sense. Faith and belief actually imbue our culture and our times but in a very different manner to what we think of within our Christian sensibilities. We actually have an undying faith in science and scientific progress, we have a strong faith in economic progress (whatever that may mean) and above all we have an absolute faith in everything technological. We have left behind us any thought of the nebulous faith that is associated with, well, faith. We are so concerned with what our rationality can undertake that we forget the other side of ourselves. One of our major issues in society today is that of mental health. I do not know but I suspect there is a correlation between our ability to sustain faith and our ability to retain our mental composure in the light of change. The world is changing rapidly and often which leads us towards an inability to integrate the things that are happening around us. We are so driven by our faith in things that are physical or rational that we do not cater for the needs of the other side of our own being.

Are we sturdy on the banks of God's love?

In the Lukan beatitudes Christ puts the two sides of our being into perspective (Lk.6.17-26). Both the negative and the positive, the up and the down. Unfortunately today we look only to the one side, always looking for the up, never recognising that there is a down that corresponds. It is the integration of the two that brings us to Christ because it brings us to a wholeness of being. We cannot have one without the other. Any person who is involved in recovery or involved in bringing others out of pain know that for this to happen both the negative and the positive need to be embraced. IF we are unable to understand the flip side, we are unable to understand ourselves. In order for us to maintain our faith we need to overthrow our faith. That sounds weird. In reality it is not we have a dependency on a faith with regards to the rational often as a result we find we have no place to turn to other than into disturbance and illness. If we overthrow this and move into the madness of faith in something other than the rational we find our equilibrium and begin to understand ourselves. It is a question of trust rather than anything else. Are you able to allow the other to catch you as you fall backwards? By taking trust and faith to the extreme we are able to fall into the hands of God as he leads us into the future.

In beginning to understand ourselves we can see both sides of the equation, as it were, and are able to accept who we are. We begin to love ourselves. In this acceptance we are able to see the other not as other but as part of ourselves and are therefore able to begin to love our neighbour as ourselves. We begin to have faith in Christ and all the extraordinary claims that come with that faith because they are extraordinary. Like the tree in Psalm 1 that is beside the water we need to have an eye on the waters of faith and the dry country of rationality in order for us to become whole. It is not this or that it is rather both this and that.