Saturday, September 5, 2020

CROSS AND COSMOS

                       CROSS AND COSMOS

                                         Just as a loud explosion can precipitate an avalanche, so when the crucified Christ “cried with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit” (Mathew 27,50), certain cataclysmic phenomena occurred like so many echoes of his final cry. As the body of the Crucified writhed “in extremis”, the earth trembled in earthquake horror at what took place on Calvary: the Master of the universe was being broken by his own creatures’ malice. Darkness enveloped the land, the Temple curtain was torn in two, and the earth convulsed and regurgitated the dead who walked the earth again in a zombie daze. Trembling nature got a slice of the action that decided the fate of the world forever.

          Wherever the story of Golgotha has been told, the role of nature as partner in the drama could not be left out, as if the mystery of divine suffering was conveyed through the compassion of nature. And the pagan Roman centurion was drawn into it by witnessing to the Crucified when, with numinous awe, he perceived in a naïve-profound way that something more had happened than the death of a holy and innocent man.

The sun veiled its face in shock horror at what it witnessed, and by that token lost its own erstwhile divinity: it conceded all power to the One who, in ultimate agony, surrendered to that which is greater than a million suns. Thus, a suffering and struggling soul, which cannot be broken by all the powers of the cosmos, is the true image of divinity. There is no more a “Sun-god”, only a “brother Sun.”

          “The curtain of the Temple was ripped in two.” The Temple tore its gown, as mourners do, to show its nakedness and shame for what its servants did by rejecting an innocent worshipper from its precincts. Plucked asunder, the now ragged weave lost its separating quality. He who was expelled for blaspheming the Temple had cleft the curtain and exposed the Holy of Holies for every man and women, for all time. From then on, every place became a god-unforsaken place, in the name of the One who hung upon the Cross in the name of the holy place.

Like the temple, the earth was judged at Golgotha, judged to be unfit of itself to be the safe ground for building our cities and religious systems. Trembling and gurgling, the earth pointed to another foundation on which the earth itself rests, and that was the self-surrendering love on which all earthly powers and values concentrate their hostility but which they cannot conquer. Since the hour when Jesus uttered his loud cry and breathed his last and the rocks were split, the earth ceased to be the foundation on which we build on her. Only in so far as it has a deeper root in which the very Cross is rooted can it last.

Finally, the body of God was too sublime to be contained within earth’s bowels. The boulders split, as the land quaked, in deference to the Lord’s passage from darkness to light. No longer is the universe subjected to the law of death out of birth, but to the law of life out of death by the One who passed from death to life, from earth to heaven. From the moment that the Divine Son surrendered his spirit to his Father, the universe has received another meaning. History has been re-directed and draws us human into its sweep unto God who is all in all.

                   Even after the Resurrection we prefer the keep the cross of the wounded Christ in our churches, for we are a community of wounded and hurt people, needing the Wounded Healer. The church as the re-presentation of Jesus has the mission of walking in the midst of a world wracked with pain and obsessed with its own self-destructiveness and sin. Having overcome death himself, Jesus knows better than any of us that no human problem - neither COVID-19, nor the bomb, nor the blighting of the environment - need paralyse us.

 

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

ARROGANCE AND SLANDER

ARROGANCE AND SLANDER
2 Peter 2:10-11
… those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. (NIVUK)
Read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: in English, and many other languages
Slander, the false statement that maliciously ruins reputations (James 4:11), does not stalk alone.  Its associate is the heart-attitude of arrogance.  Arrogant people think that they have the right to exalt themselves by speaking ill of others.  Wherever you see one of these ugly companions, the other is lurking nearby: both are dangerous and neither can be trusted.  Today's verse shows that there is no limit to the authorities which ungodly false teachers will try to topple by their bad-speaking.  As with every evil act, there is no satisfaction in being 'a little bad', and without repentance, sin will escalate until it engulfs its perpetrators.

It is not clear who are the 'celestial beings' in this passage. Of the possibilities of church members, church leaders, good angels or fallen angels it is the latter that seems to fit the context best as they are mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4.  The false teachers have presumed to make accusations about them before God's throne (as Satan does in Revelation 12:9-10).  It may seem ludicrous that they would dare to try to get believers, angels or demons in trouble with God (Jude 1:8) ; but arrogance knows no bounds, and rebellion craves recognition - even from God.  But by contrast, loyal angels do not even whisper any complaint in God's presence. They know the truth of Deuteronomy 32:35 and Hebrews 10:30 where God says, "It is mine to avenge, I will repay".

Alas, the false teachers who have invaded the church over the centuries understand no such respect; they destroy the reputations of godly people in order to establish their own authority.  Powerful and plausible they may be, but when motivated by arrogance they will express themselves in slander and try to tear down what God wants to build up, or what God is allowing until the time of judgement.
The secular versions of arrogant slander can be found in every company and profession.  They will be found out eventually, but meanwhile they are to be pitied and prayed for - that they may find Christ.  But the church needs strong and Godly leadership to identify these spiritual posers, depriving them of the limelight they seek.  So, as well as praying for the arrogant at work, also pray that your church leaders will know how to deal with the malicious slanderers within the church.  In the end, the Lord will deal with both (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Almighty God. Thank You for being All-mighty. Forgive me for every hint of arrogance and for the times I have slandered others. Please root out these wicked characteristics from me. I now pray for those whose arrogance seems unlimited, and who have no fear of anybody or even of Your authority. Please bring them to repentance and faith, before they face Your judgement. And please give wisdom and courage to my spiritual leaders so that they may guard the flock against the arrogant slander of those who seek to gain influence in the church. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

ENEMY AGENTS



ENEMY AGENTS
2 Peter 2:1-2
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 

Ever since God has been expressing His truth to human beings, Satan has tried to undermine Divine authority by twisting truth into lies (Genesis 3:1-5).  The Old Testament prophets were appointed because God’s appointed truth-tellers (the kings) had been caught up in the lies, believed them and allowed them space to infiltrate what Israel believed.  Additionally, there were other false prophets who seduced the hearts of God's people, like Balaam (Revelation 2:14) .  In the same way, Peter says, false prophets were lurking in the churches.  Appearing to be followers of Jesus, they were enemy agents.  They may not have thought of themselves like that, and they would probably have come across as sincere teachers.
Peter contrasts them with the true prophets whose words have been included in Scripture (1 Peter 1:19-21).  The motives and words of the false teachers were not from God (Jude 1:12-13) .  Unlike the true prophets whose message was open to all who would listen, the counterfeit preachers behaved covertly.  They packaged their lies in sufficient truth to deceive the believers who were unaware that they were being seduced away from Christ.
Their false teaching was focussed on the person and work of Christ.  They ignored His deity and the all-sufficiency of His sacrifice.  The danger to the church was, and still is, that whenever error is given house-room and not immediately rejected (Ephesians 4:25-27), it ruins believers' discernment and spoils their consciences (1 Timothy 4:2) - so that people start to believe the lies.  Peter accurately predicted that such teaching would eventually destroy churches and bring the gospel into disrepute.  Peter himself had been a victim of such deception and Jesus rebuked him (Matthew 16:21-23), and later Paul needed to challenge Peter to come back to the true gospel (Galatians 2:11-21) – these were important lessons which Peter learned well.
Unfortunately, false teachers are still around.  They are often popular, gathering admiring crowds who congratulate 'wise insights' (1 Timothy 4:1-4).  Even firm believers may be fooled.  So how can the church be defended against such doctrinal perversion?  Firstly, we must not be gullible: be on guard, aware that wherever the Lord is working in truth, error will lurk in somebody who speaks persuasively awaiting the chance of a hearing.  Secondly, we need to guard the apostolic teaching about the truth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world (Acts 20:28-31) .  And the best way to protect true doctrine, is to preach it!  Thirdly, do not be fooled into wrong belief just because thousands of other people think it is right (Luke 6:26): check it carefully against the teaching of the apostles who were appointed by Jesus to define and proclaim the truth of the gospel.  Then, whenever you find anything else taught, be bold and brave in identifying the error and warning others against accepting and believing it.
Holy Father. Thank You for the gospel which has taught me how to be saved. Forgive my gullibility, accepting persuasive talk without checking it against apostolic teaching. Forgive me for accepting doctrinal compromises when Your Word speaks the truth clearly. And forgive me for my reluctance to challenge those who peddle falsehood, and when I have not vigorously supported Biblical leadership. Please give me a renewed passion for knowing, teaching and living Your truth, and refuting error. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
 

 
 


Saturday, June 27, 2020

POWER OF SOLITUDE


The Power of Solitude                                                         
When Being Alone Means Being Closer to God                                               Solitude is a powerful spiritual discipline that is often overlooked by many Christians - adults and teens alike. Between the multitude of church activities, school, and even social networking, taking time out to be by ourselves with the Lord is often one aspect of our faith we put into practice far less frequently than we should.
WHAT IS SOLITUDE?  Basically solitude is being alone. It is the absence of distractions like people, computers, schoolwork, television, cell phones, radio, etc.  Solitude can be getting away from everybody in a weekend retreat or just locking yourself in your room for an hour in peaceful quiet. The reason solitude is a spiritual discipline is that "alone time" can often be a more difficult task than we think. It takes effort to be sure you are not disturbed.
WHY DO WE AVOID SOLITUDE?       The simplest and most common reason we avoid being alone with God is that solitude forces us to face everything in our lives head on. This internal confrontation is often why solitude is one of the most difficult spiritual disciplines. Yet, without time alone with God the aspects of our lives that need the most work often go ignored or unseen.  Others also keep us from solitude.  There is all kinds of pressure to be social and "get out there" and experience life.  We're often discouraged from spending time alone, because to others we're not taking advantage of the life God gave us.   However, God also wants us to spend time knowing ourselves, too.
WHY IS SOLITUDE IMPORTANT?          It is when we are most by ourselves that we realize God is actually right there with us. At that point the solitude allows us to grow closer to God as we begin to address the things going on in our lives, thoughts, and existence.
We are able to see clearly, through a Godly perspective, what is important in our lives.  When we spend time in solitude, we get away from all the things that distract us from our reality.  We see inside our lives, our thoughts, and our behaviors.  Solitude brings us peace that we just can't get when we're surrounded by others.  It allows us to decompress and take the stress off of our day.  Yes, sometimes solitude can grow loud with the clanging of thoughts bumping around in our minds, but at least that clanging is just our thoughts and not mixed with the cacophony of noise the world brings in.
BUT HOW DO I FIND TIME FOR SOLITUDE?  We live in a busy, busy world where time alone is not always rewarded. So, solitude does take effort and persistence. While sometimes we think of solitude as long periods of meditation, often we have to be more creative about it. Sometimes we may only have a few minutes to be alone with God. We may find a few minutes before we get out of bed in the morning, on the walk to the bus stop, or in a peaceful corner during study hour. We need to learn that it's okay to tell others that we just want to be alone, and tell them in a way that helps them understand this isn't a slight against them, but just our way of letting our spirits breathe a little bit.
 There is a reason that solitude is a spiritual discipline, and we all have to work hard to be sure we are getting that "alone time" with God.

Saturday, June 13, 2020

SOLEMNITY BODY BLOOD OF CHRIST

SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
JOHN 6:51-58
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus promises eternal life to those who eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Many of the Church Fathers characterized the Eucharist as food that effectively immortalizes those who consume it.

They understood that if Christ is really present in the Eucharistic elements, the one who eats and drinks the Lord’s Body and Blood becomes configured to Christ in a far more than metaphorical way. The Eucharist Christifies and hence eternalizes.

If the Eucharist were no more than a symbol, this kind of language would be so much nonsense. But if the doctrine of the Real Presence is true, then this literal eternalization of the recipient of Communion must be maintained.

But what does this transformation practically entail? It implies that the whole of one’s life—body, psyche, emotions, spirit—becomes ordered to the realm of God. It means that one’s energies and interests, one’s purposes and plans, are lifted out of a purely temporal context and given an entirely new spiritual valence.

The Christified person knows that his life is not finally about him but about God; the Eucharistized person understands that her treasure is to be found above and not below.

SOLEMNITY OF BODY BLOOD OF CHRIST

SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST
JOHN 6:51-58
Friends, in today’s Gospel Jesus promises eternal life to those who eat his Flesh and drink his Blood. Many of the Church Fathers characterized the Eucharist as food that effectively immortalizes those who consume it.

They understood that if Christ is really present in the Eucharistic elements, the one who eats and drinks the Lord’s Body and Blood becomes configured to Christ in a far more than metaphorical way. The Eucharist Christifies and hence eternalizes.

If the Eucharist were no more than a symbol, this kind of language would be so much nonsense. But if the doctrine of the Real Presence is true, then this literal eternalization of the recipient of Communion must be maintained.

But what does this transformation practically entail? It implies that the whole of one’s life—body, psyche, emotions, spirit—becomes ordered to the realm of God. It means that one’s energies and interests, one’s purposes and plans, are lifted out of a purely temporal context and given an entirely new spiritual valence.

The Christified person knows that his life is not finally about him but about God; the Eucharistized person understands that her treasure is to be found above and not below.

Monday, June 8, 2020

HUMILITY, SPIRITUAL CHAIN OF

THE SPIRITUAL CHAIN OF HUMILITY
1 Peter 5:5
In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.’

In the same way that church leaders must accept the authority of the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 5:2-4), younger men should submit to their leaders.  Young and energetic men often feel an urge to steal power or influence from their elders: but that is a fleshly impulse, encouraged by the Evil One.  Peter himself had to be rebuked for countermanding Jesus’ prophetic words (Matthew 16:21-23), so he wrote gently and with personal humility.  Those who are truly spiritual will want to accept the authority that God has placed over them.

The same applies to everybody in the church; there is no virtue in proud assertions or self-seeking.  Submission is the watchword of faith (Ephesians 5:21).  Those who claim to serve the Servant King should want to serve others in the fellowship (Matthew 20:26-28); to lift them up and to seek their good.  Peter saw the trail of pride over the early churches threatening to destroy the immature fellowships; and alas it is all too common today.  The way of the world is to crush the weak.  But the way of the cross is to raise the weak by self-sacrificial service.
It is essential to crush our personal pride.  But that is not easy without realising how opposed God is to proud people.  He does not applaud them, encourage or even tolerate their attitude.  Yes, He is gracious and patient in teaching and urging them to humble themselves, but He will never honour their pride, which mocks His supreme authority.  James, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus and co-leader with Peter of the church in Jerusalem, also quotes from Proverbs 3:34 urging the proud to humble themselves before God has to humble them (James 4:6-10) .  Clearly, pride was so big a problem in the church that Peter commanded leaders and their congregations to humble themselves (1 Peter 5:6).

God's opposition to arrogance does not stop at the church door.  The principle extends to every area of life: God opposes the proud, wherever!   It is true in the workshop and the ship, the hair salon and the airport.  His anger is roused by pride on the building site and in the board room, as well as the home and the hospital.  But, by contrast, He pours out His grace on all who humbly accept the authority He has placed over them (Romans 13:1-7) .  Test Him out: change your attitude to authority and see how much blessing and grace He will shower upon you to make you useful in His Kingdom in the ways He has chosen.
Almighty God. Thank You for reminding me that You are opposed to every proud heart. Forgive me for my vain self-assertion, and every action that is motivated by pride. Help me to see how offensive this is to You. May I reconsider my attitude at work and home, as well as in the church, and choose to humble myself under whatever authority You have set over me, so that You will be glorified and that I can be blessed as You pour out Your grace into my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.