This past Sunday being the first Sunday of Advent we focused on lectionary passages that were about the coming Kingdom of God. The sermon can be found here.
The motif of ‘surprise’ in the Matthew reading (Matthew 24:36-44) is the one that always fascinates me. Whilst telling us in no uncertain terms that the day of the Lord will come, we are cautioned not to speculate about when such an event may take place.
Rather our call is to work at the kind of things that bring the Kingdom closer. If we want to see a hope filled world then we are invited to offer some hope. If we wish to see war at an end then we are called to support initiatives towards peace. If we want to see the poor lifted up, then we are called to do some serious sharing from out of the abundance God has blessed us with.
The surprise seems to come when our small and seemingly insignificant actions are shown to have made a difference to somebody and opened a little window of hope into their lives. ‘One day’ the prophets declare “All will be well”. In the meantime do the little things that turn out to be the big things.
Prayer: Lord, in this Advent season we seek that our lives may be a source of hope for others. We dare to believe that You have all things under control and one day its all going to turn out right. But until that time help us to carry on trusting that our actions make a difference. Amen.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Living Difference
In our sermon this past Sunday we were thinking about the Sadducees and their doubts about resurrection. The sermon can be found here.
How can belief in the resurrection make a difference to our daily lives?
Belief in the Resurrection offers a fresh perspective on justice.
Many times we hear the complaint that “Life is not Fair”. There was nothing ‘fair’ or ‘just’ about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Yet God was able to turn the ultimate catastrophe into the ultimate victory through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Belief in the resurrection grants to us the hope that God can take the most unjust and desperate situations and use them for some good and eternal purpose.
Belief in the Resurrection places life into a larger framework.
If we believe our actions have an eternal significance then we are less likely to make hasty decisions or invest ourselves in activities that benefit only ourselves. We will take seriously the invitation of Jesus to find Him in the most needy of those around us. As our lives are transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit we seek to help others experience His living love.
Belief in the Resurrection offers a hopeful perspective on death.
If death is the end, then death is the ultimate catastrophe. However if death is a doorway into something greater, then death is nothing to fear. As St Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain”.
Prayer: Lord, we ask that belief in the power of Your love to overcome death may transform our lives. Help us through Your Holy Spirit to be resurrection people with ‘Hallelujah’ as our song!” Amen.
How can belief in the resurrection make a difference to our daily lives?
Belief in the Resurrection offers a fresh perspective on justice.
Many times we hear the complaint that “Life is not Fair”. There was nothing ‘fair’ or ‘just’ about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Yet God was able to turn the ultimate catastrophe into the ultimate victory through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Belief in the resurrection grants to us the hope that God can take the most unjust and desperate situations and use them for some good and eternal purpose.
Belief in the Resurrection places life into a larger framework.
If we believe our actions have an eternal significance then we are less likely to make hasty decisions or invest ourselves in activities that benefit only ourselves. We will take seriously the invitation of Jesus to find Him in the most needy of those around us. As our lives are transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit we seek to help others experience His living love.
Belief in the Resurrection offers a hopeful perspective on death.
If death is the end, then death is the ultimate catastrophe. However if death is a doorway into something greater, then death is nothing to fear. As St Paul wrote to the Philippian church, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain”.
Prayer: Lord, we ask that belief in the power of Your love to overcome death may transform our lives. Help us through Your Holy Spirit to be resurrection people with ‘Hallelujah’ as our song!” Amen.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Get out of that Tree
Zacchaeus was the little guy who climbed up the sycamore tree to see Jesus pass by. But Jesus didn’t pass by. He stopped in His tracks, looked up into the tree, called his name and told him to ‘Come down’ as He was coming to his house that day. A sermon on Zacchaeus can be found here.
Zacchaeus is a fascinating character. His name means "pure," yet the Bible tells us he was anything but. He was a chief tax collector in Jericho, the city where the walls had fallen down. Jesus was passing through the city on His way to Jerusalem. Zacchaeus was hated by the Jews not so much because he was a tax collector but because he had intimate contact with Gentiles.
Jesus told Zacchaeus to hurry down out of the tree: Jesus was going to spend the day at his house. Jesus was spending more and more time with people who were "undesirable" and He explained His reasons for associating with them; the Son of Man had come to seek and to save those who were lost.
Jesus cared about Zacchaeus just as He cared about everyone, no matter their profession. Zacchaeus was truly a changed man after he met Jesus. He repented of all the wrong things he had done. He understood what Jesus said about "turning around" and following in His ways. He promised Jesus that he would pay back the people from whom he had taken too much in taxes according to the laws of Moses -- fourfold.
Jesus told Zacchaeus that his faith had caused him to be counted among God's people. Anyone, in fact, who comes to Jesus in faith and believes in Him is saved by his or her faith. If Zacchaeus had a chance, so do we!
Prayer: Lord, it is good to know that whoever we are and whatever we have done, You still come seeking after us. You always offer us the chance to make amends and start over again. May we welcome Your love into our daily routines this week. Amen.
Zacchaeus is a fascinating character. His name means "pure," yet the Bible tells us he was anything but. He was a chief tax collector in Jericho, the city where the walls had fallen down. Jesus was passing through the city on His way to Jerusalem. Zacchaeus was hated by the Jews not so much because he was a tax collector but because he had intimate contact with Gentiles.
Jesus told Zacchaeus to hurry down out of the tree: Jesus was going to spend the day at his house. Jesus was spending more and more time with people who were "undesirable" and He explained His reasons for associating with them; the Son of Man had come to seek and to save those who were lost.
Jesus cared about Zacchaeus just as He cared about everyone, no matter their profession. Zacchaeus was truly a changed man after he met Jesus. He repented of all the wrong things he had done. He understood what Jesus said about "turning around" and following in His ways. He promised Jesus that he would pay back the people from whom he had taken too much in taxes according to the laws of Moses -- fourfold.
Jesus told Zacchaeus that his faith had caused him to be counted among God's people. Anyone, in fact, who comes to Jesus in faith and believes in Him is saved by his or her faith. If Zacchaeus had a chance, so do we!
Prayer: Lord, it is good to know that whoever we are and whatever we have done, You still come seeking after us. You always offer us the chance to make amends and start over again. May we welcome Your love into our daily routines this week. Amen.
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