Resources

Overflowing Love

2013-05-20T05:40:27Z

SEEDS FOR HARVESTING 8/19

Phil 1:9

"I pray that God's love
will overflow more and more."

First, Pail acknowledges God's love
as his resource within
our minds and hearts,
and that God is continually
topping up this resource within us.

None of this is our doing.
It is a wonderful gift
from our loving Heavenly Father.
He offers and we willingly accept
with thankful hearts.

Most importantly
this gift is not to be stored away
just for our own use.
We must willingly share it with others.

All of our speaking and sharing
must be saturated with God's love
as we pass on the good news with others.

Our motive must always be
saturated with God's love.
Our words and body language
must always express that love,
after all we are representatives
of God's love,

Bob Imms 19.5.13

Feast of Judgment

2013-05-20T05:37:07Z

Rev Warren Clarnette at St John's UCA Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia Sunday 12 May 2013

When Babylon goes up in flames, all human works are destroyed:
institutions, money, commerce, music and craftsmanship, technology and marriage - all the things that display human greatness, ingenuity and authority. All is destroyed except humanity itself. So are we to accept the view of believers and heathens alike that there is life after death?
That is the wrong question! We should ask, 'What sort of life can it be when time and space are no longer significant?'

The destruction of Babylon reduces us all to being only ourselves, possessing only the clothes we stand up in. What is destroyed is the power that alienates us from our true selves. And a further judgment is to come.

The first vision of war (against the Beast and the false prophet) signifies the fury of the righteous judge against evil. The rider on a white horse is the Word of God, who destroys those who remove the image of God from mankind. The second vision follows. An angel appears 'standing in the sun' who calls the birds of the air to gather for a great supper. This is no farmer's wife scattering handfuls of grain to the chooks, ducks and turkeys; wild birds are summoned to indulge in a feast on human flesh.

Nothing more is said about that, but at the end we are told that the birds are gorged with human flesh. More is revealed in the following chapters of Revelation. But the meaning is plain - all people are bound together in judgment. Nations and individuals are not divided into goodies and baddies. A single fate awaits us all. History runs its course, wrongdoers flourish, good people go unrewarded and justice fails, as it inevitably will when it is left in the hands of men who decide that God is no longer necessary.

Nowhere in Revelation do we read that evil gets its comeuppance and goodness is rewarded. Judgment falls on the evil and the good, as rain falls on the just and the unjust.

This fact opens the door to distorted ideas - presumably from the Bible - which our society takes to heart. Heathens, blasphemers, and confident unbelievers assume that their loved ones will live on in some future time and place, watching over them, even sharing the good times in absentia, before they meet again in a romanticised heaven. Wishful thinking intrudes upon death and bereavement. Even Christians fall under the spell of popular culture, so that all talk of judgment is prohibited and the seriousness of death is diminished. (Few are the sermons on the theme of
judgment.)

The feast of the birds says otherwise. Judgment is a serious reality. When the birds gorge themselves on 'the flesh of kings, of captains, of mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great' no-one escapes.

But 'flesh' does not mean muscles, sinews, ligaments and whatever else covers our bones. These are not what the birds feast on. Flesh does not mean our bodies; in the Bible it is everything that keeps us apart from God, binding us to the world and its illusions and blinding us to the truth of the human condition. Flesh is what causes that peculiar homesickness of which Augustine speaks when he says 'our hearts are restless until they find their rest in God'.

So judgment consists of being stripped of the depraved attitudes, moral defects, physical and spiritual lust, the craving for domination, the compromises with wrong, the subtle springs of self-glory, the refusal to hear the voice of conscience - all the negative aspects of our lives.
Judgment unmasks our pride, ambition, and imposture, exposing the inwardness of evil and destroying it. Judgment exposes all our fabrications and reduces us to nothingness. Never forget that the real corrupting power of flesh is invisible. It resides in cultivated moralities, good taste and ethical righteousness. Flesh is infinitely inventive and always hides itself from those who indulge in it. Not physical desire but intellectual and spiritual pride are its origins. Paul speaks of 'impurity, licentiousness, fornication, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness and the like'. These are disorders of the spirit that turn natural appetites to evil.

No doubt you will ask, 'If the flesh is stripped away, what is left?' The answer is that none is killed, none is damned, the door of redemption closes on no-one. The grace of God has no limits. Judgment is not condemnation. The only condemnation is what we do to ourselves, like a self-inflicted wound.

Judgment means to be massacred but not killed. None of this is to be taken literally. The Spirit of God kills the flesh in order to bring to life a new humanity.

We may have never known a premonition of such a judgment. Not everyone experiences such a traumatic trial in the midst of life; not everyone has felt that every shred of self-assurance and pride has been taken away; or has stood on the edge of self-despair, unable to take any useful initiative. But it happens. It is the means by which the Spirit of God takes a solitary life and refashions it. Paul sums it up when he speaks of 'dying to the flesh'.

Revelation declares that the feast of birds awaits us all.

Modern thinking can only disagree. Our own arrogance insists instead on the trivial device of thinking that every person has a right to an opinion, and every opinion is the measure of reality. By doing so we have lost the glory of humanity, which is the great theme of the Revelation:
the overcoming of estrangement and spiritual homelessness, and entry to mankind's proper home, where all are restored in the image of God because God at last takes up residence with his people.

But we are not talking about life after death. The Bible speaks of heaven only so that we may see more clearly the world around us. What else does it mean that the nations exist in chaos and misery and broken hopes and dashed idealisms but that our greatest need is to be stripped bare of our collective claim to autonomy and self-sufficiency?

The visions of Revelation exist for no other purpose than to make sense of the incoherence of history and the lunatic activities of the great men and women of our time: politicians, statesmen, captains of industry, experts in economics, writers and commentators and demagogues of every kind.

When judgment is pronounced on all our works, nothing remains. Not nature.
Not human nature. Nothing remains. On the plane of history, the end of all policies and grand visions of the future is judgment. Not indeed that the whole human project is a gigantic mistake. Everything is to be made new.
Judgment is pronounced in mercy.

It is not an act of vengeance but a stay of execution.

It is the final imprimatur of divine love;
the decision of God to be for us and not against us.

So judgment is enfolded in mercy and the last word is not damnation but grace.

Exclusive Christ - Inclusive Love

2013-05-12T23:56:39Z

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 5 May 2013

Lessons - Psalm 67; Revelation 21:10,22 - 22:1-5; John 14:18-31

Judas (not the betrayer) said, 'Lord, how is it that you will
disclose yourself to us, and not to the world?' (John 14:22)

We too are shocked by Jesus' 'exclusive' attitude. The Church should be 'inclusive' - not a privileged religious sect that prides itself on its faith and worships a God who does not seem to care about those who do not love him. In our world, bias toward one group - to the exclusion of others
- is unfair, narrow and bigoted. This view of Christianity is out of touch with modern values.

Sectarian groups distinguish between 'the faithful' and 'unbelievers'. But most mainline Christians are uncomfortable about claiming special identity for the Church. It harms efforts to show our relevance to the world. Talk of God revealing himself to the select few does not help our public image!

Like us, Judas is bewildered. He wants to know why Jesus will not convince 'the world' - as well as his disciples - of God's presence. Surely a clear statement of God's love would convince 'good people' outside the Church to throw in their lot with disciples and encourage 'bad people' to mend their ways? How will they know God's love for them if it is kept a secret? It does not make sense, particularly in a world where failure to maximise the exposure of a cause, product or program is thought to signify a lack of seriousness. Why would not Jesus want to promote the most incredible event in world history: the incarnation of the love of God?

Jesus completely rejects this way of thinking. The Church's special identity is not defined by whether or not it is the biggest, most popular religious show on earth! It is often called to stand against popular opinion that promotes the kind of inclusiveness that often supports dark forces that dehumanise our common life.

Its unique character - hidden from public view - is expressed in the lives of folk who respond to God's over-whelming grace in Christ by simply, unselfconsciously and boldly sharing in the love that already exists between Jesus and his 'Father' (as John puts it). No public fuss or fanfare - simply delight and gratitude for an extraordinary privilege.

There is a danger in trying to convince 'the world' that 'God is love'. If we set out to be inclusive, we may miss the special character of God's love for 'the world'. When 'God is love' becomes a slogan to promote the benefits of the 'Christian brand', we will see the miracle of God's love which has suffered under, and triumphed over, dark forces that afflict our lives. Also, astonishingly, that love has welcomed us into the fellowship of love that unites Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This extraordinary reality is hard to put into words. We are in the presence of a love that is unparalleled in our experience. When John uses Trinitarian language to speak of 'God's love' he is telling us that we cannot simply apply what we know about 'love' to God. God's love is uniquely personal and sacrificial.

This is how John expresses things. Christ gives himself completely for our broken world in his life (while he is still 'with them' v25) and in his death (where he 'is going' v28a) and in his resurrection (when he 'will come to them' v28b).The language may seem to be abstract and elusive. It is not our natural way to speak about love! But, rather than letting it get in the way of understanding, why not let it arouse our curiosity?
Without such curiosity, we shall be like so many others who want Jesus to satisfy our desire for a god or teacher who neatly fits ideas of inclusive love that are drawn from our natural desire to be open and tolerant of all things and all people.

John wants us to see a love like no other. So, when Jesus tells the disciples that 'he will go away and return to them' (v28) we learn that:

* He is about to 'go away' to suffer and die at the hands of a 'world'
that is in thrall to 'evil', the 'ruler of this world' (v30) signifying dark forces opposed to the love of God. He 'leaves' them to display costly love that does not shrink from the dreadful reality of sin.

* When he 'returns' to them - 'being raised from the dead' - the disciples will know that the love between 'Father' and 'Son' has conquered evil and death for them.

They will know that God's grace has not been thwarted and their inclusion in the 'fellowship of love' has not come to an end. They will be overjoyed and at 'peace' to know that, in a strife-torn world, the love of God has triumphed over evil!

'Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid' (v27b) only makes sense because of Jesus' cross and resurrection. Apart from his defeat of sin, evil and death, it is hollow and cruel. Shallow optimism and false comfort are no substitute for 'peace' that knows what it is to 'love Jesus'
(v23ff) amidst terrible evil!

No wonder Jesus reveals the love of God to his disciples, not to 'the world at large'. Such love does not fit any pattern of love with which we are familiar.

This does not mean that the Church should turn its back on the world, enjoy the benefits of grace for itself and leave the big, bad world to its own devices.

No! Jesus' revelation to the disciples of the love between himself and the Father - and the invitation to participate in that love - is for the sake of 'the world'. At the end of this passage Jesus says, 'I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.
(v31b)'

This may sound like a contradiction, but it is not. Although the 'world'
cannot understand the costly and triumphant love of God in Christ on its own terms, everything in Jesus' ministry takes place 'for the sake of the world'. The world we inhabit - the 'broken world' - is the arena of God's self-giving grace. As John never tires of saying, 'God so loved the world . . . (3:16)'

How do we reconcile these two things? On one hand, Jesus discloses the reality of God's love to disciples only. On the other, the purpose of his disclosure is that the world may know God's love.

The answer lies in the need to protect the Gospel from misunderstanding:

* If it is disclosed directly to those who think that love is to be measured by the popularity of inclusive forms of love, then God's costly love for the world - unparalleled in human experience - will be trivialised.

* If it is disclosed only to the Church, the breadth of God's love will be ignored and Christians will be tempted to think that God is our possession.

The Church certainly has been given a 'special identity' - a unique vocation. She exists, not to promote ideals of inclusiveness that are shared by the general public, but to proclaim the unsurpassable love of God - unique, costly and victorious love which, in Christ, has judged, forgiven and transformed 'the world'. In a dark world she is to be an entity and a beacon of hope for the whole of humanity. The ultimate purpose of the 'love between Father and Son' is that the nations shall be 'healed' (Revelation 22:2) and drawn into 'a new heaven and a new earth'
(Revelation 21:1) to worship 'the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb'
(21:22ff).

This wonderful image of Christ's suffering love 'for the world' reaching its glorious destination is the source of hope for a Church that is called to glorify God and serve Christ in a world that is hostile to the Gospel.

Strangely, that hope is ultimately to be found in a future where there will be no Church (21:22) and the nations and the rulers of earth shall walk by the glory of God (the Father) that radiates in and from the Lamb (the Son). In view of the splendour of the future that awaits the Church and the world when the glory of God shall be acknowledged by all without the witness of the Church, Christians are called to live as a community of hope in the present.

This means not being naive about 'the world'. Inclusiveness is not necessarily a virtue! Where the dark forces of evil continue to be practised in defiance of God's costly love, those who do wrong are 'excluded' from the fellowship of grace (21:27). It is not our place to make that call. The conversion of the world does not depend on us. It is the Spirit who enables the love of Father and Son to prosper in the lives of individuals and communities in all sorts of unobtrusive and unexpected ways to bring glory to God.

---------------

Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

2013-05-05T22:35:22Z

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 28 April 2013

Lessons - Psalm 136:1-9,23-26; Revelation 21:1-8; John 13:31-35

'Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and
the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.' (Revelation 21:1 RSV)

With these words the Vision of John and the Bible moves towards a breathtaking climax (expressed so dramatically in this morning's anthem, 'New Jerusalem'). Affliction, sin and death will be no more. Evil will be judged. War and persecution will cease. Desolation on 'earth' will end; 'heaven' will come near. This is a word of hope for all martyrs of the faith and all who have suffered brutality and betrayal. In spite of appearances, God will be honoured and righteousness will be done throughout the entire universe.

The 'sea', which is a symbol of chaos in every area of life, will be no more (v1). The 'new Jerusalem' (vv2,10), that represents God's presence with Israel and our redemption in Christ, signifies the glory of God to be revealed to the 'world'. The future is beautifully portrayed as the 'holy city' coming down as 'a bride adorned for her husband' (v2) in contrast with the 'unholy city' where all is not well at present.

The splendid vision of a future that comes from God, highlights the fact that we cannot create a new heaven and a new earth. The future will not be a socialist, capitalist or environmental utopia. It will not be based on an idealised picture of Aussie fairness, mateship or heroism. The 'new Jerusalem' is not the Jerusalem of 'England's green and pleasant land', much beloved of those who rightly treasure our British heritage. Our 'hope and glory' is not in human progress or national loyalty but in the promise that, in Christ, God shall make all things new.

Here in particular is a word of hope for the persecuted Church, like Christians recently kidnapped or killed in Syria and Egypt. In a brutal world where hatred holds sway, it speaks of the fulfilment of our humanity not in a utopian state, but in a community formed by, and conformed to, the love of God in Christ (John 13:34). The future is assured only because the One who embodied God's good and gracious purposes for heaven and earth is 'the Alpha and the Omega' - the beginning and end of history (as signified in the paschal candle).

It is a magnificent vision! But it can seem far-fetched, otherworldly and unrealistic, especially when misinterpreted by charismatic enthusiasts urging us to experience 'the Rapture' here and now!

Such an interpretation is a misinterpretation. Surprisingly, the Apocalypse of John, as Ernst Käsemann says (Jesus Means Freedom pp130ff), is the most earth-shattering and revolutionary book in the New Testament.
To Christians who are confronted by political, religious and national arrogance, John insists that 'Jesus alone is Lord of the earth'. He urges Christians to take heart knowing that evil will not have the last word!

Therefore they are not live in an 'idyllic haven' sheltered from storms but be a community of agitators defiantly opposed to state-sanctioned ideologies that dishonour God and demean human dignity. As disciples of the 'Lord of the earth' they are to embroil themselves in life-and-death struggles against the 'principalities and powers' that are hostile to God's good purposes for the earth. They are to be agitators in the public arena.

John is just as concerned about the churches' response to persecution as he is about the anti-Christian bias of the pagan culture in which they live and suffer. He is both pastoral and uncompromising. The promise that 'I will be your God and you shall be my people' - originally given to Israel - is repeated and extended to include 'all humanity' (v3). But there is also a note of divine judgement. Faithlessness and cowardice - mentioned first in the list of sins - are harshly dealt with, like murder, idolatry, lying and immorality (v8).

On one hand, John is grateful for the endurance of Christians living under extreme pressure. They have withstood evil (Ephesus), absorbed slander (Smyrna, Philadelphia), kept the faith to death (Smyrna), shown resilience (Ephesus, Pergamum, Smyrna, Thyatira, Philadelphia), displayed love to one another (Thyatira), upheld Christian doctrine (Ephesus) and shown enthusiasm (Sardis). Sadly, though, some have buckled under pressure, tolerating pagan beliefs and practices (Pergamum, Thyatira), being censorious and loveless (Ephesus), apathetic and self-satisfied (Laodicea) or lifeless (Sardis). Thus John encourages and chastises.

The Apocalypse of John also speaks to us. Not long ago most Australians assumed that they were living in a 'Christian country' where Christian faith combined with British heritage and confidence in human progress formed a more or less ideal community. Some still want to cling to this ideal!

Now, though, 'Christianity has been reduced to the status of a minority cult' (Roy Clements, Practising Faith in a Pagan World, p8) - one among many faiths of equal value to satisfy our private needs. 'It is high time,' says WA Visser 't Hooft (former General Secretary of the World Council of Churches), 'that Christians recognise that they are confronted with a new paganism.' ('Evangelism in the Neo-pagan Situation'
International Review of Mission, 1976, p65.)

The voice of classical Christianity is being silenced in public debate by beliefs grounded in our natural (pagan) instincts and concerns. The Christian faith is treated as an annoying, irrelevant, harmful and religious oddity. Instead, we are encouraged to develop values that are 'right for us', to express our own individuality and spirituality and to tolerate other people's choices. This fosters a sense of harmony. However, it reduces our sensitivity to ideals that replace worship of the God with self-adoration, and obedience to God's righteousness with rights that we confer on ourselves. It desensitises us to ways of living that are incompatible with the life-affirming hope embodied in Jesus.

The 'new tolerance' is stridently 'intolerant' of orthodox Christianity.
It is very attractive in Western nations that have forgotten their Christian heritage. It beguiles Western Churches which do not want to offend anyone by distinguishing the demands of Christian discipleship from the utopian ideals promoted and sanctioned by militant activists, sentimental citizens and compliant governments.

The Revelation to John certainly speaks to us. We are living in a society that is becoming more and more like the late 1st Century Roman Empire where biblical Christianity is despised and sidelined in favour of ideals and policies that mock the goodness of God and demean our creation in the image of God.

Public debates on controversial issues reflect a clash of beliefs. One believes that, by looking into our own 'human nature', we decide what is right on earth. The other believes that we can only know what is right on earth by looking to the God whose righteousness has been embodied on earth in the incarnate, crucified and risen Christ. One looks to bring 'heaven on earth' by harnessing our natural human potentiality for good. The other looks to the fulfilment of God's promise of a 'new heaven and new earth'
that has been displayed already in the healing and mercy of Jesus' earthly ministry.

Because God's costly, triumphant love of the earth has already been decisively revealed in Jesus Christ, the Church is summoned to live by hope (in God's future) in a way that liberates us to protest against ideals, policies and laws that are dehumanising (in the present). The vision of 'the Lamb of God who is to be worshipped and adored as the Lord of heaven and earth, encourages and obliges us to act boldly on issues like the abuse of children (born, unborn, institutionalised, kept in detention), the desecration of marriage, the right to death and demonising refugees fleeing persecution.

The magnificent vision of John is a word of hope and a call to arms that is accompanied by a pastoral warning. Do not shrink from the joyful - though sometimes unpopular -responsibility to which you have been called!

Remember, says John, that because the unique splendour of God's love for the earth has been displayed in Christ, the 'Lord of the earth' ideals, beliefs and practices that are centred in our 'human nature' must be resisted. John invites us to put our hope for the renewal of the whole creation - not in our personal, political or national ideals - but in the God who has made all things new in Christ. We are summoned to give ourselves in love for the world by withstanding evil, supporting the vulnerable and refusing to let others diminish the glory of God embodied in Jesus.

Failure to do so has grave consequences (v8). Since the earth is the Lord's - and since Christ's crucifixion and resurrection is the guarantee of the new heaven and new earth - it is serious to capitulate to pagan spirituality or national ideals that mock God and demean others.

This stern warning is not meant to encourage doomsday preaching or an unhealthy pre-occupation with the sins of others. It focuses our attention on the glory of God and the importance of our vocation to glorify God for revealing Christ as the Lord of heaven and earth.

Therefore, as we await the future perfection of all things in Christ, let us resolve to worship God and serve our generation in righteousness, truth and love.

---------------

Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.

Do what is right

2013-05-04T22:35:47Z

SEEDS FOR HARVESTING 8/17

PS 84:11

"He give us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing
from those who do what is right."

Grace and Glory are eternally linked
because they are God's creation,
and not ours.

Grace is his gift to us and it is only
as we allow his grace to live in us
that we can behold His glory.

Grace begins with God
and is freely given by Him.

We can only experience his grace because
"he will withhold no good thing"
from us.

This free gift we must not so treasure
that we lock it up within ourselves
because we are afraid that it will run out.

It is God's resource in us
to grow in us
and so be available to others.

Our prayer to our Heavenly Father should be
"Let your grace so grow in me
so that it becomes
graciousness for others."

Bob Imms 5.5.13

Ministry Bag of All Sorts No. 4

2013-05-02T23:35:31Z

Money, Sex and Power.

This is the theme for this years Men's Convention at Belgrave Heights Vic. May 24-25 2013. Registrations and information about MP3's, CD's and DVD's are available. Also a full list of recordings from past conventions. See http://www.bhc.org.au

Walk out of your Church.

Release International is encouraging churches across the U.K. to show support and to stand in solidarity with their persecuted brothers and sisters by holding a Sunday service outdoors. Your Church Council may like to consider a similar service. In Australia where there is increasing regulation and generally less good will towards Christians, this could also be a positive witness and way of claiming a public presence in your community.

Movie Premiere.

"Return to the Hiding Place" tells the story of a Dutch resistance fighter Hans Poley in World War 2 who found refuge at Corrie Ten Boon's house. (Corrie featured in the 1974 movie "The Hiding Place.")
The film is packed with excitement and is superbly written. Recommended for older children and families. It will be screened during the World Congress of Families, Sydney May 15-18. For more info look at http://www.wcfsydney2013.org.au (click movie premiere)

Leadership Resources.

Many social and leadership issues for the church span the globe. A U.K. site worth a visit http://www.care.org.uk Current issues are dealt with in a balanced helpful way eg. What is pornography? Do I have a problem? Help for partners. Advice for church leaders. Young people and Internet safety etc.

Confessing Christ from the Basis of Union.

If you are preaching on the centrality of Christ or wish to draw attention to this theme you may like to include an excellent confession of faith during worship with the title above. It is commended to Congregations as an expression of faith that we hold as a Uniting Church in the fellowship of the Church Universal. Copies available from the ACC website: Click here

Taking Faith Home-Insert.

The Weekly Church News sheet usually attempts to keep people informed about coming events. There is little space or time to use it as a tool for developing Christian nurture. Pastor Greg Priebbenow, Bundaberg Lutheran, in partnership with Faith Inkubators Aust. has produced a helpful weekly insert that each week encourages five faith acts in the home and four keys for service/ practising faith. It is produced solely for use in Australia. Check out http://www.faithink.com.au

Christian Farmer's Conference

For all interested in farming. (not necessarily land owners) There are five Conferences held each year in different locations. South Australia 1, Victoria 3, New South Wales 1. These Conferences provide excellent opportunities for fathers and sons to spend time together as well as to mix with others. See web site http://www.christianfarmers.org.au

Creative Worship

For a look at creative worship and a good use of Google Image and Wiki Paintings it is worth visiting http://www.newmarketbaptist.wordpress.com
An opening prayer; " Jesus light of the world we confess that you are here. Shine your light into the hidden places of our lives and bring warmth to the cold places of our hearts". Amen.

Sydney Anglicanism -an apology by Michael P.Jensen

Dr Michael Jensen's book is a response to some criticism from other parts of the Anglican family towards the Diocese of Sydney. According to Richard Condie's review, the book is in two parts--- The Bible; and the Church. The first part defends the use of scripture in particularly countering the charge of "fundamentalism" and it explains "propositional revelation." The second and longer section that according to Condie's thinking was the most helpful section included a number of practical issues such as lay administration of the Lord's Supper.

Eight Modern Myths about Marriage -by Kevin Andrews, M.P.

An edited extract from "Maybe, "I Do": modern marriage and the pursuit of happiness," Connor Court Publishing 2012. This helpful extract appeared in February 2013 of Vox Point, the national magazine of Family Voice. Psychologist Blaine Fowers suggests that marriage understood as, "An Emotional-based, private affair is one of the greatest tragedies of our time." Many young people are unaware of well researched factors and choices that increase the odds of marital success and beliefs that detract. This article is worthy of wide distribution. http://www.fava.org.au

Ted Curnow

Blasphemy!

2013-04-30T00:55:19Z

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 21 April 2013

Lessons - Leviticus 24:10-16; Acts 6:8-15; 7:58-60; John 10:22-33

'We're not going to stone you for your good works,' replied the Jews,
'but for blasphemy; because you, being only a man, make yourself out
to be God.' (John 10:33)

We may disapprove of the punishment that the Jews intended to inflict on Jesus, but we understand their anger at his arrogance in equating his actions with the actions of God. Humans must not deify themselves; to do so is idolatrous and deserving of harsh penalties. Jesus must pay for his lack of humility.

Although we dislike people who act like gods, we are puzzled that blasphemy could be taken so seriously. If, as many believe, 'God' has no objective reality but is the projection of our desires and needs, then accusing those who do not agree with us of blasphemy is simply a way of intimidating them and sidelining their opinions.

In 1992 the Australian Law Reform Commission recommended the abolition of the charge of blasphemy in favour of laws governing human rights and mutual respect between different faiths. This is the end result of a dramatic change from a society that has been formed and nourished by faith in God, but which now regards human beings as the ultimate foundation of what is true and good. The law now encodes the view that, because all religions are projections of our beliefs, there is no such thing as blasphemy - just strong disputes between people who claim to have 'God' on their side.

Since 'God' is no longer a reality to be reckoned with in public life, and since the State has replaced God as the source from which all blessings flow, it is assumed that the only thing wrong with blasphemy is that it offends the feelings of some people.

Remember the controversy over publication of The Satanic Verses. Salman Rushdie was accused of blasphemy for mocking Allah and the Koran. A death order (fatwa) was issued by Ayotollah Khomeini. In the West this was widely interpreted as an attack on free speech by religious fundamentalists.

Christians, too, are shocked that blasphemy can be considered so serious!
We are appalled that Stephen is put to death (Acts 7:59) according to the Levitical law that punishes blasphemy by stoning (Leviticus 24:14-16) and that blasphemy laws are used today in countries like Pakistan to intimidate opponents and persecute Christians (as shown on SBS TV on 16 April). We are amazed that a charge of blasphemy could have been brought against the tolerant, open-minded, all-inclusiveness Jesus and that he could have been crucified for it. We assume that the Jews who accused him were religious fundamentalists.

We are experiencing a clash between two approaches to reality which is at the heart of ongoing conflicts between Islam and societies like ours that have abandoned their Judeo-Christian heritage. One honours God above all else, the other champions individual freedom. Because our sense of the Otherness of God has been lost, we fail to see the genuine, heartfelt anger of those who are distraught at actions that mock God. For many of us (including church members) belief in God's existence plays virtually no practical part in our human-centred activities. God is assumed simply to be - not honoured or glorified! Devout Muslims would understand why the Jews were offended that 'Jesus, being a man, made himself God' (10:33).
Because God is the only Being worthy of absolute praise and commitment, God must not be demeaned by anyone claiming to 'be like God'. Such arrogance is an attack on the unrivalled grace and holiness of God.

The Jews would not have complained if Jesus were simply a teacher of spiritual wisdom, a bold prophet or even the Messiah. What offended them was that throughout his ministry he seemed to speak and act with divine authority. He granted forgiveness as though he stood in God's place. He healed 'by the finger of God' (Luke 11:20). He went beyond the 'law and the prophets' by saying 'But I say unto you . . .' (Matthew 5). Although he refused their demand to reveal the 'plain truth' about his identity (v24), he offended them by maintaining that he had a unique relationship with 'the Father'. Not unreasonably they concluded that he was guilty of making himself out to be God-like.

Jesus certainly forced people to re-think radically their faith in the majesty of God. When he says, 'I and the Father are one,' (v30) he is implying that, in him, God has become fully human and participates in our broken world to display the depth of God's redemptive love for the world (John 3:16). In this way, he invited people to see in his relationship with the Father the embodiment of the Creator's costly, self-giving love for the world.

This claim offends groups that are usually at loggerheads! Religious fundamentalists and liberal Christians make strange bedfellows! The former are appalled because it demeans the majesty of God and deifies a human being. The latter are appalled because it fails to see that God is an elusive presence who cannot be pinned down and that Jesus is a very human teacher of spiritual wisdom. Both are adamant that no human being, least of all Jesus, uniquely embodies the Divine Life! These natural 'enemies' agree that, to say more is blasphemous, idolatrous!

A few years ago a prominent Uniting Church leader wrote an article in which he decried the fact that 'blasphemy is endemic in the Church' (Rev Dr John Bodycomb, Crosslight, March 2004). Instead of glorying in the majesty of God's love uniquely embodied in Jesus, and withstanding efforts to diminish the miracle of the Incarnation, he accused orthodox Christians of blasphemously claiming to know God's thoughts. Apparently those who affirm that 'God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself' (2 Corinthians 5:19), that 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth' (John 1:14), and that Jesus is 'the way, the truth and the life' (John 14:6) are guilty of blasphemy.

Bodycomb's claim is a timely warning against pious arrogance, but it destroys hope. What point is there in belonging to a church that encourages a range of religious views and prides itself on its 'good works', but is not convinced that the mercy-and-healing of the Creator has been supremely embodied in Jesus?

We need to recapture a sense of awe at God's presence in Christ. The world badly needs to hear the Good News that, in Christ, Almighty God has taken on our humanity so that we may be united with him and share the love between him and his Father.

In a society where the reality of God is of no account, and where charges of blasphemy are seen as the last resort of religious fundamentalists, the Church is called to point to the one place in history where our humanity has been assumed, forgiven and renewed.

This is particularly urgent at this time when blasphemy, far from being consigned to the dustbin of history, has been re-incarnated in the form of militant secularism. Indiscriminate tolerance is the new 'god' against which opposition will not be tolerated!

It is now 'blasphemous' in Jesus' name to oppose 'marriage equality', abortion on demand, the right to die and freedom from religion legislation. Jesus is he One who uniquely embodied the creative and redemptive purposes of God, blessed marriage between a man and a woman, invited little children to come to him, called his disciples to fullness of life and insisted that political authority is subject to the right purposes of God.

The Church of the incarnate Christ, the Body of Christ, must resist this intimidating form of fundamentalism, which is no less blasphemous for being irreligious. So much of what is going on within the community and the church dishonours God's name. Christians should agree with devout Jews and Muslims that blasphemy is an insult to God! But we must insist, against them and extreme liberals within the church, that the true glory of God, Creator and Redeemer of humanity, has been uniquely enfleshed in the humanity of Jesus Christ.

Though many people in our society and the church believe in the vague existence of God, and are wary of religious fundamentalism, we must be alert to the presence of blasphemy in our midst. What God has done for all in Christ is of such magnificence that it must not be mocked and treated as if it were the most harmful and inhuman event in history. For in Christ God has revealed his desire that all of humanity shall be fully human.

Distress over blasphemy must be accompanied by prayer. Laws that prescribe flogging, stoning or death for mocking God have been overturned by the One in whom God's will has been uniquely, magnificently embodied. Remember that the One who was crucified for blasphemy said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. (Luke 23:34)' And Stephen, who was accused by Jewish leaders of 'speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God' (Acts 6:11) and was stoned to death (Acts 7:58ff), knelt in prayer and cried out, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them. (v60)'

No matter how severe is the opposition to faith in Christ, or how necessary it is to resist policies and beliefs that mock God's unique presence in him, the Church of the Incarnate Lord must pray for enemies of the Gospel in the hope that they may see the truth and experience fullness of life. After all, Saul - who became the Apostle Paul - had persecuted Christians and approved the murder of Stephen for blasphemy!

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.

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Community and Covenant

2013-04-30T00:53:10Z

Rev Clive Skewes, at St John's UCA Mt Waverley Sunday 14 April 2013

Scholars often wonder if the 21st chapter of John was originally part of the Gospel. There is a certain ring of finality in the concluding sounds of chapter 20. Yet all the manuscripts of John's Gospel include chapter 21. There is no existing manuscript which leaves out chapter 21. So what do we make of this chapter?

John begins his Gospel with a Prologue in which he is aware that he is writing a new Genesis One, in which Good Friday corresponds to the sixth day of creation when God completed and brought to its full fruition all his work - hence the cry of Jesus 'It is finished'; Easter Saturday corresponds to the Sabbath when God rested; and Easter Sunday, the first day of the New Creation, or what some writers have called the Eighth Day.

This framework, along with John's use of 'fulfilment' language in the second part of his Gospel indicates the author is claiming to have brought Israel's Scripture to its final goal. John knows he is writing Scripture.
Indeed he tells us that his Gospel has been written that we may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing we may have life through his name. The Prologue is embodied, takes on flesh and blood, in the Gospel action, particularly in the trial and death of Jesus.

Balancing the Prologue is an Epilogue which Professor Sherri Brown and others argue is what John 21 is. This epilogue presents the consequences of the events in chapter 20. So chapter 21 is full of transformations (NT
Wright) which spread throughout the scene. Already Thomas' confession of Jesus, 'My Lord and my God', indicates the transformation of Jewish monotheistic worship from within. Now in Chapter 21 fruitless fishing becomes a sudden morning surprise. Peter's denials are transformed into stumbling affirmations of love and loyalty. Jesus' questions are turned into commissions; feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. Finally vocation itself is transformed. Peter will glorify God by his own martyrdom. What more natural, what more utterly challenging, than the simple command, 'Follow me'? What are these transformations but of the signs of the new creation revealed through the bodily resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. By these means John brings the Gospel story beyond its conclusion in chapter 20 into the time of the readers.

To sum up: John's writing encompasses the beginning of all things in the mind of God in eternity to the yet-to-be revealed future we all face. His Gospel does not end with trumpets of victory and a loud final 'Amen' at the Empty Tomb because there is much more to come. So his last words project us forward into that future as witnesses and as the new community of God.

Sherri Brown argues that John realises the future of the new 'Jesus movement' will be in nations and cultures that know little or nothing of Judaism, the Old Testament or its rituals. One of the ways he prepares us for communicating our message in this new situation is by writing a Gospel that assumes the basic covenant relationship between God and his people without ever using the word 'covenant'. Instead he uses words like 'know', 'truth' and 'believe' and 'love' as currency for the new largely Gentile environment.

Jesus manifests himself one final time to his disciples. The use of the word 'manifest' indicates this is a theophany of God's presence among the disciples.

Seven of the disciples go out fishing at the instigation of Peter. The last time he instigated anything in the gospel was his abortive intervention at the arrest of Jesus. That finished up in him warming himself by a charcoal fire with the enemies of Jesus in the court of the high priest. Peter, in denying Jesus there, was thrown from his former self-understanding being sure he could lay down his life for Jesus.

Now Peter, having broken the covenant relationship he had accepted from Jesus, has returned to his old occupation of fishing. The rest of the chapter focuses on restoring the covenant relationship between Jesus and Peter, and sets Peter in his role of pastoral authority over the community of Jesus' flock.

Before that happens, Jesus affirms the nature of that community that is later called the faithful, the assembly, or the Church.

After a long night of failure, morning breaks to reveal Jesus standing on the shore. He addresses his disciples as 'children'. The same words were used in the covenant renewal of chapter 13 where the disciples were characterised as 'his own' and Jesus called them 'children'. 'Children'
does not mean 'infantile' but is part of the characterisation of the people of God in the Old Testament as 'the family' or 'kindred' of the Lord God. It is a reminder of our preciousness to God our Father, our privilege and status, our closeness to him, as well as our utter dependence on him. Identifying the covenant community as the children of God sets the stage for the wondrous catch and the renewal to come.

The Beloved Disciple is the one in John who witnesses and gives access to the other disciples. He is the first to recognise Jesus: 'It is the Lord!'
Peter, in keeping with his earnest zeal, gets dressed and jumps into the sea in an effort to get to Jesus. As they reach the land, Peter returns to the boat on Jesus' command to haul ashore the amazing catch of fish in the unbroken net.

The abundance of fish reminds us of the abundance of wine at the wedding in Cana (chapter 2) and the abundance of food in the miracle Jesus provided of the loaves and fishes (chapter 6) and indicates the fullness and inclusiveness of the Church through God's gift. Some argue that the number of fish, 153, paralleling the number of then-known nations, signifies the universal character of the mission of the community bringing into one the children of God scattered over the earth. The unbroken net indicates the unity of the community in the new life given by Jesus. 'The risen Jesus, the giver of new life, comes to make efficient and effective the work of the disciples. The motif of abundance brings home the presence of the messianic era and signals the actualisation of the new messianic covenant community.' (RM Chennattu, Johanine Discipleship.)

Having signalled the universal nature of the Church and its mission, Jesus now deals with authority in the inclusive Church. Roman Catholics would claim to see here the establishment of the primacy of Peter and evidence for the claim that he was the first Pope. But the primacy of the Bishop of Rome only evolved in later centuries. Also, what we find in Acts is that James is the early leader of the Church. John is using this passage about Peter for teaching about the authority of leadership, the same as he uses the Beloved Disciple, John, for teaching about witness, the paradigm for discipleship in the Church.

The charcoal fire prepared by Jesus calls to mind two things: (1) Peter's last scene of covenant breach with Jesus, and (2) their earlier final meal together before Jesus' passion. And this meal calls to mind similar covenant meals in the Old Testament: Abraham's treaty with Abimelech in Genesis 26; Jacob's treaty with his uncle, Laban, in Genesis 31; Moses ratifying the covenant with Israel before they entered Canaan in Exodus 24; and at the writing of the Law in Deuteronomy 24.

All seven disciples are present at the meal on the seashore, but the focus is on Peter. Jesus confronts Peter at every stage in the narrative, upsetting his equilibrium and challenging him to make decisions and take new action. That is the nature of the Gospel!

Jesus' question put to Peter three times, 'Do you love me?', restructures Peter's three-time denial into a binding relationship with consequences for leadership and mission. Jesus, using the phrase 'more than these'
probably means 'more than these things', is questioning Peter's love for him compared with his love for other things. That includes his former way of life, especially, I think, even his own skin. But Peter no longer takes confidence from his own self-understanding. Peter, like all of us, can only trust in Jesus' total understanding of him, and the power of that grace of Jesus, from whose fullness we have all received. Those who enter into covenant with God face an absolute claim for love which is set over against everything else. Only God, who makes the claim, can enable us to meet the claim: 'Lord, you know all things: you know that I love you.'

Having reconciled the breached relationship between Peter and himself through his threefold question and Peter's threefold response, Jesus sets out the terms of Peter's mission to serve the new covenant community. He is to feed and tend the flock, which is what God's shepherds were always called to do. Leadership is pastoral, as the new Pope Francis has set out to demonstrate. Peter's journey then comes to an end as Jesus calls for his obedience and implicates Peter's eventual crucifixion in parallel with Jesus' own: 'Follow me.'

What of the Beloved Disciple? The Gospel writer must address the destiny and mortality of the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who has journeyed and abided with Jesus throughout the Gospel story. In the 1st Century there soon arose questions about the pastoral role in authority and the testimonial role of discipleship. These roles do not have to be incorporated in one person. They can be, but usually are not. The best disciple is not necessarily the shepherd of the community. So in this gospel these roles are embodied in two separate characters: Peter and the Beloved Disciple. The writer then concludes his account by attesting to the Gospel's limitless nature. He speaks in the first person and sends us, his readers, into the world and our shared future as the new covenant community of God, children living in the love and faith of Jesus.

A charge adapted from CH Spurgeon, Following Christ: I charge you all in these evil days, keep close to Jesus. Follow him with the utmost care, reverence and love. Follow him with intense ardour and with all your heart, soul and strength - and make that the one thing for which you live.
Do not let anything divert you from the straight path of obedience to your Lord, for to that you are called above everything else. If people come to you and talk about progressive thinking and reconstructing moral limits; if people want you to re-invent yourselves into a group of social activists and professional dissenters, or offer you novel spiritual paths to self-fulfilment, telling you to get up to date, stand firm to this - that you will follow Christ wherever he leads.

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References: GIFT UPON GIFT - Covenant through Word in the Gospel of John:
Professor Sherri Brown.
Reflections on Bible Readings, Year C: NT Wright.
RM Chennattu: Johanine Discipleship.

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Rev Clive Skewes is Assistant Minister in St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia.

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Members of His Body

2013-04-28T09:44:29Z

SEEDS FOR HARVESTING 8/16

Ephesians 5:30: We are members of his body."

Every time we partake
of the elements at Holy Communion
we reminds ourselves of these words of Paul.

Our deepest heartache is
when we find others
misleading us concerning
our understanding
of the word of God.

What a joy it is to be able to say
with conviction, that
first, we are members of the Body of Christ
and answerable to the triune God
before we are answerable to others.

Jesus tells us
that we now have direct access
to the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.

There are times when we find it difficult
to accept this fact
because of our feelings of unworthiness
to approach the throne of grace.

Let us always remember
that it is Jesus who says to us
"Your sins are forgiven you.
Go in peace."

Bob Imms 28.4.13

Faith in Foreign Films

2013-04-26T01:35:57Z

This short piece considers five foreign films that have created interest among critic and discussion groups that consider religion and film.

Babette's Feast (Denmark, 1987, G)

Set in 19th century Denmark, this somewhat disarmingly simple story is based on a story by Karen Blixen, who became well-known for her book Out of Africa. Babette's Feast is the story of a meal organised by Babette, a ‘refugee' from France, who is the housekeeper and cook for two sisters who live in a puritan community in a remote setting in Jutland. The sisters have the oversight of the religious community founded by their father and he is often referred to in glowing and saintly terms, but the community is struggling with ageing and health issues. The community keeps a fairly rigid lifestyle, including usually avoiding enjoyment of any food - it is just ‘fuel' to keep going. After coming into some money, Babette decides to provide a meal for the community in appreciation for their taking her in. The movie is also a story about a different era of perhaps unrequited love, and following what you believe God has called you to do. A gentle film, though one that is often considered to mark the beginnings of new interest in exploring the use of film in church circles.

Jesus of Montreal (Canada, 1989, M)

This is a film based around a group of actors putting on a passion play which achieves controversy, due to its more radical interpretation of the life of Christ and its confrontation with the authorities of the modern time (part of the official church). This has some famous analogous scenes as the life of one of the actors Daniel begins to mirror elements of the life of Christ. There is an especially contemporary scene related to the temptation of Christ by the devil. While the film has a theologically liberal base, adult viewers can certainly use this to look at biblical themes, and one can have a vibrant discussion about who Jesus really is.

As It Is In Heaven (2004, Sweden, M)

This movie struck a chord with Western audiences and in Australia ran in one small Sydney theatre for nearly two years. It is a simple story of a famous conductor coming 'home' to rest and recover, who then becomes caught up in helping a church choir learn to sing. This could have been a bit like Sister Act, but instead of a comedic foundation, it focuses on some real and sometimes disturbing issues in the not-so pious and fragile community. It should be noted that while religious, the theological premise is essentially humanist, as it focuses mainly on the people's responses in terms of finding their own way and even the conclusion reached while ‘spiritual' is more aptly centred around the idea of earthly nostalgia than ‘as it in heaven', that is to the glory of God.

Adam's Apples (Denmark, 2005, MA)

This poignant story features the now well-known Danish actor Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (the villain in Casino Royale) as Ivan Fjeldsted, a pastor in a remote area who takes in former prisoners who are required to spend a certain amount of time following the conclusion of their sentence in community service. The latest arrival is Adam Pedersen, a former leader of a neo-Nazi leader gang. Each person at the church community has to choose a goal or task to undertake that will help with their rehabilitation. In an attempt to get the meddlesome pastor off his case, Adam finally resolves that he will bake an apple pie (there is an apple tree in the churchyard). While a seemingly simple task, it becomes fraught with difficulty and also issues arise with other prisoners, Adam's past connection and also Ivan's own tragic past. One book of the Old Testament features firmly in the discussions and also theme, but I will leave this to you consider. This is an adult film for its themes, but can richly reward a discussion about God's grace, providence and questions about good and evil.

Letters to Pastor Jaakob (Finland, 2009, PG)

In a similar theme to Adam's Apples, Pastor Jaakob finds himself with Leila, a recent though unwilling paroled prisoner, who now has to undertake long-term community service. Jaakob has a unique ministry for today - no technology here. He is blind and receives mail from people asking for advice and prayer. He needs an assistant to read the letters and write a response. His responses are typically scriptural references and a blessing. Needless to say some issues arise for Leila who finds the whole situation frustrating and odd, but God's love abounds. This is an amiable and reflective film, which helps the viewer to consider the mercy and grace of God.

Peter Bentley

For more reviews by Peter see the ACCatalyst magazine and the Culture Connections section of the website.