Something in the Air - 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 - 18

On the road to where my father lives someone has posted a sign in their front room window that has been there for at least 10 years: 'Jesus is returning soon'. As I sit in the traffic, I ponder this sign. The original sign started out somewhat amateurish, but in recent years that sign has been replaced with something more polished. Obviously, the sign's owner thought that Jesus' return wouldn't be that soon, because they felt had enough time to make another one. My problem: Jesus' return has been a long time; 2000 years, more or less, and we are still waiting. I know I'm not the only who ponders this question. Some argue that Jesus' return is through his Spirit. I partially buy that one. The Holy Spirit is the first fruits of the coming Kingdom, but the New Testament certainly thinks of Jesus' 'bodily' return (the parousia), and not just his presence through the Spirit. So here we have a dilemma: the imminent return of Jesus that hasn't been so imminent.

What got me thinking about all this is this week's reading from 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 -18; in particular verse 17: '... then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them (those who have died and now have been resurrected) to meet the Lord in the air...'. Some Christian groups describe this as the 'rapture'. It is a most curious text. What do we make of it; what do you make of it?

Chris

P.S. We will be doing some thinking around this @ connecT on Sunday night @ 5.30pm.

All Saints

When we use the term saints we often picture the great saints of the Christian faith: St Francis of Assisi or one of the apostles, or a great bishop or evangelist, for example. We rarely think of ourselves in that category: I certainly don't. However, when we pay a little more attention to the New Testament we realise that the saints that are mentioned there are just simple followers of Jesus. The New Testament understands the 'holy ones' to be people just like you and me who are doing their best to be true to their Christian callings.

When I reflect on this week's Gospel reading, Matthew 5: 1 - 12, I realize that most of the things mentioned in the list of beatitudes are things we rarely choose in lives: poverty, death, starvation, mercy, purity, peacemaking, persecution, and being bullied. These things can come to us, but they are rarely sought. I think that is right, too. Who would really like to be poor and hungry, or mourning and bullied? None of us, and we wouldn't want that for others, either. Being blessed, being holy, being a saint, means being supported by God's grace. It is by God's graciousness that there is special place in the kingdom for those whose lives seem to be without blessing.

Looking at the world around us with kingdom eyes we see then that those who appear to be the least are in fact those who will be 'great in heaven', and those who think themselves to be great will be the 'least'. The challenge before you and me is to just simply follow Jesus, and to follow Jesus simply.

Chris

Give to Caesar

This Sunday at connecT we are spending some time talking around Matthew 22: 21: 'Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's'. Some argue that this text is about separating church and state, or excluding faith perspectives in political discussion. It has been used to try and exclude Christians from sharing a Christian perspective on issues such as asylum seekers, poverty and greed, war, and other moral and ethical issues. Some argue that people of faith should leave their faith behind, and speak solely from a secular perspective on political issues. There is in the modern mindset the myth that we can separate things, such as faith and politics, in a bi-polar fashion. It is called dualism, and Jesus is not advocating dualism here, I believe.

The foundational issue for the Pharisees and Herodians was about paying taxes. Paying taxes to Caesar was seen as an insult to them; especially so, when it included the image of an alternative deity to God: Caesar 1). Jesus' simple question/answer: whose head is on it? Caesar's: well give it back to him, then. My take on this: put God first, and then everything else falls into place. Money has its place, paying taxes has its place, being engaged in politics, certainly, has its place. In fact, putting God first enables us to make sure all the other things are put in their rightful place. It isn't about separation, but inclusion. Including what we call the 'secular' into the broader vision of God's Kingdom, which is inclusive of all things. It is also about not be distracted away from the bigger task of proclaiming by word and action God's reign on earth.

Now: your thoughts?

Chris

Tom Wright, 2012, Twelve Months of Sundays: Biblical meditations on the Christian year, Year A Proper 24, (SPCK, London) p. 115

Christlikeness

Recently, I received an email addressed ‘Dear Christ’. It was obvious that the writer had meant to have put ‘Dear Chris’: thanks, nonetheless, for the compliment! However, it made me give some thought to the issue of Christ likeness. During this part of the year we are being treated to St Paul’s wonderful letter to the Philippians. It is often regarded as Paul’s most positive letter, and is filled with ‘joy, friendship and thanksgiving’[1]. It is an encouraging letter, but only if we grasp Paul’s central point that we endeavour to have ‘the same mind in us that was in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2: 5). Philippians chapter 2, and the hymn that is contained within it (Vv 6 – 11), is regarding as being at the very centre of Paul’s theology; certainly at the heart of the letter to the Philippians.  The hymn speaks of Jesus’ humility and his reversion of status: ‘who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave...’ (Philippians 2: 6 -7).

Humility is something that if you say you have it, you obviously don’t. In Jesus we find the true model of humility. Biblical scholar, Michael Gorman, calls this Cruciformity: a wonderful word whereby Christians are shaped by the cross of Jesus into Christ like humility. Humility is something that shapes us, rather than something we shape. Paul begins chapter 2 by encouraging the Philippians ‘in humility to regard others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others’ (Philippians 2: 3 – 4). This perception of others we might call a circle of deference: humility encircles and permeates the Christian community creating a people shaped by cruciform love. So often we all look to increase our status or try to have ‘one up’ on someone else, but Paul reminds us that this is not the way of Christ, and it is not the way of Christ likeness.

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[1] Gorman, M 2004, Apostle of the crucified Lord: a theological introduction to Paul and his letters, (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids/Cambridge) P. 412.

A few thoughts on God and suffering

 As I write for this  the world around us is being confronted by the tragedies of fighting in Gaza and the shooting down of a passenger airplane by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. Many people have lost their lives in the fighting in Gaza, and there have been many injured. Close to 300 hundred innocent lives were lost with the shooting down of MH-17 in Ukraine, leaving family and friends with a deep sense of grief. These situations certainly need our fervent prayer.

 

The issue of suffering is a very difficult one, and we are confronted with the perennial question: how can a good God allow such suffering? It is a question, I’m sure, that many of us have asked. Yet, it is a question that we need to attempt to answer; especially as Christians, because it can truly test our faith.

The two events that I mentioned above give us some insight into suffering and God. These two are quite clearly human motivated. Human beings are quick to go to arms when they feel that injustices have been committed against them. Whatever we might think of the rightness of Israel’s, Palestine’s or Russia’s responses, the truth is that human beings are causing suffering. We could well trace much of the world’s suffering back to human causes. This is indeed what the Bible does. Suffering and death came into the world by the choices made by our mythical forbears, Adam and Eve (Gen 3; Roman 5). Suffering is not part of God’s original purpose. That unpopular word and notion, ‘sin’, taints everything we do as humans. This is not to say that human beings are not capable of great good, because we are, but it highlights the fact that there is something not quite right with the human race. We live in a ‘fallen’ world.

 

Well, if God’s original intention is that there be perfect peace and harmony within creation then why doesn’t God snap his fingers and return the world back to ‘Eden’? Again, the Bible offers another response. God entered the world in the person of Jesus. It was a covert operation, and God’s methods were subversive. God through Jesus was seeking to transform the world from the inside out. Rather than leaving human beings as passive observers, God enlists us as fellow subversive operatives. We join with God in bringing to birth God’s kingdom here on earth. Suffering is with us until the ‘Kingdom of God’ is revealed in all its fullness. Recent events remind us that we have a long way to go in this. The word to Zerubbabel is still timely: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts’ (Zechariah 4: 6). In the meantime, we pray ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven’. As Christians we are not defeatist about suffering, but we know there is a better kingdom entering into our world. We participate in this kingdom by working for peace, and doing whatever we can to alleviate suffering.

 

Chris

Annoying God

You could be forgiven for thinking that last week's gospel reading, Luke 18: 1- 8, the parable of the unjust judge, implied that if you annoy God enough he will answer your prayer. After all, that is what the widow does. However, having thought about it a bit and, admittedly, consulted some commentaries, the parable is really about what God is not like.

The rhetorical questions that Jesus asks confirms this.'Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?" The rhetorical answer being 'yes'. 'Will he delay in helping them?" The rhetorical answer being 'no'. Jesus goes on to say that God 'will quickly grant justice to them'. Then Jesus follows this with another rhetorical question: 'And yet, when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on earth?' Jesus gives no answer, but my guess he hopes we will say 'yes'. The faith he is looking for is that we see God as generous, gracious and quick to grant justice; not the grumpy, stingy God of so many people's views.

Who is the God you pray to?

Chris

Being dishonest!?

Last week's gospel reading would have to be one of the most difficult to interpret: the parable of the dishonest manager (Luke 16: 1- 13). At face value it seems to be commending some form of dishonesty. Most of the commentaries that I consulted seem to conflict with each other about the right interpretation for this parable. So, it is up for grabs, really.

My own interpretation seems to align with Eugene Peterson's tranlsation/interpretation in 'The Message': 'Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law abiding citizens...I want you to be smart in the same way - but for what is right...' (Luke 16: 8 - 9). My take: be smart and realize the ways of the world around you. Be alert of the greed that exists and don't be taken in by it, because when it runs out you will still be welcome
into the reign of God.

So now, what's your interpretation of this difficult text?

Chris