Thought?

And the Day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom...

Priesthood

The Gospel reading for today Luke 23:33-43:

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus^* there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. ’ ^*And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah^* of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him,^* ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ 

 One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding^* him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?^* Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into^* your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’

 “Christ the King” Sunday is the final week in the Christian liturgical calendar. When I reflect on the themes of Christ the King Sunday, the imagery of fulfilment found in St Paul’s letter the Christians in colossi immediately springs to mind.  In Christ is found all things:

•       In birth – a miracle to which men from all walks of life were drawn.

•       In life, his disciples were led to a profound belief through miraculous actions and words which, though vexing, were said to challenge the religious and social status quo of the day.

•       In His death, we can understand that although there are consequences for our actions, our mistakes need not lead us away from a life that brings us both closer to god and helps us as we try to improve our world for everyone – our children, our family, our friends and of course those who don’t can’t improve it for themselves.

We do all this, in the knowledge that ultimately, this is Christ’s Kingdom and on some day, in some way, we can expect a fulfilling, surprising, peaceful Kingdom of God to come into being through our actions and willingness to truly serve that which Christ commanded.

The brutality and consequences of the cross and the sheer ridiculousness and truly unexpected reality that Christ’s salvation came not for the religious leaders but for those who the religious had deemed unacceptable assures us that we too should surprise the world with that which Christ left us.

Which brings us neatly to the idea of the priesthood.  

Let me state at the outset that I, believe in BOTH a priesthood of believers and a priesthood of leaders – that is, that all who choose to come into the church to dwell and worship are a part of the priesthood; but that fulfilment is only fully realised in the presence of one who has committed their lives (with the blessing of the Church and God and the realisation and anointing of the Holy Spirit) to a Priesthood of Leaders in Christ.

You’ll see in this month’s focus magazine that Sydney Anglican Diocese are taking that which has been solely the domain of the priesthood and opening it to its congregation.  For example un-ordained people may preside over the Eucharist, as well as participate in any number of ceremonial positions normally held by priests.

I don’t necessarily have a problem with this; [pause] I don’t think it is a very good starting point for the fulfilment and participation in the priesthood by all – but to fully live out those words from Peters first letter clearly state – the priesthood of believers.

Now there is a whole sermon here about girardian mimetic theory and sacrificial actions by those in power – but perhaps all I need to say is that the priesthood was a role in which sacrifice was made complete.  This is a long-standing cultural norm for humanity – when I say longstanding, I’m talking millennia.  Our human nature says we need sacrifice in order to be redeemed and saved.  Our Christlike nature, however says that this is no longer necessary – Christ has fulfilled and overturned this human need we have.  As such, I think that the priesthood is truly a vocation into which all can come.

I say this knowing that for a long time Roman, European and English-born societies have been deemed a part of Christendom.  Christendom is a time and place in which those who are born under its banner are deemed to be Christian.  For example, I am Australian by virtue of my parents being Australian and my birth in Australia.  A change in either of these things could change my nationality.  It is much the same in a Christendom – being a Christian and being a part of all that comes with that; whether it’s ceremonial actions such as baptism or being responsible for the practical actions which are expected of Christians such as prayer and forgiveness; worship and knowing our Bible.  

However, in the last 50 years, the ease by which people can travel; [pause] at the start of last century the two world wars and in more recent years internal conflict in nations which rim the Indian and Atlantic Oceans has led to a massive increase in the diversification of safe and generally hospitable nations – largely western nations.  A significant consequence of this is that along with many other facets of life, religion has become a marketplace of different and views from which people can take and even mix their views to suit their needs or lifestyle.  Let’s also not forget the incredible surge of atheism and agnosticism that has arisen out of a renewal human intellectual development.

So in this environment; in one which is both pluralistic in belief and atheistic in outlook; I wonder what shape the role of the priest will take?  My suspicion is that the priesthood will more and more become a role which, rather than being a shepherd to their flock, will be one which will a missionary to the non-Christian society which we have become, or will be a teacher or trainer of missionaries.

I say this, without actually a lot of faith that this will happen.  In truth, I suspect that we will see many more churches close before our church as a whole realises that something needs to change.

I asked a friend and colleague what she would preach about if she had to preach about the priesthood and she said ‘I have no idea really… just that we need them and that we need them to be inspiring and connecting and useful…’  That in itself is pretty profound – and entirely true and incredibly difficult to fulfil until some of our overly inward looking church culture begins to change.  Please don’t hear me having a go at anyone.  Existing churches and parishes are amazing places and led incredibly well - for Christians?  But one of the things that drew me to the priesthood was the fear that I might not realise as fully as possible that which Christ commands of me – to be a brother to those who do not brotherhood.  To care for those who find it nowhere else.

In the words of the great preacher and Archbishop of Constantinople John Chrysostom:  “Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: "This is my body" is the same who said: "You saw me hungry and you gave me no food", and "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me"... What good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.”

I know my heart aches for the injustices of the world to be seen for what they are and acted upon in a way which leads the victims to believe they are truly our brothers and sisters.  In my 4 years at St Hilda’s, I know I have worked hard to try to inspire those global thinking young women to move into their careers and lives in a way which might help this happen.  I know I have been supported here to try to help this to happen – so thank you. 

As we continue to try to fulfil our roles in the royal priesthood, let me ask you, regardless on your views of the priesthood to seriously consider what it is that being a Christian demands of us.  St Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans (Romans 12:1-2) - The New Life in Christ

‘I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,^* by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual^* worship. Do not be conformed to this world,^* but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.’

And what is the will of God?  Micah 6:8 states it clearly:  do justice.  So where we see injustice, the priest within us must be just – or we undersell what we do here.

To Love kindness or Mercy – depending on your translation; the jist of it is whether people carry an unkindness in their hearts or on their sleeves, we must do what we can to both overcome it and diffuse and dispel it, that unkind or unmerciful characteristics might not return.

To walk humbly with God – there are two things to avoid from this point:

Firstly, there are many in this world who think we do not need God to progress.  But I promise you, if we leave the world in the hands of the ungodly, there will be no godly characteristics about it – and that my friends, is hell.  We must walk close by God.

Secondly, we have history and heritage; the bible and prayer; fellowship, worship and common-bloody sense – all good means by which to discern the will of God for us – lets make sure we aren’t so arrogant as to think we might be able to tell God how to do it better; or that we might be able to do it better than God has…

If we do these things, regardless of if the archbishop has laid hands on us or not; we are priests.  We are examples and fulfillments of Christ in a world which does not give two hoots about the needs of those suffer needlessly; and doing so, we will play our part in helping to bring about the Kingdom of God.  A worthwhile thought for Christ the King day.

Schoolies week is on our doorstep once again, and the media is already asking questions about its purpose and reason.  One can’t help but ask the question as to how our human nature has either been distorted or enhanced by this rite of passage.  I for one am glad that students have a rite of passage to mark their entry into adult-hood.  It’s great that there are a so many supervised and carefully constructed activities and dances all done with the safety of our young Australians in mind.  On the other hand, I cannot help but wonder if it weren’t for the financial value of this event to the Gold Coast, how much ‘care’ would be offered?  Is the dollar once again the almighty master or are the leaders of industry on the Gold Coast genuinely altruistic in their desire to see our young men and women come celebrate the passing of the old and the reaching for the new?  As parents and teachers we should encourage independent thought, but equally we should entrust this independence to be enjoyed with a fair measure of morality and respect for the law.  All this said, we must pray as a community for our younger generation as they move from us to their own path...That they fully enjoy the world as it is, but also seek to increase in it a greater measure of fairness, justice and truth for all and not just those privileged enough to be able to do so on their own terms. Go with God Seniors of Australia!

Deception and belief

April Fools Hall of Fame (from A girl for All Seasons Camilla Morton) contains records of the following april fools pranks:


1962 Swedens TV network promised instant colour tv if you twiddled your aerial in a certain direction tricked thousands!

1977 Guardian printed a supplement to celebrate the tenth aniversary of Sans Serriffe(a country they created)

Usa Today in 1998 story about Burger Kings Left-handed Whopper-left handed food?

BBC 1957-Panorama did a special report on Swiss Spaghetti Harvestfootage of locals pulling fresh pasta off trees as if they were picking apples-the story was so believable that BBC phone lines were jammed by callers wanting to know if they could grow thair own trees!

It’s a funny thing deception; it seems in order to receive something that you want, people will gladly throw common sense to the wind.

There was a large group of followers of Jesus, of varying levels of belief, To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." They answered him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

In the market place of ideas, our students will come to us seeking the truth – some sceptically and some believing anything you place in front of them. We have an obligation to present the truth as best we know it, but what truth do we know? We should cautiously acknowledge our own beliefs and scepticism and as best we can offer truth, and perhaps even freedom to the minds of those many young women we will influence today.

The Shack VS Mark Driscoll

I watched today a Youtube response by Mark Driscoll to the high selling book, The Shack.  Mark Driscoll is grounded heavily in doctrine, which I respect, but I don't agree with him that we should put aside anything and everything that is doctrinally problematic.  He points out the flaws in the book very easily, and rightly too, might I say.  The treatment of The Trinity in The Shack is nice, beautiful even, but not very accurate - BUT it doesn't try to be.  Nowhere does the author state:  "These views are my understanding of God, and by reading this book, so too do they become yours!"

If you want to see his message, follow this hyperlink to his youtube chanel and video:  MARK DRISCOLL

My response to his video can be found below.  Peace to all, Ian.

"Who do you think you are to stop people from exploring these things in their search of who God is? We can and should guide peoples thinking and engage them in conversation and instill into them (in time) the value of scripture and doctrine, but this book treats God with greater respect than most of the other market stalls that people go to for answers these days (internet..TV...Youtube...atheist family...The Simpsons...). No, I do not believe the theistic nuances of The Shack, but it doesn't try to answer all things...unlike you are trying to do here - which is, I suppose, a little uncharitable, but I suspect is the truth."

All Angels Day Sermon

Well…angels…We've got angels. Holy Smokes – based on the number of speckly bumper stickers that state “I see angels”, only heaven itself has more angels than the gold coast.  There are angels of the month, birthstone angels, dashboard charms that say, "Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly." Bobble head angels, gardening angels, Mother's Day angels, well…you get the picture.

Its those little fat blonde babies with wings frolicking on every possible item that get me...chubby cherubs, swathed in white silk robes that appear on wallpaper, tv shows and movies…heavens, Tammy and I even saw an ad on TV for a guardian angel here on the conference "find out how to meet your guardian angel..."

But…if we relied on the mass sources to identify what angels were; well let’s just say John Travolta probably was not the most accurate artistic representation of what the angel Michael would have gotten up to…

The Hebrew Scriptures (that is, the Old Testament) use the terms מלאך אלהים (mal'akh Elohim; messenger of God), מלאך יהוה (mal'akh Adonai; messenger of the Lord), בני אלהים (b'nai Elohim; sons of God) and הקודשים (ha-qodeshim; the holy ones) to refer to beings traditionally interpreted as angels.  Daniel is the first biblical figure to refer to individual angels by name – specifically, Michael. The Hebrew for Michael is “who is like God” – but in the Talmudic tradition, you can understand that to be a question, not a statement – “who is like God?” (The Talmud being the central text of mainstream Judaism), – the implication being that no one is like God.  From the very start, we can understand that while the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures consider these beings to be otherly or holy, they were not God-like; and it would be foolish of us to think otherwise.  Here at the start, it is really important to state that there is no evidence of the Hebrews ever ‘worshipping’ angels, merely identifying them as messengers or warriors of God.  [This is important, because the postmodern view  is that Angels could be beings which exist outside of the paradigm of a deity, which is entirely unhistorical and really the stuff of science fiction...]

Because Messengers and Warriors is how they were most often depicted.  Etymologically, our English word “Angel” is based on the Greek “Angelos” or “messenger”, although in art and writing, angels; including Michael, are most often depicted as warriors.  In Daniel’s vision, the archangel Michael is identified as the protector of Israel, now while this has inspired a great deal of warrior-like imagery, it was messengers and protectors in a different sense that seem to be described in gospels, surrounding Christ:  They announced Christ’s incarnation in the world to the Mary and Joseph, and his birth to the shepherds; they are present and aid Christ in his 40 days in the wilderness, they strengthened him in his time of agony and are depicted as being present at his resurrection.

Historically, the view on Angels changed quite a bit in the first few centuries of Christianity, but if you are interested in the history of their perceived nature or the early and middle centuries, I direct you to Wikipedia or the online catholic encyclopedia – newadvent.org; both sites have good and accurate references to information about the biblical history of angels, and the study of them.  What I think most pertinent for us to consider on this All-Angels Day is what role they played and how we should see their presence as a reminder to us of our role and place in the world – because they certainly had theirs…

Now truthfully, the Hebrews had a different understanding of the world to us; and so did the Greeks and Romans, so naturally, the way they understood Angels and the way angels are depicted is probably different to how we should depict them in this day and age; so I’m not particularly partial to some of the militant imagery that is conjured; in fact, this is probably really unhelpful.  Michael and the angels definitely are understood to have thrown Satan from the heavens – but perhaps this isn’t an actual recollection of events – remember, Revelations came about because of god-inspired dreams.  Now I don’t know about you, but my dreams can be a bit whacky; an out of the ordinary way for my sub-conscience to reveal something to me…

Now Revelations has a bit of a bad rap – it has been misused time and time again to describe the end of time, to justify violence, murder and war – sadly it doesn’t often appear in our cycle of Sunday readings, because in my view it is the one book of the bible that demands more attention than any other in sermons or commentaries because of the intriguing nature of the revelation.  Powerful imagery, such as Michael and the dragon is (I think) used to emphasise the potency of the sacrifice Christ made on the cross – His death did what a heavenly war could not – that is, set in motion the restoration of the cosmos. 

But aside from the importance of the sacrifice of Christ, and subsequently the importance of our meeting together in worship and communion (9:00:  and the importance of baptism); what other important messages could we draw from the actual or literary focus of angels?

Well, I guess if Satan chose to leave heaven, he must have had a will to do so.  So too do we have that choice – to be in or out of God’s presence.  We, like the multitude of angels can sing in chorus and harmony of the sacrifice of Christ and our desire to know God better through scripture, prayer, worship, good works and neigbourly love.  I hope you continue to join us here in this aspect of it, because its special, its powerful.

I think it important that we take the lesson from the letter to the Hebrews of hospitality to be a reminder that there might be some valuable spiritual role in even the smallest thing we do.  St Paul wrote: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares".  With our shallower understanding we tend to think that hospitality (feeding someone in our home) is to meet a physical need for a meal, as well as a social need for companionship, as well as a psychological need, simply to talk with others.  But if the universe is pervasively and profoundly spiritual then hospitality is bursting with spiritual significance.  Our hospitality, if we treat it as such, is then an act which unfolds God before us. Therefore our hospitality has sacramental significance – it could be an act of communion – a significant rite in our lives.

Lastly, we should embrace the idea that there is more to life than that which we see in front of us.  I have never seen an angel but I suspect that they are present in some way which the material will never reveal.  There are a far many more dimensions to this world than just that which we touch, taste or see – why, who here has ever been moved to tears by a piece of music?  What of, for example, the prose or poetry of T.S. Elliot?  The soul destroying and heart up-lifting bugle call of the Last Post?  What about one Claude Monet’s impressions of sunset?  We should be inspired by the idea of angels to search ourselves and our world for the ethereal, and allow it to be a guide towards knowing God.

In doing these things, maybe we, like Nathaniel, from our Gospel reading today, may be privileged enough to know and see even greater things than these in our lifetime – perhaps even angels ascending and descending to serve upon the son of God, our Lord and saviour.  Amen.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_%28archangel%29#cite_note-bibleverse.7C.7CDaniel.7C10:13.7CKJV-0 accessed Saturday September 25, 2010

http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Sermons/angels.htm accessed Thursday September 23, 2010

Restoring our neighbours humanity - restoring Christ's divinity - restoring our salvation

Well, I am into hour 34 of my second 40 hr famine.  Once again, it has been a really freeing experience for me – I suspect we undersell the value of depriving ourselves of the privileges we have in our society – at our own loss and cost – I suspect that we are caged or bound by the privileged position we have society.  I know better than I did last year what to expect, the headaches and the grumpiness my wife has had to put up with, but it also means that you won’t get a long sermon from me this morning – so it’s not all bad I suppose!  I will however state that my fundraising target of $1000 has a long way to go, so if you would like to sponsor me with a tax deductable donation, please come and see me after church.

I appreciate those of you who might sponsor me – because my little sacrifice is nothing without yours, so thank you.  Interestingly, today’s reading holds great insights into the notions of freedom and bondage...notions which I hope you’ll appreciate exploring with me.

In an essay titled: "He Put His Hands on Her":  The Compassion of Jesus Meets the Hypocrisy of Religion, Dan Clendenin recalls this story:

“Back in 2005 when I was in Ethiopia, I took a day trip to the mountains that surround the capital city of Addis Ababa. At the summit our group prayed over the city, enjoyed the panoramic views, identified buildings in the distance below, and gasped for breath after walking uphill in the alpine air. That was the fun part.

The disturbing part was our climb from the city center at 7,000 feet to the summit at 11,000 feet. As our mini-van belched clouds of light blue exhaust, the higher we went the more women and girls we passed carrying loads of firewood back down the mountain.

Barefoot and bent over at the waist, these women carried 35 kilo bundles of eucalyptus saplings, seven feet wide, down to the city center about ten miles away, all for a few pennies. The firewood carriers in Addis Ababa are a common sight, so much so that you can read about them in guidebooks like the Lonely Planet.”

I wonder which bound these women more – their constant crippling pain because of the manual labour they were bound to do, or the fact that if she stopped, she and her family would not survive.  This woman was truly in bondage:  Her bars were her birthright.

This story from our modern age causes me to wonder how the woman in Jesus’ time had been a cripple 18 long years.  Certainly the miracle straightened her back, but I wonder if she returned to a back breaking labour of some kind...or maybe not...

The 40 hr famine causes me to ask this question of us:  If, on the news tonight, we saw an image of, in our case, an Australian girl, 10 or 11, walking through the streets of, say, Southport back hunched over from her 12 hours of work she is forced to do every day to support her family, there would be an outcry.  What would we do to aid that girl? [PAUSE]  I daren’t say, that school’s like that I work for would put together a bursary pack to assist her education.  Big name organisations would get on board with housing and care for her family - let alone the government departments who would step in to ensure that the best interests of the child were kept at heart.  The scenario is shocking:  A girl, a daughter, perhaps a mother unable to do any more than she can just to get by.  There is no farming, no food, no nothing if she doesn’t continue back hunched over.  Shockingly and unfortunately, very real.

On a more prolific scale, we are facing a global food-shortage.  This is affecting hundreds of millions of people in our world, and draws to our attention to the struggle faced by Jesus.  More children are being sold into slavery; more families being destroyed and more and more lives, young and old, dying without a crumb in their hands.  The images available on YouTube and online are heartbreaking, and I urge you all to expose yourselves to the offensiveness of the situation.  Because it is very easy to become blasé about the suffering of others.  The religious authorities at the time of Jesus had.  By healing the woman, he proved their rules to be were utterly offensive to both humanity and God.

 It is in the face of offensiveness, I think, that we make our hardest choices – or maybe, it is in the face of offensiveness that our hardest choices seem easiest.  For Jesus it was simple – heal the woman – the notion of a day of rest is lost if one amongst us is suffering.  For his followers, it was not quite as simple as that; He was from God?  How could that be?!?!  How could He, Jesus – not a Pharisee, not a man of temple but a man of a carpenter be of God be healing people – and on the day of rest of all things!!!???  In the face of offensiveness, many chose to walk away from His invitation to follow. So to, do we have that choice:  we are here at an invitation...

Jesus in this very Gospel reading makes it clear.  There is work to do and we are invited to play a role in it.  There is no room for institutionalised religion if it holds people back from coming to God – which it was.  We are invited to play a wonderful role in that.  So thank you, thank you for coming here today.  Worship is an integral part of responding to this invitation.  Of course it doesn’t stop here.  We must be do’ers of faith – we must take our eternal statements and prayers and reflections into the world – because the world is empty without it; just look at it, the yawning chasms in many lives we encounter that could in some way be bridged by allowing faith to play a larger role; or a role at all!

How different would our society look if the faithful went to work in it in a way that offended secularism – in a way that caused our unfaithful brothers and sisters to reach for their rules shove them in our faces; saying the needy are not as important as you think.  The crippled are not as important as you think; in the attempt to protect the rights of those with much; our world is forgetting those with nothing.  Our society is merely masking an eternity of problems by holding up the disposable features of life in front of our eyes.  And when generations tire of holding this up, it will fall – and we will see then what state of religion or faith rushes in to fill vacuum.  [ because it is a vacuumous state without faith - The great apologist Ravi Zacharias said “nature abhors a vacuum!” and he is right – faith or something will rush to fill the void...let us hope that our actions ensure that it is the Christian faith that succeeds in breaking through this mask.

Our actions can cause this disposable existence to waver.

Our behaviours and prayers will cause this disposable existence to shudder and weaken.

Our faith CAN break down this new vogue existence which is consuming our society and cause it to lift its head, and look beyond – as to what the world we are creating might look like...if only we allow God into it.

But, how dare we think that we can improve the world without first improving ourselves.  How righteous could we be in our belief, if we are not willing to be zealous in actions and words?  This is the trap which the leaders of the synagogues and temple had fallen into.

The words of St Paul ring in my ears “ You have not come to something^* that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. "

We would be fools to think that we are not worshipping and taking part in something that could be incredible, and astounding for us; but will be utterly offensive to the world.

Maybe, like a meal for just 40 hours, maybe there is something that we can deprive ourselves of so that we can look at our world with new and fresh eyes?

Maybe we can be the instigators of a miracle – one that will see the desperately poor and the desperately hungry restored into their humanity, to share in Christ’s divinity...and maybe in doing so, we might have some chance of restoring our own.  Amen.