"A New Opportunity" (Mark 2:18-28)

Introduction

What a wonderful opportunity the Gospel gives us! New life in Christ … forgiven, saved, refocussed. But, of course, this is NOT just a personal thing. The Gospel of Jesus also brings with it the potential for the best experience of community imaginable. We now call that community … “the church”. Let’s look at this text at Mark chapter 2 verses 18-28. Clearly Jesus is distinguishing between old and new … old ways and new opportunities. Now this was very in-your-face, direct, and confrontative teaching, which just can’t be watered down or treated trivially.

Overview

Some people were wondering why Jesus didn’t have his disciples fasting when other religious people were fasting. Interestingly, it was general observers of certain religious behaviour that were asking the question! What is this all about, and why the difference? Why do you do what you do, or indeed don’t do certain things? “Why”? A good question deserving of an answer! Why do we do what we do … in preference to other things? Do we think about that? Jesus gave an answer that suggested that he, and therefore the Gospel, was not bound to rituals, especially if those rituals lacked meaning or relevance or the proper timing.

Nothing wrong with “fasting” – in the right time and for the right purpose, connected with repentance or discernment … fasting can be helpful. Yet not at this moment in time when Jesus was very personally launching a new kingdom. Fasting should not be a ritual that is blindly applied, but rather be a response to circumstances as led by the Holy Spirit. This was clearly the time to hang on Jesus’ every word, and reflect on his every action. Generally speaking, what Jesus is dealing with here, are forms and rituals that have been set in concrete and lost all relevance. They are being done for their own sakes (and maybe for selfish reasons) … devoid of real purpose and unconnected to mission. Jesus confronted this, for often adherence to ritual is connected to avoidance of change. You may have met people … who can have something reasonably explained, but will still never change their views. The point being made, is that while there are open doors of ministry (in the company of Jesus) … where there is a window of opportunity … get on with it!

So first … certain rituals can get in the way. Then (from verses 21-22), we think we can tack a bit of the new onto the old, and that will be good enough. We think we can keep what we like of the old and have the best of the new, and sort of hold that all together. This doesn’t work … not for long … not with any real growth … eventually it all falls apart. We wonder why some people have come to faith, seemed strong for a while, and then faded away. Here is the answer … there were new patches being sown on old cloaks, or new wine being poured into old wineskins. Implosion awaits! There is a complete lack of discipleship. This is tragic. We don’t judge those like this, we pray for them – that they will gain a new vision of Jesus … such that they leave the ‘old’ behind completely. Jesus is far too extraordinary (and revolutionary) to be restricted to “old wineskins”.

And then (from verses 23-28), Jesus would oppose any practices that blocked people’s access to God. There are certain rules we want to apply, that tend to quench life and block ministry and restrict neighbourliness. The Pharisees took that glorious idea of ‘Sabbath’ rest, and put rules around it, so that the people of the time couldn’t even pluck some grain. Even King David, many centuries before, had to break rules like this when starvation was a possible outcome. The ‘Sabbath’ was never meant to have a negative threat attached to it, rather it was designed to help facilitate healthy life – it was to give time to rest from normal responsibilities to celebrate and worship God. Jesus came to refocus us on what is central in responding to God in the world. Not rules, not empty ritual, but … spiritual freedom, inner healing and a new community. A few heads of grain … really!! Such a small issue compared with Jesus being in town!

Two Applications – personal and collective

We need to open ourselves totally to God. When we accept that great gift of Jesus from the cross … of grace and forgiveness … we need to give God’s Spirit access to everything. There will be guilt, and maybe some shame, to be dealt with … and Jesus is certainly up for that. There will be past hurts, the need to forgive others, and forgive ourselves … we can give all this to Jesus. We might carry all sorts of baggage about the church, God’s people here and there, and even God himself … but there is nothing that Jesus can’t apply grace and love to.

We can tinker with our lives (in our own strength), but still never really get anywhere; or, much better, we go for a total rebuild through God’s Spirit. This might still take a while … happen progressively over time, but we need to decide to go to the starting line. We can lay it out there … what needs to change, confess our sins to one another, and draw much needed community support. Band-aids just won’t cut it – they get wet, wear out, lose their adhesiveness, and fall off. To use yet another analogy … we wouldn’t pour beautiful clean water into dirty bottles. We would not want to cause this level of waste.

A bit of a patch-up job will not be enough. The new patch shrinks and breaks away from the old coat; and as the gases of the new fermenting wine expand, the old wineskin that lacks elasticity … it bursts. If we want to thrive, we can’t contain Jesus to old outmoded “wineskins”, or try to use him as a patch here and there on the problem areas of our lives. We might want to choose what we are still comfortable with, and what we will give Jesus access to; but Jesus doesn’t want to be our occasional ‘Mr Fix-it’, but rather our Saviour and Lord – thoroughly transforming us from the inside-out.

I was a little shocked listening to our friend Michael McCoy talk on “Dream Gardens” last Thursday night, when he agreed with the wisdom of levelling a seemingly decent cottage garden to make way for a very expensive contemporary garden with elaborate pool. On the spot, Michael felt that the old garden was tired and had reached its use-by-date; and that a grander vision which opened the house to a much larger view of the surrounding scenery, was very worthy. Rather than trying to remodel what is broken down or out-of-date, which probably never worked too well for us anyway, we need something entirely new. Jesus cannot be squeezed into old ways – rather he asks new questions and invites new faith.

Churches over the years have got stuck too … stuck in the past. Things that once worked have become deeply entrenched, and still abide even though they don’t work anymore. Things that are peripheral have worked their way to the centre. Just like in Jesus’ time, we can wrap ourselves up in non-essentials, and thus miss where the Spirit is really leading. We might call certain patterns of church ‘old forms’ or ‘old school’, but perhaps certain patterns should never have been there in the first place. What is really worldly and has no place in Christian community? From the fourth century, when the Christian church became politically acceptable and then nationally endorsed, all sorts of things crept in. The church, rather than being the missional movement it was meant to be, has sometimes looked more like an exclusive club – a place where we might push for superiority or fight for our personal preferences.

An exciting movement of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, has been often reduced to an institution that exists simply for its own survival. Rather than building the church on the foundation of Jesus, there is a shuffling of the deckchairs on the “Titanic”. We miss the point that the church is something we become, something together we are, not something we go to (whether regularly or occasionally). Christine Caine puts this most bluntly: Don’t turn church into an institution that competes for your time. It’s not something you go to. The church is who you are. You can’t have a relationship with God outside of His church, because you are born again into His church. That nails things very well.

Do we take this too lightly? Even with the demands of life, as they are, is this the most pertinent challenge we face?? How can we totally reorientate our thinking? What is at stake? Just the integrity of our whole sharing of the ‘good news’. [And this is what our elders and board of deacons have been turning their mind to.] New community, based on the ‘Gospel’ of Jesus, has to be well-modelled. It can’t be a sort of patch-up job, hoping that nobody notices. What we say is ‘good news’, has to actually be ‘good news’. The church, any church, needs to have the Holy Spirit sweep through it. Yet, as we are the church, Christ’s body, all being significant component parts … each of us needs that filling of the Holy Spirit that Jesus offers. The health of the church depends on our openness to a work of God in our lives. This would deal with any suggestion or possibility of just doing our own independent thing.

This is not to say that we are confined to church only – far from it. Most of our mission and ministry as Jesus-followers happens when we are dispersed through the activities of our daily lives. Yet, as part of the ‘body of Christ’, when dispersed throughout most of our lives, we represent not only Jesus, but also his bride … the church. It’s easy to run down certain churches at certain times, but it is much better to be part of setting a higher watermark. Just like that old song (based on good scripture), “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord; and they will know we are Christians by our love”. And of course this relates to how we view other local churches: “And we pray that our unity will one day be restored”.

A New Opportunity

The great thing is, and we can see this as a great thing, rather than spend all our energy resisting it … that in a very different cultural climate than generations past, we can now present Jesus as one who people are likely to be meeting for the first time (just like in the early church). As Jesus was new then, he is new now! People we encounter, or seek to befriend, may have some negative baggage about the church, but are likely coming to Jesus fresh. It is up to us to present Jesus in an unencumbered way, free of all the ‘tack-ons’.

Jesus seeks to simply draw alongside people, love them, bring them forgiveness, call them to discipleship, bring them into his church, and give them the Holy Spirit. They don’t have to believe what we believe until God prepares them and they are ready. They only need to know that God loves them, and we love them. The practice of love is our only ritual; not criticism, not fault-finding; only encouragement. If we expect others to come and join, we better have our modelling right.

As has been said often, we live in challenging, and sometimes confusing, times. We need the Holy Spirit’s guidance in discerning the difference between engaging the world (which is good) and adopting the world (which has always been problematical). What is healthy, and what might need to be critiqued? We don’t need the government’s help – they are more likely to get in the way of authentic mission (just like it worked out in the fourth century). We only need Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and each other.

The wholly “new creation” … which is us in community … will be experienced by seeing the fruit of the Spirit, concern for the well-being of others, love for God and neighbour, and a commitment to worshipping and serving God together. A new opportunity!

"Expressing Community" (Mark 2:13-17)

1. A Return to Community (2:13-14)

Early in his ministry, Jesus was walking along, by the sea, and noticed a tax-collector named Levi sitting at his tax office. Levi would have been contracted by the Roman government to collect transport tolls or sales taxes on goods passing through this trade route. Tax collectors, like Levi, were generally hated, because they collaborated with the Romans, who were brutal in extracting tax from the poor. Also, these tax collectors would often charge more than they needed to, and pocketed the extra.

Jesus had previously called four fisherman to follow him as disciples, somewhat unexpected choices, due to their less than spectacular occupation. Jesus looked beyond any pre-conceived notions or appearances, and more deeply into character and potential. However, here, Jesus is calling one who may be considered completely unsuitable, the complete opposite of what might be considered an appropriate disciple. Levi would also have been regarded as spiritually ‘unclean’, because of his constant contact with gentiles, and failure to keep to the purity laws.

However, this was NO problem for Jesus! This should be of great assurance to us; for anytime we feel unworthy of grace, we can know that Jesus loves us and has called us into his service anyway (and trusts us with his mission in the world)! “God’s love does not depend upon the object of its love being worthy or deserving, but wholly upon what God is in Himself” i.e. love (Art Katz). If we think of ourselves as one piece of a jigsaw puzzle – let’s do that – Jesus always sees how this jigsaw piece will fit … and help complete the picture that he sees. God knows that the puzzle will be incomplete without our piece; this is why we are so actively sought. Jesus sees positive things in people beyond their current lifestyle and how others may judge them. Jesus was vitally interested in Levi’s life, and what he could bring to the mix! So whereas most would have responded to Levi with a, ‘no’, Jesus starts with a ‘yes’! Jesus sees beyond a lot of rubbish and baggage … to an actual ‘image-bearer’ of God.

And Jesus didn’t just ask this tax-collector Levi to follow him privately – this was right in front of a large crowd. We read in verse 13, that Jesus had been teaching the crowd by the sea. One wonders what particularly Jesus was teaching the crowd that day! Perhaps more about the forgiveness of God that had been on display in the previous passage (in response to the faith of the four guys who lowered a paralysed man through the roof of the house where Jesus was). In any case, Jesus was going to teach in action, by going up to Levi, and cast aside all thought of his past and present sin – and invite Levi to follow him!! It’s just as if Jesus, to underline his authority to forgive sins, picks out the biggest outcast he could find!

This was not an anonymous insignificant event. Levi was not only a notorious tax-collector, but also an identifiable person – the son of Alphaeus. Word would spread about this! One wonders whether Jesus had noticed Levi previously, and had discerned that this was a person who would respond instantly and thoroughly when called. We could understand that God had been preparing for this encounter ahead of time, by speaking into Levi’s life. We could also consider that Levi may well have become very uncomfortable with his way of life, and any habit he had of unjustly treating people. Even though he likely hadn’t talked about it, Levi may well have desired something different. Here was Levi’s opportunity to change his entire life orientation!

The good news of Jesus is for all people. And potential leadership in the Kingdom of God is also open to all those who will leave their past behind as a new creation (led by the Holy Spirit). This is exciting stuff … Levi got up from his “tax booth”, left his old life behind, and began following Jesus. Out of this, was NOT only a new personal relationship with Jesus, but a whole lot more!?! What would this include?? The only friends Levi was likely to have had … were other tax-collectors, and how much could they ever be trusted or confided in! What sometimes pretends to be community, is not really community at all. Levi had been rejected from his natural community due to his collaboration with the Romans. He could not enter any place of worship because he was regarded ‘ceremonially impure’ – an ‘unacceptable sinner’.

Levi was NOT wanted among his own people; and thus he has lost his sense of community. And this is a large problem! We have all been made in God’s image. And as God is community (of three persons), we have therefore all been designed to live relationally in community. Without community we are not really alive. “Community is deeply grounded in the nature of God” (Bilezikian). Those who try to live privately, are pushing against their very design. And, when our community is fractured, we suffer for it. Social commentator, Hugh Mackay, recently wrote, in a brilliant article on this theme: “… when we lose sight of our role as neighbours, the health of the neighbourhood suffers; and when the health of the neighbourhood suffers, we all suffer”. Lack of social connection and a sense of belonging, produces anxiety.

There are many, through the centuries since Levi, who have found themselves, for a variety of reasons, excluded from community. And, they have NOT been able to find a pathway back. Often this has been because of their brokenness, and society’s inability to deal with that level of brokenness. In New Testament times, there was leprosy, various problems described as demon-possession, and disabilities (like blindness) that led to poverty. This led to the absence of community in these sufferers lives. Now we have a mental health epidemic, drug-addiction, homelessness, family breakdown, many struggling with cancer, and an aging demographic where there can often be isolation and loneliness. There are also many people trying to deal with past abuse or neglect, which often results in pushing the people away who can never quite understand.

So, when Jesus said, “follow me” to Levi, this wasn’t just an invitation to personal salvation, but also an invitation back into community. Accepting this invitation, gave Levi a new sense of acceptance and value, and ushered him back towards community – the most exciting part of this being … the new community of those following Jesus. Jesus, as he shared the good news of the Kingdom, sought to provide a new sense of community. For those who have responded positively to the good news today, there should be a new sense of community available to them … amongst other disciples of Jesus … in the church.

How so?? What should the church be able to offer??? Love, acceptance, support, sharing burdens, concerted prayer, counsel, encouragement, forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, renewal, company, friendship, shared experiences, generosity, common purpose, a general appreciation of diversity. As Levi closed the door of his tax office, never to return, he not only gained new life, but also a new community … within the band of Jesus-followers. Here, among God’s people, Levi not only gained the benefits of community and fellowship, but also the knowledge that he was important, valued, and irreplaceable as one of God’s unique ‘jigsaw pieces’. Our worship of God is made authentic through nurturing meaningful relationships that build community.

2. An Expression of Community (2:15-17)

I guess, after such a momentous change of direction, like Levi experienced, there would be some sort of gathering at Levi’s house … that would involve his new best friend Jesus. Probably a big celebration dinner, that was likely to get a bit noisy with newfound excitement. Levi was lost, but now he was found! From Jesus’ point of view, we know that he had the intention of meeting with as many lost and broken people as he could. Thus Jesus was most happy to receive some hospitality there that day! And of course, in that culture, sharing a meal was the most intimate of activity. This was a sign of trust, and offer of peace. Because of this relational intimacy, dinner guests were normally chosen very carefully, and this was what upset “the scribes of the Pharisees” that day.  

As mentioned earlier, those regarded as “sinners”, especially by the Pharisee types, were thought of this way, not just because of any immorality, but because they were unable, for various reasons, to fulfil their religious obligations. Yet, these were exactly the people that Jesus wanted to meet with and share the good news of the Kingdom. For they were lost in life, and missing community! They knew they were sick, and they wanted to see a ‘doctor’! They were open for change, not arrogantly resistant. They knew they needed new friends, and new hope, and they congregated around where Jesus (and his disciples) were eating dinner (at Levi’s house).

This would have rendered Jesus ‘ritually impure’ as well, but Jesus didn’t care about such classifications. Jesus actually stands AGAINST those that negate God’s offer of grace to “sinners” … blocking their path to freedom. God hasn’t given up on anyone! Jesus may have thought to himself that day, ‘How am I going to connect with the lost and lonely of Capernaum’? ‘I know’, he said, ‘I’ll go and present myself to that hardened tax-collector Levi … and if he responds, this could mean … being given the opportunity to connect with so many more like him’! Brilliant!! An entry point had been created! Jesus unreservedly attended the dinner at Levi’s house, and began building relationships with all the others who turned up. Of course he did!!

This had become a natural place of connection, and Jesus enthusiastically walked through the door. Jesus’ disciples were with him too – Peter, Andrew, James, John – now joined by Levi, and many unnamed others … and they may have been a bit uncomfortable or intimidated by this gathering, and with what the ‘Pharisee types’ were saying. But they were being trained on the job by Jesus. For these disciples, this may have required slowing down to look beyond labels and stereo-types to recognise the image of God in the other guests. These disciples were part of modelling a new style of community to the gathered guests. This was a type of community that brings healing from past hurts and exclusions. This was a community that was based, not around minute points of religious law, but rather around the dynamics of love, grace and forgiveness.

So, in being with our neighbours, and sometimes being able to share the good news of Jesus with them, we also get to share a new vision of community. This new and different community … is NOT about getting the best for ourselves, or just about self-help, but rather about changing the world to the way God wants it to be – there is a big vision attached! In time we might get to invite and welcome them into this very alternative expression of community. We might do strange things in their eyes, like sing worship songs, and pray, but the integrity, sincerity and effectiveness of this, should shine out with an intense light (into the darkness that often pervades people’s lives).

To best express community outside the walls of the church, we need to grow in our expression of community … with those that we already gather and fellowship with. Then as we take this inspired view of community out, it has more integrity and is more relationally mature. As we learn to love and support each other through all our uniqueness, eccentricities and various ways of dealing with many past experiences, we are becoming the diverse yet unified church that Jesus prayed for. The church can be the most complimentary team imaginable – bringing together so much varied life experience, with the Holy Spirit dispersing all the effective ministry gifts … for the common good!! As our collective faith is allowed to shape us, people will notice. As we live out credible community, this will be respected. As we are known for depth and wisdom (that comes from Jesus), the church will be relevant. Questions will be asked. The Holy Spirit can guide the answers.

We cannot bemoan society the way it is, unless we (collectively) are prepared to model an alternative. If we sense that the world is dying around us, then this behoves us to maximise the power of God’s love amongst us, and take it out into the streets. We are called to have a “faithful presence” in our neighbourhood (David Fitch). As Jesus is present with us, and we are present with him, we exercise a “faithful presence” with others. As we know, this means a lot of listening, to others and to God. We need to detect where Jesus has already been (in preparation), and the seat he may be occupying now (which also includes the seat that we are in).

This will always involve a degree of vulnerability and honesty, along with courage and faith. There may be behaviour patterns, as a result of extreme brokenness, that go so far as to repel us. So, this continues to be a matter for ongoing prayer and discernment. Where should we spend our energies and resources?

In my last church, that “faithful presence” community was able to host a dinner for the local CFA brigade. And then having moved our worship service from the CFA to the new community centre, we were able to share the facilities with the local Muslim gathering, creatively navigating our way through all the complexities of this – providing a “faithful presence” for Jesus. There are many efforts of “faithful presence” being exercised here in Bright as well (whether we recognise them as such or not) – in small relational ways, and in formal arrangements e.g. sports chaplaincy; yet we can still be thinking about this even more.

"Seeking God" (a Conversation on Prayer re Mark 1:32-39)

Commencement

Mark 1 verse 35

Why did Jesus head for the wilderness, that morning, to pray?

[Wasn’t he God … but he was also fully human!]

• Maybe because he was tired or a bit overwhelmed – Jesus had been expending his heart of compassion through healing and restoring people to community

• Maybe because of the complex challenges ahead – facing off against (immense) evil (verses 32, 34, 39). WHEN YOUR INTENT IS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL, YOU WILL LIKELY ENCOUNTER A WHOLE LOT MORE … FOR THE GOSPEL WITH ITS CALL FOR REPENTANCE (FROM ALL UNGODLY BEHAVIOUR) TOUCHES THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE OF LIFE IN COMMUNITY

• To be undistracted, or at least to reduce distraction, in seeking God
• To gain some solitude, where he would only hear God
• To be refreshed …

Connections

We should note that Jesus, when disturbed by Simon Peter (& the others), willingly responded immediately.

THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PRAYER AND MISSION.

To be “hunted” for (v.36), and spoken to with that level of insistence (“everyone is searching for you”) may have been very off-putting.

What was up with these disciples we might wonder? Maybe they disapproved of prayer, or didn’t understand it, or were just so harried by the crowds and anxious about things!? Yet, Jesus, rather than castigating his disciples, went off with them. Perhaps unknowingly the disciples were right on the money.

This shows that Jesus’ time of prayer was not escapist or separatist or self-serving, BUT RATHER ENERGY-FUELLING FOR THE MISSION AHEAD.

To connect with people, with redemptive intent, is what Jesus came to do.

Jesus’ prayer actually propelled him back into the mission for which he was sent – proclaiming the good news throughout the neighbourhoods, and liberating people from all sorts of captivity.

Content

So … what was Jesus doing in prayer – what was Jesus praying about or for??

This would have been much more than just a ‘wish-list’. After all, even the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ keeps the ‘wish-list’ to a minimum, and even in referring to “our daily bread”, this was more an acknowledgement of God’s faithfulness, and our need of trust. The rest (of the Lord’s Prayer) was primarily about our engagement with God’s will, i.e. worshipping, serving, reforming, forgiving and enduring.

So, what was happening in the wilderness that morning???

• Keeping in touch with God: this, for Jesus, would have been a deep investment in relationship. Jesus would have been seeking to re-capture the community that had been divided through his incarnation to earth – seeking the sort of personal connection he had left behind.

• William Barclay wrote: “Now Jesus knew well that he could not live without God; that if he was going to be forever giving out, he must be at least sometimes taking in; that if he was going to spend himself for others, he must ever and again summon spiritual reinforcements [resources] to his aid”.

• The human Jesus would understandably be engaging with Divine God in terms of what humans need in the face of earthly challenges: strength & assurance (especially with the obvious appearance of evil), peace (especially given any anxiety in his disciples), wisdom & direction (especially with the current broad interest in him and the wide geography involved).

• We can actually deduce, that following Jesus’ time of prayer, he actually headed towards a different neighbouring town than Simon Peter was suggesting (v.38). For whatever reason this was God’s leading that Jesus discerned through prayer. So prayer brought a (slight) change of thinking, more in line with God’s intentions.

• Praying for his disciples [co-workers, team] (at that time Peter, Andrew, James, John … perhaps more) – they surely would need lots of prayer, having been plucked from obscurity and simple daily lives, and given the biggest mission of all time.

• Praying for all those people he would soon encounter, perhaps especially those most affected by evil, injustice or disease.

• I’m sure there would have been many words of thanksgiving in anticipation for God’s (pre-emptive) activity.

• This, for Jesus, would have been a thorough ‘absorption’ in Kingdom mission; where ‘absorption’ means a disappearance through incorporation into something else, like water absorbing into the skin. This is about completely submitting to God’s reign.

** Our prayers too could sound something like this!!

Commitment

We can’t escape our call to share the Gospel! Neither can we escape human interaction. Jesus needed to pray, so we need to pray (and probably a whole lot more). So, we can’t escape our need of prayer! In this prayer and reflection, we might gain the very insights and new perspectives, and that deeper knowledge of God (taken deep into our spirits), that is so vital to our lives and to God’s Kingdom.

Can we embrace this level of prayer … where we are absorbed into God’s Kingdom mission and the sharing of the good news!? Our elders and board recently entered into this space, with some pretty good outcomes I think (in terms of what we received from God). Could this be a year of prayer, and thereby, a year of remarkable discovery and effectiveness?

We must ensure, through prayer, that whatever we do … flows out of our relationship with God, not human desire.

We will be promoting some prayer themes, and giving opportunities to do some prayer-walking (or gathering or dispersing for prayer in public spaces).

Conclusion

In Jeremiah 33:3 we read, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known”. The context of this verse is God bringing Jeremiah into the place of prayer, where he will hear things not before known (“hidden things”), things he can use to encourage the besieged people of Judah and Jerusalem – that ahead, despite the past, there will surely be times of healing, restoration and re-building. It is as we spend time in prayer, especially together, that we will come to know those “hidden things” … through which we will know how best to engage in God’s mission, and be the church God wants us to be.

"The Daily Journey" (Philippians 4:4-9)

It’s 6 AM! The day is beginning.

Paul says here (Philippians 4:4) for us to, “Rejoice in the Lord”. Sometimes this is difficult, not just because it’s morning, but because of a variety of circumstances, some of them quite difficult. Life naturally brings all sorts of storms, pressures and trials. So to be in a position to “rejoice”, we sometimes need to gain some new perspective on our situation. We want to find some way of being able to start each day with a mind to “rejoice”. This might mean that we have to accept that life is fragile, and because of this, each and every one of us is vulnerable to whatever dangers and tragedies life throws at us.

Faith doesn’t mean we are exempt. A relationship with God, even a deep one, does not remove us from the frailty of a human body. Stuff just happens. There are risks and vulnerabilities in life. Faith is what happens in the midst of any such challenge. And dealing well with setbacks, hurt and disease, does allow for growth in our spiritual lives. Working creatively through challenges brings new possibilities … being wiser, better resourced, and more trusting of God. As we experience growth in our relationship with God, and in our effectiveness within God’s Kingdom, we can wake up rejoicing.

We don’t want to have to pretend. We should never feel we need to pretend. We should not promote any preference for people to have it all together, with their acceptance hanging on this … which means people tend to repress stuff or dress themselves with extra layers. In the church family we should be able to be real. So, when Paul says to “rejoice”, he means for us to openly follow the paths of healing … that ultimately allow for rejoicing. These paths will include receiving and giving forgiveness. This will likely mean allowing the Holy Spirit the space to complete the work of renewal in our lives. This will include getting counsel for those real trouble spots.

Paul suggests that a pointer towards our spiritual health, will be our ability to “rejoice in the Lord”. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have moments of doubt, or that some days will disappoint us, or that some illnesses will persist. It does mean that down deep we trust in God, and know that He has our best interests at heart. So if we start the day, and feel we can’t rejoice … the question would be – ‘How can I look at things differently, so I actually can rejoice in the Lord’? Here’s one answer: because God knows and loves us personally, and invites us into a relationship with Him, and Jesus has cleansed us, and the Holy Spirit is guiding us … we can “rejoice”! This sets us up well for the day, and we will likely be a good person for others to run into and connect with.

It’s 9 AM! I’m engaging with people.

As was just said, having started the day with a mind to “rejoice”, this may make a significant difference to how we are encountered by others. We may still have issues concerning us – but we can be encountered as grumpy and impatient, or rather, peaceful and considerate. Then of course, we may have started out with a rejoice-filled spirit, until something happened … some bad behaviour that impacted us and annoyed us. Annoyance and frustration is often just around the corner. Those tourists who don’t really care about this town can get right up our nose! How will we react?

Paul next talks about “gentleness” (Philippians 4:5) – a mind and spirit fully set on rejoicing in the Lord, can have this gentle appearance. This is to be open, welcoming, hospitable, kind, unruffled and self-controlled … even under duress. We, although still disappointed and concerned, are not personally disrupted by the bad behaviour of others. And, in conversation, we are relaxed enough to hear points of view that are different to ours, while still able to respectfully share our thoughts (according to our values). When we feel that we need to say what we think, or strongly advocate for a person or a cause, we do so in such a way that won’t inflame situations or unduly cause conflict.

There is here, a humble confidence and a settled spirit, on show to the world – some might even conclude, “The Lord is near”. This is like when the powers that be (in Acts 4:13), concluded that the disciples, Peter and John, were like they were … because they had been with Jesus … they were “recognised as companions of Jesus”. The Lord can be “near”, when we have been with Jesus sufficiently, to model his sort of life attitudes. That is why I am currently doing a verse by verse study of Mark’s Gospel – to try to get more inside the mind and heart of Jesus … as he interacted with community. Jesus was both gentle, and wholly committed to a cause.

We can actually be gentle, because the Lord is near. God is our witness – our life is hidden in God – God knows who we are in Christ. Our value and credibility rests in Jesus. God gives us the measure of strength we need. When we are weak, we can still be strong. It’s what the Lord has done in me. We don’t need human aggression or competitiveness or drive, or to exert ourselves over others; we just grow in the assurance that God is working in our lives (to His glory). That’s why a part of the prayer dynamic that follows later is “thanksgiving”. As we are thankful, we are acknowledging our trust in God’s wisdom – that God will never do anything adverse to our welfare (Matthew 7:7-11). This then helps puts worry aside. And this is good; and this is necessary!

It’s now 2 PM. A lot has happened!

I’m actually starting to worry about a few things! My mind is getting a little frayed! There are some relationship tensions in the air! Some days start out alright, but then certain things come to our mind or start to overwhelm us, or stress builds up, and we start to think negatively again. As normal as this may be, this is never going to help us! For Jesus said, “Who by worrying can add a single hour to your life” (Matthew 6:27)? The scriptures continually draw the worried person to prayer. God knows that our worries can involve deep concerns, so the Bible doesn’t say, ‘just get over it’; rather the Bible has a solution for worry, and that solution is to ‘pray’ (Philippians 4:6). And we should note that this prayer is not in a void or vacuum, but is firmly directed to God!

{The story is told of a woman who rushes to answer the home phone only to hear rustling noises at the other end. On returning to her desk where she started out, she found that she had accidently dialled her landline from her own mobile – she was calling herself. Sometimes we think we are praying to God, but we are only talking to ourselves. We haven’t fully focussed our prayer – “Our Father who art in heaven …”. Sometimes this might be because we just want a quick fix … we are not truly seeking out God, because we are not necessarily looking for answers different to the ones we want.}

We do have the promise, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8a). Prayer should be an open two-way conversation with God … our Creator and Saviour … who loves us immensely and is completely faithful. In prayer, we get to express verbally our concerns, and then let our faith, God’s Word, our encouraging brothers and sisters, and the presence of the Spirit, all do their work on us. We can then know the presence of God in all the situations for which we were worrying. We no longer need feel alone!

Thus, prayer is the antidote for worry! In “thanksgiving” we affirm that God listens to every word of our prayers (and our wordless groans as well), draws alongside, meets us in that place of need, acts on our behalf (and on behalf of the others that we have remembered before his throne). God’s answer … the right answer … is close! We can remain concerned, without worry, because we care; but the outcome IS in hand. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The weight of what we have been carrying has eased.

Worry would be such a negative distraction for us, especially because we tend to worry about the wrong things – sometimes our worry can be attached to our priorities being askew. Jesus also said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) i.e. get first things first. When we get things into the right priority, then life looks different. When we pray, having put aside worry, and give first thought for the growth of God’s Kingdom, then we can be more clear about our requests. And God already knows what we truly need. That text, “Seek first the Kingdom … and his righteousness”, goes on to say, “and all these things will be given to you as well”.

So, don’t worry; rather pray, and think Kingdom’!! Then we will experience “peace” … the “peace of God” … the “peace” that only God can give (Philippians 4:7). Our experience of salvation starts with God’s gracious invitation, then comes our repentance, God’s forgiveness, our commitment to follow Jesus through the Holy Spirit, then our participation in making disciples. In living this way we find a “peace” that is so reassuring, and such a blessing, that we can only describe it with a ‘wow’! Challenges might remain, but we just see them in a different light; and they don’t have the same power to make us anxious anymore! We have been with God, and God will keep us calm.

This “peace” is so protective (of our minds and hearts), that we would not want to move away from it (or move out of its realm). This peace is so radically good, because it means that we don’t have to strive for acceptance, or ever feel we aren’t clean enough, or have to work to make things up to God. God’s forgiveness means that we are no longer captive to guilt or shame or negativity or anyone’s else’s judgment. God (through Jesus) has set us free from all this; and replaced it all with His peace!! As we might cheer for our favourite sports team, except a whole lot more – God is cheering for us! When playing the game, if we happen to drop the ball under an opposition tackle, we can quickly rebound for the next contest.

It’s 8 PM now! I’m getting weary.

Towards the end of the day, we may get a little weary. We think we’ve done our bit, and we can let our resistances down. We may let our mind wander a bit. It doesn’t matter so much now … what we watch or read or do or say … or so we may think! This might be a time we consider more private. But Paul has other ideas; we might say … very high standards (Philippians 4:8). Yet, some things are always destructive or wasteful.

We are to limit our thoughts, or maybe better, continually lift our thoughts, to … whatever is true [contains truth and sheds light], honourable [builds respect in people], just [works towards fairness and integrity], pure [is untainted by corruption], pleasing, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise [things that work well for others and can be rightly and roundly applauded]. Quite a list!

How we think … what we think about … is very important, because our thinking, and our belief system, determines our actions. And it is our actions that describe our character. And it is our character that we have to live with. And it is our character, that others have to live with.

It’s 11 PM. Coming to the end of the day.

We get to the end of the day. We want to “rejoice again” next morning! As we go to sleep committed to another day of following Jesus, we will have that “peace” which will allow us to rest well. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep”*.

Verse 9 begins, “Keep on doing …”, meaning … as one day follows another, this is our daily journey. “Keep on doing …” what? The Philippian congregation are here referred back to those things they have learned, received and heard from Paul, and seen Paul doing (Philippians 4:9). However we know that these very things are the things Paul is teaching and doing … as he seeks to emulate and point to … Jesus. Paul previously said to the Galatians, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). So it is, that we “keep on …” living for Jesus. Jesus is the One we seek to make known.

And God’s peace will roll on with us – “and the peace of God will be with you”. Thomas Kelly, the Quaker philosopher, talks about the quiet centre that each person can have inside them … that nothing can disturb. Christian mystics talk about the ‘throne of God’ existing in our innermost heart … which no storm nor temptation could disturb. This is our nightly prayer*. Amen! And in the morning, we will rise with the words, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice”! Off we go again!!

* Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
May angels watch me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.

The Good News

What is it that I actually believe? What is it that continues to change my life? Can I put this into a concise statement? I have read so many books, and I have heard so many sermons (most of them my own). I have been reading the Bible all my life, from the moment I could understand sentences. But what is it that really works for me? No doubt I would leave out stuff that other people think is important. But I'm no longer worried about that, because I have learnt that God introduces Jesus to people in different ways that intersect with their unique situations and backgrounds. There is no singular testimony to the truth of the Gospel. In fact, it is the combined testimonies (or witness) of millions of Jesus-followers that provides the full tapestry of God's dealings with humanity. God is so extraordinary, that we can all, with our immense diversity, be made in God's image.

So here goes. God created us in the image of the 'Divine Community', both in our personhood, and in our need for relationships - both relationships with other people (like with the 'Trinity'), and with Jesus as head of the new corporate reality we can be saved into. However, God also gave us freewill, for any relationship we are going to have with Jesus needs to be voluntary if it is going to be real, trust-based and growing. Freewill within a human community, which has already chosen badly generation after generation, almost inevitably means that we will choose badly, rebel from God's censure, and, to a greater or lesser degree, go from bad to worse. We might try to fix ourselves, but we just don't have the capacity. We are human, so satisfaction will never be achieved through effort, only through forgiveness.

From the 'beginning', God was preparing the way for the greatest demonstration of love ever imaginable. Human beings would be laden with guilt, shame, brokenness, addiction, fear, darkness and evil, and would need a way to freedom. The Hebrew Scriptures point to this gift of love in so many places, especially in light of the continual failure of God's people to walk in God's way. The call to love neighbour was so often ignored, leading to so much injustice and poverty. Then, in "the fullness of time", as Paul put it, Jesus appeared as this gift of love. Jesus is the 'Son of God' or 'God Incarnate' or 'Saviour Redeemer', however you want to describe this member of the 'Divine Community'. In awesome humility, Jesus brings God to humanity and humanity to God.

Jesus taught, healed and gained disciples for three years, fully demonstrating what God was like. Jesus engaged wholly as a human, enduring temptation, rejection and disappointment. At the same time, in the company of the Holy Spirit, Jesus remained unspoiled by the sinful worldly environment. Thus, Jesus could take upon himself the sin, guilt and burdens of all humankind - if you like, a pure and perfect sacrifice. This was a voluntary act of love based on an unrelenting commitment to you and me. This is all known as God's grace, as what we are experiencing is unearnable favour and acceptance. Jesus died for us. That this was a pure and perfect sacrifice is confirmed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Forgiven we enter the new life of Jesus the Christ. That is, if we 'repent', meaning we make the determination to change direction.

The sincerely 'repentant' receive forgiveness and salvation. Then follows receiving the Holy Spirit through whom giftedness and fruitfulness emerges. This salvation cannot be confirmed through our words only, but more assuredly through that 'fruit' that a life (through the Spirit) produces. We cannot earn salvation, but we must witness to its reality in the way that we live. This is all about being a modern day Jesus-follower, a disciple of Jesus who responds to God's commission of 'making' more disciples. We are not 'saved' just for our own sake, but also to participate in God's mission in the world - making as many new disciples as possible. This is achieved through embracing the age-old co-commandments of loving God and loving neighbour.

Eternal life has already begun, as we are deemed to be 'children of God'. The whole creation is awaiting our redemptive activity (in the Spirit). But we are not individuals any longer. We are members of a 'body' with Jesus as the head. We are interrelated and interdependent, with all those gifts of the Holy Spirit to be used for the 'common good'. This is the great vision of the Church, and is represented in various unique ways by the local church. Yet, this is all part of the biggest vision of all that Jesus calls the 'Kingdom of God'. As this is not exactly a place, some prefer the translation 'Reign of God', because this all depends on a concerted engagement with God's will and purposes. We pray "God's Kingdom come; God's will be done, on earth as it (already) is in heaven. Then we become a partial answer to this prayer.

God launched a search and rescue mission for you and for me. I can say with surety, that I was lost and now I'm found. All that needs to be forgiven, has been. There are no longer any barriers between me and God. That God-shaped void in my life has been filled. I have a new life orientation based around the life of Jesus, publically acknowledged in the waters of baptism. I am now free to grow into the image of Jesus. My home is in heaven, my citizenship is with the 'Kingdom of God', and my reason for being is embracing God's will on earth.

"A Generous Spirit" (Proverbs 11:24-28; 2 Corinthians 8 & 9)

Introduction

One of the things we talked about last week was maintaining a “willing spirit” (Psalm 51:12). This is the sort of “spirit” that seeks to bring heaven to earth. This is to embrace God’s will and give it priority. We seek to attach ourselves to what God wants to do … in revealing his love for humankind. This is the prayer of the “willing spirit”: “Our Father in heaven, honoured be your name. Your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. And, for the “willing spirit” … this is more than a prayer, it is more like a ‘mantra’ or a job description.

Application

One of the most telling and practical aspects of a “willing spirit” is generosity. Generosity originates in the heart of God, and has been seen in all the ways God has sought to connect with and bless humanity and all creation. This, despite what we have done … in rebellion against God, and in destruction of his creation. The greatest act of generosity had to be sending Jesus … from the magnificence of heaven into the chaos of earth, so that we might find relationship with God. For us to be able to move past our old transgressions, and be regarded a child of God … is a great act of generosity of God toward us.

So, the capacity to be generous … springs from an appreciation that all the good things in life come out of God’s heart of generosity, combined with an understanding … that there is great need and neglect around us. As I will mention later, there is also the great vision … that broad generosity leads to stronger community. Thus ‘generosity’ is included in the ‘fruit of the spirit’ narrated by Paul in Galatians chapter five. If we are to honour God, follow Jesus and embrace the Holy Spirit in our lives, then we need to express … a ‘generous spirit’.

Ancient Proverbs

Proverbs chapter 11 (especially verses 24 & 25) has things to say about this. As you dwell on these verses, and what it means to “give freely”, there are thoughts here about holding things loosely, so as necessary … they can be easily given away, or at least shared. There is a sense of giving away first, and weighing up the cost later (if at all). There is certainly a giving away of what we don’t need, and what others may need more. There seems to be a dark shadow hanging over any refusal to be generous; while generous activity is certainly a path to blessing in one way or another.

We shouldn’t over-store (or panic buy) to the detriment of others – tight-fistedness or selfishness shows, and is detrimental to the glory of God. The ‘back-story’ of verse 26, is that some food-producers of the day … would store their produce in an attempt to force up the price. This would also make supply short, and those least able to pay would potentially miss out. This is counter to generosity, and should be frowned upon. The blessing was for the ‘producer’ who would simply sell his product into the market … at a fair (and not inflated) price.

Verse 28 reminds us that “riches”, given too great a priority, tend to possess us. If we trust in material things to give us meaning, we WILL be disappointed. The most important parts of life, that happen outside the material, will have been neglected, and “wither”. The generous plant, however, will have “green leaves”. As a “new and right spirit” connects with a “willing spirit” (in Psalm 51:10,12), righteousness connects directly to generosity.

We need to put all things in life in the right priority. Verse 27, the second part, in the context of those verses around it, paints a problematical outcome for the one who restrains generosity – “evil rebounds upon the one who pursues it” (NIBC). Sometimes we only perceive “evil” in its most extreme form - but is not wastefulness, and a lack of generosity, “evil” in the sight of such a generous God.

An Example from Paul

There is an example of generosity … that Paul talks about in 2nd Corinthians chapters 8 & 9. As part of an acceptance of Paul’s expansive mission to Gentile peoples, the church in Jerusalem asked Paul to collect some money on his journeys for the poor of Jerusalem. To motivate the Corinthians, Paul uses the good example of the Macedonian community, who, irrespective of their own poverty, gave “even beyond their means” (8:3). The lesson here being … that if we wait until we think we can afford to be generous, then it will likely never happen! Apparently the Corinthian church had previously planned to contribute to Paul’s Jerusalem fund, but now were being challenged to act.

We know that the world does not really have a resource problem, but rather a distribution problem. Paul (in 2^nd Corinthians) talks about restoring a fair balance, with no one having either too much or too little (8:13-15). As humankind has been given responsibility for creation (Genesis 1), we are called to be good stewards of all God’s gifted resources. Yet, rather than call on a sense of obligation, Paul opts, for voluntary cheerful giving (9:7). This means that if we can’t be a cheerful giver … on the basis of God’s generosity, and in the face of great inequity and need – then we need to allow God to work some more on our spirit … to grow us some more!

Paul seems to understand and apply the ancient proverbs well, when he says, “the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (9:6). And this ‘reaping’ [rather than being material] is ultimately all about bringing honour and glory to God (9:10-12): Paul writes, “… for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God”.

Broad Generosity

This all shows that we cannot divorce our spirituality from economic need and poverty. Nor can we divorce our vertical relationship with God from our horizontal relationships with other people. And, this is NOT just about money (and assets)! What could generosity also involve???

Answers: time and talents and attitudes (and the use of any voice or influence we may have)!

How so? In what ways can we be broadly generous???

• Having a heart for Encouragement – giving ‘courage’ to others. This is where we want other people to flourish, and be the best they can be. Questions: what do you think first … criticism or encouragement? We can tear down or build up! Do we engage in problematical gossip, or rather, have a mind to protect reputations? We can assume the good in people, or focus on the negative. Do we easily fall into using popular (yet unfair) labels or stereotypes (against people)? Or, do we rather … apply grace through humble restraint and proper self-reflection? Is our generosity blocked by our own need to be noticed?! Lives, and communities, are built on encouragement – enabling people to go forward with more confidence and freedom.

• Acts of Practical Kindness, especially where we have particular abilities to share.

• Hospitality – allocating space in our lives for others, especially those who may be lacking welcome, or have suffered losses or dislocation from their own community network. This involves not drawing our boundaries too tight around our ourselves, our family, friends or current close church contacts – always looking for, and being open to, newcomers. Hospitality and welcome involves accepting difference and diversity, for we should not try to control our network too closely. On the other side, a lack of hospitality perhaps indicates that we haven’t understood the total inclusiveness of God’s love. This particular local community has a recent proud history of offering a new home to people displaced from another country. [RAR (the Rural Australians for Refugees movement) has designated April as the month for a North East region homestay weekend for asylum seekers.]

• Giving due Attention & Listening deeply – offering time to hear a person’s story, hurts and needs, especially those people lacking other avenues of support. This is the opposite of what Art Katz (in True Fellowship: Church as Community) calls … being “minimal” with each other. Being “minimal” or indifferent is the opposite of generosity. Part of being ‘generous’ … IS simply being a good listener – WITHOUT trying to fix anything, nor rescue or change anybody (which often makes it more about us than them … our needs, judgments and preferences). Generosity is often about the commodity we are most protective of … our time; and about something we can find very difficult … putting our own desires totally on hold for the sake of another.

• Advocacy – seeking to right any injustices that we come across, or improve communities for the common good; or being the voice for the voiceless, e.g. the ‘Alpine Independent Aged Care Advocacy Service Inc’ – where volunteers receive referrals from family and health care providers to provide information and advocacy support to aged people (living in their own home or aged care facility), including powers of attorney … assisting with understanding medical and financial documents. Time and effort given to such initiatives, for the sake of vulnerable others, are acts of generosity. Petitions, letter-writing, committee work, etc. take time and commitment, but show hearts extended outward.

The Church

Generosity has a community flavour. It can be about mutual givers and receivers. We are in it together. We give in one way and receive in another. That which we lack, and that which we have in abundance, is balanced out. Because we are part of a much bigger picture than just ourselves, our deficiencies and limitations become less (as they are compensated by the giftedness of others). We also find a context in which to share our life resources, no one ever feeling they have nothing to offer. There is a name attached to this grand vision.

This bigger picture, in God’s sight, is called the ‘Kingdom of God’; and as we gather, this ‘Kingdom’ is represented by the ‘church’ – and functionally speaking, by each ‘local church’. This is where people gather to worship, encourage one another, offer and gain support, learn together, grow in their Jesus-following lives, reach out to their neighbours in Jesus’ name … all with a shared commitment of being generous (Acts chapters 2 & 4). Being part of a church ‘body’ is to give up our individualism (and any self-containment), and be placed into a common pool, from which each derive a new and richer sense of being.

“Our Father in heaven, glorified be your name. Your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.

Conclusion

Let me encourage you to find ways of interacting in the church with generosity in mind, and also taking that same life orientation out into the neighbourhood. Let’s not put up unnecessary barriers … due to fear or apathy or limiting the amazing things God can do. For generosity doesn’t stop where (finite) human resources stop (or run out).

God is involved, and where generosity becomes the (overarching) culture … where a ‘generous spirit’ is evident, God will begin to multiply the resources. After all, a relatively small, yet significant, donation of five loaves and two fish, put into the hands of Jesus, fed a large crowd of at least five thousand, with twelve basketfuls left over. May this be our experience too!