Send out the disciples

There was a group of people who wanted to establish a new Surf Life Savers Club on a new beach:

• Between them they gathered enough funds for a building.
• Turned up weekly to go inside and practice
• Marching in straight lines,
• Overhead line pass
• Brought in specialists. Famous names.
• Taught the theory of swimmingSwimming while holding another afloat
• Talking calmly to others to let them know that the shoreline isn’t too far away.

Months of training. Years of training. Yet they didn’t enter the water once, and people kept drowning. 

In the reading today we hear Jesus equipping and sending out his disciples:

Mark 6:6-8  Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts

Jesus’ instructions seem to be an odd way to equip your followers. No food (not even a lunchbox) no bag, no money. But he did equip them with spiritual power. The authority over demons was the main tool needed for this journey. The rest is not a concern right now. It will be provided when the time comes. Have faith. The point is to go. Right now. 2 by 2.

And they should have had faith. By this time they had been with Jesus for about a year. They had seen him start off his ministry and drive out impure spirits, then go on to heal the sick, then those with Leprosy, even the paralysed. They had front row seats to see Jesus exercising his authority.

So did they Go? Yes, yes they did.

Mark 6:12-13 They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

That authority was real and evident in them.

So what about us disciples gathered here in the present. Do we feel trained and ready? Do we feel confident to step outside in faith? Or are we more like the surf life saving club afraid of the water?

If these services each Sunday were training sessions, how many would you need to feel ready? Here’s an experiment. Close your eyes and think how many years you have been a Christian. A rough guess is fine. Now half that number (divide by 2), then multiply by 100. That’s roughly how many hours spent in church.

Not only that we have the bible with us. An instruction book that even tells us how it’s going end.

Yet sometimes it feels like we’re strangely inadequate (myself included), unable to head out in faith, to seek and save the lost.

There was a period where the disciples from Mark’s gospel faltered. They watched their source of power be falsely accused, be stripped and humiliated, and laid bare on the cross. They ran away, their faith all but gone.

But Jesus wasn’t done with them, and he’s not done with us. Rising again Jesus not only claimed authority over death, but authority over everything. When ascending up to heaven he repeated the sending out:

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Actions speak louder than words

This is a sermon based on Matthew 21:23-32 :

The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 25 John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”
They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”
27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 

The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

2 Kids

When the father asks his 2 sons to help out, one says he will do it and then doesn’t, the other son says he won’t do it, then eventually turns around and does it. Who did what the father wanted?

When Jesus posed this question to the religious leaders, they answered by choosing the son who eventually turns around and helps out. Do you agree?

I’m sure the parents among us see this as a simple yes. From the Father’s perspective there is work to be done, and at the end of the day, no matter what was said, the work just has to be done. If not by the sons then, most likely, by the Father.

It’s disappointing to hear your son whinge and whine about doing what was asked, but it’s even more disappointing to be told it’s all under control and find out later on that nothing got done.

Actions speak louder than words.

Hypocrites

There is a name for people who say they are going to do something and then don’t. Anyone know? Hypocrites (Politicians?)

The word “hypocrite” was originally used to describe a greek actor about 400 years before Jesus. These actors would literally have a mask on to display the type of person they were portraying and their mood. This is a happy scene? Wait a minute and I’ll just go get my happy mask. From there the word branched out to cover people that hid behind a figurative mask; people looking happy even when they were sad, people saying one thing and doing another, people hiding their true intentions.

As an aside: Politics? Demosthenes, a respected politician in Athens ridiculed Aeschines because he used to be an actor. An untrustworthy man used to hiding behind a mask. A hypocrite. They have no place in such a respected profession...

Jesus had branded the Pharisees as hypocrites several times, but they weren’t alone. Earlier on in the chapter, Matthew writes about Jesus entering the temple. What appears from the outside to be a magnificent structure and the spiritual centre of the Jewish religion had been infested with moneymakers. A den of robbers. After that Jesus came across a fig tree. All leafy and green on the outside, but no fruit at all! What good is it!?

Now the Jewish leaders and elders come to Jesus to ask about his authority, but Jesus has a question back: where did John’s baptism come from?

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’, But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." 

So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Both answers show that deep inside, they really just wanted to maintain their OWN authority in the sight of others. They don’t want to be ridiculed and are more interested in saving face than actually seeking the answers they asked for. An outward appearance of seeking God, while an inward selfish preservation of the status quo.

Repenters

So what of the second son, the one who said no, but later went and helped? Isn’t that hypocrisy too?

It’s interesting to read that something happened between the second son’s response and his action:

29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

The son quite possibly had every intention of not helping, but something changed his mind. He dropped his selfish ways and turned back to the request of the Father.

Jesus drives home the parable:

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.

John the Baptist was preaching about repentance, which, in the original greek, can also mean a “changing of the mind”. Those that started out disobeying the will of the Heavenly Father, the crooks and whores, were the ones that changed their minds. They were the ones that went. They were the ones that started to do the will of the Father, They were the ones bearing fruit.

Of the 2 sons, the hypocrite and the repenter, which one are you? I’ve been a Christian all my life, I’m now an Elder. Like it or not, I identify more with the religious leaders in this story than the lost-and-now-saved. Am I a hypocrite? Do I say one thing and do another? Sadly, sometimes the answer is yes ...

The real hypocrisy - not seeing the need to repent.

32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

Our heavenly Father had offered John’s message to the Jews, yet those most entwined in the Law failed to act. They believed their words and actions kept them in high regard, yet ALL fail to meet the perfection required. There was only one whose actions carried out the will of the Father perfectly, Jesus.

Even from an early age the bible says Jesus had a thirst for God’s Word. We hear that he stayed in the temple soaking up the Jewish teachings, discussing and debating with the religious teachers of the time. He prayed to His Father, especially before big events, to keep the lines of communication open.

Jesus loved others. He wasn’t afraid of how it looked to eat with tax collectors and sinners, he saw the need in others and acted. Even to the end, in the garden Jesus prayed “Let not my will but Your will be done”. Loving us enough to lay down his life.

Jesus message echoed John’s. Repent and believe. All have sinned and all need saving. I have come to seek and save the lost. Through my sacrifice you can be made whole with the Father. Through my sacrifice you can walk with him in the garden again. Turn from you ways and remain with the Father. Change your mind to be in tune with the Father. Don’t just say you’ll love other, actually love others!

Father, change our minds so that we are always listening for your call.
Father, change our minds so that we have the courage to answer “Yes, you can count on me”
Father, change our minds so that we do what you ask.
May our actions speak louder than words. 

Christ be our Light

New year’s eve
Fireworks
Lighting up the sky, lighting up the beach, Lighting up people’s faces.

Odd waiting on the beach, in the dark, sitting and, well, waiting.

We don’t really live much in the dark nowadays do we? At home the lights are on almost all the time. I remember a time when there used to be blackouts fairly regularly, and we’d have a stash of candles and torches to light up the critical areas of the house. We had a blackout recently and it took us a while to even find where the torches were. We’re so used to the light just being there.

If you lived in a major city it’s even worse.
Jimboomba
Hills International school.
Japanese students going camping and being scared.

Light taken for granted?

In Jesus’s time light wasn’t taken for granted. Light was precious and having light allowed a huge advantage for extending the useful hours of a day. Candles were not invented until about 400AD, but Jews had oil lamps. These were covered clay bowls to hold the oil, a hole to fill the oil and a hole for the wick to protrude out to sustain a long burn. Lamps were quite common and most houses would have at least one, but oil is moderately expensive especially clean burning olive oil. The lamps also needed to be continually topped up, so you couldn’t ignore them.

The Jews also saw light from a lamp as a symbol for “lighting” the path of righteousness, giving clear guidance to the wise. It was an important item in Jewish ceremony too, so Jews of the time would see references to the light quite seriously.

Into this mix, John writes his opening sentences that we heard in our bible readings:

4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Even with the importance of physical light in their lives, these words would have leapt out of the page as a spiritual light, keeping out spiritual darkness. We may have abundant physical light ourselves, but we, too, have the same yearning for a spiritual light.

Sometimes our lives are spiritually dark. We can become spiritually dark either by being pulled away from the light by external pressures, or us covering ourselves up.
External darkness is anything which wants to pull you away from the Light.

That voice which says that life is short so you might as well get for yourself what you can while you can at anyone else’s expense - that’s darkness.

That pressure that comes on you because of what everyone else is doing, how everyone else is living. When you set your standards by what others say and do, regardless of what that is - that’s a darkness wanting to envelope you.

When there’s a downgrading of the importance of God or things associated with God – that’s darkness.

When your lines of distinction between what is good and helpful and character building and what is bad and useless and degrading – when those lines become blurred, then there’s a darkness taking hold.

And it can be subtle. It can be a subtle shift in the way you think, a broadening of your tolerance of what previously you disdained. It can be subtle in the way that slowly, bit by bit, God becomes replaced in your life: replaced with success, replaced with the need to be accepted, replaced with busyness, with material things, replaced with relationships.

And there’s an inner darkness and often that comes as a result of the external kind..

That growing emptiness inside, that loss of purpose, that sense of unfulfillment, when each day becomes just a grind.

It can come to us in the form of loneliness which we try to suppress, but it keeps on raising its ugly head.
It can be frustration: it grows in us and leads us to fly off the handle unreasonably and hurt others in the process.
It can be an anger in us: something unresolved, unforgiven, and it eats away at us, bit by bit, and as each day passes a little bit more light is extinguished and the darkness thickens.

I think that that kind of darkness most of us can identify with to some degree or another. Most of us have felt that sometime. Some of us may feel that right now. It’s not a pleasant thing. Once we recognise it we long for something to lighten the picture.

It’s for this that Jesus is being called the light of the world. A spiritual beacon to light up the way ahead. That’s what lights do best, show the way ahead.

Most nights I’m the last one to bed, and I go through a physically dark experience. I turn off the light on one side of the room and have to navigate, usually with my arms outstretched, through the living room to my bed. There’s some twists and turns and sometimes toys to stand on and it’s all a little unnerving. Sometimes I remember my phone and use it as a light and the difference is huge. I can walk quickly, not hunched over, no longer in fear of what might be in front of me next. It gives clarity to all those half shapes and blobs I think I see.

Jesus is saying “Let me be your spiritual light”. Let me guide you out of the darkness.

When we’re out in the blackness seeking things of this world, or tied up in busyness, Jesus comes to provide light to the pitfalls ahead. Please! Turn around! Look out ahead! These are distractions!

When we’re faced with more and more godlessness, Jesus comes to shine light on the issues. Follow my examples! Live like me! Heed my words!

When we’re down on ourselves, when we become aware of our failures, when we are frustrated with our mistakes, we don’t have to dwell on them, We don’t have to keep being turned in on ourselves. Jesus says come to me! Lay your burdens at MY feet and stand in light, unashamed and unafraid for you are forgiven.

When we do live in the light, When we turn our faces toward Jesus, something wonderful also happens. We light up. We can be a beacon to others! But it’s not our light, we’re just reflecting the light provided by Christ. Like the fireworks, we can see the faces of people if we look around, but they are merely reflecting the light and direction of the real source of light. Jesus says that through us, we can reflect his light out so that others may find their way out of the darkness, and also know the direction of the True Light.

We are to be like John in our readings:

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John.7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 

 

I hope and pray that Jesus is also like a firework to you. A light bringing exploding joy and happiness.

Inspiration

Affluenza

Lets play a game. Try to guess what country I’m thinking of.

I’ll give you a couple of hints, but it can be any country, so feel free to change your choice to another country if you think it will fit better.

 This country is in peace.

 This country has been in peace for a while, actually, and a whole generation hasn't experienced a full scale war.

 This country has lots of natural resources.

 This country has become prosperous by trading natural resources to other countries. Very prosperous.

 This country is prosperous enough that almost everybody is well off. They have somewhere to live, as much food as they want and enough money to buy something luxurious every now and then. Some are so rich that they can buy almost anything they want, especially those trading off natural resources.

 There are some in this country that aren't so rich, but there are so many opportunities that it’s really their own fault for not being able to carve out their share of this wonderful land. I guess you might say that they are bums, hangers on, dole bludgers.

 This country is a wonderful place to live. There’s parties on all the time and those with money really know how to spend it.

 Others wouldn’t mind living here too, but you don’t know what they might do when they get here. They might be dole bludgers too? It’s probably for the best to keep this country strong and make it hard for others to get in.

 In this country religion probably isn't as strong as it used to be. There doesn't seem to be as many people worshiping as there used to be, but nobody seems to really mind what with all the money and expensive things to get.

 There are obviously many religions in this country. What with all the people coming and going it’s a bit much to tell them who they should worship. They might stop trading with us?


 Ok, Hands up those who are guessing Israel?

 We didn’t read the Old Testament reading today, but if we did it might have been a bit more of a giveaway. Israel is in a period of great prosperity and wealth under the rule of King Jeroboam II. Israelites are highly affluent and the envy of close nations.

Into this mix, the prophet Amos comes in with a message from God, but it isn’t a good one for the Israelites: Here’s the Old Testament read from “The Message”

 1-2 Woe to you who think you live on easy street in Zion, who think Mount Samaria is the good life.
You assume you’re at the top of the heap, voted the number-one best place to live.
Woe to those who live in luxury and expect everyone else to serve them!
Woe to those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others!
Woe to the playboys, the playgirls, who think life is a party held just for them!
Woe to those addicted to feeling good—life without pain!
those obsessed with looking good—life without wrinkles!
They could not care less about their country going to ruin.
7 But here’s what’s really coming: a forced march into exile.
They’ll leave the country whining, a rag-tag bunch of good-for-nothings. 

 Come on Amos, surely it’s not that bad?
 Unfortunately it was that bad. In a few short years, Israel is attacked and they are all marched off into exile. All that money and wealth stripped bare. Nothing.

 We, too, could have played the guessing game with Australia in mind. How would we react if Amos appeared in our midst? Woe to us who live in luxury. All your building up of wealth. Where will it be when you die?

 Both the Israelites, and likely us too, are suffering from a deadly disease that is running rampant:
Affluenza, an influenza of affluence. The relentless pursuit of collecting stuff.
Once you have some stuff, rather than being happy, you desire even more stuff. Like a classic addiction, pursuing allfuence leads only more pursuit of affluence.
It spreads easily too. All you have to do is boast about your level of affluence to pass the disease on.

 Most people are infected with this insidious disease and are completely unaware that it threatens to destroy their eternal future. And saddest of all, most people do not even care. Whilst many are aware of the problem, they think that it is not going to hurt them or their families.

 Here today God is warning us of this danger and pleading for us to be alert, so that this problem does not destroy us. Through each of the readings today, God is seeking to make us aware of the dangers that are ever associated with this affluence - serious dangers.

 “Watch out!” he says, “these are distractions!”. “What good is there if you gain these riches, but lose out on the the gift of salvation and eternal life I am offering? What if you gained the whole world? It’s still nothing compared to this wonderful free gift placed before you.” I came down and died for you, and you’re playing with these baubles in the sand??”

 How are we to fight off this penchant for collecting stuff? It’s natural for us to do, and our bodies crave earthly desires too.

“Change my heart oh God Make it ever true,
Change my heart oh God, may I be like you”

With your eyes I can see the needs in others. With your hands I can be extravagantly generous With your voice I can spread the good news

Mould me and make me, this is what I pray.

Won’t you come home?

Won’t you come home?

Luke 9:51-62

Camping

 - Looking forward to adventure

 - Some things don’t make it in

   o  No TV

   o No Computers

   o No air conditioning

   o   No warm showers

   o   No comfortable & familiar beds

 - Turning for home

   o   Good to be home

In the gospel reading today, Jesus turns resolutely for home, For Jerusalem

 - Up to this point his journey has been rather exciting. He’s been baptised, he’s called his disciples, he’s healed the sick, cured the blind, had a mountain-top experience with his Father, Moses and Elijah, fed the 5000, told lots of parables, and, as we heard last week, driving out demons. But now it’s time to turn home.

 - This isn’t going to be an easy road home. Jesus knows what is to come and Jerusalem is going to be a different place. There won’t be comfortable sofa to flop into, but a hard wooden cross. There won’t be friends and family to welcome you back, but a crowd full of hate, wanting him dead. Still, Jesus turns resolutely and heads back.

When he started toward Jerusalem, people had mixed reactions to his journey. Some were eager to join in, others refusing to listen, others happy to tag along on their own terms.  Jesus has no time for any of them and cuts to the bone.

Some people were all too eager to follow him. There had been wild sensation about this new teacher who drew large crowds and performed miracles? Could he be the messiah? We hear of one man stating that he would follow Jesus wherever he went, but Jesus isn't interested in his promises because he knew his heart. Jesus responds with a somewhat puzzling

“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head”

Herod, the regional leader at the time, was also known as the fox, and Rome’s insignia is the eagle. Foxes and eagles have a place here that they call their own, but not the Son of Man, not Jesus. The man thought that Jesus was coming to kick out the Romans and establish his own kingdom here, but Jesus’ journey was to the cross and victory over sin, death and the devil. 

Focus and listen, really listen.

We hear of 2 others that hear Jesus’ call to follow him, but ask for a little time first. One wants to bury his father. A reasonable request even in today’s society. Jesus replies

“let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God”

The Kingdom Jesus is establishing is not of this world. You think you need to spend time doing earthly chores, when a far more important a long-reaching task is being asked of you.

Another wants to say goodbye to his family first. Jesus once again cuts to the core:

            “No-one puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God”

The call to follow is NOW, not sometime later. There is work to be done NOW, not sometime later. You might love your family, they might really love you, but they can’t save you. 

Jesus says “Focus and work. Really work”

Our journey through life is short and fleeting. We’re on a camping trip. Sure it’s exciting sometimes, but there comes a turning point where we need to head for home. Our real home. Jesus' journey didn't end in Jerusalem, his real journey conquered the grave. He went home to heaven and is preparing a place for us. He’s there calling us. You can be comfortable here. 

Focus and listen, the turning point is now. 

Won’t you come home?

Prophecy

Today's message was about the predicting the messiah:
prophecy.mp3

Isaiah 42:1-9

The Servant of the LORD
1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4 he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
5 This is what God the LORD says—
the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out,
who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it,
who gives breath to its people,
and life to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take hold of your hand.
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light for the Gentiles,
7 to open eyes that are blind,
to free captives from prison
and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
8 “I am the LORD; that is my name!
I will not yield my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have taken place,
and new things I declare;
before they spring into being
I announce them to you.”

Acts 10:34-43

34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Matthew 3:13-17

The Baptism of Jesus
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Floods
- Survived the floods?
- Safe in Bargara
- Mum & Dad not being able to get back to the farm
- Wallaville cut. Splitters creek over.
- No Mackay trip
- Dam releasing water.
- Why? It's causing minor flooding already, why add to that?
- Prediction. There's more on the way.
- Watching the flood levels on the BoM site.
- pattern repeating itself down the river. Amount going over the dam was the same as the amount going over the weir, then the amount going under the bridge.
- There was more coming. Worse without releasing the water early?
- Weather prediction getting better?
- 9.4 metres predicted at Rockhampton
- Predicted same type of weather up to May?

What about predicting events 500 years in advance, or 1000 years or 2000 years?

Predicting the Messiah
In today's Old testament reading, Isiah lays down a glimpse of what is to come. Over 500 years before Jesus is baptised, God, through Isiah, speaks these words:

Isiah 42:1
1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.

Then in Matthew we read the baptism of Jesus:

Matthew 3:16
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

500 years. That's a big prediction. And it doesn't stop there. Matthew, of all the Gospels, points to the fulfillment of prophecy through the life of Jesus.
The book of Matthew starts by listing the Geneology of Jesus. An interesting tactic, but probably not a best seller:

Matthew 1:1
Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah, ...

Lots of begotting. Lots of names. The reason Matthew starts this way is also to do with prophecy. The messiah had been promised to Abraham in (Genesis 3:15), then through the line of Isaac instead of Esau (Gen 22:18), then to Jacob, Isaac's son (Numbers 24:17), Then through Judah from the 12 other sons of Jacob (Gen 49:10), all the way through to Jesse, father of David (Isiah 11:1), then to King David's line (Jeremiah 23:5). The israelites were waiting for a descendant of David to be the messiah.

Matthew continues with events surround Jesus' birth, with Mary falling pregnant as a virgin, and Joseph, a descendant of David, told to accept her as a wife and name the child Jesus by an angel. All this for another one of Isiah's prophesies. Matthew writes:

Matthew 1:22-23
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”).

Next, men from the east appear proclaiming the stars have foretold a King of the Jews has just been born. More predictions, but this time ancient astrology pointing toward a momentous event.

Herod checks into it and finds that Bethlehem (King David's birthplace) is predicted by Micah (Micah 5:2) to be the birthplace of the messiah. He sends the Magi on their way to worship the new king, but then lays plans on wiping out all the kids under 2 for fear that the new king might take away his throne. A rather selfish thing to do, but it, too, fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah:

Matthew 2:17-18
Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

Mary and Joseph had been warned by an angel, and had fled to Egypt to escape the slaughter. Once herod had died they returned home back to Nazereth, which fulfilled another prophecy of Hosea:

Matthew 2:15
And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

So how many are we up to? 12? Is that enough? Not for Matthew. Even before we hear of Jesus approaching to be baptised we hear of John the Baptist's life in the desert, telling people to repent for the kingdom of heaven is near. This, too, fulfills Isiah:

Matthew 3:3
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

You can almost hear Matthew pleading with our rational senses, and our faith in the Old Testament. How could all these things come to pass and you not acknowledge the messiah before you? And Jesus has only begun his ministry here on earth!

Apparently there are over 60 prophecies fulfilled by Jesus himself, and over 270 other phophesies and ramifications that came to pass during his time. That's a LOT of coincidences.

How much coincidence? 8 of the more notable prophesies of the messiah were examined mathematically in the 1950's. Nothing extravagent like being born of a virgin, but things like being born in Bethlehem, betrayed by a friend, for 30 pieces of silver, that they bought a field with. Things that could potentially happen to anyone.

Through conservative probability estimates they deduced the chance that this could happen to anyone that has EVER lived is 1 in 100 million, billion. Sounds big? Unimaginably big. Here's an example of how big that might be:

Imagine trying to pick the same book as me, from any book ever written, then turning to the same page, then finding the same letter on the page. 1 letter out of all the books ever written.
That's impossible? Sounds impossible. And that's 8 of the more definable prophesies out of the 60. No wonder Matthew directed us to the fulfillment of prophecy.

Jesus, too, discussed the prophesies throughout his ministry. Pointing to them as he fulfilled each one. Sometimes the disciples or the crowds gathered understood, but most times they did not. As Jesus approached Jerusalem for the last time, he became more insisent that the main prophecy was about to occur, that the "son of man was to die". He told them over and over again, but still they ran when the time came.

Alone, Jesus hung on the cross. The prophesies of Isiah from 500 years before ringing true:

Isaiah 53:3-9
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Jesus, broken and battered. Hanging there. The first part of the prophecy coming to pass. The reason for all that suffering and hurt is also made clear in Isaiah as we read on:

Isaiah 53
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

After he has suffered, he will see the light of life.
For he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the sinners.

This is the story we all know, predicted 500 years before it happened. THAT's amazing. That's the work of an all powerful, all-knowing God. Through the prophets God revealed his way of bringing us back to the fold. To send his one and only son to take the blame for our sin and its punishment. Death. Then to rise again triumphantly.

Jesus, after living with the disciples and opening their eyes to the prophesies, lays out a final promise for them, and for us as christians as he ascends:

Matthew 28:18
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

A promise to us. I am with you always. Through rain and floods. Always.
Amen.

Foundness

This was a message delivered a while back that I hadn't been able to level and upload:
Foundness.mp3

Luke 15: 1-10

The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

3Then Jesus told them this parable: 4"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin
8"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Something Lost
- 2 parables today about losing things
- Expert in losing things
- Keys
- Wallets
- Bum bag fixed that
- Earliest memory of losing teddy when he was right there under my arm.
- Losing things

Are we lost?
- When I first read the 2 parables, I wondered about the coin itself. Does it know it's lost?
- Parable of the lost sheep. Does the sheep know it's lost?
- Mustering cattle. Calling the cattle with a horn. Going to new pastures. Starts a chain of moos echoing through the paddock.
- Finding the lost ones in the good places. Up in the ridges, too far away to hear the horn.
- Some even run away. Enjoying the current situation more than seeing what else is on offer.
- Are we like cattle? Too mixed up in the good things of the world to realise we're lost? Do we realise when we're sinning? Sometimes we hear Jesus' call when he comes looking for us and we turn and follow him, through the gate to the promised land. Sometimes we run.

"I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now
I have married a wife, I have bought me a cow
I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum
Pray hold me excused, I cannot come"

We all have excuses to ignore the call of Jesus. It makes sense, totally justifiable! I have things that just can't wait! Just give me a little bit more time. One more go.
And we're the ones that know his voice. What of the people that don't know Jesus? How are they to know they are lost?

Foundness
- Todays reading starts with Jesus in the presence of "runners".

1Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. 2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

Jesus goes out, makes himself available and welcomes those that are lost. Jesus goes.
As Jesus relates the 2 parables of one lost from many, he makes clear the reasons why; the joy of finding one and bringing them back to the fold.

7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more REJOICING in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The parables aren't really about losing things, it's the joy of finding.

That joy is open to us too. We, the wayward cattle that hear the call and follow to the new pastures can call out ourselves to tell others. We can echo out Jesus' words to those close to us. "Do you know him? Do you know what our lord has in store for us?".

Like a peanut planted to yield a hundredfold, and those peanuts planted to yield 10,000 fold, our faith, planted by knowing Jesus is a faith that's meant to spread.

So fill up, fill up from Jesus' cup. Drink it to the end. Then reach out, reach out with open arms!
Amen

Faith in God's Promises

More sermon notes and recording from last Sunday's service:
Faith in God's Promises.mp3

Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.
3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he[a]considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hitchhiker
- Jimboomba to Brisbane, running late, Browns Plains
- Where are you headed? Ipswich
- What's in Ipswich? Work
- So you don't own a car? No, I'm a christian and know that God will provide.
- You don't fear that you'll be late for work? Have been sometimes, but I've been doing it for more than a month and I get there eventually.
- Exchange pleasantries, and dropped him off where our destinations parted. I offered to drive him further if he wanted, but he insisted he will be fine.
- Why was I late? Why did I stop? Am I being an instrument of God to this hitchhiker?
- Feeling challenged by this outward display of faith. Do you? Is this Faith? Is this putting the Lord God to the test? We pray for God to provide us this day our daily bread. Is getting to work by faith the same as daily bread?

Abraham

Hebrews 11:8 - "By faith Abraham, when CALLED TO GO to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. "

- Abraham had faith in a promise of God
- Covenant between God and Abraham
- Scene of the Heifer, Goat and Ram cut asunder.
- Covenants of the day.
- "What you do to these animals, you can do to me if I break my promise"
- Getting late, getting scared.
- God alone passes through the dead animals.
- This is my promise to YOU. This land will be yours, your descendants will be as countless as the stars.
- Abraham just had to believe that what God said was to come true. He obeyed, sort of. Hagar.

Noah

Hebrews 11:7 "7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family."

Genesis 6:13-22 "So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it:" ...

Gen 6:22 "Noah did everything just as God commanded him."

- Noah's faith was once again to follow the command of God, to expect that what God had said will come true.
- Evan Almighty
- Looking silly, News sensation.
- Noah feeling the same?
- Journey of faith may not be the easiest path to live through the world, in fact it's almost guaranteed not to be.
- Noah's actions are rewarded however, quite literally through survival. God's word did come true.
- God then set another covenant with Noah to never flood the earth again. A promise from God.

Listening to God
So how do we hear God's promises to us? Listening to His voice through the Bible. Is there time set aside to hear God?
- Faith 5
- Highs & Lows, Read, Talk, Pray, Bless
- 5 minutes. Enough?
- How about church attendance too?

Not enough for God, he wants to be with us more than that. He loves us more than we love our children, more than newlyweds. When you're in love you can't think of anything else better than spending time with your loved one. It doesn't even cross your mind that 5 minutes should be enough. God wants to be with us, to talk to us and share our lives every second of the day. He's there when we go to work, when we're eating dinner, when we're sleeping, even when we're in the shower. God wants us to walk with him.

Genesis 6:9 "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."

Enoch

Hebrews 11:5 "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death;"

Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him."

God's Promise
There is a promise of God to be found for us. It's there in the Bible for us to read, and up on the front of St John's church for the rest of Bundaberg to read.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that whoever believes shall not perish, but have eternal life".

God's new covenant prepared for us also required the ripping of flesh, but not animals, Jesus life. This is how serious the promise is. Paid in blood.

God's love for us is so great that he would suffer the humility and pain of crucifixion just so that he gets the chance to spend eternity with us. Us, the ones drenched in sin.

Our faith starts with believing this promise. Holding it as a certainty in our lives. It's a promise God intends to keep so that we may be free to respond in kind and love God and one another with no bounds.

We join with the giants of our faith written in Hebrews, Abraham, Enoch, Moses, Noah:

Hebrews 11:13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are longing for a better country—a heavenly one"

Hold in your heart the promise of God.
"Whoever believes in him may not perish but have eternal life"
This is most certainly true.
Amen.

Wait - Ascension Sunday

Last Sunday's sermon on waiting.

Ascension.mp3

Acts 1:4
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised."

Luke 24:45-49
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Even though today is ascension Sunday, the ascension was to happen 40 days after the resurrection, so that puts it at about last Friday. At the moment we’re in a bit of a gap in the Christian calendar. After ascension, waiting for Pentecost.

Waiting
In today’s text we hear an odd command. Wait. “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father had promised.” The disciples, too, have a gap to fill. Waiting for Pentecost. We know Pentecost was to come a bit more than a week later, but how would it have been just sitting and waiting for the outpouring of the spirit?

The disciples were Jews, and from the Old Testament the Jews didn’t have a very good track record of waiting. When Moses was receiving the 10 commandments, he told the elders and people of Israel to wait until he returned. While Moses was gone for 40 days, they wavered and faltered.

Exodus 26:13
Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them."
Exodus 32:1
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
Exodus 32:7
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf."

Then God got a little angry.

So back to the Disciples. They were given the instruction to wait for things to come. The gift God had promised is on the way. Wait. Earlier on, not 40 days beforehand, they also had been given a prediction of what was to come. Jesus mentioned many times that he was to be crucified, but on the third day he will rise again. Here is another gap where there seems to be nothing to do but sit and wait, but the disciples react badly. They huddle up in their rooms in fear. Fear of getting caught, fear that their world that has all fallen apart. Jesus had told them first in parables after clearing out the temple:

John 2:19
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

Then throughout his ministry more plainly. After feeding the 4000 and healing the blind:

Matthew 16:21
From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

And again after many more miracles and parables:

Matthew 20:17
Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"

The time of waiting from Christ’s death to eventual resurrection should have been one of anticipation. The biggest miracle ever was close at hand! Yet they cowered.

Ascension
In contrast, the disciples approach the Ascension and following days in a totally different manner. We read from the end of Luke:

Luke 24:50-53
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

What a change. What a way to wait, praising God. The difference? 40 days. A long time. Jesus had spent 40 days proving himself to be the resurrected Christ. He appeared to the disciples, to Thomas, to the men on the road to Emmaus. He ate with them and talked with them. Still, we hear their faith was lacking:

Mark 16:14
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

Disciples had lacking faith? Didn’t they gave up everything to follow Jesus? Martin Luther, in a sermon on ascension, explains the difference:

Martin Luther [1]
But let no one think that the apostles were altogether unbelieving; they believed what was written in the Law and the prophets, although their faith was not yet perfect. They believed that God created heaven and earth, and was the Maker of every creature. The Lord, however, shows what they lacked; they did not believe the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Although they believed the other things, they were still lacking in this. I hold that they believed that they had a gracious God. Yet this was not enough; they must believe also the resurrection of Christ. Christ’s words to them at the Last Supper: "You believe in God, believe also in me." John 14, 1.

What does it mean, then, to believe the resurrection of Christ? This thing which is so important that without it the disciples were called unbelieving and faithless? To believe the resurrection of Christ, is nothing else than to believe that we have a Mediator before God. Who is Christ, who makes us holy and acceptable to God the Father. For man's possessions, by birth and nature, are but sin and corruption, by which he brings down upon himself the wrath of God. But God is eternal righteousness and purity, and therefore, from his very nature, hates sin. Hence there is always enmity between God and the natural man. They cannot be harmony with one another.
For this cause, Christ became man and took upon himself our sins and also the wrath of the Father, and drowned them both in himself, thus reconciling us to God the Father. Without this faith, we are children of wrath, able to do no good work that is pleasing to God.

The disciples had faith in the God of Law, the God that talked to Moses calling the people of Israel corrupt. Jesus rebukes their lack of faith, but opens their minds to the Scriptures:

Luke 24:44
He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

The disciples, finally seeing the jigsaw puzzle complete before their eyes, are filled with joy! As Jesus ascends, they praise him. As they wait for Pentecost, they praise him!

So here we are today; in the lull between Ascension and Pentecost. We can look back at the past and learn from the disciples. And with the disciples, let us also praise the Lord for Christ has risen for you, for me, for everyone.
Amen.

[1] Sermon for the Day of Christ’s Ascension; Mark 16:14-20 (2nd sermon) by Martin Luther; taken from his Church Postil, 1522.

Mountaintop experiences - Transfiguration

Another sermon with little notice. Was happy with the first part, but hastily added some last minute changes to the end when I saw that we were going to sing Shine Jesus Shine.

Transfiguration.mp3



Luke 9:28-36 (New International Version)
The Transfiguration

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)
While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.

Mountaintop experiences.

- Ben's trip to Nepal
- Everest base camp
- You'd be able to write a sermon on that
- "I didn't climb a mountain, just a very high valley"

- Personal experience
- Climb anything
- mango tree
- Left behind up the mulberry tree
- a challenge, sense of accomplishment
- Pimple rock
- See nothing but the sky around you

I saw a similar sight yesterday on TV. The camera showed a solitary man standing atop a mountain and as the camera swooped up and over his shoulder you could see the steepness of the mountain below. Looking straight out I'm sure you would have thought there was nothing under you. That must have been an exhilirating feeling. He was a snowboarder, and, with music raising, descended down to start the 44th winter olympics.

There will be others too, that will stand upon snowy mountaintops in the coming fortnight. If they looked out they, too, would surely feel like they are on top of the world, but they will be focused on climbing another mountain. A mountain of 3 steps, where the top step marks you the champion of the world. What a sense of achievement it would be to climb up onto the gold medal spot with the whole world watching. All that training and dedication, all for this one prize. The gold medal.

In our bible reading today we heard of 3 men, Peter James and John, who had a different mountaintop experience. They climbed a mountain with their friend to pray. While they were praying, their friend, Jesus, transformed into the brightest of white. Wow, that was unexpected. Totally Amazing, but totally not what they thought was going to happen. We read from verse 32:

Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)

Peter, the rock of the church, didn't know what to say.
In this mountaintop experience, the disciples did nothing apart from be there. No training required, no sense of personal achievement, but surely a better experience than even winning a gold medal. Jesus provided the miracle. Jesus did it all.

There was another mountaintop experience mentioned in the reading:

Two men, Moses and Elijah, 31appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Jesus, alone again, will be lifted high on a hill. Not in glory, but humility. Arms outstretched and still forgiving while the the weight of the world's sin comes crashing down on him. No glory on that day, but in 3 days time he'll rise again in the most glorious miracle of all. Jesus alone sets us free from sin to spend eternity with him.

Where were we? Innocent Bystanders? Maybe not so innocent as our sin was part of his burden.

How can we respond to this miracle? John, who was there at the transfiguration, and had seen Jesus after he rose again, calls us to respond with love:

1 John 4:9-12 (New International Version)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We're asked to share God's love. Let God's love shine through us, as that brings about the completion God desires.

Verse 3 of Shine Jesus Shine:

As we gaze on your Kingly brightness,
So our faces display your likeness,
Ever changing from glory to glory,
may OUR lives tell YOUR story.

Christmas like a child

This was the sermon for Christmas. Had printing issues on Christmas morning, so I had to use the iPhone to read my notes rather than get a recording.



How has your Christmas been?
- School Staff Choir
- Random caroling over the last week
- Carol of the birds, Silent night, Santa's coming to town
- Christmas decorations around the school. Everyone getting into the festive spirit.

Listening to Carols at home
- Third Day "Christmas Offerings"
- Third Day: 2 Grammy awards, 7 Dove awards, Best Band and Best Artist.
- Silent Night, O little town of Bethlehem, Angels we have heard on High.
- Christmas like a child.
- Standing out more and more.

Christmas like a child:
I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be
With all of its wonder falling on me
This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while
I want to feel Christmas like a child

I want to see snowflakes fall to the ground
My brothers and sisters all gathered around
Singing "Away In A Manager" as we sit by the fire
I want to feel Christmas like a child

It's been so long now, I can't say
Just when I lost my way
But I'm going back to how it was
When this day meant everything
And we spent our time remembering
The baby Child born for us

It's all about Jesus, asleep in the straw
This infant, this King, this Savior for all

So I don't need bells to be ringing
'Cause I'll join with angels singing
Gloria
And I can feel Christmas like a child
I want to feel Christmas like a child...

One thing having kids has taught me is that Chrismas gets back its wonder. I can relate to the feeling of "the season feeling empty for quite a while" because there was a period between being a kid and then having kids of my own where Christmas seemed to lose it's .. christmassy wonder. In fact I think I could measure the falloff of Christmas with the falloff of presents. As a kid we'd have STACKS of presents. The tree would need to up on a table to get all the presents underneath. Christmas morning was great. We'd try to stay up on Christmas eve to see if we got to midnight, but we never made it, but one of us boys would wake up early and check the plastic stocking at the end of the bed and it would be full of little presents and chocolate. They'd wake all the rest of us up and from then on it was just presents, more presents and eating.
After church we'd have the Schulte family gathering with numbers up in the 50's. It was great, more presents, more eating. This steady wave of presents would come your way as more and more relatives arrived and doled out the shiny boxes.
At the start is seemed like everyone gave presents, but as the years went on and as we grew older, the cousins stopped giving presents, then the aunties & uncles, until it was really just mum and dad, and a few others. By this stage all 4 of us boys were teenagers and we started buying presents for each other too. I think that lent to christmas becoming more of a family thing. We kept it a family gathering though for quite a while. We'd all come back together for Christmas. It was only really after Matt and Greig were married and living up in Mackay when we started missing a family get together on Christmas istelf, but it's now become a week-long Christmas / new year thing.
Having kids though changed that a bit.
- Christmas morning
So Christmas like a child? Yeah that sounds pretty fun.

Verse 2:
I want to see snowflakes fall to the ground
My brothers and sisters all gathered around
Singing "Away In A Manager" as we sit by the fire
I want to feel Christmas like a child

- Doesn't snow here, but the sentiment feels the same.
- After singing the song through a couple of times, a thought came to me: Didn't Jesus say something like that? Come to me as a child?

Mark 10:13-16
Let the Children Come to Me
13 They were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

In many ways, our Christian journey can be like our experiences with Christmas. When you first know Jesus, really know Jesus, be born again in Jesus, the whole world changes and you get to see everything new again. But then over time, as Christmas, the fire fades. Everything starts to become comfortable again. Different, totally different, but comfortable. A gentle slide back to normality.
Where are you on the sliding scale of Christian maturity? I know I'm down the tail end. It's been a long time since I've had the wonderment of a child when reading the Bible.
By now the bridge of "Christmas like a child" rolls in and Third Day are singing:

Verse 3:
It's been so long now, I can't say
Just when I lost my way
But I'm going back to how it was
When this day meant everything
And we spent our time remembering
The baby Child born for us

By now I'm not thinking about Christmas, but my own Christian walk. The fire didn't die out, but it's not roaring like it used to.
These words seemed to ring true: "I don't know when my faith stopped burning brightly, but I know now, right now, it's not like it used to be."
I want to go back to how it was, how can I get back to how it was?

Verse 4 rolls along:

It's all about Jesus, asleep in the straw
This infant, this King, this Savior for all

By focusing in on Jesus we can get back the the heart of Christmas. Here is our present, this gift of love from God to us, parceled up in a manger.
You could say that it's all about presents. But we're not the ones giving, we're the ones receiving. God's present to us; his first born son. Today I got undies and a a stubby holder. I think God's present out-trumps that.
The great thing is he gave that same present to you, to everyone here. To the people next door. To the people in this street, this city, this nation. This world. We didn't ask for it, yet he gave. Some of us left our present unopened, yet still he gave. Some of of us threw the present away, yet still he gave. Some of us nailed our present to a tree. Yet still he gave.
Why? Why give gifts to people that would treat them that way?
We read from John to find out:

John 3:16
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

God sees the big picture, the end game. He knows that our time on earth here is a small part of the big picture. He wants us forever, and is prepared to give up his only Son for that opportunity. Wow, that's love. Bigtime love.
How do we respond to a present that big?

Verse 5:
So I don't need bells to be ringing
'Cause I'll join with angels singing
Gloria
And I can feel Christmas like a child

Closing Song:
Angels we have heard on high


Verse for Present:

This is a special gift that you can never see.
The reason it's so special is it's just for you from me.

Whenever you are lonely, or even feeling blue.
You only have to hold this gift and know I think of you.

You never can unwrap it, please leave the ribbon tied.
Just hold the box close to your heart, It's filled with love inside.

No Regrets

With a little bit of short notice I managed to put together my "No regrets" Sermon about my life journey from a while back. Fit very neatly into the readings for the day. Very, very neatly...

No Regrets.mp3

Notes for the sermon:

Hebrews 10:22
" let us draw nar to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience"

Pray.
" Lord, let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight oh Lord our Strength and Redeemer, Amen."

Personal Testimony.

- What did you want to be when you were young?
5 or 7
- Baker: pound the dough.
Fireman, Policeman

Growing up on the farm Gaeta, and going to Gin Gin high school
Grade 8:
- Architect: drawing house plans. Designing space.
Grade 9:
- Didn't want to be a farmer.
- used to the work and the lifestyle, but there seemed to be much more interesting things to do.
- Slept in & missed the bus.
- Dad seemed a little annoyed, but not as annoyed as I thought
- worked all day
- never missed school bus again.

Grade 10. Guidance officer
- Become an Architect?
- taken graphics & liked it.

- Discussing at home
- Words that would change my life
"Don't regret the choices you make in your life"
- warning against wasting opportunity
- you don't know what doors you will shut. Keep your options open.
- my understanding:
accept that the choices you made were the best at the time.

- So, the choice of a career?
- Through year 11
- more discussion with Dad
"What about something in computers?"
"Yeah, but that's just a hobby. It's too much fun to be real work"
"not everyone thinks they are easy"
- confirmed with Guidance officer
- less entry requirements
- more job prospects
- win win!

- No regrets
- happy with choices I made were the best at the time. Looking back at my high school years wih no regrets.
- Through University
- Don't look back on a decision and think you should have done something differently, make the effort up front to get the decision right in the first place!
- STudied a bit, played a lot more
- failed a couple of subjects, still happy with my decisions.
- Time is precious. Each decision you make of how you spend your time is important.

- No Regrets.
- Focusing more and more on getting the right decision.
- Meticulous in getting all the facts right before making a decision.
- Paralysed by fear of making the wrong decision
- No decision is a decision in itself
- Limited time to act: Kid about to be hit by a car
- Decisions made for you.
" Failure to act is just as bad as an inappropriate action"
- Realisation that all choices are with imperfect knowledge.
- We can still accept that we made the best choice with the information that was available, but it still may be the wrong choice.

- Dawned on me
- God knows everything. Trust God
- Been a christian all my life, but never really let god in on my decisions.
- Computer Games: Football Manager
- Star coach setting out instructions but aren't being listened to.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

- God has this perfect plan for my day. All I have to do is open up and trust!

- No regrets
- Story ends there? Trust god? The perfect solution?
- I know it, but I still don't do it
- My own arrogance and pride.
- Keep thinking that I know better.
- Off I go again booting the ball into my own goal when Jesus is sitting on the sidelines with his head in his hands.

- No Regrets
- Looking back
- I can still look at all my failings and accept the decisions I make, even if they are wrong. I can live with that.
- God can't
- Clearly states that his world, his being, cannot abide mistakes.
- There is no place with God once you have sinned.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, .... but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- it's not us that gets the sack from the team, Jesus, our coach, our perfect coach, takes the blame.
- Jesus accepts the conseques of our actions, Jesus takes the wrap for our poor decisions, our imperfect lives.

- Why? So that we might continue to play.
- Hopefully in the way he wanted us to play.
- He sees our potential.
- He sees what we CAN be.

- The slate is clean.

Hebrews 10:19-22
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, (22) let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience.

True cleansing. No Regrets. Our mistakes wiped clean. Amen

"Lord, you offer us liberation from our guilt through the sacrifice of your Son. Instill in us the ability to seek your word and trust your guidance, so that we might live our lives in a manner pleasing to you."

Where have all the Shed Men gone ?

Where have all the Shed Men gone?
Long time passing ...

Last Friday was Shed Men at my place. I'd offered up my place for the men's night as we've just built a new shed / garage and changed up the back yard. With power on in the shed it's also a comfortable place to offer rather than the old asbestos caravan shed.

At first I thought I'd do a slide show of my WCG exploits overseas running computer games tournamnts, but another topic kept creeping back into my mind. My shed isn't really a shed. In fact it's not my shed. It's Dad's shed. But my side of the shed is purely somewhere to park the car and some additional storage. On Dad's side there is a workbench with tools, nails and screws to fix things.

Most of the sheds I have been in are farm sheds. They have a certain character and there is definitely a manly attitude attached to such a building. Lots of big tractors, tools, wire, and many projects in some state of completion. Most of the sheds used to host Shed Men carried this feeling of a man's domain. "This is where work gets done!". Mine is not like that. Or more to the point, my side of the shed is not like that.

Where have all the Shed Men gone?
Long time ago ...

There is a generational gap between what Dad thinks of as a shed and what I think of as a shed. For Dad, a shed still contains the workbench because it's needed to fix things. Why don't I fix things? Why don't I feel the need to have a workbench as a mandatory requirement for my shed?

Consumerism.

I knew the answer, but it would be the topic of the night. What makes modern men have less of an urge to fix things yourself? The service economy. I work to gain money with which I can spend on other people providing services I cannot / don't want to do. With the service economy in place I can specialize my skills to become more and more valued, providing even more incentive to utilize others to fill in the gaps.

Consumerism is good. It allows a higher degree of specialization, hopefully in an area you enjoy. With everyone specializing, the world can accelerate its total knowledge and have a higher overall output.

It does have a weakness though: Dependence on others. If you cannot fix a car anymore you are at the mercy of others who can fix cars. We as a society need to trust that each service provider brings appropriate value, for without proper value and trust people will revert to doing it themselves, undoing the gains in efficiency through specialization. Dependency can also be affected by disruptive events such as an Earthquake where regular services are severely compromised. Heh, just realised that I have BOM open tracking a Cat5 cyclone heading our way. How ironic.

There's a whole section I was going to talk about that I skipped because the conversation didn't really head that way, but with consumerism the power is with the consumer as long as they vote with their feet if not receiving service of value. This could be anything from poor customer service or lamenting about the demise of the corner store to large food chains. The power has always been with the customer, but rarely has been exercised. If you want good service you need to make the extra effort to change to another provider and make it clear the reasons why. This is the only way that value is enforced. Why are there many fast food joints? Because they are servicing the need of the community who values speed and consistency over quality and health. That's starting to change with things like subway offering speed and consistency AND a healthy option. People have voted with their feet and that in turn has changed other fast food provider's patterns. It's not black and white though and there are times when you're going to get munched by the global machine for being in the minority, but usually apathy from the consumer is where the system gets out of control.

Where have all the Shed Men gone?
Work to pay for everything
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

So back to Shed Men. We broke out for a discussion to mull over the idea of whether you're a 'fixer' (first reaction is to think "I can fix that") or a 'phoner' (First reaction is to phone someone to fix it), and whether there are any experiences to share one way or the other. The chat was very lively and after 10 minutes I had to start bashing things to get everyone's attention.

The final point for the night was a reflection on Shed Men itself. Why are we gathering in a shed? Because it's a blokey place to be. We're cooking steaks on the barbie and drinking beer. No salads allowed! (although some still sneak in some greenery). A shed is a man's retreat, but it's only a retreat if you're a "fixer". If you're a "phoner", you're unlikely to use "just popping out to the shed to sharpen the mower blades" as an excuse to get to a place of solace. In fact you may not even have a shed!

So where do you go? Where's your cave that you go to when you need to relax, unwind and just "be"?

For me it's computer games. I can easily lose myself in virtual worlds. It's relaxing, intense, intriguing, amusing and addictive all when I need it to be.

Others may not be so lucky ...

Where have all the Shed Men gone?
Long time passing.
Where have all the Shed Men gone?
Long time ago.
Where have all the Shed Men gone?
Work to pay for everything
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn.

The Servant King

A while back I did a sermon on the Servant King; based off a Philippians 2 reading. Sandy has done up a faithbook for it already, but I've finally got all the notes back together to put up.



The Servant King

 - Children's address
    - Who wears a Crown?

    - What would you do if you were King / Queen for a day?

       - Servants to carry out your will

    - King becomes a servant for a day

       - Sounds weird? Why?

       - ask everyone

    - God is the King, he became a servant through Jesus. Any clearer?

  - LOVE !!!

  - Service comes naturally

  - Parents don't expect children to feed & clothe themselves

     - Don't look at the costs

  - Voluntary services to others is a display of love  

  - Service to others is voluntary

    - When we think of a servant we think of a slave, doing duty against their will

    - Did Jesus come down to be a slave? or a servant? a voluntary servant?

       - Power to change the world

          - harness power

             - heal sick

             - raise dead

        - Temptations

           - Bread from stone

           - Jump and the angels will catch you

           - Worship me and I'll give you the world. no need to suffer

        - Jesus could clearly see through the temptation because his heart and soul were focused on love for us. Understood his power was not to be mistreated. For selfish reasons. There were no shortcuts to make us love him back. Why inherit the world if you destroy the people you came to save? Jesus only had eyes on the prize; to save us from sin. To break us out of our love for ourselves and to see God in others.

        - Jesus didn't come down to demonstrate service. Didn't say :look at me, this is the way to do it". He genuinely loved others and service naturally flowed.

  

  - Difference?

     - Pride vs Humility

        - Doing something for the glory rather than doing it because you see the need

        - QGL

     - Philippians 2: 3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should not only look to your own interests, but also the interests of others .... Your attitude should be that of Christ Jesus

  - Practical ways for us to show love for one another

     - Ask Sandy

     - Ask others

     - Serving in the Army, voluntary service. Life on the line.

     - Serving your country by leading it

        - Dictatorship  

        - Benevolent Dictatorship

        - Last King of Scotland. Idi Amin

     - Serving in Church

        - Singing

        - Ushering

        - Preparing morning tea

        - Giving time and encouragement

        - Organise the singing group

  - God LOVES us. Loves us so much he sent his son. That is his service to us. We can't spend eternity with God without Jesus clearing away our sin. We love God back by seeing God in others, and serving others with God's love.

So let us learn how to serve

And in our lives enthrone him

Each other's needs to prefer

For it is Christ we're serving

This is our God, the Servant King

He calls us now to follow him

To bring our lives as a daily offering

Of worship to the Servant King