The Uncut Project Blog

Our identity as followers of Christ Acts 10.13-14

(Resound Design) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A text message long blog entry today...

Acts 10.13-14

‘Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."’

Peter is a devout Jew who obeys the food laws. This might seem strange to us, but for Peter & fellow Jews it was a way of identifying themselves as God’s people, standing out in the Roman culture they lived in. This is why Peter is so confused by the vision that God gives him.

In the next few verses we find the full significance of what God has asked Peter to do, but for now we are left wondering what it is that make us stand out as followers of Jesus, and what is God calling us to do and be?

A Helpful Gazelle Acts 9:36-37

(Resound Design) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 9:36-37

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.

Tabitha and Dorcas both mean Gazelle. Here we have a strange scene, which seems to interrupt the story of Saul’s conversion and subsequent ministry. It is the story of Gazelle using her gifts to practically help the poor. In the first century the poor were often women, a result of the fact that they were denied status in society. Women who had no male figures in their life to gain for them security were very poor, so widows were often forgotten about.

Tabitha is a disciple. This use of the word here is the only time in the whole of the New Testament that the word ‘disciple’ is used in the feminine form. This female disciple, like the others, is given life, energy, ideas, and direction by the Holy Spirit. She moves from the place that the world might say she should be, to the place that God calls her. She runs a welfare charity for the poorest in society.

But then she dies, and the world seems to have a stronger case as to where she should be. But Peter prays a courageous prayer, the widows need Tabitha, and through the death of Christ death has been undone. We could ask questions about raising people form the dead, we could wonder if the same can happen today. But we should first reflect on the power of God which allows us to leave the places that we should be. Tabitha may be a woman, but she can help the widows, Peter may be a fisherman, but he can appeal to Christ and raise the dead.

Tradition and Experience Acts 9:26-27

(Resound Design) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 9:26-27

‘When [Saul] had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles , and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.’

Saul’s conversion means he has to do something, and he starts straight away. He begins teaching, convincingly, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The apostles (the original eleven disciples of Jesus, plus Matthias who had been chosen to replace Judas) and other followers of Jesus are understandably a little nervous about what is going on. Saul spent a lot of time and effort persecuting followers of Jesus, and now he is spending a lot of time and effort trying to convince others to become followers of Jesus.

Saul finds himself between a rock and a hard place: the disciples are nervous of him, the Jewish authorities would like to see him dead in much the same way that he used to want to see followers of Jesus dead. Some of the disciples are on Saul’s side, and they help him escape Jerusalem by lowering him outside of the walls in a basket.

One of the disciples who knows Saul and his conversion experience is Barnabas. He clearly thinks that this is a bit of a ludicrous state of affairs, and decides that the apostles should meet Saul. Why? Paul has met the Risen Lord in a dramatic vision which has changed his whole life. Why does he need to meet the traditional twelve apostles in Jerusalem, does he need some kind of validation from them? Why doesn't he just press on with what he is doing, celebrate the results that he is seeing, and keep an eye out for those Jewish authorities who are trying to kill him. Let the apostles in Jerusalem do their own thing...

The bottom line is that the twelve recognised the importance of tradition, of making sure that the teachings of Jesus were passed on and lived out with authenticity, and in the power of the Spirit. And Saul seems to recognise the importance of that tradition given that he agrees to go and meet the apostles rather than just going off to do his own thing.

A gut reaction might be to think that if Jesus had called Saul then he did not need a load of men to tell him he was doing the right thing. But Jesus had also called those men. The Holy Spirit does have a role to play in authority, and maybe, although this might be stretching it too far for some of us, the Holy Spirit has a role to play in institutions. If we think that is not true is that for the right reasons, or because we are products of an individualistic society which mistrusts authority and places a high emphasis on personal emotions and experience? For Luke, who recounts this story, it appears both experience and tradition are important. There is a synergy between them, and both are necessary.

I have seen traditional churches that function without the Holy Spirit and which refuse to share in the life-giving experience that the Spirit brings to local church communities around the world. I have also seen Spirit-filled churches which self-confidently declare in their worship and proclamation that their experience, which is discontinuous to two thousand years of church tradition, is the one true expression of Christ's church on earth. I am not sure which is worse...

A Dramatic Conversion? Acts 9:3-4

(Resound Design) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 9:3-4

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

One of the things which most strikes me about Saul’s conversion, of which we read the first stages of here, is that he knew just what he was doing.

Conversion for Saul didn’t mean he had to change certain aspects of his behaviour - he was already a devout Jew obeying the Law very closely. Conversion for Saul meant acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord. That would result in a lot of things, but one very real consequence for Saul would be the fact that his old colleagues with whom he had imprisoned and even condoned the killing of Christians, would now be after him ( Acts 8:2-3 ) It would take a lot of faith to persuade Saul that he should worship Jesus as God.

Saul’s conversion happens just before an other dramatic conversion - dramatic for different reasons - that of the Roman Centurion, and just after the dramatic conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. Perhaps Luke is trying to tell us something.

Not everyone who was with Saul experienced what he experienced. They heard something, but didn’t see anything. And although Saul’s life will never be the same, those around him apparently remain relatively unaffected. And that causes me to ask the most difficult of questions, why Saul and why not the others? Did Saul deserve this singling out by Jesus, or had his companions done something particularly wrong which meant that they weren’t allowed to hear from Jesus? If grace and mercy break in so dramatically into someone’s life, why not in someone else’s life?

Perhaps part of the answer to that is the fact that Saul had witnessed the stoning of Stephen and heard his final words. Maybe Saul, who was so earnest in his pursuit of God that he tried to destroy these things which he perceived had set themselves up against God, began to wonder at the words of Stephen, perhaps open his heart to the possibility that Jesus really was God’s Son. If I can’t be sure of that, I am sure that God had good intentions for Saul and his companions on that road to Damascus that day, God loves the whole world.

A Servant of the Spirit: Acts 8:36 and 38

(Resound Design) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 8:36 & 38

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

Sometimes God asks us to to do strange things. Like a mad dog or an English man, Philip is asked by an angel of Lord to travel down a desert road at noon.

We might wonder who is in charge here. Philip obeys the angel without saying a word, he preaches the gospel on the request of the Ethiopian, and, once the episode is finished Philip disappears and reappears in Azotus.

Who was the Ethiopian Eunuch? Popular opinion is that, as an attendant of the Ethiopian queen, he would have been castrated to remove the possibility of being sexually inappropriate. This castration would have meant that he would not have been able to enter the Temple in Jerusalem according to the regulations in Deuteronomy 23:1 . This is not necessarily the case, although the Eunuch would certainly have been an important man, an advisor to the queen, perhaps a Jew or someone interested in the faith of the Jewish people. He was, however, unable to get to grips with the prophecies of Isaiah.

The Ethiopian listens to the explanation of Philip, and responds to the message that is preached, wanting to know what is hindering him from being baptized immediately?

The assumption is that the gospel is available for all with no qualification. The Eunuch has already proven that he does not understand everything, and even after Philip’s sermon (and what did he preach? what did he consider to be the core message of the gospel?), there would still be a great deal that he does not know. However, baptism is available for all who know enough that they want to respond to Jesus Christ.

Philip, we should remember, is a servant in all this: it is the prompting of the Holy Spirit that resulted in the Ethiopian asking to be baptized. Baptism is not something that Philip can claim as a demonstration of his own power and influence. The Spirit has led him here, he has been able to share the gospel when asked, and then the Spirit prompted the Ethiopian to respond in a public way.

Where might the Spirit be leading us, and are we ready for the request for response of those who come from a long way off our own places of worship? And are we humble enough to get out of the places we think we should be and the things we think we ought to do, and go to the places that God wants us to be and serve the needs of the people we find there?

Dangerous Faith - Acts 8:1-2

(Resound Design) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 8:1-2

‘On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.’

This section of the Book of Acts is the final act in the death of the first martyr for Jesus Christ. Stephen has made a long speech which basically outlines the failures of the nation of Israel in their call to live as God’s people. As he finishes his speech Stephen sees a vision of heaven, where the Son of Man, Jesus, is seated at God’s right hand.

Stephen was originally arrested and told to give an account on charges of blasphemy. As he describes seeing Jesus at God’s right hand the crowd who have ‘arrested’ him are left with a decision. If Stephen is right then they too must live for Jesus because living for God means living for Jesus. If they decide Stephen is wrong, then this really is blaspheme. The crowd are forced to make a decision, it is them who stand accused.

They make their decision, and in a fit of rage, they, who under Roman rule have no real power to execute someone, rush to stone Stephen to death. Stephen goes the way of his master Jesus Christ, and we are reminded that his death, like Jesus’, involves spiritual forces too. The angry mob lay cloaks at the feet of Saul who is heavily involved firstly in the stratagem against the advancement of the kingdom of God before his dramatic conversion.

Stephen’s death seems alien to those who know the privilege of being Christian in the western world. Even as western society becomes increasingly post-Christian, stories of dying for one’s faith seem foreign. In our society where faith is marginalized it might be understood of why we might die for a good cause, but not faith.

Stephen knew his life belonged to God, so Stephen did not take his life, but he was prepared to give it. Everyday we make decisions based on the fact that we are followers of Jesus Christ, are those decisions based the fact that we have given our lives to God? Because if we don’t sometimes stand out and look different because of our faith it may be that we are not following Christ closely enough.

The power of a sermon - Acts 2:22

(Resound Design) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 2:22

People of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

The thing that always surprises me about this is that the sermon ‘worked’.

I preach a lot of sermons and am acutely aware of the need to have good content, to deliver it well, and to consider the question of what are the congregation actually hearing, because it may not be the same thing that I think I am saying. I am also aware of kinesthetic learning, of a desire for intuitive and interactive ways of learning and growing as disciples (which means growing in love not just growing in knowledge). And despite of this desire for a more post-modern approach to learning in church I am aware of the theological importance of the spoken word. After all it was the word which brought creation into being.

And considering all of these things I am aware that a very few sermons are memorable, and others are almost instantly forgettable (but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t useful); oftentimes the same sermon can be forgettable and memorable depending on the listener. All of these considerations need to take into account two thousand years of church tradition and history which is throwing its weight behind each one of the sermons I preach.

And then Peter stands up with no history or tradition and tries to convince a crowd of Jewish people whose rich tradition of monotheism might have persuaded them otherwise, that a human being called Jesus is God, and that despite the fact that he had been killed he is now alive and sitting next to God in heaven. A lot of people listened to the sermon and believed and responded. This was in part because of the way Peter shaped it: he referred to Jewish tradition, the prophecy of Joel, to show that what was happening was supposed to happen.

But there must have been more than that. A word from outside, an ‘external word’ (what Luther called externum verbum), a power that no one gathered there could have mustered up themselves: A kind of word that could create worlds. So it was the Holy Spirit that made the difference.

That is the kind of word we need to pronounce. And every sermon should allude to that fact that we need this external word, because there is no way we can save ourselves...

A new church - Acts 2:2 and Psalm 127:1

(Resound Design) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 1:23-24

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.

The disciples have been told by Jesus to wait, and they are waiting. The activists and completer-finishers amongst them must have been having a torrid time. The introverts may well have been enjoying the stillness and quiet in the presence of God, but there would have been a group of people who were desperate to go out and do something.

The author of the classic childrens' book The Little Prince , Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said,

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

Like the disciples, if we want to see God’s will done, our first desire should be for God, not for organizations, programs, strategies to introduce people to God.

A new church leader - Acts 1:23-24

(Resound Design) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Acts 1:23-24

So they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen...

The community of believers gather together to pray after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. It is an very Jewish community. There are 120 of them - this is the required number of people needed to form a synagogue with its own council. It also consists of twelve apostles who were sent on mission to Israel, and who would sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel...except it doesn’t.

Judas, after he betrayed Jesus became so overcome with guilt that he killed himself, and so it is necessary for the apostles to appoint someone to replace him. The book of the Acts of the Apostles begins with a betrayal by one of the Apostles. We are reminded that community of believers is fallible, that attack can come from those who have followed Christ.

The person to replace Judas must, according to Luke, fill the same criteria that the other apostles met. This is to say that they must be eyewitnesses to the events from Jesus’ baptism until he was taken up into heaven. Although these criteria would not include the Apostle Paul (presumably he wouldn’t agree with them then), they show luke’s concern for making sure that there is a faithful witness to the life and ministry of Jesus.

The new leader then must be qualified, but must also be chosen by God. This fledgling community needed a leader, and so the church today needs leadership - of course the nature of this leadership is much debated. In the next chapter the Holy Spirit is poured out on everybody meaning we are all chosen and all have qualifications to be leaders, but God still calls some to be servants (and leaders) of the leaders.

Flickering Pixels and Post-Christians

(Resound Design) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A recent read is the book by Shane Hipps called Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith . Although I am only part way through, it is proving to be a fascinating read, and one theory in particular stands out.

Hipps is influenced by the work of a professor of media and communication called Marshall McLuhan. This is the guy who came up with the expression “Global Village”. McLuhan firmly believed that the medium was the message. What that means is that we are as influenced by the way that we are told something as by what we are told.

Hipps comes up with a very interesting example of this based on the medium of the printed word. In the fifteenth century Johannes Gutenberg modified a wine press and made something which could print words. Up to this point books had to be written out by hand. This made them very expensive and very rare. Most people could not read, and had never seen a book.

This is why there are stained glass windows in churches. The pictures tell the story of who Jesus is, the miracles he performed, his life and death. In this way everyone could know about Jesus despite the fact that they did not have access to a Bible and could not read.

Hipps notes that once the printed word was invented it affected everything. He even points out that churches began to look like words printed on a page. Until then churches were big open spaces where people stood. There were no chairs and no pews. But then pews were introduced and people looked at the back of someone’s head in nice rows, in the same way that words were printed on the page in two neat coloumns (p.47).

But perhaps the biggest way that the medium of the printed word changed things was that it made the message more efficient. Stained glass windows told stories of the Bible: creation, the flood, Jesus’ miracles. These stories were open ended, expansive, non-linear. They drew you in, required imagination and were open to interpretation.

The printing press meant that the letters of Paul could now be communicated. Paul’s letters are complex and could not be communicated in stained glass - even the Apostle Peter had found them hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16). This basically resulted in two things. Firstly a simplification of the Gospel message. Hipps expresses this simplification as,

Apologize for your sins + Believe Jesus = Go to Heaven (p.48)

Secondly, it resulted in the growth of reasoning skills and academic study that Paul’s letters inspired. It was this that supported and allowed the Reformation.

Hipps talks about this medium of reasoning and intellectualism as ‘medium reversed’. The media of reasoning and intellectualism became ‘overextended’.

This led to the belief that the gospel could be established and received only through reason and fact. (p.49)

I guess the reason that I find this interesting is because a number of public figures are wading in on the Christianity verses New Atheism debate by denouncing their Christian faith. But this denouncement is expressed in terms of a frustration with what often seems like a Church which is too influenced by the media of reasoning and intellectualism. Me being me, most of my examples come from the world of music. The first is the ex-lead singer of the Christian rock group Tree63, John Ellis.

An article came out which had some impact on the church in South Africa. Perhaps it was overly influenced by the medium of journalism, and so John Ellis wrote about the article on his own blog. You get a strong sense that Ellis is disaffected with the culture and medium that is attached to the Gospel rather than the Gospel itself.

Another example is David Bazan.

From the literary world Anne Rice says,

...following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.

So, is the church doing something wrong? I guess that is the ‘conversation’ which is sometimes called Emerging Christianity. I personally can empathize with some of the views expressed by these people, but can also overlook some aspects of the church because I ultimately believe that no matter how broken or wrong the church is, it is a medium in itself, hopefully a medium of God’s grace.

The women and the resurrection - Luke 24:6-8

(Resound Design) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 24:6-8

‘He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Then they remembered his words.’

The women in Jesus group of disciples are given a prominent role in Luke’s Gospel, and this is particularly true in the accounts of the finding of the empty tomb on Easter morning. The women were present at the crucifixion, and here ‘the women’ take the spices which have been prepared in advance in order to anoint the body of Jesus, in doing so they find the tomb empty and bump into two angels. It is the women who first have faith in the Risen Christ.

An empty tomb is not proof that Christ has risen. Faith is not something which can be proven, and therefore, much to the chagrin of secularists, is not something which can be defended. This raises all kinds of issues and debates, but it is worth noting that faith does not require one to disengage ones intellect; in fact, as we shall see, the opposite is true. Faith is something which is experienced, and so we feel the wounds in Christ’s hands and feet (Luke 24:39), and which makes sense of the world we live in.

In our reading this morning the angels are surprised to see the women approaching the tomb to find the dead body of Jesus (there must be some irony here - they can’t be that surprised otherwise why were they waiting for the women to go to the tomb?). They tell the women that the living is not to be found amongst the dead, and go on to explain how Jesus had described to them in Galilee the events that would unfold leading up to and beyond Jesus’ death.

The presumption that the women would know this information shows that they were in the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples. This is also demonstrated in Luke’s Gospel by their natural reaction to share the news with their fellow, male disciples. They do not feel obliged to go and share, they chose to.

What makes the women so eager to go and share? They have discovered the tomb of Jesus empty, they have been preached to by heavenly messengers, and they have recalled what Jesus said to them before his crucifixion. Their faith consists of what they see and know, miraculous events, and what seems right to their intellect. The conversations they had with Jesus make sense now.

The impossible happened - Luke 23:35

(Resound Design) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 23:35

‘The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."’

In Luke we have reached the crucifixion of Jesus. Much has been written on and about the crucifixion, and may songs and poems speak of the emotions. But Luke is both relatively brief, and factual. He prefers to let the events speak for themselves.

If we read the account carefully we can see that he is concerned to draw attention to the events of the crucifixion of Christ which fulfill Hebrew prophecy. For example, Jesus is crucified between two thief's as mentioned in Isaiah 53:12. Luke is at pains to point out the sin of Jerusalem for not recognizing their Messiah, this is not because he wants to blame the Jews for the death of Jesus, but because he wants them to repent of their sin. The sin is the fact that they have closed their eyes to Jesus, unlike the Gentiles who are ignorant of Jesus.

Either way Jesus can and will forgive them both. He prays from the cross, ‘Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.’ The ‘them’ is purposefully vague. It refers to Jewish and Roman authorities.

On the cross these rulers make fun of Jesus, and in doing so repeat the temptations that Jesus faced at the beginning of his ministry, “If you are the Son of God...”. Jesus is the Son of God, he is here to save others, and that means that he cannot save himself. On the cross we see the willed powerlessness of God. The impossible happens, God dies so we don’t have to.

Repent - Luke 22:31-32

(Resound Design) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 22:31-32

‘Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’

Jesus predicts that at the time of his death the Devil will try and press the advantage he supposes he has, and this will mean difficult times for the disciples (‘you’ in verse 31 is plural).

Simon Peter argues that this will not happen to him, he is ready now, there is no need to repent, there is no need to pray. Jesus warns him that he is not ready, and in doing so predicts what it is that will happen to Simon Peter. He will deny Jesus, he will repent, he will know the Risen Christ, he will find strength and then strengthen others.

All of us, at some time, will find that we need to ‘turn back’, we all need to repent. When we repent, we continue, and when we repent and continue the Devil is beaten.

To Serve - Luke 22:26-27

(Resound Design) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 22:26-27

‘...the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.’

Jesus has predicted his own death, he is in Jerusalem, and he is eating a final meal with his disciples. Alarmed that one of them will betray Jesus, the disciples wonder who it might be. In turn, this leads to a discussion about which of them is the greatest, which one of them is the best.

At an emotional time like this, and in the presence of Jesus Christ, such thoughts and discussion seems highly inappropriate. Perhaps this is why the author of the Gospel is keen that it should happen after the meal with Jesus. It reminds us and warns us, that even when we share Communion, even when we gather around the Lord’s Table, we can suffer with pride and other sins.

Many, perhaps all, of us struggle with a love of power and recognition. We don’t suddenly become immune to this just because we eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

As the song lyric by Bill Mallonee says, ‘They say that pride is the chief of sins, well I know all of his deputies.’ (‘She Walks on Roses’)

For me personally, humility is something that I often find myself praying for. I think the more humble I am the more able I am to be all that God wants me to be, and the more freedom I can enjoy.

The Future Now - Luke 21:31-32

(Resound Design) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 21:31-32

Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the end of time, and it has involved lots of cosmic signs, huge events, and things which are hard to comprehend. So Jesus makes it simple for them.

He talks about a common fig tree: something which all the people gathered would have been familiar with. In the same way that one knows summer is near when the leaves of the fig tree start budding, so too you know that the end of the world is near when some of the signs described begin to take place.

Imagine yourself in that crowd. You might say, “Alright Jesus, I understand the fig tree thing, but when will that actually happen?’ Who doesn’t want to know?

And so Jesus tells them and us. It will happen within one generation. A generation is a period of time of about 30 years. Thirty years after Jesus said that, the world was, and is, very definitely still spinning as we know it.

But ‘generation’ can also mean a period of time with no set years, but identifiable for a particular feel: a period or generation of waiting, a generation of hope, a generation of suffering.

We don’t know when the end will begin, but we do know it is in the future, and it will mark a change from the feeling that we are feeling now...every tear will be wiped away, there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things will pass away. (Revelation 21:4).

So what of it, what do we do in the meantime?

Do we feel overwhelmed? Do we spend our time trying to work out when it will happen? Do we panic and look for signs in the sun, moon and stars, as well as keeping an eye on fig trees? Do we forget about it until it happens and live an ordinary life?

We let that future invade the present, and the hope that we have affect how we live today.

Lift Up Your Heads - Luke 21:27-28

(Resound Design) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 21:27-28

‘At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

Jesus’ teaching on the end times continues. In 21:20-24 Jesus speaks of events which were fulfilled a few years after his death and resurrection in 66-70 AD. At this time Jerusalem was destroyed by a Roman army, as was the Temple.

The destruction of the Temple would have seemed like the end of the world for the Jews. It was the House of God, the place they went to meet with God. But Jesus tells them that this is not the end of the world, far from it, it is the beginning of the time of the Gentiles (verse 24). This is the time that the Gospel is shared amongst non-Jews (Gentiles). Not only is this not the end of the world, but the time of the Gentiles does not mean that God has given up on the Jewish people, God has not abandoned Israel, there are two sons in Jesus’ story of the Prodigal.

After the time of the Gentiles has been fulfilled there area number of signs which show that the end of the world is about to take place and that the Son of Man will return.

The description of these signs shows that the return of Jesus will have a worldwide effect. This has already been alluded to in Luke’s Gospel (17:22-27), and is also key to Paul's thinking ( Romans 8:18-25 ). If, when Jesus returns the whole world will know and creation itself will be affected, then we must seriously consider the nature of our own faith and the ministry and mission of the Church.

We live in a time when religion is tolerated as long as it is kept private and is tolerant of all other faiths and beliefs. Whilst tolerance is a biblical principle, our faith should affect every area of our lives, be lived out in the open, and impact upon those around us. This impact is not one of force, but of the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. After all, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church on the day of Pentecost, Peter explains what has happened to the crowds using the worlds of Joel (Joel 2:30-32). These words contain language very similar to the signs which will accompany the return of Christ.

I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

Acts 2:19-21

The return of Jesus happens on a grand scale, the gospel affects the whole of creation. So the Church now must not be about private, individual faith, but speak to the whole world.

The reach of God's redemption - Luke 21:6-7

(Resound Design) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 21:6-7

‘Jesus said, “"As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.""Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"’

Someone comments on how amazing the Temple looks, and Jesus takes the opportunity to teach about the future.

The future in the Bible is hard to understand because it is written about in a particular style: ‘apocalyptic’. The word means revelation, and the best known example is the last book of the Bible called, appropriately, ‘Revelation’. However apocalyptic writings appear elsewhere, for example Daniel, and briefly in the Gospels.

The focus of apocalyptic writing involves another long word: ‘eschatology’. Eschatology is the word used to describe things concerning the end, so apocalyptic writing is concerned with the end of the world as we know it, and the beginning of a new order of things. What does that mean for us, ion sentences that don't involve long words?

This immediately raises the question of when? When does/did the world as we know it end and a new world begin? For example Jesus’ death and resurrection changed the world. But Jesus is coming back, and in his return the victory which began on the cross will be finished, and things will change dramatically. So perhaps we are now living ‘between times’, and if we are then we experience the ‘now’ of the Gospel - we know we are saved, we live as children of God, we are in the Kingdom.

But we also experience the ‘not yet’. We sin ‘in thought, in word, in deed; through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault’, as the liturgy reminds us. And we suffer, sometimes we suffer because we believe. We are being saved.

As Jesus continues his talk on the end of all things, he speaks of the signs of the end, what will happen before the end comes, the fall of Jerusalem, the coming of the Son of Man, he tells a parable about a fig tree (!), and he speaks of the time of the coming of the Son of Man. As we read about these things in Luke 21:5-38 it is sometimes hard to decide which bit fits where, which bit is about the end, which bit is about things which will happen before the end?, etc.

The important thing is this: There is no part of the cosmos, no where in the universe, which is outside of God’s plan.

Sometimes it is easier for us to imagine the vastness of the universe being in God’s reach than it is the small, yet hugely significant, details of our lives. The deepest hurt, the emptiness and striving which comes because of a sense of being alone, the sin that seems so bad we are scared to name it before God, these are all part of the cosmos that God will reach and redeem.

Offering Everything - Luke 21:1-2

(Resound Design) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 21:1-2

‘As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.’

Jesus is still preaching in the Temple courts. He is talking to his disciples, but there is a crowd listening in to what is being said. It is in this public forum that Jesus speaks to his disciples about leadership; he does it by contrasting the attitude of the Scribes and a widow.

The Scribes were experts in the Law who helped the people to understand and apply the scriptures. Widows were usually without income and dependent on their family or welfare for support.

As Jesus gives this example the people in the crowd hear what Jesus has to say to the disciples about leadership, and so the world already has an expectation of how followers of Jesus should live their lives, and the expectation that Jesus sets is rigorous.

In the past the disciples have shown a desire for positions of power with regard to leadership (Luke 9:46). The disciples are doing what comes naturally to most of us: desiring greatness.

So Jesus points out to them that the greatest doesn’t always look like the greatest, or get the recognition that they deserve. The widow gives a small amount of money, but she actually gives all that she has. Jesus shows that the giving of the large gifts is not bad, nor does he romanticize what the widow offers. The offering of everything is great.

If we give everything we have, and do it unnoticed, then what do we gain and who do we become? As Pope John XXIII said, “Strive to be unknown”.

Luke 19:45-46

(Resound Design) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

‘Then he entered the temple area and began driving out those who were selling. "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be a house of prayer'; but you have made it 'a den of robbers.’”’

Here Jesus purifies the Temple. In doing so he acts against an institution created by God but does it in the name of God, which is interesting.

It is interesting because those who are anti ‘organized religion’(that is what they would call it, others would call it ‘church’) will use that verse to show that God will judge ‘organized religion’. Others will use the same verse to argue that God, in Christ, cares enough about the institution he has created (which of course is not necessarily synonymous with the church) that he wants to fix it. In Luke’s Gospel Jesus does not denounce the Temple, merely fixes it for continued use. (See in Acts, also written by Luke, how the early Christians continued to worship in the Temple.)

So which is right? Are those who support free church, postdenominationalism, and ‘organic church’ right? Or are those who enjoy the rich history and liturgy of the institutional churches right?

Perhaps Solomon was right. When he dedicated the Temple he was sure that, given that heaven cannot contain God, there is no way that God will fit in the Temple (1 Kings 8:27). There is no way that any organization, building, or institution can contain the full mystery of God. But they can and do witness to the glory of God.

What is important is that those who are called to be servants of the church don’t become officials, that the institution does not become authoritarian or controlling, and that the maintenance of an institution does not become more important than witnessing to the glory of God.

So all of us in the Church must invite Jesus to examine ourselves and our motives, and ask the Holy Spirit to give us courage to make brave and humble decisions.

Bible reading 1st July 2010

(Resound Design) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 18:25-38

‘As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"’

This story follows on from Jesus speaking to his disciples about his imminent death in Jerusalem. The disciples don’t, or won’t, understand what Jesus is saying to them. But Jesus is able to give sight to the blind.

The man whom Jesus heals can see more than the crowds do. He calls out ‘ Son of David’. This is a Messianic title. He recognises Jesus as being the Messiah, and that the healing of the blind is possible by the Messiah. The fact that the crowd rebuke the blind man shows that they have no such expectation.

This might raise the question for us, ‘Which Jesus do we see?’

The blind man has faith in Jesus as the Messiah, but he calls him ‘Son of David’. This is the most political of the messianic titles. It presupposes the vanquishing of Jerusalem’s enemies, that Jesus will ride into Jerusalem and sit on the throne of David, that the glory days of old will return. That is now how Jesus interprets the title of ‘Son of David’, but that is how most of the crowd would understand it.

Jesus can work with the blind man’s understanding of him. The man is healed, praises God, will follow Jesus into Jerusalem, see the Messiah crucified and raised to life, will understand, will begin to see that Jesus saves us through willed powerlessness, and not force. The blind man is healed and saved.

As we consider our own salvation and the sight that Jesus has given us, we should pray, be with Jesus, and read our Bibles with humility which recognises that we might have our own agenda. And we should have a desire to know the real Jesus.

Bible reading 28th June 2010

(Resound Design) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 17:20-21

‘Jesus answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.’

In Luke 17 beginning at verse 20 Jesus is asked by some Pharisees about the kingdom of God and when it will arrive. This question was motivated by an understanding that one day in the future God would rule the earth and bring peace, justice and an end to suffering. The Pharisees have missed something here - the first sign that the kingdom of God will arrive is Jesus, and yet they fail to recognize him.

Jesus tells them that the kingdom of God is in the midst of them. Some Bible translate the Greek of this verse as saying, ‘the kingdom of God is within you’ (NIV - the footnote explains the alternative understanding). The you in this verse is plural, and Jesus is speaking to people who have rejected the kingdom so it is unlikely that he would want them to mean that the kingdom is in them, more likely that it is in the midst of them.

The disciples have been overhearing this conversation, and so Jesus turns to them to explains some more (beginning at verse 22). Perhaps Jesus does this motivated by the disciples questions, questions we might ask, ‘If the kingdom is here now, is this all there is?’ we can be moved by stories of compassion and people making a difference in the world, we can see the answers to prayers, and feel close to God in our worship. But at the same time we don’t have to look far to see injustice, oppression, poverty, etc., etc.

Placing an emphasis on the kingdom being here now is known as ‘realized eschatology.’ Of course, there is an element of truth in this, Jesus himself says that the kingdom of God is here now. Paul and John speak often about living in the fullness of eternal life now and the benefits we have of knowing God and being known by God - we are a new creation, we have passed form death to life.

Paradoxically there are those who look forward to heaven. In its extreme this view leads to a lack of responsibility for today; every hardship, every difficult situation, is dismissed with the understanding that one day we will all be in heaven. It can mean that little is done to seek justice here and now. There is a danger that we can have too much interest in the future, or that we can be too confined by the present.

The reality is that the kingdom is here and not yet, it has come and is yet to come.

Bible reading 10th June 2010

(Resound Design) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 12:36-37

”...like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”

A Jewish wedding goes on for a long time, anyone at one of those celebrations will be out partying to late, very late. In fact the Jewish night had three watches, and it might be that the party-goers might not be back till the last watch of the night. If the master comes home and his servants are still up waiting to make him a cup of tea and give him some indigestion tablets, then the master is going to be very pleased with the servants.

By telling this parable Jesus tells his disciples to be ready for his return, for when heaven comes to earth. The reward is extraordinary: the master will serve the servants. This is so incredible there is little doubt that the disciples would have been shocked to hear this, as shocked as they were when Jesus washed their feet as recounted in John’s Gospel.

One of the interesting things about this parable is it tells us the benefit of living as a Christian every day. The Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the 4th century. Historians debate as to how much a Christian he really was - like many Roman emperors, his enemies would sometimes die suddenly in mysterious circumstances (a short sword in the bowels - that kind of thing), even if they were family members. Perhaps aware of the difficulties of living as a disciple, Constantine put off his baptism until he was on his death bed. He wanted to make sure that he didn’t commit any sins after his baptism. Some people today have the same attitude believing that they can turn to God in the last minute. This is true, Jesus himself affirms this, but as well as missing out on the ‘here and now’ aspects of the kingdom of God, they may also find that when the ‘not yet’ aspects of the kingdom of God happen, that although they are in Jesus’ presence and sat around the same table (reward enough), they miss out on the extraordinary reward which Jesus recounts here.

We are called to live as disciples in this life, seeking the kingdom of God here & now. This is its own reward, but there is more to come!

Bible reading 8th June 2010

(Resound Design) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 12:15

‘Then Jesus said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."’

A younger man came to Jesus and asked him to settle an inheritance dispute with his older brother. Jesus takes this as an opportunity to address worry that results in people grasping after possessions to try and ensure a secure future. If we do this, we make possessions more important than God (which the apostle Paul was against, see Romans 1:25 and Colossians 3:5, as well as the Law of Moses in Exodus 20:17), and we have no concern for the needs of others (which Jesus was concerned about see Matthew 5:7, and the Early Church see Acts 6:1, James 1:27).

Jesus tells a parable of a farmer who does well and succeeds in life. In this parable there is nothing wrong with achieving something, the warning is about what we do with what we have achieved. The farmer decides to live for himself and to hoard his possessions. What good is this? Elsewhere Jesus will ask the crowd, ‘What good is it for a you to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit your very self?’ (Luke 9:25)

This is what the farmer does, and because of this he is a fool. Next Jesus will address worry...

Bible reading 7th June 2010

(Resound Design) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 12:6-7

‘Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.’

When it comes to being a follower of Jesus there are two types of hypocrisy. The first is when someone pretends that they are a follower of Jesus, but really they are living for something else. This is what Jesus is accusing the Pharisees of in this passage. They claimed to be following God and leading others as they followed with God, but really their own status and power was more important to them.

The second type of hypocrisy is when someone is a really a follower of Jesus, but denies that they are. Why would someone do that? Normally because they are facing persecution for their faith; consider the example of peter who three times denied that he knew Jesus. Jesus also speaks to the disciples about this kind of hypocrisy. He tells them that there is no need to worry about persecution because God will look after them so that no one can really harm them. This does not mean that life won’t be difficult for them as disciples: many of them were killed later in life for following Jesus. The same is true for us. Being a disciple doesn’t mean life is easy, but it does mean that God knows us and is faithful to look after us.

Because of this we should never pretend to not be a follower of Christ when we actually are. God has given much more to us than the price of a sparrow, he will not give up on his creation.

Bible reading 4th June 2010

(Resound Design) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 11:29-30

’As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.’

As is often the case there is a large crowd gathered around Jesus. This crowd ask Jesus to provide evidence for the claims that he makes, they want him to prove himself by performing a miracle.

Faith in Jesus requires more than seeing and accepting evidence which is placed before us. Faith is more than evidence, and because of that someone who does not want to believe will not believe, no matter how much ‘proof’ is put before them. (By nature God has to be bigger than proof that satisfies human rationale, who wants to believe in a God that can be proved and understood?)

Jesus seems to be very harsh to the crowd; why is that? If Jesus did a miracle to prove himself to a crowd (and if such a miracle were possible...those who don’t want to will not believe) he would have forced the crowd to believe, and that crowd would not have faith that comes from freewill. Jesus believes that those who want to force faith are doing wrong and are therefore evil.
There will be a sign, it will be the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days and then became a sign to the Ninevites, so too Jesus will be in the grave for three days after his death, and then he will rise again.

Jesus will die for the crowd, but he won’t force them.

Bible Reading Notes

(Resound Design) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 11:23

‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.’

Jesus says this to a crowd after he has cast a demon out of someone. Some in the crowd who have witnessed this miraculous act accuse Jesus of performing doing it with the power of Beelzebul, or the devil.

Jesus had just done a good thing, and so to attribute it to the devil seems a little strange to us. However in those days there was a strong belief in the power of magicians and healers; perhaps a little like our belief today in horoscopes, crystals, etc. These magicians might do good things, but they were regarded as not always using good powers to do these acts.

For the crowd the question was not ‘Did this happen?’, but ‘How did Jesus do this? Is he a magician, does he use occult magic?’

Jesus answer the charge with logic: why would the devil use his own power against himself? (verse 18), and with a challenge: if I am doing this with God’s help then the kingdom of God is here now (verse 19).

So then it all comes down to which kingdom the crowd want to align themselves with? Jesus does not offer further proof, the crowd must decide, there is a Holy Spirit and there are spirits which are not holy.

We might ask ourselves the same question, and we might consider if, like Jesus, we are serious about setting people free from oppression? As Jesus will go onto say (verses 24-26) this is a serious responsibility, we are called to set people free and to disciple them...there is no point cleaning a house out and then leaving it empty.

New Hold Steady Album

(Resound Design) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Hold Steady are an old-school rock band. They play pretty raucous music which is influenced by roots and Americana rather than anything heavy metal-esque: think loud Neil Young. They don't try and change the musical rules, they just write good lyrics and set them to good music. And all of their albums have been well received. They have just released their fifth album called, 'Heaven is Whenever'.

The first song on the album is called, 'The Sweet Part of the City' and like many of Craig Finn, the lead singer's, lyrics it is a dense tale of growing up as teenagers in America - about drinking and hoping to find a good party to go to. The people mentioned drink alcohol until it runs out, listen to music all night, and try and find more alcohol. The twist comes in the final lines of the song.

'We were bored, so we started a band' says Craig Finn. Then the song closes out with some repeating lines. All of the reviews of the album say the last lines are 'We like to play for you', as do on line lyrics (for example see the Pitchfork review). Having listened to the album on Spotify, I am sure Craig Finn sings, "We'd like to pray for you."

Either way it is pretty interesting that the song turns out to be autobiographical, and the only chance of salvation for Craig Finn and his friends was to make music and play to crowds of people who also like to drink and listen to music all night.

Is Craig Finn playing for the crowd or praying for them?

Bible reading notes

(Resound Design) — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Luke 9:20

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."'

Not everyone in those days expected a Messiah, but a great many Jews did. Given the fact that they were surrounded by Romans, and paying them taxes, the idea that one day there would be freedom from all this and that God would send someone to defeat their enemies was a popular one. It is easy to imagine that as they spoke of the promised Messiah they imagined him the way that they most wanted him, doing the things that they considered most pressing and needy in their lives.

They believed that before the Messiah came a prophet like Elijah, or Elijah himself, would come. This was based on the scripture Malachi 4:5-6,

"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."

Many regarded Jesus as being this forerunner rather than the Messiah himself. If the Messiah is already here, if the Messiah is Jesus, then the people could no longer imagine him the way that they wanted him to be, it was the Messiah who would shape us the way that God wants us to be.

And even today we imagine Jesus the way we like best. We have problems imaging the disciples sitting with Jesus in a boat after he has calmed the storm and being more afraid of Jesus than they were the storm. We too struggle with the concept of a Messiah suffering for our sins, after all, what have we done that is so wrong?

We could ask ourselves questions like, how is our worship shaped by who we would like Jesus to be rather than shaped by Jesus? How is our church community given life by the parts of Jesus we like best, but ignoring those parts that we feel less comfortable with? But maybe we need to start with the question of how well do we know Jesus?

In this passage in Luke's Gospel, Jesus knows that his path is a path of suffering. He knows this because he prays - this section starts with,

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him...

This kind of prayer is first and foremost about being with God, and that is not a bad place for us to be today, recognising that it means God will shape us, not the other way around!

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