Foundations

I've been reading a book entitled "Fear No Evil" by American pastor Brady Boyd which was lent to me by a friend when returning a book I lent to them. In this book, pastors and others are encouraged to develop a better understanding of who they are and what they stand for, through writing down statements that then can become guiding principles for their decision-making and their responses to certain happenings. This is especially important for when you are put on the spot or find yourself suddenly out of your comfort zone. So here goes ... this is what I wrote down for myself as a foundational statement for my life and ministry: "The Jesus-following life necessarily means initiating and participating in causes and activities that make the world more reflective of the Kingdom of God as per Jesus' great prayer 'Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven'". 

A Fragrance on the Breeze

Here is the written form of the devotion shared at our Tarneit dinner together last Sunday evening. It is based on the biblical text 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 (emphasising vs.14-16). Here is the text of those three verses from the New Revised Standard Version, where the Apostle Paul writes: "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."

Verse 14 offers a picture of a Roman general leading his victorious troops in procession through the city before a crowd that is applauding and burning incense & spices and lavishly sprinkling perfume (in thanksgiving to the gods who gave them victory) ... bringing with them their captured prisoners (from the defeated army) facing public ridicule and enslavement or death. So, which part of the procession are we in? With the victors? With the captives? Either at different times? Who are more impressive – those victors in the way they handle their success, or those captive in the way they handle their suffering?

Verses 14-15 have the emphasis on the fragrance or aroma that is smelt publically by all in the city. This is a fragrance gained not from a bottle but rather from knowing God through Jesus. Perhaps we could also sense that it is the crowd that sets the fragrance going in response to an experience of joy ... or as a response to meeting Jesus in others. Yet, as we see, this fragrance doesn’t necessarily work for everyone; but it certainly is available to everyone!

On verses 15-16 Larry Richards writes: “The Gospel message stimulates conflicting reactions. Some who hear respond like a child who smells his mother’s chocolate chip cookies baking. Some who hear react with wrinkled noses and expressions of disgust, as though a skunk had just passed by.” Some people will remain in their experience of death, while others will be illuminated in their experience of life.

Are we bringing the aroma of Jesus everywhere we go? This remains a challenge both when things are going well and when things are not going well, and also every time in between!

Community Engagement - definitions & principles

So having discussed the theological, biblical and practical basis of community engagement in my earlier posts, here are some ways of defining community engagement - between an outward looking church community or a group of missional-thinking Jesus-followers and their respective local neighbourhoods:
(1) where community needs and aspirations meet spiritual faith and resources;
(2) bringing people together (with transformative intent);
(3) entering the rhythms of community life [this one comes from Alan Hirsch];
(4) "playing away" - engaging with people in their own context [Stuart Murray];
(5) people of good faith partnering with people of goodwill around things of common concern.

Now I can list some of the principles of community engagement that I have discovered in my experience and reading:
(1) love your community, and get to know it well by frequenting the various places of gathering and listening to the voices of the neighbourhood;
(2) there are good, motivated and compassionate people working to help others and build community who may not have any church allegiance who we can form partnerships with;
(3) be adventurous and follow the promptings of God in walking through open doors and (gently) knocking on not yet open doors;
(4) imagine what the local community could look like if comprehensive and cohesive contributions were made by committed people;
(5) be truly local by allowing the local neighbourhood to reflect back into the worship of the church;
(6) pray for people and places - Dave Andrews says that community development cannot have value unless prayer is seen as indispensible and central;
(7) walk humbly, share life gently, build relationships patiently, become co-travellers, engage with the agendas of others while discovering gospel connections;
(8) be ready to make practical contributions - large and small, and fully follow through any commitments made (yet "good deeds" are only truly "good" if they are viewed that way by the recipient in terms of what their needs are);
(9) seek to increasingly involve more people to spread the load;
(10) be completely honest about where you are coming from and have no hidden agendas - Steve Addison promotes "medium-tension" activity i.e. fully connecting while remaining a distinct entity that does not deny or lessen one's central focus;
(11) be willing to lose debates without withdrawing, thus embracing consensus decision-making;
(12) watch for signs of manipulation or being boxed into a corner or pushed towards a party parochial position - promote enjoying people rather than using them;
(13) be in a position to always be available as the peace-maker, conflict resolver and reconciler;
(14) relationships forged during community engagement are of great value in and of themselves, irrespective of other outcomes; 
(15) people who experience God's love in the context of community engagement are already embedded in the culture of mutual service and thus well-positioned to serve others;
(16) have a long term view, and continually consider how God may be active.

Enjoy, not use

Another important point raised in the book that I was reading and commenting on last week - "Living without enemies", is that when working and interacting with people, we should carefully guard against 'using' others to meet our own ends, rather than simply 'enjoying' them for their uniqueness and intrinsic worth. I was reminded of this yesterday at the NOVO coaching course I was at, when in being in the role of a 'coachee', I was coached to consider ways of practically avoiding such behaviour in the context of my enthusiastic efforts toward planting our new church in Tarneit. So here are some possible responses: (1) Get to know people well by being interested in what they are interested in and through asking good questions; (2) Seek to forge mutual friendships, not just working relationships; (3) Pray for people's personal daily needs; (4) Listen carefully to what people want to contribute moreso than telling them what you need; (5) Thank people enthusiastically for whatever they are doing to help others.

The Lord's Manifesto

"The Lord's Prayer" is not just a prayer but also a 'manifesto'. Jesus gave us this prayer not just as a pattern for our prayer life, but also as a pattern for all our life. So when we pray to God the words, "Your Kingdom come; Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" ... we better be able to back this up in our actions! As we pray this, we have bought into bringing this desire to reality!! Some of the specific implications of this broad task are brought to light in Jesus adopting a job description first envisioned by Isaiah (Luke 4:16-21 - with of course Isaiah's reference to "vengeance" strategically removed). Here there is the commitment to transform economic circumstances, bring a new freedom to the oppressed, offer new insight to the blind-folded, and see past debts cancelled to open up new future possibilities. With profit we could also go back to a supreme text in the Hebrew Scriptures, Micah 6:6-8, which puts all triviality aside to centre in on what is central and crucial ... doing justice, loving kindness/mercy, walking humbly. James picks this up in his letter (1:27) with reference to the need to care for widows and orphans. So, may our neighbourhoods and communities and society as a whole be transformed through a working commitment to the Lord's manifesto ... Amen????

Being With

Speaking of 'being with' others, as I did in my previous post, this is exactly what God has always done - been with us. God, who is love, and can only claim to be love through being the relational Trinitarian God of Father (Parent), Son (Saviour) and Holy Spirit, has always been committed to travelling with human beings in their journey through life (and death), including, and possibly especially so, through any experience of suffering. If you doubt this, please give the possibility of opening up to God a thought. This is often quite hard to contemplate on your own, so this is an invitation to find a trusted other (who already knows God personally) to guide you into this. As the old Christian traditional belief rightly holds, God loved his human creations (and the whole world) so much, that God ushered his own Son, the epitome of God's own character, into the human environment, to seek to bring about transformation in both individual and communal life (refer John 3:16-17). Jesus himself, in his earthly life, reached out to all, especially to those who had been oppressed and excluded. This is certainly taking a desire to 'be with' seriously. God continues this very day to be on the Divine mission of connecting with people and inviting a relationship.

"Living Without Enemies"

Over the last couple of days I have been reading a wonderful book on pastoral care and community engagement called "Living Without Enemies" by Samuel Wells & Marcia A Owen. This book brilliantly explores concepts of: working for, working with, being with & being for. Many of us start out with understandable concern over certain community issues or lack of services and want to stand in solidarity with those affected ... 'being for'. Then we might be motivated enough to get involved in ways that practically help those in need ... 'working for'. But if we are wise, and we really want to make some long-term difference, we will offer ourselves to be part of a wider movement of human contributions, and facilitate organic grassroots responses, where the effort itself is part of the solution ... 'working with'. As we do this, then, in times of both despair and joy, we will be best placed to simply be with people - in silent solidarity, while closely listening, and deeply praying ... 'being with'. Surely this is the way to conceive of a church making a positive contribution to local community functioning! So those who see things along these lines - please jump on board. There are obviously many personal concerns out there in the Tarneit and Wyndham neighbourhoods - let's hear about these and embrace some transformational possibilites together.  

Wyndham Growth

Wyndham grows at a person an hour

Wyndham Council’s data shows a new resident moves to the municipality each hour. New research undertaken by the council shows the municipality will grow at a rate 24 people per day during the next 12 months. Further information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals more than 12,000 new residents moved to Wyndham in 2010, equating to almost 9% growth rate between 2009 and 2010. Using this data, Wyndham is calling on State and Federal Governments to step up funding for infrastructure to support this growth.

Source: e-West 10.11.2011.

Prayer for Tarneit

Loving God, I pray for the residential area of Tarneit, where so many people already live, and where so many more families will soon move in - where so much community will be built. I pray that Your Spirit will engage with this area, in order that it will be an even greater place to live, and it will be a suburb in which people from a great variety of backgrounds interact well together in peace. I pray that our church planting efforts will be another source of blessing for Tarneit and its residents, and may many people respond to our invitations to be involved. May there be a groundswell of interest in working together to make Tarneit a good place to be, and where people can freely find their God-given potential and hope-filled future. In Jesus wonderful name I pray, Amen!

Community Engagement & Prayer

As community engagement is part of the mission of God it must be saturated in prayer. Without prayer, disappointment and tiredness would surely reek havoc. One could go on and on about the significance of prayer, but in terms of my particular praying in regard to my current attempts at church planting, I have come to see prayer in this way. We should pray to engage God in changing us so that we can effectively act in bringing about the sort of outcomes God desires for us to be a party to bringing about. As we are so changed and so active, God opens doors.

Community Engagement (part three)

When I turn to the Bible in defence of the church's need to engage with their neighbourhood, my first port of call is Jeremiah chapter 29 specifically verse 7. There God through the voice of the prophet tells his people (from Judah), who have been taken north into exile in the foreign country of Babylon, to "seek the welfare of the city ... and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare". Each person's well-being, whether they gave allegiance to God or not, was tied to the communal well-being within a particular location. So, for instance, in my pastoral or church planting role, I will not only work in the interests of those who follow Jesus, but also, and perhaps primarily, in the interests of the local vicinity in which those I might encounter naturally from day-to-day live (and frequent the same shopping centres, cafes, work places, parks, streets and roads). Daniel, in another 'old testament' book, also took very seriously his civil responsibilities within the context of his overriding commitment to God, without being compromised in any way (please refer to my recent sermon series included on this blogsite). And so I have been attending community and council meetings - even the 'community cabinet' held on 9th Nov, where the PM Julia Gillard and many of her ministers took a variety of very worthy questions from the gathered local citizens. The highlight of this night was the stirring welcome to country brought by Aunty Joy on behalf of the Wurundjeri people. This reminded all of the blessed heritage we have inherited, that if embraced, will allow us to become a great, diverse and multicultural pointer towards the Kingdom of God ... but I digress. Attending such community meetings allows me/us to hear what people are feeling, thinking and saying, or as Alan Hirsch puts it, enter the rhythms of community life. From here we may just sense the way forward in offering a particular unique contribution to local community life. As Steve Chalke and others have written about, we each need to identify and understand the needs and aspirations of our communities, then seek to engage with an appreciation of their culture and language, and bring to this all our faith, hope and resources. 

Community Engagement (part two)

I am currently reading "Intelligent Church" by Steve Chalke. In his chapter on being a generous church (which is part of the way to being an "intelligent church"), Steve talks about the need to be positive about the possibilities and potential of all people, and to approach them with love and goodwill. Too often the church has relied upon fear being a motivating factor for involvement in Christian congregations - fear for what might happen after death, or fear for what might happen if you ignore God and keep on "sinning". However "fear" is not creative, not really motivating, only undermining and oppressive, and does not easily promote one to appreciate how wonderful God is. Some of the more problematical (even brutal) of the passages in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) need to be seen or re-interpreted through the eyes of Jesus ... the great welcomer of "sinners". If we want to know what God is like, it is suggested in the New Testament that we look directly at Jesus. We would still of course have to say that "sin" (i.e. behaviour that is destructive to self and others and God's creation generally) is serious, and it does need addressing, but it is best addressed in the company of others who are also on a journey of transformation (toward, as we like to say, bearing the image of Jesus ... who is our prime example of life-honouring true humanity). And, if we want to embrace the possibilities of the future, we have to express how much God already loves every person. God so loves gracefully and generously - which we should seek to emulate. Chalke quotes theologian Walter Brueggemann who says, "People are not changed by moral exhortation but by transformed imagination". So an "intelligent church" paints a picture in its neighbourhood of what could be ... both in people's individual lives and in their relational interactions! And a generous church sees the good in others and responds with a spirit of kindness and open-handedness (rather than judgement). There is beauty to be found in everyone we meet. 

Community Engagement (part one)

Why would a church want to get involved in its neighbourhood? Many churches over the centuries have regrettably just sought to draw people out of their neighbourhood into the church's own particular agenda. As important as it is to worship God and learn from the Bible, this is not all of what the Christian life should be about. The Jesus-following life, as I like to term it ... to distinguish what I am talking about from mere cultural christianity (where attending church is just the done thing rather than anything personal or transformational), is also about connecting with your neighbours and serving the needs that exist in the local community. From the biblical perspective, this means allowing the light and hope we have through Jesus to shine out from us in very practical and helpful ways. From the human perspective, this means showing solidarity with human needs, for we all have needs of one type or another. Sharing life is what following Jesus is really most about. In this way neighbourhoods and communities, not just individual lives, can be transformed toward better living conditions for all. Yesterday my wife and I read, in our daily devotion, that Jesus has invited us to be part of God's Kingdom (Colossians 1:13), and that part of living with integrity in the "location" of God's kingdom, is living out life-transforming behaviour patterns that clearly reflect such a "spiritual location" ... in our current and great "neighbourhood location". What a daily challenge! 

Envisioning a Future

What would it look like if a collection of Jesus-followers, together with those interested in a collective journey of blessing their local community with creative positive activity, stepped out and served in their neighbourhoods? How would that be different to now? What benefit would that bring? Would this effort still be true to the church's traditional role of bringing people in touch with God? The mind ponders!

"Standing Firm" - reflecting on Daniel 6:10

This is a message I wrote in transitioning from my ministry in Point Cook toward my new work in wider Wyndham.

Sometimes when we reflect on the events of Daniel chapter 6, we might simply focus on the miraculous deliverance towards the end of the chapter and miss a very important element of the story earlier on. This is the part that most excites me ... what we read in verse 10:

Although Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had windows in its upper room open toward Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously.

Daniel was standing firm in his faith no matter what he would have to face. But he wasn’t doing so passively, for prayer isn’t passive – prayer is an active response to the complexity of life. As we shall see, this habit of prayer was something strong in Daniel’s background that he brought into his present challenges. When difficulties came, Daniel had the necessary survival tools at hand!

Let’s look at some of the events surrounding Daniel’s commitment to prayer and worship.

Things were going okay for Daniel. In verse 3 we read of Daniel that, “an excellent spirit was in him”, and he been given a high position in the government. We also read that those who opposed Daniel for their own reasons, “could find no grounds for complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful ...” (v.4). Daniel had made that stand back in chapter one, where he had refused to partake of the “royal rations” on offer because this would have tended to suggest that he approved of all of the palace’s agenda, rather than standing somewhat separate from its excesses and violations. Subsequently, King Nebuchadnezzar had grown in his respect for Daniel and for Daniel’s God.

Yet, to many within the officialdom of Babylon or Persia (as this area later became known), Daniel was still a vanquished foreigner who had no place in the king’s court. There was jealousy towards Daniel’s position, which led to murderous intent. There might have been thoughts as well, that Daniel, with his impressive character, was showing all the other leaders up.

These leaders manipulated the current king Darius into legislating against anyone praying to any god apart from the king himself. Anyone who could not restrain themselves from praying to their own God for at least thirty days would be thrown to the lions. These leaders stroked the king’s ego by lifting him even higher on his pedestal and thereby got their way.

Having been initially oblivious to the scheming that had gone on, King Darius would now regret all of this, when it was Daniel who was the one in the firing line ... we read that King Darius was “very much distressed” (v.14), and he tried to find a way out for Daniel. But it was too late, too late for a leader who had been caught up in his own ego and been manipulated by those with evil intent. Darius was left hoping that Daniel’s God might act on Daniel’s behalf (v.16), and then Darius spent a sleepless night fasting (v.18). This seems very like the no-win situation that Pontius Pilate was left in.

But there was a choice, there is always a choice. Yet here in King Darius it seems that we have a political leader who couldn’t publicly admit that he was wrong and then change his mind (not until he witnessed the miraculous anyway). This would be too much of a back-down, way too personally embarrassing, too politically damaging it seemed. Darius had become tied up in knots by his own rules and regulations, rather than doing what was right and just and good. When this happens in any type of community, it’s likely that it will be the most vulnerable or innocent, or the minority or the voiceless that gets hurt. And so Daniel must be thrown to the lions. And Jesus must be nailed to a cross.

As we see the complexity of community and political leadership, people trying to balance a whole lot of agendas at the same time as maintaining their position, this should motivate us to pray for all those who hold such responsible positions – that they might seek (as Micah would have it) to act justly, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.

Now Daniel knew about the threat against him (“the document had been signed” – v.10), and likely knew that this was a concerted conspiracy against him, but could do no other than maintain his pattern of prayer. Thirty days without prayer ... unthinkable ... that would be a disaster!! More than one third of a single day without prayer would have been too long! We read that Daniel hit his knees “three times a day”, which was likely to have been his traditional habit. For us we might interpret this to be a constant attitude of prayer or connectedness with God, with regular more formalised and focussed times of direct thanksgiving and intercession.

And we sense that Daniel did not try to cover his ongoing worshipful activity, just went about this as if it was oh so normal. Thus his prayerful witness to God was both open to observation and completely unashamed.

Daniel, with windows open, faced Jerusalem, the place from where he had drawn his unshakable trust in God – the Creator, the Redeemer, the Sustainer. Daniel did this, “just as he had previously”, indicating, as we have said, that this indeed is his pattern, what his life was about, where his central focus was. For Daniel, not to pray would have been a betrayal of himself and who he was. It was so natural for Daniel to worship God, that there apparently was not even the briefest second thought (about whether this was what he should be doing).

One wonders what Daniel prayed about? Simply about personal survival ... his personal needs ... I really doubt it ... based on what we already know about him. More likely, having dealt with a previous king Nebuchadnezzar, and knowing the complexity of community life, Daniel was praying with the big picture in mind, that things could turn around (to the good), that hearts would change, and that he himself could make whatever contribution God would have him make. Daniel, like Jeremiah, sought the welfare of the city.

This is where the relevance is for me in my future journey ... praying, then acting, toward the welfare of the city of Wyndham (and all of its residents). For this is not a place of isolated quarter-acre blocks with private houses on them, or at least it shouldn’t be. This is a place of interactive relational community, where people may just come together to understand (and then celebrate) the spiritual component of their lives.

One wonders what Daniel got out of his prayer-time? Refreshment, inspiration, clarification; maybe just the thrill of being caught up in the reality of the Divine presence with him (R S Wallace). Certainly there could have been new insight on the problems he faced. One could add that, certain unsettling experiences, like what Daniel was facing, are often helpful in getting our attention and changing our attitudes where we have been stubbornly wrong in the past (idea from David McCasland in “Our Daily Bread” Thurs 22/9/11). We can learn afresh what it really means to follow Jesus (in terms of the life of Jesus we discover in the Gospels).

Definitely Daniel’s resolve was confirmed and he thus became stronger. Even if God seemed silent for a period, there was enough reason to return in a few hours time. With the windows to the outside world being wide open, surely this prayer would touch real life situations.

With this attitude, and with this behaviour, Daniel was certainly prepared for God to act miraculously in his life ... to offset in some way the danger he was facing and to allow for some real impact. Daniel had come to know God well. With Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in chapter 3, Daniel would have been expectant of God’s deliverance while at the same time accepting of God’s will either way. Daniel could enter the lion’s den knowing that God entered with him. The result was so impressive to King Darius that he was liberated from his political straight jacket and changed his approach.

This gives great hope to the modern day Jesus-followers who act according to their God-given conscience and their Spirit-led wisdom, in the face of selfishness and injustice, difficulty and despair. We can’t just bemoan what we don’t like, because we have been given the capacity to facilitate change for the good. Daniel, I reckon, grew to love the opportunity of serving in Babylon, even though it was not his first or favoured option. How many of us have exactly the job we’d desire, or precisely the life situation we’d prefer! Yet we can grow to see the opportunities anyway, and then grow even more in embracing those opportunities. Daniel’s great asset to bring to Babylon was his faith in the true God Yahweh, with the caring human-honouring and creation-respecting attitudes that this meant.

In my upcoming work in wider Wyndham, I can only pray that I can make a difference in people’s lives through the blessed hope I carry in Jesus. I will seek with God’s help to unleash the potential for good that lies within many, which may currently be repressed by many things including discouragement or fear or lack of opportunity. As I leave my formal role as pastor with you [at Point Cook Community Baptist Church], I commit to seeking the welfare of Wyndham by bringing the love of God to the neighbourhoods and streets and homes that I become able to connect with.

If there is to be success in this mission, I and Raelene, and others who join us, will need to continue to pray and praise God with the windows open. My particular open windows, rather than facing to Jerusalem, will first face to my parents, and then to those others who have taught me, pastored me, mentored me and supported me; and then those windows will always at least partly face Point Cook, where I have been given a great opportunity and been deeply encouraged for these seven years.

God will then lead us into God’s own future, where previously closed doors will suddenly open, and connections will be made with people who have already been prepared by the Holy Spirit to hear the good news of Jesus, and participate together in a variety of community building activities.

Gatherings to begin

Those interested in forming a new church ministry in the Tarneit area will start gathering soon to discuss the way forward. To be a part of these discussions please call Warren on 0413998825.

A further reflection on the book of Daniel - "Standing up when the heat is on" (Daniel 3:1-30)

Let us examine the broad impact of the statements made in verses 16 to 18 of Daniel chapter 3. I have been recently fascinated by these verses as never before!

It seems that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego believed that God would likely deliver them from the threat of being thrown in a burning furnace. As they had proved their total commitment to God in their resolve to not worship the idol of the “golden statue”, they thought that God would in turn vindicate them. But there was also an understanding here, that, perhaps, God may act differently to what they expected ... there was a bit of an “if” concerning what the outcome would be ... it could be that they wouldn’t survive. Deliverance was rightly desired, was even to be expected, but it was not a certainty. One does not have the right to presume how God will act (not without knowing   the full picture)!

This was not in any sense faithless, but rather acknowledged that sometimes God’s view of things is different to ours, and that it is God who sees the end from the beginning, and indeed knows best. And as we look at it today, this view would be fair and reasonable, and this would be good theology – because we know many people who have stuck their necks out for God across the centuries, and who have suffered greatly and lost their lives as a result ... many whom we could not even begin to doubt their sincere commitment to God.

Stephen, in Acts 7, was an early example of what happened to an uncompromising God-person in the Jesus-following movement who stood against the tide. Many others have followed around the world. Why would God not save them? What could God’s purpose have been in not intervening? Sometimes we can hazard a guess ... like the good that can be brought about across a whole community following such loss. We know that God can bring good out of all sorts of tragedy. Other times though we can still be left scratching our heads (for we cannot ever see as broadly as God sees)!

But the important thing to acknowledge, lest our faith becomes diminished, is two-fold:

(i)         we live in a fallen world, where the consequences of human sin have led to a pain and violence riddled world, in which we can suffer; and secondly,

(ii)        that God is committed to us, and actively involved in bringing his purposes to be (and God’s greatest purpose is finding relationship with people through their response to Jesus).

So sometimes God’s people are delivered, other times God’s people perish.  Yet we know, ultimately, that all of God’s people find their blessed eternity!

Under the tutelage of Daniel, the three heroes of this story, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego, have a good grasp of all this. Because they are able      to concede that God may not rescue them, but that this will not change nor lessen their resolve. The outcome will be as God would have it – but Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego will not serve nor worship Nebuchadnezzar’s false gods. These three leaders, like Daniel, are happy to serve the king in the best interests of the people of both Judah and Babylon, but they will not compromise their central spiritual connection to the true and living God in doing so.

You might remember that, in chapter one of Daniel, these leaders, transported from Judah to Babylon, would not accept the royal rations of palace life, because, amongst other reasons, this would not distinguish them enough from the over-consumptive and power-hungry rulers. Just like someone who wears an orange jacket and orange socks, they will stand out from the crowd, rather than being absorbed by the crowd.

Now, in chapter three, the nation has generally accepted that they should   bow in worship before a god of King Nebuchadnezzar’s own creation. Was   this apathy we ask, or was it the threat of a fiery end if they didn’t? Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be open to a variety of god options. Especially important would be the worship of an idol representing his own kingly rule. The “golden statue” that Nebuchadnezzar had made was ridiculously large. It would have been obvious to all that such an idol as this was just self-indulgent and misguided. Yet nearly all the people lined up (follow-the-leader style) to worship it. It seems that no one (except our three heroes) was prepared to say or do anything that would question this grotesque creation, its dedication, and the worship of such a thing.

And Nebuchadnezzar would never had expected that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego would have felt so committed to their God (as the supreme and true God) that they would stand up for this God in the face of such a deadly threat – and seemingly they did so with no hesitation (and no bargaining space for compromise). Here was trust and commitment matched by remarkable courage! This was impressive to all!! We could assume that these three didn’t find such trust and courage in this moment, but this had already been a practiced behaviour in their recent past in smaller matters (allowing for this level of response on the big stage).

Now, some of the king’s advisors thought it would be a good idea to pressure any dissenter into conforming ... under this threat of being burned alive if they didn’t. This was quite a threat of course!! What would we do? Cave-in? Or, stand up ... even when the heat is on! With all the rest of the peoples bowing down and worshipping the “golden statue”, it would be natural that the king would be enraged that the unanimity was broken by just these three upstart exiles from Judah.

In the world of today there is not just the false gods of materialism and secularism and individualism ... that we could be asked to bow before, but also many false ideas that we are asked to go along with. In a world political system that first thinks revenge ... should not the Jesus-follower be thinking differently (in terms of peace-making)! Where so many people have parochial nationalistic mindsets of us and them ... should not the Jesus-follower live with open arms to the stranger! Where the poor, hungry and sick are depersonalised into statistics ... should not the Jesus-follower actively promote greater consideration of their needs!

Despite the threat of the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego,  would not just cave-in to conventional thought, community norms or political pressure. Yet, there was no point in arguing with this angry megalomaniac king. In verse 16, Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego say to Nebuchadnezzar,    “... we have no need to present a defense to you in this matter”. Sometimes people’s irrational thinking is way too unreasonable to debate with them. No words will be found that will convince someone so opposed to the truth. And ultimately, God will have the final word anyway in his own defense. These three will simply rely upon their actions, their resolve, and their faith.

And of course they were not alone in this stand. In the midst of the heat of the furnace, there was a fourth figure. God here fulfils his ongoing promise to be with his people in the midst of their tribulation. And it was Nebuchadnezzar himself, on the basis of all he had seen and heard from these great witnesses from Israel, who was able to recognise that this was a supreme God who had been present in a remarkably saving way with his three servants. This king   saw that any possible reward or threat that existed for Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego while they lived in Babylon, was as nothing to them. Look at verse 28, and the impact this resolve had on Nebuchadnezzar!

Just note one further thing. We read in verse 25 that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego (along with the fourth figure) were “unbound”. This, despite the three references to the three men being “bound” before being thrown into the furnace, and the further references to the fire not affecting any part of their person including their clothes! Draw the conclusion that you would like about this, but I think them becoming “unbound” depicts the freedom and liberation that results from holding one’s resolve (under pressure).

So it is, that it is not the possible outcome, either good or bad, that should guide us; but rather our solid commitment to live in God’s ways no matter what ... trusting that Jesus journeys with us. It is in this way, and really I think in this way only, that we will have the impact on society God wishes we would have. It is only the fair-dinkum followers of Jesus who can change the things that we all bemoan when we watch the news. It’s only when we are serious enough about our faith to practically bear witness to it, that we can hope to restore the sort of communities we wish to live in.

These verses are all about an absolute trust in God that cannot be undermined. We can still wonder and at times feel alone (for this is what we read in the psalms). We certainly grow and change, and come to understand things better as we go along. But ultimately we should just stand with God along the journey no matter what comes across our path! Amen!

Daniel Chapter One

I've posted here a message that I have recently written having been inspired by the biblical text in Daniel chapter 1. There is some really helpful guidance here. This is actually a sermon prepared for Point Cook Community Baptist Church entitled "Standing out from the crowd". More reflections on the book of Daniel will follow. Thanks for reading, Warren.

Having lost a power struggle, the Israelites had been taken into exile in Babylon. There, King Nebuchadnezzar sought out certain distinguished young Israelites to be trained for three years to serve in the king’s palace. This was not a benevolent act by Nebuchadnezzar, but rather smart politics to try to utilise and incorporate some of the talents that he had militarily acquired. One of these recruited young men was Daniel.

Having forcibly to live in a foreign culture brings all sorts of challenges. For the person who seeks to serve God above all other, in a place where the God of the Bible is not generally known, there has to be careful thought and prayer given to how they will relate to their living environment. What personal connections will be helpful, and what situations should be avoided? As a small minority grouping, how will they cope with both the threats on the one hand and the seductions on the other. What might a person have to be critical of no matter the cost? Where will the boundaries have to be drawn? On the other side, where might God be wanting us to engage?

This is complicated even further in Daniel’s case, by his recruitment into the public service ... into the service of the King of Babylon. How could Daniel effectively serve this foreign king, while still maintaining his complete commitment to God. His decision-making dilemma is all played out in chapter one of the book of Daniel.

As a result of Daniel (and the other three young men) being recruited to service the palace, they were assigned a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine (1:5), as some sort of sign of special favour. These would be the same elaborate provisions that the king himself would enjoy.

But, we read in verse 8, that Daniel refused this daily portion of the royal food and wine on the basis that these rations would “defile” him. Then we read in verse 9, that “God allowed Daniel to receive favour and compassion from the palace master”. We are clearly supposed to see a connection between Daniel’s decision not to allow himself to be “defiled” and the subsequent favourable position that he then occupied. Certainly God will work in and around and alongside the one who makes such strong resolutions.

For me this seems to be the result of a test that we only read the last part of. Was Daniel prepared to make a stand, and dedicate himself wholly to God, and not let anything else get in the way? As the answer was ‘yes’, now Daniel had proven himself to be trusted with great responsibility. God would continue to work in Daniel’s life (and in the circumstances surrounding Daniel’s life), “allowing” or ‘facilitating’ him to receive favour and compassion from the normally hostile ruling authorities.

We are often tested – the question is how we react to that test, and how ready we are for God to take us to the next level of effectiveness in God’s Kingdom. After all, God would not want us to be given responsibility before we are ready, and then at the first hurdle make a laughing stock of God. Tests come upon us to prove our loyalty and our maturity.

Now we might think that it would have been best if Daniel did not have to serve this foreign king at all  – yet this was the political reality that Daniel just had to face up to. His nation of Israel had become weak and an easy prey for powerful Babylon. But in spite of this tragedy, there will remain for Daniel an opportunity to credibly represent the true God right within the walls of highest decision-making in Babylon.

Daniel could have sought to avoid this royal appointment and thus not been under such pressure. Yet he understood both his God-given abilities and the opportunity he had to positively impact a whole nation of people, and boldly took the tougher option. To receive “favour” and “compassion” (v.9) from otherwise hostile opponents would suggest that Daniel would be viewed in a good light, and that he would be treated with due respect, and that he could make a real impact for God.

Wise and insightful Daniel understood the depth of the opportunity that had presented itself, and would not want to blow it! So he recognised something that might “defile” him, and he wanted to resist this. He continued to resist even when pressured by the “palace master” (v.10); and also being under no illusions concerning the danger of refusing the king’s hospitality. So, what was it about the “daily portion of royal rations of food and wine” (v.5) that was so problematical to Daniel?

It has been argued that this is about Jewish dietary rules, where to be true to the faith of his forefathers, Daniel would need to stick to these, and not eat meat that wasn’t regarded ‘clean’ or prepared properly, or had been first sacrificed to idols. And this could be part of the reason. But this wouldn’t fully explain why it was particularly the “royal rations” that Daniel would refuse, as against any other food which was just as likely to infringe such cultural food regulations.

Daniel would likely stick to these traditional dietary requirements anyway (as seen by his “vegetable” diet in verse 12), but there was something else about the “royal rations” that worried him. Here are some suggestions:

1.       Solidarity

Perhaps it was the lavishness of this “royal” food and wine compared to what his own people would be having (or not having) outside the palace or back in besieged Judah – a feeling of solidarity with his less well of brothers and sisters.

Some of us have done better resources wise than others within this unjust and unequal world. Those of us who are better off than others should not flaunt their good fortune (or hold on to them too tightly), but rather find ways of making contributions to balance the scales a little more. In a way we would not want to profit from such an unjust system. The great leveller in all this, is that none of us can take anything but our character and our soul into the next life.

2.       Discontent

Perhaps it was that possible sense of doing so well, even profiting, from a situation that had begun by his own people being so rebellious to their God and thus putting themselves at risk of defeat in the first place. There could have been a sense of national regret and repentance here for the misdeeds of his people. Even if Daniel didn’t feel personally responsible, he didn’t want to feel or be seen to be profiting from such a state of affairs.

We shouldn’t ever feel too comfortable in a material sense when there so much inequality and need, and thus there is so much to do in the world in partnership with God (fulfilling the responsibilities God gave us within his acts of creation). We should actually never feel content, but rather disturbed that there are so many people living without knowing Jesus and living without purpose and hope, and in some cases living with poverty and death hanging heavily upon them.

3.       Heavenly Citizenship

Perhaps it was that Daniel didn’t ever want to be regarded (by anyone) as a real member of this royal court, as if he had completely sold out to it or allowed himself to be adopted into it. After all, the royal palace of Babylon was hardly to be regarded as a godly place, indeed quite the opposite. Daniel could perform a role there, but not ever be regarded as belonging there or beholding to it. To accept the king’s food would have been an act of total commitment and loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar. Yet, how seductive would it have been for Daniel to have accepted all the perks of the palace, thereby leaving God behind!

Certainly the king was very keen that Daniel and the other young men obeyed his every command (e.g. v.10), which would of course bring great risk of compromise to their closely held beliefs. Indeed there were big dangers in serving the palace that had been such an enemy of his native people – not just for his long-term safety, but also for the maintenance of his good character; yet, if the temptations could be resisted in maintaining humility before God, there would be great opportunities to change a whole nation. Isn’t this the dilemma that any Jesus follower faces who enters politics or political debate.

We, having encountered and been saved by Jesus, are first and foremost citizens of heaven, of God’s Kingdom, even while we remain physically living on earth. Thus we should not be seen to be so entrapped by allegiance to things of this world that lays any doubt upon this. We are really members of God’s international spiritual community. On earth, we now simply play out our God-given roles. We can be seduced by all sorts of dazzling lights and acts of earthly flattery, but it is only the light and acceptance of Jesus that really counts for anything. As Larry Richards put it, we need to have what Daniel had, i.e. “a strong sense of identity as one of God’s people”. Daniel never sacrificed his inward conviction that in body and soul he belonged to another Kingdom and not to Babylon (R S Wallace).

Now, we should also note Daniel’s good example to his three colleagues – Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, or as they became known – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These three followed Daniel in not accepting the “royal rations” and thus also shared in the blessings of standing firmly with God. Firstly each of the four men remarkably appeared in better shape on “vegetables and water” than those who partook of the “royal rations”. Secondly we read (in verse 17) that these four young men received from God a special measure of knowledge and skill.

I don’t think our growth and spiritual maturity in life comes by accident. We grow, develop and become more spiritually mature and effective, because we first make ourselves more available to God, and because we allow ourselves to be open to the transforming work of God’s Spirit. So if we are not growing, then likely we are ourselves putting things in God’s way!

What might these things be???

·         personal agendas, desires and goals

·         secret behaviours and attitudes

·         bitterness, or the lack of forgiveness and compassion.

Daniel and his three friends received from God very useful “knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom” because they had decided to guard themselves and put the things of God first. This obviously includes placing a high value on other people, and wanting to live in a way that would influence them towards knowing God personally themselves.

You might think that particular “knowledge and skill” towards “wisdom” is alright, but why “literature”. The “literature” referred to here would have broadly included material that would aid Daniel’s understanding of his new living environment, e.g. various religious beliefs, myths & legends, astrology, and handbooks on trades like glass-making. “Skill” in interpreting “literature” was obviously important in Daniel’s situation so that he could effectively relate with people from a different mind-space.

We might consider that the important lesson here is to be able to be good interpreters of our current culture, thus better discovering how we might communicate the love of God within that culture. Such “literature” can be studied without harm, as long as the eternal Word of God (the Bible) is kept as the foremost reference point. And, no one should spend more time studying any other discipline or reading material than they spend on their own spiritual and theological discipline.

Now, in verse 17, we notice one other skill that Daniel was given. We might now call this a gift of the Holy Spirit – the gift of ‘discernment’. Daniel now had special insight into other people’s visions and dreams. This would be applied with great effectiveness with King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel had shown himself trustworthy and available to God’s purposes, and now he would be used in mighty ways to bring strong witness to this God that he loved and served.

Daniel could have moaned and groaned about being taken off against his will to a foreign country and forced into the king’s service, but rather he quickly realised that this gave him an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and make a difference in other people’s lives.

The guard, and the palace master, and then the king himself, began to see something different about Daniel, that certainly needed to be reflected upon. The “guard” saw that Daniel and his three colleagues were doing better on “vegetables” than were other people on the “royal rations” (v.16); all symbolic of performing much better according to specific commitments made to God, rather than just floating along like everybody else.

We read in verse 19, that according to King Nebuchadnezzar, “... among them all, no one was found to compare with Daniel [and his three friends]; therefore they were stationed in the king’s court”. Now not many of us would like to be “stationed” in the prime minister’s office (although some might), but each of us should want to be “stationed” in the places of significance and influence of God’s choosing for us. This might be in our workplace, in our community, in our place of learning, or in our place of recreation. It will certainly be in our church community, and in our family, that we are “stationed” to share the knowledge, wisdom and giftedness we have been given.

Now there are many options in today’s society for people’s allegiances. Don’t you just hate walking around markets and shopping strips and seeing the evidence of belief systems that will cost people money, and purport to offer them hope, but actually take them nowhere. This includes the false god of materialism, but also the fortune-tellers and the tarot cards and the crystals; and also includes those religious pursuits that don’t point toward a living and personal God.

We read of Daniel, and of Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah (in verse 20), that, “In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom”. So it’s no use bemoaning all those new-age type people who seem to be getting people’s attention; it’s up to us to know and present our message better than they present theirs. No wonder then we keep highlighting the need to study God’s Word together and pray for understanding. This is how we will stand out from the crowd!!

If you read into chapter 2, you will see Daniel become the king’s ‘go to man’ when it came to interpreting his dreams; but Daniel did not use this situation to rise personally above the pack and just draw attention to himself. Rather Daniel pointed to where all his knowledge and wisdom came from – “the God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (2:28), and also showed God’s heart of compassion by praying and arguing strongly against the destruction of the failed dream interpreters.

Daniel was a true leader for all the community. It was in a constant attitude of prayer and faithfulness, that Daniel and his friends were able to make a positive difference within a very alien culture.

People of Peace

I have been thinking lately about the real people of peace that live in our local community. These are those people who very naturally want to spend time with their neighbours and be helpers of those who need a bit of a hand. I reckon these are the sort of people who Jesus refers to (in the positive sense) in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, and verse 6. These are those who will naturally be open to ideas and be ready to make a contribution.

There is here, in these opening verses to Luke 10, the possibility of a real meeting of the minds, and a connection being made between peace objectives, that might just be worth pursuing. A 'person of peace' carries God's goodwill and passes it on to others, and shows the sort of developing character that expresses the destiny that this person is worthy of. Sometimes such a person just needs a channel through which to work, and/or, just a little bit of a nudge.

Warren. God bless.

New Tarneit Church starting ...

In the near future a new church will be starting in the Tarneit area of Wyndham (west of Melbourne). This will be an initiative of the Baptist Union of Victoria. It is expected that it will have a working name of "Tarneit Baptist Neighbourhood Ministries". And the church planter will be none other than myself Warren Hodge. I am an ordained Baptist Minister, who has been, for the last seven years, pastor at Point Cook Community Baptist Church. There will be a website for this new church online soon, as well as other publicity. Warren can be contacted on 0413998825. Warren is interested in hearing from anyone who would like to participate in conversations and prayer concerning the form and activities of this new endeavour. You can also email Warren at: warrenhodge@optusnet.com.au. A prayer letter is also available on request.

"Living Heaven's life on earth" - a message based on a reading of Colossians 3:1-17

I know that it is sometimes inconvenient and annoying to hear this, but becoming a Christian (i.e. becoming a Jesus follower) requires us to allow for changes in our lives. Now notice I said “allow” for changes. I could have said ‘make’ changes, but this unbalances the dynamic for change too far our way, as if we were the only one involved. Our living God actually facilitates the necessary change as part of our ongoing relationship.

We know, and God knows, how hard it is to change; and the further we are along the journey of life, the harder any substantial change becomes. So, it is actually God who makes such change possible – our role is to “allow” for that change to happen i.e. not block it, or resist it, or oppose it. Maintaining and developing the health of our relationship with God is the path to becoming the person we were created to become.

Now we are not talking about change for change sake, or superficial meaningless change; and we’re certainly not talking about appearance management. Rather the Bible talks about significant deep-reaching change, that potentially makes a tremendous difference in our own living patterns, and, as a by-product, the living conditions of others.

Whereas our close connection to God has been broken through sin, God will be at work restoring our lost image (A G Patzia). The Jesus follower has begun a process by accepting the forgiveness offered by Jesus on the cross and being raised into new life in Jesus. The process, like symbolised in baptism, is a dying to self-interest, and a rising to a God-centred future. This involves leaving behind the things that work against God’s purposes (sometimes referred to as the things of the world), and replacing them with characteristics that are of more “heavenly” origin. It will be God’s own attributes that God will implant in us.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that we ever become distant from real everyday life on earth – it simply means we are no longer owned or controlled by the “world”. And, it is through a thorough understanding and application of the things that are “above”, that we gain a more Godly perspective and clearer discernment concerning the value of those things we encounter on earth.

I love that phrase in verse 3, “your life is hidden with Christ in God”. We still look human, we still have flesh and blood, skin and bones; and without a close inspection we may not appear any different; yet we truly belong to Jesus and have the Spirit of God residing within us. And when the light of Jesus is seen in us, shining through us, then we can be seen to be more than just skin and bone – we are indeed a child of God. Our ambitions and whole outlook are focussed on Jesus. And so we live now as we expect to live in heaven, because we already live in Christ whose home is heaven. As we have Jesus in the most central part of our lives, we are fully at home in God. And so this text is almost saying to us, ‘become who you are’!!

I don’t know what you were thinking as Colossians chapter 3 was read ... sometimes when we’ve heard all this before, such scriptures can lose some of their power and influence. But this passage highlights that, as part of our experience of being raised to new life in Christ, there are some behaviour patterns to be dropped off, and other attributes to be adopted in their place. Having received salvation, our standard on earth is actually the standard of heaven!

Accepting Jesus to avoid the penalty attached to sin is just a small part of the Christian gospel. Taking up the cause of living out the life of heaven here on earth is the largest and longest part, and also tests the sincerity of any (one-off) commitment or decision we make.

Now the things we have to deal with may not be the same as the ones listed for the Colossian church to deal with, but the principle of taking off soiled clothes and replacing them with clean ones remains. Some of us might think that we will need less new clothes than others, but in reality, when God replaces self at the centre of our life, then it might be surprising to see all of what needs to be sent off to the op shop and replaced.

We are told in verse 5 to “put to death” whatever is in us that is “earthly”. To “put to death” is to utterly eradicate, to wipe them out never to be seen again! N T Wright says that we must “cut of [the] lines of supply” when faced with serious temptation. In verse 8 the words used are “get rid of”. So this is not like trying to just paint over the rust on your car, and expecting that to work; rather it is stripping the duco right back, getting rid of all the rust particles, and working up from there.

This “putting to death” and “getting rid of” need to be decisive, with the mindset of not going back; and there is a tenseness toward urgency in this text. Also, this is not merely a promise (or type of new year’s resolution) to behave differently, but real determined action toward change now. For what is “earthly” are the things that doom a person and a society, but from which we can be set free.

Things that are termed “earthly” are those things that are opposed to God’s ways and undermine healthy life. The world’s ways of thinking and doing things can be very magnetic, and of course sometimes we are very subtly drawn in. But when such soiled clothes are thrown on the floor or, as I have learned to do from when I got married, put in the washing basket, why would you pick these dirty clothes back up and put them on, when there are clean ones available in the wardrobe.

Colossians 3 goes on to list various possibilities, that are obviously not out of the question, because they had to be mentioned to the Colossian church. There are firstly the four-fold sexual sins, which deal with not only the actual behaviour, but also the deep-seated motivations that lie behind such behaviour. Here there is unrestrained self-centredness, immorality, infidelity, disloyalty, unfaithfulness to vows that have been made, and the depreciation of the value of others – both in thought and in deed; together with the resultant contamination of character. Inclinations in this area need to be immediately “put to death”.

Then there is “greed”, which means “to crave more” or “desire what you don’t have”, which therefore could easily be associated with the sexual sins, but also seen in more broad terms. “Greed” is singled out and highlighted as idolatry because it means that certain personal desires are central in a person’s life, displacing God from that position which only God should have. “Greed” also accepts that others deserve less, that other people are only there to be used, that everything exists for personal exploitation; “greed” in fact entirely disregards the rights of others (C Vaughan). These are serious matters, for they bring the threat of self-destruction, or as G Campbell Morgan puts it, “these ... activities always react upon the soul to its own undoing”.

Then follows a list of other anti-social sins, behaviour that destroys relationships: persistent unrestrained anger that is allowed to act out in destructive ways and desire harm to come to certain people; using language that abuses others, puts others down, or spreads untruths about them, thus bringing great hurt. Our own insecurities are let loose to oppress and dominate others (turning us into bullies).

And as verse 11 seems to be pointing out, difference is never an excuse for anti-social behaviour! Obviously the Colossian church needed to be reminded that all people in God’s eyes were equal, all created in God’s image, and all people were equally being invited into God’s family. So no matter what national or cultural background, no matter how bad a person has been in the past, no matter what end of the economic scale they come from, Jesus seeks to unify them together in the new life of faith. This will likely be the diverse and complimentary community that best forms the context for living out the new life in Christ and all its positive qualities.

What is it I need to “put to death”, to be “rid of”? Will I determine to do that now, knowing that I already have God’s help in being successful? And what other help am I going to seek?

Now there is some room for some new attributes! And they are so radically different from the ones dispensed with ... they are worlds apart (N T Wright)! The former way fragmented human community, the new way enhances and integrates human community. The former way showed a preoccupation with self, the new way has the well-being of others as its prime goal (A G Patzia).

The fact that God has loved us and accepted us, makes it so natural that we would respond by being open to new levels of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience toward others. This involves a deep sensitivity to the needs and sorrows of those around us. If we refuse to be “rid of” those “earthly” behaviours, then we just lack the capacity to embrace these more “heavenly” qualities; yet in this world there is so much need for the new nature to shine through.

This list of new qualities are very relational and social – replacing the anti-social vices referred to earlier. Our relationship to God as a “chosen one”, holy and beloved, needs to be seen and expressed in the public sphere, through practical responses to those who are last, least, lame and lost (R W Wall). Wherever one looks, one sees Jesus ... in the ignored elderly person, in the wayward teenager, in the lost child, in the struggling neighbour! To be fully human is to find, in the service of God, an integration of thought and action ... of belief and behaviour (N T Wright).

The list goes on: forbearance (which takes us into the area of creatively relating with more difficult people, making some concessions); forgiveness (which takes us into the area of reconciling with people who have offended us); and love (which of course binds all good human community together). And the list also includes thankfulness, which causes us to think about the many blessings we have enjoyed, especially in comparison to so many others; the most important of these being our faith – which we have received through the opportunity of hearing and appreciating the good news of Jesus (that so many others have not yet had the benefit of hearing). We should also express gratitude to all those who help us along.

What will most appropriately replace the anger and frustration that often rages, is the “peace of Christ”. This is both the “peace” that Jesus has within his own being (and that exists within the Trinity), as well as the “peace” that Jesus is able to give us as part of our salvation experience. This “peace” settles us down, both individually and collectively, in an unwavering trust in God, that overrides any negativity that comes to us. This “peace” brings an inner harmony and addresses our daily fears. This “peace” allows for the settling of disagreements and for new forms of unified cooperation.

What new garment do I need to “clothe” myself with? Will I determine to allow God to develop this quality within me now?

Our life, our new life, then ‘breaks out’ in so many exciting ways. Verses 16 and 17 give a vision of the life of heaven being lived out on earth. The “word of Christ” or the ‘good news of Jesus’ or the ‘teachings of Jesus’ are held deep within us, are allowed to impact us often, and are on the tip of our tongue. We are able to easily dialogue with one another about God’s Word, and through this people gain important new insight. We are easily able to respond to what is happening in the world through the lens of God’s Word.

And we naturally lift our voices in heartfelt worship. Our whole life is dedicated to honouring the name of Jesus. To “do everything in the name of Jesus”, is to represent Jesus in all that we do. It also means claiming Jesus’ presence and strength in all that we do. This is a life that points toward a God of incredible grace. The ultimate life is the one through which Jesus is showing himself to the world (L O Richards).

The Colossian church were faced with certain soiled clothes to dispense with and certain styles of new clothes to wear. While certain areas were listed, more could have been said. We might have come up with our own list of old and new. But the end result of this process of ‘killing off’ the old and ‘adopting’ the new leads to the vision of verse 17 – that everything we say and do honours the name of Jesus. Wow! That’s a big ask! And sure, we won’t absolutely achieve this any day soon. But this certainly defines the journey.

Sometimes we too readily make excuses for ourselves, along the lines of our own weak humanity, or the overwhelming influence of the culture we live in; while failing to understand God’s ability to work effectively in our lives. Worse, some people think that they do not need to change anything (when surely if we look at Jesus, we could never really feel content). Sometimes we give up because we think the ‘bar’ (as in the high-jump ‘bar’) has been set way too high for us to ever reach, failing to realise that we are always going to be ‘works in progress’ and only in heaven ‘finished articles’.

On the other hand, sometimes we are trying too hard in our own limited strength to make change, and ignoring God’s availability to enact change in us if we just simply allowed that to happen. If we trust that Jesus is able to save us, then we must be able to trust that God can transform us so that we can live the life of heaven on earth. For Jesus has already won the ultimate battle over evil and invites us to access his victory dance.

This is all part of our lives properly reflecting the One in whom we believe. If our value system accepts that the central ethic in life is to love God with everything we have and to love our neighbour, then it should follow that we embrace whatever change is necessary that works towards that end. In Christ, we not only are forgiven and redeemed by God, but are also transformed into new persons, capable of knowing and doing the will of God (R W Wall). To concentrate ourselves around the character of Jesus, on that unique blend of love and strength (revealed in the gospels), is to begin on earth to reflect the very life of heaven (N T Wright).