The Incarnation - Child like acceptance

 The Christ Child, the bringer of peace, the bringer of righteousness and justice is born once more. It is as we celebrate this day that we acknowledge the Christ that is present in us all. Yet, it is more than that for the reading from John's gospel, which many avoid because it is not Christmassy, brings and important depth to our celebrations this day. John's gospel has a great theological depth and is the most recent of the Gospels that are included in the canon. The passage at the beginning that we read today takes us back to the beginning of our scriptures in Genesis 1. In doing so we tie both the beginning and the end together into one cohesive all and fathom the depths of God's love for his creation both human and other.

From the passage at the beginning of John (Jn 1:1-5) we can see that the incarnate word was present at the start of creation when stability was brought into being from the chaosomos that was present. Words have power over creation and over life. In the modern setting that seems to bring to the fore images of 'magic' rather than images of faith. Yet, for the people of John's time and for those that came after the descriptive words contain truth. The word became flesh as a reality in our time. The incarnation is about the inexpressible becoming expressible in our daily lives. For us today, we feel that mere words cannot convey for us a reality beyond a mere description unless we have the eyes of a child and can accept such things like a child. Our modernity has put a large number of filters in our way that prevents us from seeing the truth of the presence of God in the child born in Bethlehem.

Can we see the world through the eyes of a child?

Faith and those things that are a part of belief in something beyond ourselves has been confined by our own understanding of the world. At the time that John wrote these words at the beginning of the gospel there was a link that was forged between what was written and the faith that each person lived out in the reality of the world. The reminder of God's presence at the beginning of time in bringing order out of a chaotic situation to create rather than to bring destruction. This reminder is applied to the Christ for us to take up the understanding in our lives, our believe, that God brings creation out of the disorder that is our current life. The incarnation of God's word lets us know and become aware that our thoughts and our insights are nothing compared to the creative ability that God gives to us by God's presence in our lives. The present is God's gift to us and we need to see that gift as being something creative in our lives. However, like spoilt children we often discard the gift that has been given as we hanker after the offerings of the world rather than the love that is found in community and family.

It is the acceptance of the gift that is displayed by the youngest child that is of importance for us in how we look to the future. It is with the eyes of one who has not been tainted by the world that we need to view our world. This is what will allow us to perceive the grace and hope that is present in the incarnation. No child below a certain age can see what the adult perceives to be a dangerous and suspicious world but rather they see something that is filled with wonder and love. We, the adults, are the ones that challenge this view and turn it into a perception of hostility at every turn. It is only when we can see with the eyes of child will we begin once more to see as Christ in the midst of a world torn apart by our own prejudices. It is only when we can see and perceive the world as a place filled with mystery and love will we begin to bring peace into our societies. It is only when we see with childlike love that we will begin to repair the brokenness of the world that is torn apart by personal greed. It sounds simple does it not. It is simple and perhaps that is our problem to overcome. It is TOO simple for the complexity that has been the makeup of our lives in the modern age. I saw an ad on FB recently that was a plea for vaccines to be sent to Africa. It encompassed the greed and the hoarding that is to the detriment of the world as it spoke of COVID from the perspective of 2025 (6 years in) and the destruction of society because of our selfishness as nations and as people of God. As we welcome the Christ Child this day may we who follow Christ and remember that our own lives are nothing compared to the lives of our neighbours. That it is through love that we can change the world we live in.

Central to the Incarnation

 This is the last step on our journey towards the incarnation and the celebration that we as Christians commit to on a yearly basis. It is not the Xmas of commercialism that has become the tradition. It is not the paraphernalia of expensive gift giving and rites that have been debased to a frenzy of anxiety and fearfulness in the eyes of many. Rather it is a gathering together of the faithful in a celebration around the Christ Mass in its simplicity and welcome that reveals at its heart love rather than division, anxiety, loss and hate. Today we celebrate that love and renew it in our hearts so that we may join together once more to celebrate the coming of Christ into the midst of a world churned by violence and divided by hatred.

Community is about accepting the other into our hearts with love

Love is an ideal or at least we idealise it for ourselves. However, we need to fathom what it is for ourselves and how we can make it an actuality within the lives of, not just ourselves, but also those around us so that we can form better communities. I do not know about you but I am dreading the coming Federal elections as much as I have been repulsed by the paucity of truth coming out of the current government. The reason I am dreading the coming elections is the total lack of respect and truth that will be peddled in our direction over a period of a month or two. It has inevitably kicked of early and brings a wet blanket to the joy we should be seeing this Christmas. If we are to have people lead us whether it is at local, state or federal levels then they should by rights reflect our normative behaviours and the community's from which they come from. At present most politicians, or at least the ones striving for leadership and renown, I would not have in my backyard as a result of the lack of love, righteousness and peace they exude. Most particularly if they claim any form of religious belief.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians lays out precisely what love should be and how it is to be expressed in the community. If we cannot begin at the basic level of honest communication and honest reflection of our neighbours then we should not be representing any faith community. At the heart of all faiths is this key concept of respect and love for the other over and above ourselves. The issue is that we often interpret things to our understanding and not align ourselves with God's understanding. It becomes more and more important for us that what we think is right is right. Thus, when we consider love of neighbour there is usually a proviso tacked onto the end of the thought, "except...". No matter who we are we fall into this fallacy that love of neighbour means those that we consider worthy to be our neighbour. But as both Paul and Christ point out love is above our pettiness and covers all people made in God's image and all life made from God. How can we not include love for and protection for our environment if we love our neighbour?

If we lack the basic understanding that we need to both respect and acknowledge our neighbours point of view we also are unable to begin to express God's love for us. Even John in the womb recognised the other and leapt in joy and love when Mary entered the home (Lk 1:39-45). In preparation for next week we need to understand the basic fundamental of God's redeeming love is available to all despite what we, individually, may believe. Christ is incarnate as a human being not as a some extraordinarily different person or species. No God incarnate that we celebrate next week is a reflection of humanity as a whole. If  a single person in an age that was filled with violence and greed, just as today is, with petty politics and the grubbing for power, just as today is, can exhibit a love for each person they meet then so can we as human beings. It is not a hard thing to do but it is a hard thing to overcome the conditioning that the world has fed us over the many years of our lives. In our last week of reflection before we come before the Christ child to honour and praise God we need to understand this love that God has demonstrated to us in Christ. It is only when we can clearly demonstrate that love amongst ourselves that we can become a transforming community of God's love to the world. It is in that very community that we gather the strength to show love as without the support that each of us gives we will degenerate back into the selfish lives that we so often manage to demonstrate to the world.

Joy comes with love

 It may seem strange that we talk about joy in the face of the reading from Luke that seems to emphasise the evil in people with their reward of fire and brimstone (Lk. 3:7-18). Yet it is sometimes that out of terror we find joy in a world that is beset by pain. In the last two weeks we looked at our faith journey in terms of hope that springs from the darkest moments in our lives and the peace that is brought as we journey in the midst of the desert. In the face of adversity and the horrors of violence comes moments that transcend everything around us and bring joy pouring into our hearts. One such moment is when we see the incarnation and the joy that the Christ child brings. This joy stems from the expectation that we all have when there is new life in the offing.

For many of us we just have to think back to the joy we experienced with the birth of our children to imagine the joy that comes with new life. Yet, we are talking about scripture that speaks of winnowing and threshing both violent and separating events. If we superimpose this on the violent and caustic world in which we live we can begin to entertain some of the understanding that must go with these two concepts. If we have too much concern over the violence we will miss the opportunity to find joy in the beginnings of new life. Even in the worst of situations there is often an overabundance of joy. I can remember touring one of the impromptu residential camps outside of Pretoria. Created not only from an overspill of people from other areas but also as a result of continual development pushing people further and further from the urban population areas. Whilst there was a lot of political resentment, this was in the new South Africa, there was also a lot of joy in the camp. From the birth of new children to the organised chaos of the resident children running and playing after what schooling was available. Despite the poverty and the poor conditions there was joy in and around the life that was lived.

Relax and understand God in our hearts

It is the acceptance of what we have been given by God that allows us to fully experience the joy that is in life. This takes courage (Zeph. 3:16) to live up to and exceed, even in the toughest of conditions, God's presence in our lives. It is God's delight in our lives and acceptance of Christ within them that brings joy not only into our hearts but the hearts of those who are part of God's community. It is often at the bottom of our lives that we really begin to understand God's presence and it is at that time that we begin to dwell in the joy that God's love brings. This is where the peace we spoke of last week comes as we embrace the presence of God in the worst of conditions. Being human there is a draw back to all this lovely talk about joy and that is that we tend to be anxious over every small set back in life that we have (Phil. 4:6). No matter what the condition is that has created our state it only increases our own anxieties as we have no understanding as to what the future has in store for us. It is only when we have God's love in our hearts that we tend to find joy in our context and allow our anxieties to melt away into the wind of chance.

We are each and every day encouraged to indulge in our anxieties. To exaggerate them until such time as they overwhelm and defeat us. In doing so we lock out the joy that should be present in our hearts when we take up Christ's burden and love ourselves and our neighbours in God's presence. It is only in looking forward continually and listening to the voice from out of the wilderness that is our hearts to we begin to appreciate the joy that is ever present around us in creation. We seldom look beyond our angst and anxiety riddled life that we can experience the joy that is close to our hearts. In leaving the things that concern us behind we achieve the fulfilment of our hearts. It is like going on a long expected holiday and actually taking time out to relax. We take holidays but we seldom actually relax. Many will be going off at this season to be with family whom they have not seen for sometime. Yet, I know that that will not necessarily be a time of putting away the concerns that trouble us. Nine times out of ten there will be concerns raised over kids and grand kids that will add to the concerns and anxiety. Rather we need to let those disappear, let our families relax and not burden us with the pettiness of life that raises our anxiety so that we can truly let go and let God.

 

A cry from the wilderness

 We spoke last week of prophecy and prophets which move us on in the Advent cycle to the candle that symbolises faith, peace and the journey into a place of new beginnings, Bethlehem. John cried out in the wilderness to a people who had lost their faith and were living in a time of violence. A prophet at a specific time and place calling in a setting bereft of life to bring new meaning and new life into the lives of the people of the covenant. A call from the deserted places of our lives to incarnate a faith that glows with the power of love and peace. In moving towards the incarnation we recognise that our faith journey often ends up in the wilderness. The wilderness of disappointment and solitude. A wilderness that is founded upon our own deserted dreams and aspirations burnt to dust by the grind of daily life in an era that does not understand faith and its fulfilment in our lives. In looking at John's call from the wilderness there is a point where we need to understand that the call that comes from God often comes from a wilderness experience.

The present day is perhaps very similar to the Middle East at the time of the incarnation in terms of violence and division. The nations of the world are divided in terms of how or what peace means; on how to manage or support environmental change and other needs that affect all peoples. There is no possibility of dialogue within the true meaning of listening but rather a continual babble of wants and desires that affect the world's abilities to respond together as humanity; rather than individual needs and requirements for advancement or perceived progress in wealth and prosperity for a few. There are numbers that call from the devastation of their lives who live in deserts created by selfish others who look only to profit from the misery of others. We just have to look at the response to efforts to bring the world back to some semblance of normality in the aftermath of COVID to see how sense is a small voice that is besieged in the desert winds of denialists and those that are anti anything to do with ensuring health and well being. In many respects the faith groups of the world are just as divided and are unable to bring some sort of hope and peace to those who have been devastated by the ravages of COVID and war.

Future peace is brought with dialogue and understanding

In the deserted places of our hearts we have no peace and we yearn for something to fill the emptiness. Our hope that we carried over from last week is a nascent shoot in the middle of nothingness that we supply with our faith to help it to grow in a manner that brings peace rather than confrontation. God calls us towards peace not towards violence and as people who journey in faith we need to understand that our relationships need to be built on peace. Our current age allows and encourages us towards confrontation by giving us binary decisions to make rather than seeing new beginnings in an atmosphere of listening and understanding. The desert allows us to remove all the clamouring from our lives and allows us to listen for the persistent voice that is quietly calling us to freedom and peace.  A call that has resounded through the ages and is culminated in the incarnation of Christ who shows us the way forward through acceptance and dialogue.

We ourselves cannot be complacent when we hear God call to us and just accept the status quo. Rather we must actively seek God's blessing upon us so that we can embark towards new ministries and new ways of doing things for God's rule. Only when we manifest God's love in our lives and open the dialogue that is necessary to bring reconciliation and healing between peoples in our communities will we begin the enact God's call. It is all very well for us to pray and speak about how wonderful God is but without changing how we act in our lives we will be no closer to bringing God's peace and encouraging our faith to burgeon and lighten the load that is on the community in which we live. We face a new world out there, one that has been forged in the fires of COVID and denial of change. In facing that new world we need to place our faith in God's presence and listen to God's voice leading us towards God's peace.

The promise of a new beginning

 The liturgical year starts today in the Christian calendar. We are now four Sundays before the celebration of the incarnation entering into a period of solemnity and waiting for the event of Christ's presence. The Advent candle wreath is lit for the first time  and we are reminded that this Sunday is about the prophets who foretold the coming of the Christ child, much as Jeremiah does in the reading set for today (Jer. 33:14-16); a prophesy of hope. A prophesy that a new branch will come out of the the solid tree of David the king of ancient Israel, perhaps a new King that throws of the bondage of colonialism. This prophesy is made in a number of ways by several of the prophets in some form or another but what does it portend for us in this day and age when prophesy is no longer listened to having been fulfilled in the birth of the Christ child?

I think that we need to re-look at this purposively for ourselves and not as if it has been fulfilled but something that is constantly present as a nucleus of change in a chaotic world. It presents us with a challenge that is an invitation to prepare for something wonderful and fulfilling. All prophesy is an invitation to a new beginning and a new future as it displaces what we think is our future and introduces us to something unexpected. Perhaps what we need in the present time is to listen once more to a true prophesy from God and not the false prophets of the world of politics and entertainment. In looking forward to the incarnation we look forward to a moment of change as God's presence enters the world of creation. In the same way prophesy initiates that change by giving to us a glimpse of the future and what it could be like if we were to listen to God's voice.

Prophecy tells us what could be not what will be

Christ speaks about the idea of prophesy predicting the second coming as he turns to the parable of the fig tree (Lk. 21:29-31). The prediction of change which will interrupt our own world view so much so that we will find ourselves grasping for new life. It is always easier to see the expected changes that the world brings upon us. It is easy to see and forecast economic and changes to how government is going to work in terms of policies and the future. It is much more difficult to predict and make ready for changes in the heart of a community as these changes inevitably begin in the hearts and minds of people away from the public arena. Yet, those signs and those visions are often the first indication we have of a change in the way our lives are lived. Perhaps one such is the way we are seeing different people coming forward in local elections around the country. People we would otherwise not expect to be placed in positions of authority and trust. These are small yet definite signs of change within the political environment that may explode onto the bigger stage in the future. It is these and similar foretellings within our faith that we need to pay attention to determine God's presence and work in our communities.

In looking forward to the incarnation we are also looking forward to Christ's presence or second coming. In looking at this time to the birth of a child and the incarnation we perhaps need to realise that the signs of prophesy that were present in scripture were dismissed, in a manner of speaking, as the expectation was not the reality. For us, this is a reminder that our expectation of return is perhaps not what we conceive from our interpretations but rather what God conceives for us. We perhaps need to prepare without expectation of what we think is Christ's coming but by ensuring that our hearts and minds are filled with the love of God for each other and build our community so that we may become blameless before God's presence as Christ is made known to us (1 Thess. 3:12-13). We fully understand the way of the world and can read the winds of change within our normal processes and world but we rarely perceive the things connected to our faith in as certain a manner as we do the mundane. We rarely pay attention to the prophesies of God that tell of a future that is built on love. We cannot conceive in our world something that is simple as we look for the complex. Yet prophesy at the heart is a call to change which is small and yet makes room for a greater understanding than we have today.

Christ's reign precludes violence

 At the end of the liturgical year we celebrate what has traditionally been known as Christ the King or more recently the coming of Christ's reign. It is perhaps strange that as we give honour to those who have suffered as a result of violence within the home we use words such as king. However, we first need to understand that archaic world views and misogynistic interpretations of scripture has created many situations in the past. Much of this has been the result of a male orientated view of faith and the representation of God in terms of male genderisation. In looking at the history of the church it can be seen that around the time of Paul and shortly thereafter there was a concerted push towards male domination of the burgeoning religious movement founded on Christ. Much of today's celebration is around Kingship because the main ruler was conceived of being a King in earthly terms. Actually. a nuanced mis-interpretation of the word basiliea. This word has been interpreted in terms of physicality of a kingdom rather than the more nuanced understanding of rule or dominion. 

This is made extremely clear in the dialogue between Herod and Christ in John's gospel (Jn. 18:33-37) which we have heard read today. In the normal translation we hear Herod asking are you the "king of the Jews" this could and perhaps should be translated as a question as to whether Christ is the "ruler of the Jews". This is a very different content as Christ goes on in the conversation to say that his 'dominion is not of this world' (Jn. 18:36). He is not talking about something physical but something much more abstract and perhaps powerful. By speaking in terms of kings and kingdoms, we are speaking in terms of physical constructs that are often associated with violence and domination within their sphere of influence. We are legitimising the use of such violence and when we intrude on that the concept of the home being the man's kingdom we beget violence and cruelty. This is an inherited and archaic way of looking at our current concept of society and one that is perpetuated through time by our acceptance and reliance on tradition.

Dance to God's rule not kingship

Let us change that as we reflect this day on the concept of rulership and the concept of Christ's dominion in our lives. This is not a Kingdom but rather an authority which guides us and gives us the direction that leads us into a new way of doing things just as new growth occurs following rain and nutrients (2 Sam. 23:4). It is something we celebrate and not hide a way in shame as it rises above our worldly concerns and reflects God's love into the world. No matter what account we read of the life and teachings of Christ there is one thing that it characterises and that is the acceptance of women as well as a concern for the status of women in a predominantly male society. This teaching is continued into much of the early writings of the burgeoning church and it is not until later that a clear misogynistic view becomes increasingly apparent changing the course and theological understanding of human relationship. God and Christ's rule is clearly one that functions in love and peace rather than in violence and war. 

Christ's reign is not here as we well know from the abuse within the community and within families from all cultures and religious denominations. Our start as Christians is within the Gospel teachings of Christ that are based on God's love for all of creation and not on later theologising influenced by human society and world view. In our celebration of Christ's reign and rule we must be open to God's love and the dictates of the Spirit that tells us to love our neighbours as our selves. We cannot see our relationships in term of conquest or violence but rather in terms of love and building. It is not easy and it is not the common way of society because it means sacrifice of self over the other. A community that is built on this form of relationship, that is one based on the concept of God's love, is a community that is strong and freed of the necessity to hide its shortcomings and poor decisions as it learns through its mistakes rather than casting blame on the other for its own detriments. Such a rule as NT Wright has said is not an optional extra for those who believe in Christ but the essence of our community.

Speaking in honesty

 I wonder if we will ever really be able to speak with honesty in this day and age. I am certain that all of you that read or hear these words will have a problem and say "But I do!". Yes, I am sure many of you do speak honestly and some even speak bluntly about what they see, hear and feel irrespective of the feelings of those that hear. However, I am also pretty sure that you do not speak honestly all the time and in fact you probably do so in order to protect someone close to you. Also we often do not speak honestly because we are afraid of upsetting someone or it is against the norms of society. Just such an issue is death. We come up with all sorts of fake well sounding euphemisms for death. I remember my mother on the death of my father being told how sorry the person was that she had lost her husband so suddenly. My mother's response was "Madam, I would be foolish to have lost him but he is dead!"; much to the horror of the speaker. It is in these ways that we have all lost the ability to speak honestly in the company of those we are. It of course becomes worse the more we rise in prominence within society as we have to watch the p's and q's of political correctness.

Speak with the voice of the Spirit

Sometimes I feel that we in the church have lost our ability to speak strongly and honestly about faith and the journey of faith. We are sent out into the world to proclaim the Good News, the Gospel and this is what Christ asks of us. So it is interesting for us to listen with our hearts to what the Spirit is saying to us when we do that because I am fairly certain that most of us when speaking about our faith utilise theology, or our ability to talk about God. I am not saying we should not do that but what I am saying is that we have to take care that we are actually allowing the Spirit to speak (Mark 13:11) and not our own faulty understanding to speak. In hearing what others say to us we are equally guilty in disbelief especially when they say something contrary to what we believe. In doing so we may miss the spark of the Holy Spirit uttering truths to us which are contrary to our pre-conceived ideals and ideas (1 Sam. 1:13-14). It is only when we allow the Spirit to speak through us and we listen for the voice of the Spirit can we begin to truly discern what God wants from us.

One of the issues for all those of the Christian faith is that we are quite muddled in what and how we speak about our faith. I suggest that most people speak about theology and not about the Gospel or rather their perceptions of what theology suggests is the Gospel. The injunction to truth telling is throughout our scriptures and the injunction about the Gospel comes prior to any theological interpretation of Christ's ministry. We to often rely on our own understanding of what the Gospel means to try to convey the message of truth that is inherent in Christ's message. Christ clearly states that it is for us not to be concerned about what we speak but to rely solely on the Spirit as the Spirit is the one that has already prepared what we say. For us the uncomfortable fact is that we are much more comfortable with our own understanding of the Gospel than that which God wishes to pass on through the words of Spirit and truth. Our frailty and our own recognition suffer if we feel we depart from the words that we think are truth and the words or doctrine or message that we wish to convey.

All this may seem heretical or not what the Gospel is about but in reality we need to start to listen to the Spirit that God sent rather than to our own spirits. In speaking about our faith we have firstly to speak with honesty, not our own honesty but the honesty of the Spirit that thrives within us. We are asked to speak about our faith and our faith journey we can only do that when we allow God's Spirit to speak for us. It may seem that what we say or do is contrary to what we think we should say or do but then we need to have sufficient faith to rely on God's presence. It is not as if we need to be timid in faith but rather bold knowing that Christ has been and is our high priest offered and offering up for us the sin which is inherent in us but is no longer (Heb. 10:11-ff). Only in faith can we be assured that God speaks through our actions. The moment we let ourselves to be without faith and rely on our own strength do we fall and not speak the Gospel.

All the Saints

 In celebrating all the saints this year it is perhaps something of an impossibility to not first understand what we mean by celebrating all saints. I am sure that most of us can rattle of the name of at least a few saints, particularly as a number of us are probably named after such saints. Also when we refer to the saints more often then not we are referring to some old or not so old stuffy people who acted in a manner that was pleasing to the church, who left a legacy for us to emulate. Perhaps that is a bit harsh but there is a whole rigmarole around the manufacture of a saint in the eyes of traditional church. Much of it is to do with the proof of miracles and wonder working in their name. Not only that but within the jurisdiction of the Catholic church it sometimes takes years before a saint is recognised. Is that what this day is about, some stuffy old folk who have had the church recognise their deeds?  Are they all dead, as seems to be implied by our readings for today from the Wisdom of Solomon and the raising of Lazarus?

We revere those who are seemingly the saints of the church and more often then not those we revere are dead. It is only on rare occasions that we seem to suggest that someone is a living saint. Those that are labelled as such are often extraordinary in our eyes. Yet, in scripture especially when we look at Paul's letters the people of the way are often referred to as saints. Paul quite often states "Give my greetings to the saints" or some similar words. What in deed does the word actually mean over and above the attribution we give to it? Well saint comes from the Latin, sanctus, which means holy, so in this case saints are holy. If we remember from scripture and elsewhere we are asked to make ourselves a holy people acceptable in God's sight. We also at the end of each eucharistic service present ourselves as living sacrifices, i.e. make us living holy people. So who actually should we be honouring today is it those who have shown us exemplary records of behaviour or is it something simpler?

We are all the saints

If, we are to believe the writings of Paul and others we have to change our way of thinking and on All Saints day actually celebrate all the saints. We are so hung up with tradition that we neglect to understand that today celebrates the lives of those who follow the path that Christ has set. Once we understand this we can begin to celebrate our own paths to Christ as the saints of the present day. This does not mean that we neglect those who have gone before but rather to understand their meaning for us as the current saints of today. The descriptions and our scriptures that celebrate those who have been described as saints let us know how to behave and how to create community so that we with all the saints can celebrate God's presence amongst us. Nothing promises an easy life and nothing promises that there will be no hardship but what is promised is that at the end of the day we will be accepted with grace and peace such that we will shine as gold (Wis. 3:3b, 7). 

Like Lazarus our bindings will be undone and we will be set free (Jn. 11.44) even when we have been abandoned as if dead and destroyed (Wis. 3:3). It is when we accept the vision of God in our hearts and bring that glory into our communities because of who we are. We are reviled for telling the truth but in our truth telling we judge the nations or at least those who assume power. In accepting the cross of Christ we also accept the burden that comes with it. That burden is the burden of truth and love something that those of the current age have abandoned as we have seen so often in the recent political past. We are too often discouraged by not appearing to make any progress or we are too easily dissuaded by those around us who have committed themselves to a modernity that discourages our own community interactions as divisive rather than bond forming. Yet, the saints continue to form bonds that are beyond the ephemeral bonds of today. Bonds that last lifetimes rather than the few minutes of popularity that is the grasping of modern society and the drug of choice, instant fame or infamity to be forgotten when the next instant appears. Our bonds are bonds that last forever and are sought not for fame but for hope and love. Let us dedicate ourselves as saints of today's church who bring hope and truth into the world around us.

To love above all

 It may seem somewhat difficult to understand why the reading for today includes the commandment to love (Mk.12:28-34) with the need to pay taxes to Caesar (Mk 12:13-17) but in a fundamental way these two are interrelated. In the same breath we are introduced to the story that is laid out in Ruth with regards Naomi and her daughter in law. All of these stories revolve around one thing and that is the concept of love. A concept that we hold dear to the heart of the Christian story and one that is the utter centre of our God. We are asked in all of scripture for two things and that is to love God and our neighbours as ourselves. The central word in both of these commandments is the word love, not like, not befriend, not anything else but love. Love which is often interpreted in our modern frame of the world as mushy softness surrounded by pinks and roses, is not the love that we are examining or imputing onto God in these readings.

Perhaps, the easiest f these to really understand and to have our heartstrings pulled by is the story of Naomi and Ruth. The very concept of love that this entails can be easily understood within the outlines of the human condition, There is nothing in the story that cannot but inspire us to understand a concept of love that is willing to leave behind the country of birth. The inspiration of love for country is something that often transcends generations such that people will be unwilling to leave a country if there is a generational connection. In Ruth's case she is leaving a country of birth with a generational connection for something and somewhere that is totally foreign. This may not seem to traumatic in today's world where substituting one country for another appears to be something that is really very easy and non-traumatic. Yet, in cultures that are highly familial based this move can be exceptionally difficult for both parties involved. Yet, this is not a simple case of following a lover or beloved party but rather making the sacrifice for a third party unconnected by any bond other than love.

This is easy, is it not? Ruth's story is simple and can be applied to our lives but we do not see that amount of love in our lives today. What we get instead is a total rejection of the concept of love. So rather than have love blossoming we encourage others towards hate as we stop those who out of love would follow to new countries or new situations. We do not see the concept of love in the migration of fellow human beings across the world but rather a movement that will bring division and hatred and thus must be stopped. Ruth reaches out in love towards an unknown country as a result of interacting with one person from that country. She eventually finds happiness and a solid foothold in the country that becomes hers through love. Yet, we deny the possibility of that love by denying the possibility of migration as we protect our insubstantial borders that are produced by political negotiating. Yet, love often becomes a fundamental criterium of those that live for any length of time in a country. We just have to regard our own genealogical past to see that this is the case.

Love above self

If we can have such love for a country that is unknown to us how much more can we love something that we are born to. We are commanded to love in an astonishing way. We often view the challenge of the taxes as one that either encompasses all things in God or doing what is right in terms of the legal situation where we live. There is of course the politics behind the episode being that the temple should not have had Caesar's money in the first place. But let us be a little topsy turvey as we have in the past few weeks. If we think about how we accommodate everything we want in life it often comes down to who is going to pay. We can complain about those who are our leaders and we can complain about how poor a job they are doing but we have to understand that if we truly love our neighbour then we should be willing to render to Caesar so that as much can be done to alleviate injustice and poverty as possible. Even if the current policies and those who we vote into power do not appear to have the same agenda. In the same breath we must also render to God as much love as we render to our fellow citizens. In praise of God, however we conceive of God, we engender the soul of love in the community which alleviates the poverty of loneliness and despair as we reach out in faith and love to those who are in need.

Opening our eyes

Coming out of Jericho Christ heals the blind man Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-52) after the question "What do you want me to do for you?". In the midst of blindness and being unable to see Bartimaeus' response is to receive his sight. In looking at this particular pericope one wonders about seeing and sight especially when we look at figures such as Christ. Bartimaeus may have only wanted a return of physical sight, which in itself is a startling proposition, especially for someone who had probably been blind for quite some time perhaps even from birth. With the hindsight of much theological debate over the centuries that this story has been told we probably look at it for a deeper and more profound meaning. The fact that it is put alongside Job 42:1-6 increases this feeling of depth that is perhaps present in the passage. However, we need to constantly remind ourselves that in doing so we are placing layers of interpretation on a story that may not have been intentionally placed by the author, who may have only been talking about the return of physical sight.

Opening our eyes to a new way of seeing can perhaps be likened to having our eyes opened for the first time. Over the last few weeks I have been expanding on how we need to re-look at the things around us and this passage emphasises this for us. Can we really imagine what it means to see for the first time? I think this is pretty impossible considering the person has to take in what their other senses have been telling them in a different way. How can you explain a colour or visual stimulus in words that make sense when you cannot have direct experience of it? There are innumerable videos and stories that talk about or purporting to show someone's reaction to seeing for the first time but these do not tell us of the inner turmoil or sense of awe that the person may be experiencing.  Some of them are not about someone seeing for the first time but about seeing after a period of blindness and this is very different. In the Bartimaeus story we are not sure as to his status was he seeing for the first time or seeing once more although more often then not the former is implied.

Only when God opens our eyes do we truly see

In looking at ourselves we perceive only what those around us encourage us to see. In other words we only see ourselves as an image of how others see us. Our perceptions are also controlled by how tradition views us. In allowing these things to limit our vision of ourselves we limit how we could become. Let me suggest a possible vision by asking What is a Parish? There are many answers to this but most would probably indicate some sort of boundary encompassed area served by a priest or ordained person. Others might say that it is a designated area for the purposes of planning. Thus, we are constrained by the word itself as to what we think it is. So let us see as God sees and open our blind eyes to the possibilities that are present in God's vision and not be blinded by our own conceptions of what the future could be. Blind Bartimaeus sees, whether for the first time or not, a new way forward and a new life because Christ opened his eyes to the future possibilities that are inherent in God's presence. We are all sometimes blind to possibilities before us because of our circumstances and how the past has formed us. Christ opens our eyes to the possibilities that are ahead of us if we were to open our own eyes.

Job's eyes are also opened to his own blindness in challenging God in the midst of his despair. However, it is in turning towards God and asking for his teaching with a humble heart (Job 42.4) rather than pride that sees Job through. Luis Espinal writes in Gastar la vida that we need God's help to step into an unknown future but we need to do so with our eyes open to God's grace and presence who is ahead of us in the blinding mists of time. We are guaranteed our interlocutor and the presence of God's grace by the presence of Christ who is close to God (Heb. 7:26-27). We in our mortality have to seek God's face and ask him as humbly as Job for guidance and the opening of our eyes to the possibilities that are within our future. It is only when we open our eyes to the contrary possibilities that God grants us are we fully able to see with God's grace and love.

The conception of greatness

 Who do you think is great? If I was to ask this question of each of you there would be a completely different answer depending on what you think greatness actually means. If I was to ask it of a younger generation than would normally read this I would suggest that the answer I receive would be even more divergent and surprising than those of you who regularly read this blog. The reading from Mark's gospel is mirrored in other passages that refer to this same incident or a similar one in the life of the disciples and Christ (Mk. 10:35-45). For many the disciples requests would appear to be reasonable for the day and age as surely that is what greatness is about; being in positions of power and authority. But just as we spoke last week Christ reverses everything seeing it from a completely different perspective and suggests that greatness is not found in power and authority but in its reversal i.e. the poor and the lowly.

Over many years humanity in all its gloriousness has invested power and authority in those who are presumed to be great. Whether they be prime ministers, kings and queens or even bishops of the church and of course nowadays we presume to add to that power brokers who are rich and famous in some capacity or another. This is because we make an assumption that the best person to lead us are those who have what we imbue them with but more often than not those that we invest with power and authority. These are possibly the worst ones that we could ever place into such positions. We are taken in by their own hype and portrayal of who they are rather than listening to quieter voices that tell us other things. Most of those who we revere as having some form of authority, reminding ourselves that authority is only legitimate power, have either put themselves forward or been put forward by others with their own agendas. Just think here in terms of the premier or the prime minister or even the lowly parliamentarian. Even the bishop is there at the behest of an appointment process that more often then not is fraught with political ramifications and debate to get the "right" person. What we look for is not what God looks for because we are too often beguiled by the political communication of those who desperately want their candidate or their person in a place wielding authority so that their ends are met.

What makes us stand out is who we are not what we project

So what should we be looking for if not the political communications of those who seek power and authority to wield? Christ's condemnation of those who seek power and authority should make us stop and think about who we place in such positions. A discerning read of the passage would suggest that it is the total opposite of our expectations that we should look for. We normally appoint the person that wants the position and in any appointment process we undertake this is what we look for. For us it stands to reason that those that want the position must be the ones we select from just like any other job interview, simple really. What would happen if we actually select a person who does not put their hand up for the position? In other words we deliberately seek for someone who would not want the position and seek is the word as they would not really be on our radar for the position we want them to fill. Like taking the cleaner or clown and asking him to lead the local Council. To our minds this is ludicrous and not something we really want, a clown as the leader of a nation or company (sorry that has been done to death with Trump).

This is not quite the conception we want but rather to seek out the person who is conceivably the better person for the position. Have you ever been in a position when you know of someone who is right for the position but has not been shortlisted or offered the position? If you were to ask them if they wanted the job they probably would say no but circumstances dictate that they are the correct people. What is not required is someone who believes they know it all especially when it comes to ministry in the church. That is when God comes in the night and asks them the questions that Job got (Job 38:1-7) and like Job's friends they are unable to give a good answer unlike Job who knows his limits. I always have an issue when people categorically state they have a ministry especially when it is one that appears to suit their temperament because more often then not that is when you will have a failure. I am particularly reminded here of those videos you find that show a CEO dressed as a beggar to see the reaction of the applicant or employees. It shows the truth of a person rather than their portrayal at a rehearsed interview. This is what God wants, the true person who actuates God's love and humility and not the rehearsed behaviours that we think are appropriate but just lead to our own wants being fulfilled.

An upside down world

 Conventional wisdom and the norms of he world suggest that being rich, powerful and selfish creates the perfect living arrangement. In being rich we have no worry about what we buy or eat; being powerful means that others do not come between us and what we desire; being selfish suggests that others are of no consequence. In light of the Gospel, the Good news, this convention is meaningless as all the categories that we thought of as being true are turned in a topsy turvey manner so that we no longer recognise what is true and what is false. We are not used to seeing things from this point of view as we struggle with perspective and understanding what it means to be a person of faith when our traditional views are turned upside down. This appears as if we have to look at modalities in the same manner we would look at Escher prints and the fantastical art from the Surrealists.

Are we prepared to see things from a different perspective

Christ states the opposites of what we expect when in Mark's gospel and in the others when he states "But many who are first will be last and the last first" (10:31). So how do we practically change our view point especially in a world that does not engender the best of faith. Christ's statement in Mark comes after the question from the rich man as to how to gain eternal life. This is followed by the disciples talking about how difficult this is if the rich are unable to enter and the story of the camel going through the eye of the needle. Our difficulty is in thinking that our talents and our riches pave the way into the presence of God. It is almost harking back to the question of works and faith. It is not quite the same however as here we are talking about the difference between our worldly wealth and the wealth we have in terms of faith and the spirit. It is not our worldly abilities that assist us in this case but rather our connection to God and our ability to see things from the perspective of God.

We take account of things only from our own build in worldly experiences but we are being asked to put that to one side. We cannot get rid of it. It is similar to us having a seat in the wings of the theatre and being offered the ability to see from the centre of the front row. Our seat is in the wings but we are being asked to take the perspective of the front row. The change can become a permanent one but for the moment it is just a temporary change until we can actually manage the swap and make it permanent. In enabling our ability to see from a different perspective we begin to see as Christ and discard our own view. The Hebrew's passage reminds us quite clearly with regards to the power of  God's word, perhaps as revealed in scripture (Heb. 4:12). In context to what we are referring to it is obvious that turning the perspective around reveals more to us then we would normally guess. So in this case let us just suspend our normal thought processes and try to see the world in a different light.

Let us take a look at how we see being rich and successful. Most would suggest that this is what we all strive for in some form or another. It is our way of getting the world to look at us for once. Instead of looking at it from that point of view let us look at it from God's point of view. Each time we look at the rich and famous we need to ask ourselves what would God want us to do if we were rich and famous? If we are truly servants of God and have left everything behind then riches mean nothing to us unless they are serving God's purposes. This is, perhaps, what Christ is attempting to get across. Not that it is a problem being rich but if we are not doing God's work with our riches then it does not matter. In today's world what God wants us to do with our riches is irrespective so long as we accrue fame and fortune. This is not giving away everything to follow God it is retaining everything to follow ourselves. By seeing the use that riches can be put to and changing our perspective we can begin truly to follow God.

A problem of assignment

 Throughout time humanity has suffered from a number and numerous calamities of one sort or another If we think about it in terms of disease, violence, nature or any other means we can come up with a long list of resultant calamities from Ebola and the Black Death to COVID and Tsunamis; from the Titanic to the Hutu / Tutsi massacres. Often when we think about these disasters we automatically think "Where was God?". In all of these situations somewhere someone has got up on a pulpit and either suggested that it is all our fault through sin or else that God was missing in action and there is no point in continuing to worship the so called God if he cannot do anything in the face of such disasters. Classically for Christians these scenarios are seen in the book of Job.  We often struggle with his situation and how we interpret it. Just as we struggle with our own interpretation of disaster situations. What is the point of Job's story or the story of our own disasters and pandemics? Do we become apathetic bystanders who accept everything thrown at them, which appears to be Job's point or do we battle on for ourselves refusing to bow to the inevitable?

Job's story is more than just sitting back in apathy listening to a bunch of people try and argue about God and God's presence. God is not a humanised personality that gets you out of everything. God is not living up there somewhere as an all seeing all powerful entity laughing at the fate of us all. If we begin on this premise then we are more likely to be starting to look for God's presence in the world rather than for an outside source. God came to humanity in the form of a person who we acknowledge as being Jesus the Christ and it is to Christ that we look in times of disaster. In the passage from Mark's gospel which is tied in with Job, we see Christ suffering the little children to be brought to the front and not shunned (Mk 10:13-16). It is in this moment we see the possibilities of God's presence in our lives during the disasters that surround us. Huh! Yes, in the eyes of a child and the presence of children we see God's presence in the midst of disaster not looking towards adults and a seemingly unresponsive God. Children often do not see the disaster unfolding around them and it is we who dismiss this as their incomprehension of the facts. Perhaps we need to look at this from a very different aspect rather than from the all knowing, not, eyes of adulthood.

Seeds of hope in the midst of disaster

It is often said that out of calamity comes resolution and strength. There are many stories that anecdotally tell us of this from social media rescues in the aftermath of hurricanes to shopping mall survivors following floods and typhoons. All of these tell of one thing and that is the resilience of people in the face of disaster. A resilience that for some is created by faith and an understanding of God's presence in the closeness of their lives. What has this to do with children? The point is that this is how children to a certain extent view disaster as it occurs in their midst. They move forward with a clarity of vision that is based on trust, admittedly not in God, but on their adults who will find a way through the awfulness to bring them into joy. This is the attitude that needs to be taken as we move forward in the face of disaster and it is what scripture from Job through Hebrews to the Gospel are seeking to outline for us. It is not that God will intervene and make things right, it is that things will work through and we have hope in God to suggest that these disasters will form us in such a manner that we can begin once more to act with God's love and understanding in the world.

A while ago I spoke about how we have lost, in this country, our understanding of love of neighbour. Perhaps, out of the disasters of the present age we will begin again to see the need for this community action in the world. Not just locally but in terms of the wider context of our world. We always raise the concerns of those who are refugees, of those who are using violence to achieve ends, of those who do not look to others around them as people but rather as objects to be used. This is the answer that Job provides for us, it is not that we can survive as individuals but that we can survive anything that comes away with God's love expressed through our love of the other. Even when the other is so monstrously different to ourselves that we fear for our own identity.

A truth to tell

 In John's gospel Christ states that "I am the way, the truth and the life" and yet we often deny this as Christians in our lives. We often have very little compunction about telling things to people that will benefit ourselves and our friends rather than the truth. This is one of the most difficult things for us to undertake as our whole society is based on the telling of lies. If you do not believe me than listen to this story of an ethics class where telling lies was discussed. A student told the lecturer that she never told lies. The lecturer asked her a couple of questions: do you ever wear shoes that have increased your height in any way? the student replied , "Of course, I wear heels to go out to dinner" The lecturer then asked "Do you ever wear any form of make up?" The answer given was "yes most of the time". The lecturer than asked "how can you say you do not lie? You have said you lie about your height when you go out and each day you lie about who you are when you disguise your features with makeup".  These are minor social lies that we undertake each and every day in some form or another (gentlemen we are the same; just think aftershave, cologne, hair gel, shoes with a higher heel, etc). It becomes increasingly so when we begin to talk about advertising and politics in all of its forms. Our society is built on lies often hidden, often socially accepted and often blindly ignored even when we know the truth.

Accepted lies hide the truth that needs to be told

Christ in Marks's gospel suggests various body parts to be cut out and put out if they commit sin (Mk 9:43-47) perhaps indicating how we can tell an untruth through our bodies but most importantly not to allow ourselves to become tasteless without the truth salting our body (Mk. 9:49-50). In James' epistle the author is clear about how we must habituate our speech pattern around the truth (James 5:12). In answering questions and delivering our opinions we are often guilty of  waffling our way towards the endpoint rather than stating our feelings or what we wish done. This again is something that society has suggested is the better way as then we will not upset or disrupt relationship. Yet, if we do not truth tell we will eventually cause the same disruption of relationship. Yes, we needs must take care in how we speak the truth but this is about wisdom and understanding rather than not stating the truth. Truth telling is not always about words and how we inform each other. Truth telling goes beyond this to how we actually live our lives tot he fullest. In the book of Esther there is a clear understanding of what the cost of truth is not only for those telling it but those who have perpetuated a lie (Esther 7-8).

Just think about our own lives for a moment. The majority of us for whatever reason have a reluctance to share our lives with others, even with our family and friends. Even when we have things like RUOK day and other such ventures the understanding of privacy is so in built into our lives that we are reluctant to divulge and open our hearts. This is about truth telling of our hearts and minds and opening up to the presence of God. In James the writer goes on to speak about praising God if we are cheerful and praying if we are down, informing others of illness, etc (James 5:13-). This is about honesty in our own understanding of ourselves. This is telling the truth of our lives to others. It is not about divulging the secrets of secrets. It is about being honest about ourselves. This takes many of us a long time to understand and often we never come to this understanding of ourselves. We prevaricate and do not let others know our true feelings and were we are at in terms of our own health, spiritual, mental or physical. This has gradually become part of our lives over time and in some sense enshrined in the law of the land regarding privacy. We are reluctant to invite others into our hearts and life simply because we can shut them all out. In doing so we lessen our ties to each other and to the formation of community. It does not matter that we may dislike someone God asks us to love them irrespective of who or what they portray or are.

In order to be honest and pick up the cross to follow Christ we must pick up the burden of truth telling in our lives. It is no use for us to say yes we are OK when we are not for we then do not receive the support that the community can give us in prayer and comfort. As a result of this loss of respect and truth telling we have lost our ability to be empathetic. We no longer have the understanding of another's pain and circumstances since we have privatised our own pain and despair. Only when we can share in truth can we really begin to understand and empathise with others who are equally burdened and in pain.

Tongue in check

 The human race's most problematic issue is that more often than not we have no control over our verbalisations. We tend to speak before we think and in doing so we create more issues than solving them even when that is what we are about. The writer of James is quite correct in pointing this out (James 3:8). It is an ongoing issue and we only have to look at our current crop of politicians to gain insight into this. A few weeks ago I posted regarding our ability to listen, or not (https://faithindaba.blogspot.com/2021/08/words-and-action.html) and this comes in to play once more here. We fail to listen and in failing to listen we often open our mouths to say things that we should not be saying or are detrimental to ourselves and our neighbours.

In World War II there was a saying "loose lips sink ships", which is mirroring what is happening here. In not listening and in not understanding what God is saying to us we misinterpret and become bigoted and closed rather than open hearted and accepting. The author of James is very specific and detailing out the power of the tongue comparing it to the rudder of a boat that steers the ship (James 3:4). A small part of the overall which abused can land the ship in major difficulties. In our lack of discernment around the concepts that are interpreted for us we often allow ourselves to speak out in error thus creating tension and discriminatory practices within our communities and lives. Our outburst becomes a spark which lights the tinder of dissatisfied people this then causes a fire to burn. We just need to look at the anti vaxxers and other groups who for one reason or another believe the false information they are fed to see the harm being created in the community.

Control of our tongues comes from the control of our heart

Even the disciples are prone to a looseness of tongues as they think about themselves being the greatest (Mk. 9:34). They have not listened well to God's call upon their lives and must needs take time to listen to Christ reinforcing the need to be humble in approach rather than to speak out without understanding. Even the writer of Proverbs understands the need to keep a steadfast hold on what one says in public (Prov. 31:24). If we are unwise with what we say then we are going to be unwise in what we do for it is out of our mouths that we enunciate our plans. If, we are not careful with what we state then we will not be careful in our planning. The disciples were all gung ho with regards who was going to lord it over the others. Their plans were about themselves and not about those around them. So often in our lives our decisions are often based on what we think is best not necessarily what God thinks is best.

In our desires to become more prominent in society or increase our popularity we will do and say things which will "win over" the majority. In other words we do not necessarily tell the truth but only what our constituents wish to hear so that we can attain our goal rather than the goals of the community. Our desires overrun and manipulate our tongue, which guides our speech and our attitude. We have no control as we cannot control our desires and so we let our tongue run away with a multitude of promises with little truth. However, we need to control our tongues which means we need to control our desires so that they conform with the desires of God rather than human desires. The tongue is the symptom rather than the causal root of the problem. Yes, like any good programme we do need to eradicate the symptoms but the better way is remove the causative agent.

Everything that we do must be focused on the one thing that we profess as Christians. Our profession of belief in Christ and followers of Christ suggest that we should place before us the one single goal of love of God and neighbour. The singularity in this duality is the one word love. No matter what our thoughts, our deeds or our words may be they should be centred on this singular thing called love. The wife held up at in the last chapter of Proverbs displays this wisdom. Christ attempts to pass this understanding on to the disciples by his words and actions. Yet we still fail because our desires are not aligned with Christ or with the wisdom that is imparted. We still look to the symptoms of our loose tongues to remind ourselves of the control that is required rather than looking at our hearts which are the root of the issue.

How hard is it?

 We continue the discussion around faith and works with a question that arises following on from last week. The question that comes to mind is the one in the title: How hard is it? How hard is it to bring faith and works together as one rather than to go one way or the other? By all accounts the answer to that is an easy one: extremely hard. We know that this, of course, is not impossible but, yes, for us living in a society that is based solely and almost irrevocably on the selfishness inherent in the human condition, the answer is extremely difficult. We have been conditioned over years to take the most selfish view of our world by advertising, big corporates and governments throughout the world. Of course, that seems a very cynical but perhaps accurate description of the reality in which we live. Being present in the world as followers of Christ there is a constant need to remind ourselves that there is a different way, the way that the first disciples and Christ himself proposes, the way of self sacrifice or sacrifice for the other. 

In Mark's gospel Christ clearly states that as followers we need to sacrifice ourselves and pick up the cross before we begin to follow Christ (8:34). This is more and more a thing of the past. Self sacrifice seems to have left the psyche of the Australian people as a whole during our struggles with COVID and our new environment. One would think that the memories of the ANZAC are things of the past that are only celebrated as part of a national day and that is all it means. Yet, as Christians we are specifically called into all situations in terms of sacrifice. We are asked to make things holy and sacred through our actions and our total belief in Christ. Few today would even consider that this is a viable option moving forward in a world that is shattered by viral overload and violence. Most would persevere in the preserving of oneself rather than offering a true sacrifice to assist the other. In doing so, we do not lay down that which Christ calls us to leave behind but rather we embrace our selfishness as a life belt rather than the anchor that it truly is. In writing this I am reminded of being told of a person who after strict orders to remain in his car while his medication was put in to the boot, on arrival entered the pharmacy and harangued the staff. He basically said that if he was infected with COVID Albury was anyway as he had already entered two other stores.

Only by using both do we go straight

The reading from Proverbs encapsulates this in such a brilliant fashion when the writer speaking for Wisdom declares that "Evil men (sic)" reject wisdom as they hate this and are told that they will only come to a poor end (Prov. 1:31-33). The wisdom that comes from God, in this case, is not that of humanity at the present time. It is a wisdom that is timeless and is honoured by more than just Christian believers. We just need to look at some of the writings of indigenous peoples from across the world who proclaim the same sense of understanding and compassion for the other as being the true path that a wise person travels. It is only when we begin to chase after faith or works on its own that we are tempted by the selfishness that is at the heart of our species make-up and fail to recognise their two sided nature. The author of James is succinct and correct when they state that "faith without works is dead" (James 2: 26), just as you cannot have a single sided coin of any worth. We treat the two as being individual rather than a singularity which is why we do not pick up the cross and follow Christ.

Christ did not just stay on the mountain top but he went down to Jerusalem. Christ did not just walk among the community but also went to the desolate places. Both needs to be done and if we neglect the one we do not feed the other. In this time of lockdowns and other issues, when it comes to how we interact with each other, there is a sense of loss and grief. Only when we put that to the side and pick up those things that are given to us to undertake will we have a real sense of Christ's presence in ourselves. Only when we put aside our own wants and griefs and stand in the shoes of those in greater need then ourselves will we be able to truly experience the love of God flowing into the community through our actions and our contemplations. We abide in Christ in the eucharistic presence so that we can show Christ in the works that we undertake sheltering the community and opening their eyes to God's redeeming love.

Love works

Continuing on from previous weeks and the problem of faith and works or Luther's conundrum which appears to do away with works. Last week we saw the need to listen carefully and fully, rather than just hear the words, so that we are led to do what God requires.  The letter of James makes clear that faith and works are two sides of the same coin and work in tandem, the one cannot exist to its fullest without the other (James 2:14-17).  There is a danger here from both sides of the equation or coin. the one danger is the one that Luther pointed out and that is that works on their own cannot achieve anything. The second danger is the opposite that faith on its own whilst good will also not achieve anything in the end. Let me explain this a bit more.

Everyone will be up in arms about faith not achieving everything on its own. This path is the path of the mystic or the path of the spiritualist. All their energy goes into showing their piety and their faith in worship and prayer. The ascetic is a good example of this as they bring all their thought and energy into the exercise of achieving oneness with God and Christ. In doing so the person forgets that first and foremost Christ was as human as you who reads and I who writes. The Gospel passages are full of the deeds of Christ. They are not full of his withdrawal from the world into a spiritual paradise of praise and worship. In fact, he sometimes criticised the leaders of society for their improper worship and rules without understanding the practice. If we are to become the body of Christ in the world then we must be incarnate in this world and not patting ourselves on our backs for our piety and the way we worship. All that Christ did in the world were works, healing, doing, feeding, etc. Only after doing and working did Christ try to get away and pray, commune and understand what God wanted.

The other, which most people agree with, is the over abundance of works. Christ did not do his working outside of the presence of God. We have a tendency to do only that which we think is right and "looks good" to others in the community. Unless we actively participate in bringing God into what we do we are only doing what we think is best. This is what Luther railed against and it is what is easily done by all of us. We jump on the bandwagon of doing good works thinking that this is all that God wants. We are after all doing those things which are good but the old proverb that giving something only feeds the poor for a day is right. We are only alleviating the misery by a day we are no seeking to instil God's love and justice but to alleviate it to fill our own minds with the thought that we are doing good. At some point it becomes obvious that what we are doing is no more than an appeasement effort on our own part to relieve our consciences and feel good.

We reach out to help the other not for ourselves but for the other

There must be a way around this dilemma if Christ points the way and he is out and about doing good. Yes, there is and that is doing it Christ's way not our way which is what the writer of James is attempting to point out. Only when we start doing the things that bring justice into the world, not for ourselves and not for our benefit, for those who are forsaken do we begin to do works to the glory and presence of God. We allow our faith to guide and direct us in our doing just as Christ allowed God's presence to guide and direct his doings. When he healed the deaf man who had trouble speaking and he healed him Christ deliberately tells them not to speak of the work (Mk 7:36) for he did this to the glory of God not for his own glory. Typically, of course, they spread the word to give him glory and not God (Mk. 7:37). In other places to Christ does not want his works publicised and often tells the receivers of his works to go and give praise to God. Christ puts his faith in God to lead him to do that which is needed in works within the community to bring the community to see truth and justice as the way forward, not just doing good deeds as was the norm then and today.

The wisdom contained in Proverbs tells the same thing especially in chapter 22 verse 8-9. The cheerful giver may be blessed but God ensures that his vanity about the giving is destroyed in the end whilst the person who gives without regard for reward has his own reward from God by not being left out in the cold. In verses 22-23 the writer of Proverbs just reinforces this by suggesting that when we imprint God's requirements on our hearts we will be blessed and act in accord with God not for ourselves but for the other. Let us then remind ourselves that it is both faith and works that are important not one or the other but both acting in accord with each other for the good of the other not just for ourselves and our own wants.

Words and action

 Luther is famous for stating that it is not by works alone but faith or sole fide. Indeed much of the biblical text from which Luther derives this saying is supportive of the notion by faith alone. The basis / foundation of saving grace is faith in Christ and God. This is supported time and time again. Yet, the writer of the epistle of James is correct, also, in suggesting the alternate (James 1:22). The writer is telling us here to be doers, however we must not be complacent here and accept this as "Oh, we just have to do" because it does not work like that. Indeed the writer is most pedantic in stating that we must be listeners who actually do something as a result (James 1:19-25). In much the same way Christ says the same thing in Mark's gospel when he reprimands the Pharisees with regards to eating (Mk. 7:8).  So how can we bring this seeming contrary scripture into our lives today.

Too often it seems to me that members of faith communities, throughout the world, are often just doing good things in the community. For most this is the thing to do and maybe attend church at least twice a year to be a good Christian. However, there is more to being a Christian then this and often we neglect the faith side in favour of the easier route of works that are good. The hard part is not doing but as James' author puts it "let every man (sic) be quick to hear". We allow this part of the instruction to wash over us and get on with the practical. Just like any form of education the hard part is listening attentively to the instruction / lesson / lecture / seminar, etc. Effort needs to be put in and time needs to be set aside but few allow themselves that time and energy. This deprives them of the essentials which more and more people lack as we move into newer and newer generations. It is often the case that when education is arranged for those who want to put the effort in to obtain what is freely given to enhance and deepen faith but most squander the opportunity believing that it does not concern them or we have not the time and will continue doing.

Are you listening or do you just hear the noise?

In doing and not listening we are much like the Pharisees (Mk. 7:6b) and it is incumbent on us to be ones who seek God through study and increasing our understanding of what God requires from us. A couple of times I have heard the rejection of possible fun ways to gather being rejected because either it was too high falutin or they just could not be bothered. We need to be like the bride looking for her lover and hearing his voice calling to us to rise and follow after listening to his voice constantly in our lives (Song 2:13b). It is this love that we are so lackadaisical  about when we hear the call but refrain from pursuing. We are drawn away by the raucous call of our secular lives rather than the gentle call of God's love. The promise of an instant prize or gratification rather than the long awaited gifts that come from God in surprising and often unusual ways. The insistent and persistent call of God is like that of a lover that comes quietly and unobtrusively in the early hours of the morning. We stand by the things that we do rather than taking an active listening role to endeavour to hear what God is actually calling us to and not what we think we are called to do.

The less and less we pay attention to God the less and less that we do in terms of what God calls us to. For in attending less to God we attend less to our role as listeners and doers and become simple minded doers for the sake of doing. It may seem strange to us in the modern era to seek God through the study of the scriptures and /or general study and discussion. The unfortunate thing is that in the modern era we have allowed the academy to become divorced from the reality of our lives. We also allow ourselves to choose which part of the academy we listen to and become followers of Peter or followers of Paul rather than followers of God. In other words we allow ourselves to be lured by one source over another when we should be listening to all sources so that we may find God amidst the multitude. In not undertaking the requirement to listen to God and then coming in to praise God  we are becoming even more like the Pharisee. Our lips proclaim God's glory but we do not uphold even a small part of what God calls us to do. In listening to God's call we can actively participate in what God is wanting us to do rather than just doing what we think is best.

Walking away

In the last few weeks we have been focussing our attention on Christ's sayings around the bread of life. As intimated last week the concept of eating flesh and blood was an abhorrent one to the Jewish faith. It is therefore no surprise in the context that is portrayed in the gospel that his disciples decided to give up or at least some of them did (Jn. 6:66). These are the ones that did not get what Christ was saying but here is the thing even today we have the same issue of people giving up or turning away. It is to be expected in this day and age, particularly as religion and religious belief has taken a backseat in the lives of people. We can point to a number of causes that have resulted in the situation we find ourselves in today, in terms of faith communities, but that is not really very helpful at the end of the day. Yet, we can also say that when we take up the cross that Christ demands of us the going becomes tough and irrespective of whether we want to blame other mechanisms this is the actual issue when we get down to the basics.

Simon Peter's answer to Christ is perhaps the most basic answer that we have for those who are wont to give up "You have the words of eternal life" (Jn. 6:68). For those that are on the path of faith this must be the greatest statement ever. It is in following Christ's words and actions that bring us to that point where we can grasp the eternal life that is offered. However, the greatest issue we have is in doing precisely that. Last week, I spoke of conforming to God's will and emulating Christ as we seek to ensure justice for the other and not just for ourselves. The walk that Christ demands of us as we partake of the bread and blood in the eucharistic setting is the walk of truth and justice. Above all else as we have seen in the politics of this nation, this is the hardest walk of life and the one that creates the conditions for us to take the easy road. The temptation is to skirt around the truth to your benefit rather than stating the truth for the benefit of the other. We follow along with the majority whether they are subscribing to the truth or to a convenient misdirection.

Walking away is often easier than facing the truth

In our local communities the concept of truth is even more important particularly when it comes to our faith communities. We so often understand our truths by the past and how we ourselves received an understanding of truth. For some the truth that there is a lack of people in church on Sunday is the truth that is of utmost importance. However, the actual truth of God's presence and our understanding that Christ needs to be emulated in thought, word, and deed is the truth that matters most. We pursue that which is most gainful for ourselves not that which is of importance to the other. The burdens that we bear need to be lifted before we can act for the other. Yet, when we walk in truth and justice we immediately forget about our burdens and confront the real burdens borne by others. In this we have to act with boldness and not be bound by the chains that we place upon ourselves (our burdens) but speak out in truth and peace to the community that we serve (Eph. 6:20). This for us is a constant conflict that we must struggle with on a daily basis. Paul's description of the armour of God in Ephesians takes from the military of his day (Eph. 6:14-17) and is often seen as being militaristically burdensome for a mission of peace centred in love.

Yet, if we are to walk this way then there is a certain amount of preparation that has to be undertaken. Both mental and spiritual, so in some ways the advice regarding armour is as accurate today as it was before. We could analogize this again by thinking along virus protection in a COVID world or computer tech but the essentials are the same. Truth keeps us on the right road, keeps the pants on so to speak, just like a good belt. Few people would think of going out without a shirt and when we talk about faith that shirt (no matter whether it is a Gucci or a T-shirt) should be our display of righteousness in the world. We cannot go anywhere without thongs or at least boots in the country and for a good walk we need wisdom and understanding that comes from knowledge of how to ensure peace in the community. A good Akubra hat and a short staff to assist our walk and protect us in need completes our adventuring outfit into the temptations of the world. The only other accessory that is a must, I do admit I have difficulty finding an adequate clothing analogy (handbags do not really work), so I suppose our best is that are electronic equipment best have the anti-virus shield of faith. Who can go without their phone so I suppose faith can be considered as our shield for electronic communication or rather any communication that is about God's presence in our lives, Yet, if difficulties arise these are no guarantees that we will not refuse the challenge and walk away from the path that leads us to God's presence. It is always the harder path that those who have faith must tread that is why it is so easy, like the disciples, to turn away from the path of truth and accept the path of the world.