Communion Reflection

I made the following reflective comments as we celebrated communion at Tarneit Community Baptist Church last night (based on a reading from Luke 22:14-23).

Jesus was completely committed to the Kingdom of God. So much so that he was going to sacrifice his life for it. For in sacrificing his life, Jesus would be saying to all those who were denying God by their anti-neighbourly behaviour, that this was just not good enough. And in sacrificing his life, Jesus would be opening up a new start and a new future to all those who would be prepared to receive God’s forgiveness. Those who are prepared to receive God’s forgiveness become participants in bringing about God’s Kingdom, that is, a clear and practical witness to the fact that God’s ways are best. This is us ... well, this can be us!

So, we are here to remind ourselves that this is who we are now ... followers of Jesus. Jesus knew well that human beings, even the best intentioned ones, are forgetful, and so instituted this ceremony so that we would often be caused to remember where our salvation, and our freedom from sin, derives from. We are to have this fixed in our mind ... our memory ‘gripped’ by Jesus’ sacrifice. We thus form a firm solidarity with Jesus in his service of humanity, and regularly reaffirm this publicly.

Jesus took the traditional Jewish Passover and transformed it with new meaning. [As an aside, the Passover had four cups of wine served, two before and two after the meal; hence Luke’s reference to an earlier cup.] The traditional Passover feast remembered that time when God preserved faithful Israelites from death in Egypt and brought them out safely toward the ‘promised land’. Now this “cup” of the “new covenant” represents what Jesus has done for all people of all times in terms of transforming their lives ... “a deliverance of the profoundest kind, from sin and death into eternal life” (M Wilcock). If we would just take up this “cup” and say ‘yes’ to Jesus, in effect saying ... ‘we accept, Jesus, what you have done for us (and for all humanity), and in taking up this “cup” we acknowledge that we are joining together with like-minded people to help bring forth God’s Kingdom ... acknowledging that this “cup” is a “cup” of sacrifice and service to others’. It is in this light that we are most thankful and completely awe-struck! This is a fresh start for tired old religion.

We take this “bread” and this “cup” together committing to a concern for those around us who God is yet reaching out to in his compassion and love.  We believe in Jesus, we have absolute faith in God (despite some of the circumstances around us), and know that God’s Spirit is gently moving.  Indeed, the resurrected Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit in whom we live in peace, hope and purpose ... and also in power, as we are prayerful and courageous in connecting with our local community. Let us remember – this is who we are ... followers of the Jesus’ way!! So let us indeed be thankful for what the broken body of Jesus means for us; then let us commit afresh to participate in the “new covenant” in [Jesus’] blood”.

Martha & Mary & the Call to Prayer (Luke 10:38-11:4)

Question

With which sister, Martha or Mary, do you generally relate to?

Busyness versus Devotion

This is one Eastern text that certainly resonates with contemporary Western life ... which is hurried, busy and often complicated. Think of your own life at times! This is also the cultural reality into which the Jesus-following church has to promote God-honouring spirituality ... and not just as an aside, but as the centre of people’s being. A bit of a task really! And in seeking to share the positive benefits of a foundational relationship with God, it will be more how we live than what we say that will make any impact. If, on the other hand, we find it difficult to model out the Jesus-following life, then we can’t complain too much about societal decline.

This provides some of the background to how Jesus responds to Martha’s frenetic activity. Whereas Martha’s heart is in the right place in trying to the best of her means to provide hospitality to Jesus and his disciples, she is missing a superb opportunity to just simply grow her relationship with Jesus. Worse, Martha tries to interrupt Mary in her efforts to do just that. Also, Martha, in drawing Jesus’ attention to the fact that she was doing all the work, shows a very rigid performance orientation to life ... that Martha probably had to grow beyond. Perhaps Martha’s labour had become too far detached from the reason for doing it.

The context of this incident helps us with understanding the meaning behind it as well. It is placed after the discipleship texts that we have looked at the last three weeks ... the need to leave everything else behind to follow Jesus on his journey of sacrificial mission, which also involves being neighbours to people outside our comfort zones. However are we going to achieve this? The answer is supplied now – by sitting (at every opportunity) at the Lord Jesus’ feet and listening to what he wants to say to us ... exactly what Mary was doing. And it is further noteworthy that passages with teaching on prayer follow on from here.

We can’t be too critical of Martha really, for, in a way, she was only doing what her culture would have demanded of her. It’s just that Mary showed a greater understanding of the need of the moment. Despite all the tasks assembled before us, in the sense of our human responsibilities, but even more so in the sense of our discipleship responsibilities, we should grab any opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn. In this way, as we stand out against the prevailing frenetically paced culture, we can offer others a vision of peace. Rather than being stressed into going into overdrive in the face of surmounting tasks, we should pause to hear from our Saviour and leader.

And anyway, Jesus is not so much critical or dismissive of Martha’s real desire to serve, but rather simply desirous that Martha would just take the time out to receive all of what God has for her. The repeated “Martha, Martha” of chapter 10 verse 41 seems to have a very compassionate tone to it. The ‘worry and distraction’ that Martha was suffering was certainly disrupting her personal relationship with Jesus ... she couldn’t even stop for a second to hear what he might want to say. Sometimes the sound volume of such ‘distractions’ is way too high to hear the ‘gentle whisperings’ of God. Any disciple of Jesus will have to embrace prayer if their service is to remain properly focussed!!! We shouldn’t let the difficulty of any challenge get in the way of hearing from the source of all light and good guidance (lest we drift right off track).

A Second Question

This passage concludes with the words of Jesus referring to Mary’s devotion – “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her”. What do you think Jesus meant by that??? What Mary had done was of eternal worth, and the benefit she gained could never be taken away from her (and thus hold Mary in very good stead). Mary would have likely got busy later serving the pavlova for dessert, but in the present she chose well. I reckon Martha herself may have learnt her lesson and delayed doing the dishes until after a good time had been spent at Jesus’ feet (that of course represents the great place of learning).

The Community at Prayer

So it is appropriate that Luke now includes the model prayer that Jesus taught. This is a briefer version than the one included in Matthew 6, but includes all the same major points. If we pray like this, and in turn, live according to this prayer, then we will undoubtedly grow our relationship with God. I say “we”, because all the pronouns in this prayer are plural (and thus collective) ... “us”, “our”, “us”, “our”, “we”, “us”, “us”; and even “When you pray” is “you” plural ... meaning “When you all pray ...”!

This model prayer is no doubt helpful in private prayer, but it certainly forms the basis for the church’s collective praying. If we tease out some of its meaning, and know precisely what we are saying, it can also be prayed as is, as a profound statement of our relationship to both God and the world around us. Our goals become truly shared goals as together we submit to praying in accordance with this great prayer. God is readily available and wants to hear us say:

“Father, hallowed be your name” – we want God to be honoured in every way. What we know of God from the Bible and the life of Jesus, all of God’s character that goes to making up his “name” – we want that to be respected and responded positively to. In this, we will need to be part of the answer to our prayer (in the way in which we conduct ourselves as God’s representatives). God deserves to be honoured for all of his creativity, generosity and love. Where people doubt God’s fairness, they need to look more at humanity’s misuse of God’s plentiful resources. There is also a sense of intimacy with our “Abba” (God) here, as we draw close and pray the words that follow.

“Your kingdom come” – we want a full measure of God’s grace to take effect around us, and for God’s priorities to increasingly become our priorities and the priorities of others. This is so the lost can be found, and the poor in spirit can be enriched; so the blind can see, and the oppressed can find freedom. As DL Bock puts it, “the disciple desires that the creation be restored to its fullness and that sin, injustice and chaos be banished”. We would certainly want this for our region. And again we will certainly be part of a positive response to  this prayer, as we reach out in service and mission. God’s kingdom comes in part each time people align themselves with God’s ways.

“Give us each day our daily bread” – we want to express our trust in God’s availability to provide for all our real needs precisely when we need them to be met. This may not always align with what we humanly think is needed, but it will always align with God’s best intentions for us. This is a constant prayer, that day in and day out, our basic necessities (represented by that most basic of needs ... bread) will be met by God’s ongoing presence and provision. This is a statement that confirms our natural dependence upon God for survival. We should not look to gain tomorrow’s resources and beyond before they are needed, thereby getting ahead of ourselves and becoming forgetful about God; but rather stay in the mindset of constant trust.

 “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves [have forgiven] everyone indebted to us” – we would not be arrogant enough to expect God to forgive us when we are unforgiving toward others; rather, having followed the pattern of Jesus from the cross in forgiving all those who put him there, we have been willing to forgive those who have offended us. In this way we have confirmed God’s grace working in us and thereby receive the ongoing gift of forgiveness (from God). In this way we are also humbly acknowledging our weakness and the need to change our own ways (“repent”), so that forgiveness reaps (transformative) results. The one who is unforgiving and/or unrepentant breaks, or at least diminishes, their relationship with God.

“And do not bring us to the time of trial” – we know that life is full of complexity, challenges, difficulties and temptations, and we know that we can learn lots through enduring many setbacks, and exhibit our developing faith, but this is a prayer seeking God’s ultimate protection over our lives ... that when we fall down we will be able to get up. This confirms in our mind that God will not let us be tested beyond what we can handle ... God will be absolutely faithful to us (even though we often fall short). We will discover this to be true over and over again as we sit at Jesus’ feet.

The "Good Samaritan" revisited - Neighbourliness across Boundaries (Luke 10:25-37)

Jesus had been saying and doing some radical things. And so a clever lawyer thought that he would see if he could trip Jesus up. He would ask Jesus a question and see how far Jesus would drift from orthodoxy. Seeing this coming, Jesus rightly asked the lawyer himself what he thought ... what he thought was the way to eternal life ... what has already been written about this?

And thus Jesus drew out of this lawyer the long held wisdom about the secret of living the way God would have us live – “... love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and [love] your neighbour as yourself”. The lawyer was spot on with his answer. But there was a bigger point being made here by Jesus. You could have all the theological theories you like, but where the rubber really hits the road is aligning our daily behaviour with what we claim to be true – “Do this, and you will live”!

This “love God with everything” and “love your neighbour” were concepts that went right back to Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5, and had obviously already been combined in people’s thinking given the answer of the lawyer. They were quoted separately by Jesus in Mark’s gospel (chapter 12) as the first and second most important commandments, but then were referred to by Jesus quite inseparably as the greatest commandment, well above anything else.

Loving God and loving our neighbour as a joint life orientation is the path to a purposeful, satisfying and God-honouring life now ... that leads toward eternal security. We know that we are saved by God’s grace, but it will be how we act toward others that will prove the reality of our reception of that grace! You might be able to love your neighbour without loving God (which seems to be the story for many passionate and hard-working human aid workers), but you cannot truly love God without loving your neighbours.

It is in Luke’s Gospel that the implications of this “love God, love your neighbour” combination is most dramatically described. Clearly you cannot possibly love God properly or adequately, if you fail to love your neighbour! The lawyer would be agreeing with Jesus up to this point, but it would now depend on a matter of definition – “who [exactly] is my neighbour”? Surely not some of these people this Jesus has been hanging out with (tax collectors – who were seen as traitors, prostitutes, lepers and Samaritans)! So Jesus told a story, probably the most famous parable of all, which not only broadens the definition of “neighbour” as far as you can go, but also casts the ‘ideal neighbour’ as someone normally seen as an enemy.

What do you think it means in practice to “love your neighbour as yourself”?

·        We desire for others what we would desire for ourselves

·        We would not want others to miss out on what we have

·        We would not want bad things to happen to others

·        We would not think of ourselves more highly than we think of others

·        We are prepared to see others as just as deserving as we are

·        We would consider others just as positively as we consider ourselves.

James 2:8-9 says, “You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture [referring to Lev 19:18], ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’. But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (NRSV)

But there must be limits to this concept of loving one’s neighbour mustn’t there? “There just must be”, thinks this lawyer standing before Jesus. He wants to limit his responsibility here. He wants to “justify himself” (v.29) and probably limit neighbourliness in comfortable terms – pretty close to home and certainly within his own racial grouping. So, in the hope of drawing out some ‘exceptions to the rule’, this lawyer asks for clarification ... “And who is my neighbour”? This is crucial, so we hold our breath for Jesus’ answer!

Jesus starts his story around the well-known possibility of someone being mugged and robbed on the dangerous road between Jerusalem and Jericho. The listener, whether it be the “lawyer” or us, is faced with their reaction to a stripped and beaten man left to die on the side of the road.

Now a “priest” happened to come upon this scene, and we would naturally think that he would help. But alas, the “priest” tried to pretend that he hadn’t seen anything (thus avoid all responsibility) by crossing to the other side of the road and keep moving. There is a sense of shock and dismay at the priest’s actions (and non-actions). Why would he do this?

·        Maybe he thought the robbers were still around hiding somewhere

·        Maybe he thought that this guy might be a decoy, and he himself would be robbed – he may have been watching too much “Today Tonight” and letting (irrational) fear get the better of him

·        Maybe he had thoughts that this guy might only be a ‘gentile’, so it would not be his problem – now we’re getting into the area of one’s mindset

·        Maybe he worried that if he touched someone who may be already dead, that he would be deemed ‘ritually unclean’ and then would not be able to do his job – personal agendas and insecurities thereby revealed.

Next along was a “Levite”, who behaved in exactly the same way as the “priest”. This was understandable in that a “Levite” fulfilled the role of a priest’s assistant, and therefore would have simply followed either what the “priest” just did or what the “priest” generally taught.

But should the listener, whether it be the “lawyer” or us, easily accept that someone is just following a bad example (even though in ways it might be viewed as culturally acceptable or normal). Shouldn’t we always rise to the greater ideal?!? Someone has to break the pattern of bad inter-social behaviour! Can boundaries between insiders and outsiders be bridged? Who will break the cycle of self-interest? Doesn’t knowing Jesus mean that we rise above personal and political agendas! And, isn’t any human fear negated by the powerful presence of God’s Spirit in our lives!

Despite some of the real dangers mentioned earlier, I don’t think Jesus offers any ‘get-out-clause’ (for the “priest” or the “Levite”) in this parable, because the hero of the story did not concern himself with such possibilities. There   was an obvious need that the “good Samaritan” responded to naturally, immediately, wholeheartedly and sacrificially. The others were plainly negligent.

Now, as Jesus continued with the story, the listeners of the day were in for a shock. Animosity and hatred between Jews and Samaritans went way back – it was deep and mutual. The Samaritan people were the result of inter-marriage with non-Israelite peoples eight centuries earlier; and there were also strong disputes between these groups about where God should be worshipped. It would be a challenging enough parable if a Jew was seen helping a Samaritan victim, but a Samaritan hero helping a Jew like this was something way outside the box!

This parable does beg the question as to how we think about other ethnic groups, and then whether we treat them properly as our neighbours!

This Samaritan was “moved with pity”, and far from crossing to the other side, “went to [the injured man]”, and took whatever time was needed to address his needs. The Samaritan likely tore up parts of his own clothing to create bandages, used perhaps expensive oil and wine (bought for other purposes) to treat the man’s pain and wounds; then took a detour to the local inn, walking beside his own donkey, staying over a night, paying for the injured man’s accommodation, and committing himself to returning and paying the cost of any further care required. To be “moved with pity” like this, something that is often said about Jesus in the Gospels, is to actually feel this Jesus-like compassion toward needy others. This means to be ‘moved to the very depths of our being’ – to be ‘gutted’ by what we see.

The amazed “lawyer” before Jesus, had no choice but to acknowledge that this Samaritan had been the good neighbour to the injured man. Yet notice he still had a way to go, because he could not get the word “Samaritan” out of his mouth ... only saying “the one who showed him mercy”.

Jesus’ use of the Samaritan as the ideal neighbour effectively removes any limits placed on the identity of our neighbour – breaking through geography, race, culture, religion, as well as old hostilities and grievances.

Who are some of our neighbours that we should be loving?

·        People who have been oppressed and displaced from their original lands and are seeking a new home

·        People who feel like they are outsiders due to a variety of life issues, e.g. poverty, unemployment, homelessness, disability, mental illness, depression, loneliness.

A fine short article - "Remembering Our Primary Social Responsibility"

I was today going through some articles that I had filed away in preparation for my "Good Samaritan" sermon this week, and I rediscovered these fine guiding words from Ian Packer (written in July 2010):

With the emergence of a post-Christendom society, many Christians continue to be vexed about what might be a proper response to the waning of Christian influence in society.

In some form or another, most Australian Christians realise that their ethical and political convictions should bear the marks of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The rediscovery by many Christians that the gospel is indeed ‘public truth’ has led some to assume that the primary means of Christian social influence is to grasp at the ‘levers of power’ in order to press home any residual Christendom advantage we might have before we are lost in some feared flood of secular and/or multi-religious voices.

Yet fears—real or imagined—while being impressive short-term motivators (as politicians show us especially at election time) are unworthy of those who dare to make the claim that the crucified Jesus is the risen, ascended Lord. While Christians should not sit idly in the midst of problematic social change and ethical challenges, there is something disturbing about the moral panic that is trumpeted by some Christians as though the redemption of the world was all up to them. There is something faithless and impatient about all of this.

Christians are indeed sent into the world to make a difference but the means by which that difference is sought are just as important as the ends. The attempt to guarantee security for the church’s voice through the machinations of legal and political apparatus may well be overlooking the depth of challenge that the death and resurrection of Jesus makes to our settled view of things. Our baptism into this death and resurrection does not remove us from the world but neither does it send us back with a sense of superiority and urge to rule and direct the lives of others in the name of the ‘word of God’. Those who would be ‘reigning with Christ’ are sent back into a world with a whole new ethos exemplifying what it means to live in the world that God in Christ really has reconciled to himself. That is a task to be lived out at cost to ourselves at every level of life.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that

“the church must share in the secular problems of ordinary human life, not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell [men and women] of every calling what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others… It must not underestimate the importance of human example… it is not abstract argument, but example, that gives its word emphasis and power.” (Letters and Papers in Prison, pp. 382-3)

Such a life must be lived in the manner of the One we follow: not trusting finally in the securities of state, law, or social kudos, but in the God who raises from the dead and whose kingdom will indeed come on earth as it is in heaven.

By Ian Packer, Assistant Director, Ethos (July 2010) 

"Being a Disciple" - Sunday Message 5 Feb (Luke 9:57-10:12)

Previously

Jesus “set his face to Jerusalem”. The question is ... who would go with Jesus? There were certain people who were attracted to Jesus who thought that it would be easy to follow Jesus, and that they could do so at their own convenience. So, Jesus put some significant challenges to them (9:57-62). This was not to send them away, nor scare them off, but rather to point out the seriousness of such a commitment, and that they needed to be fully focussed if they were going to be able to stay on the Jesus journey.

Question

What does it mean to be a disciple? To be under the discipline (or teaching) of; to emulate or imitate; to carry on the work of.

The Cost of Discipleship

Jesus was itinerant, without any particular place to call home, and constantly on the move. Even foxes and birds had more settled living arrangements than Jesus did. Jesus’ task was large, and he had a history of getting his disciples to do things that were way out of their comfort zones. For instance, Jesus was asking fishermen, a former tax collector, and such like, to become roving missionaries into friendless places.

Jesus actually sensed someone who had the potential and qualities of a disciple in verse 59. Jesus picked this person out of the crowd, eye-balled him, and said “Follow me”. Jesus would have hoped that this person would have left everything behind and followed like the fishermen and the tax collector had already done, but not so. This one wanted to attend to the funeral of his father first. Whereas this might sound reasonable at first, it misses the whole urgency and importance of what Jesus was doing. Some commentators suggest that this excuse refers to wanting to see out the final years of his father’s life before becoming more free to follow Jesus, which suggests an even greater delay.

Following Jesus is never a matter of our convenience or when we’re ready, it must start now (once we sense the call or receive the invitation). The controversial and tough saying of Jesus, “Let the dead bury their own dead”, suggests that such a task should be left for others who are not so inclined to put their priority on proclaiming the Kingdom of God; as if to say, let the spiritual “dead” bury the physical “dead”, while the spiritually alive promote the cause of Jesus. While this doesn’t mean we neglect our natural responsibilities, it does bring certain priorities into focus.

As we read on to a third would-be-follower, we see even that saying farewell to those left behind at home meets with objections from Jesus? Was this due to the delay or the potential distraction or the possible second-guessing involved? One commentator suggests that what is meant is that this person wants to seek permission from his family before following Jesus. At any rate it seems that there is some level of reluctance to be decisive here. To be so inclined risks losing the positive and life-giving impulse of the moment. Jesus says, “Just follow me”!

There is no time to look longingly back to warm experiences in the past. Or, given how Jesus replies in verse 62, is it more about the associations and baggage of the past being allowed to limit the future. To take on the task of ploughing a field without one’s full attention being ahead on the job at hand is not going to work out well. To try to do this while taking cues from a wide variety of people will quickly go wrong – a singular focus on Jesus is required.

The point being made here, is that you can recite the best excuse imaginable (and these last two excuses weren’t too bad), but it still won’t cut it! Nothing is as urgent as ‘proclaiming the Kingdom of God’. For discipleship is not a part-time extra job or a bit of a hobby carried out when other preferred activities are complete, but rather the over-riding context in which a life is lived. To follow Jesus involves a “radical transfer of loyalty” (Walter W Wessel).

If we say that a person can come to Jesus and be forgiven and then just live in freedom ... I think we’ve left a whole lot out and have not fairly represented the biblical truth (nor been fair to the person themselves). The “great commission” given by Jesus was about making disciples, not simply adding numbers.

Another interesting definition of a disciple is: ‘one who not only welcomes Jesus, but also embodies Jesus’ commitments and practices in one’s own life’ (Joel B. Green in “NISB”, 2003). All other considerations or interests in life should fall into line with this priority. Did the second and third of these would-be-followers (in our passage) really seriously consider following Jesus, or were they only interested if they could control the agenda themselves (as seen by their delaying tactics)?

The Work of Discipleship

There was by now seventy or seventy-two people who were committed enough to the task of discipleship, for Jesus to be able to send them out on mission. Seventy odd would never be enough for a harvest-field so large, so two things would have to happen concurrently:

(i)               They would have to pray for others to join them; and

(ii)              They would have to go out anyway and make a start, greeting people and connecting with people, sharing the good news with them – allowing God to add them to their number. This would be a case of participating in the answer to their own prayers.

These seventy odd disciples went as representatives of Jesus – this would need to be uppermost in their minds. And this would mean at least two things:

(i)               We learn as much as we can about the person we are representing ... Jesus’ character, attitudes, priorities, teachings; Jesus’ gifts of grace, love, compassion and forgiveness. It is the light of Jesus himself that we should seek to have shining through us, bringing with it an offer of peace and hope.

(ii)              And, we put aside some [maybe all?] of our own issues, so that they don’t get in our (or God’s) way. God certainly can use us just as we are, and all our experiences in life (both positive and negative) will be valuable to us as we connect with others – just sometimes unresolved (often self-focussed) matters can be disruptive to God’s plans. Ultimately we may need specific prayer, good guidance and even healing, to get past some stuff that holds us back. Here I am referring to various pieces of baggage, like:

(a)  past hurts, even bitterness

(b) preconceived notions about certain people,

(c)  our desire for security,

(d) theological issues that we are more concerned about than even God is – we are not asking people to buy into a list of beliefs, but rather to embrace a faith-based relationship with Jesus!

Desperate Need

We go on to read about the towns where the disciples of Jesus have not been welcomed and that they can justifiably wipe the dust of any such town off their feet (and go other places) – that living circumstances may become intolerable in such towns. In fact (in 10:13), we read, “Woe to you Chorazin”, which is often seen as a strong negative judgement or even a ‘curse’ on such a place. However, there is another way of looking at this.

This is really, in my view, a statement of present and future reality that should make us shudder with regret. This will be how individuals and communities are left bereft through rejecting Jesus. “Woe to you” means “How sad it is” ... that you have imperilled yourselves like this! This reminds us of the desperate situations people live in without Jesus. There is urgency on Jesus’ breath here!!

Happily, with the right mindset, and a never-say-die attitude, situations like this can change. Look at the results from this ‘two-by-two’ mission (10:17-18). So despite rejection, we keep praying and going. Often people reject the Gospel for reasons not of their own making.