Heaven on Earth

Michael and all the angels battling to save humanity in the apocalyptic visions of John (Rev 12.7-) reminds us perhaps of recent films regarding the fate of the Earth and the Avengers. Perhaps each is an allegory of the other in some respects. In this allegorical vision what is the fight about and how does it concern us in the present day?

There have been an extraordinary number of interpretations of this particular book from the scriptures. Most find it so hard to understand that it is impossible while others treat it perhaps as a magic mushroom journey experienced by John on Crete. What if we can draw something that is beneficial for us today from the whole book? It is really far fetched and does as I have mentioned reflect shades of the Marvel universe. Yet, the general thrust is about the new Jerusalem, Heaven here on earth, the essentials of goodness surpassing the horrors of evil. So, if that is the case we need to delve into some rather obvious and deliberate definitions that apply for our world today. Things like "heaven" seem to be important to understand if we wish to bring heaven to earth or at least a semblance of heaven in the new Jerusalem. Do we still cling to a belief in heaven being somewhere up there or is there some other alternative vision that we can conceive of when we talk about heaven in this context? (What do we mean by heaven and how that connects with things like the creed are perhaps beyond this particular blog).

Destruction of community destroys the presence of God

The simplest explanation may be the best as we take a look at the phantasmagorical writings of Daniel (7.9-14) and Revelation. In these works the talk is about kingdoms and empires because that is what is known in the context. if we were perhaps to substitute Governments for these in the current era we would come closer to the points that are being made. Once we have authority, especially authority that displays sovereign power, we begin to understand the draw that such authority has to those that are corrupt in soul and body. Once such power is gained we begin to imagine and use our authority in ways that are detrimental to the majority as we attempt to uphold our own power. To realise this we just need to read the political reality in the books of Samuel (see Halbertal and Holmes' book). So what stands before such sovereign power and authority but the presence of heaven as suggested in the book of revelation. It is Michael and all the saints and angels that form the bulwark that fights for justice and peace. The understanding here is the closeness this group has formed with God and God's presence in their lives to form a community that brings God's presence to Earth.

Heaven is found in the presence of God. This being the case then perhaps heaven is found within the community of God that expresses God's love to those who are part of that community. We confirm our presence in Christ as we celebrate God's presence in ourselves only when we express God's love. The moment we begin to do those things that are detrimental to the formation of community, by concentrating on our own selfish needs, we deny the reality of God. Just as Michael and All the angels fight for the community of God so must we join in that fight by ensuring that we form community, a community that is based in God. Only when we are truly members of the body of Christ, contributing to our fullest extent do we begin to find God's presence in reality and heaven on earth. Just as Christ found community in the poorest of the world so we find community in those who are outcast from society. It is only when we begin to dialogue with the least in society will we begin to realise our own centredness in Christ's presence and so show God's love in the world.

Influence and hope for the future

One of the many things that the period of the enlightenment did was to raise up the idea of the individual. Cogito ergo sum in the words of Descartes, I think therefore I am, placed the individual above all else and has been a Western phenomena since then. Luke's gospel appears to back this claim with the rich man praising the efforts of his steward in looking after his own needs (Lk 16.1-9). The steward goes out of his way to falsify things in a manner that would aid his uncertain future to the detriment of the rich man. Is this really what we are being asked to do for ourselves, to go out of our way to commit fraud and enable our own days of retirement, or is there something here that such a simple reading misses?

I am fairly certain that the perpetuation of fraud is not what is being condoned here. In this passage it is not the act that is of importance it is the community that is being formed. Due to the persistence of the Descartian model we, perhaps, automatically read these passages as being promoters of self. This is understandable because we have been instilled within a cultural bias that leads us to move the individual above all others. We do this often in medicine as well as within our work place situations. The move is towards the building up and extending the viability of the self over a long period of time. Often when we come close to the top of our sphere of influence it is about retention of our power and authority. This often leads to mistrust and division as we try to compete for the perceived benefits of being at the top. This is, however, an extremely Western orientated view or as some might say a colonialist point of view.

Stewardship begins by fostering community

Looking at cultural norms which are considered to be foreign, and indeed ripe for colonisation by Western ideals, we find a very different outlook. Here in Australia, Indigenous groups are linked not by the power of the individual but rather by relationship and kinship; in America there is an inter-relational understanding of people and the land / natural waters, such inter-relationality is taken to include personhood for rivers as is also seen in New Zealand. In Africa, of course, there is an understanding of Ubuntu. In highlighting these cultures we begin to see the cultural norm of the Middle Eastern "indigenous" cultures at the time o Roman (Western) colonisation. It is a village perspective that sees as in Australian Indigenous culture, "One community, many eyes". Thus, it is a perspective that does not see from the individuals view point but rather from a community viewpoint.

In this we actually find meaning in the parable that Christ tells. It is not about individual survival against the odds. It is rather about the gathering of community around ourselves so that we can support each other in times of hardship. It is not about self but rather about the garnering of community around oneself. If it was solely about self it would have a dark undertone and no real approval. It would be about gaining self esteem and ensuring that I became rich not that others would gain. If we truly believe in Christ's presence then we must also believe in the community of Christ and God that is found in the body of Christ. Irrespective of how we garner that support, so long as it does not create dissonance within our own communities than we must pursue this as far as possible. Did the steward cheat the rich man, in one sense yes he did but in the end he actually created a more stable relationship with the rich man as the rich man did with his customers.

Seeking the lost

The parables in Luke 15 are all interconnected and culminate with the famous Prodigal Son story. However, the first two connect and are an integral part of the whole of this chapter and should not be overlooked. Indeed they are as expressive in their own way as the final story is of seeking the lost and celebrating when these are found. Often in the current era our perspective is not so much on the lost as it is on those who are non. Each parish or rather each faith community have large numbers of the lost with a portion who are non and yet our focus is often upon the non rather than the lost. The reason perhaps for this is that we think that they are part of the greater whole and do not require "saving".

The reality for us as a faith community is that we need to focus more on the lost then on those who are non. I have often been told that "We always had an enormous children's group"  or "the church was packed to the rafters. We would not be able to have so many in the church anymore because we do not have the seating". I am sure we have all heard stories of a glorious past. So perhaps the question is what happened? Was the teaching in the past so bad that disciples were not formed? No, the question is perhaps more pertinent then that: What changed and led people away from Christ? and how do we as disciples of Christ find and minister to those who are lost so that we can celebrate as a complete body of Christ? I have always been amazed at the number of Christians there are in the community but who have lost the understanding of the body of Christ and being part of a community in Christ.

The lost may be closer than we think

Quite a number of Christians say that they have not gone to church because they find peace and God in a nature walk, or a pastime or in some other dalliance. It often seems that we can find that place where God is present outside of the Church and indeed many of the mystics and spiritual giants of years gone by have found solace in solitude. However, when we look at such exemplars it is to be noted that they do this as a specific and concerted effort to come closer to God. It is not a whim or a fancy. The one thing that the Christian faith tells us is that we are the body of Christ not dispersed individuals. This imagery from Paul suggests that there is a gathering of people into a community to provide an accurate image. Whether we like it or not then Christian living demands a communal response, usually in worship that is often seen as the central motif of our faith. So what more important activity is there than the gathering of those who should be part of the community rather than outside it.

If we are to think in these terms as the parable that Christ speaks suggests, then we need to start looking at what prevents those who used to come from coming. We need to search diligently for the lost and when found we need to form a celebration that draws them back into the community from which they have withdrawn. One can almost see the current process as a never ending loop that calls us out to minister to those who have not heard, the non, who then stay for a season before leaving Christ behind because there is nothing that holds them to the community, Due to the fact that we are too involved in looking for those that have not heard rather than first gathering the lost and then bringing the non into faith. Perhaps when we learn to do both at the same time we will be doing God's will and fulfilling the call of Christ on our lives.

Foundations of continuance

Foundational experiences ensure that we have something to build on for the remainder of our lives. If we undertake the building of foundations we need to ensure that we are preparing the way for our building in an accurate and stable manner. If we begin something and then stop because we are ill prepared for the consequences of our actions then we create our own problems (Lk. 14.28-29). In the same manner we begin our faith journey at baptism or when we begin our intentional faith journey and need to ensure that the foundations and the journey ahead are understood or else we will find the challenge too much. It can be seen often that when we begin something and run out of 'puff' halfway through unable to continue the process.

In Jeremiah, the Lord takes Jeremiah to the potter to give him understanding (Jer. 18.1-11). Like the potter, we begin moulding ourselves into what we perceive as being that which is required. Yet, if we fail to be guided in our understanding of the process by others and by God then we produce goods that are damaged. It is often as a result of our underestimating the costs of what we are about to or are doing. For us as Christians we are asked to take up the cross and as we do so we commit ourselves to that undertaking. However, unless our underpinning and foundations are strong we will ultimately fail and turn away from Christ and from God. It is not an easy thing to do but one that can be done easily when we have placed the foundations down. So often when we begin something we ultimately rush and suddenly find that we are failing. Often it is because we are building on things that have been done before without realising that they ultimately failed as a result of sloppy beginnings.

Only when we get the foundations right do we begin to form the vessel of God

We are slaves to what we put down as a our foundation. Just as Paul lays the foundation for Onesimus to live free in Christ so to we must lay our foundations in Christ. We can not be lazy in how we lay our own foundations. Unfortunately, we tend to leave our foundations when we are quite young and never return to complete the building becoming like the man who stopped and walked away (Lk. 14.28-29). It is only when we find that in later years that we have missed out on something that we return to the forgotten projects. In doing so though we have to go through the pain of picking up our crosses the ones that have been gathering dust and weight over the years. We have to re-educate ourselves in terms of the building practices that we once had, we have to start once more.

Once again like the potter we have to throw the clay on the wheel and begin to reform our lives in Christ. Once again we have to have the perseverance to finish what we have started. Once again we find ourselves tempted to move away from the start of something great and move towards our own deaths. The disappointments we seem to gather around us weigh us down and the project of building becomes a drag and a chore that is dull. Yet, Christ is there for us even in the despair of our realisation that we seem not to progress. It is in these times that we must re-evaluate our progress with our foundations. Return to our base in scripture and in reason and in our tradition to find the way forward to build a lasting structure within our lives that harbours Christ's Spirit and allows us to grow into what Christ and God plans for us. Make the mix to sloppy and the jar will not form, make it to stiff and the jar will not form. The consistency of our effort and the material we use must be filled with Christ's love so that we can form the vessel that Christ wants.

Pride of place

I wonder on occasion as to how we sometimes think that we have or deserve the pinnacle of achievement. I am fairly certain that as we go through life we expect that our activities will provide for our eventual movement up the salary, social, community, politics, whatever scale it is we are wishing to achieve in. Through our merit we will achieve. In time we come to expect certain things as a result of our own expectations and the supposed level we believe we have attained. No matter whether this is in our work, social or faith lives there is a certain sense of "this is what I deserve and should have". In much the same way as those who have been invited to the wedding feast (Lk. 12.7-11) believe they deserve a seat near the top table.

The currying of favour is something that we could say is endemic in our society and buying into such a culture brings its own rewards in emotional toil when we find out precisely where we stand within the status frenzy of life. In Jeremiah a similar situation is lived out in the words of God to the people. In this case the faith community is the target, and perhaps should always be so, as their leaders a singled out as being full of supposed knowledge but having none (Jer. 2.8). How often do we discern something for ourselves rather than allowing the community and God's call make that decision? or we are pressured by authority to do the things that they discern to be good (for themselves or for those they wish to serve) rather than for the good of the community or the individual's call? In making decisions which are sent to try us we need to look more humbly upon our own assessment thus allowing room for God's Spirit to move in the manner that God would like not in the manner we would necessarily want.

Are we overwhelmed by the authority of position rather than God's leading?

This is the simple act of being faithful to an understanding of relationship in all that we do. Towards the end of Hebrews we see the author enunciating a way of living, a rule of life so to speak. It is a rule that understands that everything that we do is geared towards an encounter with God (Hebrews 13). This means that we must be prepared to make decisions that are towards the benefit of the other who may well be God or God's messengers. So part of our own decision making tree is to understand that the decision should be made to the benefit of the community around us and not for only my ownself. This is a direct repeat of last week in that every decision that is made needs to undertaken to the positive reinforcement of God's presence in our lives. We allow for God's ways to be shown to us and confirmed by the community. In trusting God in this way we entrust ourselves to the community in which we belong to guide and direct us. We do not allow a dictatorship to occur but a process that is filled with love and truth.

Does this sound as if it is even feasible or is it just some pipe dream for people to follow? The reality is that we are very unlikely to allow something to happen before we make a decision. If we are thinking like that then we have got ourselves on the wrong track. It is no that every decision is one made by God as there is free will and we are able to make up our own minds as to what, where, etc. It is more of an ability to understand and discern where God is leading us in our decision making and thus make the decisions appropriate to that path. We are not drones being told what to do at every junction in our lives. If we place God to the fore it is we who must make the decision but with God's presence and understanding. The other side of this is that we follow what God asks of us in terms of our own reactions and manner in which we live.

Obstructing God's call

In the last few weeks there has been a number of passages from the Hebrew Testament that show the beginning of ministry through the eyes of the prophets. In the latest reading we see Jeremiah's call by God (Jer. 1.4-10). We know that such a call has an effect on the lives of those called but also we understand from the material in the scriptures that such a call however powerful,  is not without its obstacles. During Jeremiah;s time as a prophet he was more likely to be prophesying from prison or in close captivity than not. A total surrendering of himself to God and yet, even he, at the end refuses to listen to God and ends his days in exile. What is it about listening and following God that leads us to obstruct or turn from God's voice?

The writer to the Hebrew's suggests that it is our propensity to turn towards those illicit things that the human heart fails to turn from, that is the cause of our unyielding obstruction of God's call for justice (Heb. 12.15-17). We seek to better ourselves within the confines of the community in which we serve. We do this by suggesting to ourselves that what we do is for the greater good and for the purposes of God. There are rules and regulations that we need to follow or else we are not good members of the group. The leaders are learned and are able to interpret what God wants and what is best for all. There is a certain tangibility about the desires and plans that are placed before us so that we are forever chasing after the eternal fires of Sinai (Heb. 12 18). We are unable to place ourselves outside this tangible sphere to seek after those things which are above are daily desires and wants. If we have a plan or a way to move that involves a strict rule then we are more likely to follow that then we are God's mutable Spirit. Laws and rules are easy to define and are even easier to comply with and so make the society in which we live 'better'. Yes, such things are required but the question eventually arises "who interprets the law and for whose benefit?".

Who are the judges of today? Are they the old of yesterday?

In the reading from Luke, Christ offers an example of going beyond the stated laws so that there is a definite improvement to the community (Lk. 13.10-17). God's purpose is to bring healing and integration to a community not division, even if such healing and integration brings about the appearance of negativity. Such negativity is often as a result of our own minimalist understanding of interpretation. We are narrow in how we see things as this is our coping mechanism. God on the other hand is insistent on a more open view such that it encompasses all not just a few. More often than not we interpret our responsibilities to the narrowest extent, rather than broadening our point of view. We can point to a number of our deepest theological debates to see this. How does our human sexuality in all of its rainbow perspectives debilitate our ability to worship and surrender to God? The only thing is how our perverseness may harm the other rather than bring them into life and God's presence. How does our gender disable our ability to minister in God's name, such that we have to bow to an other in obeisance rather than cooperate in love? This is perhaps a fear of loss of power or authority rather than a community revealing God's love.

We need to remind ourselves that we follow a call by God not by other humans. The Hebrew's writer once again writes with insight when they say that what is of God is unshakeable whilst human desires will wander with their eyes so that we once again put obstacles in the way of God's reign (Heb. 12.28). In looking at how we go about undertaking God's will and answering the call upon our lives we actually need to throw out the rule book that our forefathers have created to follow. Just as the Israelites needed to be reminded time and time again, it is not how we interpret God's law but how God wants us to behave and act. Our responsibility is to God not to the structures that we and the generations that have gone before have interpreted as being God's way. God's action is encompassing not confining, is for all not for some, is life giving not death dealing, is free not expensive. Our views and our attitudes need to see beyond blame and power to find balance and forgiveness. We need to come from a totally different perspective rather than from the one that has been generationally produced as the law.

Easy street...Is that really what God promises?

It often seems to me that when things are going right we all have the belief that this is what is meant for us. The moment things start to go wrong we then bring out our prayers and complaints or rather when we begin to go the wrong way we then bring out the.... We always have the tendency to believe that we deserve and should live on easy street. No matter what is going on in the world or the community around us it is our prerogative to live at ease and not have to worry. However, sometimes calamity occurs and occasionally whether we like it or not such calamities create the environment in which we grow. In the words of the prophet Isaiah we see God's prediction for the people of Israel if they do not change their ways (Is 5.1-7). It is told in parabolic form but the message is clear. The calamity that is present within their own complacency to the actions of the community should provide them with a clear understanding of the future.

In living in exile and within an apparent desert we are asked to survive and gain from the experience. It was through adversity that Israel obtained a strength in their faith that was to become legendary (Heb. 11). The scriptural record and the writings of many since show us that the way of faith is not something that grants us an easy street living. In fact it is more than likely that we will struggle to ensure that our faith is proclaimed. Christ tells his disciples this very thing when he speaks about the division created within families (Lk 12.52-53). This scenario plays out often within our own lives if we were to think a little about it (and if you are uncertain what this looks like, look around when you attend a service at your faith community). It is so often the case that the commitment to a faith ideal is the thing that causes familial and inter-generational rifts. It is not that generational change destroys faith but rather about how that faith is expressed in worship and service. Our ability to predict how things are going to play out within a political drama or within the physical world is quite accurate. Yet, we cannot predict how we are going to react within our own faith to any new scenario or warnings upon the horizon.

Often in brokenness we discover God's presence

In some respects the evangelical approach has merit in their focus.on Christ for this is where we do need to focus, unfortunately by taking the human approach some of this is lost. It is the divine that needs to be our focus as we attempt to overcome the challenges that are placed before us. In all of our activities it is often dissent amongst ourselves that causes the greatest grief to those things that come from God. In our divisions we create the seeds for our own destruction and for the desert into which we enter. Our resolve must first be focused on God and then secondarily upon the community that we make in God's presence. If we loose these foci then we tear down the walls of relationship that protect us from chaos and the descent into barbarity. Just as God tears down the protective wall of the vineyard in the Isaiah passage (5.5-7) so to we tear down the walls that form community rather than reaching out and strengthening the bonds by forgiveness and healing.

Once we acknowledge the struggle we can overcome the heartache and battle on in the war to bring love and laughter into human society. It is we and only we alone, as we seek God's grace and love, who can affect the changes to our own lives that will begin to bring about the change that makes the community one of God's. Love is never easy and is often faced in the depths of despair and difficulty. At the darkest time of our lives we often find the brightest light of human love and enduring witness to God's presence.