Bound by our own wants

 We are presented on a daily basis with everything that we ever wanted if we could pay for it. What do we do? We tend to buy what we can when we can or even when we can't and go into debt so that we can have what we want. Be it a car or a house or a phone or a boat or... Then we moan about the debt or about the burden of paying it back, we very rarely think about the future at such times. If we do think about our future then we ensure that we have plenty of financial worth to live of in our retirement years. We give no thought about others in the community and even if we have wealth we tend to ensure that what goes out has some form of benefit to us in the end, whether through recognition or eventual investment payback. The reality becomes all about us rather than anything else and our thinking whether it is in spending or saving is for ourselves much like the rich landowner who saves everything for a rainy day (Lk 12:16-20).

Is this what God wants of us or is this what we have always done and continue to do despite being called into a different mode of living? Paul, seems to indicate that this is what we always do prior to our accepting God's presence through Christ into our lives (Col. 3:6-10). These are the things that are meant to have been stripped from us in our acceptance of the way of Christ. Yet, in our own hubris we have not neglected these but in some we have increased their hold on us. We are conditioned by the society we live in not by our enduring faith. For us, as Christians it should be the other way around, we should be conditioned by our enduring faith rather than by the society around us. Yet, over multiple generations the communities that we live in have taken up the understanding that we hoard our wealth rather than use it for the greater good. There have been very few societies that have looked at the greater good of the individuals rather than at the selfish needs of the individuals. In doing so we have engendered this greedy outlook so that justice and peace are purely symbols of something that is unattainable and a constant future state.

We lavish our wealth on ourselves and neglect God's presence in our lives. Yet, God is the one person who persists in loving us irrespective of our neglect of God. God's lament of faithlessness is seen in Hosea  (11:1-9) and how the persistence of love for God's people continues on despite the movement away. God's love is a total outpouring into the world and in favour of those he loves (the whole of humanity who are made in God's image). We are asked to mirror that love in Christ and in action within our own circumstances even if it means beggaring ourselves for the sake of God. In doing so we are being faithful to God and knowing that God will be faithful to us and not allow ourselves to be forsaken. This is a difficult road to walk as we are putting ourselves into the hands of the unknown rather than our own wants and wishes and the comfort of what we have earned. Even when we are on the cusp of wealth and peace within our own lives we must still look beyond to those who are unable to afford what we have. It is pointless for us to hoard our worldly goods when others are being impoverished.

We want it all for ourselves and not for the other

In the Gospel parable there is nothing about giving to those beyond or outside the community. It is based within a rural community much the same as that which Ruth and Naomi entered. It means that there were rich and poor living cheek by jowl, just as we have in this community and in our surrounding communities. Tragedy strikes at the heart of our comfortable life but is more prominent when it is away from us. We think we are doing our best by contributing towards the other that is apart from us whilst neglecting those that are closest to us. In the story and the context of the time the wealthy person was encouraged and expected to contribute to the well fare of the community. The stored grain was not going to go anywhere except for distribution on his death. There was no point in hoarding it. There is no point in our own hoarding whether it be toilet rolls or our finances or our love, we cannot spend it in the end. We are thus asked to put our love and our lives and our wealth to care for those in the community beyond our own circle.

Ask, search and knock

 In this day and age we often neglect the more spiritual side of faith and importantly prayer, possibly because we do not believe that prayer and a spiritual life are ones that achieve anything. I am aware that people often state "I prayed for such and such and my prayer was not answered so why bother praying it does not work". One wonders what was prayed for and whether it actually was answered but not in the manner that the person wanted or desired. At the end of the day this is really what we do not understand when it comes to asking, searching and knocking as we read this to be the ultimate SIRI with an immediate answer. We have been conditioned to have the immediate response that SIRI gives rather than a prolonged response that ultimately finds us later in our lives rather than when we think it should be. To my mind we have a tendency to separate the three things that Christ tells us to do; ask, search and knock (Lk. 11:9-10).

In thinking this, there is a wondering about the sequence and whether or not this is what it needs to be. In other words we should be thinking A.S.K. (Ask, Search, Knock) as a process rather than ask, search and knock as separate items or things to do. I believe our issue is that we often stop with the ask in prayer and give no consideration to the rest of the process. In stopping we believe in a God is like an uber-computer something like the LITRPG books that hypothesise an over arching computer that controls the online game world that has been created for the protagonists to play in or the system as it is sometimes called in the genre. We expect an instant result or at least a personal response for our woes. We have been instilled by our current culture that the response from a request should be almost instantaneous and if we do not receive a response at all then we get ourselves in a rage. We transfer this human expectation to God in all our dealings with God but God does not react as we think or expect and sometimes the answer that we receive is not the answer that we are so expectant for.

A process not individual things

I am fairly certain that the prophet Hosea was not expecting to be asked to marry a prostitute nor to father a number of children as his prophesy against his current culture (Hos. 1:2-10). In limiting ourselves to the first of the series we perhaps limit the whole process so that it never gets undertaken. By asking we may simply open our eyes to the issue, which may show us a way forward, that we must search out in an appropriate manner, knocking on the closed doors of others perceptions so that they too may open their eyes to the possible solution that God is providing. Hosea relied on God to direct him to the solutions that God wished for not what Hosea himself planned or thought of. In allowing God to guide us in our thoughts and prayers we find the way to do that which is pleasing to God but also find our way through the intricacies of life to find that which we asked for being fulfilled in a way we did not think of. It is often heart rending to find the answer to our prayer after much searching and door knocking.

Our reality leads us to expect an answer the way we want this to occur. Such an expectation is just empty speculation and a thought process based on human thought not on our spiritual underpinning (Col. 2:8). We cling to what we know rather than allowing ourselves to become one with Christ and know God's presence and guidance. The unknown is too much for us it is something that we cannot embrace and yet that is what God asks of us when Christ states that we must first ask then seek then knock. In asking we outline what we believe we want (want not need). In truly putting ourselves out there to seek God's answer we enter into the unknown and our seeking may take us a whole lifetime to derive the answer that God wishes for us. It is then that we find what we need rather than what we want and we are then able to knock on the door to life receiving God's presence to heal the wounds that we have taken in the world. Only at that point will we realise that our prayers have indeed been fulfilled through all the trials and tribulations of our searching as God's answer is often in a process that we fail to see or acknowledge until we finally knock and receive an open welcome in God's presence.

An issue with busyness

 We are all busy and some of us create our lives around our own busyness. Quite often we use our busyness as an excuse of some sort or another often to 'get out' of some form of meeting or social event. In the Gospel it seems that Martha is shunned by Christ or at least put to the side with preference going towards Mary (Lk.10:41-42) which seems to indicate that busyness should be of the agenda. I believe that it is not that Christ pushes busyness to the side but rather that the pericope as it is written is to highlight the very aspect of busyness I alluded to in the second line that we use it as an excuse. If we re-read the story Martha is using her busyness as an excuse and looks for the benefit of the other to overcome what she perceives to be a chore but is in reality her avoidance or at least acknowledgement of things that are keeping her from Christ.

We are all as guilty as Martha when it comes to attempting to get out of things. It is not whether this person or that person is better it is about taking responsibility of what we are asked to undertake. This is similar to the earlier passage around following Christ. There is nothing stopping us from being busy and if we look at our lives they are filled with our activity that makes us busy. Yet, within our busyness there is opportunity to walk with God and this is what Christ is pointing us toward. It is not that we must give up the busyness of our lives but we cannot and should not use it as an excuse not to come close to God. Our natural habitat is to say impossible or rather I will make time later, yet, Brother Lawrence found God while doing the dishes and being Martha in a monastery, can we do no less?

To be busy or not to be busy that is the question

The main challenge for us is unseeing busyness as a mechanism of avoidance. In our own worlds and our own busyness we fail to see the world and become kin to those that trample the needy (Amos 8:4) as we fail to see them underfoot. In our busyness around 'church' we fail to interact with the society that contains those that are needy, poor and require justice allowing power and authority to rule without the guidance of love and care. We do not wait for the sabbath to be finished or the festivals to be over before we begin to bear down upon those who cannot afford the essentials of live. We just need to look around our country and to see the plight of many people due to our lack of concern and our lack of involvement in the needs of the community. We may not be able to do very much as an individual but what we do is we show God's presence in the midst of our community; a presence of care, concern, empathy and a striving for justice. We cannot be absorbed by our own busyness in such a manner that it grants us the excuse to turn away from both God and our neighbour.

In opening ourselves up to God's presence and showing this to the community we become disciples of Christ and servants of God (Col. 1:25). We become as Mary in commune with Christ and God's love in the present world freed from the burdens that create our busyness and knowing that Christ is leading us in fulness and truth. We can no longer be as hostile witnesses to the evil that is around us but rather we need to become the harbingers of God's love in this world and within our own communities. Involvement means increasing our 'busyness' but with purpose rather than the purposeless excuses that we indulge ourselves. God calls us from out of complacency into a fulness of life which means that we are busy about the ministry of God. Lest we forget our baptismal vows to be disciples of Christ within the places that we are part of, showing God's love to the world. Yes, we also need to take the time that Mary creates within the world to be at the feet of Christ. Yet, being in this place does not allow Christ into the world but rather privatises our faith therefore we need to allocate our time in such a manner that allows for our own well being but also our ministry and discipleship in the world. Each has a gift to which we are called and in expressing that gift we give to the world in our busy lives without neglecting the presence of Christ and our connection to God.

The outcast brings hope

 We all enjoy the stories and the parables that are in the bible and one that has become  something of a commonplace saying in our society is that of the "Good Samaritan". We even have groups that call themselves Samaritans who do good works. So when we say someone is a 'good Samaritan' we automatically think back to Christ's parable in Luke's Gospel (10:25-37). However, this story has no real impact in today's world as it's meaning is to a certain extent known and applied as a descriptive to people in society. Attempts have been made to re-cast the story so that it has made more of an impact, such that in the modern world we might substitute 'LGBTQIA+ person' or 'Refugee' or 'Russian soldier' to try and make an impact depending on the audience. Yet, we know the story so the impact is often lessened irrespective of how we choose the protagonist. The shock factor is gone from the edgy story that Christ tells in his community. So what does the story and the other readings tell us for the modern day?

When we walk through the community or when we engage with the community it is always a specific group that we interact with either friends or else others that we know through some means or another. It is not often that we interact with strangers to and within the community. That is simply because we are often unaware of their presence or else we like everyone else in the community shun them. They are often thought to be beneath us or are tolerated within the community because they are doing an essential job. In some instances it is because they are doing the jobs that no one else wishes to do. They are those that pass unnoticed, for whatever reason, through the community and society in general. It is also of note to suggest that many of these will also profess 'no religion' but certainly not all. In a manner of speaking these are often the outcast of society those that are untouchable. It is not those that are within the system, so to speak, that are the ones that are demonstrating the presence of God. In reality it is often those that are on the inside who have lapsed into inattention and require a shock to the system to enable them to participate with God.

So, who is your neighbour?

I pause to note an article by Rev Sempell referring to the conservatism in Sydney and suggest that this ultimately reveals the loss that we have when we neglect the outsider that Christ uses to illustrate the point in the Samaritan story. It is clear that we often do not take note of that outsider and are more often prone to look only at the priest or the scribe as they make their journey past the wounded man, more importantly we should change the gender of the wounded person to make this point. Even when Christ tells the story we are left to wonder the ethnicity of the wounded man (sic). Is it indeed a case of like looking after like or as we seem to have surmised is it the other looking after the other and opening themselves up to that love. By committing ourselves to our own self portraits of what it means to help the other or even listen to the other we seem to limit our ability to reach out. What is fascinating about this is our loss of 'bums on seats' and the increased number of 'nones' (who used to be 'none of the above' meaning the normal list of religious affiliations) who almost see this as another 'religion'. The disillusionment that has been increasing has increased the number of those on the outside who we should be listening to rather than disregarding whilst bemoaning their loss. Perhaps, it is our own laissez faire attitude to our faith that has allowed this to occur and demonstrate that we too are among those who pass by the opportunity to engage with the other to bring healing and love.

The plumb line that God (Amos 10:7-9) has taken out is the one that matters and we cannot disregard those who say otherwise. We cannot afford to be dismissing of the voices of the other (Amos 7:12-13) but rather we need desperately to listen to those who are not part of our little group in the world and try to find that open ground that allows us to listen as much as speaking about what God can do for the other. It may well be that we will find that each of us is travelling towards God in different ways but all of us still have Christ at the centre rather than the laws that we enact and that we formulate and that we control our lives by. God calls us out to the other to bring the Kingdom of God near to them by willingly ministering and showing God's love in our lives rather than preaching what we do not necessarily live. 

Walking with God

 We all have our faults and sometimes those faults exacerbate our poor relationships. Unless the fault is pointed out we often believe that we are doing nothing wrong and yet our relationships continue to suffer. The repair may become something simple as it was for Naaman who was asked to wash in the Jordan but balked because it was not a river of his own country (2 Kings 5:10-11). We often find our faults within our own religious experience as we have a tendency to push our own views on others so that we look as if we are in the right or at least in a position of spiritual and faith authority (Gal. 6:13). I feel that this is often where we go wrong in terms our walking with God and proclaiming the Gospel in the world. Certainly when the missionaries went out into the world from London and conquered the world for Christ there was much harm done as a result of their thinking. In a manner of speaking we too have inherited the gifts of fault from our forefathers in how we look at spreading the Gospel.

We really need to look at the sending out the disciples in a new light (Luke 10:1-24). This is not so much as radical as practical and is as such radical in a manner of speaking. We always talk about doing mission but what is that in terms of the Gospel? There are reams written on missiology or the study of mission and how it is undertaken. I am no means a missiologist but it seems to me that Christ instructions are either lacking or simply superb for our modern day. There are no detailed how to's in the passage around the sending out of the disciples either in Luke or any other Gospel. There are really only about four things stay where you are, eat what is set before you, heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of God has come near. In other words become accepted into the community without disrupting and live as God intended you to live. There are no commandments around worship, around proselytising or anything other than to be ourselves and in doing so heal those around us. Yet, this is the hardest thing to do because we cannot allow our behaviours to disrupt relationship but rather create relationships in the presence of God.

Just think for a moment about the political life of the Anglican church here in Australia when we think of harm being caused as a result of our belief systems. In some sense there is a tendency by some to focus on the narrow aspects of the law and cling to this as if it is a lifeline while others seek God's presence in difference and out reaching to those who are in need. Neither are wrong but the way that we as a group behave by creating the polar difference we are enacting that which has gone before. We are not asked to place our burdens on others but rather to heal and relieve the burdens that others carry. We cannot heal if we ourselves are imposing restrictions and the means to bring healing into the world by our increasingly polarised views. No matter how we go out into the world Christ asked us to bring God's love not our own views on who or what God is or the restrictions we place on ourselves as a result of our own viewpoints.

Walking with God does not have to be alone

If we are to think of ministry and mission in these terms what does that actually mean for a community such as ours or any other community that believes in God? Some would I am sure tell you that you should be gearing up for a group effort to go out and bring the Gospel to those around us. How? Well obviously going house to house and telling them about God and talking about the Church, which Church? well the Anglican, one of course! The Catholics and others have all got it wrong. However, I do not think that is what Christ and God actually call us to. Christ gave himself to new life, not a re-hashing of what has gone before. We need to re-look at ourselves and say what is it that does not appeal to those around us to such an extent that they do not want to worship or come together? Perhaps, it is not that they do not want to participate but feel that our anchors in the past are too much to overcome. Perhaps they are just looking for a normal life but with love. Perhaps its wanting to explore new understandings without being tied to traditional ways and yet profoundly show God's love in what they do. Perhaps you are called by God into something new which others deem as not us. If so then perhaps you need to find God's Spirit and be encouraged because God calls us to new life not stagnant life.