Ezekiel 18: 1 – 5, 25 – 32

Psalm 15

Hebrews: 13: 1 – 8

Luke 14: 1, 7 – 14

Opening Prayer:

As the prophet Ezekiel spoke Your word and brought Your message to the Israelites in his time, speak to us now Lord, through the Scriptures today.   AMEN

If it doesn’t apply to us directly, we all know someone who has had some sort of heart surgery – stents, bypass – and/or valve replacement.

The heart is an amazing organ – it beats an average of 100,000 times a day, 24/7,  and usually only needs attention after 60 or 70 years.   Can you imagine a car engine that ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 60 plus years without the need of a tune-up?  The heart truly is an amazing organ of God’s creation.

We may believe that we have pretty strong hearts, or possibly our hearts have been renewed with surgery, EVEN SO, through Ezekiel, God is telling us this morning, that we need a new heart.

Of course, Ezekiel isn’t talking about that amazing little organ beating inside of us – he’s talking of a new attitude.    

That attitude is one that recognizes that we commit sin After all the World of God tells us “If we say we have no sin, then the truth is not in us” and it is a heart, or an attitude that sees God’s forgiveness as a precious treasure.     If we don’t have a heart like that already, then we need to get one because it is a matter of eternal life or eternal death.

So many folk do not acknowledge their sinfulness.   So, just like us, the people of Ezekiel’s day were badly in need of such a heart – a heart with the right attitude – even though they didn’t realize it.

Ezekiel had lived through the second destruction of Jerusalem and was among those who were carried off in exile, to Babylon.  God gave him the task of telling the Jewish exiles that Jerusalem and the temple would be completely destroyed because of their sinfulness.

Tough message and quite naturally, they weren’t having any of it – they didn’t believe that they had done anything to bring on that judgment.  Instead, they quoted the old proverb

Ezek: 18: 2b

“The fathers eat sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge”.

What they were saying was that they didn’t think they should be punished for the sins committed by their fathers.

Now that was true.  It was their fathers who had been guilty of turning away from the Lord.  Under King Manasseh, the people were led to commit more sins than even the Canaanites before them! 

2 Chronicles 33 : 9

Manasseh led Judah and the people of Jerusalem astray, so that they did more evil than the nations the Lord had destroyed before the Israelites.

Children were sacrificed to idols and Manasseh filled the Lord’s temple with foreign idols and gods.

Now, while their fathers had sinned, the people of Ezekiel’s day really thought, that under King Josiah,  they had returned to the Lord .  They had started celebrating the Passover again and faithfully offered their sacrifices.  So what they were doing was complaining to Ezekiel that they hadn’t sinned against God – they were sinless! –  it was the generation before!

What they didn’t seem to realize was, even though they weren’t sinning by sacrificing their children to the idol, Molech, they were nevertheless sinning by bringing their sacrifices to God out of a sense of duty, not out of love or thankfulness and their weekday lives didn’t match their Sabbath worship!   They cheated each other and bore grudges against their neighbours. Against Jewish law, they charged each other high interest on loans and lied to get things done.

 Sounds chillingly familiar doesn’t it?!

The trouble was that they didn’t recognize the fact that they were the ones who were sinning – instead they blamed their forefathers, and even blamed God, for the hardship they were in -.

Sometimes – very often – we are no better in our enlightened times! 

Children though, are the best at this blame game:

‘But he hit me first’ – ‘she started it!   And adults have perfected it -  “I wouldn’t have lost my temper, if he hadn’t been so rude; “  or  “I wouldn’t dislike her so much if she weren’t so arrogant!” and so on.

That is a sinful attitude and it’s a dangerous attitude.

Ezekiel  pronounced God’s judgment – Ezek 18: 4

“The soul who sins is the one who will die.”

Actually God doesn’t care if it’s your friends’ deceitfulness that makes you angry -  He doesn’t care that it was clerk at home affairs that caused you to lose your patience.

He simply says, if you react in a sinful way, then you are the one who deserves to die!

You understand of course, that the kind of death we are talking about here, is not physical, but the death of the soul.  When God talks about the ‘soul that sins’ he is talking about eternal punishment in hell.

Is God that serious about our sinful attitude when it was really caused by someone else?   

Well, yes He is!

God said ‘be perfect, even as I am perfect’ and so no matter how small we think our sin is – we’ve still  missed the goal – the goal of ‘holiness’.

Think of it like this:

Imagine you are on the 10^th floor of a building and the building is in flames.  The only way you can escape is if you jump out of the window down onto an airbag which the firemen are holding for you.  If you jump and you miss by just a centimeter or two,  or you miss by two full meters, the result is still the same – you’ve missed the airbag – so it’s death!

We must never find excuses for our own sin, no matter what the circumstances.  Instead the answer is to get a new heart attitude. 

As Paul writes

Phil 2 : 3-5  Do nothing out of self ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

And in our gospel reading for today – Jesus said something similar:

from Luke 14: 11

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

And in verse 13

When you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.

That is a Godly attitude, thinking and acting with the heart of God – being concerned for others as much as we are concerned for ourselves.

I was interested in hearing a discussion on the level of serious crime and corruption in this country – why it was so bad and how to combat it.

The attitudes of some of the panelists were just like the Israelites with Ezekiel – it was our forefathers who sinned , not us –  The blame game says – the oppression of the past is the reason for crime here – the legacy of the apartheid government is the root cause of the violence & crime and corruption and so on.  

There is a lot of truth there, but the word of God says a man is judged according to his own choices and his own actions -  regardless of what might have provoked him.

I believe that one of the panelists in the discussion on crime, was absolutely right when he said that we really don’t stand a chance trying to combat all the serious crime – rapes, hijacking & abduction, murder, corruption etc.  BUT then he went on to say that crime can only be eradicated by beginning with the small stuff – behavior and attitudes that rely on a person following the law in the small things – not littering – driving at the speed limit and so on.

Small things,  like behavior that puts others first – not like the comment I heard from one of the striking hospital workers when asked about the patients – she just said she didn’t care about them, she wanted the money!

What the panelist was really saying was that once a good moral attitude of consideration for others etc was built up, then there would be less inclination to commit the big crimes. ….. once there was a new heart attitude.

Unfortunately, he didn’t say that a change like would be difficult when we rely on ourselves, but, as Christians we know that with a new heart –  with Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins, and with the Holy Spirit to equip, it is altogether possible.

God is really concerned about our eternal wellbeing.

In Ezekiel 18 : 32   Through Ezekiel, God said:

-      I take no pleasure in the death of anyone ….. repent and live!

 Then, He not only tells us to get a new heart, but he gives us that heart!

Earlier in the book of the prophet Ezekiel we read,

Ezekiel 11: 19 – 20

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them.  I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Just how does God give us this new heart??  Surprisingly, it is very much like the way you would receive a new heart if you went to the Cape Town Transplant unit .  Before you can receive a new heart, someone has to die and be willing to donate the heart.

I’m sure you can see the reference here to the death of Jesus for us, and just to stretch it a little further – with any transplant there is the fear of rejection.

We have been made in the image of God – so we have God’s DNA  - and so we know that the new heart that Jesus gives us is a match!  OK I’ve stretched it quite far, but it’s an interesting thought!

Jesus promised that he came to die for the sins of the whole world and that whoever believes in Him has eternal life, so if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we have that new heart and the treasure of His forgiveness – we are new creations.

Our new heart needs to be nurtured

Ezekiel 18: 31

Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed.

If you have had heart surgery, or if you know you have a condition that threatens the condition of the heart, then you watch your diet, you exercise, you avoid stress etc – you do all the right things.

So it is with your new heart as a Christian.

We are urged to live in a way that is in keeping with the new heart –  with faith in the Lord, following His commandments –  showing the love of Christ with a new attitude – a heart that beats to the same rhythm of God’s own heart – filled with compassion and love for others……..  in Jerusalem –  being pastorally concerned for our brothers and sisters right here in our own parish, in Judea & Samaria -  having compassion for all in the community in which we are situated – and to the ends of the world – reaching out in mission to the persecuted church.

May I close now with the words Rob has used to end his latest Rector’s letter posted on the St John’s website.

There is a call on you, the people of God, to be faithful to our Lord and God, through Jesus Christ. This world is a tough place to live and in which to witness but God never leaves us alone and has poured out his Spirit upon us that in our weakness He may be strong and mighty to His glory.

To God be the glory,

Amen

Wow, we have four amazing readings set in the Lectionary for us today. Hold them in your minds as I turn to the Book of Jeremiah for our study this morning.

Each of the four readings speak into this prophecy from Jeremiah this morning. Go home and study them all when I have finished my teaching today.

In the days of Jeremiah, Judah (The Southern Kingdom), was a nation which had pretty much forgotten God.

All through the scope of this prophetic book – across the forty years or more that Jeremiah ministered to this apostate nation, we are watching a nation moving further and further away from the purpose and plan of Yahweh for their future.

There had to be some serious change or judgement would surely be the Lord’s.

So, this was Jeremiah’s mandate from the Lord.  A couple of weeks ago we studied the call of Jeremiah in Chapter 1: 10  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

He had some tough words to offer Judah.  And 2010 is an opportune time to say it all again.

Jeremiah certainly knew how to preach and put his message across…

So, Let’s turn to Jeremiah.

Someone has said that for many it is probably the easiest book to find because it is the least used book for most of us. The clean pages in your Old Testament! Not really pleasant afternoon reading.

In spite of this Jeremiah is classified as one of the greater prophets of the Old Testament.

 In our reading today he issues a call  to God’s people – and, consequently to the church today – that we shouldn’t expect special treatment just because we belong to the community of faith – for us that means the church.

That in itself was never good enough for God.

He calls us to be in faith relationship – a good obedient relationship – with him (A Christian) not just as a member of the Church Supporters Club. (A Churchgoer). Who does whatever we like from day to day and then comes along to support the cause on a Sunday.

Before we look at the helpful analogy of the potter let’s just acknowledge the some of the reality of things around us in these days.

Over this past week we have been punched with so much pain. I opened the paper this week to be confronted by the news that Jackie Selebi had been convicted of all sorts of corruption and collusion with the SA mafia. We are talking about a man who was President of Interpol – Chief of Police of South Africa fraternizing and benefitting from the most hardened of criminals and murderers who dealt with their problems by killing them – or themselves as it turns out. Two pages later the Diocese of George acknowledging that they were such bad stewards of God’s bounty and the peoples tithes that they cannot account for R6 000,000.00.  – And a whole bunch of other stuff like mothers killing babies or leaving new born babies on the pavement, corruption and wickedness – injustice and autocratic arrogance denying the dignity of individuals and ordinary people.

Subjects of conversation around every visit one goes on.

How do we respond to all this stuff from a “God” perspective?

What does God think about the goings on in the world today? Well, Scripture is crystal clear about this isn’t it.

The psalmist certainly warns us….

Ps 14:1-3

The fool says in his heart,

"There is no God."

They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;

there is no one who does good.

2          The LORD looks down from heaven

on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

3          All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Actually Psalm 9 is even tougher:-

17    The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.

SA is a nation which is rapidly forgetting God. (UK/Holland/ America). And so, in our own time, we too are watching the phenomenon of a nation which has forgotten God being turned into a hell.

All this exactly in line with the prediction of the Scriptures.

And God will certainly not tolerate sin.

Do you remember us doing the Lent Course   “What a mess, What a God!” The text that hit me in that course was the one from

Romans 1:28-31….

28    Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

29    They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

30    slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;

31    they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

What a mess

The message today is that we had better change before it is too late.

Jeremiah hears the Lord and obeys God’s prompting by going down to the House of the Potter.

A remarkable visual aid. The Potters wheel. This metaphor for God’s own work is absolutely wonderfully and frustratingly straightforward. We get it! …..Or not!! In one ear and out the other.

Jeremiah saw three simple things. But they conveyed to him a fantastic lesson. Let’s walk with him into the Potter’s workshop.

The art of making a pot has not changed through the centuries. The wheel is now turned by an electric motor, but that is about the only difference. Even this is still controlled by the foot of the potter. The clay is the same as it has always been. The potter is the same, with his capable hands, guided by his intelligence, working to mold and shape the clay into the vessel he has in mind.

I have always loved pottery. In fact, when we lived in Grahamstown for the two years of our theological training I used to love going into the lovely pottery shops in High Street.

The thing that I love about pottery as an art is the fact that every article is a little different – each item has it's own peculiarities – and the potter needs to be a real creative artist. I don’t do pottery but I do use the wood lathe and I know that every piece is different and creative adjustments have to be made to accommodate the grain and the knots and – for me – the many mistakes. The clay or the pieces of wood in the lathe seem to have a mind of their own (get the picture) and it takes a firm potter to mould that resistant clay into what is in the will of the potter

So… What did Jeremiah see in this lesson?

First there was the clay. And Jeremiah knew, as he watched the potter shaping and molding the clay, that he was looking at a picture of himself, and of every man, and of every nation. We are the clay – seemingly with a will of it’s own

Jeremiah saw the clay being shaped and molded into a vessel. Then some imperfection in the clay spoiled it in the potter's hand, and the potter crumbled it up, and began anew the process of shaping it into a vessel that pleased him.

Secondly, Jeremiah saw the wheel turning constantly, bringing the clay against the potter's hand. That wheel stands for the turning  - constantly changing – circumstances of our life, the circle of life under the control of the Potter, for it is the potter's foot that guides the wheel. The lesson is clear. As our life is being shaped and molded by the Great Potter, it is the circumstances of our life, the wheels of circumstance  which bring us again and again under the potter's hand, under the pressure of the molding fingers of the Potter, so that he shapes the vessel according to his will.

Thirdly,  Jeremiah saw the potter. God, he knew, was the Great Potter, with absolute right over the clay to make it what he wanted it to be. Paul argues this with keen and clear logic in Romans 9: "Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me thus?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?" Of course he has. The vessel is shaped according to the image in the potter's mind. It is the potter who will have the last word in the production of the desired article. It is God who has the last word in every circumstance of life.

So Jeremiah, watching, learned that an individual or a nation is like clay in God’s hands. He has a sovereign right to make us what he wants us to be. He has the skill and design and the vision to work with the clay.

But when something in the clay resists, when it just doesn’t come together,  he crushes it into a lump, and begins again to make it yet into the vessel he desires. Plan B

Believe this – or ignore it at your peril

 When “Plan A” fails you need a “Plan B” , an alternative idea that’s perhaps  more attainable. You can’t do that with wood but clay gives you that flexibility. That is the beauty of this prophesy in Jeremiah 18. It really is the perfect image – God certainly took me at one time in my life and gave me such a stiff clap over my head when I was heading helter-skelter to destruction with me fingers in my ears. God brought me to repentance – to my knees – and told me that he was start over again on Plan B for my life.

I  was “marred in his hands” but He didn’t throw me away though, he worked on His “Plan B” principle.

Rejecting my shape entirely, he squeezed me  into a shapeless lump and started all over again, trying a new shape which is still being moulded as I speak and as I live and have my being in God through Jesus Christ my Saviour and Lord. That is the testimony of many of you here this morning.

You too, may have made a mess of some things in your life – your career, your family life, your financial affairs, or your spiritual life. You might have screwed up morally or ethically. Maybe that is how you are feeling today under the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

It is time for you to say to the Lord “things haven’t actually worked out here the way I dreamt that they would. Lord, show me a new way. You are a God of new beginnings. This plan of mine isn’t coming together please take me and remould me according to your purpose – and this time I will listen Lord. .”

You see your life doesn’t end when Plan A fails. Under God there is always a Plan B. The glory of God is that he is able to reshape us and mould us into a new design as we give our lives to Him. . Do you need to be reshaped at the hands of the potter tonight?

If some hard circumstances come into your life — and it may be there right now, or it may be just around the corner, or you may just have passed through it — that circumstance is the wheel of God, to bring you against the pressure of the Potter's hand. If you do not resist, if your will does not spoil the work by murmuring, grumbling, or complaining, or feeling resentful and bitter, but you accept the working of the Potter, then the pressure is relieved, and the vessel takes shape.

But if there is resistance, if the human will, like some imperfection in the clay, chooses something other than the Potter has in mind, then the Potter can do nothing else but crush it down to a lump once again and, beginning with the same lump, make it over into a vessel which suits his heart and mind.

He is the potter, and we are the clay.

We all need to be remoulded – Keep the picture of the potter in your mind and close your eyes and sing with me.

SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD,

Fall afresh on me;

Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me.

Spirit of the living God,

Fall afresh on me.

Lean into the potters hands and let him reshape you.

Let go and let God!

Dear Parishioners of St John’s and visitors to our web site,

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

I have been remiss in keeping my letters on the web page up to date and apologize that every time you open the web site it is the same as, same as. Please don’t put up with this slackness and let me know when I am appearing a little lazy on this front. In fact, I would be delighted with any comments on our web site because I am not even sure if anyone ever visits us!! Let’s hear your comments and suggestions on content and style so that we can improve our communications with one another and the world around us.

“What is happening around the place?” This was the question that a parishioner asked me recently and I was shocked to hear that someone who comes to church Sunday after Sunday could be so uninformed about the life of the family at St John’s. After all we have notices on a Sunday – in the pew slip, on the overhead projector before the service and pronounced by me from the top before the start of the service. Yet they didn’t know about the latest fabulous evening billed as the “auction of Promises” which was a fund raising venture towards funds to send a team of missioners to Egypt and the Sudan in the month of September. Great bids were made and approximately R18000 was raised towards ministry towards the persecuted churches in those lands.

Good communication is crucial in the family and in the church and I would truly value assistance from those skilled in marketing and advertising to take up the ministry of working with our web site, our Facebook site, our notice boards, our pew slips, our weekly notices. Help us to get the message across and increase our “branding” as the experts call it. By our “branding” I mean the message of the Kingdom of God and the person of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

But – now – let me try to answer the questions posed above – “What is happening around the place?”

We are in the midst of interesting times – both exciting and yet also disturbing in some respects.

Over the past week we have had to commend to God’s mercy and love the souls of three real saints who have died. Maggie du Plessis, Karen von Vollenstee and Albert du Toit. Maggie was surely the matriarch figure of our family. She was an absolute darling whom we all loved dearly. Strong of faith and full of compassion. Albert, too, had been a member of this congregation for decades and decades and, together with his beloved wife, Ursula, were among the faithfull who have been part of every stage of this parishes life. A gentle giant full of faith and gentleness, integrity and purpose in Christ.

Last week I opened the news papers to the ghastly news that the Diocese of George had been charged with maladministration to the tune of some R6 000,000.00. The Bishop has had to take early retirement and there are charges pending against individuals within the Diocese there. My, what a wake-up call that we, as a Parish, are called to be good and faithful stewards of the money that is entrusted to us by you, the faithful people of God. I want to assure you sincerely that the checks and balances that we have in place here at St John’s will ensure that such mal-administration cannot take place. We are also taking our responsibility, as a Parish Council and as aParish Executive, very seriously in ensuring that the finances and fiscal policies of the Diocese, of which we are part, are also  correctly managed and disbursed. Please pray for our Bishop and Diocesan Secretary/Treasurer as they prepare to present the next Diocesan Budget on the 21^st August 2010. Pray, too, that the wider Diocesan family will be gifted with wisdom and insight as we approve that budget.

But now to exciting things in the pipeline:-

The Parish Council, on the invitation of the Diocese, have appointed a new Assistant Priest, Robin Behrens, to our staff. Robin and his wife, Lucille, and his sons, will be joining us from the 1^st October 2010. Robin has previously served in the Methodist Church and more recently as Chaplain to Woodridge . He served at Holy Trinity, Thornhill, a few years ago before we took on the care of that specific community. In the past years he has been serving at St Nicholas, Charlo under the Revd Andrew Watt. Watch this space for further details on how Robins gifts will be used here in our parishes.

By now you must be aware of the groundswell of excitement gathering around our building plans to extend the back of the church to provide a entrance foyer and gathering area. We are planning to include adequate toilets, baby changing areas  and disabled facilities in that plan together with other necessary meeting rooms. This will further increase the capacity of the inside of the church by 50 which will really help with those Sunday mornings when the services are really full. Once again, please watch this space for further details of the process that we will need to go through with you and the Diocese before can begin to build.

I mentioned the “Auction of promises” that was so successful in raising funds for mission. Please pray for the team that will be heading off to Egypt on the 3^rd September and returning of about the 15^th September. It will be wonderful to once again be with the saint’s of Egypt and spending time with them in prayer, in worship and in mutual encouragement. The second team leaves for Sudan later in the month. While on the subject of mission I must mention the joy that we have in announcing that one of our missioners out there, Nicky Bragg, will soon be leaving YWAM in Muizenberg to be married and to start a new life in the USA. Please pray for her and her fiancée, Brian.

Gay and I, and a number of others from the parish will travelling to Carmel – just above Victoria Bay, outside George – for the annual Celtic Retreat under the teaching of Bishop Eric Pike and his wife Joyce, who have just returned from a 850km pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We are looking forward to a deep time with the Lord under the guidance of Eric and his team. I have had the privilege of being part of that team for many years now and I can highly recommend this retreat for those who have not yet heard of it. 

May I close this letter with a call on you, the people of God, to be faithful to our Lord and God, through Jesus Christ. This world is a tough place to live and in which to witness but God never leaves us alone and has poured out his Spirit upon us that in our weakness He may be strong and mighty to His glory. To God be the glory, Amen!

Yours in the love of Christ,

Rob and Gay

Reading: Colossians 1:21-29

OPEN: One of the greatest scientists of our time was Albert Einstein. He was a man who was so focused on his scientific theories. that, he often neglected even the simplest things of life, such as personal appearance (as evidenced by his hair). 
One time, Albert Einstein was taking a train out of town for a speaking engagement. As he sat in his seat engrossed in his work, the conductor stopped by to punch his ticket. Looking up in shock, Einstein realized he didn’t know what he had done with his ticket. Frantically, he began to search his coat pockets, and then his briefcase.
Gently, the conductor said, "We all know who you are, Dr. Einstein. I’m sure you bought ticket. Don’t worry about it."
But, as the conductor moved along, he looked back to see Einstein on his hands and knees searching under the seats for his ticket. The conductor walked back, "Dr. Einstein, please, don’t worry about it. I know who you are."
Exasperated, Einstein looked up and said, "I, too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going."

APPLY: The Christians at Colossae had gotten to the point that they weren’t sure where they were going either.
Somebody had begun to convince them that they weren’t going to heaven like they thought.
Somebody had slipped into their midst and begun to tell them they weren’t acceptable to God
Somebody was confusing them so much that they weren’t even sure what was expected of them anymore
They had gotten to the point where they not only didn’t know where they were going… 
They weren’t even sure WHO they were.

I. To understand what was going on here, it helps to realize that back in the days of this letter – behind the scenes – there was a spiritual battle taking place. There were false teachers who minimised Jesus. The message they proclaimed was that Jesus was important but not essential. They had given him a place in their lives without recognising that he demands first place. He was prominent to them but not preeminent. They also believed that God did not create the world because in their view matter was evil and God cannot create evil. They also argued that God would not come to earth as a human in bodily form and they also did not believe that Jesus Christ was the unique son of God but rather one of many intermediaries between God and people.

From verse 15 of this letter Paul then sets out the facts to the congregation at Colosse: 1. that Jesus is Over Creation; 2. That He is God himself- the fullness of God dwells in Him- not around upon and under him, but in Him ; 3. That he is the unique Son of God and : 4. That he is the creator of all things and that he holds all things together.

Another issue that that we have to know about this congregation is that they thought they had to escape this world to be reconciled with God. This belief grew out of the Greek philosophy where the material world and the spiritual world do not mix. They did not belief that you could experience the eternal in the temporal and that you had to be lifted from the material world to experience the eternal and spiritual. The Colossian church was influenced by this philosophy and the result was that people saw Jesus as another way of escaping the temporal world. Paul then writes this letter to them to straighten them out. In thiese verses before us today Paul gives us a tremendous description of the process of change in a human being. From verse 20-23 Paul describes the work of Jesus in reconciling lost people to himself.

Paul begins verse 20 with a general statement about reconciliation: “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth ot things in heaven by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” What Paul told them and us is that they and we are not saved by Christ’s teachings that lift us above  this world, not by Christ’s spirit which communicates eternal truths to our hearts but we are reconciled to God by Jesus’ incarnation and physical death. The false prophets at Colosse were teaching people that they could get closer to God through the worship of angels and by observing certain rules and regulations, but they could not promise total and complete reconciliation.

The bible dictionary defines reconciliation this way: “the restoration of friendship and fellowship after estrangement. It also means to change thoroughly from one position to another.” Reconciliation happens when someone ot something is completely altered and adjusted so that a relationship of peace can begin with the one with whom estrangement had taken place. Paul then establishes four elements about the reconciliation of Christ in this verse:

1.   The focus is to reconcile to himself- it is always to reconcile to God and the initiative and action must come from Him

2.   The scope is all things- it involves the whole universe.

3.   The result is peace. Through Jesus our hostility with God can end.

4.   The means is “through his blood, shed on the cross. Salvation is only through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross as our sin payment.

Many Christians today just like the Colossians believe that salvation means escaping this realm to get to the next. Yes they do believe in Christ, but they also believe that salvation comes only by escaping this life. For instance some people believe that being saved means never having problems. They believe that once you saved the problems of the world go away and when troubles do come they either doubt their salvation or they deny the existence of their troubles. We should know this is not true. Like everyone else we will experience problems, trials and tribulations in this life, the difference between us that know Christ and live in him and those that do not know him is that he is with us in our problems and trials and he keeps us standing and empower us to deal with whatever life deals us.

Others view salvation as life after death insurance and that we are separated from God and his blessings and that we will only receive these blessings in the next life. By believing this we rob ourselves from the joy of knowing Christ and from what God has in store for us in this life.

But Paul answers this too when he in verse 21 move from the general to the specific when he reminds us that what we were like before we experienced peace with God. He says: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.” It means we were actively hostile to God and our minds were at war with God. Paul says this also in Romans 8:6 when he says: “the mind of the sinful man is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”

But Paul does not dwell on this separation from God because despite these negative traits God took the initiative and extended his grace to us all when he says in v.22: “ But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Notice it was Christ’s physical body that reconciled us . The false teachers in Colosse denied Jesus had a real human body. The NT makes it clear that Jesus was both God and man and the apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:24 that “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you are healed.”

God is in the business of changing lives and we are changed with the opening of our hearts to Christ and receiving him as Lord. But this process is headed for a specific goal which according to Paul is to present us holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation. That is God’s goal and he intends accomplishing this.

Important to note the word says he reconciles us now- not he will reconcile us, or wait for us to be in heaven to reconcile us- he does it right here and now where we are in this temporal material world with all its trials and tribulations. God’s presence is with us now in the midst of this life and can and will know the glorious abundance of his blessings right here. Through his death our brokenness and hurt are set aside, if we come in faith to him he delivers us and our inner attitude changes when we accept his offering of himself. Our relationship with God changes from hostile to love and we come into loving fellowship with him.

We have earthly communion with our heavenly Father and I believe we will see God’s glory in an even greater way in Heaven.

 Paul emphasises our holy standing before God because of this reconciliation and refutes the theory of the false teachers. Paul emphasises that we do not seek any other way of reconciling with God because through Christ we are made holy in God’s sight, we are without any blemishes and we are free from any accusations. We are set free to live the life that God has in store for us and to worship him with freedom and joy.

The reality of us being reconciled here and now in this life to God is proven to us by the life of Paul himself. He suffered, he was in prison when he wrote this letter where he was repeatedly beaten and top of all this he had a ailment or thorn in his flesh that constantly bothered him.

But he was blessed, he was able to speak of a Saviour that heals , he was able to speak of a peace that passes all understanding, he was able to persevere against all odds and he was able to keep walking into trouble for the Glory of God.

Paul’s suffering was a living example of the presence of God’s salvation and reconciliation in this world. Through his suffering people saw strength and knew that that strength came from God.

I want to finish off by looking at verse 23 which says: “ If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel……The “if” clause does not mean that a believer can lose his salvation if he fails to “continue in the faith.” This can therefore be translated, “if indeed you continue in the faith, and I believe that you are doing so. Paul is using the architectural image when he says, “established and firm, not moved…” Just as a house, firmly set on the foundation will not move, so too, if you are truly saved and built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, then you will continue in your faith. It is the continuing that is the proof of reality.

Many people start out the Christian life, filled with joy because they have found a new sensation, but it does not last. Somewhere along the line it fades and finally they set it aside and go back to the way they were once before. This is a sign that there never was a real faith at the beginning. That does not mean that our faith cannot waver or get wobbly at times- it happens to all of us- yes it grows dim sometimes but true faith never ceases. As people of faith we never give up the realisation that God has changed us and in us remain the new attitude and new life imparted. We continue to hold fast to the thought and belief that Christ is in us the hope of glory. We continue to know and belief that we could never have this new power, new source of energy, comfort and strength in our life if Jesus did not donne what he did. As Christians we know that when we continue in faith and we are being conformed to the image of Christ.

So the question today is have you begun the process of change in your life by accepting the work Jesus did on the cross for each one of us? Have you allowed him to transform your inner being and bring peace to you?

Do you live your life as one reconciled to God through the work of Jesus- do you strive to live a life holy, free from blemishes and accusations or do you allow the evil one and the forces of this world to make you think that Jesus is unable to set you free from guilt and shame? Are you firmly rooted in Christ so that when life deals you trials and tribulations you know that Christ is in it with you and that these things do not separate us from God or make us doubt whether there is a God?

Jesus puts it this way in Matt 7:24 and 26 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock… but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put it into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”

Amen.

I would like us to take a few moments just to recognize afresh that God loves us more than we can ever imagine. Do you really recognize that fact? I wonder. David certainly did. Listen to what he says is Psalm 139 – our primary reading for tonight..

Ps 139:12-16

12         even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13         For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14         I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15         My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16         your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Keep that page open.

There can surely be no denying that we – every single one of us -  are such self-centered creatures most of the time and it really hurts when I hear people say “how can God love me when I asked him to provide for a new car and it all fell through” “How can God love me when I prayed over the lotto ticket with all my heart and it never came in” “How can God love us when such bad things happen to such good people – why even last month I lost my engagement ring while swimming out at sea.” As if God is a ombudsman employed to make sure that we get a good deal in life.

How well do we really know God? Do we understand what his mind is for us. How well do we know God’s standards and principles and are we really able to apply them to our lives?

God knows more about me than I am able to comprehend. Talk about Big Brother watching!! [New series starting on DSTV – excited, anyone?? – DSTV’s big follow-up to the SWC]

God says: “Your eyes saw my unformed body.”

 It is just such a beautiful picture formed in the mind of the Psalmist. Those who are able to take one passage and just chew over it for a while would benefit greatly from delving the depths of this particular verse. Surely this offering of love and intensive awareness of us needs to be reciprocated by us. We do this through worship and through honoring His decrees and standards and purpose for our lives.

Certainly, the word is pretty tough on those who do not see the need to grow closer to God and who fail the call to really know him for in II Th 1:8 we read He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Or as Eugene Peterson puts it Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Message will pay for what they've done. Serious stuff!!

The psalmist certainly recognized that need and so in the verses following the ones we read it goes on:-…

Ps 139:16-18

17         How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!   18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.

So surely our everyday reflection and contemplation should focus on the Lord in every respect. His thoughts are so numerous that we can never and should never tire of seeking them.

But you know, we just don’t get it!!

Watched Aljazeera yesterday morning – documentary of the lifestyle of young committed and radical students at the Red Mosque in Pakistan. Learning every facet of Mohammed’s teaching by rote. Living it out fanatically in the confines of that Al Quaida enclave.

I just wish that we would have just a small percentage of that commitment to actually study the living and active, Spirit- inspired Word of God.

There is so much happening out there – so many calls on our time, so many opportunities, so much offered by way of entertainment and self-betterment, so much exciting sport and leisure opportunities, gyms and bicycles, and running shows that virtually carry you without you having to put in to much hardship, so many easily accessible holiday venues and rest opportunities and we just absolutely love it.

Just wish that we would have just a small percentage of that commitment to actually study the living and active, Spirit- inspired Word of God.

The media throw endless images of varying impact and influence and importance into our computers and TV’ and radio all the time. Arguments for and arguments against capital punishment, children’s discipline, accountability verses independence, morality from every perspective – some wholesome some utterly degrading. Abortion, promiscuity, marriage and divorce, addictions, idolatry…..

What are God’s thoughts on these matters?

You will never know unless you take time to study the Word of God and meditate upon his laws and his character.

We must let God define himself in our innermost thoughts and within the parts of our hearts and brains that govern our choices. If we define God according to things of this world we will never recognize him when he comes to us in love, in instruction, in rebuke and in correction.

Otherwise we will make the same mistake as a lady who came up to me a long while ago and said “you can’t be Rob Penrith.” I have been listening to your sermons that my sister has ordered for me from your church tape library and you are a much younger man with a better build. “You don’t look like you!” she said.

Well, it was very rude of me to disappoint the lady, but she was wrong. I looked like me. She could have checked my drivers license because she would have discovered that my face matched the picture on it, but that didn’t matter to her. She wanted a face to match her pre-conception.

She had an image in her mind that didn’t match the image she saw. She had to make a choice. She had to accept the true me or live with the wrong impression. We must do the same with God.

When we do, when we let God define himself, a whole new world opens before us. We begin to know him intimately and begin to make our decisions about the troubles of life and the world around us from a calculated and informed perspective.

So an opportunity like this, tonight, to sit around and listen to the Lord’s words and thoughts coming to us through the hymns and songs, and liturgy and readings and sermon and silence and sacraments must be a vital part of your discipline in reaching out to know the living God. But it has to go beyond this hour doesn’t it?

I have heard people say that the one thing they hate about our services is our preaching slot. Quite something to say to a preacher!! Well, of course the sermons might well be less emotionally exciting as some of our wonderful worship times. So they ask “Can’t we just have an extended period of worship and then some sharing amongst ourselves over coffee?” Talk about the blind leading the blind. Comfortable maybe – sort soek sort!

To say that “I don’t want sermons and scripture I only want worship and sharing” is a bit like a guy I saw on BBC lifestyle who never ever ate anything else but pizza’s, chips, crisps (specific brand only) white bread – NOTHING ELSE EVER. Got physically sick when he took his first taste of vegetables and could only manage fruit if there was no furry covering or mushyness about it.

Miserable fellow, high BP, High Cholesterol, bulimic, social misfit. Could not relate, in anyway, to the healthy, outgoing, vitally happy people around him.

Diet without a sermon or Bible study would also make you a social misfit in terms of the Christian culture and family of God. You would lose out on the healthy gift of God’ fullness in our lives and simply not be concerned at all about what God wants for you.

A bit like missing all the classes at school except break times and free periods. Hello? It might sound good but it will get you no-where. I registered for University once – bought the tie and the badge for my jacket, bought the hockey club kit and a beer mug with the universities crest on it. I filled that beer mug up at every opportunity and it nearly ruined my life. There was no qualification for what I did best – drink and have fun – and the qualification that I had signed up to do was not awarded because I had not attended class and forgot to study for my exams.

Today, your quiet times, your resting moments, your personal bible study, your bible class attendance, Alpha, Baptism Preparation, Marriage Preparation, Engaged Couples, Revelation teachings, Mission meetings, all opportunities that Christians should grab with both hands because they give us an opportunity to hear the Lord and to know him better and better each and every day so that when we are confronted with difficult decisions we will know what God thinks about the problem.

Can you believe this!!!!!!!!! In spite of broken families and stress and ignorance of God’s plan for our lives – over past few months we have had to cancel each of the following courses because of an almost total lack of interest…

Marriage Course, Woman of Peace Course, Alpha, Holiday Club 3, Evening service due to poor attendances over SWC – Well, it was the world cup, Rob. An amazing vibe and incredibly spectacular.

Sure, but that is exactly what I am talking about – choices, priorities.

Moral, ethical, spiritual decisions cannot be made from our emotions or by blowing a vuvazela but must be made from our understanding of who God is and what he expects of us. So, as I have indicated in the title of my sermon on the front page of the pew slip, When we plan to be with the Lord to fathom the deep mysteries of his will we need to give ourselves entirely to that.

I don’t want you to be sitting there thinking “I hope this isn’t going to go on for too long”.

This time is for you to grow closer to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Holy Spirit is here among us leading us into all truth and in this life we desperately need to guided in truth because as Eddie Askew writes – there are many voices out there with only one voice worth hearing.

I am committed to proclaiming the message from the one voice worth hearing – God’s

Paul highlights the centrality of preaching in our growth process. Let me give you a couple of verses to chew on:

2 Cor 4: 5         For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

1 Cor 1: 17        For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not with words of  wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1 Cor 9:16         I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

2 Tim 4:2-5       Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

My title from Ecclesiastes, in fact, is “there is a season for every activity under heaven”

That seems to me to be the message of the story of Mary and Martha. I said to someone earlier in the week that there was no ways that I was going to preach on the Mary and Martha passage because I would be on a hiding to nothing.

Some relate to Mary and some relate to Martha and I am not getting into a debate on whether Jesus was horribly unkind with the comments that he made to Martha. Listen to them….

38         As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.

39         She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.

40         But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

41         "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,

42         but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

But, you need to take this portion of scripture in the context of the wider body of our Lord’s teachings and the teachings of the early Church.

First of all Jesus is the last person who was against exercising the gift of hard work. He himself was a carpenter and must have worked jolly hard with his father, Joseph. I expect Jesus would have been well developed physically. He walked hundreds of kilometers each year and so he would have been fit and strong.  Yet he spent many nights in the mountains alone with his father.

Paul said these words on one occasion:-

1 Cor 4:12

We work hard with our own hands. And he commended the people of Corinth to do likewise.

On the other hand Paul also said to the Thessalonians that they should pray continuously.

There is a time for every season under heaven – says the writer to the Ecclesiastes. So – when you are in the presence of the living Lord, then that is the time to sit at his feet to listen to what he has to say to you. There is a place to sit at the SWC – but you cannot live and have your being there. It is an unbalanced diet

When that time of being in the presence of God’s teaching is over – that is the time to get on with the important work of washing the dishes and preparing the meal, mowing the lawn and sweeping the leaves, enjoying all the bits of fun and leisure that is available to you. BUT GOD MUST COME FIRST IN YOUR PRIORITZING!

We are not called to be either Mary’s or Martha’s – the individuals are not the important subject of our story today. Their appropriate response to being in the presence of the Lord is what is in contention.

The problem with classifying yourself as a Martha means that you will always place hard work (or even fun and self-centred activities) above contemplation and prayer while those who pride themselves as being Mary’s will probably be of no earthly good to anyone. Get rid of those boxes and understand that there is an appropriate time for every activity in Christ.

And make use of every opportunity to pray continuously and to work hard to the glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today's scripture lesson tells a familiar story. So familiar in fact, people who have zero knowledge of the bible have heard of the main character.

Is there anybody who has never heard of the Good Samaritan?

Tonight Show host, Jay Leno from time to time sends people out to ask questions about the bible of people on the street.

One question was, "Do you know who the Good Samaritan is?" The answer was, "He was some guy who did a good deed." "Oh", the reporter says, "I see. Do you know anything else about him?" "Yea," the man answers, "I think they named a hospital after him." The reporter continues, "Did you know he was also a character in the bible?" "No," the man says, "I wouldn't know about that."

The problem with familiar stories is that we tend to skip to the end and tune out. "Oh yea… The Good Samaritan… God wants us to have mercy… Time for a nap!" But don't tune out just yet. Let's wrap our minds around this scripture lesson in a way that will yield wonderful new insights into an old tale!

The Expert in the Law

The story actually begins with an expert in the law standing up to TEST Jesus. So the scene is clearly set. I am glad that Luke records the schemer in the story as an expert in the law and not as a lawyer. There are enough naughty jokes about lawyers and I can’t use any of them because this would have been a religious expert of the law – a Pharisee in all probability.

How did he go about testing Jesus. Well, he asks a question that he knows the answer to. The question was “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus throws it back at him like a stealth bomber to undermine the quest that the legal eagle was on.

After all, the pharisee would have used the correct answer almost as a mantra in his teachings. “"'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 neighbor as yourself.'"

Okay, says the lawyer type to himself, I will get him wrapped up in definitions with the question “Who is my neighbor?”

Again Jesus turns the law back on the lawyer with the “answer” which comes in the form of this parable in front of us because, clearly, the expert in the law wasn’t going to get it through argument.

The expert in the law didn’t really give a hoot about what Jesus might say. His only objective according to the text is to fly a kite and entrap Jesus and so he tried to trap Jesus into giving a definition of who our neighbor might be. Any answer could have fueled another question.

Jesus cuts through his hypocrisy and nitpicking in a way that will leave the lawyer without further argument and any further questions would simply get the poor guy deeper into trouble in front of his cronies.

The Use of Parables

The disciples, the Pharisees, us – the readers of the Word, sometimes just don’t “get it” and Jesus often turns to stories using truths that the listener will understand to reveal an even deeper truth to them leaving them with no room to question or doubt.

In fact, as Eugene Peterson says, “parables are narrative time bombs designed to explode people into new awareness, and in this case one of the pieces of shrapnel is designed to tear into the idea that the law will ever save anybody. Jesus is exposing the futility of the law as a way to inherit eternal life. Jesus was certainly out to shock.

What follows next is the so-called Parable of the Good Samaritan:  a title we use to capture Jesus’ oxymoronic point.  Modifying “Samaritan” with “good” would have choked the Pharisee.  Contradiction in terms. The actual parable in Scripture doesn’t qualify the Samaritan as good – he was just a Samaritan and we will see what that means later.

The Teacher – Jesus

The episode in our scripture reinforces a message Jesus tries to convey to religious people and religious leaders over and over again throughout the Gospels. A message that will finally cost him his life. In plain English that message is: "You are not getting it! God is not interested in religion and its rules and regulations, but in a relationship of love with Him and that you should live in that love with each other!"

We just don’t get it!

I can remember my high school algebra teacher trying to help me understand a particular set of equations I just could not get through my head.  After several abortive attempts to help me "get it," her frustration began to show a bit when she said, "Don't you see?  It's simple."   But I didn't see at the time.  I did not have the insight that would give me that "aha" experience

There are still men in this culture who do not understand what the gift of a dozen roses means to a woman. A married couple sat in my office trying to come to terms with the distance in their relationship.  During the conversation, the woman said, "He hasn't sent roses for over five years now."  Surprised, the husband responded, "But you said you didn't care about roses."  She looked at him like he was a dunce and snapped, "You don't get it!"  And of course, being from Mars, he didn't get it!

Parables do that for us.

Let's engage the parable.

The Parable is set on the incredibly dangerous pass between Jerusalem and Jericho. Only 30 kms away from each other but one would have to negotiate a narrow pass that would drop from Jerusalem for almost 3600ft to Jericho situated 13ooft below sea level. The pass was called the “red pass” or the “Bloody Way” right up until the 19^th century because it was so dangerous.

This familiar story of the Good Samaritan doesn’t really need amplification. You know it well. The story draws the lawyer into the corner he originally intended to back Jesus into.

The good guys in the story (orthodox, Jewish believers of position) don't do good. The bad guys (half-breed Samaritans) do good. The traditional neighbors are not neighborly, while the non-neighbors are neighborly.

Maybe it’s not really so clear to us… a Samaritan, a Jewish Priest and a Levite are all rather foreign to us. But… then as now, most everyone has their prejudices. It would be as though an Ayatollah told his Moslem congregation a story about "The Good Jew" and the indifferent or a Priest in Northern Ireland telling about "The Good Protestant" and the uncaring Catholics. Let’s look at our Lord’s characters.

The Priest

The Jewish Priest’s only role was to do duty in the Temple in Jerusalem. Never had to worry about computers, or dirty floors, or beggars at the door, or leaking roof in the Parish Centre.  BUT the thing about the priest was that he would not be allowed to enter the Holy of Holies unless he was ritually clean and the law stipulated that if he were to touch the body of a dead person he would be ritually unclean for 7 days. If he helped here he wouldn’t be able to do duty in the temple.

The Levite

Same as, same as!

In fact he shows a disgusting lack of interest in the plight of this irresponsible traveller who shouldn’t have been on this road anyway.

In our Lord’s day there were more than enough pharisaic laws to justify by-passing the Samaritan and even feeling righteous about doing so.

The "Gotcha!"

The point of the story is crystal clear. The neighbor we are to love is the one who is in need of our love. The Priest doesn't get it! The expert bible teacher doesn't get it! The unlikely, despised Samaritan gets it! Here's the "Gotcha!" in the story

The lawyer must either admit in front of the crowd that the Samaritan in the story is the one who "gets it" — or he himself doesn't "get it!"

"Gotcha!"

Too much bad blood.  Too much disdain.  No neighbor-love lost there.  So how and why could the Samaritan be the hero of this or any story, the Pharisee ponders aghast?  And in the emotion of that confident repulsion, Jesus turns the tables on the Pharisee who sub-consciously knows the Samaritan is no neighbor to him.  And if no neighbor, then no neighbor-love required.

CONCLUSION

Can you see yourself in the story? Would you have stopped for the Samaritan?

First and foremost this parable is all about legalism and dogma (of the Pharisees) juxtaposed against grace and mercy (of God towards us).

There are always 2 ways of looking at things:-

1.                The Priest’s and Levites will ask “What will happen to me if I help this man?”

2.                The Samaritan will ask “What will happen to this man if I don’t help him?”

God is not interested in obedience to legalism and ceremonial claptrap (Do yourself a favour and read Isaiah 1:11-17) God is interested in relationship of unconditional love with Him and grace outpoured to all who need us to be neighbours to them.

Secondly it is a parable about doing things God’s way. Isn't it wonderful! The message is clear and it is simple. You should go away thinking “Am I truly ready to participate in a community of peculiar, unexplained, and undeserved love? And, if not, whose neighbour am I? Anyone’s?”

Here's the problem. This kind of love — the kind that has to make a quantum leap over intolerance, bigotry and social class – has to be Divine love. Deep down, when I look at myself, I know there is way too much of the person who would "pass by on the other side" in my own heart. Jesus' "Gotcha!" gets me too. I can get there only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul puts it this way in Romans 5:1 “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Galatians 6 : 7 – 18

Luke 10: 1 – 12, 17 – 20

Galatians 6 : 17 Paul writes: I bear on my body the marks of Jesus

You know how sometimes there is a phrase that sets you thinking – well that was the starting point for me.

 I bear on my body the marks of Jesus

Some commentators have suggested that the ‘marks’ Paul referred to, were scars from having been beaten for being a Christian.  Whatever the explanation, it made me wonder whether I have any distinguishing marks [apart from the robes & clerical collar!] – anything that distinguishes me as a Christian.

There are many who have distinguishing marks –  think of these folk:

Donald Trump  -  His distinguishing mark is his hair!

Michael Jackson – characterized by the moonwalk – and of course, his glove.

Then there’s Moses? Peter and Paul himself!   All had characteristics that set them apart.

Every living person has a distinguishing mark about their lives and the way they live and the things they do.

It’s no different with churches  - each characterized by a style of worship, whether they are Bible based or sadly not, in some cases, AND , as we’ve been seeing,  –  the distinguishing marks of football teams – style of play, game plan, the colourful dress of supporters, flags & banners.

As Christians our distinguishing mark should be the mark of Jesus on our lives.   If Jesus is sown into our lives, then what we should produce, is Christlikeness – a life that is only like that of Jesus – and no one else.

A little illustration:

On his father’s farm a little boy loved to climb up into the branches of a tree at the back of the property – it had loads of leaves, but hadn’t produced any fruit for many years.  Anyway, there, amongst those branches, he could be anything he wanted – astronaut, pirate, Tarzan – it was his hideaway.  So you can imagine how upset he was when he overheard his dad say to his mother that he was going to cut down the old fruit tree because it hadn’t produced anything.  He certainly didn’t want his hideaway tree to be chopped down, but couldn’t beg his dad to keep it otherwise his secret place would be revealed.  So he devised a plan.  One evening when the folks were busy, he picked a whole bunch of apples from a nearby orchard & tied them to the branches of his tree.

Next morning, the father went out & was amazed to see the fruit on the tree.  He called the boy’s mother to witness the miracle – the old tree just laden with apples!   AND he said, it was a double miracle, because it wasn’t even an apple tree – it was a pear tree!

We might laugh about that, but it’s a fact, pear trees are not supposed to produce apples.

What you sow, you reap.  You sow wheat and you expect a field of wheat, not weeds.  You accept Jesus into your heart & life – your life  should produce Christlike qualities!

When God formed the earth, we read in Genesis 1 : 11& 12  that He said

Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.  And it was so. The land produced vegetation;  plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Bear seed or fruit according to your kind – 

As Christians, our lives need to bear the fruit of our faith in our Lord and Saviour -  produce the characteristics – the marks of Jesus in our living – the fruit of His Spirit – love, joy, peace, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, self-control.   Anything else:  bitterness, revenge, jealously,

Etc – these do not come from a relationship with the Lord

Now there were two professed Christians who worked together for ten years in the same business office.  Over the years, though, neither of them knew that the other was a Christian.  In conversation later, one of the men said to his priest, ‘wasn’t it funny that Fred & I were friends in the same office and yet neither of us knew until recently that the other was Christian?’ 

The Priest replied that, to him, it certainly wasn’t funny – instead it was a tragedy that their lives hadn’t exhibited clearly what should have been their new birth in Christ – the new creations that Paul wrote of in Galatians!   In fact he doubted the validity of that ‘new birth’ in their lives!

Our family, our friends, our work colleagues need to know by our lives, by our behavior and speech that we are Christians – people of faith – who love to talk of Jesus  -  the One we love and serve.

As we read in Luke’s Gospel earlier, when Jesus sent out the seventy-two –– he warned them that he was sending them out like lambs among wolves.  They would not be welcome everywhere they went.

And it is just that fear of rejection – fear of being ‘attacked’ – that makes many Christians ‘play it safe’ and not share their faith – not sow their faith into others lives.

When a church member was asked by St Peter as he approached the Pearly Gates, how many seeds of faith, how many seeds of the Gospel he had planted while on earth, he replied – ‘none actually, I thought it better to play it safe.  I was afraid that some would think I was trying to show them I was better than they were.  In fact they knew I wasn’t better than them, so I didn’t want to be called a hypocrite.  Besides, I’m not that sure enough about my faith to be telling others about it.  But  Peter really, isn’t that what we pay Rob & the team to do, isn’t it their job to plant seeds of faith and win souls for Jesus?” 

Then as he looked through the Gates into Heaven, he asked Peter, –  “Tell me, why do I see so few people moving about back there?”

Peter replied, “That’s easy – there were so few labourers, so few seeds sown, that the harvest was never taken in.”!!

I suppose this is a subject that we battle to deal with effectively …….  As a church and as individuals ….. The subject of witnessing …. The subject of telling others about our faith in Jesus and our sure salvation through Him. 

I know that many folk are in the same boat when it comes to sharing the faith – it’s risky – [I must admit though, a collar helps, because you’re expected to share your faith – so it’s easier] – but often out there, there’s a fear of what others might think.  There’s a fear of lack of knowledge  of our faith – and then not being able to answer questions that might be thrown at us.  There’s a fear of being called names or made fun of – and no only likes to be rejected.   But more than that, I think the problem with this subject is that most Christians don’t see it as their responsibility.

In the Gospel lesson, Jesus sends out seventy-two to say that “the Kingdom of God is near you”, because he knew that everyone IN the kingdom of God has the responsibility to witness to Him.  He knew his stay on earth was temporary – he would leave – as he did when he ascended into heaven – and then the only way people would know and hear about His love for them – His sacrifice for them – and His grace for them – the only way they would know,  would be for his disciples to tell them.  That was why he sent them out – beyond their own comfortable group –  on a practice mission as it were.  They needed to get a feeling of what they would be doing when he had gone.

Jesus told them exactly what it would be like – not easy -  possible rejection – he knew that not everyone would accept the good news of the Kingdom, but the important point is that he wanted them to try – to go out and tell – so that people at least had the opportunity to hear and then decide for themselves.   And what did those disciples discover:

“Even the demons submit to us in Your name.”

There is great power in the name of Jesus – we never have to share our faith in our own strength!

We’re all sinners – we all need Jesus – but at the same time, Jesus is counting on us to tell others about His saving grace in our lives.  He wants us to tell others – by word and by our living – just how we have been changed and affected by His grace in our lives.

“Evangelism  - after all – is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.”

I love this illustration I found:

A group of people were sitting outside having tea one afternoon, when an ant appeared on the tablecloth and made its way to the sugar basin.  After eating some grains of sugar, it went off with a little grain of sugar.  Off it went, across the tablecloth, down the table leg and disappeared in a crack in the floor board.

Not long afterwards, it returned with several of its relations.  They climbed up the leg of the table, marched along, and led by the first ant, .. into the sugar basin –  they eat some sugar and then they left, each one carrying a grain of sugar.

That wasn’t all –  then a whole swarm of ants arrived and climbed into the sugar basin to eat .

 Jesus wants us to be like those first ants.   When we have experienced the love of Christ in our lives, he wants us to ‘show and tell’  ….  draw others to Him so that they can experience the good news of the Gospel in their lives as well.

Of course, it’s not just telling, it’s being the Christ example for others. 

As Paul said in his letter to the Galatians:

Carry each other’s burdens……. Let us not become weary in doing good.

Folk need not to just hear about the love of God but see it illustrated in us – in every day experiences.  It takes getting involved with others in their daily lives – being concerned about them – being concerned about their faith and their relationship to Jesus.  And here I know I’m talking to the converted – to the many of you in this parish – who do as Paul said – who are never weary of doing good.

What we need to tell folk out there as well, though,  is that doing good things, being a nice person, isn’t going to open the gates of heaven – only faith in Jesus’ death and Resurrection can do that!

The question is whether we are willing to take the risk – put ourselves ‘out there’ – speak of the good news of the Gospel – unselfishly share with others where our treasure is – where we find our food – our bowl ofsugar!

Do we carry in our lives the marks of Jesus? – a living faith? – evangelistic zeal?

I wonder, because just a few weeks ago each person who attended the services was given an invitation to the Alpha course – to pass on to an unbeliever & invite them to come and hear about Jesus.  On Friday we had to cancel the course this year for lack of adequate response.      We’ll try again next year!   I know I have friends and relatives who don’t know Jesus, so I am just as convicted by the Scriptures in this regard, as I hope you are.

One of the distinguishing marks of a disciple is that we witness wherever and whenever we can.

I want to close by reading you a letter that was received by the Rector of a church :

It was sent by a young lady who had attended a worship service there, and for the first time in her life, she heard the Gospel message of Jesus life and of His sacrificial death for the sins of the world, of his Resurrection and Ascension and of his promise of eternal life for those who love Him.

The letter went like this:

Dear Church members

Last Sunday, I attended your church, and I heard what the preacher said – that all men have sinned and rebelled against God.  Because of their rebellion and disobedience they all face eternal damnation and separation from God.

But then he also said that God loved men and sent his Son, Jesus Christ into the world to redeem men from their sins and that all those who believe in Him would go to heaven and live with God eternally.

I want you to know that both my parents died recently.  I know they didn’t believe in Jesus Christ, whom you call the Saviour of the world. Now, if what you believe is true, then they are damned and separated from God for ever.

You’ve said that that is what I should believe – now either the message is true – or you yourselves don’t believe it – or you don’t care about anyone else.   

You see, we live only three blocks from your church – and no one told us about Jesus.

I pray Gracious Lord, that you would renew  us your church and give your Word unstoppable power.

Pour down Your Holy Spirit onto each one of us, and Lord lead us to spiritual maturity – lead us to desire to know more of our faith to make us able to share – lead us to be obedient to Your Word.  Grow in us our faith and out hope and love for You.  Make us, Your children, burning witnesses – sharing the good news of the Gospel within our families, with our neighbours and our work colleagues.   Fill us with evangelistic zeal to be Your labourers  and so speed the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

To the Glory of God the Father

AMEN

Blessed Lord, would you open your Word to us today that we may grow in faith and maturity. Amen

I want to begin with story. A true story – albeit a little embarrassing for me.

Sign-posts can be very confusing.

- Many years ago – Gay and I – Trafalgar Tour around Europe. Whistle-stop. Germany flashed by one morning while I was still very asleep. But when I woke up I was interested to see where we were in that magnificent country and so looked out of the bus window at the road-signs to get an idea of which town we were speeding towards.

- The first signpost crept up on the right hand side and I hadn’t heard of that particular city or village and so didn’t take much notice of it but waited for the next sign which was also indicating a turn off to that same town or village – so did the next one and the next one – until I realized that what the signpost was really saying was “Exit the autobahn here”. In German that is AusFahrt which is NOT a name of a town or village. How embarrassing!

- Another quick illustration – on one of his first journeys down from Jhb to P.E. my son missed a crucial turn-off at Colesberg – they were doing roadworks and the signposting was all temporary – apparently many others were also mis-directed. What it meant was that instead of travelling down to Port Elizabeth he ended up half way to Cape Town before he realized that he was on the wrong road.

If any nation ever needed clearly defined signposts it was Israel in the time before Christ. They were so embroiled in legalism and idolatry and syncretistic worship that they couldn’t see any directions clearly at all. 400 years had passed since the last prophet had given them direction and they were floundering under the Roman Empire and the burden that the  Pharisees placed upon them.

Into this confusion came John the Baptist who could never, ever be accused of ever giving false directions to the people. He was perhaps one of the most focused individuals in Biblical history.

He needed his message to be crystal clear and understood by everyone because his message contained the only answer that mankind has to the problems of life and death, of salvation and damnation, of liberation from the shackles that bind us through the influence of the devil and the world around us.

He certainly never ever invited respect or admiration or adoration in his day. Matt 3:4 tells us that John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. Not an attractive diet and a really bad fashion sense one might say

No-one could to be confused about the message that he brought. In fact, he wasn’t presenting a message or a philosophy – he was introducing the Messiah – the one whose sandals he didn’t feel worthy to untie. – John was preparing and calling the people to enter into a new relationship through repentance and acceptance of what God had planned for them

It is in Matthew 3:5 that we read of his preaching alongside the River Jordan. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

For his message was simply  “repent for the kingdom of heaven is near” Get ready for the next crucial exit from disaster and destruction and death – don’t just follow the highways of this life

A signpost that some recognized as being vital for their salvation while typically – a bit like me in Germany – others didn’t recognize for what it was – and still others where so distracted about the mess around themselves that they shot past and didn’t see – a bit like Mark and Liezl on the Road to P.E. through Colesburg.

Turn with me to our Old Testament reading for today which was from Isaiah 40. An amazing portion of Messianic prophecy from Isaiah 40-66 which includes the Servant Songs of Isaiah.

Here in Chapter 40 we see the opening verses of this particular portion of Scripture.

In the preceding chapters Isaiah had shown that he was very concerned with the connection between worship and the ethical behavior of the worshipper. They were saying one thing with their mouths and living out blasphemous lives.  For instance, one of his major themes is God's refusal to accept the ritual worship of those who then go on to treat others with cruelty and injustice.

Isaiah also spoke against idolatry, which was common at the time.

The Canaanite worship, which involved fertility rites, including sexual practices which were forbidden by Jewish law, had become popular among the Jewish people. Isaiah picks up on a theme used by other prophets that the nation of Israel is like a wife who is committing adultery, having run away from her true husband, YHWH. Directionless and uncontrollable.

Not too different to our lives today. I suppose that every generation feels that it is living in the worst of periods in world history but I cannot believe that our current society could possibly get any worse than it is. Surely!

And we are all products of our societies and our cultures to one degree or another. We are equally prone to the temptations of the world and the flesh that those pre-Christian Jews were. Not one of us here can claim to be sinless and properly focused on the road God has laid out for us. Repent – says John

Surely, the place to begin is to admit that we need a savior or we will never look out for His signposts to glory.  The Holy spirit pointing us towards the Father through the Son. The message proclaimed by signposts which God places in our path to take notice of.

John was such a signpost – prominent and standing and teaching with integrity of word and deed. So much so that the people stopped along their way to be directed by him into repentance and baptism in the Jordan .

What kind of signposts are we? Are we lost within the mess of a messy world – or are we clear enough for even the dumbest observer to eventually get the drift that if they want to get off the wide and dangerous roads (akin to the great autobahrns – then we have to ausfahrt – get off the wide road and move onto the long and narrow road prepared specifically for us unto salvation.

Let’s stick with this picture of Ausfahrt.

EXIT – Exit the rough roads and the hills and the valleys, the windie highways and the valleys, mountains, hills, and turn off to the straight highway in the wilderness of your lives and the glory of the Lord will be revealed to you – says the Word.

Isaiah says part of the reason why many never receive blessings is that the roads of their lives are in a mess. Potholed and worn, rough edges and dirty.

Get rid of the garbage and the baggage is what John was preaching. Those things which make for rocky roads and aweful mountains in our lives.

To live a life of righteousness – being right with God – begins with knowing your need for him and the mess that the infrastructure of your lives is in.

Once we confront our ness God brings us to Jesus who washed us clean through His blood shed on Calvary and turns us 180 degrees through repentance to Life – from darkness to light – from lostness into a deep and personal relationship with the living God. John, Jeremiah, Isaiah were all calling us into this new covenant of promise.

So, this message is for each and everyone of us sitting here this morning or listening to this broadcast today. Exit the way of the world and turn off to the path prepared for you by God Himself.

This will bring real comfort to those who are hurting. As we draw nearer to God and grow in our living relationship with a real God we will find that when our hills and valleys become too much he is there walking alongside us – gently helping us cope with the things of life. When the path is rugged and tough it will seem as if He is rushing ahead of you to make the tough places smooth and storms of life will not overwhelm us.

But I am probably talking to many who have made that decision in their lives already. Do we sit back with complacency in the knowledge that we are walking faithfully along that road God being our helper.

One of my favourite hymns comes from a little song book called 100 Hymns for today and is entitled

 We have a gospel to proclaim,

 Good news for all throughout the earth;

 The gospel of a Saviour's name:

 We sing His glory, tell His worth.

Jesus was clear about that because He says Go into all the world!

Be a John the Baptist out there – be a prominent signpost to direct others onto the path that God has for them.

In fact Isaiah says this to us, doesn’t he….

9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. ….. lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"

I love the words in Isaiah just a few pages further on from Chapter 40. Page forward a little and stop at Isaiah 43:1-5 for words of great comfort to one that turns away from sin and follows the signposts presented to you into grace and love

"Fear not , for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, 5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

Wow! What a message.

To grasp your need for the Lord, to open the way for him to enter into your life, to receive the blessing of God the Holy Spirit, to live to the glory of God ….. is your destiny and the purpose that God has planned for your life.

To prepare your lives for the Lord in this way will ensure that – like John – you will grow in wisdom and become strong in spirit.

If that is what you want for your life then get off the crumbly paths that you are on – Ausfahrt – EXIT – Repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed Lord, we praise you that whereas The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Amen

Luke 3: 1-20

I have always been quite keen of St John the Baptist.  I can’t really say why.  Possibly just because I have grown up in this here fine church.  I was born just down the road.  I was baptised right over there, 32 years ago.  God willing I’ll be getting married here one day.  Although you might not want to hold your breath for that one.

Maybe it’s because of the stories I heard about John the Baptist growing up.  Some 30 years ago, the Sunday School had a fancy dress contest, and my whole family entered.  I had my turn, coming as the baby Moses, and my brother, John, decided to follow his namesake, and came as John the Baptist.  Never one to do things by half measures, he donned a dressing gown and pillow over his shoulder, and came carrying a papier mache head on a plate.

So I guess you could say John the Baptist has been a strong influence in my life as long as I can remember.

It is interesting that I like him so much, because while there is a great deal of writing about him in the history books, he doesn’t appear very often in the bible.  Luke tells us some interesting stories about his birth, and how his Father Zachariah was struck dumb because of his unbelief.  We’ve read the story about how John leapt in his mother’s womb when Mary came to visit her, making him the youngest prophet in the Bible I suppose.  We know the story of John being imprisoned by Herod, and ultimately being beheaded for taking a stand against him.  Yet, we see little of what he actually did in the intervening 30 years. In fact, except for a few saying and sermons recorded in the book of Luke, John is only really mentioned in connection with Jesus. We are told little about what he did.

But what little we are told, tells an awesome story, and comes as a prologue to an even greater one.

John is unique also, in that we celebrate the feast of St John on June 24, which is the supposed day of his birth, not on the 29^th of August, when he was traditionally martyred.  Traditionally we focus on great miracles and signs performed by a saint during their life, and the spectacular way in which they died for their faith.  John definitely had a life of miracles and signs, and definitely died a spectacular life, but the importance of John is not in his death for his faith, but in the fact that he was born and lived, and that he used that life to point to Jesus, the messiah.  In his own words, “I must decrease, that he may increase: (John 3:30)  John’s purpose in life was to point to Jesus, a fact which is put quite clearly in his own words about himself. "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord” (John 1:23)  In saying this, he was identifying himself with the voice promised by Isaiah “A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God” (Isaiah 40:3)  John was that voice, and the voice was preparing people for the coming of the Messiah.

In a sense, John was the last of the Old Testament prophets.  There had not been a prophet in Israel for 400 years, since the times of Micah, and now suddenly this man comes out of the Desert, prophesying mighty things.  Because if John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, he was also the first with a New Testament message.  The message of salvation through Grace, the message of the imminence of God’s messiah.  The message that hope had come into the world, and it’s name was Immanuel, God with us, Jesus.

Not a lot of what John said has been recorded.  We know that he was as harsh with the Pharisees as was Jesus, calling them a brood of vipers, we know that he gave a few pithy sayings.  In our reading form Luke today, I am willing to bet that some of you thought those things had been said by Jesus, not John.  So even what little he did say, was ascribed to one greater than himself.

But one thing he did say, needs to stay with us.  If he only ever lived and died to make this one statement, his life would still have been one of the most important in history.  Possibly second only to Jesus.  In John 1 v 29 he says “Look, the Lamb of GOD, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

We say this so often in our liturgy, we hear it in sermons, and readings.  It is such an integral part of our theology that Jesus came as a Lamb – a sacrifice of atonement.  We know this; we understand what it means.  Because John, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, told us.  Until that moment, there is no record of this image actually having being used, although it is painfully obvious in retrospect.  It was an image that the Jews of the day would readily understand, and one that Jesus himself later adopted.

John made one of the most powerful statements of salvation, not once, but twice, because we are told that the next day he said it again, and sent his own disciples to go and follow Jesus.

So John’s message and purpose thus far was two fold.  He pointed to Jesus, physically, by holding out his finger, and saying “IT IS HIM”

He pointed to Jesus theologically, by saying “He is the perfect sacrifice, offered for your sins.”

But he also pointed to Jesus in another way, through his entire life and ministry, by showing us what we could be, and what we could never be.

We saw in our Gospel reading that John came out of the desert, and preached great sermons of repentance.   He was a mighty man of GOD, committed to no luxuries, but only the word of GOD.  He had a single-minded obsession with sharing the Good News with people, and calling them to salvation.  He was a paragon of holiness, and purity.  And he called all men to be the same.  He convicted the faithful of their need to repent.  He laid the foundation for a new era of seeking salvation and turning back to GOD.  But he was never able to achieve it for them.  No matter how good he was, no matter how good his followers were, they would never be enough.

John was the last Old Testament prophet, because he was the last prophet with a life was dedicated to showing perfection through actions.  But it was not perfection.  It was not even close.  Because he was only a man.

Jesus said of John “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)

John dedicated his whole life to GOD, and bringing others to him, in humilty.  It showed us what we should do.  But until the coming of Jesus, it would never be anything except an exercise in futility.

John showed us what life we should lead; Jesus showed us how.

John was the perfection of the Old Testament Law; Jesus was the fulfilment of that Law in Grace.

John made the people understand their need for salvation, but only Jesus could meet that need.

Jesus can not really be understood without the message of John, but the message of John is nothing more than self-righteousness with Jesus to back it up.

John 5:35 says that “John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.”  John was a lamp that showed light, but not the light itself.

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. 3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b] 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. (John 1:1-10)

Jesus was the light, John was the lamp that shone some of that light.  He showed not his own light, but the light of Jesus.

The thing is, we are called to be lamps as well.  We are called to be salt and light, and to shine the light of Christ.  But, we often fall short of that out of fear I think.  We feel like we are called to be perfect, and we don’t know how.  We feel like we need to show people our own light, where we have never been called to do that.  We were called to show Christ’s light, and to point them to him.  If we are called to be Christ in the world, we are also called to remember that we are John.  We need to bring his light, and the good news of salvation, but we need to do it by pointing others to him, not to ourselves.  John didn’t build a disciple base, he sent them away.  He pointed to Jesus, and said “He is the one, follow him”

In prophesying over John at his birth, his father Zahariah said “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,”

John brought us an understanding of salvation through forgiveness, Jesus brought us that salvation.

Jesus says to the people of his time, rather sarcastically one might think “16"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

17" 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.' 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions." (Matthew 11:16-19)

I think in this reading, he is pointing out to the people that their great sin is their lack of response.  John came to play them a funeral song, telling them that their lives would lead them to death.  And they did nothing.  Jesus came later to bring a song of Joy, and they still did nothing.

If we are called to be John the Baptist in the world, to point others to Jesus, I think we are also called to be John the Baptist in our selves as well.  To point ourself towards Jesus.

John said that he was called to “prepare the way for the LORD make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.

We, too, need to be focusing ourselves on:

·         Preparing a way for the Lord.  Before the Lord can come into a life, whether it is our own, or the life of another, the way needs to be prepared.  We need to be reminded of our need for him, and be actively seeking him.  We cannot hope to meet with him if we are not preparing ourselves for that moment.  Also, if we want to be witnesses for those around us, we need to be preparing the way by our own lifestyle, so that they see what we have, and are curious.

·         Make straight the highway.  In our own lives, and in the world around us, we need to straighten out what is crooked.  To get our affairs in order.  If our lifestyle is being used to prepare a way for the Lord, we need to make sure the way is straight.  We cannot cut corners, or be seen to walk a crooked path.  This could seriously compromise our witness, as well as our relationship with God.

·         Remove all the obstacle.  If we want to straighten our path, we need to remove any obstacles.  Whatever is keeping us from worshipping him, whatever obstacles are in our path we need to leave at the foot of the cross.  Where the gound is uneven, either through the mountains of sin, or the valleys of doubt and despair, we need to make level the path, by asking GOD to fill in our doubt, or take away our temptations.  We need to be actively flattening our ground day by day, so that we can walk a straight path, and prepare a way for the LORD.

Because he only goes where he is wanted, and this seeds will only grow on fertile ground, that is well prepared.

So as we go out from here, and head into our week.  Let’s take some time, in our homes, at our work, and in our play as well, to point others to Christ, and to shine his light, in a world that has forgotten what the real light looks like.

1 Kings 19 : 9 – 14

Luke 9 : 18 – 24

Today is Father’s Day, so once again we bless and thank God for Fathers and the role they play in the family …..  after all, without them, where would any of us be?

Over the years the role of the Father has changed a great deal.  In the Victorian & Edwardian eras, we are led to believe that the Father of the home was an extremely strict authoritarian and disciplinarian – with only rare gentle moments with his children.  In fact often we read of them having to call their father ‘Sir’ or even having to make an appointment to meet him in the library if they needed his advice or permission for something.   Praise God, things have changed and in today’s society fathers are more involved with their children, relating to them and loving them and sharing chores with the mother  -  being a real partner in the nurturing of the children – discipline combined with love  -   truly in the image of God.

Many folk see God, our Father,  as having two completely separate natures – the one the distant God of Judgment & wrath and the other the relational God of love and compassion.    Indeed people seem to want to relate only to   God who is always loving and tender and are actually offended even by the thought that God would ever stand in judgment on anyone.

I read of this attitude being encountered   in a  discussion on the story of Ananias and Sapphira.   It’s recorded in Acts 5. You might remember the story, …….. just to tell it very briefly, they sold their piece of land and lied about their contribution to the church.  Immediately upon lying …… they died!

The text doesn’t explicitly state that God struck them dead …….  But  that is the obvious implication.

Someone in the discussion group was really offended by that story …… it went against what he had been taught.  Forget the fact that the two of them had sinned by lying …. How could God do that!!?

He had been taught that there were two Gods in the bible – the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New and he believed that they were as different from one another as night is from day.   The God of the Old testament was the God of anger & wrath, who exacted judgment  for wrongdoing,  and then, there was the God of the New Testament – the God of compassion, forgiveness and love .    

Now I want to state very clearly that such a belief or understanding is pure heresy.   The Bible is clear on the fact that the God spoken of in the Old Testament IS exactly the same God as the God spoken of in the New Testament …… His nature.. His character never changes.

The only thing that really changed was the relationship that that same God had with His people.

In the Old Testament, God’s relationship with the people was centered on the Law – the Ten Commandments given to  Moses – and the keeping of that Law.    Then, as we read earlier in Galatians, and as Paul was at pains to explain to the church there –Jesus Christ came and lived and died on the Cross for our salvation –  and so in the New Testament, God’s relationship with his people – as a Father with his sons –  was a relationship centered on the love and forgivenss and the pure Grace of God through Christ.

In a way I can understand the problem that some folk have with their concept of God – there is something about the way God is described in the Old Testament that is really intimidating!

In Isaiah 6 : 5, Isaiah just has to see God and he falls down trembling with fear “Woe is me” he cried “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and a Live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty!”

Then in  Exodus 20 : 18-19  we read that when Moses went up to receive the tablets of the 10 Commandments, God thundered down his Law from the mountain.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear, they stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen.  But do not have God speak to us or we will die!”

Later in Israel’s history we read of the Prophet Elijah this morning when he met God on that same mountain:

1 Kings 19 : 11 – 13

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by”.  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire , but the Lord was  not in the fire, and after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

These are pretty fearsome images of what our awesome and powerful God is like, BUT rather than be offended by such power and almightiness, these are the images we need to understand if our hearts are going to be changed and transformed.

We need to be like Isaiah,  who, in the presence of an awesome and holy God, was forced to acknowledge his own uncleanness.  In the presence of God, he humbled himself – he knew that God is holy and he was not -  and so he acknowledged God’s right and authority over his life. We need to do the same – acknowledge the holiness and the almightiness of God and be humble before him because we are all sinners.

BUT instead, because people want to be the ones in charge of their own lives, they are upset by a God who is bigger than they are.  They are upset by a God who disapproves of sin.

Holy Scripture shows that God is bigger and more powerful than they are and he – not they – has the authority to set the rules!   And they don’t like not being in control!

[I think we’re all a bit like that - like rebellious youngsters objecting to the authority and discipline of the father of the house – even when we know we’ve broken the rules.]

When the Israelites gathered at the foot of Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, God made it clear that He was in charge – there was thunder & lightning – Mt Sinai covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire – the whole mountain trembled violently!

God was declaring that He had the right to declare the rules because he was in charge & was bigger than they were.     

That’s what  we need to hear again in our own times:   when God says:

“I am God ….. and you’re not!    I make the rules for you live by ….   I am allowed to let you know that you sin and fall short of my glory!”

God is in charge of our lives – He has set His moral standards in Holy Scripture – He is in charge of the world – He is in control of everything – & there are consequences if we break the rules or just change them as the society of the time feels like it!

One of the stories that really grabs me in the Old Testament, is the one in 1 Kings – about Elijah – part of which we read this morning.  Elijah was one of the  greatest prophets of the time, and even to this day, Jewish people divide the Scriptures into the law represented by Moses  - the prophets represented by Elijah.

Elijah himself was very impressive – he courageously confronted  the wicked King Ahab and his equally wicked queen, Jezebel.   He stood on Mt Carmel & challenged the hundreds of false prophets of Baal to a contest & after the gods of Baal were totally ineffective, God came through for  Elijah– big time -  sending fire from heaven for the sacrifice.

Then Jezebel hears about Elijah’s victory, & she threatens his life,  and quite amazingly, Elijah is overcome with fear and he falls apart totally & just runs away!!

Eventually when he is exhausted, he stops under a tree & asks God to let him die.  In spite of his great spiritual victory, or possibly because of it, Elijah realized that he was frail & weak  - he was nothing without God.

BUT God helps him in that situation and sends him an angel to provide  him  with food and then, strengthened, he went to Horeb -  the Mt of God – the same mountain where Moses had met with God in the burning bush – and there God met with Elijah in a special way.

First, God sent a gale-force wind, then God shakes the ground with a frightening earthquake  - then there was fire.   Last of all Elijah hears a gentle whisper.

Through this, God was telling Elijah – I am Almighty God, I have the power over all creation – earth, wind & fire – nothing can stand against me – I am mighty and holy and righteous…….  Elijah – I am bigger than Jezebel!  You can trust in me!

God showed Elijah both his awesome power and his gentleness – powerful enough to protect against the evil of Jezebel and gentle & loving enough to care for him in his weakness.   Elijah could continue in God’s service, once again relying on God in all the circumstances of his life.

It is this God that we see on another mountain – Calvary.

Jesus, the only Son of the Father, died a cruel death on the Cross, but in that death, he showed his awesome might and power and wrath, in overcoming evil  - the sky became dark and the earth shook – and at the same time, he showed his tender mercy and love in the forgiveness of our sins.

One of the spiritual songs we often sing – Come and See, has these lines:

He lifts the cruel cross, lone and friendless now, he climbs towards the Hill

We worship at your feet, where wrath and mercy meet, and a guilty world is washed by love’s pure stream.

God’s wrath and mercy meet in the shed blood of Jesus.

God is a God of justice.  He cannot let sinfulness go by unnoticed.   The folk of the Old Testament were aware of that and, to some degree, we seem to have lost sight of it!

There must be judgment – God who is holy cannot look on sin and so our God of justice, angered by our sin, gave his son to carry the punishment for the guilt of the world.   In that love is awesome power.

In the Gospel passage for today, Jesus has just revealed to his disciples that he will be crucified and then he asks them if they will follow him.

It is a question for each one of us as well –

Almighty God, calls us into a relationship with Him through His only Son Jesus, who paid the penalty for our sins. 

Jesus calls to us to believe and follow him.  It is a call to accept Him as Saviour.  It is a beckoning to seek his forgiveness.

Jesus calls us to follow in a deeper understanding and in service to others.  He calls us to take up our cross daily, to give up our own desires and sacrifice our own self to His will. 

What will our response be??

Closing prayer:

Lord, once again you call us to a deeper understanding and deeper relationship with you.  Today, Lord, I know you call me to follow you and find ways to know you better – to relinquish my will and allow you control over my life;  you call me to a deeper commitment and daily to take up the cross in sacrificial service. 

And what a privilege it is, to live for You Lord, and serve You and Your people -  Lord God, Almighty in power, and Awesome in might – as Big a God and Father as I could ever imagine, and yet, a creator God who is willing to die for me and live in my heart.

We give you all the glory, Father, Son & Holy Spirit, now and forever.

AMEN