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Surprising new life

The traditional Easter greeting is ‘Christ is risen!’ to which the traditional response is ‘He is risen indeed!’. It is also traditional at Easter to sing joyful songs with many alleluias, some of which we will be singing this Sunday. Yet the Gospel accounts of the resurrection paint a very different picture. None of the disciples were singing, none were joyful. Instead they were trying to keep a low profile and had locked the doors.

It was the women who dared to go to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices, a traditional Jewish custom for the dead. We are told that the stone sealing the tomb had been rolled back and that the women saw a vision of angels. They do not rejoice at the news but rather are terrified and flee. The male disciples struggle to understand their message that Jesus has risen.

Perhaps we are so used to hearing this story that it no longer surprises us or excites us. But the message of Easter is nothing if not astounding. It is God’s ‘yes’ to the world’s ‘no’. May this story of hope and transformation continue to disturb and surprise us.



From the Minister, ,

Good Friday reflection

On Good Friday we hear the Gospel passion narrative as it tells the story of Jesus’ rejection, suffering, death and burial. This is a powerful story that provides us with the enduring symbol of Christian faith, namely the cross. It’s a story that’s told from the perspective of the followers of Jesus as they watch the impossible unfold before their eyes – as the Messiah suffers and dies.

The story never explains why Jesus had to die or exactly what his death accomplished. Initial answers to these questions are supplied by the apostle Paul and later by generations of Christian theologians and hymn writers. These sources provide various explanations.

Western Christianity (as handed down to us through the Catholic Church) places the events of Good Friday at the heart of our faith, with the death of Jesus on the cross seen as the atoning sacrifice for human sin, redeeming us from sin and making possible forgiveness and restored relationship with God. Within this legal framework, the day may well be called ‘Good’ Friday or ‘God’s’ Friday as God deals decisively with the problem of sin. An appropriate response might be thankfulness.

Eastern Christianity (as handed down through the Orthodox Church) has quite a different perspective. The basic human problem is not sin, but rather death that came into the world through Adam and Eve. Through his voluntary submission to the cross – and especially through the resurrection – Jesus overcame the power of death, thus making possible the glorification of humanity, its restoration to the image of God. Good Friday – and Easter Sunday – thus demonstrate the power and victory of God. An appropriate response might be worship.

Progressive Christianity has a different take again. As a prophet, Jesus continually challenged the dominant ruling powers and their injustices (both the religious leadership of Israel and also the occupying power of the Roman Empire). In the way of human society, these powers fought back and did what forces of domination do – silence and eliminate the perceived threat. Jesus’ death was the inevitable result of the clash between power and politics on the one hand and compassion and justice on the other hand. An appropriate response might be to take up the fight for justice.

What are we to make of the story of Good Friday? How do we find our place in the story? Are we among the silent members of the crowd who, out of fear, say and do nothing when Jesus is condemned? Are we like the women who weep for Jesus as a good and innocent person put to death? Are we among the cynical people who mock Jesus for not delivering what he promised, a new society that reflects God’s ways? Or are we fallible followers of Jesus who want to follow but who deep down prefer comfort, respect and taking care of our own needs? Or perhaps do we sometimes feel like Jesus, abandoned by our friends and even by God?

Good Friday offers us a powerful and multivalent story that is open to multiple layers of meaning. The invitation is to sit with the story a while, recognizing that while we are part of broken humanity that is capable of great evil, we are also part of Christ’s family committed to walking in the compassionate and radical ways of Jesus, wherever that road may take us.

From the Minister

Jesus comes to Jerusalem

Palm Sunday is the day on which we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey, while the crowds waved palm branches and sang songs of praise. People were not quite sure what to make of Jesus – was he a radical prophet? A rival king to Caesar? Or simply a compassionate healer and teacher? How could his small band of followers really think that they could make a difference in the cold hard world of power and authority?

What do we see and hear in this story? Do we too place fairly rigid expectations around Jesus or do we let him speak his life transforming words to us? These questions are all valid as we contemplate the place of Jesus and our faith in the world today.

From the Minister, ,

Extravagant faith

During this last week, the Federal Treasurer has handed down the annual Budget for Australia. The headline message is that after several years of careful and prudent financial management, the country will soon, hopefully, balance its books. It’s the sort of Budget that might have appealed to Judas, who was apparently in charge of finances for the disciples.

Then along comes Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, and pours a large flask of very expensive perfume all over Jesus’ feet. Here is extravagant faith and deep love in action. Judas is outraged at the waste while Jesus praises her action as a preparation for his burial. I wonder whether we more naturally embrace a mindset of scarcity or a mindset of abundance. Do we tend to ration our resources or are we willing to (at least sometimes) give extravagantly? Last week’s story of the prodigal son and this week’s story about Mary both point towards the extravagance of God’s kingdom. It also points ahead to the costly and extravagant gift of Jesus at Easter.

From the Minister,

The compassion and courage of Jesus

As we continue our journey through Lent, we hear this week of Jesus’ determination to continue his ministry and continue on the path towards Jerusalem despite growing threats against him. Jesus likens King Herod to a fox, a cunning and often maliciously cruel animal that kills for sport. Jesus will not be put off course by Herod’s – or anyone else’s – threats, as he is intent on following God’s agenda. Hence he must be on his way and must continue on to Jerusalem where a prophet’s fate – death – likely awaits him.

Jesus also expresses his – and God’s – compassion for Jerusalem. He wants to gather the people of Jerusalem as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings – a tender and compassionate image that reflects God’s love for the city and her people. Jesus’ attitude and actions can teach us important lessons about courage and compassion. Will we continue to follow God’s agenda even when there is high personal cost involved? And will we continue to offer God’s grace and compassion to people, even when they threaten or reject us?

From the Minister,

Who sets our agenda?

The journey of Lent always starts with the account of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. This feels slightly odd, as the incident occurs before the start of Jesus’ ministry and not as he turns his face towards Jerusalem and the journey to the cross. Yet in other ways, the temptations or testing described are typical for what Jesus faced throughout his ministry – desires to meet his own physical needs, to seek after power or to be popular.

As Jesus follows the path to the cross he will disappoint many, anger others and be rejected and humiliated. He will also demonstrate clearly that he is following God’s agenda rather than his own. I wonder who sets our agenda? Is it the expectations of others, our fears or our longings, or the quiet voice of God’s Spirit? What will give us the strength and courage to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and follow God’s agenda?

From the Minister,

Surprising encounters with God

This week’s Gospel passage is mysterious – not that it uses big or strange words – but because it describes an encounter with God that is foreign to most of our common experience. Jesus climbs up a mountain to pray, which is nothing unusual for Jesus. On this particular occasion he takes three of the ‘senior’ disciples with him, which is slightly more unusual. But while he is praying, some very unusual things happen: Jesus’ appearance becomes dazzling, he speaks with two people that the disciples somehow identify as Moses and Elijah, and a voice speaks from a cloud about Jesus.

Welcome to Transfiguration Sunday, the day when we hear this mysterious and profound story about Jesus and are reminded about its significance, yet often go away scratching our heads and wondering what it’s really all about. This is a story that invites us to pull back the veil that usually prevents us from seeing the spiritual dimension of the world, and asks us to journey with Jesus to a thin place where new insights will be revealed. What will we see? What will we hear? And what difference will it make as a result?

From the Minister,

Jesus’ third way for communities

While much of our culture (and especially our advertising) focuses on the individual, as a society we can also be quite tribal. This can be positive – as when people band together in times of natural disasters – or can be negative – as when we pick on one group (e.g. African youth). Jesus offers a third way, which is to treat everyone as we would like to be treated. This is a blueprint for a new community, a new humanity where there is no distinction any more between people, or between tribes, or even between friends and enemies.

Jesus’ call to love our enemies, though, seems a step too far… enemies are the people who hate you, say mean things about you, abuse you or take what is rightfully yours. Our natural response to enemies is either to want to fight them or flee from them. But Jesus commands that we do good to our enemies, pray for them and generously share with them. Sound difficult? You bet! It’s only possible with the transforming work of God’s Spirit in our lives to give us the desire and ability to live this way. It’s nothing less than learning to embody and live out the very character of God, day by day.

From the Minister,

God’s upside down kingdom

Sometimes it’s good not to take Jesus too seriously, especially when Jesus speaks about matters that impact directly on our lifestyle. Many of us have experience with this approach. For instance, we are adept at ignoring much of Jesus’ teaching about money and power, for otherwise it would require us to do a major rethink about our priorities and practices.

This week’s Gospel reading is a case in point. It’s Luke’s equivalent to the Sermon on the Mount. As in that famous sermon it begins with a series of blessings for unexpected people – the poor, the hungry, those who weep and those who are rejected for associating with Jesus. But Jesus then ups the ante by also pronouncing woe on the rich, the well fed, those who laugh about life and those who are praised. These are startling and provocative words. Is Jesus really advocating the benefits of poverty, hunger and mourning over the alternatives? Yet these recipients of blessing reflect Jesus’ wider ministry and his interactions with both rich and poor. They also reflect the character of the God revealed in the OT prophets, who seems to have a distinct bias towards the needs of the poor. Where do we stand in relation to Jesus’ upside down kingdom? What might need to change if we take Jesus’ words seriously?

From the Minister,

Jesus calls us to discipleship

Sometimes, completely out of the blue, our lives can be transformed in an instant. Something similar happened to Simon Peter one day as he was quietly minding his own business mending his fishing nets. Jesus comes along and wants to use his boat as a portable pulpit. When Jesus has finished teaching, he invites Peter to go fishing, and that’s when the unexpected happens as Peter hauls in an extraordinarily large catch of fish.

This is a turning point moment, a God moment. Peter recognizes the potential of this moment and like Moses and Isaiah and many others through history, suddenly recognizes his own shortcomings. But Jesus sees other qualities in Peter and invites Peter to join his ministry of bringing life to people. Peter overcomes his fears and hesitations and follows Jesus (see Luke 5:1-11).

We too are invited afresh each day whether we will choose to follow Jesus, putting aside our fears and shortcomings, and listening instead to the quiet voice inviting us to join with Jesus in bringing life to others.

From the Minister,