This Advent season our theme is “The Vision Of Christmas”.  Why did Christ come to earth? What was His purpose? His Vision?  Paul tells the church that Jesus, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,   but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Phil 2:6-7). Jesus came with a purpose. We are familiar with the stories and movies about a royal figure, usually a prince or princess, dressing as a commoner and going out into the kingdom for a lark and often a moral lesson.  Jesus came not as a lark or part of his own maturing process. He came with a plan and purpose in mind, he had a vision. That vision had to do with the restoration of His people, separated from God by sin. If we fast forward to an Easter scene, after his arrest Jesus is brought before Pilate, the Roman Governor, who asks him if he is a king. Jesus responds “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”  The truth is that Jesus is a king, the King of Kings!  He came with a purpose, a vision.

Christmas is a time of feasting as we celebrate Christ’s birth with friends and family. We have special meals, gatherings and treats. Psalm 34 encourages us to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ (vs. 8).  Jesus invites us to seek out his kingdom and our restoration to it’s citizenship through his salvation.  The day after baptising Jesus John the Baptist points out Jesus to two of his disciples “Look, the Lamb of God!” (John 1:36). The two disciples began to follow Jesus and asked him “Rabbi, where are you staying?” To this Jesus replied “Come, and you will see”. (John 1:38-39) Later on Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”  “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. (John 1:44-46).

<As an aside, in Matthew 28, Jesus gives us a commission to call others to ‘come & see’, check out the woman at the well in John4!>

Come & See!  Discover this Jesus.  Advent is a time of seeking Jesus a fresh and anew, being reminded of his vision in coming to our world.  John the Baptist told his disciples, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34).  This is the great confession of faith that we are all lead to discover.  To come and see in order to  testify/confess that Jesus is the Son of God. The Apostle Paul tells the Roman church “”…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

May you, this advent season of 2011, hear the call of Jesus, ‘come and see’ and may you taste the grace and favour of our Lord Jesus Christ, discovering His vision for you…

Are you a spiritual glutton?  We know a glutton is someone who overindulges, usually in food.  Although we do say someone is a ‘glutton for punishment’.  John of the Cross, a Spanish mystic of the 16^th Century talked of the danger of being a spiritual glutton. That is, we get to the place where we desire to feel good more than we desire God.  It becomes an overindulgence in what we think of as the good life. The reality is that life sucks sometimes. We all have hard times come to us once in a while, or perhaps often.  A spiritual glutton is one who sees God a merely a means to fulfill our desire for warm feelings, easy living and spiritual energy. This is a temptation for all Christians, for faith is not all about feeling ‘spiritual’ and at ease. Sometimes it seems like God is far away, our way is dark and we feel isolated.  John called this the ‘dark night of the soul’, but it is really a time of great spiritual growth as we move from feeling spiritual to being made alive by the Spirit of God.  Like any deprivation this can be a brutal time, but it tests our faith. It brings us to the place of abiding in Christ. Jesus said, as recorded in John’s Gospel: “Unless you abide in me you can bear no fruit.” Abiding is resting in Christ, regardless of how we feel or how much we feel God’s presence. It is the reliance on what we hold to be true from scripture, from experience and from hope in Christ’s promise. Regardless of my fate, I will trust in you Jesus.  One the practical side, mother Theresa reckoned that when you can’t see God, you can still see your neighbour and love that person, especially the most difficult one(s) to love.  May you, in those dark moments, find new hope, fresh faith and bear fruit by resting in Christ. May you press on, trusting the God who calls is the one who can carry us through anything!

A familiar passage; “Judge not and you will not be judged, condemn not and you will not be condemned, forgive and you will be forgiven, give and it will be given to you…” Ever noticed the
progression there? It moves from a passive, inner place/response to an active, outer place/response in our lives and faith. To judge and condemn reflects an internal journey of our heart and mind. It has to do with how we view others. In faith we recognize that all are created equal and loved equally in God’s eyes (Galatians 3). In faith we also recognize we must move from our inner journey to an outward expression our faith, to wit, forgiving and giving. Faith
cannot be lived in a vacuum, we enter a relationship with God through a saving faith in Jesus Christ and we become part of the body of Christ, the church. We are called then to live a holy life and serve God effectively. We are freed from the constraints and values of this world where they conflict with faith. The next part of the passage gives us a clue to this journey: “Take the plank
out of your own eye”! Aside from a great example of God’s sense of humour, this reveals a crucial area of faith development. We must deal with our need to feel superior. We are all equal in God’s view, so our worth is not based in comparison to others, but in God’s valuation of us. He figures we’re worth dying for! Yet this world often calls us to compare and rate, for as long as we are better than some, or maybe not as bad as some, we have a position from which to grade ourselves. Let us move past that, ceasing to judge and condemn in order to establish our sense of place. Let us move toward forgiving others (building and reconciling relationships) and giving of our selves to minister to this world and prepare for the next.

May you, as you ponder God’s great love for you and acceptance of you, grow in faith, hope and love. May your inner journey bring peace and reconciliation through salvation in Jesus Christ, and your outer journey lead to a benefit to the Kingdom of God!

A familiar passage, judge not and you will not be judged, condemn not and you will not be condemned, forgive and you will be forgiven, give and it will be given to you…  
Ever noticed the progression there? It moves from a passive, inner place to an active, outer place in our lives and faith. To judge and condemn reflects a journey of our heart and mind. In faith we recognize that all are created equal and loved equally in God’s eyes (Galatians 3).  In faith we also recognize we must move from our inner journey to an outward expression our faith, to wit, forgiving and giving.  Faith cannot be lived in a vacuum, we enter a relationship with God through a saving faith in Jesus Christ. We become part of the body of Christ, the church. We are called then to live a holy life and serve God effectively. We are freed from the constraints and values of this world.  The next part of the passage gives us a clue to this journey:  “take the plank out of your own eye”! 
Aside from a great example of God’s sense of humour, this reveals a crucial area of faith development.  We must deal with our need to feel superior. We are all equal in God’s view, so
our worth is not based in comparison to others, but in God’s valuation of us.  He figures we’re worth dying for!  Yet our world calls us to compare and rate, as long as we are better than some, or maybe not as bad as some, we have a place to grade ourselves.  Let us get past that, cease to judge and condemn to establish our sense of place, and move toward forgiving others (building and reconciling relationship) and giving of our selves to minister to this world and prepare for the next. 

May you, as you ponder God’s great love for you and acceptance of you, grow in faith, hope and love. May your inner journey bring peace and reconciliation through salvation in Jesus Christ, and your outer journey lead to a benefit to the Kingdom of God!

I came across a quote the other day that caught my attention. “The fact that God has not been speaking does not mean that God has not been moving.” -John Kitchen. All too often we find that there is a silence in our lives regarding our faith relationship. Sometimes this is because we have a deep need that has not been met by God. Sometimes we are suffering and in our pain we do not sense God’s presence. Sometimes it’s not that things are so bad, but that we feel spiritually dry, a going through the motions. The scenarios in which we perceive God to be silent are too many to list. But, the quote above though reminds us that our perception of God’s silence does not mean that God is not at work in our lives. Alas, we only see a little bit of what is really going on around us, and to be honest, we often see that through selfish eyes. Be reminded that God is Sovereign and still in control, there will come a day of final reckoning and understanding. But also be aware that God is ever at work, His grace is ever present and ever available. The Apostle Paul perceived God to be silent about his ongoing ‘thorn in the flesh’. He told the Corinthian church that God said; “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” Paul came then to this conclusion; “Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.” In whatever way you feel God might be silent in your life, in whatever weakness you are struggling with, know that God is at work. Know that the grace of Christ is available for you to keep going. Know that whether you hear God’s voice or not, you are loved and can continue as part of His Kingdom story.

I find gardening to be fulfilling and relaxing. Well, I’m not that fond of weeding, truth be told.  At one time I had some apple trees in a yard we owned.  It was hard for me to learn that, in order to have better fruit, I had to prune back the branches each spring.  My experience with the Parks department as a summer job had taught me much about the importance of pruning for shape and growth.  The city however, did not have a lot of fruit trees in it’s parks. So once I had fruit trees I knew how to prune them to grow bigger and larger, but not for better fruit.  Bigger and larger aren’t necessarily good pruning goals for fruit production.  Ideally one wants to keep the size manageable –less ladder time, and get the best fruit crop possible.  Different trees require different techniques and approaches! John’s gospel reminds us that Jesus is the vine, the source of our spiritual lives. We are the branches grafted in by faith.  God the Father is the gardener who prunes and directs for His desired Kingdom crop.  As part of the vine, we don’t often see the need for pruning and shaping. God looks at and knows all things and can see what needs done.  Our part? To abide in the vine, says Jesus.  To stick with him and find our spiritual nourishment, support and structure.   I once had some severe damage on a fruit tree and had to cut off a much larger section than I really liked.  My anticipation was limited for the next production year. How could this catastrophe, this failure, be of any benefit?   Come harvest, I was amazed at the new and fresh amount of fruit on the tree. It had gone through a difficult time, been cut back significantly, but because it’s roots were deep and it’s remaining structure secure, it responded well and produced great fruit.  May you, abide in the vine, the presence, grace, strength and holiness of Jesus Christ nourishing your life. May you yield to the tending of God the Father who sees all things and know where best to direct and prune your growth. May you find, even in recovering from the great catastrophes, failures and loses of your life, new fruit.

As I read this passage I am reminded that how we live our daily lives is important. Our interactions and responses with others, specifically in our unguarded moments of socializing, should reflect our faith.  The theme of light is significant in this passage. Light exposes things, makes things visible and illuminates.  Paul quotes from a source for which we do not have access.  A hymn of the day, or perhaps something from the common experience? But the point is clear, a sleeper wakes up in the morning and sees the new day in dawning sunlight. We are called to open our eyes and see the light of God at work in our world.  Live in the light.  That speaks to our behaviours as well as our motivations. 

As is so often the case, when Paul calls us to something, he gives us some idea of  the ‘how to’.  Reflecting, I think, that God’s calling always includes God’s equipping.  What catches my eye this morning is in verses nineteen and twenty. “…sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…”  When our day is filled with an internal knowledge and practice of God’s presence, our behaviours and motivations can be in the light.  There is that internal dynamic that identifies true faith, a vitality of the presence of God.  I always have a song going on in my head, my internal mp3 is on a very random shuffle and alas not all of the songs are uplifting.  I think of the Bill Cosby line “The devil can’t get you if you got your music, na na na na na.” 

How do I seek to please God and live a godly life?  By yielding to Him completely and asking for the fullness of the Holy Spirit to be at work in my life -without reservation.  For me, the internal mp3 player is best set on the Lord when I follow through with next part of the passage “…always giving thanks to God…”.

So as your day unfolds, may your internal music, the song of your heart, be directed to God, filled with God’s light, and focused on a theme of thankfulness.

The Gospel passage may leave you feeling a little uncomfortable.  Perhaps, like mine often
are, your initial thoughts are that this was unfair. The Sanhedrin’s leaders decided they had to get rid of this Jesus,-John’s gospel tells us they wanted to kill him and this Lazarus he raised dead, hmmmm-  so to get rid of him they produced false witnesses.  Most of which were so
unbelievable they had to keep calling more. Finally someone did said something Jesus said, only out of context. Frustrated, annoyed and determined the High Priest gets right to the point “tell us if you are the Christ the Son of God.”  Jesus says, “yes it is as you say.”  This answer throws them into convulsions and proclamation of a death sentence. Then they spit on his face and hit him and taunt him.  Now that’s just rude and unnecessary from my perspective. 
Unfair, rude, bigoted, over-bearing; it reveals again the danger of defending our religion.  Faith is not for us to defend, that is God’s job, and ours to believe and engage.  Still it rankles my heart a little that Jesus was treated so poorly.

 Till I think of the old hymn “where you there when they the crucified my Lord, sometimes I wonder…”
I wonder how I would have responded if I had been there.

Still it rankles my heart a little that Jesus was treated so poorly. Till I remember the passage from Isaiah, “he was oppressed  and afflicted”. 

Still it rankles my heart a little that Jesus was treated so poorly.

Till I remember the passage in Hebrews 2:17-18 For this reason he had to be made like his
brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.  

For what reason?

Because we, if treated fairly and justly, are separated from God and without remedy for our sins. We cannot earn or merit favour with God. We cannot pay the cost of our sin and still reach to God.  In order for us to be freed from sin and enter into a relationship with God, there must be an atonement provided. Jesus came to for that purpose.  He had to be treated unfairly that you and I might be treated unfairly.  Don’t we want to be treated fairly by God? The Apostle Paul reminds the Romans ‘all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God’, to use the deep theological term, we are hootched.  That is, if we are treated fairly.  However, in God’s great love he sent his only son, Jesus, to be a sacrifice in our place, as it says in Hebrews 2, to make atonement for the sins of the people.  So let me not be treated fairly, I will abandon myself, my life, my control into the arms of the one who died for me.  I will embrace this day of his death, this loss of his dignity, this travesty of earthly justice, because if I an honest, it is the only hope I have. 

We do not have to stay separated from God in our sin, Christ has made the atonement on our behalf. It is sufficient because it is the provision for all humanity, it is efficient because only those who accept God’s gracious offer can be saved. 
So it is right and good to feel the pain of this day.  The betrayal, the unfairness, the injustice.  It is appropriate to feel the pain of our separation from God, for we are created to be in relationship with God and there is something inside of us that can never be satisfied until we are reconciled to God. It is appropriate to feel the sorrow and unfairness that Christ hangs on the cross on our behalf –we sing a song “Redeemer Saviour Friend” with the line ‘well I know you had me on your mind, when you climbed up on that tree’- but to not respond to that great offer of salvation is greater tragedy. So let us not loiter in that pain and sorrow, let us not get caught in the shadows of what is necessary. let us embrace the purpose for which he came,
let us take hold of the salvation offered and be restored, for all in all, IT IS A GOOD FRIDAY.

One of the passion week stories has caught my imagination in a fresh way. Jesus is set to dine at the house of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. These dear friends have been an integral part of the ministry of Jesus, and according to the gospel, a significant part of his downfall! The Chief Priests have decided to get rid of Jesus, and with so many people are putting their faith in Jesus because he raised Lazarus from the dead that they think they need to kill Lazarus too. I think there is something humorous about that too -let’s kill the guy that was dead and Jesus brought back to life! Hmmmmm.

What has caught my attention though is Mary’s act of anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume. This story stirs our hearts because of the response of Judas Iscariot and Jesus. Judas, apparently out of selfish motives, was upset at the ‘waste’. Oh how often folks are upset about something, but feel the need to hide their real reason with something they perceive is more ‘acceptable’ or ‘honourable’. He claims the poor are being cheated. Jesus reminds us that the poor are always with us -a clarion call to help the poor on an ongoing basis, indeed as is mentioned throughout the Old Testament as a definition of true faith: if you believe, you must/will care. 

As I consider this scene though, I am drawn back to Mary. Dear Mary, somewhat impulsive, wears her emotions on her sleeve.  Did she impulsively forget a towel, or purposefully use her hair as an act of worship? Either way the precious aroma of Nard filled the house. Her action is forever remembered as caring for Jesus. Her action is ever modeled as a sacrifice of worship. I’m thinking back 2,000 years, folks didn’t bathe as we do today. It might be some time again before Mary would wash her hair. As the passion week unfolds, Jesus makes His way to the cross, is killed for His message and as our substitute. What emotions must stir as a breeze catches Mary’s hair and that perfume is stirred up to catch the nostrils and remind her and everyone around her of that evening and of Jesus. What a powerful reminder and lesson, smells can trigger memories and emotions in a significant way.  I wonder, did Mary sometimes, in the days and years that followed, put some of that perfume in her hair from time to time to carry the aroma that reminded her, and others, of Jesus?  Did any of those who were them, upon a whiff of Nard, find themselves transported back to the night and Jesus?  When we encounter and respond to Jesus there is a transforming change in our lives, in our very souls, that exudes a sweet aroma. The Apostle Paul explained this way in his second letter to the Corinthian church. “Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—an aroma redolent with life.” (2:15 MSG). You really don’t need any perfume, for if you have Jesus Christ, you will carry that aroma. Let the breeze of the Holy Spirit waft through your life in such a way that others, and indeed yourself, will be reminded of Jesus Christ.

For the purpose of this article I am speaking of the type of discipline that relates to our self control and practice.  We recognize that high level athletes are very disciplined in their exercise and training regimes, in their diet and in their mental preparation for their event.  To become proficient at anything requires discipline.  Historically the disciplines of faith include meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance and celebration.  The history of Christianity reveals great saints who benefited by practicing spiritual discipline, as well as sad abuses by those who claimed their discipline proved their faith.  Why the difference in results?  Faith is not built upon discipline. We recognize that not all of us can be an elite athlete just by a huge investment of discipline. There needs to be some natural ability and talent with which to work.  Not to say that some are innately more prone to faith.  Faith is built upon grace and may be greatly enhanced by discipline.  Jesus said “I will build my church”, grace is the key to faith and faithful living.  Christ is the builder of our faith and our main contribution is to yield to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us.  The greatest discipline is living a yielded life.  Remember that the Pharisees were the exemplars of a disciplined faith.  But discipline can become source of pride -“Look what I can do!” God does not work through pride.  That said, we cannot just sit and passively wait for God to change us, -although that is an important spiritual discipline!- we must be active participants in the process. But victorious faith has less to do with our successful discipline as it does our successful yielding to God.  Be strong and very courageous, God said to Joshua, there is a crucial need for discipline in this faith journey. Jesus said the greatest command was to trust in the Lord with all of your heart, all of your mind, all of your strength and all of your soul.  The Apostle Paul knew the value of discipline, “I beat my body…” he was a Pharisee trained in rigorous discipline. Yet, the error of the Pharisees was the growth of a pride that their discipline earned God’s favour.  In grace we already have God’s favour, we must seek God’s direction to live up to and into that. God spoke to Paul about discipline:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” May you discover God’s grace in your life through faith in Jesus Christ!  May your faith grow as you engage in disciplines that draw your hearts closer to Him!