Lowly or Triumphant?

a verse or two

“The Lord says, I will remove the war chariots from Israel and take the horses from Jerusalem; the bows used in battle will be destroyed. Your king will make peace among the nations; he will rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.” Zechariah 9:10

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Lowly or Triumphant?

This week I came across two different interpretations of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. These give a glimpse of two different kinds of Christianity in the world today.

One interpretation is of a king arriving in a manner never seen before. Unlike when Caesar entered Rome on his glorious war horse, Christ entered Jerusalem on a lowly donkey, arriving in the simple clothes of a peasant, legs dangling at the sides almost touching the ground, looking almost like some form of comedy theatre. Could it be Jesus knew how weak and ridiculous he looked making his “triumphal” entry? And was it really a triumphal entry or was he bringing something else into the world?

The other interpretation I came across suggested he rode a mule and explained the mule is a high value animal. Mules are a cross between a mare and a male donkey, and because crossbreeding was prohibited in Israel (Lev 19:19), mules were likely imported, making them highly valued. So Christ arrives on a prized animal. This idea combined with the thought of Jesus arriving on a mule to establish himself as the heir to the throne of David (because David declared Solomon his successor by seating Solomon on his own mule, giving a sign to the people that Solomon was the legitimate heir to the throne), suggests that Jesus entry is triumphant and glorious. He is now the new king, the heir.

One interpretation is very triumphant…the other…lowly.

Something to do: Think.

So was Jesus’ entry lowly or triumphant? Which interpretation do you go with? Spend time thinking on this. What are the subtle differences?

Of the second one, I can handle the symbolism of Jesus establishing himself as the heir to the throne of David. But when saying mules were highly valued – I think that idea misses the very point Jesus was trying to make. To me it smells of the kind of triumphalism that Christ was against. Yes he was heir to the throne of David but his reign as king would be different. His aim was peace and not war.

My opinion is Jesus did not enter on a highly valued mule but rather upon a common farm donkey looking a tad un-triumphant to say the least.

To Ponder and Pray: Different kinds of Christianity.

Jesus arriving on a lowly donkey, his dying on the cross – these actions were not of retaliation but suffering and humility. His act of love was not by keeping control but by letting go. The scary thing about “triumphalism” Christianity is it can lead to Christians being unloving. A kind of altitude ‘we are in and you are out’… ‘We are right and you are wrong’. But Christ’s way seems to say “be sad that the other is wrong” and instead of gloating, it is to love the one who is wrong, to not fight them, to offer the other cheek and not retaliate but to surrender. One cannot love without suffering.

Ponder the different kinds of Christianity in the world today. Some are elitist – almost snobbish (which includes reverse snobbishness by those who think they are not snobbish and that other is). Other Christians have a form of humility which my heart aches for and yet my pride seems to keep at bay.

My prayer is that we choose the way of humility, of suffering and of love; instead of egocentric triumphalism which say’s look at us, we won, we’re right.

God Bless you this holy week. Jon.

Love is what conquers

a verse or two

“[Love] does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Cor. 13 v 5-7

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Love is what conquers – not expressions of hate.

An expression of hate was committed this week when a pastor in the US burned a copy of the Koran. It was foolish and bigoted. It was totally wrong and it did cause deaths in Afghanistan no matter what the pastor claims. Did he not know how Muslims revere their holy book – so much so that it’s never to be placed below their knees? Do Christians have the same reverence for the Word of God when Bibles collect dust, or they use a translation with 1611 English where the words are so out of date they have different meanings and parts no longer make sense?

This Lent, consider Christ’s journey to the cross. After Palm Sunday he cleared out the temple. What would he do today – would he burn a Koran? No! But he might enter a church and burn some Bibles. Why? Because people have used the Bible to justify harm and wrong actions. Because some people have made a lot of money out of selling Bibles (and in turn sometimes made the Bible more complicated than it needs to be). Because too often people have nice looking Bibles and all they do is collect dust – and so the living word becomes dead. Because some people carry their Bible around to look ‘spiritual’ yet don’t connect with the author.

When we read the Bible, it’s not to just read it and so do the ‘right thing’ or look religious and all that. It’s to connect to the author of life, it’s to have The Father wrap his loving arms around us and say he loves us. It’s to sit at the feet of Jesus – the word become flesh / the living word – and let him disciple us.

Back to the sin of expressions of hate. When at university I had a Muslim friend. On matters of faith, we both agreed that each other was deceived, so therefore correctly we did not patronise each other by suggesting that the two religions were the same. But in saying to each other ‘I believe you are deceived’, we also respected each other’s differences. There was no animosity and we could sit down together and share a meal together. I hope in the way I conducted myself, he saw a little bit of Christ.

Love is the conqueror – not expressions of hate. When Christ died on the cross, he wasn’t arguing that he was the truth. Instead knowing he was the truth he surrendered and cried Father forgive. It would have been much better if that US pastor had said to the Muslim community that he loved them, and instead of burning their holy book, tell them plainly and kindly he believed they were deceived and yet make an offer of practical help from his church to their community.

Something to do: Be Christ to someone.

Befriend someone of a different faith (that is easy because most people are not Christian). Don’t preach to them but rather show them you love them by what you do rather than what you say.

To Ponder and Pray: A prayer by Teresa of Avila (1515 - 1582)

Lord, I am not yet ready for you to have your way with me -
but I am willing to be made willing.

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Taking that wall out continued.

a verse or two

“"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, LORD, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Taking that wall out continued.

Last week I mused on the idea of renovation work. Umm … there is a problem when doing renovation work. It makes life difficult, it hurts. Studies on stress levels within marriage and family life suggest the stress levels caused by kitchen renovation are as high as a when family goes through the death of a loved one or shifting house to live in a new town. One reason is because the kitchen is the centre / hub of the house and if the kitchen is not working, the whole household comes under pressure and strain.

So last week when I suggested letting the objective Jesus wander along and see if any heart renovation needs to be done, what I didn’t mention is this can be uncomfortable. It takes effort and intentionality. On the other hand we know that stress is a good thing, it keeps us on our toes. Think of the high stress that the organisers of our Wedding Dress Extravaganza went through … but look at the result. (From a healthy mind, body, and soul point of view, the big thing is to not be stressed all the time – have gaps in between the high stress moments. And therefore allow stress to be an ally, let it be a tool so we are on the ball and do things well. Fill the heart with good things in-between the stress. Make time to restore your soul.)

We all work hard, in our gardens, at hobbies, our jobs and for church and we get results. So why do we sometimes sidestep the important work of working on and caring for our heart? Possibly because it’s unseen, possibly because our soul / heart is the very hub of who we are and when it’s having renovations, it affects the whole of our life (not just one part), and that can be uncomfortable. Or perhaps it’s because unlike hammering in a kitchen with lots of noise and sawdust, soul work can often be quiet, taking time out in silence, in prayer. Or could it be to us good ole Presbyterians with our good ole work ethic, spending idle time restoring our inner-being just doesn’t seem right – we should be doing something productive. Could it be that kneeling is the most productive thing a person can do?
Something to do: Kneel.

Kneeling is totally out of fashion. Even in the most traditional churches the usual position that people adopt to pray is either sitting, standing, or a strange posture that is only comfortable if one is about to shampoo their hair.

This lent, why not do something today that our grandparents may have done every day - find a quiet place and kneel down in order to say the prayer below.

To Ponder and Pray: a prayer by Edward Perronet (1726 - 1792)

All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall;
bring forth the royal diadem
and crown him, crown him, crown him Lord of all.
O, that with every tribe and tongue we at his feet may fall,
lift high the universal song
and crown him, crown him, crown him Lord of all.

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.