It's a Southern Hemisphere thing, Christmas in New Zealand. Snow is not entirely impossible of course. On 27 December 1897 there was some snow low on the hills near Masterton, which is really part of greater Wellington. And on 13 December in 1872 a Mrs Snow sailed from Wellington to Napier on the St Kilda, a 91 ton vessel. I guess that the probability of a white Christmas is somewhat remote. We look at our European and American cousins and breath a sigh of relief. The non-occurence of snow here is re-enforced by the fact that a local choir Nota Bene produced an evening of entertainment called "A Snow-free Christmas" about which a local critic quipped "nothing new there".
So we are gearing up towards a fairly Yuley Christmas - without the Yule log but with the pleasure of a hot meal that does not kill you from heat fatigue in the kitchen while cooking. In Africa an annual collapse of just a nature led us to go for cold gammon and salads for some years while melting like snow in the hot humid east coast climate. At least here it is cool enough to eat hot!
In short we are fairly well prepared. Armed with various delicacies and goodies waiting for their demise (waiting in the fridge or freezer) we wait. And what is this waiting for? Anticipation of the secrets hidden under Christmas wrapping? Children wait for this. We are still children in part - it is actually quite nice ripping open the presents even when you know what they are and probably wrapped them yourself.
Waiting - for those special services at church - the candles and traditional warm songs and words - the readings that take you back to your youth and childhood - the songs of angels and the persistence of foreign travellers following a star.
Waiting - for a chance to be with family and friends again - knowing that some family you may never see again anyway. Yay for facebook - at least we see one another and share a cyber-Christmas.
Advent - the Christian season we are enjoying - is about anticipation and expectation - looking to God to breakthrough again into a troubled world. A whole lot of preachers will produce profound new angles on this (yes angles not angels). Some will look for new stories to re-tell the Christmas thing in a far too secular fashion. How sad that we can reduce the angels' words to some form of contemporary nursery rhyme or folk tale.
The angels are key to all of this. They are literally messengers. They bring eu-angelion - ευαγγελιον - good message, a good announcement.
So my Christmas wish to you is simple. There is good news. We need to be good news - just as Christ is God incarnate - literally God in-flesh, we need to be in Christ and Christ in us - living examples of Jesus who encapsulates the good news. It's not just his birth that was good news to humble shepherds (who by the way told people very quickly what had happened!!). His life is good news - a second Adam, a real prototype for the rest of us not to be cloned into his image, but transformed into his likeness! (But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18)
Has this good news grabbed your heart and captured your imagination? At school we have a chapel-ianity, where I fear too many miss the point. A Friday going-through-the-motions. If only they would hear -and yes they may hear still. This good news is drastic, dramatic, and requiring daring response. Listen to the words of an aging prophet who saw the baby Jesus: "And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this One is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against." (Luke 2:34)
The gospel life was the life He lived. The gospel death was the death that he died, a death in which he reached out to absorb all death and danger, and dread which drives men and women to hide away from life's challenges in depression and desperation - or to end their own lives in horrible ways. His gospel death absorbed the pain of suffering and sickness, and the septic influence of selfishness and sin. His gospel resurrection vindicated God's "yes" to life and Jesus' faith expressed in self-emptying and surrender to the grave.
The gospel Jesus brings hope - and greater expectation of a new future. A good message.
For goodness sake, go somewhere this Christmas where you will hear this gospel - a fresh reminder of the light of the world shining in our darknesses.
A very blessed Christmas - may the good news re-enliven your heart and re-capture your imagination. Wait on this God - for He is still near. God with us.
our love in Jesus,
Robin
Monday, 21 December 2009
Sunday, 4 October 2009
A view from the ends of the earth
Moving to New Zealand has got to be one of the craziest things we ever did. Emigration was never really our intention or desire. I'm not sure how it really started. So many people plan this for years - researching options and possibilities, and counting the cost in every possible way. I used to joke about it - not in a disparaging way. People from our home country have all kinds of reasons for moving on. Many suffered various forms of trauma. Some ran from South Africa anticipating the inevitable changes that were needed and right as democracy eventually arrived. I joked about the idea of New Zealand because I was a shepherd - a pastor, and would quip that there were too many sheep on these islands. Then it all happened and we were on our way. Looking back it all seems surreal now.
We were enticed by family in one sense. They seemed to be drifting over towards this part of the world for their own reasons. Some have come here and gone back. They didn't get the permanent residence required. Others have thrived and been drawn into the kiwi way – the life of peace and the safe suburban way.
The kiwi way. I’m still not sure what that really is. It is inspired by All Black success – and when the national team fails people shudder and mention quietly that domestic violence increases after an All Black rugby loss. It has a peculiar passive-aggressive flavour. A nation which stands for egalitarianism and fair play, with great consumer rights and a pleasant socialist flavour that keeps one paid when unemployment persists (with some requirements attached of course like actually looking for work and developing skills) – remains a little tentative about its raison d'être. It is a dominion – with a Governor General, and the Queen at the helm, and few blatant republicans. And curiously we were able to vote in a new government not long ago – a National government. Imagine us voting NP!
In March we will celebrate four years on these islands. We haven’t captured the essence of the kiwi way. It is a slippery customer. Something reserved like the English – with an added colonial zest and DIY ingenuity. I grasp something of the young peoples’ essence, working with them. They’re much like the South African kids I worked with in Port Shepstone – energetic, intelligent, and great fun. They have such a great passion for the future, and laugh a lot in the present about how silly adults can be.
The fault lines below Wellington were never spoken of when we planned this move in 2005. Like the kiwi way they are invisible and a bit unpredictable. In fact there was a sign on one of the main roads indicating that the fault line was right there – until last year. It seems they took the sign down because they aren’t sure where the fault is any more.
The jolting of earthquakes is terrifying. The last one that really shocked us was just 25km south of Wellington. It sounded like a freight train hitting the house at 2 in the morning. This last week earthquakes have caused devastation across a wide range or communities with untold death and destruction. Our Samoan neighbours are mourning as are New Zealand families whose dear ones went away on holiday and have to be brought back for burial.
The picture of our Prime Minister standing in mourning with local folk in Samoa is a deeply warm one and reveals another facet of this intriguing people. There is, despite the frozen English legacy, a warmth and compassion and a genuine kindness and generosity when it comes to these kinds of disasters. There are wonderful New Zealanders who give time and money to make a difference in the lives of others. My hope is that the boys I work with will take up the challenge to do a different OE year – on another continent and for different reasons from the usual fun and games – to continue the amazing work of peacemaking and kindness that is a rich manifestation of the kiwi way.
I am happy to celebrate the craziness of our move to these wobbly islands. The world is rich and diverse, and despite the trauma of our journey over these nearly four years, I have been greatly enriched along the way.
As a final coment - like the fault lines, all the nations across the planet have deeper aspects of their history and ethos. One can never really know the whole story, and one can all too easily make assumptions on the basis of what you see. Tomorrow we will continue to walk around this capital city, trusting that things will not fall down about us. You just never know, of course.
We were enticed by family in one sense. They seemed to be drifting over towards this part of the world for their own reasons. Some have come here and gone back. They didn't get the permanent residence required. Others have thrived and been drawn into the kiwi way – the life of peace and the safe suburban way.
The kiwi way. I’m still not sure what that really is. It is inspired by All Black success – and when the national team fails people shudder and mention quietly that domestic violence increases after an All Black rugby loss. It has a peculiar passive-aggressive flavour. A nation which stands for egalitarianism and fair play, with great consumer rights and a pleasant socialist flavour that keeps one paid when unemployment persists (with some requirements attached of course like actually looking for work and developing skills) – remains a little tentative about its raison d'être. It is a dominion – with a Governor General, and the Queen at the helm, and few blatant republicans. And curiously we were able to vote in a new government not long ago – a National government. Imagine us voting NP!
In March we will celebrate four years on these islands. We haven’t captured the essence of the kiwi way. It is a slippery customer. Something reserved like the English – with an added colonial zest and DIY ingenuity. I grasp something of the young peoples’ essence, working with them. They’re much like the South African kids I worked with in Port Shepstone – energetic, intelligent, and great fun. They have such a great passion for the future, and laugh a lot in the present about how silly adults can be.
The fault lines below Wellington were never spoken of when we planned this move in 2005. Like the kiwi way they are invisible and a bit unpredictable. In fact there was a sign on one of the main roads indicating that the fault line was right there – until last year. It seems they took the sign down because they aren’t sure where the fault is any more.
The jolting of earthquakes is terrifying. The last one that really shocked us was just 25km south of Wellington. It sounded like a freight train hitting the house at 2 in the morning. This last week earthquakes have caused devastation across a wide range or communities with untold death and destruction. Our Samoan neighbours are mourning as are New Zealand families whose dear ones went away on holiday and have to be brought back for burial.
The picture of our Prime Minister standing in mourning with local folk in Samoa is a deeply warm one and reveals another facet of this intriguing people. There is, despite the frozen English legacy, a warmth and compassion and a genuine kindness and generosity when it comes to these kinds of disasters. There are wonderful New Zealanders who give time and money to make a difference in the lives of others. My hope is that the boys I work with will take up the challenge to do a different OE year – on another continent and for different reasons from the usual fun and games – to continue the amazing work of peacemaking and kindness that is a rich manifestation of the kiwi way.
I am happy to celebrate the craziness of our move to these wobbly islands. The world is rich and diverse, and despite the trauma of our journey over these nearly four years, I have been greatly enriched along the way.
As a final coment - like the fault lines, all the nations across the planet have deeper aspects of their history and ethos. One can never really know the whole story, and one can all too easily make assumptions on the basis of what you see. Tomorrow we will continue to walk around this capital city, trusting that things will not fall down about us. You just never know, of course.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Father's Day
Father's day in my home country was always in June - usually quite close to my dad's birthday. It provided a useful and economical day for joint gifts - much like my birthday in December ("we got you this real bargain, and it's a JOINT present for your birthday and Christmas! Aren't you LUCKY!").
Here we are enjoying Father's day in September. A bit odd in one way, but hey it's Spring. New life abounds on these islands in Spring - and soon we will have daylight saving which will give us more time after work to enjoy the sun!
The family had lunch together for Father's day. It was nice to be together (we do all live under the same roof of course but at times are lax about eating at the table at the same time as each other). Lot's of laughter and joking which was really nice, and chocolate brownies which helped us recover from the chicken recipe's large dose of chillies.
The best thing this morning was the worship and ministry time at church - the focus was on healing and there was time for healing ministry and people available at different places in the church to pray for others. It is neat, as they say here (and "sweet") that our Heavenly father knows our needs in great detail. The lady who prayed for me was a South African (ubiquitous as we are) and she had a Psalm for me which was a kind of take-away at the end. The whole of Psalm 40 is powerful. The first verses reminded me of my sons learning scripture at Liberty Christian college in Witbank - this memory verse was one we all had sorted:
Psa 40: 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psa 40:2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
Psa 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
There have been many losses since coming to these islands. I know in my heart of hearts that God will restore what we need in our deepest places of grief and separation. The losses are not primarily of identity, but at a deeper level through trauma and pain. There will be a new song in our mouths. That process has begun already. The Psalm goes on to say:
Psa 40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
Psa 40:10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
We don't have a great congregation, but certainly have a great assembly at which to proclaim the faithfulness of the Lord! And we do and will continue to.
We continue to trust the Lord for his guidance and provision as a family! With the Psalmist we continue to say - You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.
Here we are enjoying Father's day in September. A bit odd in one way, but hey it's Spring. New life abounds on these islands in Spring - and soon we will have daylight saving which will give us more time after work to enjoy the sun!
The family had lunch together for Father's day. It was nice to be together (we do all live under the same roof of course but at times are lax about eating at the table at the same time as each other). Lot's of laughter and joking which was really nice, and chocolate brownies which helped us recover from the chicken recipe's large dose of chillies.
The best thing this morning was the worship and ministry time at church - the focus was on healing and there was time for healing ministry and people available at different places in the church to pray for others. It is neat, as they say here (and "sweet") that our Heavenly father knows our needs in great detail. The lady who prayed for me was a South African (ubiquitous as we are) and she had a Psalm for me which was a kind of take-away at the end. The whole of Psalm 40 is powerful. The first verses reminded me of my sons learning scripture at Liberty Christian college in Witbank - this memory verse was one we all had sorted:
Psa 40: 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psa 40:2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
Psa 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
There have been many losses since coming to these islands. I know in my heart of hearts that God will restore what we need in our deepest places of grief and separation. The losses are not primarily of identity, but at a deeper level through trauma and pain. There will be a new song in our mouths. That process has begun already. The Psalm goes on to say:
Psa 40:9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
Psa 40:10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
We don't have a great congregation, but certainly have a great assembly at which to proclaim the faithfulness of the Lord! And we do and will continue to.
We continue to trust the Lord for his guidance and provision as a family! With the Psalmist we continue to say - You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
The Quad - Easter 2009
Easter - hope springs eternal
I met an amazing man recently who had come over to Wellington for a short break. It was more like a time of recuperation. Do you remember the novels you read at school? Often people went to the seaside, or across to the continent (in those very English books) for health reasons.
Coming to Wellington was meant to be a tonic for him. He has some family here. His immediate family, sadly, died in the recent bush fires in the State of Victoria - his wife and his fifteen and thirteen year old children. Children the same age as the secondary students we see charging around the place each day at Scots.
This man came to church to connect with people of common faith and vision. It was a humbling experience to meet him. I had a great sense of admiration that he was standing there, sharing such a deep loss with me. He seemed so grateful for the ministry that had been offered. He was encouraging and full of faith. He was reflecting on what to do with the life – his life - that had been spared.
For many of us, life seems easy sailing. Others, however, experience the most devastating troubles and challenges. From the depths of our very being, through courage and often through faith, we seem to find the resources to cope, and to remain hopeful about the future.
As the celebration of Easter approaches in the Christian church, the season of Lent is a time when people deliberately go without ordinary things – a particular favourite food or drink, or a pleasure they may enjoy. The purpose of these disciplines it to focus the mind on the greatest sacrifice - the death of Christ Jesus on the cross
Now I know that our children (and we too, I suspect) are rather fond of the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns that come at Easter. But there is a deeper message of hope and new life. Christ’s example of courage in the face of what was clearly an unwarranted punishment and execution speaks of hope too – He entrusted His life to the Creator in the hope of resurrection, a fundamental pillar of the Christian faith.
Easter of course is a northern hemisphere celebration that coincides with spring.
The writer Alexander Pope who gave the English language phrases like “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread” also produced this: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Optimism, hopefulness, faith and confidence are all important in our human journey. Perhaps gratitude is the most important. When things are tough, we are never alone. The Easter message is about hope. May you be blessed and supported in whatever challenge you may face at this time.
Rev Robin Palmer
I met an amazing man recently who had come over to Wellington for a short break. It was more like a time of recuperation. Do you remember the novels you read at school? Often people went to the seaside, or across to the continent (in those very English books) for health reasons.
Coming to Wellington was meant to be a tonic for him. He has some family here. His immediate family, sadly, died in the recent bush fires in the State of Victoria - his wife and his fifteen and thirteen year old children. Children the same age as the secondary students we see charging around the place each day at Scots.
This man came to church to connect with people of common faith and vision. It was a humbling experience to meet him. I had a great sense of admiration that he was standing there, sharing such a deep loss with me. He seemed so grateful for the ministry that had been offered. He was encouraging and full of faith. He was reflecting on what to do with the life – his life - that had been spared.
For many of us, life seems easy sailing. Others, however, experience the most devastating troubles and challenges. From the depths of our very being, through courage and often through faith, we seem to find the resources to cope, and to remain hopeful about the future.
As the celebration of Easter approaches in the Christian church, the season of Lent is a time when people deliberately go without ordinary things – a particular favourite food or drink, or a pleasure they may enjoy. The purpose of these disciplines it to focus the mind on the greatest sacrifice - the death of Christ Jesus on the cross
Now I know that our children (and we too, I suspect) are rather fond of the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns that come at Easter. But there is a deeper message of hope and new life. Christ’s example of courage in the face of what was clearly an unwarranted punishment and execution speaks of hope too – He entrusted His life to the Creator in the hope of resurrection, a fundamental pillar of the Christian faith.
Easter of course is a northern hemisphere celebration that coincides with spring.
The writer Alexander Pope who gave the English language phrases like “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread” also produced this: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Optimism, hopefulness, faith and confidence are all important in our human journey. Perhaps gratitude is the most important. When things are tough, we are never alone. The Easter message is about hope. May you be blessed and supported in whatever challenge you may face at this time.
Rev Robin Palmer
From the Quad - the end of 2008 - a reflection on life
There is a children’s song you may well remember about a certain Duke from York who marched ten thousand men up a hill and then down again. At one point in the song the weary troops were only half way up, an experience described by the song writer as “neither up nor down”. The song is said to refer to one or more dukes who did badly in battle. It appears to have developed as a kind of post-battle mockery, deriding the hapless military commander (whichever one it refers to).
Perhaps life is a bit like that – climbing up the challenging hills, going back down the easy ones, or getting stuck half way. Much of what we do is repetitive and even mundane or ordinary. And when we’re stuck people are not necessarily kind to us. As I write this I am up a mountain. Skiers go up the lifts, and then hurtle down the bright white snow-clad slopes. Armed with the right gear, the correct ticket, and proper training, it is usually pretty safe, and most people get back home in one piece.
Education is meant to prepare us for life. The truth is that even with the right gear and ticket, we just don’t know what life will throw at us. Nothing really prepares us for real life in its entirety.
The Christian faith attempts to give more purposeful guide for this journey of life than merely the ability to climb up and down our challenging hills. It presents a meta-narrative – a bigger picture or story which gives cause, purpose, and destiny to the followers of Jesus. This faith journey is not definitive or prescriptive. It involves a sense of appreciation of life as a gift which is not to be squandered, but rather received and lived with gratitude. We are meant to be gifts to others along the way.
Much of our time at the College is spent on processing results – winners and losers in games, and successful or less successful students in assessments. To focus only on success of course is to mislead the boys in our care. Life’s richest lessons are often learned in the face of adversity and human failure, where we have to choose to try again, to forgive, or to move on to new opportunities.
As the end of the year approaches, there will be frantic studying, stressful exams, much marking and the usual prize givings and celebrations. For some students it may be the case of little work and extensive repentance afterwards. But for the majority of our boys, the year will end well because they have had the support of so many through their year’s journey. They have had the encouragement they’ve needed when stuck half way up their hills!
Our human care on the journey is an important consequence of our Christian faith. How we treat others along the way is as significant as the final grade on our reports and certificates. Regular thanks to those who help us, human kindness towards those who may be different from us, and good stewardship of our time and gifts, are signs of real learning and true growth.
I trust that this reflects your life and the life of your sons. The good news is that for many of us, life does not have to remain a battle. It can become more like a dance as we celebrate together all that is good in this community. May God bless you as you too strive towards a life that goes beyond the routine to the extraordinary.
Rev Robin Palmer
Perhaps life is a bit like that – climbing up the challenging hills, going back down the easy ones, or getting stuck half way. Much of what we do is repetitive and even mundane or ordinary. And when we’re stuck people are not necessarily kind to us. As I write this I am up a mountain. Skiers go up the lifts, and then hurtle down the bright white snow-clad slopes. Armed with the right gear, the correct ticket, and proper training, it is usually pretty safe, and most people get back home in one piece.
Education is meant to prepare us for life. The truth is that even with the right gear and ticket, we just don’t know what life will throw at us. Nothing really prepares us for real life in its entirety.
The Christian faith attempts to give more purposeful guide for this journey of life than merely the ability to climb up and down our challenging hills. It presents a meta-narrative – a bigger picture or story which gives cause, purpose, and destiny to the followers of Jesus. This faith journey is not definitive or prescriptive. It involves a sense of appreciation of life as a gift which is not to be squandered, but rather received and lived with gratitude. We are meant to be gifts to others along the way.
Much of our time at the College is spent on processing results – winners and losers in games, and successful or less successful students in assessments. To focus only on success of course is to mislead the boys in our care. Life’s richest lessons are often learned in the face of adversity and human failure, where we have to choose to try again, to forgive, or to move on to new opportunities.
As the end of the year approaches, there will be frantic studying, stressful exams, much marking and the usual prize givings and celebrations. For some students it may be the case of little work and extensive repentance afterwards. But for the majority of our boys, the year will end well because they have had the support of so many through their year’s journey. They have had the encouragement they’ve needed when stuck half way up their hills!
Our human care on the journey is an important consequence of our Christian faith. How we treat others along the way is as significant as the final grade on our reports and certificates. Regular thanks to those who help us, human kindness towards those who may be different from us, and good stewardship of our time and gifts, are signs of real learning and true growth.
I trust that this reflects your life and the life of your sons. The good news is that for many of us, life does not have to remain a battle. It can become more like a dance as we celebrate together all that is good in this community. May God bless you as you too strive towards a life that goes beyond the routine to the extraordinary.
Rev Robin Palmer
Friday, 27 March 2009
The ends of March
Greetings from our far flung islands. The ends of March are rather fragmented. Just a snippet of this and that to update you.
Our family's greatest sadness has been the demise of our very resilient and communicative cat called Alex. I have written of her before. She climbed into our lives soon after we arrived in New Zealand - visiting the garden when we were putting washing on the line and treating our legs like a tree - literally climbing up for some TLC. Alex was a generic and non-gender confusing open kind of name as we were not sure what she/he was. You will recall our Witbank cat in the old days called Suzy, named after the street where she lived before moving into our house. Suzy, when we thought she was pregnant, turned out to be a male cat with a hernia. So you can see why we were avoiding that kind of dilemma.
Alex, Alexi, or Alexi Stukoff, as she was known by various members of the family, would virtually speak when in need, and tap me on the arm in bed each morning with her paw - requiring a visit to the kitchen of course. She ran away when we were in Brisbane some time back, and was found by advertising on "Pets on the net". She was more like a dog in some ways, waiting for us to return, and following us around the house. A real family member.
Friday morning I found her dead in the street after returning from an early drive into the city taking a student to a street collection for the local MS society. A very distressing thing indeed, followed by a very hastily arranged funeral in the back yard before going to school. I have spoken about grief a thousand times, and understand all the tricky things when we lose someone in tragic ways. Who would have thought how intense it would be in the loss of Alex. The feeling that she would walk around the corner. Looking twice at her favourite places each day to see if she wasn't perhaps there. Dreaming of her arriving back again as I have done through the years when death has taken special people in my life.
The house has been eerily quiet and subdued. My middle child didn't come out of his room for the first five days. I found things that were usually quite manageable almost impossible. In short, I was surprised by the level of trauma. Of course it's all very subtle. She was the constant factor in the irritating moving from house to house over the last three years. And the unconditional and uncomplicated love of a pet cat puts human complexities into an interesting perspective.
Blessed are they who mourn - says the sermon on the Mount. I am hardly happy, to use the unhelpful English translations of that line. And yes we are blessed - our lives are so rich in many ways. But our losses tear a bit away from the securities and certainties which prop us up and steady the ship, so to speak.
I have mourned with so many over the years. Perhaps not giving enough time to my own mourning. I have written often about the tearing of immigration, the losses of work conflicts, and the tragedies of separation and anger that I have seen. We have suffered terrible consequences when people have had too many ends - the ripping away of that which defines one, the dehumanising of those who subject you through the dominant discourses of another land to a sense of being foreign, strange, or unwelcomed.
The end of Alex the cat seems an unnecessary indignity. I share the lives of so many boys at school who have had these ends - lost pets, parents, friends, dreams, and loves. It all requires such courage, of course. Courage to risk the chance of love again, courage to journey with parents on their travels towards new partners or spouses, new homes and jobs, courage to try again when others have boxed you in, using the kind of language that grinds and grates, consigning you to the emotional bins and trash heaps of life.
There are many South Africans still rolling onto these shores - all with their ends and hopeful beginnings. They bring their luggage and their baggage, and bravely start again with new and stuttering beginnings. Such is the ebb and flow of life. T S Eliot wrote of his "burnt-out ends of smoky days". I always remembered the line from his Preludes in my overloaded head as burnt-out ends of lonely days.
Well there it is. The ends of March. Words have always been good friends. In deepest moments of loss and disappointments I have scraped together attempts in verse and song. Today I tap these out while sitting on a bed. It's the end of Friday. The end of week 10. How organised the school terms are. The end of the term eagerly awaits us. The end of Lent will bring the beginning of a new Easter celebrating the end of a another life of far greater impact and significance than our insignificant bumps in the road of life.
Easter will see us travelling back to the Hawkes Bay to visit good friends and rest at Glen Innis, the Presbyterian Holiday home. As winter approaches the thought of cold wet southerly winds and our fourth winter in Wellington is an interesting one. The end of March officially - the 31st - will be the celebration of our third anniversary here in New Zealand. Not far after that in May, we have our 25th wedding anniversary. We remain immensely grateful for all we have shared. Thanks for journeying with us,
Blessings at this Easter tide.
The Palmers.
Our family's greatest sadness has been the demise of our very resilient and communicative cat called Alex. I have written of her before. She climbed into our lives soon after we arrived in New Zealand - visiting the garden when we were putting washing on the line and treating our legs like a tree - literally climbing up for some TLC. Alex was a generic and non-gender confusing open kind of name as we were not sure what she/he was. You will recall our Witbank cat in the old days called Suzy, named after the street where she lived before moving into our house. Suzy, when we thought she was pregnant, turned out to be a male cat with a hernia. So you can see why we were avoiding that kind of dilemma.
Alex, Alexi, or Alexi Stukoff, as she was known by various members of the family, would virtually speak when in need, and tap me on the arm in bed each morning with her paw - requiring a visit to the kitchen of course. She ran away when we were in Brisbane some time back, and was found by advertising on "Pets on the net". She was more like a dog in some ways, waiting for us to return, and following us around the house. A real family member.
Friday morning I found her dead in the street after returning from an early drive into the city taking a student to a street collection for the local MS society. A very distressing thing indeed, followed by a very hastily arranged funeral in the back yard before going to school. I have spoken about grief a thousand times, and understand all the tricky things when we lose someone in tragic ways. Who would have thought how intense it would be in the loss of Alex. The feeling that she would walk around the corner. Looking twice at her favourite places each day to see if she wasn't perhaps there. Dreaming of her arriving back again as I have done through the years when death has taken special people in my life.
The house has been eerily quiet and subdued. My middle child didn't come out of his room for the first five days. I found things that were usually quite manageable almost impossible. In short, I was surprised by the level of trauma. Of course it's all very subtle. She was the constant factor in the irritating moving from house to house over the last three years. And the unconditional and uncomplicated love of a pet cat puts human complexities into an interesting perspective.
Blessed are they who mourn - says the sermon on the Mount. I am hardly happy, to use the unhelpful English translations of that line. And yes we are blessed - our lives are so rich in many ways. But our losses tear a bit away from the securities and certainties which prop us up and steady the ship, so to speak.
I have mourned with so many over the years. Perhaps not giving enough time to my own mourning. I have written often about the tearing of immigration, the losses of work conflicts, and the tragedies of separation and anger that I have seen. We have suffered terrible consequences when people have had too many ends - the ripping away of that which defines one, the dehumanising of those who subject you through the dominant discourses of another land to a sense of being foreign, strange, or unwelcomed.
The end of Alex the cat seems an unnecessary indignity. I share the lives of so many boys at school who have had these ends - lost pets, parents, friends, dreams, and loves. It all requires such courage, of course. Courage to risk the chance of love again, courage to journey with parents on their travels towards new partners or spouses, new homes and jobs, courage to try again when others have boxed you in, using the kind of language that grinds and grates, consigning you to the emotional bins and trash heaps of life.
There are many South Africans still rolling onto these shores - all with their ends and hopeful beginnings. They bring their luggage and their baggage, and bravely start again with new and stuttering beginnings. Such is the ebb and flow of life. T S Eliot wrote of his "burnt-out ends of smoky days". I always remembered the line from his Preludes in my overloaded head as burnt-out ends of lonely days.
Well there it is. The ends of March. Words have always been good friends. In deepest moments of loss and disappointments I have scraped together attempts in verse and song. Today I tap these out while sitting on a bed. It's the end of Friday. The end of week 10. How organised the school terms are. The end of the term eagerly awaits us. The end of Lent will bring the beginning of a new Easter celebrating the end of a another life of far greater impact and significance than our insignificant bumps in the road of life.
Easter will see us travelling back to the Hawkes Bay to visit good friends and rest at Glen Innis, the Presbyterian Holiday home. As winter approaches the thought of cold wet southerly winds and our fourth winter in Wellington is an interesting one. The end of March officially - the 31st - will be the celebration of our third anniversary here in New Zealand. Not far after that in May, we have our 25th wedding anniversary. We remain immensely grateful for all we have shared. Thanks for journeying with us,
Blessings at this Easter tide.
The Palmers.
“Sir, we want to see Jesus.” - Chapel service 27 March
Chapel Service – Friday 27th March 2009
“Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
So religion is a bit of a pain for you. That’s the general kind of drift of the conversation these days. Why bother with all this chapel stuff? After all this is the 21st century. Who needs it – we’ve got the brains to solve it all – the intelligence to crack every problem. We are the intelligence of this universe – we will get there.
Religion seems a bit archaic to some – possibly even to most of you. The very idea that you should honour someone else – worship an unseen divinity – actually thank a Creator for the gift of life and love, is kind of dated.
Or is it?
I suspect that most of us who play the intellectual doubt game – who scoff at the Bible and its claims – who deride the church and its history, and even disregard the intellectual giants of history who have happily remained believers in this God – are really just ducking and diving.
I suspect that even if I was able to win the arguments thrown up and answer the pretend questions with logic and intellectual accuracy that would satisfy the hungriest of empiricists – that many would still not believe.
Simply because they don’t want to take the risk. There is always a cost.
I don’t believe that people really want to take the risk. They’re not brave enough.
The unnamed Greeks in today’s Gospel reading must have heard something that attracted them to this Jesus. They were probably just Gentiles of the day – perhaps people on a religious quest.
They would have heard of this Messianic person who had ridden into Jerusalem like a King. Even without email, internet, TV and text messages, people actually did communicate in those days – as bizarre as that may seem to you.
The word would have been out. It was news. Not bad news – we specialise in bad news and find it easiest to pass on rumours or criticism. It was good news.
For them it was news of hope in a difficult day – and they came with a serious request to Philip, a follower of Jesus: “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
It’s to the followers of Jesus today that one hopes serious enquirers will still go.
The response of Jesus to this request is enigmatic and challenging – it’s the saying – the bible verse – that I’ve seen on many a cenotaph and memorial both in my home country and travelling around New Zealand – you find them in every town.
(NRSV) Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Its one of the sayings of Jesus that only those who were raised on the King James Bible would remember as a special saying of Jesus
Verily, verily, I say unto you
Literally – AMEN AMEN.
Jesus starts speaking the kind of language that most modern people want to run from.
Give up things – take risks – die to yourself – and you will find the real growth in your life.
For Jesus, it was a literal death. This is the Easter season – just around the corner we will remember his death and resurrection.
Serving Jesus – he tells these enquirers – requires following him. And a fruitful life, modelled on that of Jesus, is a life for others.
The man for others – that’s what my minister used to pray when I was a teenager. He wasn't a perfect minister. But he got that right – Jesus – the man for others.
Ghandi – a heroic and devout Hindu - admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"
Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."
So you want to see Jesus? Would you come knocking on my door and ask the question: “Sir, we want to see Jesus?”
The journey with Jesus is a very meaningful and exciting one – and believe me, his presence makes all the difference along the road of life.
My apologies for his followers. I am one of them – and we don’t always get it right. All the more reason to work at it!
As Easter comes – consider the courage and commitment of a man who would die in your place had you been sentenced to death. Pretty radical, I think.
It is Jesus who says in this same passage - John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
It is too the cross that Christians look at Easter. I trust that you will look in that direction as well – and reflect on this man for others.
I was watching the high jump the other day – and someone said – O it all depends how high the bar is.
Jesus sets a very high standard. It’s a challenge to us all to follow him. The sacrificial life goes way beyond just service each day – kind acts, hard work for others, earning points because we have notched up service hours.
It’s about a life with a different purpose altogether. Perhaps one of my students in life skills this week was right when he had to answer the question “what is the purpose of life?” In jest he said, “My purpose in life is to find the purpose of life”.
I’m pretty content with the purpose that Christ Jesus has given me. I used to argue and scoff too as a teenager. Until I began to explore – and decided to see for myself - like the Greek enquirers in today’s reading.
Sir, we want to see Jesus - is a great place to start.
“Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
So religion is a bit of a pain for you. That’s the general kind of drift of the conversation these days. Why bother with all this chapel stuff? After all this is the 21st century. Who needs it – we’ve got the brains to solve it all – the intelligence to crack every problem. We are the intelligence of this universe – we will get there.
Religion seems a bit archaic to some – possibly even to most of you. The very idea that you should honour someone else – worship an unseen divinity – actually thank a Creator for the gift of life and love, is kind of dated.
Or is it?
I suspect that most of us who play the intellectual doubt game – who scoff at the Bible and its claims – who deride the church and its history, and even disregard the intellectual giants of history who have happily remained believers in this God – are really just ducking and diving.
I suspect that even if I was able to win the arguments thrown up and answer the pretend questions with logic and intellectual accuracy that would satisfy the hungriest of empiricists – that many would still not believe.
Simply because they don’t want to take the risk. There is always a cost.
I don’t believe that people really want to take the risk. They’re not brave enough.
The unnamed Greeks in today’s Gospel reading must have heard something that attracted them to this Jesus. They were probably just Gentiles of the day – perhaps people on a religious quest.
They would have heard of this Messianic person who had ridden into Jerusalem like a King. Even without email, internet, TV and text messages, people actually did communicate in those days – as bizarre as that may seem to you.
The word would have been out. It was news. Not bad news – we specialise in bad news and find it easiest to pass on rumours or criticism. It was good news.
For them it was news of hope in a difficult day – and they came with a serious request to Philip, a follower of Jesus: “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”
It’s to the followers of Jesus today that one hopes serious enquirers will still go.
The response of Jesus to this request is enigmatic and challenging – it’s the saying – the bible verse – that I’ve seen on many a cenotaph and memorial both in my home country and travelling around New Zealand – you find them in every town.
(NRSV) Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Its one of the sayings of Jesus that only those who were raised on the King James Bible would remember as a special saying of Jesus
Verily, verily, I say unto you
Literally – AMEN AMEN.
Jesus starts speaking the kind of language that most modern people want to run from.
Give up things – take risks – die to yourself – and you will find the real growth in your life.
For Jesus, it was a literal death. This is the Easter season – just around the corner we will remember his death and resurrection.
Serving Jesus – he tells these enquirers – requires following him. And a fruitful life, modelled on that of Jesus, is a life for others.
The man for others – that’s what my minister used to pray when I was a teenager. He wasn't a perfect minister. But he got that right – Jesus – the man for others.
Ghandi – a heroic and devout Hindu - admired Jesus and often quoted from the Sermon on the Mount. Once when the missionary E. Stanley Jones met with Ghandi he asked him, "Mr. Ghandi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?"
Ghandi replied, "Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."
So you want to see Jesus? Would you come knocking on my door and ask the question: “Sir, we want to see Jesus?”
The journey with Jesus is a very meaningful and exciting one – and believe me, his presence makes all the difference along the road of life.
My apologies for his followers. I am one of them – and we don’t always get it right. All the more reason to work at it!
As Easter comes – consider the courage and commitment of a man who would die in your place had you been sentenced to death. Pretty radical, I think.
It is Jesus who says in this same passage - John 12:32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
It is too the cross that Christians look at Easter. I trust that you will look in that direction as well – and reflect on this man for others.
I was watching the high jump the other day – and someone said – O it all depends how high the bar is.
Jesus sets a very high standard. It’s a challenge to us all to follow him. The sacrificial life goes way beyond just service each day – kind acts, hard work for others, earning points because we have notched up service hours.
It’s about a life with a different purpose altogether. Perhaps one of my students in life skills this week was right when he had to answer the question “what is the purpose of life?” In jest he said, “My purpose in life is to find the purpose of life”.
I’m pretty content with the purpose that Christ Jesus has given me. I used to argue and scoff too as a teenager. Until I began to explore – and decided to see for myself - like the Greek enquirers in today’s reading.
Sir, we want to see Jesus - is a great place to start.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Sunday Service 15th March - Cleanse our Temples Lord
Readings:
Psalm 19
John 2:13-25
I found this great book entitled “How to know when you need to clean house”
• It is time to clean house when your feet stick to the floor when you walk through the kitchen.
• It is time to clean house when your mother can't find you when she comes into your room to wake you up in the morning.
• It is time to clean house when the kids in the neighborhood use their fingers to write "wash me" in the dirt on your windows.
• It is time to clean house when there are more dishes in the kitchen sink than there are in the cabinets.
Lent is a great time for housekeeping.
So what do you make of Jesus fashioning a whip to drive out the people and animals from the temple? It wasn’t very big whip. Not long after this a nastier whip would be cracking down on Jesus’ own back, as he was to take upon himself our punishment for sin.
Of course only John talks about the whip, and he places this very energetic form of housekeeping at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in his gospel. Some say there were two cleansings of the temple. In the other gospels there is no mention of a whip – but clearly he drives the people out! And the animals!
I heard an excellent sermon yesterday by a student at Scots college – on righteous anger. Great when it comes from a 15 year old. He spoke on this very account using Mark’s Gospel.
So what does spiritual housekeeping look like?
And why bother? Simply because it is Lent?
I should think that the church should do some spiritual house keeping or spring cleaning (even in autumn) SOLEY BECAUSE Jesus seldom gets angry – but this really made him mad!
It’s Zeal – you see in action here. John points out reflectively that his disciples remembered that it was written - "Zeal for your house will consume me." (Psalm 69)
Presbyterians are not generally known for their zeal!
We used to be zealous about the Sabbath – “back in the day”. Remember the Olympic games of 1924? Not? Never mind, neither do I! But in the film CHARIOTS OF FIRE you would have seen some of the issues of the day – the famous Scot Eric Liddell – the flying Scotsman – wouldn’t run his best race on the Sabbath – the 100 metres! It was he who is portrayed in the movie (1981) saying: "I believe that God made me for a purpose... (the mission in China), but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."
We were always zealous about the Word of God – now we carry it in and out of church, but don’t necessarily carry out what it says! There was a time when Presbyterians were much more into the Bible – reading it much much more at home! And of course you wouldn’t miss Sunday worship!
Zeal for the house of God. What does that mean today?
What would Jesus do today?
Is this about how we use the church today? Or is it about the members of the Body of Christ??
John Wimber once told the story of an irate member of the congregation who phoned him with a complaint. A family in crisis had been trying to get help.
“They phoned the church office again and again, and couldn’t get through. “How’s the church supposed to help if no one answers the phone?” he complained. “It was so bad that I had to take them in!”
John Wimber replied – “well then the church did help, didn’t it!”
Zeal for the temple today might not mean the physical place!
It might mean a passion for the effective ministry of the members of the church! We are the body of Christ, after all, the real church.
Perhaps its our own personal temples that are at issue? After all, didn’t Paul say:
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Of course, Paul was talking about sexual sin! Maybe that’s not serious – or maybe it is very serious! Maybe we need to look again at the biblical view of marriage?
Personal housekeeping.
There is a sense in which we need to clean up our own lives! The traditional 40 days of Lent in which Christians deprived themselves of things through fasting or abstinence was intended, I think, to focus the mind on spiritual disciplines.
The reading from Psalm 19 today is quite helpful in this regard.
Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple;
Psa 19:8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;
Psa 19:9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Psa 19:12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.
The soul is revived, the simple are made wise, the heart rejoices, the eyes are enlightened, and God’s ordinances are to be desired because they are sweet and rich! Despite this, the Psalmist says that we are warned by these ordinances – and that we are in danger not detecting our errors – we need to be cleared or cleansed of our HIDDEN FAULTS.
Of course sin is a very insidious thing. There are some laws, from the Old Testament point of view, and for that matter the New Testament law of Christ, that are not complicated and we know full well when we have messed up.
But its ever so subtle at times, isn’t it.
Like the little boy who prayed:
Dear God, please forgive me for all my sins, the sins I thought, the sins I did, and the sins I didn’t get around to going!
The Psalm ends with:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
What is acceptable to God today? What would Jesus drive out of our lives?
The subtle things, the insidious sins, are the very reason for the need for spiritual housekeeping at Lent!
Of course the 40 days don’t end in gloom! When Good Friday comes, we should have our three hour services. We’re not expected to be on the cross suffering – only praying and reflecting, worshipping and remembering. We’re like people in an airport on a journey – we watch the final of the world rugby cup after the fact – we already have the results because the broadcast has been delayed!
We celebrate the cross knowing about the resurrection already!
Why all the fuss then?
Simply because we are grateful – or should be!
We undeservedly receive grace – God riches at Christ’s expense – forgiveness, new life, a relationship with God in which we are called his children AND his friends, the promise of eternal life, joy in our hearts, the beautiful fellowship of the church, support of great friends, and deep real healing even when life has dealt us the heaviest of blows!
All the more reason to please God - to live right and well – simply out of gratitude!
Corporate sins are harder to deal with!
Lent is easy for individuals. If we are honest to God and before God, we can confess – and make right. (There is no point in saying sorry to God unless we say sorry to others and change our ways!)
It’s the corporate sins that people are unsure about!
What if the way we do church IS sinful and displeasing to God? We worry about OUR buildings and OUR traditions – OUR way of worship and OUR MUSIC. Or OUR pews…
They are all wonderful and interesting things. But are they the most important?
But what about our lack of generosity to the needy, our indifference to the poor. Our tolerance of indifference, our subtle issues of race and resentment.
I watched the movie (the Boy in the striped Pajamas) in a preview some weeks back. I’d never read the book, so the ending was unexpected. And I felt very exposed – the indignation that the little naïve German boy should suffer the same fate as the little Jewish Kid. How callous we are. A bomb in Baghdad seems less shocking than a bomb in Auckland would be to us.
There are these corporate, community and global sins – of greed, indifference, or the more understated assumptions – that the kiwi way is superior, that South Africans are probably racists, and various other people are lazy in general, or stupid because English is not their first language.
Our spiritual housekeeping should lead to weeping – not because we don’t have time to clean away the dust, but because of our assumption that all is well, when it isn’t.
Let Jesus come with his whip and chase out of our lives “all that is not holy and is not true.” These words come from the 19th century hymn by Caroline Noel:
At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess Him King of glory now;
’Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true;
Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour;
Let His will enfold you in its light and power.
May it be so for us today.
Cleanse our temples, Lord, we pray.
Amen.
Psalm 19
John 2:13-25
I found this great book entitled “How to know when you need to clean house”
• It is time to clean house when your feet stick to the floor when you walk through the kitchen.
• It is time to clean house when your mother can't find you when she comes into your room to wake you up in the morning.
• It is time to clean house when the kids in the neighborhood use their fingers to write "wash me" in the dirt on your windows.
• It is time to clean house when there are more dishes in the kitchen sink than there are in the cabinets.
Lent is a great time for housekeeping.
So what do you make of Jesus fashioning a whip to drive out the people and animals from the temple? It wasn’t very big whip. Not long after this a nastier whip would be cracking down on Jesus’ own back, as he was to take upon himself our punishment for sin.
Of course only John talks about the whip, and he places this very energetic form of housekeeping at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in his gospel. Some say there were two cleansings of the temple. In the other gospels there is no mention of a whip – but clearly he drives the people out! And the animals!
I heard an excellent sermon yesterday by a student at Scots college – on righteous anger. Great when it comes from a 15 year old. He spoke on this very account using Mark’s Gospel.
So what does spiritual housekeeping look like?
And why bother? Simply because it is Lent?
I should think that the church should do some spiritual house keeping or spring cleaning (even in autumn) SOLEY BECAUSE Jesus seldom gets angry – but this really made him mad!
It’s Zeal – you see in action here. John points out reflectively that his disciples remembered that it was written - "Zeal for your house will consume me." (Psalm 69)
Presbyterians are not generally known for their zeal!
We used to be zealous about the Sabbath – “back in the day”. Remember the Olympic games of 1924? Not? Never mind, neither do I! But in the film CHARIOTS OF FIRE you would have seen some of the issues of the day – the famous Scot Eric Liddell – the flying Scotsman – wouldn’t run his best race on the Sabbath – the 100 metres! It was he who is portrayed in the movie (1981) saying: "I believe that God made me for a purpose... (the mission in China), but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."
We were always zealous about the Word of God – now we carry it in and out of church, but don’t necessarily carry out what it says! There was a time when Presbyterians were much more into the Bible – reading it much much more at home! And of course you wouldn’t miss Sunday worship!
Zeal for the house of God. What does that mean today?
What would Jesus do today?
Is this about how we use the church today? Or is it about the members of the Body of Christ??
John Wimber once told the story of an irate member of the congregation who phoned him with a complaint. A family in crisis had been trying to get help.
“They phoned the church office again and again, and couldn’t get through. “How’s the church supposed to help if no one answers the phone?” he complained. “It was so bad that I had to take them in!”
John Wimber replied – “well then the church did help, didn’t it!”
Zeal for the temple today might not mean the physical place!
It might mean a passion for the effective ministry of the members of the church! We are the body of Christ, after all, the real church.
Perhaps its our own personal temples that are at issue? After all, didn’t Paul say:
1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Of course, Paul was talking about sexual sin! Maybe that’s not serious – or maybe it is very serious! Maybe we need to look again at the biblical view of marriage?
Personal housekeeping.
There is a sense in which we need to clean up our own lives! The traditional 40 days of Lent in which Christians deprived themselves of things through fasting or abstinence was intended, I think, to focus the mind on spiritual disciplines.
The reading from Psalm 19 today is quite helpful in this regard.
Psa 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the LORD are sure, making wise the simple;
Psa 19:8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eyes;
Psa 19:9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psa 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.
Psa 19:11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Psa 19:12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.
The soul is revived, the simple are made wise, the heart rejoices, the eyes are enlightened, and God’s ordinances are to be desired because they are sweet and rich! Despite this, the Psalmist says that we are warned by these ordinances – and that we are in danger not detecting our errors – we need to be cleared or cleansed of our HIDDEN FAULTS.
Of course sin is a very insidious thing. There are some laws, from the Old Testament point of view, and for that matter the New Testament law of Christ, that are not complicated and we know full well when we have messed up.
But its ever so subtle at times, isn’t it.
Like the little boy who prayed:
Dear God, please forgive me for all my sins, the sins I thought, the sins I did, and the sins I didn’t get around to going!
The Psalm ends with:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
What is acceptable to God today? What would Jesus drive out of our lives?
The subtle things, the insidious sins, are the very reason for the need for spiritual housekeeping at Lent!
Of course the 40 days don’t end in gloom! When Good Friday comes, we should have our three hour services. We’re not expected to be on the cross suffering – only praying and reflecting, worshipping and remembering. We’re like people in an airport on a journey – we watch the final of the world rugby cup after the fact – we already have the results because the broadcast has been delayed!
We celebrate the cross knowing about the resurrection already!
Why all the fuss then?
Simply because we are grateful – or should be!
We undeservedly receive grace – God riches at Christ’s expense – forgiveness, new life, a relationship with God in which we are called his children AND his friends, the promise of eternal life, joy in our hearts, the beautiful fellowship of the church, support of great friends, and deep real healing even when life has dealt us the heaviest of blows!
All the more reason to please God - to live right and well – simply out of gratitude!
Corporate sins are harder to deal with!
Lent is easy for individuals. If we are honest to God and before God, we can confess – and make right. (There is no point in saying sorry to God unless we say sorry to others and change our ways!)
It’s the corporate sins that people are unsure about!
What if the way we do church IS sinful and displeasing to God? We worry about OUR buildings and OUR traditions – OUR way of worship and OUR MUSIC. Or OUR pews…
They are all wonderful and interesting things. But are they the most important?
But what about our lack of generosity to the needy, our indifference to the poor. Our tolerance of indifference, our subtle issues of race and resentment.
I watched the movie (the Boy in the striped Pajamas) in a preview some weeks back. I’d never read the book, so the ending was unexpected. And I felt very exposed – the indignation that the little naïve German boy should suffer the same fate as the little Jewish Kid. How callous we are. A bomb in Baghdad seems less shocking than a bomb in Auckland would be to us.
There are these corporate, community and global sins – of greed, indifference, or the more understated assumptions – that the kiwi way is superior, that South Africans are probably racists, and various other people are lazy in general, or stupid because English is not their first language.
Our spiritual housekeeping should lead to weeping – not because we don’t have time to clean away the dust, but because of our assumption that all is well, when it isn’t.
Let Jesus come with his whip and chase out of our lives “all that is not holy and is not true.” These words come from the 19th century hymn by Caroline Noel:
At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess Him King of glory now;
’Tis the Father’s pleasure we should call Him Lord,
Who from the beginning was the mighty Word.
In your hearts enthrone Him; there let Him subdue
All that is not holy, all that is not true;
Crown Him as your Captain in temptation’s hour;
Let His will enfold you in its light and power.
May it be so for us today.
Cleanse our temples, Lord, we pray.
Amen.
Saturday, 14 February 2009
The cat is on the roof
We watched the Hour of Power today. A nice lady preacher was talking about her cat that got stuck on the roof. Which brings me to our cat. Alexis is a nice cat. She moved in with us in our first rental house in Wellington. She must have thought that we were trees - she would climb up your leg while you were putting the washing on the line. She moved with us to our second rental. She ran away one time when we were in Brisbane - and we thought that was the end of it. Alex was found through advertising on PETS ON THE NET. Home she came - scrawny and emaciated, and she was nursed back to health.
Alex remained quite committed to indoor life after that. Traumatised by her scary six weeks away, she decided that the streets were not a good place. We moved to our third rental which was to be a temporary move. Alexis settled down well. We are still in that rental 18 months later. She has stamped her mark on the territory here. A series of yowling and screeching cat fights have determined that other usurpers and casual visitors from the feline establishment seldom cross the line. Alexis' most recent fight led to another hole in the head and a damaged leg. Then of course someone fell over her in the night - more yowling.
Yesterday Alexis went to the Vet for the first time - she is a good patient. Last night Sheilagh put her medicine on the bed next to her and she simply swallowed the pills without any objection. She greets one at the door, and often waits at the bottom of the drive for me to get home, and asks in a typical cat way for food or to go out.
Alexis has been adopted by us, found again through hi tech search methods, and subjected to potentially unpleasant medical treatment (what cat travels well in the car and smiles when getting her jabs?). For some reason she is trusting and loyal. She is an illegal squatter I guess - our landlord does not allow pets. But she crept into our hearts by showing up one day and she is still here.
As parents we are so proud of her. As I write she has had her morning anti-biotic - once again we put it in front of her and she obligingly eats the pills.
I recall somewhere a story about our heavenly father welcoming those who seek refuge in his home - searching for us when we went astray in Eden - and offering us a home and a solution for our ailments.
How sad that so many of us don't accept this offer - or take the meds we need.
Go Alex - you are a living parable for those who wish to read your life.
Alex remained quite committed to indoor life after that. Traumatised by her scary six weeks away, she decided that the streets were not a good place. We moved to our third rental which was to be a temporary move. Alexis settled down well. We are still in that rental 18 months later. She has stamped her mark on the territory here. A series of yowling and screeching cat fights have determined that other usurpers and casual visitors from the feline establishment seldom cross the line. Alexis' most recent fight led to another hole in the head and a damaged leg. Then of course someone fell over her in the night - more yowling.
Yesterday Alexis went to the Vet for the first time - she is a good patient. Last night Sheilagh put her medicine on the bed next to her and she simply swallowed the pills without any objection. She greets one at the door, and often waits at the bottom of the drive for me to get home, and asks in a typical cat way for food or to go out.
Alexis has been adopted by us, found again through hi tech search methods, and subjected to potentially unpleasant medical treatment (what cat travels well in the car and smiles when getting her jabs?). For some reason she is trusting and loyal. She is an illegal squatter I guess - our landlord does not allow pets. But she crept into our hearts by showing up one day and she is still here.
As parents we are so proud of her. As I write she has had her morning anti-biotic - once again we put it in front of her and she obligingly eats the pills.
I recall somewhere a story about our heavenly father welcoming those who seek refuge in his home - searching for us when we went astray in Eden - and offering us a home and a solution for our ailments.
How sad that so many of us don't accept this offer - or take the meds we need.
Go Alex - you are a living parable for those who wish to read your life.
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