Laying things aside

 We begin today our movement towards the incarnation of Christ and the celebration of Christ-mass. Today, is the Sunday of Hope as we look to our future hope in God's incarnation as part of humanity. Hope is something that is needed at the beginning of a new liturgical year both in terms of our personal lives and those of the community in which we serve. Perhaps the hope that is the essence of Isaiah's vision is something that should inspire us as we move forward in this period (Is. 2:1-5). Isaiah's dream or prophesy seems so unworldly in a world that is often filled with despair. Swords into ploughshares or in today's terms perhaps guns into harvesters. Perhaps, a slightly more literal interpretation as each harvest death one for the benefit of the community and one to the detriment of society. This hope that is instilled within the words of Isaiah appear not to have become reality in the fulness of time but rather a lost vision that appears unattainable.

Today, we seem more and more to be in align with Christ's message to the disciples in Matthew (24:36-54). The world appears to be heading towards calamitous situations which have no hope contained in them. All we hear about within the daily news cycle is the parlous state of the world. All we are really concerned about is the next war, famine, flood or other catastrophe. There is or appears to be no hope within the secular world despite anything we attempt to undertake or do to relieve the various crises. It is irrespective of whether we are a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or any other denomination / religion / philosophy. Indeed the nihilist turn is perhaps closer to where we appear to be then any eschatological hope that we are meant to embrace. So how are we meant to react to the despair that is around us to find hope in the everyday? In this Advent season as we begin our journey to the ultimate hope that is seen in the incarnation what can we undertake so that we can impart the joy and love that is in God's presence in our lives to those who live around us?

Hope springs eternal from the frozen wastes of our selfish hearts

In our lead up to the beginning of the year we have been looking closely at our faith journey and in centring our foundation upon our faith journey we begin to find our hope in the year to come. Paul in his letter to the Romans is quite clear with regards what we must do (13:14). Our despair and lack of hope ultimately comes from our failure to put on Christ, that is not to say that we have not accepted Christ in our lives. It applies to all whether they have accepted Christ or not, it is the conscious putting on Christ that is living as Christ himself lived without striving for our own benefit. Christ did not look to glorify himself but rather to reach out to the other. We on the other hand over the ages have without doubt put on the mind of greed and grasping for power along with our own self needs. This is not what it means to be a Christian and it is what garners despair rather than hope in the lives of those in our communities. It can do nothing else as it is centred on the gratification of ourselves rather than those around us. Despair enters our hearts because we can no longer be satisfied ever striving for the ultimate goal of the self. A goal that truly is but a phantasm of our own minds.

True hope comes when we interact with God and find ourselves emulating Christ to such an extent that we begin to see the world around us as Christ saw his world. It is when we begin to be as Christ that we begin to have a hope that is surpassing everything else that we can believe in. The smallest set back sets us racing towards despair unless we are truly embedded in the understanding that Christ opened his arms on the cross for all. Not just all of us but all. This is an important distinction for otherwise we fall into despair. Our lives must reach out to all not just the favoured few but even those we consciously and unconsciously despise. In doing this we truly put Christ on as Paul suggests and eventually begin to realise the hope of God's love in our lives. Yes, we often fall into despair but when we begin to look to the other we begin once more to see the hope of the world for peace and the fulfilment of Isaiah's vision. Once this takes hold we will once more begin to see the world as the paradise it is meant to be beyond our individual wants.

An archaic terminology

 Christ the King has become The Reign of Christ in an attempt to update and become politically correct. We can perhaps agree on the fact that a King is archaic, although with the pomp that is about to occur in Britain perhaps not. In reality by using The Reign of Christ we are just twisting the words around to imply the same meaning just to make it look non-sexist and pc. This is really a very modern feast day invented by Pope Pious XI in 1925 to celebrate Christ's rule over the environment and the world. Perhaps going out on a limb here by asking the question: do we really need it? Surely every Sunday is such a feast for the Church rather than a specific Sunday of the year. Yes, it concentrates our thoughts on Christ's rule in our hearts or  God's dominion over all, more specifically Christ's. Yet, we seem to be losing something of the Trinity by concentrating on Christ. Naming something with archaic terminology does not create a better understanding.

 Is it really a reign or a king that we are celebrating or should be celebrating or something similar? I would suggest that what we should be celebrating is very similar to the reign of Christ as in Basiliea or rule of God. It is not something we should confine to one aspect of the Trinity but rather to the totality of God and indeed we see not Christ as the ruler/king/father but the first person of the Trinity. So what should we celebrate if we are to celebrate differently on this day. Perhaps it is the coming of God's rule here in this place through our actions based on Christ's commandments to us. A rule of God's presence in our communities through the truth, living the way and showing the life that is lived in the presence of Christ and God. It is something that we have been reminding ourselves over the past several weeks. The manner in which we show the presence of our faith in God's love. The whole of creation is ruled by God and we need to conform to that to ensure that our world is a better world. It takes courage and a change in our own behaviours.

It is through Christ that we become who we are meant to be as is suggested in Colossians (1:11-13), Even though in this small passage there is still a warning that it is not an easy route which may be the reason for our consistent failure and need to remind ourselves that Christ is in all. Even in our faith strongholds there is often issues that are not dealt with in a manner befitting the Christ that is. Jeremiah points this out in his calling out of those who serve as leaders and as people who should no better (Jer. 23:1-2). Indeed when in leadership, and that is pointing to all those who profess Christ as they are faith leaders, it is vital that we mirror what we state within our lives. There is no point in saying we follow Christ if our lives do not mirror that by stating the truth, walking the way and living the life of Christ. This is the eschatological moment that is being pointed to within the festival, the moment when we all embrace the life of Christ. We are looking towards a new beginning with the incarnation and our preparations towards that event. Yet, this Sunday cannot be just passed over as another funny festival that is peculiar to the church.

Our road may be straight and narrow but we must walk it fully

In response to the thief on the cross Christ responds with an affirmation of his presence in 'paradise' (Lk. 23.43). The question of course is why? Our response would suggest that the thief recognises his own faults and is forgiven his sins at the last hour. This of course is the 'right' answer but I think that there may be something deeper to be gleaned from the thief's answer. Our shallow response does not take into consideration the thief's actual words just 'Oh, he confessed and was forgiven' but is this all. It is in the way he makes the confession suggesting that his thoughts are not really about himself but about Christ who is innocent. In other words, the thief is displaying what it means to live as Christ even at the end of his own life. What the scriptures tell us to do that is concern for the other rather than immediate selfish desire as displayed by the other thief (Lk. 23:39). I would suggest that it is this, almost forgotten aspect that is of the utmost importance in our own lives and in determining what it means to live as Christ. Our faith demands of us an acknowledgement of the other which is almost above all else and as we move forward it is this aspect that should be foremost in our minds as we celebrate this day.

A future vision

 The one thing that we could all do these days is a future vision such as the one Isaiah seems to suggest for the people of God (65:17-25). Indeed it seems to be a world away especially after Christ suggesting so many dark and awful things that lie in store (Lk. 21:5-19) and with the current state of not only world affairs but those in our own country in terms of poverty, abuse, prejudice, etc. Yet, as Christians we should have this hope that is contained in the visions of Isaiah rather than focussing on the negative aspects of the world. A difficult proposition given that all we see is the dark side of humanity rather than the brighter side of life. We often tend to swing from one to the other as we travel through life and as the world travels through time. There are good times and then there are bad times but for Christians we should be striving for the good knowing that disaster can and often will befall us.

No matter who wrote the second letter to the Thessalonians, the final passages give us a clear understanding as to what is expected of us in the reality of the world. Last week that clarity of thought was based solely on the concept of love, which is true, however there is still something that is perhaps missing. Love is a concept and an attitude of behaviour it is not how we live as there has to be some interaction within the world irrespective of what is to come or is happening in the moment. Love leads us into a way of life that is described in the authors words (3:7-9, 13). It is how we comport ourselves by working within the world doing those things that keep us alive. The writer does not lay down the law and order to the recipients but encourages them by the example of their own behaviour which follows from last week in terms of the golden rule.

I wonder sometimes as to how we can condone the behaviour of some in the work place, particularly the public workplace, which is ultimately wrong in terms of behaviour. We just need to look at politicians and certainly some of those who are way richer than ourselves to see that they often say one thing and do another. This is often what Christians themselves are inclined to do as it appears to be a failing that we all succumb to one way or another. The Christian work ethic of earlier years was transformed into an economic thief known as the Protestant work ethic. Yet, it is still an opportune time to reflect on what it does mean to work in the world as a Christian. It is through such work that God's love is spread if we adhere to our Christian faith and understanding. The work arena is a difficult one for all of us particularly as we strive to understand how to work in difficult circumstances. COVID and economic factors are among the more drastic effects on our work place as well as our ability to obtain employment that satisfies our souls.

A Christian work ethic demonstrates love

However, neither of these things effect the Christian understanding of work which is heavily impacted not by COVID and not by economic perils but by the choices made by the employer and their understanding. Whilst we, to a certain extent, denigrate a work ethic that speaks the truth and sets an example to others in the modern cut throat world it is a Christian way of being. This is demonstrated within Paul's letters and those who emulate him but specifically in the passage from Thessalonians. Love, which is what we are asked to live, requires this sort of behaviour irrespective of the culture or behaviours that are common in the work place of today. The greater achievement is to become God's loved disciple than being top dog within  a world that is cut throat and despises the other. The choice to follow the example of God's love within the workplace follows the prophesy of Isaiah. Yet, our current world has dropped us into a bleak future as our choices turn away from Isaiah's vision to those of an apocalyptic end. For those that have moved into the golden phase of retirement this still applies. The workplace has changed to the community in which we live. A world that should be far from cut throat politics and yet is filled with lethargy as well as a lack of motivation to new ways of bringing love into fulfilment. We cannot and should not turn our backs on an ethic of honest work for the greater good of our community. We should rather work in such a manner that demonstrates God's love to the world as we work towards peace and an accepting environment within our communities striving for hope that is demonstrated in love.

The glory of the saints

 At the start of the month on the first we celebrate All Saints. A festival to celebrate all the saints, not just the named, the ones we know but also the ones we do not know or are obscured for one reason or not. Paul addresses his letter to the saints in Ephesus but what were their names? Who are these saints that we celebrate at the beginning of November each year? The forgotten ones the ones that we neither know of nor learn about. The everyday people who believed in Christ living in Ephesus, Rome, Corowa and every other place that has a Christian church. We celebrate ourselves. Yet, is it really enough to state this truth or is there actually more to our celebration than this simplicity?

In celebrating ourselves aren't we being a bit vain rather than celebrating what being a saint really means to our daily lives? I cannot really consider myself a saint, I believe, unless that something more is the truth within my life. Paul writing to the Ephesians is very particular in his terminology (1:13-14) by using words such as truth, believed, marked and redemption. We can perhaps all say that these things apply to us especially if we have been baptised and are worshipping in the here and now but I am troubled if this is all there is to it, much as Daniel was after his visions (Dan 7). Daniel's visions describe the ages of man and the various ME conquests during his period and foreseeing the Roman occupation. This is really meaningless for us to a certain extent other than to be a reminder of the disquiet that such visions bring when we look to the future of the world, if we do not change ourselves and become one with the saints of this and every other age.

Are we really saints or do we pretend that we are saints?

It is on us to conform to the words of Paul and discover the pattern towards being a saint in truth, word and deed. Our starting place is in the words of Christ to his disciples seen in the words of the Sermon on the plain (Lk. 6.20-31) (or in Matthew the Sermon on the Mount). These words have been dissected over time by numerous theologians for numerous directions and understandings. Perhaps, first and foremost is to understand that these are words said not to theologians but to ordinary people and thus are likely to have ordinary meanings in their lives. Interpreting them for a theological purpose perhaps defeats the object of the exercise whilst acknowledging that however we look at them we have our own view point that influences what we understand. If this is the case then we as normal people, non-theologians, need to understand these words and sentences in terms of our day to day lives and not necessarily as theological conundrums that can only be given by scholars in their ivory seeming towers.

The crux of the conversation that Christ has with those that follow him are in the final passage of Luke's rendition of the scene (6.27-30). It is in these phrases that we glimpse the truth of our way of acting and living within society. A way that is contrary to every society that humanity has delivered in the history of humanity on earth. It is no wonder that we know so little about the saints for they live lives that are contrary to the society in which they live and will not be found on the pages of history unless as a sub-story that is neglected and left in the cobwebs at the back of the shelf. This is the way of love which is perhaps the hardest way to live in any society in the world as it contravenes all the accepted norms of modernity that proclaims the selfishness of the self over the other. The no nonsense statements, known as the Beatitudes in Matthew, let us know how this is achieved and in Luke sets up the opposites so that there can be no escape from the meaning laid down.

We can only strive towards the achievement of these requirements as we constantly fail each and everyday. It is in the striving and attempting that we fulfil what Paul suggests in that we are marked as being different. If we do not strive to be counter to the current social pressures then we are not true to our calling in Christ as such a calling is to the truth of life in God which is a life that is situated in love rather than in the acceptance of what society tells us. Only then can we count ourselves as being among the saints as we celebrate the truth of life today.

Giving our all for faith

 Habakkuk's cry (Hab.1:2-4) right at the beginning of the prophet's book appears to be that of ours in the modern age. All that we appear to hear about in our news is disaster in one form or another. If it is not natural in terms of storm fronts and droughts then it is violence in the form of war, crime and domestic. In our prayers we cry out to God in much the same way as do the people of Israel in Habakkuk's story. A wondering where God's presence is in the midst of disaster and calamity and yet for a people of faith we are not as reflective as perhaps we need to be (Hab. 2:1), wanting to continually do something but without waiting for God's presence. Does this mean that we just sit and wait until God decides when we should do something? By no means but it does mean that we do not rush in where angels fear to tread, which is what we often do as we become galvanised to do something, just anything. For the most part it is in waiting and discerning that we see the path ahead of us and in doing so we are able to festina lente or go fast slowly. We make preparations just as those in flood prone areas make preparations, or should do, in such a manner that we are prepared to act when our discerned path becomes visible in a manner that will attain our goal of bringing Christ to the community through our deeds and lived lives.

War and violence a part of the everyday lives we live

In proceeding to rush forward we are likely to miss the opportunity that has been presented. The process of discernment and wrestling with how we proceed needs often to be undertaken through prayer. Prayer that does not necessarily ask for a revelation but rather a way forward that makes us worthy of God's call upon our ministry and where that should be (2 Thess. 1:11). Sometimes we have no real idea how to proceed and require direct intervention in our lives. Zacchaeus may well have been feeling a bit frustrated, to say the least, when he found the innovative way to see Christ as he passed. (Lk. 19.1-4) and work out what all the frenzy was about. It was not about privilege but rather about finding away even if he had to debase himself. (Climbing a tree is not the best way of portraying yourself, especially for a man in the ME at the time). Yet, the outcome was an outpouring of the grace of God upon him as Christ is welcomed to his table that evening. Was Zacchaeus looking for such an outcome? I doubt it. The reality was that he ended up depriving himself of his profits (Lk. 19.8), which if we look at it from today's perspective, is illogical because we all want to be members of the rich or at least richer then we are. So was his haste detrimental, for him in some respects yes. Could he have festina lente and not deprived himself, yes probably.

However, if we actually consider Zacchaeus' actions and words and it would probably be the reverse of the obvious as so much of scriptural writing actually is. We actually have to enter into the mindset of the man rather than take at face value the account as it is written. If we do this Zacchaeus' actions are probably a result of his pondering and what to do with his status in life. Tax collectors are not the favourite people of the time and considering he is rich he probably was not well liked. The spontaneity of his actions in giving his wealth away may not be quite as out of the blue as the writing implies. We only see the spontaneity through the written account and know nothing of the brewing thought process, which was inevitably there in the background. The circumstances arose that his gesture of faith, in terms of the Hebrew scriptures, was presented to him in the form of a choice. He did not have to and I suspect a person not of faith would chosen not to make the decision to give back. Christ recognises the choice that has been made (Lk. 19. 9-10), which is directly in contra to the rich man of the previous chapter (The image of a child). Zacchaeus has the imagination to go beyond his riches. 

We have the time and resources to think and pray about our own situation to determine what Christ is calling us to rather than ploughing straight in to ministries and possible solutions that end up on the bench. We all want what is best for the life of Christ in the communities that we serve but sometimes we rush into solutions rather than discern what is right and where Christ / God is asking us to be. For us to be like Zacchaeus we need to have his faith filled mindset rather than that of the rich man's shallow understanding of faith and the journey we are inevitably on with God by our side.

The image of a child

 The imagination is a wonderful tool that can and should be developed in the very young. Unfortunately our society's norms suggest that we drum out such imagination through education and by feeding the younger generations an amorphous mixture of bland and 'pc' computer games / apps / etc. There is a reason for Christ to tell us to suffer the little children (Lk. 18:16) because they stimulate the imaginative side of our lives by the way they play and interact with each other. Faith requires us to have the imagination of a child. I and I am sure many of you also have been in churches where any form of disruption caused by kids racing around during the service is frowned on, rather than accepting the joy and love they project. If we cannot accept the imagination of a child it is very difficult to accept the concepts embedded in the faith journey as ably illustrated by the rich man (Lk. 18:18-23).

In our education we too often chase out the imaginative process so that we are left with a dry wrinkled prune of a life that is devoid of the touch of grace that comes from God's presence in our lives. Children epitomise for us the ideal of the imaginative life that is required within our faith journey. It is when we become stagnant within those lives that we begin to deny the exuberance of Christ's joy found in the rambunctiousness of  a child. Christ calls us into newness of life that is filled with joy and laughter but we so easily destroy that when we educate children and ourselves into the world's folly to conform with society's idea of the perfect life. In baptism we ask parents and sponsors to bring the child up into Christ holding the values of truth, honesty and imaginative purpose that brings difference and grace into the lives of the community. Our faith journey is one that is forwarded by the imaginative process rather than the rationality of science and the secular world of today.

The child's imagination is the world that we need in faith

Joel's prophesy tells of a future for the Israelites in terms plenteousness (2:23-34), a future that for the Israelites was abundant to the extreme requiring the imagination to engage beyond that which they would normally. A plenteousness that requires the insurance of abundance for all as the scriptures dictate. Christ mentions the main law to the rich person and receives the response that he has fulfilled all the requirements of the law and yet he lacks for he has not fulfilled the potential of ensuring that others receive more than they have (Lk. 18:20-22). The consideration of the other which is present in the prophesy of Joel is lacking in the imagination of the young man as for him this is beyond his understanding. The child willingly, unless taught otherwise, will share if encouraged to do so. They have the imagination to see this sharing as being beneficial to them as they receive love, attention and companionship. In doing so they fill the void found in the adult world where sharing brings hardship and thus hoarding is preferable. Yet, as Christians we are enjoined to follow the childish approach of sharing. The approach that we, inadvertently or not, steer our children away from by the way we behave and model. 

Our society has engrained within us the giving up of "childish" whims to become 'adult'. In bringing up children as Christians we are asked to overturn this in the life of the child to bring them up into a contrary manner to society. We are to encourage them to have faith in their imaginative processes so that they can see sharing and friendship of the other are the norm. Where peace and justice is a requirement of our lives and where the imaginative process engages with God and a Spirit filled life that emulates Christ. Yet, it is reasonably obvious that we fail this as we ourselves are devoid of the imaginative moment in our lives and therefore cannot transfer that to those that are young in faith. We fall back on the rhetoric of science and modern insight rather than our own imaginative processes. In order to overcome those things that denigrate our lives and our society we ourselves need to have the imagination to overcome the dullness of our lives and live to our fullest in Christ.

In their hearts

 God states that the days are coming when we will not have to say "Know the Lord" but that we will have God present in our hearts in such a manner that we do not have to learn to know God but that we will KNOW God (Jer. 31:33-34). Yet, in every way we go about our Christian journey, we are always bearing in mind a need to teach ourselves and our communities to "Know God" and moan when that teaching does not happen. Unfortunately, because we have to a certain degree adopted a modern secular thinking when it comes to anything to do with religious value, we absent ourselves from the knowledge of God. It is a problematic for today as we are schooled not to believe in things that cannot be proved through the scientific method. Even then we argue about what the scientific method's results mean interpreting each and every data point to our advantage.

Stone and cold hearts are transformed by God's presence

In our faith lives many of us live in an in-between world of faith and science with neither really taking hold unless it suits our purposes. Much of the time we pride our selves in our presence at 'church' and make an assumption that we are profoundly faith driven as a result. To a certain extent we need to make an effort to contemplate the parable regarding the pharisee and the tax collector (Lk. 18:9-14). The difference in attitude displayed correlates quite well with the two attitudes in today's society. We either treat our religious life as an extension of secular society (i.e. as a commodity) or secreted away from everyone and not shown.  In the first case we believe that through a pious attitude our demands are to be met and anyone else who does not agree can go elsewhere seeking their own commodity religion. The other way is that we hide our faith and believe ourselves not worthy of God's attention bumbling through life not expecting anything and when grace comes our way we brush it off.

It is the humility of the tax collector, the despised person, that attracts Christ's comments with regards who is deemed worthy and grace filled in the sight of God. This is the person who has taken to heart the requirements that are laid out in scripture (reminding ourselves that for Christ and those writing in what we call the NT this means the Hebraic scriptures). In this case the tax collector has the law written within his heart as God prophesies in Jeremiah (31:33b) and is demonstrated by Christ for us. It is this state of being that we must portray or rather live into as we live our lives in our communities. We are too familiar with the attitude of the pharisee in this day and age with examples from within both the Anglican denomination and the wider faith world.

One of the truisms from the Gospel is how well it encapsulates the everyday life of human beings irrespective of the milieu in which we live or look at. We have this idea, today, that we should get something immediately and if it does not come we give up. However, if we persist with our asking, attempting, etc, we get to the end point. In the first part of Luke's 18th chapter there is a story of persistence ((1-8), which you might find strange in terms of what we are talking about. This story tells us that despite our despair about not getting it right immediately and turning away or being tempted into the situation of the pharisee should we persist in the manner of Christ we will eventually turn things about. We know that often times in life it is our persistence that pays off in the long term. We find that doing those things that are closer to God comes at a cost in today's world, a cost in negativity and despair, yet should we persist in being as Christ to the community it will in the end pay off, not only for us but also for the community in which we live as we begin to change attitudes and behaviours.  This is the gospel story being played out in our lives to the fulfilment of God's dreams.