To kill giants

Some years ago now I attended a conference in Johannesburg which brought together well over one and half thousand Christians. The theme of the conference was "Giants" the ones that were looming and that needed to be identified and killed as David killed Goliath (1 Sam 17). The giants that the conference were talking about were things that were embedded in the country; poverty, education, discrimination, corruption, etc. These are not simple things but as Christians we are told that slaying giants is very easy if God is beside us, not on our side because that implies that there are sides, rather that God is beside us walking along the way. In our times of giant facing and fear that comes with it is the need to understand that God walks next to us and gives us hope and courage to see our way through to ending the menace posed by the giant.

We all face giants at some time in our lives. Those giants may seem totally impossible to overcome and get around to continue our lives. For some those giants may be intimately personal, depression say, or the loneliness confronting us with the death of someone close. They may be slightly more distant such as persistent debt, mortgage repayments, etc. They may not affect us directly but may affect a community to which we belong, escalating costs, reduction in membership, etc. They of course may also be large and affect everyone such as those tackled by the conference. It does not matter what the size of our personal or collective giants are we need to confront them in the same manner that David did with five pebbles taken from the stream of life. It is all very well to reel of some simple things like, faith, walking with God, love, hope and prayer as examples of pebbles to take into a fight. In the end David used only one of the pebbles not all five, So each pebble is good for one shot at the giants that face us and we have to discern which pebble to use so that we effectively destroy the giant. Is it really as simple as that?

What are your giants and can you face them?

No, it is not. Giants are however easily killed what is not so easy is the courage that David had to face the terrors that the giants form in us. Remember that the rest of the army was terrified of the giant and it was that group terror that paralysed their actions. It was the realisation and example of one person that allowed for the success of the whole. Paul puts it slightly differently in the Corinthian correspondence but essentially the same thought is their and he leads through example in adversity (2 Cor 6. 1-13). We are to be lights in the world, a world that is filled with giants. Giants that reach out into our hearts and kill us through the fears that creep in as we try to face them. Just as the disciples feared the gathering storm (Mk 4.35-41) we also fear what we cannot easily control. Yet, when the light of Christ is shone into the darkness we are able to overcome the fears and reach out to those who are around us and fear as well. Hope, love, prayer, faith etc are all their to help us in our journey travelling along the way that Christ has opened for us. Conquering the fears that overwhelm us in the presence of God. Facing challenge changes us, facing fear heals us, facing the giants makes us a community to be feared.

Only when we truly overcome the terrors that confront us as a family and community joined together will we become as Christ to our neighbours. Even at the darkest moment in our lives, if we look carefully, we will find that Christ's light is beside us guiding us along the stormy way into the brightness of a new future. The grace of God is God's love which out-pours and guides us into new life only when we release that love are we empowered by it. In hoarding it and not using it we limit ourselves. Imagine David not using the pebbles but rather the armour given to him by Saul. He would not have overcome the giant. Relying on God allows us to drop the weight that others place on us, the weight of expectation, as they magnify the fear that comes with facing the giant. Only by God's grace and Christ's light are we able to perform the miracles that God wants for us.

God does not see as we see

We look at our surroundings through the eyes of our own biases and prejudices, many of which our unconscious and un-acknowledged. In promoting our own way of seeing we may be directly contravening God's requirements for us and thus we are not living up to Christ within us. Samuel grieved not understanding what God was undertaking but responded to God's call upon his life to anoint David rather than his own expectations (1 Sam 15.34-16.13). Christ tells the parable of the mustard seed and the man sowing and having the result grow without his knowledge (Mk 4.26-34). We are blinded in the same way by our own supposed wants and needs. We often quarrel and complain about words, about thoughts, about ideas rather than allowing God's voice to speak to us and open our eyes in understanding.

By being bounded by our own passions we do not see or hear God's voice speaking to us. We make choices based on our understanding, just like Samuel would have done. Samuel's choices were based on his bias, his unacknowledged prejudice as to what he thought a good King should be. We often deny others the ability to interact with God as a result. The thing that needs to be put to rest before we enter into any long term plan for our community and the family of God is our understanding of what God wants. The call of God is made at baptism when parents and godparents are asked to bring their children up into a relationship with God. That relationship opens us up to the other and we allow ourselves to become part of a community that heralds in an era of understanding and listening. We are asked not to place our views on others or to go with our own views but we are asked to listen to God before disrupting relationship. Samuel was forced by God to listen to God not to jump with his own conclusions as to who was going to be the better king. Godparents are asked to set an example for their children and part of that is setting the example of listening for God's voice, the voice of faith and the other before choosing our path.

New life begins without our help but with God's grace - nurture it do not rip it out

We are happy to wield the power that we think we have because we know better, we have studied more, we belong to groups that promote our way of thinking but what we rarely do is ask if this is what God wants. Our causes may be good, our wishes may be beneficial but that does not negate the idea that God must guide us. The godparents have a tough time ahead when introducing a new child of God to the faith. It is their responsibility to show their child what it means to respond to God. We are often the ones that fail our duty to our children and as a result we become embittered and lost in our own unconscious biases  not listening and not reacting to God's presence. This often destroys community rather than building it. It sets our own measures in place and not God's measures which means we fail to live up to the reconcilatory grace of God's presence. We set up our structures to reflect what we want not what we are asked for within our own lives and those of the body of Christ. We often fail to die as Christ dies and as the child dies in the waters of baptism. If we are unable to die to Christ we are unable to rise again in the new life that is Christ. Only when we become strong in Christ do we begin to proclaim the Gospel of God and not the gospel of our own biases.

What is your building made of?

When it comes to building and building materials we have a lot to choose from. There have been some fascinating video clips on social media showing various houses being built using a number of quick and easy building methodologies. From wooden Lego style strips to brick laying robots. Yet as we all know, or should know that it is the careful selection of materials and design of the house that makes all the difference in terms of building a home. If we are not careful with our design we find that in the years to come we become dissatisfied and complain about the things we should have done or make additions that are never complete. Often we do not think of the future and what happens is that we end up with something that becomes high maintenance or problematic when we reach our old age and our dream house becomes our concrete necklace around our necks.

Where and what we build is up to us, so long as we glorify God in doing so

In the same way our faith lives are built around careful planning and the use of correct building materials. Whilst tradition is our foundation a stone that is centred in Christ the rest is entirely up to us. We can build cathedrals that glorify God or we can build hovels that hide the light of God away or we can build prisons behind which we cower locked away unable to proclaim the goodness and life that is found in God  The first step in the building plan is to believe in God and in Christ. Until we have that foundation set we cannot build a structure that will last. All we will do is build with sticks and pebbles on sand waiting for our structures to be washed away by the currents of modern life. If we are to build a building that is worthy to sing God's praises with those around us (2 Cor 4.15), we need to ensure that our faith is grounded in Christ's very body and life.

Christ seemingly rejects our preconceptions by rejecting the family (Mk. 3.32-35) but then re-affirms that all of humanity who does God's will is family. In breaking our tradition and the strands that bind us to our biological family Christ re-forges them with those who are doing God's will. Not only does he appeal to tradition, the tradition inherent in everything that family means, but he also builds on it to form a new and longer lasting building that is the community of believers formed on the life of Christ. In our own faith lives we need to build on our tradition and not allow it to conform ourselves. Our building materials nowadays are different to what they where. We can still build cathedrals but they will be different to what they were. We need to realise our own faith journeys so that we can build communities that shine with Christ's love. God was somewhat horrified that the Israelites wanted a King (1 Sam 8.4-20) but still went ahead and allowed this change in tradition. It was to build on something that had gone before in terms of justice and peace. Unfortunately, the Israelites chose the wrong building substrate and ended up with Saul. Sometimes we to choose the wrong way and end up building ourselves a Jail rather than a Cathedral. Sometimes we over rely on what has gone before to determine what is to come.

Only when we build on the firm foundation with the building blocks that we discover in and on our journey of faith do we find God's grace helping us along the way. Sometimes it means changing ourselves as much as changing our community and the way we do things. In contemplating the future we need to recognise the past but allow our faith to bring us to the place of God's grace even if this is unlike anything we have had before.

Hearing God or hearing ourselves

Old Eli took a lot of persuading for him to understand that it was God who called the young Samuel (1 Sam. 3.1-10). Whilst we often suggest that it is prudent to listen and discern God's call in our lives and our lifetime, I wonder how often we actually heed the call as opposed to allowing ourselves to turn over and go back to sleep? Perhaps too often we rely on tradition to suffice and become the call of God. Christ had something to say with regards this type of use of tradition, basically along the lines of "wake up sleepy heads, that is you speaking not God" (Mk 2.23-3.6). The structures of the Church and its institutionalisation are often to blame for this behaviour just as it was at the time of Christ. By placing our reliance on the things that have worked and are working we place ourselves in a place that is often blind to God's working. God cannot be asking us to do that because... We only have to look at the charismatic movement in recent times and the young burgeoning Church in history to see that this is wrong thinking.

How can we wake up and realise that God is calling us to be different and follow where God leads and not where others in the Church want us to believe he leads? How do we tune out, as it were, the noise of the ego's of others and find time for God so that he can lead us? Perhaps the first thing to think about is our own faith lives. It is after all up to us to hear when God speaks and to discern the truth. We cannot do that when we are involved in other things, however worthy they may be. It really could be our children, our livelihoods our passions that distract us so much so that we forget that an integral part of our own life is entwined in the life of Christ. We become ingrained in the habit of Church rather than the habit of faith. Paul sums it up considerable well in the second letter to the Corinthians (4.7-12). We are earthen vessels, we do get distracted, we do follow our own endeavours and we do forget God in our lives. Yet, after all is said and done God is still present, God is still leading if we were only to set time aside for God. We are inclined to make excuses and we are inclined to follow what has gone before. Then when we are given the freedom to undertake a new thing we find ourselves being heavily critiqued for branching out and so wallow in doubt or fear. So we need to spend more time with God.

If we do not listen we cannot hear. 

In granting ourselves the freedom to be with God we are given a greater gift as God's grace becomes manifest within us. The time that we thought we would lose as a result of intentional time with God, is in fact time gained rather than lost. It does however mean that we need to be intentional rather than rely on our habits. This means that time spent with God needs to come at times when we do not come before God out of habit, i.e. Sunday morning. Rather it is time that we deliberately set aside during the week to commune with God. In allowing us this luxury we allow God to direct and enter into our lives more fully. If we do not, we will sleep through the call by God and not respond. or if we do it will be at the last moment and in our rush to respond we will listen to ourselves rather than to God. Rather let us start to put aside time to listen to God and leave ourselves behind. Our wants do not accord with God's but rather oppose all that God has given for us. It is time we start to understand that it is not just service but it is service in the name of God that brings forth love into the world. Be true to God and we will be true to our true selves loving our communities and ensuring that the young strive to become God's children in the world.

Out moded but relevant

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 within the natural state.

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 the deeper bedrock, understand the formulation and re-iterate a new formulation that makes provision for our modern life. 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 on 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 becomes a feature of the faith journey only 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 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's freedom in the world not containing but releasing and opening our hearts to those around us.

We are but we are not

Following Christ in the world as it is today is challenging as we express God's love in fulfillment of Christ's commandments. It is hard for us to use the expressions of faith in a world that is dominated by science and reason. A world that is focused on rational thought and lacks the ability to appreciate the otherness that is portrayed in the transcendence of God's presence....or is it. Perhaps it is just that we have failed to capture an ability to show that transcendence and bring it into the lives of the everyday. Christ prays for his disciples and by extension ourselves as we live in the world and are yet not of the world (Jn 17.15-19). This recognition of the tension in the reality of coming to understand transcendence as being part of the world but at seeming odds with the rationality of our lived experience is an important aspect to understand.

The very first thing that we need to understand is that this is something that effects all of us but most especially it effects both how we look at and also how we interact with the structures that we put in place for mission, ministry and being effective disciples in the world. Charles Taylor, the noted philosopher, has suggested that this tension is a result of our becoming more opaque to the world as a result of our modern rational scientific approach. In other words we do not see mystery and transcendence as a part of life. Yet, when we look around us this ability to interact with mystery is present although changed / morphed / transformed being seen in the enormous appeal of films that portray magic / super-power / the clash of good and evil. So, is there an actual division that has to be overcome or a tension between the two that has to be ameliorated in terms of our faith lives and our secular lives. We see very obviously in the Church of today the impost of legal requirements that are set by secular society and how the Church often appears to have taken these on with little consideration on the effects on faith and the faith community. 1 John is very clear in how we should undertake these interactions (5.9-13) by promoting our living in Christ. Often in the reality of the day our faith journey is disrupted by the imposed requirements of non-faith understandings and requirements thus disabling our ability to perceive the transcendence of God in our midst.

Every second is God's it does not need to be managed.

Perhaps, as an example we need to look at how we go about organising an outing that involves children. Not that long ago it was acceptable to plan and go to a camp site without much fuss. Today of course there are insurance forms, working with children's checks and any other number of hurdles that have to be overcome before it is even booked. This is not to say that these things are perhaps necessary but the danger for us is that the more there is to arrange the less likely it is to become a reality. The simple outlook of a previous seculum has now become an over managed project with little in the way of Christ-likeness portrayed. Sometimes we need to be careful as to what becomes overmanaged and how this may disrupt our ability as Christians to minister to different groups. Christ in John's gospel recognises the difficulty even then but it has become greater as time has passed and as we as Christians have allowed our secular eyes to focus more than our sacred eyes. Christ did not ask us to become his disciples to manage things but to open people to an encounter with God. Even in our liturgical spaces we must become ever wary of the idea that it is static and conforms to a specific ideal, the music, the movement must all be something that enhances a persons experience. Can we really say that this piece of music is unsuitable and this not if people come to worship and praise through its presence? Sometimes we try to manage even the smallest detail not realising that we are destroying our ability to reach those who have not met God. We need to live our faith not manage our faith. We need to see God's presence in the day to day and not just in the managed space of the "Sunday service".

Can we obey Christ's commandment?

We honour it every week in our traditional and non-traditional services; we acknowledge it, we affirm it, we say that this is what we do, but do we actually manifest this commandment in the world? I reckon that if every Christian actually did undertake the words of Christ in John 15.17 the world would be a different place. This is fully at the heart of the Gospel and yet for all we proclaim it we do not and I repeat, we do not obey this one commandment that follows from the love of God. I can already hear every Christian that reads this saying "But we do". I am saying no you do not. How do I know this because the state the world is in. It is in fact irrespective of what faith anyone holds, there is a consistency of thought throughout every faith that the world would be better if we got over ourselves and loved each other.  This does not happen and I do not have to go through reams of examples to show the bigotry of the world and its people whether it is Australia, UK or USA it is the same.

Why? It is perhaps simply the fact that we are to involved with our selves and our own needs that we are unconcerned about the needs of others. We only wish to be associated with those we can get on with rather than those we cannot. Once we start this we begin to create our own little enclaves of those who belong and those who do not. In a way the division starts even with the writer of 1 John as they draw the lines of acceptance in the sand (1 John 5.12). Once we begin we cannot and dare not stop creating the divisions that we are comfortable with, within the societies that we belong to. Once we have the society than all others are non-members and are to be shunned as they are not us. The wall has been formed and it becomes increasingly impossible to breach the barrier and reach the individual, group, society on the other side.

We are called from our baptism to form community and to enable others to come to God through Christ. However, we begin to baulk at this because it means so much we immediately take it that it is an onerous and thankless task, so the designated person can do it for us. They will present programs and that will enable our ability to undertake that which we need to do.  If it brings success then we will continue and re-iterate irrespective what else is going on around us. Perhaps we can put a programme in for young people, perhaps we can undertake home groups, perhaps we can prepare to undertake some form of outreach service and bring "GOD" into it. We need to manage the situation so that we can deliver God's love or so it would seem. A really good programme or mission is all that is required and if it is managed properly then we will have people pouring in the doors, a full church.  But is that what Christ set his disciples to do? Did he send them out to gather the crowds so that they could become part of the "Church" or did he send them out to bring God closer to the people so that they would realise that God was with them and part of them?

At the end of the day does it really matter if the "Church" grows, isn't that what God is about, surely our job, our calling is to live as Christ and bring God close to those who are unable to come close to God. It is God's love that matters not whether the Church grows. As someone else has said the Church exists to glorify God after that, whether it grows or not is up to God. Our "job" is to follow Christ in the costly calling of God's love not to ensure that the numbers in the pew are increasing, that is nowhere near the top of the list of commandments.  What is is to love God and love our neighbour and the first thing to be done there is to break down the walls that have arisen around our own enclaves, to open the doors to all so that we can share God's love with all.  How do we do that? Well if we are not doing it at present perhaps now the time to start by saying "Hello", "Ciao!", "Kaya", "Jingari" and any other number of greetings to those you do not know as you walk the malls and streets of your everyday life.

Hello, Ciao!, Kaya, Jingeri, Salut or whatever you want to break the divisions between our cultures