Omni- of God - the ultimate rescue

 In the space that is today, in the time that is now, it is true to say that the universe will end not in a blaze of glory but more likely in a wimp of darkness but it will end. The world will likely end in a blaze of glory as we are eaten by the sun. The heaven of the past is no longer up there as the astronauts can probably attest but our super dooper telescopes do so much better. If this is the case then what does this mean for readings that we have today speaking of a day of the Lord and preparedness for the coming of God (Zeph. 1:12-18; 1 Thess. 5:1-11; Matt. 25:14-30)? Perhaps we need to turn our thoughts to the very prosaic inhabitant of Judaea who in his insights proclaimed that the Reign (Basilea) of God was present to us in the here and now. Using this insight we may be able to disentangle the entanglement in our theology of Neoplatonism and a foreign world view.

All good plans take time to mature and plenty of planning. Changing the world does take a bit of doing but as Christians that is our purpose to re-make the world to conform with and live in love and peace and yes at the end of the day, when this eventually comes into being, there will be a lot of gnashing of teeth. The Gospel story has severe political overtones for the society in which the parable was told. It is all about political manoeuvring on a grand scale in Roman times but has much to say that is beyond the overt political message for us today. Quite honestly we are probably, 90% at least, in the category of the failed servant. Shock, horror and claims of "No we are not". Well I suppose that has to be an expected response to such an announcement and of course we would all put ourselves within the 10% that are not. Of course of those 10%  only  99% fall into category 2 and in reality only 1% are anywhere near category 1. All those statistics what does it mean in real life. 

We invest in relationships of love that always bring a return

The reality of the current day is that most of us are lazy when it comes to our spiritual and faith responsibilities. We would much rather put things to the side and go on about our business and not about God's business or the business of faith. Don't get me wrong, those in religious institutions fall just as equally within the percentages as anyone else. It takes effort to do the work of God and prepare for the coming Kingdom but it is in the work that we see the beginnings of that kingdom here on Earth in the present. Our wandering Aramean did not put philosophical spin nor was he tangled up in the question of who is God / What is God / Why is God? and so forth. His stories and preaching were about the present, the end was now as we moved into a new understanding of how to relate to each other as we moved into the reign of God's presence reflected in our own interactions in the present. For Christ the time was now to move into the reign of God, which meant that the time was now to change how we relate to each other. It is our investment in our community that God is looking for. For us to realise the coming of God's reign we must invest ourselves in our relationships to show the love which God represents to us.

It is our lives that are at stake. It is our communities lives that are at stake. It is our planet that is at stake. We cannot afford to park the investment of our lives and not do anything. If we do that we are literally banking on others whose interest may not be ours and quite honestly is usually their own benefit rather than looking towards their neighbours. The stakes are high but we can visibly see the returns on our investments in love within the community. Unlike burying ourselves behind closed doors or watching the stock market investment fall when we invest in love it is always on the way up. The reign of God is just around the corner and it comes when we begin to invest in our communities with the love that God has given us. The longer we leave that love buried in our hearts while we wait for better times and God appearing at the end of creation the longer it will be before the reign of God comes. Christ said that the reign of God was here, now. It was at the end of this present age and until we understand that we are harbingers of the end of the present day when we allow God's love to enter into our communities we will not see God's reign. We will continue to be caught up in metaphysics and Greek philosophical views compounded by an out moded world view.

Prepared to show love

 We know that the essential part of living as a community of God is to live in love. Essentially, we are called to show love to those who are around us as friends and neighbours whilst at the same time glorifying and loving the Lord our God. In the final chapter of the book of Joshua the Israelites make a promise about their dedication to God (Josh. 24:19-24). This promise is made with them as witnesses against themselves. The prophet Amos in a round about manner reminds them of this promise by stating that God wants above all else justice, not worship services, not being in a temple or church but being in the community ensuring that justice flows (Amos 5:24). In these readings there is a message to us, not necessarily as a parish or a diocese but to us as the body of Christ joined across the world. A call to us and a reminder of the promises made before God just as the Israelites did at the end of Joshua.

Many may take this to mean that they do not have to come to church but can participate in the world showing the Christian attributes. Yes, but.. The significance here is not about God not wanting worship service the significance here is in showing the works of love. This is hard to undertake when you are on your own and participation in worship at a communal level allows us to become part of a significant whole rather than an insignificant cog doing nothing but turning in circles. God may not require it but we do require it so that we can form around God's presence as a community that is engaged in love of God and love of neighbour. The Thessalonians are praised for their practice of love (1 Thess. 4:9-10) towards their fellow Christians and others throughout the province. In this respect the parable that Jesus tells in Matthew (Matt. 25:1-13) is an extremely good example of this community aspect of our lives centred as it is on God.

Let's not squander the lives that we have but show love to our neighbours

The group of young girls is perhaps typical of such a group in such a setting. Five are drawn out into a party frame of mind, it is after all a celebration of marriage and all the good things in life to come for them. The other five are more circumspect and have perhaps been drilled into sensibility by their parents. They acknowledge the festive occasion but are ever mindful of their responsibilities and the covenant that they have entered into with the community to fulfil the role of the welcomers at the bridegroom's house. In going of and doing things on our own we waste our energy, even if we are caught up in the fun and frivolity of society. In this we are like the foolish girls, we are wasting our time and when we are summoned to fulfil the requirements for what we are engaged in by God we find ourselves standing on the outside looking in. We have lost touch with God's presence because we have been caught up doing things our way. Due to the unexpected/expected delay in undertaking our responsibilities we have to go and seek a means to undertake that which we said we would do. We have lost our contact with the community and with God and so can no longer express that love which God has asked us to give to those around us. We spent that all on our own self indulgences.

Our covenant from baptism is to live as Christ and ensure that we are proponents of that love in the world. We have a limited life span and during that time we are asked to ensure that we live as Christ and live in the love of God. If we spend our lives away from God it is no wonder that we have issues in our lives at a later stage, when in our twilight years we complain about all the things that are missing. The grumpiness that we often see is a disruption of our living well in Christ. Only when we spend our lives in the presence of God will we know the presence of God throughout our lives. In age it is often when we find that we are missing something not only because our children have allowed others to take the burden of care but also because we have neglected our spiritual and faith lives during our life. We need to be constantly reminded that it is the presence of God in our lives that allows for our sustainable comfort into the future.

Deserving to be Saints

 Today, we celebrate All Saints (or All Hallows day) and yesterday was All Hallows eve (commonly known as Halloween). Pope Gregory III is the responsible party for these curious days in the calendar. The celebration of the one, All Saints, was meant to stamp out the underlying pagan festival of the European countries, Samhain or Summers end of the other, All Hallows eve. Thus, the prayers and services of All Hallows eve in preparation for the following day supposedly removed the temptation of the celebration of Samhain. Irrespective of the origins it is a time for us as the Christian faithful to reflect on a couple of things on this recognisably spiritual twenty four hours from the Eve to the Day. Recognisably spiritual because whether pagan or Christ follower it is to be recognised as a time of coming closer to God's presence.

Firstly, what or who are the saints we are celebrating? Pope Gregory III firmly established the date as a day to celebrate all those who had died in the Lord and passed into heaven. It had been celebrated on various dates throughout the year often coinciding with pagan feast days or celebrations. The Saints are often associated with those who have been granted sainthood, most notably the famous ones like Luke or Mary MacKillop. Yet, in the scriptures the word saints is reserved for all those who are in Christ, in other words believers who are both living and dead. In some respects as we gather at All Saints, Buraja today we are remembering both the living and the dead associated with a place that showed the face of Christ to the world. Yet, in our celebrations today we often only celebrate the dead rather than the living and remembering that God is the God of the living not the dead. Whilst our readings celebrate those around the throne (Rev.7:9-17) we need to remind ourselves of those that are around the throne lived as Christ.

Can we live the lives of the saints?

Our Gospel reading for today points this out (Matt. 5:1-12) as we hear of the way to live in an ethical and Christian manner. It is not pie in the sky goals for us but actual living that is the requirement of God. It is a means of reacting and being in relationship with those around us so that we are likened to the saints who were the living followers of Christ. Something that we often forget, partially due to how we are conditioned to think theologically, is that Jeshua (to remove our normal associations) spoke to people who were poor and who were in the midst of daily struggles. He did not preach in theological terms but in the parlance and relevance of a downtrodden society that had been colonised. On this day, if on no other, we need to remember that the Gospel is for those who are struggling and it is good news because they are given the understanding that we struggle with them, they are not alone. In our theologising we often allow ourselves to follow ancient Greek philosophy and Augustine's meandering as a trusted part of who Jeshua was and neglect the honest story that is behind the theologising moment.

The second take away message from today, is that in light of having been lured away from the simple minds of the past into a confusing array of theological words that divide us more then anything else, we need to live as the Christ. Not, I might add, the theologised Christ. We need to go back to basics and live as the Saints of yore did in speaking the truth and living the truth of the Gospel. It is this that makes us saints nothing else for we are just as human and frail as everyone else but as followers of the Christ we bring the Good News to those that are at the margins of society. We bring the truth that needs to be spoken into the lives of our own society irrespective of the cost for we are all martyrs for Christ.  In 1 John the writer informs his recipients that the reason the world does not know us is that they do not know God (1 Jn 3:1b). The reason being that as Christians we are truth speakers, which is anathema in the world, for the world does not want to know the truth and hence God's presence of love that comes with the truth. We are those that bring the truth of God into the lives of those around us.

Love the heart of the Law

 We know and understand that God is the ultimate demonstration of Love as this is what God is. So, when the Gospel from Matthew has Christ saying that Love of God and Love of neighbour are the two most fundamental aspects of the Law we have no issues with the proclamation (Matt 22:37-39). Over the past few weeks we have heard of the generosity of God and how we should be committing everything to God's purposes and if we have not yet realised why, the present Gospel passage gives us no better reason but love. In working out love in our lives we commit to God's purposes for in what other way can we show the abundance that God gives to us but by following in his footsteps of love as shown by the Christ. Yet almost in the same breath of the word love we are also reminded of things that spring not from love of the other but from our own selfishness (Lev. 19:15-18).

This, then, is the paradox within which we have to work out God's love in our lives. We are enjoined by God to live the life that is reflective of God's love, but we are almost always ruled by the desires of our heart. If the desires of our heart are not God centred love then we are a long way from being Christ centred. The idea that love is at the centre of our hearts is a valid one, however, more often than not our idea of love is not God's idea of love as the latter does nothing for us in the immediate future or in the present now. Our love is more often than not something that is heart bound but centred on our own selves rather than on the idea of the other. So how do we see the working out of God's love in the community if our hearts are centred on ourselves? Following Reinhold Niebuhr, the theologian, the outpouring of God's love needs to be concretised in the instrument of justice, not just for humanity but also for God's world. To often we are prepared to let things take their course in the world, as surely our laws and those in charge are just, in working out the benefits for citizenship. Martin Luther criticised this approach as facere quod in se est or to put in in modern terms doing the best we can in the moment. In this case the best we can is to leave it to others and allow the peace of our hearts to dwell in the love of ourselves and forget about the other.

Strange fruit result from our selfish interpretations of love and apathy

In recent weeks we have been speaking about commitment and specifically our commitment to our God and God's call upon us. In using justice as an instrument of love in the world we engage in a political future that creates the impossible as a reality. It is only when we concretise love into the reality of our everyday do we begin to see love in action. A reminder of this is the protest song out of the American South "Strange fruit" which even today brings out the horrors of what Christians can do in the name of God for the sake of our own self-deluded beliefs. In our commitment to God's love in the world we also commit to its outworking using the instrument of justice. Not the justice of the self, which is so often seen in the halls of politics and the dramas of our 'civilisation' but rather the justice of God that does mean putting to the side our own dreams and wants for the dreams and wants of God. Does this mean that we all should line up with the protestors or become involved in the 'climate strike'? Only if God calls us to this but God does call us to see that justice is the reality and not the parsimonious wants of the rich and powerful. It means that we cannot let things take their course, as we so often do, believing in a better future while allowing the injustices of the present to continue into the future.

Love demands an action; love demands a commitment; love demands solidarity. Our commitment begins within our hearts by bearing our gifts before God. By giving ourselves to our local communities to bring God's love; by working for justice locally, nationally and globally. Our local actions will reflect onto the national scene, if and only if, we are committed to the task as the body of Christ acting with the one heart of love that is Christ's own. The consequence of influencing and demanding local justice that is national we begin to impact globally as we bring the needs of love to the attention of the world. So often we begin at the top and try to work down whereas love begins with our hearts and then outwards. This means that our start must be where we are, not where we want to be, in other words locally for we live locally. Only when we fulfil our commitment to our local communities in terms of justice and love can we begin to reach outwards. In transforming our local communities, we begin to transform that which is greater as others take heart from God's love poured out by our shared communal experience.

God's love demands much of us but most importantly we need to recognise that we are asked to ensure that justice is done to the living, however horrifying the past may be. Christ showed us the horrific side of personal injustice when he died on the cross but God is a God of the living (Matt. 22:32) and it is to the living that we owe God's love by seeking justice. We have too many witnesses (martyrs), from Christ's death on a cross to the Rwandan genocide and the George Floyds of recent times, to humankind's ability to do evil; we have too few witnesses to God's love in action that changes our world towards that which Christ proclaimed in truth. So we are reminded to be committed in our giving of ourselves as a sacrifice and witness to the truth of God's transforming love, no matter what it takes for it is a requested sacrifice.

Rendering to Caesar

 In the passage from Matthew that is read today we have the very famous quote which is often misused for either political or pecuniary gain; "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's" (Matt. 22:21b) or similar depending on translation. Even today this is applicable but what is Caesar's and what is God's; how do we discern what is correct; do we have to rely on some formulaic response or does everything belong to God? The saying raises so many questions as to what is appropriate and what is not. It can have so many meanings that we have to worm our way around many corners of interpretation to find one that applies to ourselves in the current age.  Perhaps in our complacency we try not to make any decision as to what we actually need to give either financially or in time and talent to God. What is clear through out the Gospel and Paul's letters is that we need to give our all.

To render to Caesar and to God could look something like this for many Parish churches throughout the world. A particular parish in the Anglican Communion there is a joint plant between the Anglicans and the Presbyterian denominations. In their founding documents it was agreed that they would give away all the loose change that was placed in the Sunday plate to God, that is mission work throughout the world. In order to satisfy Caesar (the Diocese and the need for ongoing running costs) the decision was made to rely purely on the envelope system at the time (we would now call it DG or direct deposit). Their faith understanding was that they were obliged to give to God and did so by placing their loose change, notes etc that they had in their wallets when they came to worship. In addition to this chance giving all of the parishioners gave money to their best ability to Caesar by way of the envelope or DG. The parish continues to thrive through the blessings of God as they maintain their commitment to this way of honouring both God's presence in their lives and the needs of Caesar in the form of the Parish expenses.

Render to Caesar in the Church as much as to God

When we read scripture in this way we find an additional means for us to secure our commitment to both God and the needs of the everyday. It is on occasions such as these that we can see why we often neglect what can be seen as something that is apart from but close to God. We are often very good at giving to God in terms of our charitable works but Christ also mentions Caesar in this passage. We make sure that this refers to our civic duty (taxes, rates, etc) over which we grumble and moan. We then do not see anything else but ourselves as we understand that we have made our commitments in the small amounts of energy we place on the side for the work of God and the ongoing work of the denomination we belong to. When things that we love or have loved deteriorate we then find it in ourselves to blame everyone but ourselves for the lack whether it is in ministry, charitable donations, advocacy or anything else inside or outside of the Church. Our lack of foresight in terms of the things we love are often the issues around our sense of dedication and commitment. Often the issue is we do not apparently own the buildings, owe for electricity, need to maintain the Church's property (note not ours). It all belongs to the nebulous 'Church' and is their responsibility without realising that we are the Church.  

In Isaiah 45, God sends Cyrus to raze the nations and to take up the reigns of righteousness let lose by the people of Israel. The lack of commitment has passed things over to another, so that they learn the lesson of commitment to God as their wishes and wants have turned them away from God's presence in their covenant and its promise. Paul is quick to praise the Thessalonian church (1 Thess. 1:1-10) for its steadfastness in God. They have become an example within the burgeoning faith community due to their commitment. It is a commitment in faith to those things that bring God into the midst of the community. If we allow ourselves to be drawn away from that commitment then we languish and it will come as no surprise as our presence in our communities contracts. Often this contraction is due to our contraction in being committed to our faith journey with the other in community as we rely on, not God, but alternate agencies to do what we used to do to foster community. 

We need to be active in the same way as the Thessalonian church was active but not in the same way. I know that this is a contradiction but we are not living in the Roman Empire. Our actions need to be the same in that they need to be outpouring of God's love in the life of the community. This means that however aged we may be, however incapacitated we may be, however neglected we think we are and however impoverished we believe we are; we need to be active in the application of God's presence and the outpouring of God's Spirit in the world. We are not as poor as we believe. I suspect that if each of person was to forgo a cake, a coffee, a drink, a lunch, a piece of chocolate and the money / time we spend on the frivolities of our lives went towards God or Caesar in our faith community our communities would be a richer places. I am truly amazed at our own selfishness in terms of time, talent and finances within our communities. I have had people come looking for food and petrol with the latest technology dangling from their hips who have rejected the food that those with no finances have donated for their need. Yet this selfishness has been conveyed to an impoverished generation by their forefathers in the faith community as they have denied the other and indulged themselves. God cannot be seen face to face if we do not show God's face to our communities and we cannot do that if we are ourselves selfish with out time, talents and money.

Hospitality - the gift of food

 I enjoy going out to a restaurant or a really exquisite meal. A good time had with friends and family with conversation, wine and food all in an elegant setting. Who doesn't? Well it appears that when a King gives a feast for his son's wedding there are some who do not (Matt. 22.1-14). Thinking about what that would mean in terms of the time; killing fattened beasts, high expenditure on wine, catering for large numbers all ready to go. Just think of the costs that have been outlaid just for a party. Weddings today have nothing on this but just think of one of those fancy weddings and no-one turns up. Egg on one's face to say the least so it is not surprising that he went out an invited all the commoners and those in need. At least the expense was not wasted and most got something out of it through the Kings grace. Yet, one person did not have the curtesy to be dressed in clothing that was provided (dissing the tux for the work clothes). He used his wealth to the betterment of all not just his friends who despised him (Yes, behind the scenes there is political commentary but lets just leave that one for the moment).

Isaiah puts it slightly differently, in that the destruction comes first, i.e. the guests are destroyed before rejecting the good things and the banquet is put in place for those who are impoverished (Is. 25.1-9). Again it is the extravagance that is laid out for those that are without. A grace filled giving with no thought for God's self only for those that are at the end of their tether and are sheltered by God. It almost puts the king to shame in the offering that there is for the downtrodden. The wealth that is present is not hoarded but given freely in food and shelter, in love and hospitality. There is no thought of holding back from those that are in need. It is almost as if the whole is too much to contain and must be released into the lives of the community for the community to grow. Gathering around feasts and an abundance of food demonstrates not only extraordinary grace but also love and hospitality. This is only so when the offer is gratis and filled with love for all so that the benefit is not just for a favoured few but for the whole of God's people.

God's grace allows us to freely give to all who come for sustenance

Sometimes we give freely with extraordinary extravagance but not for the other rather for ourselves and for our well being or supposed well being. This becomes detrimental in so many ways for our own faith and well being in the world. Our Exodus reading from today takes us back to the shameless ecstasy of the golden calf and its effects on the community and on Moses (Ex. 32.1-14). There is a sense of generous giving in this episode just as much in the Isaiah and Gospel stories but the giving here serves a very different purpose. It is not one filled with grace but is rather a commentary on our own self centeredness that denies the possibility of change in our lives. It perhaps has more to identify itself with in our modern era then the other two parables and is in distinct contrast to them. The centeredness of their dance, like ours, is on the object of their desire which disables the ability to transform into generosity as it is not centred in prayer. Rather our focus, like theirs, becomes centred on our ability to disregard the depredations of everyday life and live in blissful ignorance of the suffering around us. We ignore the trauma that sits within our community focussing solely on our on needs and not those of the other.

We are called into a generosity of spirit that ignores those that are part of our lives so that we can reach out into the community. The foundation upon which we as a faith community build our lives is the ever generous Spirit of God that comes to us in love. It is we who must reciprocate with God's love flowing into our community through our generosity of time, talent and finances to uphold the prayer filled centre of our lives. We cannot think of this as a exercise in theory but actually become a part of God's presence through our own hospitality of love ensuring that our bounty is given freely. Only in our working out of God's commandments and incarnating God's love can we truly become a Christ follower. The question then for us becomes one of commitment to being hosts that are faithful to God's overflowing love and so ensure that all, no matter who they may be, are filled with that love which fills us.

Giving to God

 Two vineyards both expected to yield profit for its owner and yet both failing to do so; one as a result of poor grape varietal (Isaiah 5:1-7) and one the result of poor management practices on the part of tenant farmers (Matt.21:33-46). Both of these stories relating to the expectations of God for God's people in light of the Covenant and the Exodus story. There are clear expectations in the Covenant with God that the people of Israel are obligated to meet. The story at the time of Isaiah and at the time of the Gospel is the same that the expectation has not been met. Both illustrations are comparable with the times and are understandable in terms of the economic principles of the day. They clearly indicate what God will do to those who do not conform to the covenant. If, the stories are talking about the covenant how relevant are they for us today as we live in a time beyond the requirements of the law as propounded in terms of the covenant. Yes and no, yes that we are indeed beyond the law as stated but no in that we each have entered into a relationship with God and each other that is covenantal in nature and we are thus bound by its obligations.

In the Exodus story (Ex. 20.1-20) the Israelites are given the basis of the law in the ten commandments, in the Jewish literature and its words, they actually "see" God's words and stand at a distance. The basis of the law when it is given is too overwhelming for them that they are pushed back and tremble in fear. Some sources actually suggest that they are pushed away from the presence of God by some 40 miles and are brought back by angels following each utterance. They cannot accept what is being asked for them and so put Moses in front to come before God. Our intercessor is Christ not Moses but we still need to make the initial response to God's call upon us to love our God and our neighbours as ourselves. This is as true now as it was then, for our community becomes broken and in despair if we do not make this commitment for ourselves. We like the Israelites in the Exodus passage are driven away from God by our own desires and the fact that we find ourselves afraid of embracing the truth that God brings into our lives. The Israelites feared God's presence as they saw God's words and did not want to have that closeness to God, so they asked Moses to stand before God and mediate for them.

We create throw God out and do not pay our all to God

Like the Israelites before us we are invited into a close relationship with God as he invites us to care for the vineyard that is our life and our life in community. We are called to labour in the vineyard and give to God that which God requires. We are called to tend the vines, the growth of our community, so that the wine of love and the ecstasy of God's presence can be felt by all. Yet, we fear the responsibility and we do not wish to garner the fruits and product only to lose it. We want someone else to do that not ourselves who have been given the responsibility. We then reject what is asked of us and throw those who come to us from God out of our lives. Our communities eventually suffer as a result of our rejection of God's love. It is not God who destroys us but our own greed and wants that drive us towards destruction. The vineyard that we tend as tenants are our own lives and the lives that are our communities. We hide away because we are unable to take on the responsibility and prefer to give that to somebody else, whether it be priest, bishop, pope or the government. Just like the Israelites we drive ourselves away from God in our rejection of what it means to have God as part of ourselves.

In accepting our responsibilities we need to accept them all. We can not be a people of faith who grow wild grapes and only give a minimum of flavour to the world around us. We must be cultivars that are filled with hope and grace so that we may impart God's love into the hearts and minds of those who surround us in our communities. Only when we can shed our fears and accept God's fulness in our lives through the acceptance and willingness to follow the Christic road of sacrifice and love. The sacrifice we make is the sacrifice of everything. So many of us think that it is just a little bit of time, it is just our due and no more. The rest is for me not for the other or the person I despise and leave on the street corner. This is the action of the poor tenant who rejected the servants and cast them out. We give freely of ourselves in sacrifice to contain the love of God that we can impart to our neighbours only to receive so much more. Paul writes in Philippians that his one desire is to know Christ (3.10) and he is willing to sacrifice everything for that one desire. In our daily lives and our faith lives can we truly state that our one desire is to know Christ? If that is the case we will not moan about our needs but are willing to sacrifice everything for the greater need of the faith. This is what it means to be a good tenant and produce a wine worthy of respect and the grace of God in our lives. A wine that can inebriate the community in which we live with the love of God's outpouring love.