Tawa Baptist

Wonderful Counsellor

Scripture: Luke 13:10-21

Title: Wonderful Counsellor

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Yahweh the Wonderful Counsellor
  • Jesus the Wonderful Counsellor
  • God’s wonderful plan (Kingdom)
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Prince Charles has recently turned 70

–         Charles is of course next in line to take the throne

–         The Prince’s full title is: His Royal Highness Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Baron of Renfrew, Lord of the Isles and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland

–         That’s a lot of titles, but wait there’s more…

–         He also has a string of letters after his name: KG, KT, GCB, OM, AK, QSO, CC, PC and ADC, whatever all that means?

This morning we start a new sermon series

–         With Christmas only a month away we are going to spend some time exploring the royal titles ascribed to the Messiah in Isaiah 9, verse 6

Isaiah 9 is often read at Christmas time as Christians believe this prophecy is talking about Jesus – verse 6 is familiar to many of us…

–         For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

–         Today we think about how the title Wonderful Counsellor fits for Jesus

–         But first let us consider Yahweh (the Lord) as a Wonderful Counsellor

 

Yahweh the Wonderful Counsellor:

They say that in the game of drafts you only need to think 1 or 2 moves ahead, but in the game of chess you need to be thinking 4 or 5 moves ahead

–         One of the jobs of a king is to make good decisions – decisions which are wise and just and lead to good long term outcomes for people

–         A king needs to be like a good chess player, thinking 4 or 5 moves ahead, playing out all the various scenarios in his mind

–         The Hebrew for Wonderful Counsellor literally translates wonder planner

The term wonderful counsellor then refers to a king with the wisdom & foresight to develop extraordinary plans & policies for the ordering of the public life of his people [1]

–         As the word wonder suggests the vision and planning of this king are awe inspiring – the king’s wisdom leaves people gob smacked in amazement

 

Two quick examples from the Old Testament to give you the idea of how Yahweh (the Lord) is a wonderful counsellor

In Genesis 18, God visits Abraham & Sarah and says that Sarah will give birth to a son. Sarah laughs at this because she is well past child bearing age so God says…

–         Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? [Meaning, is anything too difficult for the Lord?] At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah will have a son.”

The Lord’s plan here is truly amazing in its scope and level of difficulty

–         Yahweh, the wonderful counsellor, is planning to redeem the entire creation through Abraham’s offspring and he is going to do this by making it possible for a 90 year old woman to give birth to a son

–         Isaac’s birth was a miracle of resurrection

–         Isaac’s birth demonstrates that nothing is too difficult for God – even when it seems like all hope is lost, God can make all things new

–         When we consider how Jesus makes good on God’s promise to Abraham we begin to marvel at the Lord’s planning

 

Another example of Yahweh the wonderful counsellor is seen in the story of Joseph, also in Genesis. Joseph was one of Abraham & Sarah’s great grandsons

–         Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and ended up serving an Egyptian named Potiphar

–         After being falsely accused of sexual misconduct Joseph was thrown into prison for about three years until he was called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams

–         Joseph became a wonderful counsellor to the king of Egypt

–         He knew what the Pharaoh’s dreams meant and what planning the king needed to do to save the people from starvation

–         Store up the excess crops during the seven years of plenty to see you through the seven years of famine

–         Joseph’s wonderful planning saved thousands of lives including that of his own family

 

But the real wonderful counsellor, working behind the scenes, was Yahweh – the Lord Almighty

–         It was God who put Joseph in the right place at the right time with the right wisdom to save the people

–         At the end of Genesis, after Jacob has died, Joseph’s brothers go to him afraid for their lives and wanting forgiveness – to which Joseph replies…

“Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today…”

Joseph acknowledges the wonder planning of Yahweh the wonderful counsellor

 

Jesus the Wonderful Counsellor:

Joseph points to Jesus. Like Joseph, Jesus too is a wonderful counsellor working out God’s wise & just plans for creation

–         Please turn with me to Luke chapter 13, page 98 toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         Jesus’ teaching and parables are pregnant with the wisdom of God

–         In this passage, from Luke 13, we get a taste of Jesus the wonderful counsellor. From verse 10 we read…

10 One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. 11 A woman there had an evil spirit that had kept her sick for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free from your sickness!” 13 He placed his hands on her, and at once she straightened herself up and praised God.

14 The official of the synagogue was angry that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, so he spoke up and said to the people, “There are six days in which we should work; so come during those days and be healed, but not on the Sabbath!”

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Any one of you would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath. 16 Now here is this descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years; should she not be released on the Sabbath?” 17 His answer made his enemies ashamed of themselves, while the people rejoiced over all the wonderful things that he did.

18 Jesus asked, “What is the Kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it with? 19 It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and plants it in his field. The plant grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make their nests in its branches.”

20 Again Jesus asked, “What shall I compare the Kingdom of God with? 21 It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

Probably the most difficult shot in the game of 10 Pin Bowling is knocking over a split.

–         A ‘split’ is where the pins left standing, after your first bowl, are divided or split down the middle

–         In many ways this is a harder shot to pull off than getting a clean strike

–         How do you knock over both pins on either side with just one bowl?

–         I suppose you have to hit one of the pins at just the right angle & speed to create a ricochet which knocks the other pin down

One characteristic of being a wonderful counsellor is the ability to kill two birds with one stone – or rather, to achieve more than one positive result with a single action or decision

–         In our reading from Luke 13 Jesus does just that

–         By healing the woman on the Sabbath Jesus knocks over a split

–         He sets a chain of events in motion which not only set the woman free from her illness but also set the people free in their thinking and daily living

 

The word ‘Sabbath’ appears five times in our reading this morning so that tells us it is significant for understanding this passage

–         To some degree we have lost the meaning of Sabbath in our society today

–         Basically, the Sabbath is a day of rest when people stop working and think about God

–         When the Sabbath is observed as God intended all living things get a small taste of what heaven on earth would be like

 

To better understand the meaning of the Sabbath we have to go back to Genesis chap. 2

–         By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

 

In Genesis 1 creation is depicted poetically as God bringing order & function to the chaos

–         After God has done the work of creating order & function he rests

–         It’s not that God was tired and needed to take a break – God doesn’t get tired like we do

–         Divine rest doesn’t mean taking a nap – divine rest means all those forces of chaos that are opposed to God have been subdued and order has been restored – God is in control, he is on the throne ruling the universe

–         So the purpose of the Sabbath is to point to the Kingdom of God

–         The Sabbath reminds us that the Kingdom of heaven is coming to earth

–         When we observe the Sabbath, when we stop working and give our attention to God, we acknowledge that God is the supreme ruler of the universe and we are his loyal subjects

 

In the first century the Sabbath was very important to the Jews

–         They were an oppressed people (their land was occupied and controlled by the Romans) – so they had to be quite intentional about not being assimilated into Roman culture, they had to make a stand for the sake of maintaining their national identity

–         Holding to their traditions, like keeping the Sabbath holy, was one way they maintained their cultural identity and loyalty to Yahweh

–         Keeping the Sabbath was an act of solidarity – it was a way of saying, ‘ultimately God is in control, not Caesar.’

–         In this sense observing the Sabbath is sort of like going on strike

 

Given the importance of Sabbath observance there were lots of man-made rules around the special day – specifying what you could and couldn’t do

–         Those rules may have been well intentioned but really they missed the point and actually obscured God’s purpose for the Sabbath, which is to point to God’s kingdom & give people a small taste of heaven on earth

–         Our society (in NZ) today has gone to the other extreme – we have almost no rules around the Sabbath and so we have lost something valuable

 

Jesus is in the synagogue on the Sabbath teaching people – giving them his wise and wonderful counsel – when he sees a woman bent over due to an evil spirit which had made her ill. What is he to do?

–         He has the power to heal her but Jewish tradition says he isn’t authorised to heal on the Sabbath

–         Her illness isn’t life threatening – she’s had it for 18 years so her healing  could wait another day

–         However, he might not see her tomorrow – this could be his only opportunity to help her

–         What’s more, healing someone on the Sabbath provided an opportunity to demonstrate to everyone present the bigger picture of God’s wonderful plan to restore and redeem his creation

–         Healing this woman on the Sabbath shows people what the reign of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven) looks like

Jesus sees the opportunity here to achieve two good results with one action – so he heals her

–         How did Jesus do this? It is a wonder, a mystery to us, but at the same time it gives credibility to his message

 

The leader of the synagogue, the guy who was responsible for making sure things ran smoothly, is angry that Jesus has healed on the Sabbath because that goes against the tradition that he is responsible to protect

–         By breaking the rules in this way Jesus has undermined the wall that separates Jews from Gentiles – he has threatened their Jewish identity

–         Or to say it in another way, Jesus has taken a swipe at Jewish nationalism

–         What Jesus did was courageous, politically incorrect and counter cultural

–         In the official’s mind this must have seemed like a betrayal of sorts – like Jesus was being disloyal to God and disloyal to Israel

Now I can understand the official’s frustration all too well – I can easily imagine how irritating & disruptive & annoying someone like Jesus would be

–         The synagogue leader doesn’t have any special wisdom or power to heal like Jesus does

–         I expect he’s just a regular average bloke who has a job to do and he’s trying to be faithful in carrying out his responsibilities

–         He thinks he’s doing the right thing but he just can’t see the wood for the trees and ends up in a public argument with Jesus that he has no show of winning.

The official has no idea who Jesus is – I feel sorry for him

–         He’s the fall guy whose blindness & ignorance provides the opportunity for Jesus’ wonderful counsellor-ness to be revealed

–         Not unlike the woman’s 18 year illness provided the opportunity for Jesus’ power & compassion to be displayed

–         Can you see the wonderful way God used the woman’s illness and the official’s spiritual blindness for good?

–         Had the woman not been sick and had the official said nothing then no one would have heard the brilliance of Jesus’ argument…

–         Any one of you would untie his ox or his donkey from the stall [after just a few hours] and give it a drink. Now here is a descendant of Abraham [someone far more valuable than an ox or a donkey] whom Satan has kept bound up for 18 years [far longer than a few hours]. How much more should she be released on the Sabbath? [the Sabbath being a day which points to God’s creative work in bringing order & function to chaos]

Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater and his insight, his perspective, is brilliant – he hoists his opponents on their own petard

–         Not only does Jesus show everyone present what God’s bigger plan & purpose is (bringing release & restoration) he also undoes a bit of Jewish nationalism by pointing out that the real enemy here isn’t the Romans – the real enemy is Satan

–         The wonderful thing is that Jesus’ wisdom sets people free in their minds

–         Just as the woman has been released from her back problem and can now stand up straight, so too the people have been released from the burden of rules surrounding the Sabbath and can now begin to think straight

–         Everyone has been given a glimpse of what God’s kingdom looks like

–         Jesus knocks over a split and verse 17 tells us, the people rejoice over all the wonderful things he did.

 

God’s wonderful plan (Kingdom)

If you look in your pew Bibles on page 98 again – you will notice that the account of Jesus healing the woman on the Sabbath is separated from the parable of the Mustard Seed by a heading, in bold

–         This gives the false impression that the Sabbath healing miracle is somehow separate from the two parables that follow

–         What we need to remember is that the headings you see in your Bibles are not part of the original text – they’ve been added in by the translators

–         So there’s no separation between the healing miracle and the parables

Verse 18 (in the Greek) actually reads Therefore Jesus asked, ‘What is the Kingdom of God like…’

–         The Good News Version has left the ‘Therefore’ out

–         The ‘therefore’ means that Luke intended us to read the parables of the mustard seed and yeast in conjunction with the Sabbath healing story

–         Put it all together and its talking about the Kingdom of God

–         Luke arranges Jesus’ material like this to help the reader see the wonder of God’s plan

 

When we were kids we were taught to wash our hands after going to the toilet and before every meal – that was supposed to stop us from getting sick

–         Bacteria, we were told, are bad and we need to get rid of them

–         We still see that attitude today with the advent of hand sanitiser

–         There’s an advertisement on TV with a little boy buying an ice cream from Mr Whippy and getting his hand sanitiser out before eating

–         It makes me cringe

 

Science tells us not all bacteria are bad, in fact we need certain bacteria for good health

–         The right bacteria in our gut help to regulate bowel movement

–         They help in the formation of vitamins like folic acid, riboflavin and vitamin K

–         What’s more, friendly bacteria enhance our immune system by increasing the production of antibodies which fight bad bacteria

–         Bacteria also help to regulate hormone levels and cholesterol

–         So it seems that washing our hands obsessively may actually be bad for us in that it reduces our exposure to good bacteria

 

In some ways the Kingdom of God is like good bacteria – it is small, unseen at first and does its work silently, on the inside

–         What’s more the Kingdom of God is often found in unexpected places

 

During the Second World War soldiers in Northern Africa were getting sick with dysentery and washing their hands didn’t seem to help

–         So the soldiers kept a close eye on the local Arabs who seemed to recover a lot quicker

–         Whenever the locals got sick they followed behind a camel and ate the fresh camel dung while it was still warm – then they were right again by the next day, instead of spending weeks in bed

 

It was later proven there was a soil-based organism in the camel dung known as Bacillus Subtilis

–         Bacillus Subtilis is a bacterial organism with super-strength that eats any other bacteria or virus that gets in its way, particularly pathogens

–         This story comes with a warning though: I’m not sure it works with every kind of poo, so be careful what you put in your mouth

 

Mustard seeds and yeast are small (like bacteria) and yet they have such a powerful and lasting effect

–         The mustard seed grows into a large, resilient and pervasive plant that is populated with birds

–         And just a small amount of yeast permeates a large quantity of dough

–         40 litres of flour, in verse 21, makes a huge amount of bread

–         How the seed grows and how the yeast makes the bread rise was a wonder, a mystery, to the people of Jesus’ day

 

The main point seems to be, God’s wonderful plan for establishing his Kingdom on earth is to start small and work silently, gradually, from the inside out

–         As opposed to coming loudly and in force to bring about a quick revolution

 

The healing of the woman on the Sabbath is a case in point

–         Jesus didn’t go to someone really important, like the emperor of Rome or the high priest, to heal him

–         Instead he healed someone at the bottom of the social scale – a sick anonymous woman who could do nothing at all to repay Jesus

–         However, in that small but powerful act of healing on the Sabbath, Jesus sowed the seeds of God’s kingdom

–         He put yeast in the dough of the local community to cause people to rise and praise God

 

A couple of other things to note about the wisdom of these parables

–         Jesus thought about his audience – he used images from everyday life that would relate to both men and women

–         Mustard seeds and mustard plants were everywhere – they were common

–         But making bread was something that women did – so in using the yeast metaphor Jesus was specifically reaching out to his female listeners

–         And that was significant when we consider that most Jewish males at that time thought that women would be excluded from God’s kingdom

 

The other thing we note is that both mustard plants and yeast had a bad reputation, sort of like bacteria

–         Mustard plants in the Middle East are similar to gorse in NZ – a weed, unwanted and hard to get rid of

–         Having said that, gorse does provide a nursery for growing native trees, so it’s not as bad as it seems

–         Likewise yeast, in Jewish thought, is a symbol for sin

–         At Passover time people had to get rid of all the yeast in their home and make flat (unleavened) bread, without yeast

–         So by comparing the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast it appears that Jesus is implying the Kingdom of God may be unrecognisable and despised by some, at least at first

–         Certainly the leader of the synagogue didn’t appreciate Jesus healing the woman on the Sabbath

–         Sometimes the Kingdom of God tastes like camel poo

 

The birds of the air, which nest in the mustard plant, is probably a poetic reference to the Gentile nations [2]

–         Jesus is saying there will be room for people like the Romans and Greeks and Barbarians and Kiwis in God’s Kingdom

–         Perhaps another swipe at the Jewish nationalism of his day which supposed that only Israelite men would get into God’s Kingdom

 

Conclusion:

We could spend a lot more time exploring the wonders of Jesus’ wisdom but that’s enough for today

–         Hopefully you can see that Jesus, like Yahweh, is a wonderful counsellor

–         In and through Jesus, God reveals his wise and wonderful plan of salvation

–         And because of Jesus we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

As the busy-ness of Christmas approaches I encourage you to pause and consider how God is working all things for good in your life.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What do you think of when you hear the phrase Wonderful Counsellor?

–         What does the Bible mean by the phrase Wonderful Counsellor?

3.)     Can you think of some examples of God’s wonderful planning in the Bible?

–         Now share some examples of God’s wonderful planning in your own life.

4.)    Discuss the different ways Jesus’ wonderful counsel is displayed in Luke 13:10-21

5.)    What is the purpose of the Sabbath?

–         What is a good use of the Sabbath?

6.)    What is the significance of Jesus healing on the Sabbath?

7.)    How does God use the woman’s illness and the synagogue leader’s (spiritual) blindness for good?

8.)    What is the main point of the parables of the mustard seed and yeast?

–         How do these parables relate to the Sabbath healing miracle that precedes them?

–         What other things might these parables be saying? (E.g. about women & gentiles)

9.)    Can you see God working all things for good in your life?

–         How is he doing this?

 

 

 

 

[1] Walter Brueggemann, Names for the Messiah, page 7.

[2] Refer Ezekiel 17:22-24, for example.

Tawa Baptist

Healing in Ruth

Scripture: Ruth

Title: Healing

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Ruth 1
  • Ruth 2
  • Ruth 3
  • Ruth 4
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Aristotle is quoted as saying, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”

–         The idea here is of synergy or working together

–         Said another way, the interaction or cooperation of two or more parts produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.

 

For example, if you take a raw egg by itself then it doesn’t taste that nice

–         Yes, you can eat it and it will give you some nutritional benefit but it’s not that appetising

–         Likewise if you take some flour by itself it’s barely edible

–         But when you combine the egg & flour with some other ingredients, like sugar and butter and cocoa powder, then put it in the oven to cook, the whole cake that comes out is far nicer to eat than each separate ingredient on its own

 

Today we conclude our series on care of the soul, using the acronym HEALING

–         Over the past couple of months or so we have looked at how Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving support the well-being of the soul

–         For the sake of understanding we have looked at each word separately but actually these seven parts work together in an inter-related way

–         There is synergy between them so that when we put them together the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

–         Hope is a primary source of energy and inspires both appreciation and lament

o   When hope is fulfilled appreciation is the right response

o   Likewise, when hope is disappointed, lament is the natural response

–         Hope also provides the energy for nurture & giving, which in turn provide the oil for inter-dependent relationships

 

One Biblical story which shows all seven of these things working together is the story of Ruth & Naomi

 

Ruth 1

The book of Ruth is set during the time of the Judges in Israel – so that’s after the people have entered the Promised Land, but before kings were appointed – around the time of Samson and Gideon, give or take

 

Because of a famine Naomi leaves Bethlehem with her husband and two sons and migrates to Moab

–         The Moabites were sort of like cousins to the Israelites but they didn’t really get on all that well

–         The Moabites were descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot, who had an incestuous relationship with his daughters

–         Things must have been pretty grim for Naomi’s husband to think that Moab offered greener pastures

–         Anyway, while they are away in Moab Naomi’s husband died and her two sons married Moabite girls, Orpah & Ruth

–         About 10 years pass and then Naomi’s two sons die as well – it’s a complete disaster from Naomi’s point of view

–         There was no widow’s benefit or DPB, no state housing and not many options for single women in that context

 

Naomi hears there has been a good crop back in Israel so she says goodbye to Orpah & Ruth, and starts to head back to her home town of Bethlehem

–         But Orpah & Ruth want to go with Naomi – apparently they are not as bad as their chequered ancestry would make them seem

–         Naomi then makes a big speech about how her situation is hopeless, because she is too old to get married again, and if they stay with her their situation will be hopeless too

–         Orpah returns to Moab but Ruth insists on staying with Naomi saying…

 

“Don’t ask me to leave you! Let me go with you. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and that is where I will be buried.

 

Ruth was committed to Naomi until death do us part, so Naomi let Ruth come with her. Ruth’s presence and promise to Naomi is the catalyst for hope

–         Ruth & Naomi together are greater than the sum of Ruth & Naomi apart

 

But Naomi can’t see that just yet – when she returns to Israel Naomi tells people to call her ‘Marah’ because Naomi means pleasant, whereas Marah means bitter

–         Why call me Naomi when the Lord Almighty has condemned me and sent me trouble

–         To feel condemned by God is to believe that nothing good waits for you in the future – condemnation is the opposite of hope

–         Hopelessness (despair) is a form of blindness – a loss of perspective

–         Yes, Naomi has been on the receiving end of trouble but it doesn’t automatically follow that God has condemned her

–         At this point Naomi fails to see the good that God has provided in the form of her daughter-in-law Ruth

 

We could say that, Naomi’s behaviour in changing her name and blaming God for her troubles is a form of lament

–         It is because her hope has been disappointed that Naomi feels so bitter

–         Naomi doesn’t deny what she is feeling – she faces it honestly

–         Naomi has lost almost everything and she isn’t ready to forgive God

–         While Naomi is seeking to give honest expression to her grief she is perhaps being unfair in blaming God – better that though than taking it out on the people around you – God’s grace is sufficient for Naomi

–         Interestingly no one in Bethlehem chastises Naomi for her lament

–         They simply listen to her, in silence, and respect how she feels

–         Because really there are no words to do justice to what she is feeling

 

Ruth 2

Hope is not the only source of energy – food is a form of energy too

–         The barley harvest was just beginning when they arrived in Bethlehem so Ruth goes out to glean in the fields behind the harvesters

–         Gleaning means picking up what the harvesters leave behind

 

At its best ancient Israel was an inter-dependent unity

–         People didn’t function independently – the community valued each of its members and relied on each other to provide care & nurture for all

–         Their welfare system was quite different to ours

–         One of the ways the rich provided for the poor was by allowing the poor to glean after the harvesters in their field

–         This was genius really because it allowed the poor the dignity of working for their daily bread and it saved the rich from becoming too greedy

–         The outcome was to nurture better relationships between the rich & poor

–         In our society there is a growing gap between rich & poor, but in the Bethlehem of Naomi’s day the lives of the rich & poor were more closely woven together so they weren’t afraid of each other

 

It so happened that Ruth went to work in the field of Boaz

–         “It so happened” is code for God set this meeting up

 

After enquiring about Ruth with his harvesters, Boaz approaches her with a view to connecting her with the right people in the local community

–         The time of the Judges in Israel was a bit like the wild west – not everyone was as virtuous as Boaz

–         Some people would take advantage of a foreigner like Ruth – they might assume that with her Moabite heritage she would be promiscuous

–         So Boaz invites Ruth to stay with the women in his field and drink from his water jars

–         Boaz is a man of power & influence in the community but he doesn’t see this power and influence as his to do whatever he likes with

–         In Boaz’ mind the whole community is greater than the sum of its individual parts

–         Boaz recognises that his position, his wealth, belongs to God and he is just a steward of it

–         Boaz wisely & generously gives what God has entrusted him with for the benefit of the poor and marginalised, like Ruth & Naomi

 

However, Boaz does this in a way that genuinely appreciates Ruth’s character

–         He doesn’t patronise her or make her feel small in any way

–         “I have heard about everything that you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. I know how you left your father and mother and your own country and how you came to live among a people you had never known before. May the Lord reward you for what you have done.”

–         Ruth is an unlikely heroine – most people wouldn’t expect her to show this level of loyalty and care to Naomi

–         Boaz is making it clear that both he and the Lord appreciate Ruth’s faith and love – they see past the prejudice and beneath the superficial things to recognise the inner quality of her heart  

 

Appreciation begets appreciation. Ruth says to Boaz…

–         “You are very kind to me sir. You have made me feel better by speaking gently to me…”

 

When Ruth comes home with lots of grain and Naomi learns that Ruth has been gleaning in Boaz’ field, Naomi expresses her appreciation too saying…

–         “May the Lord bless Boaz. The Lord always keeps his promises to the living and the dead. That man is a close relative of ours, one of those responsible for taking care of us.”

–         This is a remarkable change of tune from Naomi

–         For the first time in this story she sounds a note of hope – she imagines a future in which she & Ruth are not condemned but rather redeemed

You see, in ancient Israel, hope was provided for through the law in a number of ways

–         For example, if someone fell on hard times financially, and had to sell their land, or themselves into slavery, then a close family member (known as a ‘kinsman redeemer’) was obligated under the law to redeem them by buying their land and their freedom

–         Likewise, if a husband died then that man’s brother or closest male relative was obligated to marry the widow, both to provide a home for the woman and to give the woman (and her late husband) an heir, a son

–         It wasn’t a good deal, financially, for the bloke who had to marry his dead brother’s widow, but it provided something more valuable than money

–         It provided security, nurture and hope for the whole community

–         The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

Naomi has hope because the Law of Moses requires Boaz to redeem them

–         And this hope lifts her spirits, it gives her a new found energy and makes it possible for her to imagine a future in which Ruth is married with children and they all live happily ever after

–         The interesting thing about Naomi’s hope is that it isn’t all about Naomi

–         Naomi’s hope and happiness is tied to Ruth’s future in an inter-dependent way

 

Ruth 3

With this new found hope Naomi suggests a daring plan designed to get Boaz to marry Ruth

–         The plan is risky and one wonders why Naomi doesn’t propose a more straight forward plan, but the risk heightens the sense of suspense and makes for a better story I suppose

So Ruth went to the threshing place and did just what her mother-in-law had told her. When Boaz had finished eating and drinking, he was in a good mood. He went to the pile of barley and lay down to sleep. Ruth slipped over quietly, lifted the covers and lay down at his feet. During the night he woke up suddenly, turned over, and was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet.  

“Who are you?” he asked.

“It’s Ruth, sir,” she answered. “Because you are a close relative, you are responsible for taking care of me. So please marry me.”

[Don’t you love the way she proposes to him – it’s brilliant]

“The Lord bless you,” Boaz said. “You are showing even greater family loyalty in what you are doing now than in what you did for your mother-in-law. You might have gone looking for a young man, either rich or poor, but you haven’t. Now don’t worry, Ruth. I will do everything you ask; as everyone in town knows, you are a fine woman.   

 

That expression, ‘family loyalty’ translates from the Hebrew word hesed

–         I’ve talked about hesed before

–         Katherine Sakenfeld gives the best definition I think…

 

Hesed is variously translated as kindness, mercy, faithfulness or loyalty

–         There are three criteria to hesed in the Hebrew Bible:

–         First, the action is essential to the survival or basic well-being of the recipient

–         Second, the needed action is one that only the person doing the act of hesed is in a position to provide

–         And thirdly, an act of hesed takes place within the context of an existing, positive relationship [1]

 

Boaz is commending Ruth for her hesed (or her loyal love) toward Naomi and her late husband

–         In terms of our HEALING acronym hesed relates closely with nurture & giving

 

Ruth showed hesed (or kindness & nurture) to Naomi by sticking with her and taking care of her through thick & thin

–         Without Ruth’s support it is uncertain whether Naomi would have survived – after all it was Ruth who provided food for them both

–         Not only that but Ruth was a comforting companion for Naomi – she saved her mother-in-law from being overwhelmed by loneliness & grief

 

Likewise, Ruth showed generous hesed to her late husband Mahlon by seeking a husband from among Mahlon’s relatives

–         In this way Mahlon’s name would be preserved in Israel

–         If Ruth had gone after a younger man, who wasn’t related to Mahlon, then the child would not be counted as Mahlon’s son or Naomi’s grandson – no one else could give Mahlon a son in this way, only Ruth

Boaz has the insight to truly appreciate Ruth’s nurture & giving and is ready to respond in kind with his own generous nurture of Ruth & Naomi, but first he must negotiate with another kinsman-redeemer who is more closely related than himself

 

Ruth 4

Boaz does everything out in the open and above board – he follows the right process to avoid arguments later

–         At the town gate, in the presence of the elders, Boaz asks the closer kinsman redeemer if he will redeem Naomi’s field (that is, buy it off Naomi so the land stays in the family and Naomi is provided for)

–         At first the man is willing to do this but when he learns that marrying Ruth is part of the deal he pulls out because then the field would belong to any children he has with Ruth – this man isn’t feeling that generous

–         We shouldn’t be too tough on him though – he was simply being honest

–         Ruth would be better off with Boaz because Boaz really appreciated her in a way that the other guy didn’t

–         So Boaz, who is the next closest relative, steps in to redeem the situation by purchasing the field and marrying Ruth

–         Financially it is not in Boaz’ interests to do this but Boaz is thinking of the bigger picture – he is thinking of the community as a whole, not just himself

–         Boaz & Ruth together are greater than the sum of Boaz & Ruth apart

 

Ruth & Boaz are married with the blessing of the community and, by God’s grace, a son is born to Ruth

–         The women of Bethlehem have the last word, saying to Naomi…

“Praise the Lord! He has given you a grandson today to take care of you. May the boy become famous in Israel! Your daughter-in-law loves you, and has done more for you than seven sons. And now she has given you a grandson, who will bring new life to you and give you security in your old age.”

Naomi took the child, held him close, and took care of him.

The women of the neighbourhood named the boy Obed. They told everyone, “A son has been born to Naomi!”

Here we have appreciation, inter-dependence, nurture & giving, altogether, in just a couple of verses

  • – The women express their appreciation in praise to God for the birth of Obed and the loyal love of Ruth
  • – Ruth gives her first born son to Naomi
  • – And Naomi nurtures the child
  • – Inter-dependence is seen in the way the women of the neighbourhood name the boy and rejoice with Naomi
  • – What happens to one part of the body affects the rest – if one part suffers, all the other parts suffer with it and if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness
  • – The whole is greater than the sum of its parts

 

Conclusion:

The book of Ruth finishes with a genealogy

  • – Obed became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David
  • – As in, king David – which makes Ruth & Boaz the ancestors of Jesus

The story of Naomi & Ruth is a story of how God heals the broken hearted and the poor in spirit, not through quick miracles but through more ordinary things like time, patience, loyal love and the people we least expect

  • – Hope, Energy, Appreciation, Lament, Inter-dependence, Nurture and Giving, they are all present in the healing process as Naomi goes from emptiness to fullness, from feeling condemned to being redeemed, from death to life, from disorientation to a new orientation

 

Ruth’s promise of hesed to Naomi reminds me of Jesus’ promise to be with us always, wherever we go [2]

Boaz’ action in redeeming Ruth & Naomi also reminds me of Jesus

Jesus, the Son of Man (the Son of Humankind), is our kinsman redeemer

  • – God has the power to take all the fragments, all the broken pieces of your life, and make you whole again
  • – It is the Spirit of Jesus who makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Can you think of some examples, from everyday life, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts?

–         Discuss the way the different parts of our H.E.A.L.I.N.G. acronym work together

3.)    What is the significance of Ruth’s promise to Naomi?

–         What difference does this make for both of them?

4.)    Why does Naomi insist on being called Marah, in chapter 1?

–         How is this a form of lament?

5.)    How was the welfare system, operating in the story of Ruth, different from our welfare system today?

–         How did gleaning foster inter-dependence?

–         How does Boaz use his wealth & influence to help the poor & marginalised?

6.)    What does Boaz appreciate about Ruth?

–         How does Boaz express his appreciation for Ruth?

7.)    What are some of the ways the Law of Moses provided hope for people?

8.)    How does Ruth show hesed (loyal love) to Naomi and her late husband Mahlon?

–         How does the concept of hesed relate to our H.E.A.L.I.N.G. acronym?

9.)    In what sense is Jesus our kinsman redeemer?

 

[1] Katherine Doob Sakenfeld, Ruth, page 24.

[2] Matthew 28:20

Tawa Baptist

For-giving

Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35

Title: Forgiving

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Forgiveness is letting go
  • God’s forgiveness is unlimited but not unconditional
  • Forgiving from the heart
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Good blood flow helps to heal wounds

–         Without healthy blood flow a wound will take ages to heal or may even get worse

–         Generally speaking things that improve blood flow include…

o   Putting a heat pack on the wound area

o   Elevating the wound to reduce swelling (because swelling restricts blood flow)

o   And appropriate levels of exercise to aid circulation

o   Looking after your heart also helps with blood flow – restricted arteries or poor blood pressure can impede blood flow and prolong the healing process

A ‘readiness to forgive’ is to the soul what good blood flow is to the body

–         Forgiveness, like blood flow, heals wounds

–         Without forgiveness the healing process can’t happen and our soul turns septic

 

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Last week we looked at giving – this morning we continue the focus on giving with special reference to for-giving

 

Forgiveness is letting go:

As I mentioned earlier in the service, forgiveness is about letting go

–         Letting go of our hurt and letting go of our desire to get even

–         With forgiveness we don’t insist on our rights – we give up our rights in order to set the other person free from their obligation to us

–         Forgiveness is a choice to refuse replaying the injury in our mind

–         It is a choice not to remind the other person of what they have done – not to hold anything over them

 

Forgiveness is an act of faith

–         When we forgive others we are trusting God to make things right, as opposed to taking matters into our own hands.

–         Likewise, when we seek forgiveness we are trusting in God’s mercy, not in our own rightness.

 

Forgiveness is similar to grieving

–         With both grieving and forgiveness we have lost something and we are coming to terms with that loss in a way that allows us to move forward

–         If the loss is significant then our forgiveness may require some lament

–         For example, we may have to give honest expression to our anger before we can forgive, before we can let the other person go free

 

To illustrate how God’s forgiveness works Jesus tells a parable to his disciples in Matthew 18

–         In the context of Matthew 18, Jesus has just been talking about how his followers are to relate with each other, and in particular how they are to restore broken relationships. From Matthew 18, verse 21, we read…

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master had compassion on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

 May God’s Spirit illuminate this reading for us

 

God’s forgiveness is unlimited but not unconditional:

This parable shows us that while God’s forgiveness is unlimited, it is not unconditional

Someone once said, ‘It doesn’t matter how much milk you spill so long as you don’t lose the cow.’

–         I guess the point is that mistakes are bound to happen – milk is going to get spilt – but, as long as we still have the cow we can always get some more. With the cow, our milk supply is unlimited

One way of understanding Jesus’ parable here is that God gives us the cow of grace – or unlimited forgiveness

–         But in order for us to keep the cow we must share the milk of forgiveness with others – if we don’t share the forgiveness then we forfeit the cow

–         While God’s forgiveness is unlimited, it is not unconditional

The standard Jewish teaching of the day recommended that you forgive someone 3 times

–         So when Peter suggested the upper limit for forgiveness might be 7 times, he was going well beyond the norm but still missing the point really

–         Because forgiveness, by definition, requires us to not keep score at all

–         Maintaining a ledger of wrong doing is the opposite of forgiveness

So, when Jesus said to Peter, ‘Not seven times, but seventy seven times’

–         He did not literally mean 77 times (or 490 times as some translations say)

–         He meant that we should not be counting

–         Our forgiveness of others should be unlimited

–         Martin Luther King summed it up well when he said…

–         Forgiveness is an attitude, not an occasional act

 

Jesus illustrates how God’s forgiveness works by telling a story about the kingdom of heaven

–         In Jesus’ parable the king wants to settle accounts with his servants

–         One of his servants is brought in who owes him 10,000 talents

–         Now a talent in Jesus’ time was not a special ability that one might possess like singing or drawing

–         A talent was a measure of weight – the largest measure of weight they had (in this case probably of silver)

–         What’s more 10,000 was the largest increment or number they used

–         So when Jesus says the servant owed 10,000 talents he does not mean for us to try and calculate the exact sum of silver or gold this may represent

–         Jesus is quoting a figure which was at the limit of what anyone in that culture could imagine

–         It was a figure many times greater than the GDP of Galilee – which means it would be impossible for the servant to repay the king

At first the king orders his servant to be sold as a slave (along with his wife & kids and all his property)

–         This in itself would not cover the debt – it was simply a way of the king preventing further losses and recouping what he could

–         Now, under the circumstances this was quite a merciful thing for the king to do – he could have ordered the servant’s head to be cut off or had him thrown in jail, but he doesn’t

Interestingly, the servant does not want to work for anyone else

–         The servant realises how good he has it with the king and wants to stay under the king’s care and protection – so he begs for mercy by saying…

–         Be patient with me and I will pay you everything

Now this is a lie told by a man in desperation

–         There is no way the servant could repay the entire debt – not even if he was given several lifetimes – it is impossible

–         The servant wants the king’s grace but he is unwilling to fully accept the truth of what he has done

–         Forgiveness doesn’t work unless we honestly take in what has happened

–         It’s the truth about ourselves that sets us free to forgive others

–         Truth is to forgiveness what sanding is to painting or what digging is to laying foundations – without truth, forgiveness doesn’t stick

The king knows that his servant can’t repay him but he has compassion on him and forgives the debt altogether – forgiveness is letting go of getting even

–         Forgiveness is also an act of faith

–         The king is trusting his servant to learn from his mistakes and not repeat the sorts of behaviour that got him into debt in the first place

–         He is also trusting his servant to pay it forward and forgive others

As soon as the servant is out of the king’s presence he finds a fellow servant who owes him a hundred denarii (equivalent to about 3 months wages for a labourer at that time) – nothing by comparison to 10,000 talents of silver

–         He grabs his fellow servant by the throat and says…

–         Pay back what you owe me

–         But when this fellow servant begs for mercy the first servant refuses and instead throws his co-worker into debtors’ prison

The unforgiving servant’s behaviour is the opposite of the king’s behaviour

–         The king was not violent but the unforgiving servant is

–         The king had compassion but the unforgiving servant is obtuse

–         The king did not insist on his rights whereas the unforgiving servant demands justice

–         The king released his servant but this same man who was released throws his fellow servant in prison

The other staff see all this and they are very upset

–         So they go to the king and intercede for the poor bloke who has been thrown in prison

–         The fact that they go to the king suggests they are used to the king listening and acting justly – they trust the king to do the right thing

When the king hears what the unforgiving servant has done he is outraged

–         He tells the servant some home truths and sends the man to jail to be tortured until he should pay back the whole amount

–         That’s a frightening thought when you consider that the unforgiving servant had no way of repaying the debt and no friends to bail him out

–         It might leave us with some rather discomforting thoughts about God

–         The same God who welcomes the prodigal

–         The same God who goes looking for the lost sheep

–         The same God who shows mercy and forgives generously

–         Is the same God who executes justice and punishes the hypocrite

To be clear God is not volatile or capricious – he is not prone to lashing out in random acts of rage. A couple of things to bear in mind about this situation…

Firstly, hyperbole or exaggeration are the hall-marks of this parable and the unforgiving servant himself is presented as an extreme example

–         He is certainly not representative of every servant of the king

Secondly, the king in this parable is simply giving the servant what he asked for

–         He had demanded justice for himself from his fellow servant

–         And so this is exactly what the king gives him

–         Measure for measure the king treated the unforgiving servant as he had treated others

I believe that God is just and merciful – he wouldn’t punish anyone beyond what they deserve

–         This being so the worst we can expect from God is justice and the best we can expect is mercy – either way, the choice is ours

–         Through faith in Jesus, God offers his mercy and his forgiveness to everyone – all we have to do is accept his mercy and pay it forward

–         But, if we insist on justice for ourselves, then that’s what God will give us

When we consider our own experience the imprisonment and torture in this parable equate to the mental & emotional anguish that un-forgiveness creates for the individual

–         Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent free in your head

–         Or, as Malachy McCourt puts it, “Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die”

When we fail to forgive others, when we insist on justice for ourselves,

–         When we keep a record of wrongs,

–         When we hold onto the bricks of hurt & resentment, we lose the cow of forgiveness

–         We make ourselves a prisoner to all sorts of tormenting thoughts & fears

–         In short, we cut ourselves off from God’s mercy

Thomas Fuller once said, “He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

–         Our forgiveness, our freedom, is conditional on us forgiving others

–         When we forgive others we maintain the bridge that God has built for us through Christ

 

Forgiving from the heart:

After talking about the punishment of the unforgiving servant Jesus concludes his parable (in verse 35) by saying…

–         “That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart”

What does it mean to forgive your brother or your sister from your heart?

–         Well it means to forgive genuinely, authentically, from deep within yourself

–         It is not a superficial, passive aggressive, phoney kind of forgiveness

–         It’s not saying, ‘May God forgive you’, and then fantasying about beating that person up

–         It is the kind of forgiveness that sets us free on the inside

A couple of weeks ago I was crossing the road when some random guy I didn’t recognise yelled out from across the street calling me an obscene name

–         I did nothing to provoke him, I was just walking across the road

–         At the time I felt shocked and didn’t really know what to do so I carried on walking and, silently in my head, asked God to forgive him

Afterwards though it started to bother me – why did he call me that name?

–         Despite having asked God to forgive him there was a part of me that wanted to do violent things to him

–         It was exhausting trying to stop my mind from going down that track

Perhaps if I said the words, ‘I forgive you’, out loud a few times, maybe that would work

–         But it didn’t. If anything that just made it worse – it only made me think about it more

–         He wasn’t sorry – he wasn’t even there to hear my forgiveness

–         So that night I tried to distract myself by watching some junk TV, but that didn’t work either, there was always something to remind me of the injury to my pride

Eventually I remembered what had worked for me in the past when I was struggling to let something go

–         The problem was, I kept thinking about my innocence and that made me hungry for justice

–         What I needed to think about was my guilt so that I would be hungry for mercy

I was upset about this guy taking my name in vain, blaspheming my name, and I couldn’t let it go because (sub-consciously) it reminded me of the times when I’ve taken God’s name in vain

–         This guy was showing me a mirror – I was that man

–         You see, while I’ve never done anything against the guy who yelled abuse at me, I have at times abused God’s name

–         The truth is I have behaved in ways that have made God appear obscene to others and yet God has forgiven me for that

–         Me taking God’s name in vain is far worse than that guy taking my name in vain – and once I realised that I stopped thinking about my injury and I forgave the guy from my heart – I was able to let it go, without Netflix

–         The things that bother us most about other people are often the things that bother us most about ourselves

 

Ideally forgiveness leads to restoration of right relationship

–         In fact reconciliation is not possible without forgiveness

–         However, forgiveness is possible without reconciliation

–         Forgiveness is always necessary but full reconciliation and restoration of relationship is not always wise

–         I don’t know the guy who yelled at me and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to know me either, so I don’t have to try and be his friend

Of course the example I’ve given is a relatively small thing – it’s not the same as being physically or sexually abused by someone you know

–         Forgiveness of that magnitude usually requires a process of grieving & lament, not to mention a fair dollop of God’s grace

Jesus’ call to forgive others is not a call to be used as a doormat or a punching bag.

–         If someone commits a serious criminal offence against you then it is okay to take that to the police – forgiveness doesn’t mean turning a blind eye

–         Wherever possible we should seek to restore damaged relationships but if the person you need to forgive is not willing to change,

–         If they continue to behave in abusive ways

–         If they simply cannot be trusted then you do not need to remain in relationship with them

–         You do need to forgive them (to let go of the hurt) in order to find healing, but you don’t need to try and be their friend

–         Better to call them by their proper name – your enemy

–         As a last resort Matthew 18 also allows for the ex-communication of the unrepentant

Forgiveness is not an excuse for us to dodge our responsibilities

–         If we do wrong then we should apologise to the one we have offended

–         If we can repay our debts, then we must

–         If we can put things right, then we should do that

–         If we commit a crime then we have to face the courts and take our punishment

–         God’s mercy does not erase his justice, it supports his justice

–         God’s mercy supports us to do the right thing

Conclusion:

God’s forgiveness is unlimited but it is not unconditional

–         God will forgive us generously when we call on him

–         But we forfeit his forgiveness if we refuse to forgive others

–         As Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, they will be shown mercy”

 

Let us pray a prayer of confession…

 Loving Father, our sin is too much for us to bear but Your forgiveness is greater than our sin.

Forgive us for our anxious thoughts and failure to trust you. Calm the waters of our soul.

Forgive us for our words which have wounded like shrapnel or sown weeds in other people’s hearts. Make our speech gracious and true.

Forgive us for the pride that blinds us to our own faults. Remove the plank from our mind’s eye.

Forgive us for the times we have dragged your name through the mud. Help us to reflect your image clearly.

Forgive us for the violence we imagine, provoke and express. Make us a channel of your peace.

Forgive us for our unceasing consumption which is destroying this planet. Satisfy our desires in Christ and restore the earth.

Forgive us for denying your grace by insisting on our own innocence. Make us aware of our need for your mercy.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Set us free to serve you with clean hands and a pure heart. Amen.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is forgiveness?

–         What might forgiveness look like in practice – both mentally and relationally?

–         How is forgiveness an act of faith?

–         In what ways is forgiveness like grieving?

3.)    How does Jesus’ response to Peter and the parable in Matthew 18 convey the idea that God’s forgiveness is unlimited?

–         How does the parable convey the idea that God’s forgiveness in not unconditional?

4.)    What does the parable show us about God’s character?

5.)    Why is truth (esp. the truth about ourselves) necessary for forgiveness to stick?

6.)    What is the consequence, in your experience, of failing to forgive?

–         How does this fit with the consequence for the unforgiving servant in Jesus’ parable?

7.)     What does it mean to forgive from your heart?

–         How might we forgive from our heart?

–         Why does insisting on our innocence get in the way of forgiving?

8.)    How is forgiveness different from reconciliation?

–         How does forgiveness relate to reconciliation?

–         When is it appropriate to seek reconciliation with someone?

–         When is it not appropriate to seek reconciliation with someone?

9.)    Is there someone you need to forgive?

–         Is there someone you need to seek forgiveness from?

Tawa Baptist

Giving

Scripture: Luke 16:1-13

Title: Giving

Key Points:

  • Giving opens doors and facilitates movement
  • Giving creates security by strengthening relationships

Introduction:

Last summer we went to Kapiti Island for a day

–         Kapiti has a lagoon on its northern edge

–         Although it is right beside the sea the lagoon is completely closed in – no water flows in from the sea and no water flows out

–         Apparently this happened naturally with time and weather

–         Local Maori say the lagoon was a burial place for those who had fought and died on Kapiti in wars of centuries past

–         No one drinks the water, nor fishes from it, nor even swims in it

–         The water is dark and brackish (a mix of fresh water and salt water), not really inviting

–         Movement supports life – the Kapiti lagoon is a place of death, not just because of its history but because it has no movement – nothing flows in and nothing flows out

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Last week we looked at nurture – this morning our focus is giving

Giving is good for our soul in a number of ways

–         Giving supports life by opening doors and facilitating movement

–         If the lagoon on Kapiti had an opening the brackish water inside could be released and changed regularly and it would become a place of life again

Or to change metaphors, giving is like CRC – it loosens things that have seized

–         Or giving is like engine oil – it allows the motor to run freely without overheating

–         Or giving is like kiwi fruit – it moves your bowel and clears out the waste

–         Or giving is like picking beans – the more you pick the bigger your crop

Giving can include sharing money and resources, being generous in our attitude toward others, giving time to listen and serve, giving people the benefit of the doubt and forgiving others.

Luke 16:1-13

To help us explore this idea of giving our message today focuses on Luke 16, verses 1-13. Taken as a whole Luke 16 is about the use of wealth

–         As I’ve already mentioned there is more to giving than sharing money, nevertheless Luke 16 sets out some helpful principles relating to giving

–         From verse 1 we read…

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

Our reading today begins with Jesus telling his disciples the parable of the shrewd manager (or the unjust steward)

–         Two things this parable shows us about giving…

–         Giving opens doors and facilitates movement

–         And giving creates security by strengthening relationships

 

The parable of the Shrewd Manager assumes a scenario in which a rich landowner leases his land to farmers who pay rent by giving him a portion of their harvest [1]

The rich man learns that his servant has been wasting his goods so he calls the manager in, fires him on the spot and orders him to hand over the books

–         This may seem a bit harsh to us but it was actually quite gracious in the context

–         In Jesus’ day a manager could have been imprisoned or sold as a slave with his family in order to recoup the rich man’s losses

–         But the rich man lets the manager go free

Interestingly the manager does not argue with his master – he doesn’t try to justify himself

–         The manager knows his master is right and there is no point in arguing, so his thoughts turn to his future – how will he provide for himself?

To his credit the manager harbours no illusions about himself – he knows he couldn’t make it as a labourer or a beggar so he devises a plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel (as Black Adder might say to Baldric)

–         The manager’s plan is to call his master’s debtors in one by one and forgive a large portion of each of their debts

–         ‘…Then when my job is gone here, I shall have friends who will welcome me in their homes.’

–         Giving opens doors and facilitates movement

–         Giving also creates security by strengthening relationships

 

The manager called the master’s debtors to him (one at a time) and he reduced their debts significantly

–         900 gallons of olive oil becomes 450

–         1000 bushels of wheat becomes 800

–         These represent significant sums of money

–         450 gallons of olive oil was worth about a year and half’s wages

Giving creates security by strengthening relationships

–         Generally speaking, the greater the gift the stronger the relationship, or at least the stronger the obligation

Let me demonstrate what I mean [Hold up a single piece of paper]

–         Imagine that this piece of paper represents the relationship between two people

–         As you can see the relationship isn’t very strong or deep just yet – it could easily be ripped in half – and that’s because not much has been given or shared, perhaps just 1 gallon of olive oil

[Hold up a phone book]

–         Here we have a more robust relationship – one in which 450 gallons of olive oil has been given or shared

–         As you can see this relationship is much stronger

The point is: by forgiving such large amounts of debt the manager opened doors and created security for himself by strengthening relationships

On the one hand the debtors don’t realise the manager has already been given the sack and is no longer authorised to write off their debt

–         So publicly the debtors would be able to say ‘I had no idea the manager had been fired – I thought he was authorised to make the reductions’

–         But on the other hand they might also be thinking, ‘this is all a little bit too good to be true, I have a feeling the manager is going to want his cut’

–         So privately the debtors might be expecting to split some of their savings with the manager afterwards

The manager very shrewdly gets the debtors to write the reduction in their own hand – in this way the debtors cannot contest the amounts owed or get out of their shady deal with the manager

–         It also shows the master that the debtors are aware of the reductions making it a lot more difficult for the master to change the figures back without losing face

As Kenneth Bailey observes, by making these reductions public knowledge the manager has made his master look like a generous hero in the eyes of the whole community

–         If the master were to increase the debts again he would then look bad in the eyes of the community

–         The master chooses to show extravagant grace to the manager once again and does not contest the reductions

–         This act of grace for the manager is also an act of grace for the whole community – everyone wins at the master’s expense

The parable concludes with the master praising his servant (the manager) – not for being dishonest but rather for being clever & brave

–         The manager has essentially risked everything on a belief that his master will act graciously, not treating him as he deserves

–         If the master had not been gracious the plan would have failed and the manager would have been thrown in prison or sold as a slave

–         The master’s generosity points to God’s generosity in forgiving us

 

In verse 9 Jesus interprets his own parable saying…

  • – I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

–         In other words, giving opens doors and strengthens relationships, not just in this life but in eternity

–         Jesus means for people to be smart and use the money or wealth they have in constructive ways – to help others, especially the poor

–         In the same way that the manager had to prepare for his future because he was about to lose his job, so too we need to think about our eternal future

–         This life won’t last forever and when it ends we can’t take our money with us – but what does carry over into eternity is our relationships, because relationships have to do with spirit

Money may have some value in this life but it will have no value in the next life

–         Good relationships have value both in this life and the next

–         If you know the value of your dollar will soon be worthless then the smart thing to do is invest your money in something that will hold its value before the dollar drops – Good relationships hold their value forever

–         So it makes sense to use our money to help others and to strengthen good relationships now, while we still can

 

Luke 16 contains a second parable – of the rich man and Lazarus

–         If the parable of the shrewd manager teaches us about giving and a good use for money, then the parable of the rich man and Lazarus teaches us about withholding and a foolish use of money

–         The rich man used his wealth to indulge himself while neglecting to help Lazarus the poor man

–         When they both died the tables were turned and Lazarus went to be with Abraham, while the door to paradise was shut to the rich man

–         Giving opens doors and strengthens relationships in this life and the next

–         Withholding things (whether that’s withholding money or the truth or love) locks doors and dissolves relationships

–         The security of having right relationships is far better than the security offered by money

 

In some ways (although not in every way) the master in Jesus’ parable is a bit like God and we are a bit like the servant or the manager

–         Hopefully we aren’t dishonest like the manager but, either way, we are not the owner of the wealth – God is the owner and we are the stewards

–         Jesus says as much in verses 10-13…

–         If you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own

–         In other words: what we have in our possession in this life; our car, our house, our furniture, the money in our bank account, our job, our time – it’s not really ours – it belongs to God

–         But we do have considerable freedom about how we use it – whether to serve God’s purpose by helping others or not

–         If we use what God has entrusted us with faithfully, to serve His purpose, then we will be trusted with more in eternity

So if the money we have belongs to God and we need to use it to serve his purpose then what does good stewardship look like?

–         Should we be living on the smell of an oily rag and blindly giving away as much as we can to charitable causes?

–         Well, no – I don’t think so

–         God is into justice and mercy – so our spending needs to be fair & kind

–         Yes, we should give some money to charitable causes that are in line with God’s purpose but not at the expense of justice

–         Justice is better than charity

For example, it is better to buy fair trade goods and pay a little more than it is to buy something cheap that has been made by slave labour, even if you plan to give the savings to World Vision or the SPCA

–         We shouldn’t give to charities as a substitute for paying a fair price

–         In global terms we (in NZ) are relatively wealthy – we need to use our wealth in solidarity with the poor, not in ways that oppress them

 

Take the example of pokey machines – while the profits might be distributed to community charities, these same profits often come at the expense of the poor

–         If pokey machines are contributing to the problem then it would be better not to have them in the first place

–         No amount of charity can compensate for injustice

–         If you have a dead carcass rotting in a stream, making the water undrinkable, you don’t leave the carcass there and try to purify the water with chemicals – no, you remove the carcass

 

Another Godly use of money is taking care of your family

–         God puts us in families for a reason – to take care of each other

–         If you hold the purse strings then be fair to your family with how you spend your income – make sure they are warm, dry, well fed and educated before spending on yourself or sending money overseas

–         And, if at all possible, try to have a job that allows you time with your kids – because your time is more valuable to them than your money

I could go on but hopefully you get the point: good stewardship doesn’t mean amassing large amounts of wealth

–         Nor does it mean giving all our money away thoughtlessly or carelessly

–         Good stewardship means using what God has given us to help others in ways that are just, merciful and life-giving

–         John Stott was wise and strategic in his giving – the money he made from the books he wrote went to paying for quality theological training for men & women in poor countries. He believed that would do more long term good, for more people, than anything else

 

In his book Lost Connections Johann Hari tells the following true story of the effects of giving [2]

In the middle of the 1970’s a group of Canadian officials chose a small town, called Dauphin, for an economic experiment

–         Most of the people living in Dauphin were farmers growing a crop called canola

–         The 17000 people of the town worked as hard as they could but were still struggling

–         When the canola crop was good everyone did well but when the canola crop was bad, everyone suffered – consequently there was insecurity because people were anxious about having enough to live on

 

The government officials wondered what would happen if they gave everyone in Dauphin a guaranteed universal basic income with no strings attached

–         I guess it was a bit like our national superannuation except for everyone, not just those over 65

–         This income wouldn’t be means tested like our working for families tax credit – every household simply got paid $19,000 US per year (in today’s terms) – which is over $28,000 NZ dollars

–         By itself this wouldn’t be enough to live on but it would make life easier

–         Sounds a little bit like communism but it wasn’t because people were still free to choose the work they did, still free to worship God and still free to earn more if they wanted to, without penalty

–         This experiment lasted for a while until a new government was elected in Canada and stopped it

 

It wasn’t until years later that a woman, called Evelyn, dug up the data and interviewed those who had taken part to learn the outcome of the experiment

–         Evelyn went through the medical records and found there were fewer people showing up at the doctors with depression & anxiety at that time

–         Why? Because the guaranteed basic income removed the rotting carcass of financial stress in people’s everyday lives – it provided security

 

We might expect people to misuse the money or at least accumulate as much as they could, but quite the opposite happened in Dauphin

–         Giving people basic security actually opened doors for them and made positive change possible

–         People chose to work a bit less and spend more time with their kids

–         And this time was quality time because the parents were less stressed and able to be present with their kids, which meant family life was better

–         Students stayed at school longer and learned more – not only that but some adults went back to school to improve their lot in life

–         Others who felt trapped in a job they hated, just to pay the bills, now had the means to leave that job and do something they enjoyed more

 

People didn’t waste the extra money on booze and cigarettes

–         No – they proved to be good stewards and used the money in wise and creative ways to strengthen their relationships and secure a better future for themselves and their families

 

The same sort of experiment has been done in other places too with the same sort of results

–         I’m not an economist so I don’t know how this would work on a larger scale (like, how would you pay for it and what would it do to inflation?) but I expect there would be significant improvements to people’s health & wellbeing as well as a reduction in crime, therefore saving money over the long term

–         More importantly though people would enjoy the true wealth of better quality lives and relationships

 

This idea of stewardship – giving people resources and trusting them to make good decisions with it, is similar to God’s approach with us

–         Of course with God we will have to give account one day

 

Conclusion:

Our reading from Luke this morning finishes with that well known verse…

  • – “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

 Giving (in whatever form it takes) saves us from the tyranny of self

  • – The tighter we hold onto money the tighter it holds onto us
  • – Financial riches are a cruel master, as is poverty
  • – God is a far kinder, more gracious master
  • – When we release what God has given us, to serve his purpose, we affirm that God is in charge and we find release for ourselves – we open up the lagoon of our brackish heart for God to bring refreshment & life

 

Giving well is good for our soul

–         Giving sets us free – it opens doors in this life and the next

–         Giving facilitates movement and movement supports life

–         Giving also creates security and a better future through stronger relationships

 

Questions for discussion or reflection

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What are some of the ways in which we can give?

3.)    Why does the master commend the shrewd manager?

–         How are we to be like the shrewd manager?

–         How are we to not be like the shrewd manager?

4.)    What does the parable of the shrewd manager teach us about giving?

–         What does it teach us about the value of money and relationships respectively, in the light of eternity?

5.)    What might good stewardship look like?

–         What do we mean when we say, ‘justice is better than charity’?

–         Give some examples of a good use of money – a use that serves God’s purpose

6.)    What would you do if you had a guaranteed basic income (no strings attached) like the people of Dauphin?

7.)    What is your experience of wealth &/or poverty?

–         What is your experience of God as master of your life?

–         How does giving set us free from the tyranny of self?

 

[1] I have drawn mainly on Kenneth Bailey’s interpretation of this parable from his book ‘Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes’, pages 332-342. Other commentators take a different view.

[2] Johann Hari. ‘Lost Connections’, pages 245-249.

Tawa Baptist

Nurture

Scripture: Luke 10:25-42

Title: Nurture

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Eternal life – vv. 25-28
  • The Samaritan – vv. 29-37
  • The benefits of nurture
  • Conclusion – Mary & Martha – vv. 38-42

Introduction:

A number of the images the Bible gives us of God are images of nurture, care and protection – God is referred to as a Father, a Gardner, a Shepherd and even as a Mother Hen

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Over the last couple of weeks we have looked at inter-dependence

–         This morning our focus is nurture

Nurture is about caring for & protecting others, in contrast to abuse & neglect

–         Nurture facilitates inter-dependence and the growth of healthy relationships – without nurture we wouldn’t have inter-dependence

–         Last week I compared inter-dependence to a net – open and flexible

–         Well, if inter-dependence is a net, then nurture is tying the nots that hold the net together – nurture is mending the net

In Biblical terms nurture is about loving God and loving your neighbour

–         In Luke 10 Jesus tells a parable which illustrates what it means to love God and your neighbour – from verse 25 we read…

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ ”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think acted like a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

Eternal Life:

Our reading this morning begins with a question about eternal life

–         How do we inherit or receive eternal life?

–         Before we talk about that though we first need to have some idea of what eternal life is

To the First Century Jewish lawyer who asked this question eternal life was a future age or epoch in which God’s Kingdom would come in its fullness (as symbolised by the green upward arrow) – in contrast to this life now (as symbolised by the red downward curve)

–         Eternal life goes on forever whereas this life is finite – it ends in death

–         This diagram doesn’t tell the full story though

 

For Christians, eternal life is more than simply everlasting time into the future

–         For Christians – eternal life is the very life that God has

–         It is God’s own kind of life, divine life. [1]

 

In John 17 Jesus says in prayer, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

–         This tells us that eternal life is essentially a relationship with God

–         To receive eternal life then is to know God, not just in our head, but intimately, in our experience, and to have him know us personally too

–         A better image of eternal life might be the closeness between a mother and child, or the intimacy between two lovers or the bond between the dearest of friends

–         But even the closest and most functional of human relationships are only approximations – no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him  [2]

–         The point is: eternal life isn’t just about living forever, it is about enjoying a certain quality of life in relationship with God – abundant life, life with peace & joy and wholeness – Life which finds deep satisfaction & meaning through a close, loving connection with the Lord

–         We receive eternal life (we know intimacy with God) through Jesus

 

The lawyer asked Jesus about eternal life to test Jesus, maybe even trip him up

–         Jesus senses this and gets the lawyer to answer his own question

–         We inherit eternal life by loving God with our all and loving our neighbour as our self

–         Love God, love your neighbour – seems straight forward enough, except no one but Jesus has been able to do this perfectly

–         Asking us to sustain whole hearted love of God and our neighbour over a lifetime is like asking us to fly to the moon by flapping our arms

–         Without the transport Jesus offers we won’t even get off the ground

 

The Samaritan:

The lawyer is astute enough to realise that he can’t love everyone all the time but he still thinks he can love some people enough of the time – so he seeks clarification as to who his neighbour is

–         In other words, who do I need to love and who do I not need to worry about?

–         He probably expected Jesus to say, your neighbour is a fellow Jew who keeps the law and possibly even the resident alien who worships the Lord

–         Anyone who doesn’t fall into either of those categories you can ignore

 

Jesus doesn’t answer as expected though – he tells a parable which undermines the lawyer’s categories…

 

A man is walking down the hill from Jerusalem to Jericho – a notoriously dangerous 20 miles of road, with rocky outcroppings and sudden turns which provide ideal ambush spots for bandits [3]

–         Not surprisingly this man is stopped by robbers, stripped, beaten and left unconscious on the side of the road

–         Jesus doesn’t tell us the identity of the man – we don’t know if he is a Jew or a Gentile, a worshipper of Yahweh or a pagan – and the passers-by don’t know either

–         In that culture you could tell where someone was from by the clothes they wore and by their accent, but this man had been stripped naked and he couldn’t talk because he was half dead, so no way to identify him

 

A priest is walking down that road, sees the man and passes by

–         Jewish priests at that time normally served for about two weeks a year in the temple

–         Most likely this priest has just finished his duty and is on his way home, because he is headed down the hill, away from the temple in Jerusalem

–         Although the wounded stranger’s identity is ambiguous the priest has decided this man does not qualify as his neighbour

 

Next a Levite comes along, sees the man and passes by

–         Levites were assistants to the priests – they helped in the temple but had less status than the priests

–         The Levite also decides the wounded stranger does not qualify as his neighbour

 

Lastly a Samaritan comes along

–         Now, we need to remember that Samaritans and Jews hated each other

–         They were enemies – there was no nurture happening between them

–         To the Jews there was no such thing as a ‘good’ Samaritan

 

Last summer I read a novel by Anthony Doerr, called All the Light We Cannot See. It took a bit of getting into but in the end was a satisfying read

–         Set in Europe during World War 2 it tells the story of a blind girl living in Paris during the German occupation and also the story of a German orphan boy conscripted into Hitler Youth and eventually the SS

–         As the title of the book suggests there was good & bad behaviour on both sides – not all the Germans were terrible & not all the French were saints

–         There is light in everyone, only sometimes we can’t see it due to our prejudice

 

Jesus’ largely Jewish audience couldn’t see any light in the Samaritans, even though there was light there, and so what comes next in this parable is a complete shock to them – like hearing of a blind French girl receiving care and protection from an SS soldier in 1944

 

When the Samaritan sees the wounded man he has compassion on him

–         Compassion is the feeling or motivation that accompanies nurture

–         Compassion moves us to care for and protect others

 

At some risk and inconvenience to himself the Samaritan gives the wounded stranger first aid – pouring wine & olive oil on wounds was common medical practice at that time

–         Apparently the Samaritan is not concerned with abstract debates about who his neighbour is – he sees a need and responds with care

–         Stopping to help the man is risky in that the bandits may still be lurking close by and could attack him also – but the Samaritan’s love is greater than his fear

 

Then the Samaritan puts the wounded man on his donkey while he walks beside

–         In that culture the one who rides the donkey is in the place of the master, while the one who walks alongside is in the place of the servant

–         So we have here a picture of the Samaritan taking the role of a servant – sort of like Jesus took the role of a servant to save us

 

The Samaritan takes the injured man to an inn and looks after him for the night – they didn’t have hospitals in those days

–         The next morning before leaving he pays the inn keeper two denarii to look after the man

–         Two denarii would have allowed the recuperating man to stay for a number of weeks – plenty of time to get better

–         But in case it’s not enough the Samaritan guarantees to reimburse any extra costs next time he passes that way

–         If the inn keeper was unscrupulous he could easily take advantage of the Samaritan’s kindness

 

We may wonder why the Samaritan doesn’t stay longer to care for the man

–         Well, he was getting the wider community involved

–         The Samaritan doesn’t try to do everything himself, he operates in an inter-dependent way

 

I expect also the Samaritan wanted to avoid any conflict

–         There is a scene in the 1990 movie Dances with Wolves, where Kevin Costner finds a woman alone in the wilderness, bleeding

–         He uses his flag to bind her wounds and then carries her on his horse to find help

–         He comes across a tribe of Indians, the same tribe to which she belongs

–         There he is, dressed in his army uniform (looking like the enemy) carrying a badly injured member of their tribe

–         Some of the younger Indians misunderstand and attack him because it appears he caused the injuries

–         He didn’t of course – it was a case of all the light we cannot see

–         In that scene Kevin Costner is a Samaritan to the Indians

 

By taking the wounded man to an inn and staying the night the Samaritan took a risk – a bit like Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves

–         As a Samaritan in close proximity to Jerusalem he is in enemy territory and that makes him a target

–         Leaving, before his presence brought trouble, was a wise & prudent move – the Samaritan was loving his neighbour, without neglecting himself

 

Looking at the parable as a whole, the unidentified man in Jesus’ parable experiences abuse from the thieves, neglect from the clergy and generous nurture from the Samaritan

–         And he does this without any expectation of repayment – the wounded man has lost everything, he has nothing to offer in return

–         Despite their pedigree the priest and the Levite performed poorly, whereas the Samaritan had no pedigree but performed well

 

The benefits of nurture:

Now at this point you might be thinking – okay I can see how the Samaritan gives us a good example of nurture. He clearly shows practical love, care and support for the injured man

–         But while the Samaritan’s nurture was good for the man who had been beaten up, it’s difficult to see how it was good for the Samaritan himself

–         After all, the main point of this sermon series is care of our own soul

–         How does nurturing someone else, especially at great risk and expense to oneself, help the nurturer?

 

Well, nurturing others helps us in a number of ways…

–         Firstly, it makes us feel good inside – when we take care of others we feel more connected and less alone in the world.

 

Sometimes when we are hurting or in pain we can become quite self-absorbed and our perspective gets smaller & smaller until we find ourselves locked in self-destructive thought patterns – the temptation in grief is to self-pity

–         Nurturing others, looking to the well-being of others, actually enlarges our perspective and frees our mind, lifting our thought patterns out of the rut we sometimes get ourselves into

–         Self-pity leads us to neglect our soul. Nurture, of others, saves us from self-pity

 

Nurture also sets us free from slavery to an overbearing ego

–         By ‘ego’ I mean our sense of self importance

–         Someone with an over inflated ego thinks they are more important than they are – so they might, for example, worry too much about what other people think of them when in fact no one is giving them a second thought

–         Or perhaps they jump the queue or think the speed limit doesn’t apply to them because their time matters more than other people’s time or safety

–         Perhaps the priest and the Levite thought their needs were more important than the needs of the unconscious man on the side of the road?

–         Or perhaps they were overly worried about what others might think of them?

 

Now, having given examples of an over inflated ego it needs to be said, the ego isn’t necessarily a bad thing in itself – we need an ego (in this life at least) to protect ourselves [4]

–         If we had no ego (no sense of self-worth or importance) we wouldn’t value ourselves and would let others walk all over us

–         The ego acts as a kind of hedge – it protects us

–         Without an ego we are vulnerable to abuse & neglect – we would get hurt

–         But if the hedge of our ego grows too large it cuts us off from right relationship with other people

–         Nurturing other people trims the hedge – it helps to keep our ego under control so we don’t become disconnected from the people around us

 

The second greatest commandment is to, ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’

–         Notice that’s it’s not, ‘love your neighbour as you neglect yourself’

–         Nor is it, ‘love your neighbour half as much as you love yourself’

–         It’s, ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’

–         In other words, you are just as important as your neighbour – no more, no less, so treat others the way you would like to be treated

–         Nurture of others regulates our ego and keeps us connected in an inter-dependent way

 

Another benefit to nurturing others is it brings us closer to God

–         As I said at the beginning of this message, God is a nurturer

–         Father, Gardener, Shepherd, Mother Hen – they are all images of nurture

–         While we can’t earn eternal life by doing good works, we can (at times) find ourselves close to God when performing practical acts of love

–         The Samaritan in Jesus’ parable actually entered into the life of God when he helped the wounded man on the side of the road

–         Caring for others is what God does – in fact some people see in the Samaritan a picture of Christ himself

–         So when we provide nurture for others we are sharing in God’s work and therefore in his eternal life

–         The good we do, in love, never dies, it is eternal – the knowledge of that should feed our soul with everlasting meaning and purpose

 

Conclusion:

The other thing to say about nurture – and this is very important – is that we can’t care for others without first taking care of our relationship with God

–         Love of God goes hand in hand with love of neighbour

–         Caring for others apart from God is like trying to water the garden with only your spit – not very effective or sustainable

–         To water the garden (or to care for others) generously and properly we must be connected to the water mains

–         It is out of the reservoir of God’s love that we find the resources to nurture others

 

Immediately after the parable of the Samaritan, we read the account of Jesus at Mary & Martha’s house

–         You know the one – Martha becomes frustrated with Mary and with the Lord because Mary sits at Jesus’ feet listening to his teaching, while Martha is run off her feet providing care and hospitality for a house full of disciples

–         But Jesus defends Mary saying, “Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her

–         Martha may have been providing nurture for everyone else but it was in her own strength, apart from Jesus

 

On the face things it would appear that Martha’s ego was too big – my work of doing the cooking & cleaning is more important than listening to Jesus

–         But when we dig a little deeper I wonder if in fact Martha’s ego wasn’t too big, but rather too small

–         Perhaps Martha didn’t think she was important enough to sit at Jesus’ feet and receive his teaching, like Mary and the men

–         Perhaps Martha ‘loved her neighbour as she neglected herself’ and this left her feeling resentful

–         The point is: before we can nurture others we need to spend time in Jesus’ presence, nurturing our relationship with the Lord

 

I imagine the Samaritan was ministering to the wounded man out of his own experience of God’s love for him

–         It was because the Samaritan appreciated God’s generous care for himself that he was able to be so generous in his care of someone he didn’t know

–         And it was because he was doing it for God that he didn’t need a reward

 

Personally I find Jesus’ parable of the Samaritan very challenging – it sets the bar high indeed

–         Even with an appreciation of God’s grace for us we may be forced at times to pick and choose who we help and who we walk past

–         I don’t think Jesus wants us to harbour feelings of misplaced guilt – it is not always in our power to do everything the Samaritan did

–         Sometimes we are the one naked and bleeding on the side of the road – sometimes we might be the ones in need of help

–         Other times we don’t have the wine or the bandages or the mule or the money to help

–         At those times we simply do what we can with what we have and we don’t feel bad about what we can’t do – grand gestures are not always called for

I like what Mother Teresa says…

–         Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is nurture?

–         How does nurture support/facilitate inter-dependence?

–         What images of God as a nurturer do we find in the Bible?

3.)    What is eternal life?

–         How might eternal life be different from this life now (finite life)?

4.)    What would have been surprising to Jesus’ original audience about the parable he told in Luke 10:30-35?

–         Who do you identify with most in this parable?

–         Do you have a Samaritan story (of unexpected kindness)? Share it.

5.)    What stops us from seeing the light in others?

–         What helps us to see the light in others?

6.)    What is compassion?

–         What moves you to compassionate action for others?

7.)    What was risky and costly about the Samaritan’s care for the wounded man?

–         What was wise and prudent about the Samaritan’s care?

8.)    How does nurturing others benefit our own soul and well-being?

–         How is the balance between loving your neighbour and taking care of yourself going for you personally at the moment?

9.)    What does the story of Mary & Martha (in Luke 10:38-42) teach us about nurture?

 

 

[1] M.M. Thompson, Gospel of John, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, page 381.

[2] 1st Corinthians 2:9

[3] William Barclay, ‘The Gospel of Luke’, page 141.

[4] The inspiration for this train of thought came from reading Johann Hari’s book “Lost Connections”, page 238.

Tawa Baptist

Inter-dependence

Scripture: 1st Corinthians 12:12-27

Title: Inter-dependence

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Inter-dependence defined
  • 1st Corinthians 12:12-27

o   Unity with diversity

o   Equality with affection

  • Conclusion

 

Introduction:

On the wall here we have a picture. Take a look.

–         Put up your hand if the first thing you noticed was a woman standing on a stage wearing a white dress and talking to a large crowd

–         Interesting, you can put your hands down.

–         Now put your hands up if you noticed the crowd first and then only later noticed the woman on stage.

This is a classic social science experiment

–         The theory goes that, generally speaking, people from a western culture tend to describe the individual on stage first, while people from an eastern culture are more inclined to see the crowd first

–         This is because western culture is usually more oriented to the individual and eastern culture is more oriented to the group [1]

Here’s another example of collective thinking vs. individual thinking

–         On the wall here we have a picture of a crowd of people at a sports match

–         Tell me, is the man I’ve circled there happy or unhappy?

–         Who thinks he’s happy?

–         Who thinks he’s not happy?

–         Some people might think he is sad or grumpy because all the people around him are clearly not happy but he’s actually celebrating because his team is winning, while all the other people around him are cross because their team is losing

One more. Is the guy with his face in his hands happy or sad?

–         Hands up if you think he’s happy

–         Who thinks he’s sad?

–         I’m not sure if he’s happy or sad because I can’t see his face

–         Most likely he’s happy because the people around him are happy

–         But it’s possible he’s sad because the others are laughing at him

–         The point is: our read of a situation will differ depending on whether we are inclined to think collectively or individually

When social scientists do this kind of experiment on children they find that kids with a more individualistic way of looking at life have no problem thinking that an individual might be feeling differently to the group around them

–         While those kids with a more collective mind-set don’t read the individual’s face – they read the collective face of the group

–         They take it for granted that everyone in the group will be feeling the same way – because ‘we’ has more influence than ‘me’

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Today our message focuses on inter-dependence

 

Inter-dependence defined:

Inter-dependence is about depending on one another

–         Or said another way, inter-dependence is mutual reliance

 

Inter-dependence is different from independence

–         To be independent is to rely on yourself and therefore to operate separately from the group

–         To be inter-dependent is to function as part of a group

–         With independence comes isolation, loneliness and a loss of identity

–         But with inter-dependence we get a sense of purpose and belonging – we know who we are and where we fit

 

Inter-dependence is also different from dependence

–         Inter-dependence involves relationships of mutual exchange, where everyone gives and receives – it’s a two way street

–         Everyone needs the others and everyone has something to offer the others

–         Dependence, on the other hand, lacks mutuality – it’s a one way street

–         With dependent relationships there is an imbalance of power and therefore a greater risk of abuse

–         Conversely, with inter-dependent relationships, there is a better balance of power and greater mutual respect

 

I started today’s message by talking about how eastern cultures tend to think collectively, while western cultures are more inclined to think individually

–         There’s pros & cons with both systems

–         The problem with extreme collectivism is that you tend to get uniformity – people are forced into a mould and are not free to be themselves, supposedly for the greater good

–         At the other extreme, with individualism you tend to get freedom without responsibility or restraint and people’s relationships suffer for it

–         Inter-dependence combines the best parts of collectivism & individualism enabling people to be themselves while still valuing others – so you are more likely to get healthy, functional connections with other people

 

1st Corinthians 12:12-27

To help us explore this concept of inter-dependence our Bible reading today focuses on 1st Corinthians chapter 12

–         1st Corinthians was a letter written by the apostle Paul to Christians in first century Corinth.

–         Ancient Corinth was a little bit like modern Las Vegas or Los Angeles – it had a reputation for being morally bankrupt

–         The church in Corinth had a few problems too and Paul was writing to help them sort things out

–         Two of the problems it seems were disunity & inequality

–         The church was not functioning in a healthy inter-dependent way

–         In 1st Corinthians 12 Paul reminds the believers of God’s design for the church and their need for one another, using the metaphor of the body

–         From verses 12-27 we read…

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized with one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this Scripture for us

 

When we look at how God has designed the natural world we see he has done it in an inter-dependent way

–         For example, the trees rely on the soil for stability & nourishment

–         At the same time trees feed the soil with compost and prevent erosion

–         Trees and soil are very different but they need each other

–         Bees harvest nectar from flowers and in the process they fertilise the flowers and contribute to the fruitfulness of the tree

–         Bees and trees are very different but they need each other

–         These are examples of relationships of mutual reliance

–         What we notice in nature is that one part of an eco-system relies on every other part – so the bees aren’t just relying on the trees, they are also relying on the soil to support the trees, just as the soil is relying on the bees to fertilise the trees and keep the cycle of life going

–         The human body is like an eco-system with many different parts each relying on every other part – a diverse inter-dependent unity

 

One of the problems with the church in Corinth was disunity

–         Paul seeks to address this problem by giving the Corinthian believers a positive example of how the church is supposed to function

–         The church is like the human body – a diverse inter-dependent unity

 

Unity with diversity

Paul starts with unity – he reminds the Corinthians what they share in common – primarily Christ and the Holy Spirit

–         All Christian believers share the Spirit of Jesus sort of like all human beings share the air we breathe

–         Or like all the different parts of a person’s body share the same blood type and DNA

 

The other thing the Corinthian’s share in common is their need

–         Each person has need of the others and no one person can function or serve God’s purpose apart from the others

–         Paul is essentially saying their differences are a good thing

–         The body couldn’t function without diversity – everyone is needed

–         Inter-dependence requires unity with diversity

Two things that undermine inter-dependence are inferiority and independence

Paul deals with inferiority in verses 15-16

–         In Middle Eastern culture certain parts of the body are given higher status than other parts [2]

–         For example the foot is considered unclean and inferior to the right hand

–         But Paul argues the foot can’t exclude itself from the body because it feels inferior to the hand

–         The foot serves a valuable and necessary function just as the hand does

 

Sometimes we don’t like the way we are made or gifted – we might prefer to be something we are not

–         Or perhaps we don’t feel like we are as good as others – we may struggle with a lack of self esteem

–         Our value and our belonging does not depend on how we feel about ourselves – our value & belonging depends on God – it is simply given

–         Inter-dependence requires us to accept ourselves as we are (even though we are different) and to accept the difference in others

–         Someone once said, in heaven we get to be ourselves – and I would add, without feeling inferior

 

The other thing that works against unity with diversity is independence, also known as self sufficiency

–         In verse 21 Paul says: ‘The eye can’t say to the hand I don’t need you and the head can’t say to the feet I don’t need you’

–         In this scenario Paul imagines the eye and the head thinking they can do it on their own, without the hands and feet

It should be plainly obvious that the eyes and the head need the hands and the feet and vice versa – but in case it’s not, let me demonstrate

–         If I try to throw this bag of marshmallows with just my eyes and my mind, without using my hands or feet, look what happens

–         Nothing – the bag goes nowhere

–         But if my brain sends a message to my hands to throw the bag, then my eyes line up the target and my feet keep me balanced [throw the bag]

–         Head, hands, eyes and feet all working together to achieve the goal

–         The point is no one can do it on their own

Self-sufficiency (or the DIY attitude) is embedded deep in NZ culture

–         Ironically we kiwis honour people for being independent, rather than for cooperating and being inter-dependent

–         You sometimes hear stories of self-made millionaires

–         Those stories are fables – they are fiction

–         No one gets anywhere in life without the help of others

–         Those millionaires have got where they are because someone gave them an opportunity and they ran with it

–         They gathered people around them, with different skills and gifts, and worked with them to achieve their goals

–         Our goal in the church isn’t to make millions of dollars but to show the love of God, in the person of Jesus, to the world

–         We can only do that as we work together in an inter-dependent way under the guidance and energy of Jesus’ Spirit

Inter-dependence requires unity with diversity

–         And inter-dependence leads to equality with affection

 

Equality with affection

In verses 22-25 Paul talks about equality in the body

–         Now let me be clear, Paul is not suggesting that people are equal in ability or function – he’s just said they are not

–         But he is saying people are equal in value or worth and therefore we should have equal concern for each other

The other point Paul makes is that equality is not achieved by treating every part of the body the same, but by treating every part differently, according to the unique needs of that part

The ‘weaker parts’ is likely a reference to internal organs

–         Your heart & lungs are less robust than say your hands & feet, but they are indispensable none the less, so they receive special protection behind a rib cage and under skin

Likewise the ‘parts that are unpresentable’ is probably a reference to the private parts

–         Your reproductive organs are not laid bare like your face, they are covered for the sake of modesty

–         God has given greater honour to those parts that lacked it so there should be no division in the body but that its parts should have equal concern for each other  

–         Equality and honour are achieved by respecting difference and treating each part according to that part’s need

 

In Mark 10, the disciples James & John, ask Jesus if they can sit at the special places of honour in his glory (one on his left and the other on his right)

–         Apparently they are not content with the part in the body they have been given – perhaps they are a foot and they want to be an eye

–         But Jesus doesn’t make them any promises – it is God who arranges the parts of the body as he sees fit

The other disciples are naturally indignant with James & John, so, to avoid division and ill feeling among the body of disciples, Jesus explains…

–         Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.

–         Jesus wants his disciples to have equal concern & respect or one another      

 

Of course the equality between believers isn’t cold, aloof or unaffected

–         The equality of inter-dependence is warm with affection

–         For if one part [of the body] suffers, every part suffers with it and if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it 

What happens to one part of the body affects the rest

–         If you have a tooth ache or gout or appendicitis your whole body feels it – not just your tooth or your big toe or your appendix

–         Likewise, if you take an amazing catch on the cricket field you feel good all over and people praise your whole person, not just your hands

 

Conclusion:

Healing, wholeness, growth – these things don’t happen in isolation, they happen in community

–         If you injure your finger the doctors don’t seek to heal the finger by separating it from the hand – no, they keep the finger attached because the finger is an inter-dependent part of the body

 

In his book, Lost Connections, author Johann Hari tells a true story which I think illustrates well what inter-dependence looks like in action [3]

Early in the 21st Century a psychiatrist named Dr Derek Summerfield went to Cambodia to do research on the psychological effects of living with unexploded landmines – does the constant threat of stepping on a mine lead people to greater levels of anxiety and depression?

–         Dr Summerfield had to explain to the locals that depression is ‘a profound sense of sadness that you can’t shake off’

–         The Cambodians thought about this and said, ‘Yes, we do have some people like that.’

There was one farmer, for instance, whose left leg had been blown off by a land mine.

–         He went to the doctors and they fitted him with an artificial limb but he still felt constantly anxious and filled with despair

–         When they realised how despondent this man was the doctors and his neighbours sat with him and talked through his life and troubles

–         Even with his new artificial limb his old job, working in rice paddies, was just too difficult

–         He was constantly stressed and always in physical pain which made him want to give up

 

Now, in our individualistic society, that man would have been treated independently – the doctors would have prescribed him anti-depressant medication and recommended counselling

–         In an extremely collective society that man would most likely be expected to harden up and get over it – for the greater good

–         There would be little or no accommodation to his individual need

 

But the Cambodians responded in an inter-dependent way

–         What this man needed was a new job – one that allowed him to support himself and continue contributing to the community, without being stressed out and in pain all the time

–         So they bought the man a cow and he became a dairy farmer

–         This was less stressful on his body and held fewer disturbing memories

–         In the months that followed his depression went away and stayed away

The man didn’t try and solve the problem by himself – he realised his need for others

–         Nor did he exclude himself from the community because of some false notion that missing a leg made him inferior

–         The solution was found by the community working together with the man to empower him to change his life

–         Inter-dependence you see, as opposed to inferiority or independence

When I reflect on this story I marvel at the care and compassion the community showed this man

–         They valued him as an equal and allowed themselves to be affected on a personal level so they were moved to act

–         Did everyone in the community get a cow? No – of course not

–         Not everyone needed a cow – we all need something different

 

What is it you need to function in an inter-dependent way?

–         Do you need to accept who you are in Christ?

–         Do you need to accept the difference in others?

–         Do you need to resist the temptation to go it alone?

–         Do you need to do less yourself and trust others to do their part?

–         Do you need to accept help from others?

–         Do you need to be vulnerable and allow yourself to be affected by others?

–         These are not easy things – inter-dependence is not always easy, but in Christ it leads to life.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is inter-dependence?

–         How is inter-dependence different from individualism?

–         How is inter-dependence different from collectivism?

–         What are the benefits of inter-dependence?

3.)    How might we identify a dependent relationship?

–         How might we break a dependency and engage with people in a more inter-dependent way?

4.)    What problems in the church might Paul have been addressing in 1st Corinthians 12?

5.)    Paul offers the body as an example of an inter-dependent unity – can you think of other examples in creation or in the Scriptures or in your own experience?

6.)    1st Corinthians 12 highlights two things which undermine inter-dependence – i.e. feelings of inferiority and a desire for independence.

–         What else might undermine inter-dependence?

–         What gets in the way of inter-dependence for you?

–         What needs to change for you to live in a more inter-dependent way?

7.)    How is ‘equality with affection’ achieved?

–         What might this require of us individually and collectively?

8.)    Do you have a story of inter-dependence similar to the Cambodian one?  Share it.

 

 

[1] Johann Hari, “Lost Connections”, page 180.

[2] Refer Kenneth Bailey’s book, ‘Paul Through Middle Eastern Eyes’, page 341.

[3] Johann Hari, “Lost Connections”, pages 159-160

Tawa Baptist

Lament

Scripture: Psalm 137

Title: Lament

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Lament seeks company
  • Lament remembers identity
  • Lament protests honestly
  • Lament vents anger
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall here we have a list of songs…

–         Small Bump by Ed Sheeran

–         I don’t want to talk about it by Crazy Horse

–         Candle in the wind by Elton John

–         I don’t like Mondays by Boomtown Rats

–         Pride (In the name of love) by U2

–         And Psalm 137 by an unknown artist

Can anyone tell me what these songs have in common? [Let people respond]

–         That’s right, they are all songs of lament

Small bump is a song about a miscarriage

–         I don’t want to talk about it was inspired by a relationship break up

–         Candle in the wind is a lament for Marilyn Munroe

–         I don’t like Mondays is about the 1979 elementary (primary) school shootings in San Diego

–         Pride (In the name of love) remembers the assassination of the Rev Martin Luther King Junior on the 4th April 1968

–         And Psalm 137 was sung by survivors of the Babylonian exile after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC

–         All these songs of lament are tied to an event in history – they remember something that actually happened

 

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Today our message focuses on lament

Lament is a way of expressing the sad, bitter, angry & painful truth of what we are feeling inside – it is an articulation of grief

–         At its best lament takes a stink, yucky feeling, and does something creative with it

Last Sunday I said appreciation is about acknowledging value

–         Lament is also about acknowledging what is valuable to us

–         Lament is very close to appreciation – it’s the flip side of the same coin

–         The main difference is the circumstances

–         Appreciation has its roots in enjoyment while lament has its roots in loss

–         We wouldn’t have cause for lament if we didn’t value what we had lost

 

The Old Testament is peppered with laments – people grieving with raw honesty, pouring out their rage and sadness before God

–         Apparently God is big enough to handle it

Psalm 137 is one example of lament in the Bible. From verse 1 we read…

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations.” O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us – he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. 

May the Spirit of Jesus give us grace to face our pain and find our truth

This morning we will touch on four aspects of lament…

–         Lament seeks company

–         Lament remembers identity

–         Lament protests honestly, and

–         Lament vents anger

 

Lament seeks company:

First let’s consider how lament seeks company

–         I’d like to play you part of a song that was originally written in 1971 by the band Crazy Horse and later made famous by Rod Stewart…

“I can tell by your eyes that you’ve probably been cryin’ for ever,

And the stars in the sky don’t mean nothing to you, they’re a mirror.

I don’t want to talk about it, how you broke my heart

But if I stay here just a little bit longer, if I stay here, won’t you listen to my heart, whoa my heart.”

In this song the singer is lamenting the death of a relationship

–         He’s been dumped by his girlfriend and it hurts bad

–         He doesn’t want to talk about it because there are no words to do justice to his pain

–         But he doesn’t want to be alone either – he wants someone to sit with him and listen to his heart – he wants a witness to his suffering

–         Lament seeks company

 

Grief is the price we pay for love

–         The more we love the greater our grief when we lose the one we love

–         When we grieve alone or without being understood it is harder somehow

–         Having someone listen to our heart (to our pain) acknowledges that what we are feeling is real and it matters – it gives meaning to the loss and it affirms our inherent value as human beings

There is a certain feeling of powerlessness when we sit with those who have suffered loss

–         We want to fix things, we want to have the right words to say to make everything better – but words fail us

–         Often what the other person needs is our presence and our listening

–         Simply being there says this matters and you are important

 

In psalm 137 the singer is lamenting the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians

in 586 B.C. and the resulting exile

–         Many people were killed and most of those who survived were forcibly marched to a foreign land and detained there

–         It was a humanitarian disaster

Worse than this though the survivors probably felt like God had dumped them, rejected them, abandoned them

–         The temple, the centre of worship, the symbol of God’s presence, the very hub that held the wheel of their society together, had been destroyed

–         The people were heart broken

–         The relative shortness of the psalm, and the details they leave out, suggest they didn’t want to talk about it – there were no words to do justice to their pain

–         But they did want a witness to their suffering – what they had lost was too important to be ignored

–         Lament seeks company and lament remembers identity

 

Lament remembers identity:

Have you noticed how many people have tattoos these days – skin art has become quite popular

–         People get tattoos for a number of reasons I suppose, often as a statement of identity but also sometimes to show their commitment to the memory of someone they’ve lost

–         A tattoo is like an outward visible scar, symbolising the inner scar on the heart that no one can see

A few years ago now some friends of ours lost a child at birth and shortly after the father of the child had the face of his baby tattooed on his shoulder – like a constant reminder

–         You sometimes see people with the names and birth dates of their loved ones tattooed on their arms

–         Getting a tattoo is a pretty big commitment – tattoos are for life, unless you go through the very painful process of getting them removed

–         Now I’m not recommending getting a tattoo as a form of lament

–         But nor do I wish to make any judgement about it – I can understand why someone who has suffered significant loss might do it

–         To remember and to show their commitment to one they have lost

 

The writer of Psalm 137 says…

–         If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

This is actually an oath of commitment to remember Jerusalem

–         As a musician, losing skill in your right hand and having your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, would mean not being able to play the harp or sing ever again – so this is a serious commitment to remember

But it’s not just the city the psalmist is remembering, it’s what the city represents – their home and their unique identity as God’s special people

–         This commitment by the exiles to remember where they have come from is a way of preserving their Jewish identity and saving themselves from cultural assimilation in a strange land

You see, when we suffer significant loss our identity is threatened

–         People who go through a divorce, for example, often have to rediscover who they are without their husband or wife, or without their mum or dad

–         Parents who lose a child may feel like they have lost a part of themselves – am I still a father or a mother if my child is dead?

–         Refugees, forced to flee their homeland and start life in a new country where the language and the customs and everything is different, often seek to preserve what they can of their culture to stop themselves from losing any more of who they are

 

Lament is like a tattoo on our heart – it involves a strong commitment to our identity, to remembering who we are, after our loss

 

Lament seeks company

–         Lament remembers identity, and

–         Lament protests honestly

 

Lament protests honestly:

The opposite of lament is denial – pretending everything is okay when it isn’t

–         Lament is a statement that things are not right with the world

–         Let’s listen to another lament now – this one is by the band U2…

“I can’t believe the news today, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away.

How long, how long must we sing this song? How long, how long?

Cause tonight, we can be as one tonight.

Broken bottles under children’s feet. Bodies strewn across the dead end street.

But I won’t heed the battle call, it puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall. Sunday bloody Sunday. Sunday bloody Sunday. Sunday bloody Sunday.

And the battles just begun, there’s many lost but tell me who has won?

The trench is dug within our hearts.

And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart.

Sunday bloody Sunday, Sunday bloody Sunday.”

On the 30th January 1972, in Derry Northern Ireland, British soldiers opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians (men, women & children) during a peaceful protest march against internment

–         28 people were shot and 14 died

–         Many of the victims were shot while fleeing from the soldiers and some were shot while trying to help the wounded

–         The event became known as Bloody Sunday and the Bogside massacre

–         Bloody Sunday increased hostility towards the British Army and exacerbated the conflict.

–         Support for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) rose and there was a surge of recruitment into the organisation

U2 released the song, Sunday bloody Sunday in 1983, 11 years after the massacre

–         It’s a song which remembers the violence of that day and the days that followed

–         But more than just remembering, U2’s lament is a double edged protest against violence & revenge

–         “There’s many lost but tell me who has won?”

–         It is not okay that British troops opened fire on unarmed civilians

–         But it’s also not okay to respond in violence

–         Bono sings, “I won’t heed the battle call”, meaning I’m not going to sign up to the IRA. I reject a violent & destructive response

Often we think of lament as a sad song – but Sunday bloody Sunday breaks that mould with the feel of defiance

Psalm 137 is oozing defiance and protest

–         In the opening verses the psalmist describes being tormented by their Babylonian captors who are demanding they sing the happy songs of Zion (Zion is another name for Jerusalem)

–         But the Jewish exiles refused to sing, hanging their harps up on the poplar trees in protest

–         To capitulate to the Babylonians’ request would be a betrayal and a lie

–         The exiles can’t entertain their enemies with happy songs without losing integrity. A lament, like psalm 137, enables them to be honest

 

It is difficult to sing happy songs of praise in church when we just aren’t feeling the love

–         Sometimes songs of praise can help to enlarge our perspective and lift our spirits

–         Other times though we need words & music that align with the pain and distress and anger we are experiencing

–         Jesus is spacious – he is both a man of sorrows and a risen Saviour

–         With Jesus there is room for suffering and comfort, tears and joy, anger and peace, lament and appreciation, a cross and an empty tomb

–         We shouldn’t have to pretend in church and yet that’s often what we do

–         Unfortunately there don’t seem to be that many contemporary Christian laments – or at least I don’t know where to find them

–         Maybe we need to be writing and singing our own songs more

 

Lament seeks company – refusing to grieve alone

–         Lament remembers identity – refusing to forget who we are

–         Lament protests honestly – refusing to pretend it’s ok when it’s not

–         And, lament vents anger

 

Lament vents anger:

A fire place, whether it’s a coal range or a wood burner or a gas heater, needs a chimney or a flu – some device for letting the smoke & gas out

–         Without a chimney the smoke or gas would fill the room and create a toxic environment for the people inside

–         Anger is a bit like a fire – if it is allowed to get out of control it has a destructive effect

–         And if it is not vented properly it poisons everyone in the room

–         Lament is anger’s chimney – it provides a vent for our rage and allows us to breathe a little easier

 

In verse 7 the psalmist asks the Lord to remember the Edomites’ disloyalty

–         The Edomites were the descendants of Jacob’s twin brother Esau – so they were like cousins to the Israelites

–         In the book of Obadiah [1] we read how the Edomites stood aside while the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem

–         Worse than that they gloated over Judah’s misfortune and took advantage by looting the city

–         Asking the Lord to remember what the Edomites did is a polite way of asking God to punish the Edomites

But what comes next isn’t so polite – in fact it is one of the most disturbing verses in the whole Bible…

–         O daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us – he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. 

Imagine singing those words in church – I think the room would fall silent

–         Some people might say, ‘Well that was the Old Testament, we live in light of the gospel of Christ’ – as if forgiveness wasn’t in the Old Testament and feelings of revenge don’t exist now

–         Others might say this is just a metaphor for something else, but the facts of history don’t really support that kind of reading

–         The Babylonians were cruel & ruthless – they didn’t show mercy for women and children or the elderly

–         The psalmist is asking God to find someone who will do to the Babylonians what the Babylonians have done to them

–         He’s not asking God to forgive them but he is leaving revenge in God’s hands

Clearly the Jewish exiles are angry with the Edomites and the Babylonians and for good reason

–         Anger is a natural and legitimate response to hurt & injustice

–         If I am cut, I bleed. If I suffer injustice, I feel angry

 

Some people deal with the fire of their anger by holding it in – it’s like the chimney of their heart is blocked

–         If you do that it will poison you and make you deeply depressed

–         There are many causes of depression and repressed anger is one of them

–         In New Zealand culture we tend to be not that good at outrage – we are more inclined to in-rage

 

Other people deal with their anger by taking it out on those around them

–         If they can’t take revenge on the person who has caused the injustice then they might kick the cat or yell at their kids or worse

–         If you do that your anger lights the fuse of other people’s anger and before you know it the whole world is on fire

 

So what are we supposed to do with our anger?

–         It’s not healthy to hold it in or to touch others with it

–         Well, the only other option I know of is venting our anger to God

–         Releasing the smoke & heat of our rage up the chimney of lament

–         This is essentially what the writer is doing in the closing verses of the psalm

Venting anger through lament is not the same as forgiveness – but it may be a necessary step in the process toward forgiveness

–         If we try to forgive big things too quickly or too cheaply we find the forgiveness doesn’t stick and resentment lingers

–         In his commentary on this verse Walter Brueggemann asks:

–         “Could it be that genuine forgiveness is possible only when there has been a genuine articulation of hatred?” [2]

–         I’m not sure – I do know there can be no real forgiveness without first facing the truth about ourselves

–         We have to give ourselves time and grace to vent our anger and take the log out of our own eye before we can truly forgive

Lament provides a vent for those nasty feelings that would otherwise choke us

 

Conclusion:

Earlier in the sermon I said that lament is close to appreciation

–         This is literally true of psalm 137

–         When we look at psalm 136 and psalm 138 we notice they are both psalms of thanksgiving

–         Psalm 137, a lament, is sandwiched between two psalms of thanksgiving

The message is clear, when it comes to lament we need to keep our perspective

–         Yes, sad, bad & ugly things happen in life, and we need to seek company in our pain so we don’t grieve alone

–         We need to remember who we are in spite of our loss

–         We need to be able to honestly protest the wrongness of it all

–         And we need to be allowed to express how we feel – to vent our anger

–         But we also need to remember that happy, good & beautiful things happen with greater frequency

–         We need to spend at least twice as much time enjoying & appreciating the good things than we do grieving & lamenting the bad

 

Many of us have had plenty of reason to lament this year, but we’ve also had a lot to be thankful for

–         Give your grief to God – tell him honestly & respectfully how you feel

–         Ask him to do something creative with your pain, but don’t wallow in sadness for too long

–         Look up, the good news is all around you.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Do you have a favourite song of lament?

–         What is it and why? What does it put you in touch with?

3.)    In what sense are appreciation & lament similar?

–         How are they different?

4.)    Why does lament seek company?

–         What are the benefits of not grieving alone?

–         How might we sit with and listen to those who have suffered loss and are in pain?

5.)    Why is the writer of psalm 137 so committed to remembering Jerusalem?

–         How might we remember who we are after a significant loss?

6.)    In what ways is psalm 137 oozing defiance and protest?

–         What aspect of Jesus’ experience do you identify with most – Jesus the man of sorrows or Jesus the risen and conquering King?

7.)    What three options for dealing with anger are touched on in the sermon?

–         What is your default option for dealing with anger?

–         What can we do to vent our anger in a healthy way?

 

[1] Obadiah 10-14

[2] Walter Brueggemann, ‘The Message of the Psalms’, page 77.

Tawa Baptist

Appreciation

Scripture:  Luke 7:36-50 

Title: Appreciation

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Appreciation is about acknowledging value
  • Appreciation vs. depreciation – Luke 7:36-50
  • The importance of receiving and enjoying
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         A couple of Sundays ago we heard about the soul’s energy

–         Today our message focuses on appreciation

Appreciation is about acknowledging value:

Appreciation is about acknowledging value

–         We might for example appreciate the value of a sunset by taking time to sit and enjoy looking at it

–         Or if someone gives a good performance on stage or on the sports field we might acknowledge the value of that performance by standing to clap

–         Or if we lived in another part of the world, we might appreciate good service at a restaurant by tipping the waiter

–         Or if someone gives us a gift we might say ‘thank you’ as a way of acknowledging the value of the gift but also to show that we value the giver

Appreciation is about acknowledging value – it’s about saying, this is meaningful, this matters to me

–         Appreciation helps to strengthen connections with other people – it makes us feel better and it makes them feel better

 

We could say appreciation is a life giving exchange – sort of like breathing

–         With breathing we take in oxygen, then we give back carbon dioxide

–         With appreciation we receive the gift (whatever it happens to be) and then we give back thanksgiving & praise

–         And in that little exchange something changes in us so we feel more connected and less alone

Expressing gratitude demonstrates value for the relationship

–         But before we can be truly thankful we have to enjoy the gift

 

I have here a dry sponge and a bucket of water

–         Imagine that this sponge represents the human heart and the water represents something good – something of value to appreciate

–         If I squeeze this dry sponge nothing comes out because nothing has gone in – but if I immerse the sponge in the bucket it comes out dripping with water. It’s like that with expressing gratitude

–         In the same way that this sponge can’t express water unless it has been immersed in water, so too our hearts can’t express love & gratitude unless we have taken the gift in and allowed it to touch us and affect us

 

There are two parts to appreciation: enjoying the gift and expressing gratitude

–         Gratitude is the fruit of appreciation, enjoyment is the root

–         To truly value something we need to take it in and enjoy it

 

Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday this past week we were given three beautiful sunny days

–         I found myself thanking God for the gifts of sunshine and blue sky

–         I valued the sunshine because we’d had a lot of bad weather lately

–         Having said that I was also conscious that I wasn’t able to fully appreciate (or enjoy) the sunny day because I had work to do

–         So my appreciation or enjoyment of God’s gift wasn’t as complete as it might have been

–         To fully appreciate something (to properly value the gift and the giver) we need to fully receive and enjoy the gift

–         No point in only dipping the sponge half way

–         We need to take the gift in fully and allow ourselves to be touched or affected by the kindness of the giver

 

Here’s another example for you

–         In my hand is a Whittaker’s Sante bar

–         Now say I gave this chocolate bar to someone as a gift

–         They might say, ‘Thank you Will’ because that’s the polite thing to say but saying ‘thank you’ is only half of the process of appreciation

–         The other half involves removing the wrapper and taking some time to enjoy eating the chocolate

–         However, the process of appreciation isn’t totally complete until the person receiving the chocolate feels touched in their heart by the gift

–         True appreciation involves a shift or a change in the deeper parts of ourselves, like oxygen changing to carbon dioxide in our lungs or a dry sponge soaking up water

–         Gratitude is the fruit of appreciation, enjoyment is the root

 

Of course it follows that our appreciation – both our enjoyment and our gratitude – is usually proportional to our felt need

–         For example, we appreciate (or value) a glass of cold water more on a hot day when we are thirsty

–         Just as we appreciate (or value) a doctor more when we are feeling sick

–         Or we appreciate our own bed more after we’ve been travelling away

–         I could go on but you get the point, the greater our need the greater our appreciation when that need is met

 

Appreciation vs. depreciation – in Luke 7:36-50

Please turn with me to Luke 7, page 86, toward the back of your pew Bibles

–         To help us explore this concept of appreciation we are going to read a gospel story of two very different responses to Jesus

–         The woman in this story appreciates Jesus – she values him

–         While the man depreciates Jesus.

–         From Luke chapter 7, verse 36, we read…

36 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him, and Jesus went to his house and sat down to eat. 37 In that town was a woman who lived a sinful life. She heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee’s house, so she brought an alabaster jar full of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus, by his feet, crying and wetting his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them, and poured the perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know who this woman is who is touching him; he would know what kind of sinful life she lives!”

40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Yes, Teacher,” he said, “tell me.”

41 “There were two men who owed money to a moneylender,” Jesus began. “One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Neither of them could pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Which one, then, will love him more?”

43 “I suppose,” answered Simon, “that it would be the one who was forgiven more.”

“You are right,” said Jesus. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your home, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You did not welcome me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I came. 46 You provided no olive oil for my head, but she has covered my feet with perfume. 47 I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. But whoever has been forgiven little shows only a little love.”

48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The others sitting at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

50 But Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate this story for us

 

Each Sunday, when we arrive at church, we are greeted by four people at the door whose job it is to welcome us as we cross the threshold

–         These welcomers normally shake your hand, smile at you, say ‘hello’ and give you a newsletter as you pass by

–         [Put on rubber gloves]

–         Imagine for a moment that the people on the door were wearing rubber gloves like these and a face mask like this, when you arrived

–         And what if, instead of shaking your hand, they gave your hands a squirt with sanitiser – how would that make you feel?

–         Well it sends a mixed message – it says, ‘Come in, but don’t get too close.’ ‘Fill the pews but don’t make a mess’

–         It’s also a bit insulting, in that it says, ‘I’m clean and you’re dirty’

–         Most people would feel pretty depreciated to be greeted like this

 

In our reading from Luke 7 a Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner and Jesus accepts the invitation

–         However, when Jesus arrives he is not welcomed with any of the normal courtesies we might expect in ancient middle eastern culture

–         Simon does not greet Jesus with a kiss on the check, which is the equivalent of shaking his hand and saying ‘nice to see you’

–         He does not give Jesus any water to wash his feet, which is like hanging up a person’s coat for them, when they arrive, and offering them a drink

–         Nor does Simon provide any olive oil for Jesus’ head, which in Middle Eastern culture would be as rude as wearing rubber gloves & a face mask

In short Simon, the host, ignores Jesus his guest

–         Now, if you were born and raised in NZ then, like me, you probably don’t appreciate just how socially embarrassing this is to Jesus

–         Simon’s lack of hospitality is a calculated insult

–         This is not an accident, nor is Simon ignorant

–         He means to humiliate Jesus in public – to make him look small and unimportant

–         It’s sort of like being invited to a pool party and having the host ‘down-trou’ you in front of all the other guests – it shows a lack of respect for you as a person and lack of value for the relationship

–         Apparently Simon does not appreciate who Jesus is

–         In fact Simon is apathetic toward Jesus – he simply does not care and consequently he devalues Jesus

 

Although Jesus had the right to say, ‘I see I’m not welcome here’ and then leave in a huff, he doesn’t

–         Instead Jesus practices what he preaches by turning the other cheek and staying to face the man who has insulted him

 

Simon’s apathy is in direct contrast to the woman who had lived a sinful life

–         We are not told the name of this woman but Luke’s account makes it clear that she appreciates Jesus – she values him

–         In some way (we don’t know exactly how) Jesus had made a profound impression on this woman

–         Most likely she heard him give a message about how God loves & forgives sinners – which for her would be like a beautiful fine day after years of bad weather

–         Whatever form Jesus’ grace came in, the woman values and enjoys it

–         She didn’t hold Jesus at arm’s length with rubber gloves or quarantine  his message in some corner of her brain

–         She allowed her heart to be touched and deeply affected by Jesus

 

When she hears that Jesus is at Simon’s house she goes to express her gratitude taking a jar of perfume

–         Now this would have required a fair bit of courage because Simon was at the top of the social scale, a Pharisee with a really good reputation

–         And she was somewhere near the bottom, a woman with a really bad reputation

–         She was walking into the lion’s den – she was going where she didn’t belong

–         This woman’s love & gratitude for Jesus is greater than her fear

But when she sees the appalling way that Simon treats Jesus she tries to alleviate Jesus’ humiliation and compensate for Simon’s rudeness by providing what the host did not

 

In ancient Middle Eastern culture people didn’t eat sitting down at tables like we do

–         They reclined on the ground in a sort of horse shoe shape with their heads facing in and their feet sticking out

–         So the woman would have had easy access to Jesus’ feet and she would have been seen by everyone

–         The woman has some perfume with her but she doesn’t have water or a towel – and why would she? Anyone would assume that Simon had taken care of that

–         So she improvises – she uses her tears to wet Jesus’ feet and her hair to dry them

Kenneth Bailey observes just how shocking this woman’s behaviour was [1]

–         In that cultural setting women were not supposed to let their hair down in public and they weren’t supposed to touch a man

–         Yet this woman does both those things

–         It would have been more practical to use the folds of her dress to dry Jesus’ feet but she uses her hair – that’s unusual even in our culture

She is so focused on Jesus, so grateful for what Jesus has done, that she enters into Jesus’ pain of rejection in a way that is costly to her

–         The greater the cost, the greater the value, the greater the appreciation

–         Washing feet was a job reserved for the lowest of the low

–         You don’t maintain honour and avoid shame by washing feet

–         Jesus had been humiliated by Simon and the woman stood in solidarity with Jesus by not only washing his feet but kissing them as well

–         I expect she wasn’t concerned with other people’s opinions of her

–         Like they say in AA, ‘What other people think of me is none of my business’

 

Jesus would have been expected to tell the woman to stop and go to the temple to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving there

–         But Jesus doesn’t do this – he appreciates (he values) what she is doing

–         We, the reader, can see what this woman senses – that God’s presence resides in Jesus in a special way. [2]

–         Jesus is greater than the temple – so the woman has brought her fragrant offering of thanksgiving to the right person & place

 

Simon, who doesn’t yet appreciate just who Jesus is, concludes that Jesus must be a fraud, otherwise he would know who this woman was and get out his rubber gloves and foot sanitiser

Jesus spoke up and said, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’

–         In other words, I need to be frank & you might not like it

‘There were two men who owed money to a moneylender. One owed him 500 silver coins and the other one fifty. Neither of them could pay him back. So he cancelled the debts of both. Which one then will love him more?’

–         And Simon answers, ‘I suppose the one who was forgiven more.’

Then Jesus says, ‘You are right’ and proceeds to point out that Simon did not extend any of the normal courtesies to him while a woman with a bad reputation went beyond the norm in a generous outpouring of love

Jesus does not mean to insult Simon but he does mean to make Simon face the truth about himself – because it’s the truth that sets us free

–         The money lender in the parable represents God

–         The one who owed 500 silver coins represents the woman

–         And the one who owed only 50 coins is Simon

Jesus’ message is clear – Simon is not that different from the woman

–         Like the woman, Simon the Pharisee is also a sinner

–         He may not have sinned as much as the woman but he is still a sinner unable to repay his debt to God and in need of God’s forgiveness

–         The fact that the woman loves Jesus so obviously and so much proves that she truly appreciates (truly values) how much she has been forgiven

–         By the same token, Simon’s apathy toward Jesus (his failure to value Jesus) proves that he is not even aware of his need for forgiveness

Jesus vindicates the woman and covers her with honour saying…

–         The great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. But whoever has been forgiven little shows only a little love

You see Jesus loves Simon too and wants to help him to appreciate the reality of his situation so that Simon will respond with gratitude to the gift of forgiveness

 

Having spoken to Simon, Jesus then talks to the woman directly saying…

–         Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.

Again we have to appreciate the culture here

–         Men & women were not supposed to talk to each other in public

–         And while the woman doesn’t say anything, Jesus does speak to her

–         But that’s not the most shocking thing

–         Forgiveness is something that God does

–         Jesus is giving this woman a divine pardon and in so doing he is claiming divine authority and painting a target on his own back

 

Appreciation is about acknowledging value

–         The woman valued the gift of Jesus’ forgiveness by expressing her gratitude in a costly way

–         And in that little exchange something changes in her so that she feels more connected and less alone

–         Simon, on the other hand, couldn’t appreciate Jesus’ forgiveness because he didn’t even realise his need for it

–         Consequently he was detached and unaffected

 

We are not told how this encounter with Jesus affected Simon

–         I would like to think that he was cut to the core and changed his mind about Jesus, but I expect that is wishful thinking on my part

–         Certainly Simon’s mates (the Pharisees) depreciated Jesus – they were instrumental in arranging Jesus’ crucifixion

 

The importance of receiving & enjoying:

In his book Flourish, Martin Seligman talks about the value of keeping a thankfulness diary

–         That is, at the end of each day, writing down three things that went well and why they went well

–         It might be that it that you saw a rare bird that day

–         Or it could be that you passed an exam

–         Or maybe you were in the right place at the right time to help someone

–         This simple technique helps to retrain one’s mind to see the good news

–         What we think about grows in our mind – why not sow positive seeds

–         And it is good advice, but to save this from becoming an empty exercise, where we just go through the motions, we need to be intentional about enjoying both the big and little gifts that come our way

–         After all, gratitude is the fruit of appreciation, enjoyment is the root

So one of the key questions relating to appreciation is: how do I enjoy things?

–         How do I fully take things in? How do I receive and value them?

–         Well, we receive by faith

–         Receiving requires us to be open and to trust

Some people have no problem with receiving & enjoying things but others (often religious types) have a hard time with it

–         Maybe we’ve been hurt in the past and our trust has been damaged so we put a bit of distance between ourselves and others – we struggle to receive because receiving makes us feel vulnerable

–         Or maybe we don’t want to be anyone’s debtor, we want to be the one in control, so we do lots of things to help the people around us without ever accepting what they might want to do for us in return – but that just makes us feel more alone

–         Or maybe we are just too proud to accept help – we want to maintain the illusion that we are the hero, that we don’t have needs, that we are better than other people

–         Or perhaps we don’t value ourselves that much – we don’t think we are worthy to receive and enjoy good things

–         Maybe we feel guilty…

o   How can I enjoy a nice meal out when others are starving?

o   How can I enjoy this promotion at work when others are being made redundant?

o   How can I enjoy this holiday when others are going without?

–         There are lots of things that get in the way of our enjoyment – whatever the reason, a failure to receive and enjoy the good things God offers will leave the sponge of our heart dry and unable to express love & gratitude

 

Just a matter of hours before his crucifixion Jesus took the place of a servant and washed his disciples’ feet

–         I imagine it was a humbling experience for everyone in the room

–         Peter, however, refused to let Jesus wash his feet

–         So Jesus said to Peter, ‘If you don’t let me wash your feet you are no longer my disciple.’ [3]

–         In other words, you have to receive this from me

–         If the sponge of your heart is not immersed in the water of my love then you will have nothing to offer

–         What good is a dry sponge – what good is a loveless heart?

 

Conclusion:

We don’t get to choose what form God’s grace comes to us in

–         It might come in the form of a beautiful day after weeks of foul weather

–         It might come in the form of someone cooking a meal for us

–         It might come in the form of being forgiven

–         It might come in the form of a word of Scripture meant just for us

–         It might come in the form of someone washing our feet or our car or our dishes or our floor

–         At some point or other God’s grace is bound to come in a form that makes us feel embarrassed, awkward and vulnerable

–         Good! We don’t get to choose what form God’s grace comes to us in

–         But we do get to choose whether we will appreciate it

May God’s grace humble us in a good way

–         May God’s grace wash away any illusions we have of being in control

–         May God’s grace get under our skin and into our heart

–         And may we enjoy it – may we savour it and appreciate it and value it for all its worth

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Can you think of a time in your life when you really appreciated something?

–         What happened? What were the circumstances?

–         Why did you appreciate it so much?

3.)    How does Jesus respond to Simon’s public insult/humiliation of him?

–         Putting yourself in Jesus’ shoes, how might you have felt &/or responded?

4.)    How does the woman respond to Jesus’ grace for her?

–         What was costly and risky about her response?

5.)    How does Jesus respond to the woman’s outpouring of love?

–         Putting yourself in Jesus’ shoes, how might you have felt &/or responded?

6.)    How does appreciation grow connection and make us feel less alone?

7.)    What is the meaning of the parable in verses 41-42?

8.)    Do you struggle to receive?

–         If yes, why is that do you think?

–         How might you better enjoy God’s good gifts?

9.)    Make some time this week to really appreciate something.

(E.g. reading a good book, going out for coffee with a friend, having a soak in the bath or a walk in the bush or by the sea – whatever it is you enjoy doing.)

 

[1] Kenneth Bailey, ‘Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes’, page 248-249

[2] Ibid, page 257

[3] John 13:8

Tawa Baptist

God’s Word in the Bible

(Scroll down to read Guidelines for reading the Bible)

Key Idea: The Bible is like a bag of groceries – it holds the Word of God

 

This morning we are thinking about the Bible

–         There are many things we could say about the Bible but I’m not going to try and say everything today

–         This morning I want to focus on just one image of the Bible

–         The Bible is like a bag of groceries

–         Just as a bag of groceries holds food, so too the Bible holds the Word of God – the Word of God is like food for our soul

–         The Bible opens up a whole New World to us

 

In Matthew 4, verse 4, Jesus says: “Human beings don’t live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”

–         Which is another way of saying we don’t just need bread to survive, we also need the Word of God

–         Bread feeds our body and the Word of God feeds our soul

–         Just as food gives us strength and nourishment and comfort – it makes us feel good and keeps us healthy

–         So too the Word of God (found in the Bible) strengthens and comforts our soul, keeping our heart & mind healthy

 

Let me show you what I’ve got here in this bag of groceries

–         Here we have some vegetables – potatoes, carrots and an onion

–         Some fruit – apples, bananas and a lemon

–         As well as some bread & butter, some nuts, baked beans and chocolate

When we eat food we try to get a balance in our diet – it’s the same with reading the Bible, we need a balanced and varied diet of Scripture

–         Just as my bag of groceries contains a variety of different kinds of food, so too the Bible contains a variety of different kinds of words & books

Some of the words in the Bible are really old laws, like the 10 commandments – do not steal, do not lie, do not covet and so on

–         Sometimes reading the law is a bit like eating your vegetables – you know it’s good for you but you would rather be eating ice-cream or bacon

Other parts of the Bible contain poetry and song lyrics, like the psalms or the Song of Solomon

–         Some of the poetry is sweet to read, like eating apples or grapes

–         And other pieces of poetry are bitter or sour, like lemons or onions

–         All these different types of writing add flavour to the Bible

 

Now you can see here that some of the items of food can be eaten as they are, raw and without preparation

–         For example, apples don’t need to be cooked or peeled or anything like that – you can put this apple straight in your mouth and chew

–         But other items of food need to be prepared before you can eat them

–         For example, the potatoes need to be boiled or baked

–         And before you can eat nuts you need to remove the shell

–         Or before you eat a banana you need to peel the skin

–         Or before you eat baked beans you need to open the can & heat the beans

Reading the Bible is bit like that too

–         There are some passages in the Bible which you can simply listen to and understand without removing the skin or cooking them first

–         But there are other passages that need some preparation before they can be understood

–         The book of Revelation needs a lot of preparation before it can be understood – reading Revelation raw, without any knowledge of the rest of the Bible or without any awareness of the context in which it was written, will probably make you sick, like eating raw chicken

–         Some parts of the Bible are a bit like nuts in that you have to crack them open before you can eat them – the meaning isn’t always obvious at first

Whether food needs preparation or not, it always needs chewing before swallowing and once it has been swallowed it needs time to digest

–         It’s similar with reading the Bible – if it doesn’t make sense straight away, don’t panic and don’t give up. Take your time with it…

o   Ask God to help you understand what he is saying,

o   Chew it over in your mind,

o   Think about the context in which it was written and what the original purpose was,

o   Talk about it with other Christians, get another perspective

o   Give it time to digest – the meaning will come

 

The Bible is like a bag of groceries – it holds the Word of God

At a basic level we eat for our health, so that we don’t get sick or starve

–         But we also eat for enjoyment and comfort

–         So when you sit down to read the Bible, don’t think of it like a chore or a duty or a rule that you have to follow to try and keep God happy

–         Think of it as something you do for the well-being of your soul and for pleasure – enjoy it like you would a bowl of macaroni cheese or a piece of chocolate or whatever it is you enjoy eating

 

We’ve talked about the fruit and veges and nuts of the Bible, but the bread & butter of the Bible is stories

–         The Bible is full of stories about people and Jesus and God

–         Stories feed our soul with meaning and purpose

–         A Bible story has the power to help us to make sense of our lives

–         Some of the people in the Bible might be similar to us in some way and so we can identify with them

–         Their story is sort of like our story and so we feel close to them

–         It’s like they have faced the same sort of challenges we are facing and that makes us feel less alone, more brave

 

There’s a young girl named Sadie whose favourite Bible story is the one about David & Goliath [1]

–         Sadie likes David because David is a bit like her – he is young and small and he faced a giant

–         The story of David & Goliath helped her when someone bigger at school was mean to her

–         David gave her courage not to be afraid but to speak up for what is right and to get help from a teacher

–         Because she was like David, and God was with David, Sadie believes that God is by her side also

My question to you this morning is: what is your favourite Bible story and why?

–         What story feeds your soul and comforts you?

–         What story is similar to yours?

–         Who is it that inspires you to be brave?

 

Jesus said “I am the bread of life”

–         Which is another way of saying that Jesus is the Word of God who feeds our soul – we can find strength and comfort in Jesus. Let us pray… 

Father God, we thank you for the Bible. Help us to be nourished and comforted as we feed on your Word

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life

Father God, we pray for those who are hungry or sad. May you satisfy the needs of body & soul

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life

Father God, we pray for those affected by natural disasters in Japan, America, the Philippians and other parts of the world. Lord have mercy.

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life

Father God, we pray for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. May they be aware of your nearness and grace.

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life

Father God, we pray for those who feel scared or alone. May you give courage and friendship

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life

Father God, we pray for those who haven’t read the Bible or don’t know the true story about Jesus. Bring your Word in season

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life

Father God, we are sorry for the times when we have ignored your Word by neglecting justice & mercy. Give us strength to do what is right

–         Jesus, you are the bread of life. Amen.

 

Following are some guidelines for how we might read and understand the Bible, as well as some practical exercises that you can try…

Some guidelines for reading the Bible

Pray

Reading the Bible is part of an on-going conversation with God. Before you start, ask God to help you understand what you are reading so you can discern what is meant for you and what isn’t. Not everything you read will specifically apply to you at the time, but some things might.

 

Jesus

Jesus is the central organising principle and person of the Bible. From a Christian perspective the main point of the Bible is Jesus. He is like the hub which holds the wheel together. The Old Testament points to Jesus and the New Testament reveals Jesus. Jesus Christ is the lens through which we understand the Scriptures. He is the living Word of God, the common thread, woven through the Bible.

 

Context

Context is the key to unlocking meaning. The Bible was written thousands of years ago on the other side of the world (the Ancient Near East). Therefore to understand what a passage of Scripture is saying we need to be mindful of the historical and cultural context in which the text was written. We may approach the Bible with our own 21st Century scientific thinking but that is not necessarily how people in the ancient world thought. The questions we are asking today may not be the same as the questions the Bible seeks to answer. We have to allow the Bible to speak on its own terms.

To get a handle on the context of a particular passage of Scripture, ask yourself the following:

–         What was the situation of the person writing this piece of Scripture?

–         What was the situation of the original intended audience?

–         Is their situation similar to mine or different?

o   If it is similar, then in what way?

o   If it is quite different then perhaps this passage does not have a direct or specific application to my life at this time.

–         What was the purpose of the author in writing?

–         What meaning would the original audience have got from what was written?

You may need a Biblical commentary to answer these sorts of questions

 

Scripture interprets Scripture

This principle is closely related to context. The various books of the Bible are inter-related. The Bible has its own internal integrity. If the meaning of a particular passage or word is unclear we can often (although not always) find clarity by comparing it to another part of the Bible which talks about the same or similar things.  Ask yourself:

–         What are the verses around my chosen text saying? (That is, widen the lens of your focus to read what comes immediately before and after)

–         What do other Bible passages, which deal with a similar idea or theme, say about this?

 

Scripture interprets us

While we may think we are interpreting the Bible, we often discover the Bible is interpreting us. By which I mean, our responses / interpretations of the Bible often reveal more about the way we think, and what we value, than anything else. If we find ourselves reacting strongly against something we read, we need to ask ourselves why that is? Reading the Bible requires some self-awareness.

 

Humility

We need to approach the Bible with humility by recognising there are limits to our understanding. For example, we weren’t there at the beginning when God created the cosmos so we should be careful not to become too entrenched in our views about the age of the earth, etc. Likewise we live within the confines of time so we don’t really have suitable categories for understanding eternity. Therefore we shouldn’t claim to know the temperature of hell or the furniture of heaven.  While there are some things we know to be true and can rely on we don’t see the full picture. Only God knows the whole truth.

 

Read Scripture in conversation with other believers

Talk about your understanding (or misunderstanding) of the Bible with other Christians. Ask those you trust what they think of your interpretation or application and whether you are on the right track or not. We need the perspective that others can bring. We can get this perspective by participating in a Bible study group and/or by reading Biblical commentaries written by reputable scholars.

 

Apply what you can

True understanding comes with experience. To know something in more than an intellectual (head knowledge) sort of way we need to put it into practice. For example, to really understand the release of forgiveness we have to realise our own mistakes and receive forgiveness. We also need to forgive others. Or, to understand what it means to be ‘poor in spirit’ we have to plumb the depths and reach the end of our own resources.

 

Be patient

Give it time. We can’t expect to understand everything all at once. The Word of God is like a seed. It gets under our skin and takes root in our heart & mind, growing while we don’t notice. Jesus tells us that one of the functions of the Holy Spirit is to lead us into truth. If we read the Bible in good faith and with an open heart the Spirit will shine light as we need it.

What’s more, there are layers of meaning in Scripture. The same Scripture can mean different things to us at different points in our life, depending on our experiences or circumstances at the time. It truly is a book that goes on giving.          

 

Some practical strategies for a devotional reading of Scripture

Listen to an audio recording of one of the shorter books of the Bible

The majority experience of early Christians was to hear the Scriptures read aloud. Hearing a whole New Testament letter or a whole gospel read out loud, in one sitting, gives a different perspective than just reading one or two chapters silently in our head. If you don’t have access to an audio recording you could read the Bible aloud to yourself or take it turns to read it aloud in a small group.

 

Meditate on a verse or a brief passage about Jesus

Put aside 20-40 minutes when you can be on your own, undisturbed. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Scriptures you are reading. Start reading through one of the gospels. Take your time. When you come to a particular verse or passage that stands out to you or touches you in some way, pause over it. Read it over again slowly and carefully several times. Let it sink in. When you are ready ask yourself…

–         What does this mean?

–         What is God (or Jesus) saying about himself?

–         Why am I drawn to this verse?

–         What experience in my own life does this passage put me in touch with?

–         What might God be saying to me through this verse or passage?

–         Write down your thoughts in a journal

–         After a few days come back to the verse and to what you have written in your journal.

o   Have your thoughts and feelings changed?

o   Do you have anything more to add to your journal?

o   Is there anything further you need to do – like, share this with a trusted friend or take some action?

 

Imagine yourself in the story

Read a Bible story. For example, the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Imagine yourself in that story. That is, imagine yourself as the younger son, then as the older son, then as the father. Ask yourself…

–         How do I feel as the younger son (or daughter) returning home?

–         How do I feel as the older son (or daughter) standing outside the party?

–         How do I feel as the father (or mother) welcoming the younger child?

–         How do I feel as the father (or mother) when the older child speaks to me with such contempt?

–         Have I ever actually been in any of these situations in real life?

–         Who do I identify with most?

–         Where is God / Jesus in this story?

–         What is the Holy Spirit revealing to me about God, or myself, or others, through this story?

 

Compare a range of translations

Choose a psalm or the beatitudes or something similar. Look up the same psalm or passage in four or five different translations. You can do this on line if you don’t have several translations to hand. Compare and contrast the different translations. Ask yourself…

–         How are they different?

–         How are they the same?

–         What different nuances, perspectives or layers of meaning do each of the translations reveal

 

Read a book of the Bible alongside a commentary

Choose a particular book of the Bible to read. For example, the gospel of John or Isaiah. Get yourself a decent commentary on that book. You can order commentaries online. (The Bible Speaks Today series is generally easy to read with solid research behind it.) Read a chapter (give or take) of the Biblical book you have chosen each day and then read what the commentary is saying about that passage. Ask yourself…

–         What difference does this make to my understanding?

–         What do I agree with?

–         What am I struggling with?

–         Does the context of the Bible passage relate to us today in anyway? How?

You could do this exercise on your own or in a small group with one or two others. If you find that an academic commentary is too difficult to understand then Scripture Union provide a range of short Bible study notes designed to support a daily rhythm of Scripture reading.  The Scripture Union notes also offer a varied diet of Scripture over time.

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this sermon?

2.)    In what sense is the Bible like a bag of groceries?

3.)    What are your Bible reading rhythms / habits like?

4.)    How might we get a balanced diet of Scripture?

5.)    What can we do to crack open the meaning of Scripture?

6.)    How might you know whether a particular verse or passage of Scripture is God’s Word for you personally?

–         Have you ever had the experience of God speaking to you directly through the Bible?

–         How did you know it was God? What did God say? How did you respond?

7.)    What is your favourite Bible story (or character) and why?

8.)    Try one of the devotional Bible reading exercises above.

 

[1] https://biblesociety.org.nz/discover-the-bible/the-bible-good-for-life/

Tawa Baptist

Energy Part 1 – The Body’s Energy

Scripture: 1st Kings 19:1-9

Title: Energy – Part 1

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The body’s energy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Last Sunday we heard about hope

–         Today our message focuses on energy

 

When we talk about energy, as it relates to people, we mean the strength, vitality or power required for activity.

–         Energy is one of the resources we need to function and get things done.

–         Depression is a state of very low energy or exhaustion.

To help us explore this subject of energy we are going to look at an episode in the life of Elijah – from 1st Kings, chapter 19

–         Elijah was one of the great prophets of Israel

–         He lived at a time in Israel’s history when it wasn’t easy to follow the Lord – in fact the queen (Jezebel) wanted Elijah dead

–         In 1st Kings 19 Elijah is on the run for his life after defeating the prophets of Baal. He is at a very low ebb – physically & emotionally exhausted

–         From verse 1 we read…

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.  So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I don’t do the same thing to you.”

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us

 

This morning I had planned to talk about two types of energy

–         Body energy and soul energy

–         But as I got into the preparation it became evident that I wasn’t going to be able to say everything I needed to in just one sermon

–         So, rather than having one really long message, I’ve decided to break it into two messages over two Sundays – focusing on the body’s energy today and looking at the soul’s energy next week

By ‘body energy’ I mean physical things like food & sleep

–         And by ‘soul energy’ I mean things that feed our mind, emotions & spirit

–         This is not to say that the body & soul are separate or unrelated

–         To the contrary there is a close relationship between our body & soul so that what happens to our soul can affect our body and vice versa

–         Nevertheless, the soul needs different things from the body – we cannot live by bread alone

–         But as I said before we’ll look at the soul’s energy next week – this morning is about the body’s energy

 

Body energy:

Since we are talking about the body, let’s have a little game of charades

–         I’ll mime something and you need to guess what it is I’m miming

o   Mime dancing a waltz

o   Mime riding a bike

o   Mime bowling a cricket ball

 

Now there are two skills each of these activities require – would anyone like to guess what they are?

–         (And if you need a clue the answer is on the back of the newsletter)

–         That’s right – rhythm and balance

 

Two things that help to support our energy levels are rhythm & balance

–         It’s like riding a bike – to keep the bike upright and moving forward you need to maintain the rhythm of your pedalling and your balance

–         If your rhythm is disturbed then it takes more energy to pedal – and if you go too fast or too slow you risk losing your balance and falling off

 

Just as rhythm & balance are essential when riding a bike or dancing, so too our body & soul are supported by rhythm & balance

–         To put it in more practical terms, if life gets out of balance – if we work too hard or don’t keep regular rhythms of eating & sleeping then our energy levels will be depleted

 

Elijah has been on a roller coaster – his lifestyle has lacked rhythm & balance

–         Consequently, in 1st Kings 19, we find Elijah at his lowest point

–         Jezebel wants him dead and he is running in fear for his life

–         Elijah feels isolated & alone – physically & emotionally exhausted

–         He has lost perspective – unable to see anything good in the future

–         He would rather be dead than carry on so he asks God to take his life

–         This is not suicide, at least not exactly, but it’s pretty close to it

–         Elijah is asking God to euthanize him

–         I don’t think Elijah actually wants to die – otherwise why would he be running away to save his life

–         But he does appear to be in a great deal of pain or distress and simply wants that distress to end

 

You’ve got to love the honesty of the Bible – they tell the story warts and all

–         This is shocking – how did Elijah get into such a despairing state?

–         In my mind Elijah is like the Yoda of Old Testament prophets – he’s like a Jedi master

–         On one occasion Elijah raised a widow’s son from the dead

–         Everything he predicts comes true and, less than 24 hours earlier, he won a massive victory over the priests of Baal

–         One would think that someone who was as strong in faith and as close to God as Elijah was would be immune from burn out & despair

 

Well, no. Being a servant of God does not give us immunity from despair

–         Following Jesus usually involves a dark night of the soul, at some stage

–         Yes, Jesus came to give us abundant life but the road to abundant life is sometimes marked by emptiness & pain

–         When we feel down we might think that God is not happy with us or that he is absent or that our faith is somehow faulty – but that’s not true

–         Jesus said,  “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

–         Or as Eugene Peterson puts it, “You are blessed when you feel at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule”

–         You see, our feelings are not a reliable gauge of our faith – just as our energy levels are no indicator of the status of our relationship with God

 

In a strange way Elijah’s despair actually gives us hope

–         If we find ourselves stressed out, burned out, anxious and wishing our life was over, then we can read Elijah’s story and know that we are not alone

–         Not only that but we can know that God doesn’t give up on people – so there is a way through, healing is an option

–         People matter to God – we are not a disposable item to him

–         God refuses to euthanize Elijah – he doesn’t accept Elijah’s resignation

–         God would rather restore people and continue to use them in his service, despite our weakness and imperfection

–         God’s grace was sufficient for Elijah and it is sufficient for us

 

The Lord starts the restoration process by taking care of Elijah’s physical needs

–         He sends an angel who provides food and water for the exhausted prophet – Elijah is given time to eat and rest

–         It seems so obvious that it doesn’t need to be mentioned but food & sleep are essential to sustaining our body’s energy

 

We sang that song at the beginning of the service…

–         The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning…

–         We can’t always recognise God’s mercies at the end of the day when we are tired, but after a good night’s sleep our perspective returns and we can see the good news again

 

One of the keys to good quality sleep is rhythm – going to bed and getting up at the same time every day

–         Now I know this isn’t always possible, especially when you are caring for children, but you do the best you can under the circumstances

–         And if you miss a bit of sleep you don’t worry – you know you will cope and you can catch up later

 

Another key to maintaining bodily energy and quality sleep is physical exercise

–         I remember working as a builder’s labourer during one summer holidays

–         Building means an early start and it’s physically demanding – shifting dirt, lifting wood, swinging a hammer and being on your feet all day

–         It’s also mentally demanding in that you have to think about the smartest way to get something done without causing problems for anyone else

–         Man was I tired in the evening – I slept soundly for 9 hours in a row every night – but I had the physical energy I needed during the day

 

If we sit around all day looking at a screen then we can’t expect to get to sleep easily or to stay asleep for long

–         Incidentally, on the subject of screen time, you will improve your chances of getting to sleep if you turn off your devices an hour or two before going to bed – give yourself some time to wind down at night

 

The food we eat and the time we eat also affects our sleep

–         Everyone’s metabolism is a little bit different so you’ve got to work out what the best routine is for you

–         But generally speaking we tend to function better if we have a bigger meal at breakfast or lunch and eat a bit less in the evening

–         With diet the key is balance – not overdoing (or underdoing) anything

–         Sugar and caffeine are stimulants so we don’t need too much of that stuff, especially just before bed

–         Alcohol is a depressant so if we are already feeling a bit down then having a wine or a beer or a whisky is only going to make it worse

–         Having said that, it’s okay to have the odd coffee, or chocolate bar or beer, so long as you don’t have a problem with those sort of things

–         It’s like the Proverb says: If you find honey eat as much as is good for you – too much will make you sick [1]

–         The Biblical principle is self-control – you be in charge of your appetite, not the other way round

 

Much of what I’m saying is common sense and you’ve probably heard it before but for some strange reason it still takes most of us quite a while to learn to take care of our body’s energy

 

Another thing that helps with sleep is social connection

–         A neuroscientist by the name of John Cacioppo teamed up with some anthropologists and did some research on loneliness

–         What they found is that people who are lonely tend to have poor quality sleep while people with a strong sense of social connection sleep better [2]

 

Now you might wonder, how do they know this?

–         Well, anywhere in the world where people describe being lonely, they will also experience more ‘micro-awakenings’ throughout their sleep.

–         A micro awakening is a small moment in which you rise a little from your slumber. You are not likely to remember it the next day

–         But if you’ve got one of those Apple watches it will probably tell you

–         You can get an app that monitors your sleep these days

–         Apparently if we feel isolated or alone our brain won’t let us go into full sleep mode, because sub-consciously we don’t feel safe – we think no one has got our back

 

There’s a religious community in the States called the Hutterites

–         They are sort of like the Amish – they live off the land and work and eat and worship together

–         I don’t know what their theology is like but apparently they are a really close knit community where everyone has got everybody else’s back

–         When John and his team wired up people in the Hutterite community, they found the Hutterites had barely any micro-awakenings – because they had good social connections & could relax into a deep sleep

 

This relationship between healthy social connections and good quality sleep is an example of the way our body & soul interact

 

When we look at 1st Kings 19 the text makes it clear that Elijah felt completely alone

–         Not only was he physically alone in the wilderness under a solitary broom tree – he also says to the Lord, later on in the chapter…

–         ‘…I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’

–         Elijah had good reason to feel anxious – in his isolation he believed no one had his back

 

Twice the angel touches Elijah to wake him up and prompt him to eat

–         It seems like a pretty ordinary detail but the angel wasn’t just feeding Elijah – the angel was also helping to calm Elijah

 

A couple of weeks ago a group of us from this church went to a seminar, led by Tricia Hendry, on how to support people who experience anxiety and it was really helpful

–         One of the practical things they taught us is how to help someone when they are extremely anxious and having a panic attack

 

The first thing is to stay calm yourself and the way to calm yourself, when you are holding anxious energy, is to breathe deeply and slowly

–         Not short shallow breaths from your chest but deep slow breaths from your stomach, like this [demonstrate breathing in & out]

–         Simply doing that will control your energy and the anxious person beside you will begin to catch your calmness

 

The other thing we can do to help people in an anxious state is get them to engage their senses

–         Using our senses grounds us – it brings us back to reality

 

So our bodies have five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell

–         If someone is acutely anxious you can say to them something like, ‘Look at the bird in the tree over there.’

–         Then they stop thinking about what is making them anxious and they start thinking about the bird in the tree

–         Or, if you know them well enough, you could simply touch them on the arm like this or hold their hand

–         Physical touch can be quite powerful really – it says in a tangible way, you are not alone, I am here with you

–         The other thing you can do is sit them down and give them something to eat or drink

–         In the old days when someone was upset the remedy was to give them a cup of tea to calm them down

–         That’s practical wisdom – it actually works to do that because it engages the person’s senses of taste and smell

 

Getting back to Elijah – the prophet was afraid, for good reason, so the angel calms Elijah’s fears by engaging his senses

–         First he touches Elijah, to wake him up

–         Then he speaks to Elijah, ‘have something to eat & drink’ – that engages Elijah’s sense of hearing

–         Elijah looks at the food and water jar beside him – so he’s using his sight

–         The cake is cooking on a hot stone therefore Elijah can smell it

–         Finally he tastes it

–         Throughout this simple process Elijah is not thinking about Jezebel (who makes him feel unsafe) – he’s thinking about food which comforts him

–         Touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste – the angel calms Elijah by engaging all five senses

–         This grounds Elijah in the reality that he is alive and he’s actually okay

–         God is our creator – he made us, he knows how we function and how to make us calm

 

Conclusion:

Once the Lord has addressed Elijah’s physical needs the prophet is then able to deal with the issues in his soul which are emptying him of the energy of hope

–         The Salvation Army have a saying: ‘Soup, soap and salvation’

–         The idea is that when someone comes to them for help they first take care of the body, with a meal and a bath, then they take care of the soul, with a conversation about Jesus

–         So the application for us is that when we feel exhausted the first step is to recover our body’s energy, through food and rest – then we will have the strength to attend to the deeper needs of our soul

–         Or if we feel overly anxious the first step is to breathe deeply and engage our senses to become calm – then we are in a better position to attend to whatever is troubling our soul and causing us anxiety

 

So often our modern response is to treat the body and stop there

–         But the root of the problem isn’t normally found in the body, the root of the problem is usually found in the soul

–         The body simply bears the fruit of the problem

 

That’s enough for today though – we’ll talk about the soul’s energy next week

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is energy?

3.)    What are some things we can do to support our body’s energy?

–         What is one thing in particular you need to do to care for your body?

–         (E.g. better sleep routines, change in diet, etc.)

4.)     How does God care for Elijah and restore his physical energy?

5.)    What are some practical things we can do to help calm someone who is experiencing acute anxiety or a panic attack?

6.)    Why did Elijah need to attend to the needs of his body before attending to the needs of his soul?

7.)    Take some time this week to sit still and breathe deeply from your stomach – say once or twice a day for 5 or 10 minutes (or as the opportunity allows)

[1] Proverbs 25:16

[2] Johann Hari, ‘Lost Connections’, page 78ff.