Faith

As a family we started the New Year reading and reflecting on Psalm 90.

In brief, it reminds us of the character of God and of our own condition. These truths, without intervention are incompatible. God’s holiness and our brokenness don’t match.

Then the Psalmist (Moses)  calls for God’s compassion. We know that compassion came in the person of Christ. And the Psalmist adds, in that love “establish” the work of our hands. In other words, give our lives direction and meaning, purpose and vision.

In a confused and lost world, may our lives have direction and meaning in 2012 so that as the hands and feet of Christ our presence may make an eternal difference to people around us.

So, we’ve come to the end of another year with the usual good, bad and ugly. I was reminded of all three in my recent trip north.

My daughter lives in an apartment complex with various nationalities, plus the usual Australians. Living in such close proximity with others and the windows always open, being Queensland, reading a book on the patio was an education. From one family came the festive sounds of family and Christmas. That was encouraging. From an other came the constant sound of argument. It seemed to be the way this family operated.

My nosey eavesdropping was most disturbed by an Australian couple in their late thirties and mid forties. They seemed without family connection and responsibility. The volume of their “discussions’ made it difficult to miss – even if I wanted to. What disturbed me was that the discussions had a “teenage” quality in terms of the maturity and depth. The self obsession and “me” focused tone of the conversation seemed strange coming from people of their age. The more I look around me the more I see this particular way of behaving.

The American poet Robert Bly wrote about this phenomena in 1996 in his “Sibling Society”. This book reflected on the inability of many people to mature emotionally. Many people are trying to live their lives as 26 year olds  for as long as they can. Living without commitment and responsibility. Of course, there are many, many young people growing and maturing wisely. I see them in my classes every week.

However, my reflection as we come to the end of another year, is that as a society, we are, and will continue to, pay dearly for our failure to grow up. Our mental health, our family stability and social fabric requires people who grow stronger and mature, and who also develop an “other” centredness that our sibling society often fails to develop. Care for others, and the ability to see beyond one’s own needs is crucial for a healthy society.

May you all have a great new year, and my prayer is that we will through word and example make a real difference to the world in which we live. That is what our King calls us to.

This Blog will be quiet for a week or so. So until I return, my prayer for you all is a blessed Christmas as we remember the birth of our Saviour. May it also rekindle a passion to continue preparing for His Kingdom until He returns.

Pieter

St Michael and Satan - Coventry Cathedral

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. Luke 7:36 (36-50)

As Tim Chester points out in  his book “A Meal with Jesus”, in the gospel of Luke, Jesus is either, going to, coming from, or at, a meal.  This passage is a case in point.

There is a lot happening in this passage but I just want to reflect on one thing. Why did Simon invite Jesus in the first place? He had obviously “forgotten” his hostly duties. So why was Jesus there? We can only guess at his motives.

One conclusion I have come to is that he wanted to argue with Jesus in order to destroy Jesus’ reputation in front of his other guests. Jesus was certainly not an “honoured” guest. Honour was only shown by the sinful woman.

Over the years I have encountered numerous people who argue, at best, only to have a good argument, or at worst, to destroy and belittle. They will argue about faith, Scripture and the finer points of doctrine but the motive is not honourable.  Their intention is not to discover, learn or refine, but simply to win points, make others look foolish or just have a good fight. Too often I have seen this occur in Christian circles, with combatants justifying their behaviour with sanctimonious claptrap.

Let us remember the Bible is the book of life and death. It is not a book intended to enable us to play foolish games. It is there for us to find out about the Messiah and His kingdom, and God’s purposes. It is there for us to shine light into the world. I can’t think of too many arguments that have shone that light.