Following the new possibilities

  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. There are a number of Theological degrees in Missiology or contain aspects of Missiology. 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 paragraphs 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 so they can out reach 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.

 At the end of Luke 9 (51-62) Christ says to a disciple that he has no place to put his head while foxes and birds have there homes.  He further tells others to leave funerals and not say farewell to family members. Yet, Christians proclaim community and the need to look to the other and assist the other before ones self.  In deed, Paul in Galatians refers to the commandment to love neighbour over self (Gal. 5. 14).  A commandment that we fail to live up to in our parishes on a regular basis.  We continually turn to ourselves and if you would our homes.  In fact we do many o the things that Paul suggests not to do when our comforts are being or about to be disturbed (Gal 5.20-21)

I am not sure what the consequences of Trumpism will eventually have on the world but it is perhaps correct to say, as others have, that Trump makes decisions on whims with which he feels at home rather than on a sound understanding of the truth.  All decisions as I have expounded on in other blog posts, have consequences whether they are with regards the whims of Trump or our own perceptions of how a Church should be laid out for worship.  In a manner of speaking both such decisions are made on the basis of where we feel at home or how we understand Christ's call on our lives.  No matter how we look at it, the comfort of home is the greatest comfort we have in this world for most of us.  It is where we find the greatest safety; it is where we can invite our friends; it is where we can relax from the pressures of life.  It is also where we find that which is most recognisable and comfortable.  We do not wish to be disturbed in our homes whether it is in the form of changing the furniture (ladies/gentleman how much resistance do you get if you ever suggest this), a new way of preaching in Church or the way the liturgy is undertaken or how we approach our political life in the wider world.  Such change is undertaken with enormous angst to ourselves.

Christ in the Wilderness series:The foxes have holes  - 

Stanley Spencer (1891- 1959) - Art Gallery of Western Australia

Stanley Spencer's painting, found in the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, The Foxes have holes is a rendition of this reading from Luke.  The painting portrays Christ resting against a bank in the wilderness with foxes going in and out of their dens in the bank.  Christ's body is depicted as being at home as he rests against the bank, almost as if he is at one with the earth, yet his face portrays a yearning that can only be described as a yearning for home.  A spiritual home that is not found in the mundane things of the world, a world in which his body finds comfort and rest.  The words from the gospel also supports this contention of  paradoxical opposites as 'the son of man has nowhere to lay his head'.  It is an uncomfortable feeling this being at home and yet not being home which for us Christians is a tension that we must encompass if we are true followers of Christ.  A tension that is always found in those who have journeyed in faith and look to Christ for their future. Christ calls us out, makes us uncomfortable, creates space for an-other, fills our lives with uncertainty, asks us to bring others to God.

Spencer's rendition of Christ speaks to us in this moment and as we move forward on our life's journey.  We cannot rest at ease within the comfort of our homes, yet we must rest at ease within the comfort of the world in which we live.  The rest of Luke's passage demonstrates Christ's insistence on this articulation.  Each person who raises a question with regards their personal life's journey at that point in time is given the same answer.  The traditions of the past in which we have made our homes must be laid aside as we look to the future of following Christ.  Unless we have overcome our fears that bind us to our homely comforts and rest at home in Christ we will never achieve the coming of the reign of God in this place.  That does not mean that we do not learn from the past, as Anglicans this is one of the pillars of our journey,  It means we do not cling, like Linus, to our security blanket 'tradition' but embrace the life that Christ offers to us. For us to do that we must be radical, so radical that we love our neighbour as ourselves, which means gladly leaving our comforts behind us whilst finding our new places in the world.  It is in dis-ease we should come to Christ and open ourselves to his healing balm.

Silence as opposed to noise

 We like to think that we hear God, especially when there is something fantastic happening. Some miracle or some equally gobstopping moment when we can point and say "there was God's presence". Indeed, often that is what we look for. Like Jesus and the possessed person (Lk 8:26-39). The moment that the spirits went into the Gadarene swine must have been spell binding. It is from these stories and others in the scriptures that we take our cue as to what we expect from God.  Building a picture of the fantastic that in today's world connects with the cinematic world of the Marvel Universe where grandiose miracles continue to occur. This world of fantasia hooks the general public and diverts them away from the reality of life. This is where our culture and civilisation is at with regards to expectations. Even back before COVID the then government's win was seen as miraculous or rather something spectacular which is beyond the normal.

There is so much turbulence in the world today that we are carried away with expectations of similar turbulence when God comes amongst us. Yet, when our friend Elijah goes out on to the mountain it is not the crashing and turbulence that calls to him but rather a still small breeze of a voice that calls out to him from amidst the tempest (1 Kings 19:12).  We often neglect our inward looking or setting aside time to be alone so that we can hear the voice of God in our lives. We bang about and expect God to speak above the noise of our own lives even while we tune out the noise that is around us, remember COVID, remember lockdowns, remember violence in the Ukraine, remember refugees... Once it falls from the news headlines it becomes nothing but background blather that we ignore like billboards on the side of the road. I know because I am the same, I get cranky with the number of posts about the environment or the Ukraine situation or COVID, etc. If we forget the consequential noise from our own society how will we ever come to know the still voice of God speaking to us in the everyday.

We listen to God in the stillness of the day

We are now past all the big bang liturgies as we move now into ordinary time. An ordinary time that we need to make more than ordinary as we move into our lives in the post resurrection life. If we fail to live up to the promptings of Christ then we fail to live up to our own Christian faith journey. It is now at the start of Ordinary time that we need to reset our inner lives, so that we may hear the still small breeze blowing through our hearts that is Christ and God's Spirit. It is in the coming months that we work out God's presence in our lives so that we can show God to those around us. It is when our imaginations should come to life in the reality of our everyday. The imaginations that come to us at Pentecost and we strive to fulfil in our imaginations of the Trinity. Only when we can be still can we begin to understand the message from God so that we can fulfil our call into the world. This paradox of movement and stillness is encompassed in the wind amidst the earthquakes and the fires of revelation on the mountain.

Our everyday is the earthquake and the fire. They are noisy. they are difficult to turn away from as they have a mesmerising effect on our lives. We are attracted to the bells and whistles that attend the concealer of God and those that offer gifts of life which lead to darkness and despair. Life is found in the movement of the stillness of God. Due to our perpetual motion in the daily noise of our lives we tend to miss the movement of God as we have no stillness in us. Eastern religions strive towards this stillness but for a different purpose, to eliminate all movement, where we must strive to become still and hear God moving around us so that we may follow God's quiet voice. The attraction of the noise over the silence is due to the fear we feel when confronted with silence. Silence comes across to us in the missed meeting, the missed opportunity as a silence of rejection, of being unwanted whereas the noise draws us in saying that we are wanted we are part of the music so to speak. This is the requirement of God to turn away from the noise of the Golden Calf to embrace the call of God that is not showy and not brazen but rather intimate and loving.

Moving towards multiplicity

 The Trinity is a dogma that is forged in the fires of controversy. It is not formulated in language that is consistent with the modern world and is an examination of or rather an attempt at explaining something in a language that is redolent of medieval world views and Greek philosophy. Yet it is a founding principle upon which the Christian faith stands which has not been changed nor truly examined other than to try and explain it in modernistic terms. Perhaps that is to unkind, yet if we think about the theological investigations and verbiage around the topic most of it is constrained by the very thought of what is being discussed, the Trinitarian formulation, and not by going back to first principles. It has perhaps become a cage within which the Christian faith survives but also prevents that same faith from thriving and compatible with an ever evolving multiplicity of pathways into the future.

If we are to truly expand our faith boundaries why are we confining our thinking by relying on the structures of the past or should we rather build on a deeper bedrock. Yes, let us understand the formulation but rather than re-iterate what has been stated devise a new formulation that makes provision for our modern world view. At this time of year preachers are constrained to bring an understanding of the Trinitarian doctrine to their own flock through the use of such things as the clover leaf, clock face, mother / daughter / sister, or other such analogies to bring about understanding. In the same breathe our denominations explode outwards as they magnify one over the other in their worship experience (Jesus over the Spirit / Father, the Spirit over the son / Father and of course in limited places the Father over the Son / Spirit). It is easier for us to conceive of a singular rather than a plural singular or it is easier to worship a plural over a singular plural. Individuality is for us the key and anything above one is just confusing unless it is broken into oneness. This distinctiveness is a draw back for many as they have trouble with the philosophical concepts that the Trinitarian formulation raises.

Is Trinity only singularity?

If, we look carefully at our Hebraic roots buried in the Bible we can see that there is a discrepancy regarding singularity of worship of a sole God. Rather, it is a God that is worshipped over other Gods that is acceptable and promoted, whilst acknowledging the presence of other Gods (Ps. 82). Strict monotheism only becomes a feature of the faith journey after the exilic period. Our inheritance of which moves towards the strict dichotism we have in the modern era that it has to be the right or the left, God or Evil, etc.  This leaves no space for both / and. Early Christian life was filled with difference in understanding prior to the imposition of ordered thought. In grappling with this early difference in God - thinking, Tertullian and others out of Africa formulated our Trinitarian aspect, which has perhaps caged our growth into and understanding of a God for whose likeness we were given in creation. An understanding which some suggest has been uplifted from the sagacity of African thought in the communal spaces of I am because you are and you are because I am. So can we retain an understanding of God that is uniquely part of us (God Immanuel) (Rom 8.12-17) and yet is so far beyond our understanding that we struggle to define and describe. Did the originators of the formulation believe it would be the only means of God-talk or did they expect it to evolve as our thought and world views evolved?

In this world we are surrounded by networks of relational activity that connect us to the past, present and future of those close and far away. We do not live in singularity but in multiplicity. God's presence springs up not in familial lineage down the years but more like an out of control rhizome of connectivity that springs up where the gardener (our dogma, formulas and neat garden solutions) least expects. Setting our thoughts, bodies and communities afire with difference and change that inspires. Others suggest that we begin to re-read our faith journey and re-interpret our understandings on the backs of twisting elastic threads, not singularities of particulate material, that cause paradoxical jumps and communications across vast unsupported space. A more elastic understanding that inhabits God consistent with a modern view of particle physics and cosmological understandings. It is not constrained by ancient mores of thought but expands our understanding beyond rigidity.

The ultimate act of communication

 Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21), in more ways than one, initiates a period of change for the Church. In particular it begins the transformation of a group of people cowering away from the rest of the community in doubt, fear and insecurity (Jn 20:19-23) into an autonomous movement within the Jewish faith system that would eventually evolve into its own established faith group. We often concentrate on the wonders of the Spirit's presence and the movement out into the world with little consideration with regards how this was managed. The Spirit incited a change in behaviour of the disciples to such an extent that they appeared to many as if they were drunkards in the early hours of the day. A change that eventually went on to challenge existing forms of faith and the way people acted within the community. Unfortunately even in the modern day these changes are so extraordinary that they are both overlooked and looked down upon as not being part of the modern psyche. The journey of faith is based on the premise of change in one's life and behaviour which is then communicated to those around us in community.

To change oneself so drastically and then to be able to communicate that change to the community around you is both profound and prosaic. It is profound in the sense that it is a deep ability granted by the Spirit to engage in a manner that is both acceptable and engaging to those who have not been affected by the Spirit. It is prosaic because it involves the use of our own skills and abilities to communicate in an everyday means without clouding the reception of the message being given with intangible meaningless thoughts. Just think about how this played out in the ecstatic moments in the early hours of the day in Jerusalem when everyone heard the message of redemption and peace in a language that they understood despite being from different parts of the world. Place oneself within a place where there is a number of different languages being spoken and you can quickly become disconnected or you sharpen your focus to those conversations / words that are being spoken in a language that you understand.  In South Africa, worship services within the Anglican church can become very confusing if you are not paying attention as anything up to 11 languages can and will be used within the one worship service.  You may find yourself next to a person praying the Lords prayer in Zulu on one side and Setswana on the other while you are trying to pray in English.  Each person hears their own language and responds within that language.  The true gift that is given here at Pentecost is the gift of communication.  The ability to transmit the Christian message within the confines of another's cultural and language norms.  If we want to do this in the normal fashion we have to spend hours, months and days just trying to fathom the internal structure and grammar of the language.  It is the one thing that we are often poor at giving praise for especially to those who have a facility for language. We often do not even think or operate on the fact that this is a gift from God which needs to be truly praised.

The Spirit blazes in our hearts changing our lives

In the normal course of events our words and our idioms lose a portion of our thought as they go through the process of translation. The other language / culture colonises ours in ways that may lead to misunderstanding of our intent.  In the same way our content is not only conveyed in language but also in tone and in the physicality of gestures and body positioning.  Again in different language and cultures proponents will tell you how different gestures mean different things.  Each of us reads these arcane signs so that they have meaning for us but that meaning may be as diverse as our very lives and our cultural upbringing.  No wonder it appears to be a babble of noise that leads to misunderstanding in the world especially for those who do not belong to the faith community as we speak of love and act in a manner that interprets love differently for each one.  In order to be clear and ensure our message is not misinterpreted by the translation how are we to deliver the message that we need to communicate.

The disciples all spoke and yet the same message was delivered.  The intent was the same for all of them.  They came out of the same place and were embedded within the same reality.  We nowadays do not.  We need to go back to basics we need to be reminded of the message as we turn to Christ and remind ourselves the "I am the way, the truth and the life." (Jn. 14.6).  This is the message that needs to be mirrored in our totality as it was in the disciples.  The act of communication was communicated in terms of their lives.  They acted, spoke and lived in Christ and God.  Their communication was complete as all heard and believed.  They heard intellectually, they heard physically and they heard their faith.  This is how the message becomes realised and is communicated to those around us.  It is only when we act physically in concert with living and speaking the Gospel will we be able to communicate the Gospel message.  This is when the Spirit grabs us, this is when there is growth and renewal, this is when we energise and worship; forgetting ourselves, our needs, our wants.

Following Christ along the way

  Christ ascends into the heavens at the end of the Gospel and in Acts. Two very different stories both ending with Christ ascending. How do we relate to this ascension knowing as we do that there is little way up there that we can point to as being heaven? In Ephesians the writer talks about Christ being set above everything (Eph. 1:21) perhaps a style of thinking that leads us towards seeing a person or somebody so far above us that he/they rule everything. A concept of a world view that is plagued by emperors and empires, kings and kingdoms, etc. Yet if we examine the Gospel we do not see anything about lordship but rather about love and understanding which has more akin to a certain amount of equal integration as opposed to lordship. In this case is ascension as simple as it is made out o be or is there something deeper to take away for us today.

It would be perhaps of use to think about ascending and what that means for us. Do or can we, at some stage, come to a time when we too can ascend? If we were to think in Buddhist terms perhaps we would be thinking of the concept of samsara or enlightenment, an understanding that is beyond us but is attainable with a lot of hard work. Or is ascension only the preserve of the Christ and if so what does it imply for our daily lives? In the modern genres of fiction and fantasy there are a number of what are known as cultivation progression series were the proponent of the story struggles through innumerable challenges and slowly becomes better as time progresses until they ascend to towards godhood or perfection. In the end Christ comes close to God or rather sits at God's right hand following the struggles of life which sort of fits the progression novels' premise as the proponent struggles to become as close to perfection as possible.

So for us perhaps the question that should arise is: what is our end goal here? What do we see for ourselves as being the epitome of the Christian journey and the end point, be it at the end of our lives or during our lifetime? Christ shows us the way, Christ dies for us showing us the way, Christ lives again to show us the way, Christ ascends to show us the way towards God. As followers of Christ I would suggest that we are doing a poor job as we appear not to have got beyond trying to follow the way as Christ showed us in his life let alone the love that was demonstrated as he died. Christ's way is the way of change of ourselves from selfishness to selflessness. It is not an easy road to travel as it means consistent sacrifice of ones self for the good of the other. It means ascending beyond the pettiness that is in built in our reactions within our ordinary lives. Christ's life, death and rising again tell us in the reality of the world we need to live and die before we can attain new life. These things must occur before we can even think of ascending beyond that which we believe is normal and finding ourselves close to God or rather finding ourselves as Christ to those around us.

Are we ready to follow the ascended Christ?

We are so scared of death in the current age that we forget the reality that death is a part of life. This then holds us back from becoming aware of how important death is to our lives. However we feel about the characters of the Lion King perhaps the most important understanding is the circle of life. Change in our circumstances implies the death of something as we have to change to grow in faith, in life, in our own understanding of our circumstances. Christ shows us the way through death into newness of life but beyond that he also shows that in accepting these things we grow so much more as we grow and come closer to God's presence. However, it all starts from within ourselves as we accept the challenge of changing towards being more Christlike and for some this will mean dying to our present and rising to the glory of God's presence.

Beyond all understanding

 Christ leaves his disciples his peace (Jn 14.23-29) a peace that we say 'is past all understanding'.  This sort of peace is also found in the images of Revelation and the New Jerusalem that St John describes (Rev. 21.22-).  In the world around us we often fail to realise this sort of peace and more often then not we have situations that are the direct opposite of this Peace that Christ leaves for us and his disciples.

A prominent politician made the point that a lot of the increasingly divided geo-politics of the Middle east is a result of the imposition of a form of government on people who were not looking for it.  There is perhaps some truth here or rather a discussion that we need to engage in to determine our own views and determine our actions from a Christian faith point of view.  Let us take a long view of Christian history and development to show that this point is essentially correct.  In doing this we need to go back to not only the beginning of the spread of the Christian message but can go back even further to see essentially the same or similar scenario developing within the human experience.  Put simply we can say that whenever a viewpoint has been forced upon another then there is a rise in conflict and distress within populations.  Let us look at the Jerusalem Synod with the discussions centred on circumcision or the later Trinitarian discussions.  Perhaps we can look at our early interactions with the Muslim faith and the Crusades, or perhaps the Inquisition.  Of course we can discern a somewhat similar pattern in the America's let alone the colonisation of countries and cultures.  Do we need to go on?

This is the continual to and fro between dualistic opposites that is reflective of our understanding of the world around us.  What then should the Christian and indeed what should be humanities outlook given this tendency to look at everything in a dualistic frame  that comes from a Greek philosophical and Western viewpoint?  We always say that there are two sides to every problem without really understanding that although there may be two sides to the problem it takes a third to form the solution.  Instead of advocating for this side or that side, which is what the majority of us do, we need to be saying what could be done if it was this and that rather than this or that.  By imposing 'this' view on 'that', which produces a discord, as we have missed the opportunity presented to us that would bring harmony.  Look at the current situation in the Ukraine or the Middle East, a peace process which is centred on bringing the various sides together is falling apart as each side is failing to accept a new way of looking at the whole.

Only by accepting some of the other in our selves do we come into harmony and peace.

Christ knew that any change within a society or a group will cause dissension and discord as the many views grate on each other.  Just look at some of the other phrases in this section of the Gospel that relate to persecution and disharmony whilst Christ prays for harmony.  The peace that Christ brings is the perspective of unity and harmony within our lives.  For us to attain this type of understanding we have to be rebellious and chuck out the main style of thinking that we have inherited, not just from the enlightenment period, but going back to Greek philosophy,  This is the challenge that the Christian community faces in the modern world.  So much of our thinking is based on opposing and polar opposites that we are unable to conceive of the alternative.

All good negotiations, whether in business or in politics or in the Church, must be prepared to find a win-win situation.  That is we must enable ourselves to give here in order to gain there so that the outcome, which may not be what we would like, is at least something that all can live with in harmony.  Looking at the once again growing crises in the Ukraine and the Middle East all I see is posturing and negative, divisive stances from both sides. Even I dare say it from those who are protesting.  The attitudes held are with regards to their own point of view, which may be extremely laudable, however what is needed here is the way to Christ's peace in the world.  A  way that leads to harmonious living that honours the other while not debasing our own view.

Having said all this the question arises: How do we manage this?  Dare I say it! We must be radical in our thinking and rid ourselves of the drive we have inherited to think in terms of opposites; man vs woman, lion vs lamb. black vs white.  The peace of Christ which passes all understanding comes from within ourselves as we seek to harmonise our thinking and feelings with those who are different from us in belief, colour, viewpoint, etc.  Christ accepted all and if we follow within the Christian tradition as Christ followers not as dogmaticians, institutionalists, Churchers, but as CHRISTians.  That means swallowing our own instincts and moving in to a world view that encompasses all of creation and all of the diversity inherent in humanity as God's image.  Only by using both this and  that thinking as opposed to the accepted either this or that thinking will we achieve Christ's peace.  The place Christ's peace is to be found is in the empty space between this or that, a place that is beyond all understanding as we never go there.

What is love?

 Christ's call to love is a call that is placed upon us at baptism. As his disciples we are charged with the commandment to love one another (Jn 13.34). In this commandment lies all our personal interactions within and without the community in which we live. It is the basis upon which we as Christians and Christ's followers must (this imperative is essential) produce a stability to the increasingly diverse community of the modern age. It is not something that we can neglect and it is why we empower Godparents and parents to bring up their children in an extraordinary manner. We encourage and indeed command those who take these vows on for children to live to a standard that is far beyond what is common practice in today's world.

This extraordinary means of living is demonstrated within the story of Peter in the Acts of the apostles (Acts 11.1-18). Despite the requirements of Jewish law around dietary matters God's vision is a turning point in how Peter sees the community in which he lives. For us it must also be a turning point in how we live our lives and is an instruction to those who look to guide young people in their formative years. By accepting that which we automatically shun as a result of our own inner convictions with an act of love is the true beginning of living as Christ's servant and disciple. Those who follow Christ are asked and are asking their compatriots to put aside their own deep prejudices and open their hearts to the community in which they live. To often we see this as nothing but an excuse to create havens that are conforming to our own ideals and our own believes. No leadership and no form of politics, if it is to be truly Christian, can abandon people to live without care and love. This applies to, at a familial level as much as to an international level.

Only when we come together do we expose love

We cannot abandon the least of our families, communities or other groupings for the sake of our prejudices and incoherent beliefs. The commandment that we obey is the one that is inclusive of all not just for some. This is something that we need to ultimately understand for ourselves as Christians especially within the present climate of expediency and denial that affects our everyday lives. Only when we have plumbed the depths of despair do we find the hope of the risen Christ in the love that is shared with our neighbours, in humility and hospitality. Peter destroyed everything that he knew as being part and parcel of his faith to show the ultimate love of God for those we despise. It is only when we throw away our iconoclastic views and embrace the flow of love that comes from God through Christ can we manifest the remarkable changes that God's grace brings into our lives. In the Church, we are too often divided by our dogmas and belief systems in a way that destroys the concept of God's love. We draw lines and defend our point of view such that we no longer understand the concept of love but rather create the conclaves that eventually destroy that love.

We can change the world, we may not have the will to change governmental policies that create an increasing divide within countries and between countries, but we can change the world by ensuring that the Christian message of love is carried into the future in the hearts and minds of the youngest members of society. We have been poor at undertaking the charge that Christ gives throughout the history of the Church establishment but as individuals it is up to us to ensure that the basis of our own lives within the community, not only of the Church, but also of the seculam in which we live. In doing this one thing we establish within our families and our communities the true understanding of God's love for us as we manifest God's love in our own communities. In encouraging that love in our youngest through the encouragement of godparents and parents perhaps we will strive towards a better and more loving society.

Is the shepherd heard?

 We could say that today is Shepherd Sunday as this is one of the Sundays, if not the Sunday of the year, when we discuss the proposition of the Shepherd as a model for Christ or God or Jesus.  In seeing this description we immediately think of leadership but we also need to think in terms of those who are being led.  First of all why use the model in the first place?  A bit archaic given modern farming practices and the imagery which surrounds Jesus the Good Shepherd.  Think of all those stain glass windows and book illustrations of a clean fresh faced Jesus and some clean looking sheep.

The reality in the context of the era and the Middle East is a much less romantic figure.  The shepherd, like David, was often the youngest in the family (no other occupation suits).  A loner who was often unmarried. Smelly and unwashed, sheep are not the most cleanly of animals and certainly have their own aroma. Uncouth to say the least.  Often not the owners of the sheep, normally hired hands or as previously mentioned the youngest in the family (No inheritance here).  Often apart from community and not participants in the normal everyday workings of community. This is the figure that is used in Scripture as the embodiment of leadership and of God! Why?

Well let us look at what the shepherd does.  If we picture a Middle Eastern scene where a shepherd would normally be the vision of Psalm 23 although beautiful is not exactly the true picture.  Rather it is a desolate hilly country with little to commend it self in terms of grazing.  Yet the shepherd will lead his flock through this barren landscape to areas where he knows that there is fodder and forage available to the flock.  During the trek some sheep may play up but unless they get into extreme difficulty they are often likely to re-join the flock as they know they will be looked after in the group.  The shepherd does not use force with his sheep but rather is self effacing doing what is required for the good of the whole rather than that of the individual.

The harsh landscape of Jordan with the shepherd leading his sheep (www.pinterest.com)

Despite looking as if they are amenable sheep can be ornery and recalcitrant, especially when left to fend for themselves.  So it is quite to their benefit to be known by the shepherd and follow where he leads, so they have a role to play in the flock and shepherd scene.  If they were to play follow the leader they would in all probability be like army ants, who, if having lost their nest, will follow the ant in front.  If that ant is lost or walking in a circle then they have no guarantee that they will survive.  Indeed the ant in front may find another ant in front as it circles (the tail end of its own followers).  They forever go around in circles until the majority die!! Is this what has become of the Church?

So if we are sheep who is the shepherd? and who is the under shepherd to whom authority has been given to lead the flock to the abundant pastures which are indicated in Psalm 23?  These questions have implications for us today in this Parish as we move towards our synod, for the Australian Church as it moves towards the election of a new Primate and also within Australia with the elections just past.  They are not simple questions with simple answers (God, Jesus, the Christ, etc) but they impinge on our daily lives not just our faith journey.  Working with people within the reality of our context is not the same as working with our faith journey although the two should be overlapping. What should we be looking for in our leaders when we look at the Shepherd model that scripture gives us.

Our leaders should be looking to lead the whole not just their own personal coterie (party, personal accounts, etc).  Scripture is specific about leadership being for the whole (flock) not just for the individual.  Our leaders should be those who listen to the needs of others and to the call of God our ultimate shepherd.  Our leader(s) should have the vision that leads the people (flock) to those pastures where we obtain sustenance but not as thought from the front.  Leaders know the way and call to those who are at the forefront to direct them along the way. The path should be discerned through prayer and consultation by speaking to others to smooth the way and direct us down the path.  Our leaders should not resort to violence or coercion except as a very last resort.  Leadership should be looking for solutions in conflict that are beneficial to both sides and all of God's creation.

As sheep we are also required to listen to our leaders, be persuaded to assist not forced or conscripted against our will, be able to speak against wrong doing and be heard. We should not be persuaded by popularity but by experience and results.  We must also remember that we ourselves are leaders as we too love our neighbours and so will speak out for the disenfranchised to obtain justice and lead people to the love of God through the expression of God's love in our hearts and lives.

Will we listen to God in the coming months as we discern where leadership in Australia and the diocese aims or will we succumb to the populist views and propaganda? Are we able to show the true leadership which is part of who we are as Christians and discern God's will and path in our lives?  No matter what we do, it is our responsibility and decisions that determines the leadership in the Church, in Society and in our lives.

Understanding love in a cycle of violence

 Christ's words to Peter in the last few paragraphs of John's gospel can be quite difficult to understand as the English translation in all of Christ's utterances are 'love'. However, there is a nuance in the final question which seems to upset Peter as the word in Greek is different in both order and depth, yet still translated for us as the word 'love'. We perhaps think Peter gets upset as a result of the repetitiveness of the question but what if it is around word usage as opposed to repetitiveness. There are up to eight variants of the word love in Greek but the more important ones for the present are storge, philia, eros and agape. Each of these word convey a different form of love which we miss in English unless we are aware of context, which is not required when using the Greek forms.

One of the things that the Anglican Church in Australia has been prominent in and, dare I say it, is a leader in is moving on Domestic Violence. Some years ago the Church organised an investigation and report into Domestic Violence in the Anglican Church in Australia which resulted in a task force and the Seven Commitments. Each Diocese and its parishes were asked to take up the commitments and work towards at least one of these in their daily lives and ministry. However, if we think about domestic violence, its perpetrators and its consequences we can probably, in a naïve manner, see that in many cases there is a failure of love within the familial setting. This may in part be how we as English speakers see love, i.e. as a single concept 'love', without realising that there are a multitude of interpretive ways in which we can see love acting within the family and the community. To understand the failure to love within a setting of domestic violence as stated earlier seems rather naïve but becomes much clearer if we understand love as a multiplicity rather than as a singularity. It is also perhaps something that we can teach rather than just talk about not only to children but also to those embarking on a family.

What love defines your relationships?

When we form relationships we tend to form them through a series of ever deepening processes which may or may not follow the order of the Greek words but often tend to. In other words we often begin any relationship with an empathetic bond. A bond that is formed out of empathy for the other, their situation and their context in relation to ourselves. This is what the Greeks call storge. A relationship may stop at this point and we are forever empathetic with and to our acquaintance without moving into any deeper relationship. We often take this feeling of empathy to a deeper level especially if we continue with our friendship on a regular basis such that we gather together often for social or other entertainments. we now start in towards the Greek concept of philia which is love in the bond of a continuing friendship. This is the word that Christ uses in the last statement to Peter, this is also the bond that David and Jonathon have. It is a bond that we do not often talk about but is a bond often formed in war and during times of trouble. It is closest, perhaps, to what Australians know as 'mateship'. Friendship such as this may turn into a sexual attraction which of course will culminate in the intimacy of sexual love or eros. This is of course dependent on the sexual proclivities of the individuals concerned but may often be a precursor to permanent relationships. The combination of these three deepens in a relationship that becomes more permanent that leads to the culmination of agape love or love that is self sacrificing, which is the love in the first two questions of Christ to Peter and is demonstrated on the cross.

The sequence above is one of many possibilities and more often than not the last, agape, is not common within our modern understanding of relationships as the three more ephemeral loves tend to rule our hearts and as they breakdown then we open the door to domination and power. Once we let these into such relationships we will tend to move towards a situation where domestic violence and abuse becomes more prone. Whilst the above schema is perhaps idealistic in this day and age it does assist us to understand better our own relationships and perhaps how to assist those who are in the bleak throes of an unhealthy and abusive relationship. God's relationship with us is none of the first three but is based on agape and it is this that we should be bringing into the world through our own relationship with the risen Lord. Perhaps we do not consider our side of the relationship as being agape but philia or sorge should we not therefore recognise our deficit and learn the art of agape before God?

 

Doubt is good

 Perhaps we should call this Sunday doubting Sunday as we come once again to hear the readings of "Doubting Thomas" from John's Gospel as it shows us an understanding of the presence of doubt in our own faith journey. If we read the story over I wonder if we still think that Thomas doubted at all but rather was slower than the others to believe.  After all they had the luxury of having seen the risen Christ.  Was their doubt just as marked as Thomas's when the women reported the emptiness of the tomb?

The question to ask is: Did Thomas reach out and touch Christ's side?  I think most people today would say that he did but John has a gap here in the text which we have presumptively filled with Thomas touching the Christ.  A presumption that has come from the art work of painters such as Caravaggio who portrays Thomas's finger thrust into the wound.  Perhaps it is the one thing that in this day and age we would all prefer.  Scientific method and the precepts of science have taken us down this route of physical evidence.  We cannot believe anything today unless it has been scientifically proven.  If Christ was to appear before us we would demand evidence.  A biopsy so that the tissue could be analysed.  An MRI or an X-ray would let us know more about the body, the risen body of Christ.  Doctors and scientists would have to lay out the physical evidence before their peers and we would then be satisfied that what we saw was indeed the risen Christ.

Caravaggio's painting of Thomas and the risen Christ.  Do we need to physically touch to believe?

Thomas and the disciples do none of these.  They believe when they see.  If we cannot have the physical evidence then perhaps the visual is the next best thing.  All the other disciples saw Christ so why can't Thomas not believe, he didn't.  Would you?  Is your belief such that if a person told you that they had seen the risen Christ you would without hesitation say yes I believe you?  Especially under the circumstances of having known he was buried.  Much the same as if someone told you that they had seen Princess Diana or Nelson Mandela within hours of their burial / funeral.  They do say that seeing is believing but nowadays even that is not true.  We have so many wonderful programmes on the computer that can doctor the photograph that you took.  On Facebook I have seen people's faces on various animals as people have toyed with these various programmes.  Do we really believe now what is shown to us in a photograph?  So for us is seeing believing or would we want to devolve down to touch as Thomas asked?

The disciples were told by the women that the tomb was empty (Luke) and indeed that Mary had spoken with the risen Lord (John).  Yet, the disciples did not believe.  It is almost as if there is another hole in the readings, a gap, where nothing happens until the Disciples see the risen Christ.  Even Mary does not really believe until she has spoken with the Christ.  Most of them are either totally disbelieving or unconcerned as if there is an air of unreality drifting over them.  Collective hallucinations as a result of their grief rather than an understanding of God working in the world in the presence of Christ.  If someone told you that a bomb had gone of in the middle of Sydney, would you believe them or think it was an April fools joke after the fact.  You would want to see it on News 24 or some other media circus or at least corroboration from a multiple of sources.  Truth telling has long since disappeared from the public arena such that we can believe what we hear.

In this day and age doubt has a place in our faith journey.  Doubt sows the seed of inquiry as we begin our journey in faith.  A child who comes to baptism today is a person who has been born into a world filled with certainties that are presented to them  through touch and sight.  Through physical provability and confidence in their senses. The sciences will aid them in understanding the physical world in which they live and come to maturity in.  A world that has placed its reliance on the measurement and categorisation of the world around us and is sceptical of that which is unseen and non-physical.  We are asking their parents and God parents to bring them up in faith.  To draw them into a development of that which can not be measured and categorised.  In this age of science they have a profoundly difficult undertaking, as they are asked to develop in a young child of God an ability which even we find hard to hold.  The ability to believe in something that is not able to be encompassed by our methods of proof. This is not an easy task as we all know for we are all guilty of some level of doubt in our lives.  If handled correctly however our doubt can be transformed into a faith that is as compelling as the disciples on seeing the risen Christ.  We may not have the assurance of the visual confirmation that they had of the risen Christ but we will have a growing knowledge that God is part of our journey as our doubts are answered.  We are asked to come to an understanding of God's presence in our lives that is not confirmed by our senses but is confirmed by our belief in a risen Christ.

Hearing Thomas' doubt we can see ourselves.  Hearing Thomas' words to the risen Christ we need to see the trajectory of our faith and the fulfilment of Christ in our lives.  We may be filled with doubt but our goal is in the faith that we hear Thomas enunciate. "My Lord, My God"

The risen life

 Christ is risen, he is risen indeed! Once more we have come to the space and time of celebrating the risen Christ, once more we come to celebrate the risen life. Each time that we do so we rededicate our lives to the promises that are made at baptism. Promises that commit ourselves to looking forward to a future that is filled with the truth and veracity of Christ within our lives. This is an important time for us as Christians and it is a time that should be filled with hope and joy for a fulfilment of the new life that comes with Christ. Too often though it is a time of despair and futility as we contemplate in our hearts our lacks and our inability to change from year to year creating a fugue in our hearts and souls.

This however is a time of rejoicing, our introspection should have been undertaken as we approached the cross initially. Now in the joy of seeing our risen Lord we need to acknowledge our own death so that we also can rise with Christ. What we should not do is go looking into the past that is dead to us to find the newness in life that is promised by Christ in his resurrection. Christ comes to us from the future not the past and in coming to us from the future we accept him into our lives knowing and abetting the change that this brings. We celebrate the burning away of the dead wood as we light the new fire, the fire of the Spirit in our lives as we move forward on the journey to the risen life. We pass through baptism acknowledging that we will live in truth and in Christ.

Let us not search amongst the dead and the past where they reside

In passing through the waters of death we can once more rise again leaving those things behind that belong in the past and celebrate the life that Christ gives us in the NOW. How can we find the good life in the past when Christ comes from the future? In our renewal of vows taken by our godparents on our behalf, and ourselves when we came to confirmation, we reaffirm our purpose and close ourselves of to the past. In passing through the waters we pass from death, that is now past, to a new life which is in Christ, the future. If we renege on these vows we deny Christ and look to death for our self knowledge. Only when we accept the death of ourselves in the waters of baptism do we begin to live in newness of life.

We celebrate today in the present. We allow the past to die. We begin a new life in the future with Christ. In celebrating today we need to place all our effort into fulfilling the vows that we take. Only in allowing ourselves to die will we begin to rise into something different. Unfortunately for many today this will be an exercise in futility as we do not wish to die. The horror that we feel is present in death is persuasive and denies us the support that we need to fulfil Christ's promise. In our denial we loose our rebirth and are unable to become as Christ as we bring with us the sins of the past. We immediately forget the words at the beginning of each service and the light that is re-lit at dawn, Christ is risen, he is risen indeed!

The other side of passion

  What do we think of when we think of passion and in particular when it has "the" in front of it? In some respects our understanding of passion and the Passion can become confused. In everyday usage when we consider passion we look at examples that are predicated on joy and a surfeit of or abundance of emotion. We are engaged in passionate sex or we engage our passions. Of course some of those joys and things we pursue are not desirable for the majority but more often the case we are looking at something that consumes are very being. However, when we capitalise it and put the in front of it, especially as Christians, we begin to think of Christ and the Sunday before Easter. A Sunday that traditionally calls for the reading of  the Passion, which is the full story of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. At this point we ponder the connection between what we know as passion and what the connection is with Christ's agonising decisions and consequences? There does not seem for us to be a connection between the two.

Theologically speaking in terms of the Passion we are driven to think in terms of its original usage which comes to us from the Latin passionem or the nominative form passio which means to suffer, or endure an experience. It is not about the nature of the experience it is about our resilience and our ability to endure all things and in the case of Christ it is his ability to endure the decisions that lead to the cross. Our understanding of the word passion in everyday usage does not come from this source but from the Middle English rendition to desire with strong emotion, arising from the Greek pathos and being popularised in the 1600s through into the 1700s. In some respects we all have to endure our passions or our lack of ability to indulge in them, so there is perhaps a bit of a connection there. However, it is in the original that we must focus especially at this time of year when we approach the celebration of new life at Easter.

Finding your passion is hard - allowing yourself to begin the journey is harder

We have, if we have been true to our Lenten journey, endured our time of fast to prepare ourselves for this coming week and its culmination in the risen Christ we celebrate at Easter. In some respects Lent should be for us a mirror of the last week and be our own passion. However, we seldom take these things of Lent seriously for this to occur. Perhaps though if we were serious and passionate in rendering our Lenten season into our daily lives, so that we too can be resurrected to new life, we should consider the words I state at the start of the journey. These words I convey in various ways on Ash Wednesday "What we do in Lent should be a preparation for the rest of our lives. Thus, if we give up chocolate, then the trial of Lent makes the resisting chocolate for the rest of our lives easier to achieve". In this way we select what we give or take up over the Lenten period and allow it to become a passion, a trial, and our passion for new life. Christ in his passion gives up ongoing life for himself in preference of new life through the agony of the cross for us; can we not offer a little agony in ourselves for the betterment of our lives or are we too self absorbed to see that this may change the way we think?

I have been re-reading Frank Herbert's Dune series and something from there strikes me as appropriate in this moment as we seek for Christ's passion in our lives but are fearful of the change that that will bring. Herbert writes "We do not want our ideas changed. We feel threatened by such demands. 'I already know the important things!' we say. Then Change comes and throws our old ideas away". In some ways this is what Christ does to and for us as Christ is the great Changer in our lives. Lent for us should be about change in our lives as we move towards the greatest change that Christ gave to us; New Life. Yet, we stumble at the first hurdle, we are unable to join Christ in his passion even if we have had the whole of Lent to prepare because we fear that change and what its consequences will be for our lives. This is our passion the one that Christ understood in Gethsemane, our fear of change that must and should be embraced. If we do not then we become belligerent in our fears like Putin and Trump. We become stagnated without true hope for the future like many modern politicians who live solely in the past. Today, we face Christ Passion in the reading of the Gospel but can we face our own Passion and follow Christ into newness of life?

Judas economics

 Economics is at the top of our news cycle with the imposition of various tariffs and their effects from the Trumpian dream book. Much like Judas, this appears to be our most prevalent way of looking at what it means to have and to be part of the human race. It is in reality a question of outlook as the Gospel passage from John points out (Jn 12.3-8). The cost of the perfumed oil that was used by Mary and its usage. From Mary's point of view she has given what she can to the fullest possible extent. The oil, which had probably been saved up over a long time to be used sparingly, was poured with generosity over Christ's feet. Perhaps, like many of us Judas watching from the side lines has a different view: greater use could have been attained especially if the asset had been turned into cash rather than poured down the drain so to speak. This question is one that sits close to our hearts during Lent as it is a question that we need to wrestle with in applying it to not only material assets but to our spiritual wealth as well.

To reach out in compassion is the beginning of community and openness to the other

How are we to react when it comes to the use of the assets that we posses both personal and corporate? Is it for us to determine the expenditure? Are are we to follow Christ in our compassionate outpouring of all we have towards those who are in need? The Judas effect is the one that perhaps we adopt rather than that of Mary in the Gospel story. The asset is to be taken by ourselves and used for what we believe is to be the greater good. Christ says famously here that the 'poor are always with us' suggesting that there is little that we can do in the present time to alleviate something that is constantly there but rather to pour our wealth out in worship and acknowledgement of Christ or rather God. Yes, there is very little we can do to alleviate the poverty of the nations until such time as we can alleviate the poverty that is inherent within ourselves. Both ways have there faults built in. Judas was by no means an innocent in this conversation. It is inherent in the passage that Judas meant to utilise the money for himself not in the alleviation of the surrounding poverty both material and spiritual. We ourselves become side tracked often so that we spend everything that there is in chasing our own dreams and desires rather than using what has been freely given to the worship of God and following God's requirements.

In holding on to our own wealth of time, talent, finance, worship, etc. we withhold the opportunity of those who are not imbued with these to experience God's presence and love. In facing our own desires in this Lenten period we need to face our tendency to be as Judas, hoarding for ourselves and our wants. We often do not see compassion as a response and we withhold our  compassionate response. In the Isaiah passage God says that even in the desert God will provide something new (Is 43.18-19) while we harbour our thoughts in the past. Compassion asks us to open our hearts to those around us and leave of the things that we are doing for ourselves. Leave the Judas mindset behind and allow something new to happen as we interact with compassion. We can claim anything in terms of how good we are, just as Paul does (Phil. 3.4-6), but in the end unless we write our assets of to God's presence in our lives we are nothing.

Mary's attitude is just this letting go of everything to allow the compassion of God and the love of God to reside within ourselves. In this manner we think not of our own wants and needs but we let go and open our hearts to the other. Only when we allow this to happen do we begin to see the new life of God and create the compassionate community that does not allow the poor to exist. It is our own thoughts that disabuse others as we do not open ourselves to the suffering that is around us.

The unfinished tale

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

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

Have we locked ourselves out like the older son?

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

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

Pride and its consequences

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

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

Our pride blinds us to our reality

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

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

Left in the past for a new future

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

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

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

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

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

A drive towards the void rather than love

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

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

A fractured world results from following our own agenda

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

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

Changing who we are

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

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

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

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

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