Taking that wall out

a verse or two

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” Ps 51:10 (the Message)

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Taking that wall out.

During the week I’ve heard builders at work in the house next door to the church. When our new church neighbours moved in at the end of last year I remember them saying they would be making some changes. This week a wall has come out, a new hot water cylinder is going in, a kitchen is being renewed and shifted and other renovations are happening.

Something I’m musing on is……often when folk move into a new house renovations become order of the day. And somewhere in our mind (either conscious or subconscious) is the thought ‘how did the previous owners put up with it the way it was’, or ‘why didn’t they do such- n- such’. Of course one reason could be purely financial, but there is another reason. The thing is, when we have lived in a place for a while, we lose a certain amount of objectivity on how things are. Subjectivity takes over and it seems to us things are as they are and that is OK. And so, it takes a good friend to visit, someone outside of ourselves (someone objective) to come along, and ask ‘have you ever thought of taking that wall out’.

And then there are the discoveries. We all have heard stories of people who have discovered beautiful floor boards under carpets while renovating. And the deeper they go, the more they discover the beauty of what the builder originally intended.

Lent is a time to let our good objective friend Christ wander along and suggest that perhaps, in our heart, a wall or two needs to come out. Let him renew the old hot water cylinder in the very depth of your being so as to warm your very soul. Ask the great keeper of the heart to strip back the carpets to reveal the beautiful floor boards of our hearts – let Him polish and oil them. King David prayed “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Ps 51:7). Allow the builder to restore your soul to what He originally intended.

Something to do: Heart inspection.

How do we let The Builder renew our heart? Be intentional. Spend some time alone intentionally asking questions of heart renovation. What’s become stale? What grates? Why does it grate? And why is that so? And when reading the Bible, why not read from a different translation to what you normally use for the rest of this year. The different wordings might help refresh the verses to your soul – they might help bring a fresh objectivity to familiar Bible passages.

God bless you all, I love you. Jon.

To Ponder and Pray: A prayer of the Church of South India.

O Lord, forgive the sins of your servants. May we banish from our minds all disunion and strife; may our souls be cleansed from all hatred and malice toward others, and may we receive the fellowship of the holy meal in oneness of mind and peace with one another.

prophets of doom

a verse or two

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” Matthew 24:42

Spiritual Walk and Musings: What to do with prophets of doom.

We’ve heard of people leaving Nelson this weekend heading to Auckland to get away from a earthquake – they seriously believe the predictions of the moon man. Back in September 2010 the moon man predicted there will be an earthquake of substance this Sunday (March 20th) in the morning – in the top of the south (Marlborough or North Canterbury – that’s why I’ve gone up to the lake – to get closer to it). What are we as Christ followers to do with such prophets of doom? I would say carry on living as normal yet always prepared, always ready because we do not know the hour or the day when Jesus will return.

I find it interesting that Jesus, who was a true prophet – but so much more than a prophet – also predicted calamities and whatnot, but never the date (Mt 24). He also mentioned there would be a day the Lord would come but that the day and hour is unknown. It would seem to me that Jesus’ responses to questions of the future were much wiser than the moon man.

If Jesus gave us a date, we would live in fear of that date, and perhaps not even bother to be ready until that date. Come Tuesday 22nd March and no earthquake strikes – will people go back to being unprepared for an earthquake? As I understand it, seismologists tell us we all must be ready all of the time, with enough water and food to last three days so we can live without any assistance from rescue workers. This has been the same message for many years yet so many people have not bothered to be ready until the moon man’s prediction.

This living in tension of living life to the full and knowing it could all change in the twinkling of an eye – is not new to Christians. For the past 2000 years the saints have lived with the tension that Jesus Christ is returning soon.

The “soon” being who knows when, but we all know it is sooner than yesterday, and so soon is the best way to describe the time when Jesus will return. When will the next big earthquake strike on New Zealand's Alpine Fault – soon – we must always be ready. When will Christ return – soon – we must always be ready!

Something to do: Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is an integral part of Lent. Who in your life needs to be forgiven today? Who do you need to ask for forgiveness? This week, consider extending the hand of forgiveness to somebody who needs it.

To Ponder and Pray: A Prayer for Enemies

Lord Jesus Christ, who commanded us to love our enemies and all those who insult and hurt us, and to pray for them and forgive them; you yourself prayed for your enemies, who crucified you. Give us, we pray, a spirit of Christian reconciliation and meekness, so that we may forgive every injury and be reconciled with our enemies. Grant us Christian meekness and true love of our neighbour. Give to our enemies true peace and forgiveness of sins; and do not allow them to leave this life without true faith and sincere conversion. Help us to repay evil with goodness. Amen
[adapted from the Orthodox "Prayer for Enemies"]

Lent

a verse or two

“Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
Teilhard de Chardin, 1881-1955

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Lent

There are forty days in Lent. The six Sundays during the season of Lent are considered as festival days and are not included in the counting of the forty, so the maths works out. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday (for which we held a special service here last Wednesday evening) and concludes with Holy Week (the week we come face-to-face with the crux of our beliefs – the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

In Holy Week we join in on Palm Sunday with praising crowds of ancient Jerusalem to cheer with our waving palms Jesus as he enters the city being proclaimed Messiah, King. By Friday of Holy Week we have nailed Jesus to a cross, crucified him on a hill known as Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, alongside common criminals.

How do we get from Palm Sunday praise to Good Friday death? And what gives us the right to then celebrate His resurrection on Easter Sunday? Lent is a season of time in which we ask profound questions of ourselves and the faith we believe in. It is a time when we wonder at our need for, and in some cases just whether we do need, God. It is traditionally a time for examination, for fasting, for undertaking a discipline in which we may not only confess our faith but test it.

Some people will commit to giving up something they cherish, like sweets or alcohol. Others may be called to daily scripture reading. Others to daily prayer, silent or otherwise. The list of Lenten disciplines is inexhaustible. I encourage you to participate in some form of Lenten discipline. Why not prayerfully make your decision about what you will do during Lent. And please be kind with yourself, a failure of a day or two does not mean you should throw in the towel for the entire season of Lent. Our failures simply point us further toward our need for God, further toward Jerusalem, the cross, and the forgiveness and redemption of Easter. [Adapted from an article by Liz Hilton on Lent]

SOMETHING TO DO: Give up something for Lent

Many Christians opt to give up something for Lent--a particular habit, luxury, food, or activity. Are you giving up anything for Lent this year? Why or why not?

To Ponder and Pray: From the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing you have made
and forgive the sins of all who are penitent:
Create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins
and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.

My soul longs for you oh Lord

a verse or two

"1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46

Spiritual Walk and Musings: My soul longs for you oh Lord.

Another week and another week of sad news! Oh Lord, my soul longs for you for it is parched and dry.

Psalm 63 A psalm of David, when he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by God will glory in him,
while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

Dear everyone at St. David’s. Be of courage, be of faith. Show love, show mercy, show compassion. Our God is a good God in whom we can trust. Someone was telling me how after the 6.3 quake on national radio Jim Mora was interviewing Gary McCormick who was in Christchurch at the time of the quake. Jim asked Gary if he trusted the ground on which he was standing (something that we all tend to trust in). Gary’s response was no – that’s how shaken he was.

What does it mean to not trust the ground? If we can’t trust the very ground we stand on then what can we trust? Could this be a deep truth – that all things can turn to custard? All things apart from one thing, and that thing is not a thing but a being – it is God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In Psalm 63 the psalmist's circumstances make him feel insecure, but this person turns to God who is the source of true security. Likewise the Psalmist in Psalm 46 states “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” May we likewise cling to God, may the people of Christchurch learn to cling to God.

Something to do: space and accommodation

Can anyone offer space and accommodation for Christchurch people? Liz Whitehead from Christian World Service based in Christchurch, is coordinating on behalf of the Presbytery of Christchurch a list of accommodation offers from throughout the country. In Christchurch, ministers will go to her with what a family or person needs for a respite from Christchurch she will match them with the offers of accommodation. If you do have space and would like to make it available, either let Jon know or contact Liz directly, liz.whitehead@cws.org.nz .

To Ponder and Pray: A prayer for Christchurch.

Lord, we think of all the things happening down south, the rushing about, the weeping, the grief, the loss, the lack of security, the strained nerves, the relationship stresses, the debts mounting up.

Oh Lord – you who knows all things. Don’t forget the people of Christchurch. Don’t forget the families, the hurting and crying. Give wisdom and courage, peace and serenity amidst the rushing and planning. Heal the very soul of the people of Christchurch.

Don’t delay oh God, we will beat on your door, we will pound on your door until you answer.

Come quickly Lord, be the refuge in this time of trouble. Heal the very soul of the people of Christchurch.

let's lament

a verse or two

Dear folk of St. David’s, we gather shoulder to shoulder numb and sad and say to God how long, how long must we sing the song of Psalm 40....

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. 12 For troubles without number surround me…” Psalm 40

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Don't tell me why!

At this service today may we have the courage to not speak in platitudes or give pat answers as to the why of this past week. Instead may we weep and be honest as to the death and destruction that has happened. And may we cry out to God – even if seems God is deaf as a door nail.

To Ponder and Pray: EVEN ON SUCH A DAY by Walter Brueggemann

We prattle about your sovereignty … especially we Calvinists;
all about all things working together for good,
all about your watchful care and your severe mercies.
And then we are drawn up short;
by terror that strikes us, in our privilege, as insane;
by violence that shatters our illusions of well-being;
by death that reminds us of our at-risk mortality;
by smoke and fire that have the recurring smell of ovens.
We are bewildered, undone, frightened,
and then intrude the cadences of these old poets:
the cadences of fidelity and righteousness;
the sounds of justice and judgment;
the images of Sodom and Gomorrah;
the imperatives of widows and orphans.
Even on such a day we are not minded to yield on your sovereignty,
We are, we confess, sobered, put off, placed in dread,
that you are lord as well as friend,
that you are hidden as well as visible,
that you are silent as well as reassuring.
You are our God. That is enough for us … but just barely.
We pray in the name of the wounded flesh of Jesus. Amen.

[while reading Isaiah 1]

A prayer for Good Friday 1991 by Walter Brueggemann.
THE TERRIBLE SILENCING WE CANNOT MASTER

Holy God who hovers daily round us in fidelity and compassion,
this day we are mindful of another, dread-filled hovering,
that of the power of death before which we stand thin and needful.

All our days, we are mindful of the pieces of our lives <
and the parts of your world
that are on the loose in destructive ways.

We notice that wildness midst our fear and our anger unresolved.
We mark it in a world of brutality and poverty and hunger all around us.

We notice all our days.
But on this day of all days,
that great threat looms so large and powerful.
It is not for nothing
that we tremble at these three hours of darkness
and the raging earthquake.
It is not for nothing
that we have a sense of our helplessness before the dread power of death that has broken loose and that struts against our interest and even against our will.

Our whole life is not unlike the playground in the village,
lovely and delightful and
filled with squeals unafraid,
and then we remember the silencing of all those squeals in death, and we remember the legions of Kristy’s Cantabrians that are swept away in a riddle too deep for knowing.

Our whole life is like that playground and on this dread-filled Friday we pause before the terrible silencing we cannot master.

So we come in our helpless candor this day … remembering, giving thanks,
celebrating …
but not for one instant unmindful of dangers too ominous and powers too sturdy and threats well beyond us.
We turn eventually from our hurt for children lost.
We turn finally from all our unresolved losses
to the cosmic grief at the loss of Jesus.
We recall and relive that wrenching Friday when the hurt cut to your heart.
We see in that terrible hurt, our losses and your fill embrace of loss and defeat.

We dare pray while the darkness descends and the earthquake trembles,
we dare pray for eyes to see fully and mouths to speak fully the power of death all around,
we dare pray for a capacity to notice unflinching that in our happy playgrounds other children die, and grow silent,
we pray more for your notice and your promise and your healing.

Our only urging on Friday is that you live this as we must
impacted but not destroyed,
dimmed but not quenched.
For your great staying power
and your promise of newness we praise you.
It is in your power and your promise that we take our stand this day.
We dare trust that Friday is never the last day, so we watch for the new day of life.
Hear our prayer and be your full self toward us.
Amen