Category: After Pentecost

Mark 4:26-34

“It’s a present, so be present”

Today’s Gospel reminds me of the trip we went on to pick up Josh’s puppy Kobe. Taking a detour along a dirt road due to the floods we came upon a train crossing and as I was looking along the track to see if it was all clear, Cathy remarked that “I think we’ll be fine”, and as I turned my head I saw four sheep standing under the shade of full size tree, growing right in the middle of the railway tracks.

But as we sat there I laughed at what this would look like to a local who knew and used this road regularly. From the perspective of the locals, who knew, that whether it be day time, raining or at night, knew that without even looking they could cross safely-because that tree, which started as a seed that somehow lodged where it did, now not only shows that they are safe from destruction from an oncoming train, but now grown-gives shade to their sheep.

Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God, will grow, is growing in and amongst all the nations of the earth-that they nest, that they live their lives in the kingdom of God. It is a wonderful picture of today and of the end. Living in God’s growing kingdom today and knowing of what awaits us at its earthly fruition.

Like at that railway crossing-one side the tree giving shelter to the sheep who we will join forever on our last day and on the other, potential peril, but peril we can cross in the knowledge that we are both on our way and already are part of his kingdom.

John Lennon in singing of his then young son Shaun sang “I can hardly wait for you to come of age, but we’ve got a long way to go and for now I guess we’ll both just have to be patient” evokes imagery of our sure promise, united with those gone before us in glorified body’s-no fear and no pain-the full realisation of the promise that the Lord has given you.

But John Lennon goes on and sings of the beauty that he is experiencing with his young boy-the beauty of his life while he is still growing but then also the contrast “but we’ve got a long way to go, a hard road to flow”

We too suffer those contrasts in our lives on our road to the joy of what awaits. Contrasts, that given what life can dish up can start us to doubt. It would seem, and indeed we are told by some climate people that we are living in a time of unprecedented disasters. Whether it is true or not, it would seem that in the Western world the Church is in times of unprecedented decline.

Where we as individuals continually seem to get it wrong, self-serving instead of serving others, seeing the stick in others eyes but not the log in our own. Spiritual attacks reminding us of our sinful disposition and constantly pushing in thoughts to make us doubt where we sit in God’s kingdom. It’s like a one two punch in boxing, first we hit with the truth, you’re a sinner-and then the knockout blow-to either make us believe we’re beyond help, or to make us think that it relies on us in the way of our deeds, our works. It’s a smart trick because if not for the Word of God telling us the truth, in our human disposition we prefer to live in the profit side of the margin-where in the short term we get confused with the big picture.

Like in our world, we catch the train to work and make money from which we pay taxes. The taxes of which are partly used to subsidise the train fare. A cost centre to bring a greater profit but in another area. But know, every aspect should be running in profit-so the train ticket prices go up and guess what-less people travel by train and back to square. So sell it off to private investors who to make it profitable need to reduce costs-slash the wages, meaning less tax paid, less money to spend-less tax collected from retailers.

I know this is VERY simplistic, but my point is in our lives-sometimes there are times, short term costs that bring profit, bring growth-spiritual growth.

For the Kingdom to grow, for our growth in it, sometimes there has to be a cost centre. Testing times, hard times-but times that bring fruit that allow Christ in-to form us, to grow in us.

A Jewish legend tells that King Solomon once approached a jeweller and asked him to design a ring on which would be inscribed words that would be true and appropriate at all times and in all situations. The jeweller brought the king a ring on which was inscribed: “This too shall pass” In times of pain the king looked at the ring and was reassured. In times of joy and exultation the king looked at the ring, and felt sobered.

We too on our road know of those joys and pains-situations where we wonder where God is in it all, and times where we would like to see some action, to see a response to our works, to see His kingdom grow-in the world, and in us.

When this happens, don’t be too hard on yourself-Jesus knows the gig down here, he knows the distractions and the confusion they cause. That’s why he walked to the cross-because he understood. He told his apostles what he was doing and it confused them. Yet through Christ on the cross and his raising the kingdom of God has spread. Yet through normal people, first the apostles and the ones that followed-through telling of Jesus and announcing the Word of God the kingdom has grown.

And now, just like the apostles, now it’s our time-our time to plant the seed in the world and to let the seed grow in us.

How will that happen? I do not know, but I do know what tools we have available-and that is the Word of God. A powerful tool as Isaiah 55:11 tells us “That the Word will not return empty to me, but will accomplish what I desire”, and we are comforted by 1 Corinthians 15:58 “Labour in the Lord is not in vain”.

The Lord says the kingdom of God is Growing and when, where and how he does it is his concern. What is our concern is planting the seed-the tool he has given us-the Word-to ourselves and others.

So how does that look, for us-for me and you-present ourselves before the Word, read it, study it-let it work in you. You may not feel it working, but I can tell you it is-because Christ said it is.

How does it look, we present ourselves before the world, in our workplaces, homes, sporting clubs-wherever you are-and live life now knowing that that tree is on the train tracks, that in Christ-no matter how things appear he is there with you, just like we will be with him at end.

Do we stand on a soapbox-we don’t need too-God has placed us exactly where he wants us at this moment-we live life but loiter with intent knowing that he will bring before us someone that will want too or need to hear his Word.

Tour the world like Billy Graham preaching the Gospel-if that’s your calling, go for it.

But generally, it can be just being who you are in Christ: A world renowned theologian and teacher at the sem. Is an absolute book of knowledge-it is incredible the amount of in depth information he retains in his mind.

Yet from his classes there were two seemingly insignificant things that did and still do speak to me.

I had only completed one week of study when I was given some time studies after my brother tragically died. I was confused but I did return and after I entered my first class back, he clasped his like in prayer and looked to the heavens in thanks. That one small thing, helped sustain me for the next five years.

And the other, in class we were discussing what it means to grow as a Christian and after all our discussions, he said you are growing as a Christian is when you understand more and more those Words “Christ have mercy”.

The task of the church is not to usher in the kingdom, but rather to make ready the way, and we are growing in it and with it.

We stand before the Word of God and in the Word of God, and we present ourselves to the world in the Word of God and with the Word of God.

Amen.

 

” The answer my friend is blowing in the wind “

 

Poor old Nicodemus, he is a ruler of the Jews and somehow he has been “touched” by the Words of Jesus. So under the cover of darkness so that his colleagues would not know, he has gone to talk to Jesus. This is a big deal for him because here he is, an elite person in his society-that has been taught and taught the accepted ways-the only commonly accepted ways and he goes to consult Jesus.

We can almost hear him thinking, I wonder if what he says is true-and one part of him hoping to hear the truth and the other part, almost scared that he may hear the truth, the truth that will not sit comfortably with his current lifestyle. Where he would have to say to others-I was wrong-or just as hard, or harder to be prepared to go from respected rabbi and the associated society backslapping to….well, quite probably just the opposite.

His question of “how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Given the situation I would suggest is more than appropriate.

His question reminds me of the many times I have been asked why I decided to leave my previous occupation of 25 years in the finance industry and become a pastor. Often, people are dumbfounded by it and when I answer their question I tell them the truth. Being that essentially I do not know-I can point to several incidences and times that give me confidence that maybe it was a good thing, a correct thing to do-but the how it came about-that I honestly cannot really answer-it just seemed to happen.

Any of us here today, do we really know when we came to believe, for most-I would suggest that over time it just seemed to happen.

In a world that’s mantra is be masters of our own destiny, it seems an absolute mystery that a person who has seemingly mastered this world, a person of extreme wealth and prestige will bow down next to a beggar from the slums and both stretch out their hands, humbly in hope and faith to receive the body and blood of Christ.

Of being born again in the spirit. Jesus tells Nicodemus: “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit”.

What a great answer to us here today. Did we decide to be filled with the spirit of faith-no, it just seemed to happen, are we to judge or believe that we can control who, how, when others will come to faith-no.

It would seem we are helpless, and in ourselves we are because no amount of logical discussion, no amount of tearful and joyous testimonials can bring a person to faith. They can get a person inquisitive or want to know more-but can cannot bring them the spirit of faith.

Prior to leaving Adelaide, one of the removalists asked the “why a pastor?” question and during our discussion it became apparent that he was well versed, very well versed in fact in the contents of the bible but also said, “I would like to believe, but I just can’t”.

Born again in the Spirit. Was this guy Baptised? I do not know. He wants to believe but can’t-how’s that work-I do not know.

But what we do know, is that God wants this young man to be of his kingdom-and how the Holy Spirit will do that-is in God’s wisdom and ways.

God works in mysterious ways-isn’t that the truth. We can but marvel of his wisdom.

Born again of the spirit-like Nicodemus we can ask how does this work. Of course we are talking Baptism-but how does that work. How does Holy Communion work, how is it that the Words of God are not just letters on paper-but work like a living and growing organism.

We could hit the theology books and come up with a majestic answer-but in truthfulness, all those answers could still get back to a follow up question like our kid’s ask us-how, and another how, and another.

There are so many things we do not know-“God is and always was”. Try that one on for size.

A lecturer at the sem. asked us-why doesn’t the bible tells us these things-and I think this was about the only answer I got right in my whole first year when I nervously responded “because we don’t need to know” to which he added, it might even be negative for us to know.

Studying the scriptures-that is an honourable thing for all Christians to do. To study how God has saved us, why he needed to save us by sending his Son, to be inspired to act on his love to us by loving others-absolutely-But we don’t read them so that we can become God like. Those big questions-God doesn’t tell us because we don’t need to know.

Those big questions like how and where the spirit does its business.

We are told what we need to know.

Today’s verse: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

That, God tells us-because we need to know it-it is important.

That Holy Baptism, Holy Communion and the Word of God brings and builds faith-so that we believe in His son-we know these work because God has told us they do-he has told us because they are important.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes, so it is with everyone born of the Spirit”.

How did we come to faith, to believe and trust in those Words of John 3:16-we know the ways God has told us-through Holy Baptism-The Sacraments-the Word of God.

How they work, I do not know and don’t need to know except that they do work.

If you have ever doubted your standing before God-just remember that the spirit has blown your way-come to you, that now you believe. And if you ever doubt the future-remember the past-that in our sin-in our shunning of God-he chased us down-would not give up until he had us, that against our natural wishes, he put it all on the line so that you are here today.

Jesus said “treat others like you like to be treated” and “love others like you love yourself”. Well what if your love for yourself is not so great, what if you know that you don’t deserve to be treated with any respect or kindness?

If you have ever wondered of those two statements from Jesus, like I have. Think of your standing before God-how he wanted you so much in His kingdom that the spirit blew your way-You are Important to him.

So treat others like we like to be treated, love others like we love ourselves-I do not know how that pans out because that can change with circumstances.

But what has panned out is that we, you have been given faith. How we like, or feel like we should be treated, how we love ourselves sometimes may not be so useful.

From how we have been treated, how we have been loved by God to bring us here-we know that he will continue to do so. The rich man next to the poor, with the gift of faith holding out their feeble hands at Holy Communion, today, with the gift of faith when we hold out our feeble hands-rejoice in the gift of the Body and Blood of our Saviour, and rejoice that you believe-and rejoice in the proof of how important, how highly God thinks of you-given as proof to you by you being here.

And pray-that the Holy Spirit will be heard by those that have not joined us yet-that they too will bow before the Father, alongside their Saviour Jesus and marvel of his love for them. Amen.

 

: Ezekiel 37:1-14

“Over to you God”

When investing in Real Estate, the mantra is location, location, location. In Australia, high end would be water frontage on Sydney Harbour. Prime real estate. Manhattan, New York, Beach front, Monaco-If you have to ask how much, you can’t afford it.

Then there’s Jerusalem, and specifically the Temple Mount. Now we’re talking the epee-centre of real estate. A piece of land that no amount of money can buy.

For the Jewish community, this is the holiest site on earth. The sight where King Solomon built the temple in which the high priest communicated directly with God. The site that now houses the Muslim Dome on the Rock-revered by them as the location of Mohammed’s ascent to heaven.

One scholar noted that the destruction of the temple and loss of the land, and resultant inability to rebuild the temple is considered by the Jewish as a far, far greater tragedy than the holocaust. The holocaust where some six million Jews perished-two thirds of their community.

This has been hotly contested land throughout history. As it is in today’s Old Testament reading.

In the year 597 BC, a time in which the people of Israel have been gravitating away from God to that of false religions and the ways of the surrounding cultures and the time where the Babylonians successfully invaded and claimed rule over Jerusalem. After pillaging both Jerusalem and the temple of their riches, the King returned with them, and prominent Jewish officials, craftsmen and approximately 10,000 of the Jewish population-among whom was Ezekiel, to Babylon, which is in present day Iraq.

In short, this group of Israelites have been taken from their homeland and not only are they in a foreign land against their wishes. Their ability to worship at the temple, the place where God was present has been taken from them.

A situation that the group Boney M sung about in their son “By the rivers of Babylon”. Using words from Psalm 137 and their own they describe the situation:

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes we wept, when we remembered Zion (Jerusalem). When the wicked carried us away in captivity….now how shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land.”

They are away from home, and away from God, and now in their exile, and only in their exile have they come to truly know what they have lost, what they threw away by abandoning God and as said in psalm 137 “How they wept when we remembered Zion/Jerusalem”.

This is not a good place to be, both physically or spiritually-a seemingly hopeless situation.

They abandoned God, and now God has seemingly abandoned them. But now they weep of that loss. When we hear the word repentance we may think of being sorrowful of our ungodly actions, our sinful actions. Of course there is that aspect; we admit that in our service confessions

“Almighty God, merciful Father, I a poor helpless sinner, confess to you all my sins, and repent of all the evil I have done. I have deeply displeased you and deserve your punishment in time and in eternity. But I am sorry for my sins…”.

But repentance is more than being sorry for our sins; it means to turn towards God, and in their exile, although seemingly without hope this Jewish community have now turned back to God.

They say history repeats and indeed it would seem so. When the forefathers of these people were captives in Egypt, in The Book of Exodus we are told that “the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help, and their cry for rescue came up to God and he heard their groaning”, and as we know, God enlisted Moses into his rescue plan.

History repeats- In their repentance, God hears his people in Babylon and now enlists Ezekiel to prophesise to the people, to announce the Word of God to them.

“Then God said to Ezekiel, these bones are the whole of Israel. They say their bones are dried up, their hope is lost, they say they are completely cut off. Tell them…I will put my spirit in them, and they shall live, I will place them on their own soil, and then they shall know that I, the Lord, has spoken and will act, says the Lord”.

Given the gravity of the situation we might have thought that it would be appropriate for Ezekiel to enquire further as to how this may come about, but when God asks him, can these bones live-can Israel be restored, there’s no maybes, no how’s or let me think about it for a moment, not even “yes Lord in you bring life to them” but just simply ‘O Lord God, you know’.

What an answer of faith. This is a tough response to give-a response that says no matter what it looks like, and no matter what the outcome-a total trust in God’s ways and actions. This is our “your will be done” response. Your will God, no matter how confusing, no matter how hard it may be to see any goodness in it-at whatever personal cost or hardship-in trust in God-we’ll just go with it.

That trust, just going with it is not so easy, because often, very often God acts differently to how we would expect.

To slaves in Egypt, God doesn’t send down a battalion of angels, but works through a fallible human being, Moses. Likewise in Babylon, God works through Ezekiel.

Is this how you would do things? Try this one. You created the world and all its people-they owe everything to you but their response is to basically say thanks for that, but we don’t need you anymore so we are outa here. I’m glad God acts different to how I would to such a bunch.

This bunch impoverished in sin, does God justifiably unleash his wrath on them? No he unleashes it on himself by giving his Son to be beaten, tortured and sacrificed in their place. In our place.

The words we pray at the start of the weekly message in the sermon. “May the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you Lord” come from Psalm 19, but are also used appropriately in that Boney M song “By the rivers of Babylon song”. Appropriate because like in the sermon, like in the situation they faced in Babylon and like Ezekiel answered “O’Lord, you know” there is a sense of trusting in the Will of God. That God will act and will make things happen even if how he does it make no sense to us.

We do not need to know how, that by living out our Christian life as best we can, that somehow God will use it to help build His kingdom in Christ-that’s His business and we’ll just go with it. We only need to know why-that he wishes for all to be delivered from the exile of sin in this world. To give them the gift of repentance, to see and turn back to God, and to cling to the redemption and forgiveness delivered by Jesus.

That’s what we know and that’s what we have received.

Moses, Ezekiel and now all those saved in Christ-us-recruited by God to let his voice be heard by those still held in captivity. To know in faith and trust, that in our lives as Christian’s that God will use our words and actions so that his voice be heard and seen-FROM US, maybe seems a strange way of getting things done but let’s just go with it and leave the rest to Him-He’ll sought it out. Amen.