Selfless Apology

a verse or two

“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” John 17:11

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Selfless Apology

Haven't the media had fun with all the apologies this week. Woods, Toyota, our own government ministers just to name a few – sorry I can't remember the other names. When it is said so much the words “I'm sorry” start to lose significance. The spin doctors overloaded rhetoric causes doubt as to the genuineness, therefore begging the question if the apologies were for healing of the victim and the hurt done to them or the offenders tarnished reputation. Is it selfish or selfless apology? 

One of the more intriguing media comments this week was someone quoting John Wayne as having said “never say you're sorry.........it's a sign of weakness”. Did Jesus ever say sorry? I did a quick search for the word “sorry” on computerised Bible concordance. It seems the words never came from Jesus' lips. Jesus didn't apologise for being missing at the temple for 4 days when he was a child and he never said sorry when he cleared out the money changers. 

Think to Jesus' prayer for the disciples on the night of his betrayal (John chapter 17). If there was a time to apologise, it would have been this last night before his death. He didn't pray “guys I mucked up here and there...” Instead Jesus washed his disciples feet when they should have washed his, he forgave his betrayer, and offered a positive love filled prayer that was filled with hope for the disciples future. 

So was Jesus weak? No. Jesus didn't need to apologise because he was selfless, because he had compassion for people, loved people and because he and the Father were one. Perhaps if we can be one with the Father and each other, our need for apologies will instead turn to offerings of forgiveness. If we can learn the art of selflessness, the initial hurt won't happen in the first place. And, if the big players on the world stage learn to live selflessly, the hurt they cause won't happen either. 

God Bless,
Jon.

To Ponder and Pray: A Selfless Prayer—the Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. 
Where there is hatred let me sow peace;
where there is injury let me sow forgiveness;
where there is doubt let me sow faith;
where there is despair let me give hope;
where there is darkness let me give light;
where there is sadness let me give joy.
0 Lord, grant that I may
not try to be comforted, but to comfort,
not try to be understood but to understand,
not try to be loved but to love.
Because it is in giving that we receive,
it is in forgiving that we are forgiven,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

choose well

A verse or two

"Moses said to the people: “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.”  Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Choose well.

Having the Vanuatu students stay with us was insightful at times as I think we overloaded them with choice. Their mouth dropped with amazement when walking into a huge sport store. Walking around the supermarket they were stunned with the variety and choice – but also astute enough to say how expensive many of the items were and it would be better to choose the simple things.

A reading I came across this week included Moses speaking on behalf of God offering the people a choice; life and prosperity or death and doom. They would receive life and prosperity if they loved God and obey his commandments and death and doom if they turned their hearts away from him. It was simple and not complicated. What is interesting many of the commandments for them to follow included some of the most ethical care for the needy and environmentally sensitive legislation ever set out for any nation. It is not like God’s guidance was a kill joy. Today we all know too much rich food creates a problem – simple unprocessed food works out healthier – and we have the freedom to choose.

This is the first Sunday of Lent; a kind of heads-up to prepare for Easter in six weeks time. Another reading I came across this week reminded me of the coming Easter weekend; “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22) May Christ’s actions which dealt to the Old Testament law giving us freedom of choice, inspire us to choose well.

God Bless,
Jon

To Ponder and Pray: Lenten thought.

“[Jesus said to his disciples] “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” ” (Luke 9:23)

Are you giving up anything this Lent? As it brings slight discomfort may we never forget the cost paid for us by Christ?

an upside down kingdom

a verse or two

“Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” Matthew 4:10 

Spiritual Walk and Musings: The Kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom.

This week at Presbytery the moderator explored Jesus’ temptations in the desert. How after forty days of fasting and being alone the devil then temped him. What is interesting is each time Jesus responded, he gave a kingdom of God like answer. 

Jesus was staving and he was tempted to turn stones into bread, his ministry could be simply a popular social worker by satisfying the physical needs of the crowd. Yet we live by more than bread alone and hence the Kingdom of God is wider than social work.

Jesus was taken high on the temple, he could have put on display a great miracle by being saved when falling down. Hence he could have wowed the crowds proving to be a famous wonder miracle worker. Yet Jesus didn't limit the Kingdom of God to only supernatural things or by giving himself credit. The kingdom of God includes humility, restraint, common sense and trust in God's ways – Jesus was supernaturally natural and naturally supernatural. 

Finally Satan tempted Jesus with rule over the world – Jesus was tempted as to which way to follow. God's way or Satan's way – do the ends justify the means? Power and authority verses the way of the servant. Jesus chose the way of the servant. The kingdom of God chooses the way of the servant – it is completely back to front and upside down to the world's way of seeing things.

To Ponder and Pray: A servant prayer.

“Speak Lord, for your servant hears. Grant me ears to hear, eyes to see, a will to obey, a heart to love. Then declare what you will, reveal what you will, command what you will, demand what you will.”

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894

Ddifferent Compartments

A Verse or two

[Jesus] told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.' Matthew 13:33 (NRSV)

Spiritual Walk and Musings: different compartments 

Our lives seem to have many different compartments. Some of these compartments we freely let God into and other aspects we keep God out wanting self to rein. But for bread to be as it should be – the yeast needs to work throughout the whole loaf. And so it fits that for us to be as we should be, we need to allow God permission to rein in all the compartments of our lives. And then, as a few grains of yeast work their way through an entire batch of dough, slowly transforming it, changing it, so we allow our faith in God to permeate our whole lives. Letting God change the way we live, how we shop, the way we prioritise, the way we treat our enemies, how we treat our loved ones, how we treat ourselves, the way we think about the whole world (including our attitudes towards places like Haiti – both pre and post earthquake) and so on and so on.

Let us all allow the kingdom of God to flow through every part of our lives – public, private, work and play.

God Bless
Jon.

To Ponder and Pray: Some stories to ponder on:

This week why not spend time reading some of Jesus’ words on what the Kingdom of God is like:

The Mustard Seed Mt 13:31-32
The Yeast Mt 13: 33
The Hidden Treasure Mt 13:44  
The Pearl Mt 13: 45-46
The Dragnet Mt 13:47-50
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant MT 18:23-35
The Labourers in the Vineyard Mt 20:1-16

the English Reformation.

a verse or two

“For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:3

Spiritual Walk and Musings:

Today we will spend some time exploring events surrounding the English Reformation.

We are who we are, not only because of our own individual personalities, but also because of those around us and those who have gone on before us. Today is a chance to ponder past events that still impact us today. In Habakkuk God indicates he is working towards His plan. May we remember that God is working His plan even if no one else is aware. And may we remember that God's plan is fair. Some times this fairness does not seem the case, but in fact the profundity of God's justice and fairness is deeper and more real than the wisest of could ever perceive. 

The following are some historical notes which should help you follow the flow of this morning's message: 

John Wycliffe (1329-84)- called the “Morning Star of the English Reformation.” He attacked Catholic doctrines and practices. His lasting contribution was the translation of the Latin Bible into English.

Westminster Confession (1643-46) - Drawn up at Westminster, London by Scottish and English theologians. Accepted in Scotland but never ratified in England.

Transubstantiation– A key Catholic doctrine stating that the bread and the wine of the Eucharist (Communion) become the actual body and blood of Christ.

Henry VIII (1491-1547) - Tudor King

Catherine of Aragon—1st wife of Henry VIII.

Mary Tudor (1516-1548) - Only surviving child of Henry and Catherine.

Anne Boleyn– 2nd wife of Henry

Elizabeth (1533-1603) - Only child of Henry and Ann.

Jane Seymour—3rd wife of Henry.

Edward(1537-1553) - Only child of Henry and Jane.

Order of Succession: Edward, Mary Tudor, Elizabeth.

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556)—Archbishop of Canterbury from 1532.

To Pray and Ponder: A prayer by St Thomas More (1478 - 1535)

“Give me, good Lord, an humble, lowly, quiet, peaceable, patient, charitable, kind and tender mind - every shade, in fact, of charity, with all my words and all my works and all my thoughts, to have a taste of thy holy blessed Spirit.” 

God Bless, Jon

A Pharisee and a tax collector

a verse or two - Luke 18:9-14

[Jesus] told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax-collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income."

'But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.'

Spiritual Walk and Musings: A Pharisee and a tax collector:

The problem with this story is that as soon as we hear that it is about a Pharisee we know that he is going to come out of it badly. Pharisees always do in Bible stories. Take a moment to appreciate the shock that Jesus' original audience must have felt on being told that a tax collector, treacherously collaborating with the occupying Roman government, was more acceptable to God than a religious celebrity. And then spare a thought for the Pharisee - think about going without water for a day in the dust of Jerusalem whilst praying for the nation, and then imagine yourself doing it regularly twice a week. 

The change of culture between Jesus' time and now tempts us to fall prey to exactly the same kind of self-righteousness. You can imagine a preacher finishing a rousing sermon about this parable by praying, 'God, we thank you that we are not like that proud Pharisee!' The fact is that the truth about us comes out when we are praying. Not when we are praying aloud for others to hear (when one is always aware of the reactions of the human audience as well), but when we are alone with God. 

That is when he listens to urgent, real, sincere prayer with a compassionate ear. But he will listen to proud or hypocritical prayer with a forgiving ear as well - that is the extent of how gracious God is. Why not, like the tax collector; go and stand in a place where you are quite alone, bow your head, put your hands on your chest, and tell God the truth about how you are feeling. [from www.surefish.co.uk]

To Pray and Ponder: A prayer by St Thomas More (1478 - 1535)

“Give me, good Lord, an humble, lowly, quiet, peaceable, patient, charitable, kind and tender mind - every shade, in fact, of charity, with all my words and all my works and all my thoughts, to have a taste of thy holy blessed Spirit.”

Spring

a verse or two - SPRING

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring—
    When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush; 
    Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush 
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring
The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;
    The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush 
    The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush 
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.
What is all this juice and all this joy?
    A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning 
In Eden garden. Have, get, before it cloy,(*)
    Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning, 
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,
    Most, 0 maid's child, thy choice and worthy the winning. 

GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS (1844-1889) (*)turning sickly sweet 

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Spring

“GERALD MANLEY HOPKINS wrote some of the most ear-pleasing poetry of the nineteenth century. In his poetry Hopkins always tried to express the inner principle that gave a living object its delicate and surprising uniqueness. He sought to put into words the flow of the spirit's life that sweeps through the dull, dense world of matter and acts on the senses and, through them, makes the object alive to the beholder (or reader) . Here that object is a woodsy marsh in spring. 

Hopkins makes spring come alive to our senses by focusing on how the song of the thrush impacts the human ear rinsing and wringing it, striking it like lightning. He also does the same with the colour blue. This juicy and joyous spring is a "strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning in Eden garden." But just as paradise didn't last long due to humanity's sin, so spring doesn't last long. Thus, Hopkins urges us to enjoy it before it cloys and clouds over.

At the same time he urges us by Christ's power to return to innocence. We can do this by ridding ourselves of this world's encumbrances and enjoying time alone with God in nature by a stream, near the ocean, on a mountaintop, or in the woods. These creations of God still breathe with his creativity and remind us of life before sin corrupted the world.”
[The comments about the poem are from “A Poem A Day” by Philip Comfort & Daniel Partner.]

To Pray and Ponder: Time with God:

As you go around and enjoy the beauty of spring—let your senses inspire you to sing and whisper praise to God. Look at the beauty of God’s handy work. Enjoy the scent of the flowers and the feeling of fresh grass between the toes, or warmer winds on the face. I was sailing last Wednesday evening—in the dark listening to the lapping of the water—heaven. And then there is the sweet taste of honey. 

Oh my soul does rejoice and delight
    in the wonder of Gods handiwork. 
For he made you and me and delights
    in the wonder of His handiwork.
 

God Bless
Jon