Margins

When you hear the word “margins” what thoughts or images come to mind? Perhaps your first thought is that you have “no margins” in your life? Or maybe you think of the margins of a page in a book? Many of images or uses of the word “margin” relate to the edge of something, some kind of boundary that is either defined or needs to be defined better. They are the messy spaces or the “in-between” spaces in our lives but also in the world. Animals can live in the margins of a reef between the deep blue and the safer shore, or at the edge of a forest where humans are encroaching. People can live on the margins, both within society between “class gaps” or on the edge of poverty or homelessness; perhaps not being quite accepted due to their ethnicity or the colour of their skin.

Margins in lots of forms are not secure spaces, they are often messy, they can be risky and places where life is more tenuous. What are the “margin” spaces in your life? Where to you feel most vulnerable or stretched or at risk of moving “further off the page” and away from the centre?

Jesus spent a lot of time on the margins of society and with people who were living more perilous lives, either socially or financially or racially. When we read through the gospels we often see Jesus deliberately going to the margins against the wishes of the disciples and certainly of the Pharisees. Some of these margins were right under their noses, such as eating at the house of tax collectors like Matthew. Other margins were in distant places away from Jerusalem, like the woman he meets at the well in Samaria where all good Jews would have “felt the space” and known they were in an “undesirable” place both physically and socially and racially. These margins were messy places, uncomfortable places for the disciples, unclean places that had the potential to impact their safety closer to the “centre”, that being the temple and living as a “good Jew”.

But what they didn’t realise and what we often forget is that just as everything wants the security of being “near the centre”, the centre of the universe, God almighty himself was walking around with them and taking them to the margins to find those people and situations of mess that he deeply desired to heal and bring to himself – the true centre. Few people in Jesus day found the true centre of life, but the woman at the well did. She found the living water, the true cornerstone, the relationship she had been thirsting for all her life. However, the disciples were very slow on the uptake, if at all understanding who Jesus really was and what he was on about.

God still loves the margins today, the marginalized, the messy spaces – it is where he often does his best work and where he is revealed in his best light as saviour of the world and lover of broken and messed up people. There maybe personal “margins” in your life, areas of mess that Jesus wants to take you to and bring healing in. Are there “no-go” zones where God’s presence in your life is not allowed? Maybe there are people around you living in a margin of some sort that Jesus wants you to minister to and bring his light and love into. As a church where are the margins that Jesus is leading us to? Places of “in-between”, people who God is desiring to bring his wholeness or “shalom” to through us as we follow him. Jesus calls us into deeper relationship with himself, but in doing so calls us outward to follow him to the margins. We can’t go out without first going in, and we can’t truly go in without then desiring to go out. It is the Jesus way, it is the Father’s way, it is the way empowered by the Holy Spirit. The centre of the cosmos loves living in the margins – and his call is for us to follow him there.

Grace and Peace - Garry

God Became Flesh

The very unique thing about the Christian faith that is so different from other religions is the claim that in Jesus Christ, the eternal God revealed in the Hebrew scriptures wrapped himself in flesh and walked this earth as a full human being. That was and is a pretty outrageous claim, and in fact it got Jesus crucified. But, if true (and I believe it is), this act is the one thing that gives me hope – more than hope, a reason for my existence and a place to anchor my soul in the world.

Although I believe this happened, it can still be hard to immerse myself in the reality of God taking on humanity and experiencing life as a human, just like me. Recently Andrea and I have started watching the series on Jesus called “The Chosen”. It isn’t on Netflix or TV but you can download the app from the app store and watch the episodes for free. It is a dramatization of the events in the gospels with extra back stories woven in which are plausible based on the characters in the gospels and the time in which they lived.

It isn’t everyone’s thing and you have to take it for what it is, but one thing that has stood out for me in the drama is a fresh insight into Jesus humanity and the way he would have interacted with ordinary people. This has helped me then engage better with Jesus when I pray and read through scripture. The first episode of season 1 relates to his healing of Mary Magdalene and it is very moving and real. God in Jesus is portrayed as so personal and gentle and caring, yet powerful and full of life and love. The drama may not be something we all find helpful, but as a different entry into the gospel narrative I have found it quite refreshing.

I am challenged by the mystery and the wonder of God being born, growing up, learning to speak, developing coordination, engaging with people but also being able to say “before Abraham was born, I am”. Sometimes we can just go through the motions of “following Jesus”, but his call to us individually and as a community today to “follow me” is as real and present as it was to Peter on the shore of the lake 2000 years ago. God stepped into our time and space in a way that we probably couldn’t have even made up as a story in our wildest imaginations. He was both so ordinary and extraordinary that some fell on their knees in worship while others wanted to nail him to a cross.

Whether it is through a new drama or other ways, my prayer is that we would continue to get a fresh perspective of Jesus in a way that moves us to worship him, to offer our lives to him, to engage him more authentically in prayer. His call is still to “follow me” and we all like Peter and the other disciples and women need to respond to that call in Adelaide in 2021. And as we do that may God use us to be his presence in our world in our time and place.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Ears to Hear

If you were asked by someone whether you are a good listener or not, what would your response be? I think this is one area that we probably all would rate ourselves higher in than perhaps we actually are. If you had to score yourself out of 10, how would it compare with what people who know you best would say? If you ever do any counselling sessions with anyone, one of the things they talk about and encourage is “active listening”. That is, listening with intent and ensuring by reflecting back that you have actually heard what the other person is saying. The next step of course is to put in to practice or take on board the message you have heard! I think often we tune others out and pretend we are listening more than we really are. You may have had the experience of talking with someone and watching as they nod their head or look interested when in reality you know they are not really paying attention. If in doubt follow their eyes. In marriages we can easily switch off listening to the other and by the time we have been married a few years we don’t hear them or pay attention to them in the same way we did on our first date. It can be the same with us and God’s Spirit.

In our series on the letters to the churches in Revelation, there is a repeated call to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. This is a clear call, in some ways almost a question; have you heard what I am saying, have you paid attention, are you going to put it into practice? Because if you don’t there will be consequences, ranging from stagnation through to even loss of faith and relationship with God. Just as we tune out to others or talk over others or wander in our thoughts when someone is speaking to us, we tend to do exactly the same thing with the Holy Spirit. So my question to you is this. Are you actively listening to God? Are you seeking to hear what the Spirit might be saying to you personally and to us as a church? Or are you distracted, wandering off, or just completely disinterested like a stale marriage?

If we are serious about hearing from the Spirit, there are two main things I believe will help. Firstly, we must have a posture of listening and intentional focus toward God. This means time away from distraction, giving God our best not our scraps or left overs. Secondly we acknowledge that we need God to help open our ears. In Psalm 40:6 the psalmist says this: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened”. The more literal translation is “my ears you have dug out”. God is not interested in our acts of service or sacrifice if we are not wanting to hear from him. Relationship (communication) is what he desires most, not our offering, our coming to church, our being on a roster or skim reading a few bits of the Bible occasionally, and shooting up the odd desperation prayer. He wants to speak to us but we need him to help dig out our ears.

What blocks our ears is like wax, the things that slowly build up over time that we don’t even notice, but which eventually lead us to not being able to hear from the Spirit. What blockages are there in your life that might be presently preventing you from hearing what the Spirit is saying to the churches and to you personally? Busyness, focus on other things, distraction, watching too much TV, putting family or work above your desire for God? If you really want to hear from the Spirit and this is the deep desire of your heart, then do two things. Place yourself in a regular posture of attentive listening, and secondly begin to ask God to dig our your ears and give them a good flush. To put his finger on anything that has built up or got in the way of hearing his voice. Then keep doing this and see what happens.

Grace and Peace - Garry

My Comfortable Kingdom

Recently I have had to pick up some roles in ministry that I hadn’t done for 7 years, and to be honest, never thought I would go back to. I was a youth pastor for 7 years, and now having been a senior pastor for the past 7 years, I am having to step back into youth ministry for a season. Although I love youth and developing them in their faith, this is not a role I was wanting to take up given I still have oversight of the whole church. It felt a bit like God telling Moses to go back to Egypt when he really wasn’t that keen on leaving his live as a shepherd with his wife and family. As I have wrestled with God about why he hasn’t provided a youth pastor for us, I began to sense that I needed to be obedient to this call for this season, even though I didn’t feel comfortable about it.

As I have prayed and engaged with God I have been pondering the story of Moses and his call by God to go back to Egypt. Moses had left that life behind and his first feeble attempt at helping his people in his own strength had ended in disaster with him fleeing for his life. Now 40 years on, he has this encounter with God in the burning bush where God directs him to take on a new/old ministry; that of rescuing his people from slavery. But Moses does not want any part of it. He argues long and hard with God about going back and gets God quite irritated. Even when God shows by miraculous signs that he will provide for him and that it is his strength that will bring the people out, Moses still falters. It seems he has become quite comfortable with his life in the dessert as a shepherd.

Jesus spoke a lot about what it means to follow him to many who declared their desire to be one of his disciples. The image they perhaps had in mind when they boldly stated their allegiance may have been one of fame, prestige, power and authority. However, Jesus quickly bursts their bubble when he begins to unpack what it means to be a follower or disciple. Their faces fall quickly as he talks about carrying a cross, giving up their wealth, giving up their family, not having a home anymore, becoming a servant, becoming the least. Just to be clear; following God’s call to discipleship is not about taking on a life of suffering to earn merit or pride; but it isn’t always comfortable either. Jesus never promised his followers comfort and ease, but he did promise he would never leave them or forsake them and he only asked them to do what he (God) had already done.

So I have been personally exercised at this time as I have had to take up oversight of a role that I thought I had left behind to change the way I am praying. Rather than praying for someone else to come and do the job so that I can keep doing what I am doing, my prayer has shifted. It has become a prayer that God would place me where I am most useful in this season, not where I am most comfortable. Part of that is trusting that he will provide for what I need and acknowledging it is his work and his strength that accomplishes anything of value anyway. So where are you at the moment? Are you where God wants you to be? Are you open to asking him to show you were he wants you for this season in the place you are most useful, rather than where you are most comfortable? It might seem like a dangerous prayer, but being in the centre of God’s will is the safest place, even if it isn’t the most comfortable.

Grace and Peace - Garry

The Spirit as our deposit

This week I was ordering a new cupboard for the hall at church and was requested to put down a deposit before they would guarantee manufacture and delivery. It made me think about deposits and how they act as a securement of services or a purchase guarantee. In this year of Covid I know of many people who have lost money and deposits which were supposed to guarantee something being delivered or provided, but turned out not to be the case. Even insurance is not valid for many things in a pandemic, and moving forward we may think twice before we put anything down as a deposit or payment.

In our two recent sermon series there have been references to the Holy Spirit acting as a deposit or guarantee of the coming ‘glory’ or ‘inheritance’ that we have now in Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 1 that “having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession”. In Romans 8 we are told that the Spirit testifies (witnesses) with our spirit we are God’s children, and as such are heirs, and co-heirs with Christ of the glory that is to come. There are many guarantees or deposits that are not worth the paper they are written on in life; yet in Christ we receive the Holy Spirit who is a seal from God of who we are and what is yet to come.

However, just as a young heir to an estate, or even kingship, may still be sent off to boarding school or have to make their way in the world rather than kick back and wait for dad to fall off the perch; so we too have to journey through the ups and downs of life as we wait patiently for God’s kingdom to be fully revealed. But unlike some uncertain deposit on earth, we have a hope of this future because it is built on one foundation that gives us absolute certainty. The foundation that guarantees our inheritance and future life with God is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Paul says that it is in this hope we are saved, but it is far more than just being saved. We are now participants in the triune life of God as the Holy Spirit lives in us, and in this we taste the first fruits of the full harvest that is yet to come when Jesus is fully revealed.

So as I send off my deposit for the church hall cupboard, I hope and trust it will be made and delivered, which it probably will. But with God’s Spirit living in me as an adopted heir and co-heir with Jesus, I have a certain hope that is 100% secure of life with God that has started now but will be fully realised in the future. Paul says that nothing in this world or universe, either physical or spiritual can separate you from that or take that from you. Now that is a guarantee and foundation on which I can fully trust and build my life. This pandemic has changed our lives and the world, but it can’t change who you and I are in Jesus or separate us from his love and our inheritance as sons and daughters of God. There are days when I may not feel that way, but it doesn’t change the truth because the guarantor is not me or my emotions, but God who raise Christ from the dead with power and will raise me also. So let us live as people of hope in an ever changing world.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Finding Strength in God

I love the story in the Bible of David when he returns to his home in Ziklag and finds it burned down and all their wives and children taken hostage. That might seem like a strange story to like, but it isn’t because of what happened there, but rather what David did in response. If you need a refresher here is the passage:

1 Samuel 30:1-8  David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

It is hard to imagine what it would have been like for David and his men; try to imagine coming home to your house one day after work and finding it burned to the ground and your family taken captive. As hard as it is to get into that space try just sit and imagine that for a minute or two. What would you feel? What would you do if there were no police or anyone to help? Often in times of unexpected disaster the feelings of overwhelm are so strong they can lead to emotional and physical paralysis. We find that David and his men just collapse and weep for hours. We have seen images from around the world in recent weeks of communities faced with death and devastation and overwhelm from Covid-19. Pictures and stories of people weeping and being in a state of grief and paralysis. This is a normal human emotion in such circumstances. Fortunately, we in Australia have been spared such scenes. What follows next in the story is pretty normal in the grief cycle; grief turns quickly to anger. The men are so angry about what has happened to their families, and that anger has to go somewhere. Ridiculously they turn on their trusted leader David who has actually been the man who has led them and given them hope and a future. Many of these men had been on the run and in trouble before David took them in. Yet it times of grief, anger is blind and illogical; it is just so raw and overwhelming that it has to go somewhere. In this pandemic we have seen illogical and ugly racism and anger poured out on innocent and undeserving people; especially Chinese and Asian folk. The rhetoric of blame from Political leaders and the rapid discussion of lawsuits has also been unhelpful and added fuel to the fire.

David is at his lowest and weakest and most vulnerable point here. He has lost his home, his possession’s, his wives and kids, and now his men have turned on him and want to stone him to death. What he does next is inspiring and is a wonderful example of not only good leadership but also humility and faith. We read that rather than give up or run away or argue with his men, David turns to prayer and seeks God, and in doing so incredibly finds strength in God in his darkest hour. He calls the priest and begins to inquire of God and seek his face and his direction for the situation. I am very challenged by that response. How often when we are falling apart or angry or fearful and grief stricken do do we turn wholly and fully to God? The temptation is to do things in our own strength or just remain in paralysis or run away. Maybe in this current crisis you have had your own moments of distress, or despair or anger or paralysis. Have you turned to God? Have you inquired of him? Have you sought his face and found strength in him? Like David there are things we can do in a time of crisis rather than just do nothing and blaming others. God still wants to engage with us and show us how he wants to use us to help, not only us, but those around us.

David asks God some very open and specific questions. Should I pursue them? Will I overtake them? Will we be successful? God says yes! Get off the ground and go chase after them and fight them and I will give you success. In their tiredness they were obedient and David rallied himself and led his men on an exhausting rescue mission that was successful. Was it all clean and neat and tidy? No! I am sure some of their family members were mistreated and abused in those days they were in captivity – but God did enable them to pull off the rescue and everyone was saved. In that situation, like now, we can ask questions like: if God is so loving to David why didn’t he protect their families in the first place rather than letting them go through this ordeal and then rescue them? We may ask why God has allowed this pandemic to happen if he cares about his people, rather than just wanting to help us to get through it? Like with David we have no answers to these questions and I don’t think we can neatly tie it all up. But there are some key take home points from David that we can learn and apply today.

1 – God is always with us and he never leaves us even though really difficult situations occur in our lives

2 – We can either turn away from God in our grief and anger or we can turn to him and find strength and help

3 – Although the outcome may be messy and involve suffering, God still works miraculously in the mess through ordinary tired and weary people

4 – Ultimately when our own strength and abilities and ideas give out there is only one place left to go for help

So it may not be now, but next time you find yourself at the end of the road and perhaps facing grief and anger and even criticism from those around you; turn to God for strength like David did. Seek his face and spend some time in his presence. Ask him for help and for practical strength and wisdom about what actions to take. God didn’t deliver the families back to David and his men all gift wrapped on a cloud. They still had to chase them down, fight a battle and then bring them home and rebuild their town. That whole process was exhausting and took effort and time. But in all of that God was with them and they could not have done it without him. Not one person was lost, and that was a God thing. Some of them no doubt suffered, but not one person was lost. In fact, they got more plunder and livestock out of the whole thing than they had before, but that is beside the point.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble as David wrote in Psalm 46. Perhaps as he penned those words he was remembering the story of Ziklag. Today take time to remember this truth and find your strength in God. Ask him what he wants you to do at this time and how he wants you to act to help not only yourself or your family, but also those who are struggling around you. It won’t be pretty, and there are often not neat tidy answers.  But God has a way forward and he needs us to act and partner with him to bring about his restoration and Kingdom purposes in our broken world.

Grace and Peace - Garry

The Waiting Rooms of Life

The Waiting Rooms of Life

Waiting – it can almost slow time down. I imagine waiting during the birth of a child or outside an operating theater would be one of the most challenging situations where time does seemingly stand still. Waiting is hard, or at least for me it is a challenge. I am generally an action person who likes to get on with the job and sort things out. I don’t sit well with unfinished things or problems that I can see solutions to. Over my life I have had to learn to be more patient, to sit with mess, to allow myself to be uncomfortable with problems and imperfect outcomes. It hasn’t been easy. Other people tend to procrastinate a bit more, to put things off or not attempt something for fear of making a mistake. We are all wired differently.

With the current Covid-19 crisis, we are now in somewhat of an uncomfortable waiting game. The initial flurry of activity, disruption and adjustment has settled down. We have flattened the curve, especially in SA, and the news feed has entered that phase it always does in long term crisis where it just starts to become repetitive. There isn’t much more to say, except wait. In some ways this long term waiting can be harder than dealing with the initial disruptions. Mainly because we can’t “do anything” to fix it and we don’t know how long it will be like this. Humans tend not to do well with uncertainty and a lack of control. I certainly don’t.

Those who have lived through the world wars and great depression know more about this, but there are far fewer of those people around us to tell us it will be ok and that you can survive, and even grow through the waiting and uncertainty. We have become too accustomed to instant fixes, fast downloads and money buying solutions, be that holidays to alleviate boredom, or even insurance for things like elective surgery. I currently have braces and now I don’t have any appointments and I have no idea how long it will be before I get them off. I don’t like that!

But in these times we need to keep to the ancient roads, to learn again from the deep and ancient wisdom of God in the Bible. To see things from his perspective and to draw strength and encouragement from others who have gone before us and have had to wait. Some for long periods of time with only their faith to get them through. This has been and continues to be the story of faith; faith in a faithful God. God wants to meet us in the waiting rooms of life, but it can’t be hurried, and it can’t be controlled. We often have our go-to stories, like Abraham who had to wait 25 years for God to fulfill his promise. Along the way his faith waivered and he tried to fix the situation through his own means. That didn’t end well, yet the Bible still commends him for his faith and in the end God did fulfill his promise. Also over that 25 years Abraham did meet God, he was not abandoned, yet there also wasn’t a fast track fix to fulfill his deep desire for a son. Then there was Joseph who had to wait two years for God to do something after he had been sold as a slave and then thrown into prison based on the lies of his master’s wife. I imagine he had some long days of questioning and pondering. Was that it? Would his situation ever change?

The Psalms are full of questions and cries; how long O Lord must we wait? Why are things as they are and why do you not act? Yet they are also jammed full of promises that God is with us and has not abandoned us and that we should wait on him. The end of Psalm 27 exhorts us “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Jesus also comforts us with these words from John 16:33  "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."  So rather than wringing our hands in despair let us take this opportunity of being placed in this waiting room at this season of life to draw close to God. If we allow ourselves to wait on him and open ourselves up to what he wants to say to us and do in us then I believe there is a great opportunity for growth and a deepening of our faith and relationship with God. Fruit only comes with patient waiting and incremental growth.

We can’t always remain strong at all times, and there will be moments when we wobble and take our eyes off Jesus and off our heavenly Father and look at the circumstances around us just as Peter did after stepping out of the boat. As we feel that we are beginning to sink remember that Jesus moved to Peter and reached out and took him by the hand and he wants to do the same for you and me. What makes our faith work and of real value does not lie in our ability to conjure something up. Our faith works because of who it is in; Almighty God the creator of heaven and earth. He does not slumber or sleep and he has promised he will never leave us or forsake us. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is before all things, in all things and in front of all things.

So as we wait let us give thanks for what we have, give thanks for God’s grace and love, and continue to put our trust in him even when we feel ourselves sinking. God is faithful, that is just who he is and he can’t be anything other than is true self. His Holy Spirit lives in us and intercedes for us and because of that we have great hope and the opportunity for real joy that goes beyond our circumstances. There are many around us who are not in relationship with God and don’t have that same confidence and hope. In this time of waiting and challenges may we find ways to share the hope that we have in real and meaningful ways with those around us. So be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Amazing Grace

Once a group of philosophers were discussing the various religions of the world and what was unique about Christianity among them. C.S Lewis came in on the conversation and said, oh that’s simple. The difference between Christianity and other faiths is grace. Grace simply is getting what we don’t deserve, or maybe on the flipside not getting what we do deserve. The hymn Amazing Grace was written by John Newton, a former slave trader who had a dramatic encounter with God that changed his life. He was overwhelmed by the fact that God could still love him and forgive him despite the heinous crimes he had committed in his life. For him, God’s forgiveness was truly amazing grace! When was the last time you experienced God’s amazing grace personally?

I was chatting with a fellow pastor this week and they were reflecting on the amazing grace of God to Aaron in the Old Testament. Israel had just come out of Egypt and were at the foot of Mt Sinai. They had, in recent months, seen God do incredible things. Not only that, his presence was with them in the form of the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Moses had gone up the mountain to talk to God and receive the Law, and the top of the mountain was covered with cloud and fire. But he was gone a long time – about 40 days or so. The people began to grumble and say “where is Moses”? Incredibly they went to Aaron, Moses right hand man, and said “make us an idol from gold for us to worship”.

Not only was this request outrageous given all they had experienced, Aaron unbelievably went along with it and made a golden calf and declared that this was the “god” that had bought them out of Egypt! Moses comes down the mountain and finds them worshiping this calf and running wild. Then Aaron has the nerve to lie and say that he just thrown the gold into the fire and “out came this calf”. Yet despite all this, rather than striking Aaron down, God shows incredible grace to him and forgives him. He allows him to keep being the head priest, and more than that gets the craftsmen and weavers to make for Aaron elaborate garments and ornaments to wear in his priestly role representing the people before God. Amazing Grace! Aaron got what he didn’t deserve, and he didn’t get what he did deserve.

It made me stop and reflect on God’s grace in my life. God doesn’t grant me my “shopping list” prayers, but he has given me so much grace in my life in so many ways. This week take some time as you pray to think about God’s grace and what that has meant for you. How has God demonstrated his grace over your life and what have you got that you didn’t deserve, or perhaps not got what you did deserve? Can you join with John Newton and Aaron declaring his amazing grace?

Grace and Peace - Garry

Devoted to Prayer

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

When we read through not only the book of Acts, but the whole of the New Testament, we find that prayer is central to the life of the church and to Paul’s teachings. For us in our current context at PBC, if you asked the question as an outside observer if we were devoted to prayer, you would probably have to say “no”. That is not to beat ourselves up and make us feel bad – we just aren’t particularly devoted to prayer.

“Devotion” is a strong word – I am devoted to my wife, and that is evident in the way I spend my time, order my life, deal with money and a whole bunch of other things. But am I devoted to prayer? Does it shape my life, influence how I spend my time, affect my use of possessions and money? Prayer is often hard, especially if you want to be consistent with it and have regular rhythms built into your day or week. Yet when we look at the life of Jesus we see him regularly getting up early or taking time out to go off and pray on his own in solitary places.

Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Why do you or I find it hard to pray individually or corporately? Is it still mystical to us or disconnected from “real life” such that we find it awkward, or perhaps a bit pointless at times? Why does it seem we only pray when we are in trouble, and why does God often seem to not answer our prayer? In the coming weeks we are going to look at prayer in our preaching series. We want to understand what prayer is better. To know how to pray, to look at different ways of praying and to hopefully be encouraged to pray more and engage with prayer more authentically.

As part of this journey as a church, we have shaped a prayer that we want to use as a starting point and anchoring place for us individually and corporately. It is a prayer to call us back to God, to open ourselves to him honestly, and to ask him to open our ears so we can hear his voice.

Father, Son, Spirit, I choose to make room for you

Still my mind and quiet the clamour of all that competes with you

I repent of my independence, apathy and busyness

Wherever I am, whatever I do, you are with me

I want to walk daily in intentional conversation with you

Unplug my ears, let me hear your still small voice once again

I would encourage you over the coming weeks to go deeper in prayer, explore it in new ways, experiment with new types of prayer or places of prayer in your life. Ask God to deepen your desire to spend time conversing with him and waiting on him. Let us follow the model Jesus left us, let us often take time out of our week to spend with God. May we hear his voice afresh and may it cause us to be more devoted to prayer.

Grace and Peace - Garry

When Disaster Strikes

This year has ended and the new year begun with catastrophic bushfires around Australia. In every state there have been devastating fires. Many people have lost their lives, over 1000 homes have been destroyed and tens of thousands of stock and countless native animals have perished. The news has been full of stories and images of the fires and many accounts have been harrowing as people stared powerlessly at the oncoming destruction. In reading many accounts, people often have referred to the experience like “being in hell”, or referring to the fire as a “monster” or a “demon”.

The power, ferocity, speed and unpredictability of the fires has overwhelmed people. It makes us realise how helpless we are in the face of such power and how quickly everything physical we own and have amassed over decades can be wiped out in minutes. Some Christians seize on these opportunities to say that God is “punishing” our nation and that the lack of rain and intensity of the fires is judgement and that we need to repent. Yet I think the reality is much more nuanced than that and we would do well to take stock and act first with compassion before we get too theological.

Throughout history many people have faced devastating times when it has seemed like they are in the “apocalypse” and that the “end of the world” is nigh. In more recent times we think of the Boxing Day Tsunami, but I am sure those who lived through the horrors of war and things like the potato blight famine were in a similar position. Yes this world will not continue forever and God has promised to make all things new. But when and how that will exactly happen is uncertain and the Bible tells us not to worry about dates and times.

Our response as Jesus followers in situations like this should be to pray for those affected and help were we can as people come to terms with their loss and grief. Yes it should remind us that what we have is fleeting and will not last, but what does last is faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love. God has not given up on this world and disasters have happened before and will happen again. We are to be the hands and feet of God and to offer practical support and love to those suffering. Yes we have the hope of God in Jesus, but we are called to offer that in love not in pious judgement and condemnation.

We should also take stock of our own lives and ask ourselves the question of where out true hope and security lies. If our house burnt down tomorrow would we still have faith in God? Would we still have hope for the future knowing that this is not our forever home. Jesus said, where your treasure is there your heart will be also. The disaster of the fires should remind us to keep finding our treasure in God and not in our material possessions which will not last. Let us be people of prayer, and people of compassion, and people of hope in 2020.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Who Do You Think You Are?

As we take an overview in our current preaching series on 1 Peter, one of the themes that stands out in Peter’s message to the churches is that of their identity and belonging. He refers to them several times as “strangers” or “aliens” in the world; yet they were not in physical exile. Most of them were just living where they had been brought up. So what is Peter trying to say and what does it have to say to us?

In recent years there have been many TV’s series about where we have “come from”. Similarly the popularity of ancestry searches has been incredibly high. Shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Go Back to Where You Came From” have been popular, but also controversial. The question of what it means to be an “Australian” has been divisive; for those born here, for refugees, for first and second generation kids, and for Aboriginal people. Where is home? Who is welcome here? Where do you and I belong? What is your/our story? My grandfather grew up in Scotland, I was born in PNG, I grew up mostly in PNG, I have spent time in Australia, but I have also lived overseas and travelled the world. So who am I and where is my home and place of origin?

As Christians in the West we can also feel now a disconnect and fear about where our place and voice in society is. Christianity, for a whole bunch of reasons (many self-inflicted), has lost its public and respected voice in our lifetime. We find ourselves on the margins with little influence and with many people viewing us cautiously and with suspicion. Yet for Peter’s audience and for us, the message is not one of doom and circling the wagons as we face “exile” in our “own land”, whatever that means. Peter encourages his churches which are made up of both Jews and Gentiles, that now as the people of God their identity and belonging and home is no longer on earth. Their hope is eternal and the kingdom of their new Lord is now not a physical earthly one, but a heavenly one.

He addresses them, and now us, as a “chosen people” and a “royal priesthood” belonging to God. God has called us out of darkness into his light; we are to live out that hope as individuals and as a community that others might see us as visibly different. We are to be a people and a community that have values that are different to the culture around us. But we are to live out those values respectfully and joyfully rather than trying to close ranks or cling to whatever remaining power still lingers from Christendom. So in the Kingdom of God, we are given a new identity. It matters not where we were born, what colour our skin is, whether we are refugees, long standing migrants, or aboriginal first nation people. In Christ we are all part of his holy nation whose home is beyond this world. And so we live as “strangers” and “aliens” no matter what our heritage is. But we do so with the hope of glory in our hearts and a deep love for each other and those God is still calling to his family.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Investing Well

We hear a lot these days about the stock market and volatility in share prices and sluggish house prices and underperforming investments affecting retirees. Investments are things we put in place to help secure our future and bring a return. In listening to some conversations on the radio it made me think about how we invest as followers of Jesus and where we are putting our efforts and what kind of return we are seeking.

As we farewell Jess at the end of this month we will celebrate all that she has invested into the life of our kids ministry at Parkside. She will move on to invest in another community and in more young people, but the seed she has sown and the investment she has made in the lives of our kids and families will still bear fruit long after she has gone. I want to thank Jess for all the time and effort and passion she has given to helping our kids grow in their knowledge of God. This is sowing and investing that will reap an eternal reward, not just a dividend or profit that is of limited earthly value.

In fare-welling Jess and thinking about investments from our societies point of view, it made me question where I am investing and what things I am giving my heart and efforts to. We can put time and effort into things that we can’t take into the next life, or we can seek to invest in God’s kingdom with our whole heart, while also being good earthly stewards of the physical blessings God has given us. Jesus in his ministry and Paul in his letters talked a lot about sowing and investing into eternal things. People and their souls and spiritual development; things that will carry over into eternity.

Jesus in Matthew 6 says: "Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or - worse! - stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.” – Message Translation

Paul in 1 Corinthians 3 says: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.  For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” – NIV

May we all seek to sow and invest in God’s kingdom, and in people and their faith journey. Who are you sowing into and who are you investing in. God does the work of growing, but he calls us to sow and invest and water. We pray a blessing on Jess as she moves to a new community to keep sowing and investing into kids and thank her for all she has done at Parkside over the past 3 years.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Abiding in Jesus evidenced by love

Going through the fruit of the Spirit, which is the outworking and evidence of us abiding in Jesus and the Holy Spirit abiding in us; it struck me again the importance and centrality of love. Love individually and love corporately. There is just no getting away from it. God is love, and if we want to be filled by God then we must be filled with his love. On paper we might agree with that, but 1 Corinthians 13 makes it very clear what the practical outworking of that love of God looks like. When we read it, it seems like an impossibly high bar. God’s love is patient, it is kind, it isn’t envious of others, it doesn’t boast (counter cultural in our social media world). It is not rude, nor is it self-seeking, it doesn’t get angry easily, keeps no record of others wrongs against us. It always trusts (risk of trust being broken), it always hopes (for a better future), and it always perseveres.

Wow! How do we individually and as a church measure up to that? Just run your own personal life over those things and in your head give yourself a quick score out of 10. Then if you feel courageous maybe ask the person who knows you best to score you – see how they compare. Paul says that if we don’t love like this then nothing else we do matters or counts, no matter how “Christian” or supernatural they may be. Just as without abiding in Jesus we can do nothing, if we do not have this kind of love of God in us, what we do means nothing!

It seems a bit harsh but I think the reality is that if we do not love in this way then we are not abiding in Jesus or being transformed by his Holy Spirit. Both John 15 and 1 Corinthians say that this will be the fruit if we truly do abide in Christ. The fruit just comes naturally by being in the vine and it is unforced. So how can that happen without us just “trying harder” and failing and feeling miserable and guilty? I think there are two simple answers that will lead us to loving more and producing the fruit of the Spirit. Firstly we have to experience the overwhelming unconditional, complete, and pure love of God for us personally. It is only when we have been overwhelmed by and “undone” or set free by the love of God that we can then do that for others. Until we fully experience the deep love of our Father then we will always struggle to love others. Secondly we need to spend more time with Jesus, in prayer, in his word, in his presence, wasting time with him. The more intentional time we spend with Jesus and abide in him, the more he will abide in and change us to be more like him. Two very simple things that we as humans find incredibly hard to do.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Abiding and Illumination

We have just started a new series at church based out of John 15 and Jesus image of the vine and the branches. He is the vine and his call is for us as branches to abide in him. If we do then we will produce fruit. So what does it look like for Jesus to abide in us? The disciples find out pretty quickly what that is through the promise and coming of the Holy Spirit who would remain in them and fill and empower them. We read in Acts 2 that the Holy Spirit came and filled ALL of the believers, and that from this point on God through the Holy Spirit was abiding in each person. The outcome of this abiding was that they declared or revealed the wonders of God to the ordinary people around them in a way they could understand (their native tongue).

As believers today we are filled with the same Holy Spirit. When we abide in Jesus and his Spirit abides in us the Spirit empowers us to declare or reveal the wonders of God to those around us in ways that they can understand or that are noticeable to them. Of course some people in Acts made fun of them as they may of us, but many people were attracted to them and wondered at what they saw and heard. This gave Peter the opportunity to expound the good news to them.

When I was recently on retreat at Sevenhill, I went into the church one morning and was drawn to the brilliant pattern of light I saw on one of the walls. After marveling at it for a few moments I wondered where it was coming from and looked to the other side of the church to see the light streaming through the stain glass window. The window itself was not spectacular and the glass was old and dirty. Yet the light shining through it and illuminating it produced something attractive, spectacular, and beautiful on the other side of the church. It made me think again about this abiding thing. When the Holy Spirit abides in us and shines through us and illuminates us then just like the early church we hopefully reflect the love of God and reveal his wonders to those around us both individually and corporately. Not because we are special, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit at work illuminating us. Some may laugh, some may not pay any attention, but some will stop and hopefully see the gospel in us in a way they understand.

Abide in Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to keep illuminating you through his power. If people wonder or ask you what is different, then like Peter, use the opportunity to share with them what Jesus has done for you.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Remain in Me

In John 15 Jesus is giving his disciples some final words before his departure. Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and says that the disciples must “remain in him”, and if they do then he will “remain in them”. He also says that without him, or without remaining in him, we can do nothing! If we do not remain in him then we are like a branch that withers and is cut off. The old Bible language uses the word “abide” rather than remain and this at some levels speaks of a deeper intimacy and tenderness. If we abide in Jesus then his Father the gardener will prune us and in time we will bear much fruit.

No matter how hard I try or how competent I am or how much Bible knowledge I have or how much I do in serving others, if I don’t remain in Jesus I can do nothing. Nothing that will last or be fruitful anyway. It seems that remaining in Jesus is a choice we make. If we take ourselves out of the vine and away from the life giving flow then we will wither and die spiritually. However, Jesus promises that through remaining or abiding in him we will naturally produce fruit without even trying. This may require some pruning and seasons of dormancy, but in season fruit will form.

This passage also makes me reflect on Psalm 1, where another botanical image is used by the Psalmist. Here the analogy is of a tree planted or abiding by streams of living water. Through its location and remaining or abiding near the water source the leaves of the tree never wither no matter what heat comes. It flourishes and again produces fruit “in season”. No matter what season we are in individually or in our ministry areas or as a church, the invitation from Jesus is personal, and it is ongoing and active. Abide in me. Find your life in me. Trust the pruning of my Father. We can choose not to abide in Jesus. We can position ourselves away from the vine and away from the living water. But if we do that, in time we will wither and we won’t produce fruit. What does it look like for you to daily abide in Jesus? What can you do to connect your life directly into his? How can we as a church community continue to be Jesus centred and abiding in him so that through him we might see growth and life and fruit in season?

For me the answer is threefold. Firstly to spend time in his word, soaking in scripture regularly. Secondly to spend time in prayer, not just with wish lists or request, but in conversation and dialogue and thanksgiving and worship. And thirdly to take time to listen and invite the Holy Spirit to be speaking to us. Schedule times of solitude and reflection and adopting a posture of listening to God. All of that will help us Abide in Jesus.

Grace and Peace - Garry

The Fellowship of Believers

Having just come through Easter and imagining the rollercoaster ride the disciples travelled over that weekend we emerge on the other side of the cross and the resurrection. Everything had to be re-oriented in light of the new reality. And then things were turned even more upside down with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. After the dust settled what do we find the new community of God doing and what characteristics did they display as they began to live in the new reality of the Kingdom of God?

We read in Acts that a few things became the hallmarks of this new community of Jesus followers. They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Word, to the “fellowship” (that is to each other), to the breaking of bread (meals together in which they celebrated Jesus) and to prayer. And they met together daily in worship and praise. They were generous in sharing with each other, and the Holy Spirit was present in power through ongoing signs and wonders.

Now we know that the challenges of this new community came thick and fast as the reality of being “church” and a functioning body of Christ made up of people from all strata of society and religious education set in. Very quickly they were having to wrangle significant challenges and disagreements and lies. There were ethnic and money issues that could have easily derailed the work of God. However, they refused to be distracted from the core of what it meant to be the new people of God.

They continued to devote themselves to the Word and the teaching of the Apostles, to prayer, to regular meeting together for worship and praise, and to sharing fellowship and meals together in each other’s homes. We are a long way culturally and time wise from the early church community, however it seems to me the basic tenants of our gathering are, and should remain much the same.

We weekly create space for the teaching and exposition of Scripture by those gifted by God to teach. We meet weekly to praise and worship God (Father, Son and Spirit). We share around the Lord’s table, we offer up prayers thanksgiving and also requests on behalf of others, and we meet through our small groups and house churches to have fellowship together. If we neglect these basic practices then I believe we lose our way as a Jesus centred community. The early church was known for its love and I hope we demonstrate that too.

There is so much that distracts us in our culture and world. There is so much noise and “busyness” that hinders us living as the people of God. Each of these tenants and practices of the church through the ages requires intentionality and prioritisation, week in and week out. If we want to remain Jesus centred and Kingdom focused then we have no other blueprint. So from time to time it is good for us individually, as families and as a church community to check in with how we are doing with these disciplines. Hopefully if we are doing them out of a heart of love we will like the early church experience the joy of “glad and sincere hearts”.

Grace and Peace - Garry

God Doesn't Need Much to Work With

This sermon series we are looking at the question “what is the gospel?” and how we can become better equipped “bearers of good news” as individuals and as a church community? Often we feel like we don’t have a lot to offer or are scared or intimidated in sharing any aspect of God’s good news with others. We might fear that we will stuff it up, or that they will think we are stupid, or that what we are saying sounds so implausible in post-modern 21st century Australia. On the contrary, I think the good news in all its many facets actually is very plausible and would interest a lot of people if we found the right entry point.

The good news for us Jesus followers is that he doesn’t need much to do a lot, and all we need to do is bring what we have and offer it for him to use. Our story and our experience of God is just that – it’s our story and if God has worked in us then we do have something to share, no matter how insignificant or pathetic we might think it is.

Jesus did a lot with nothing; in fact, he spoke the world into existence out of nothing. The two examples we often turn to from his ministry life to draw encouragement from in this regard are the feeding of the 5000 and the feeding of the 4000 (many more including women and children). The disciples felt overwhelmed when Jesus asked them to feed the hungry masses – to give them some “good news”, hungry as they were. Maybe even more overwhelmed than we feel when we think about sharing the gospel, our story of God’s grace, with others.

However, Jesus was not concerned in the slightest with the amount they had to offer. He was looking for faith and obedience. He could do as much with 5 loaves and 2 fish as he could with 10,000 loaves and 5,000 fish. So when they limply and timidly bring the ludicrously small token of food to offer him he responded by saying – that is enough. Now tell them to sit down in groups and see how I will use your very small offering. We know the story, Jesus blessed the food and multiplied it and every person got a full belly and there was plenty left over.

Jesus can do the same with us in the little we feel we have to share with others in proclaiming the good works of God in us, in our church and in and through his life and death and resurrection. It actually really is good news! When we step out in faith as opportunity arises and share this with people we need to relax and let the Holy Spirit take over and use it to work in ways we can’t see or imagine. Not everyone will respond and immediately fall on their knees, however I believe that God will honour our courage and do what we can’t do in others. So keep your eyes and ears open and when opportunity comes, step out in faith and let God use your little to do whatever he wants with your story and our story and his story.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Learning The Score

God as creator is artistic to his very core – his essence is creativity and he delights in being creative. We are made creative because we are made in his image. We are his image bearers therefore, we are highly creative beings. Part of his creativity is music and dance and art. Many of the symbols and works in the creative world point us to who God is and bring us delight and joy in sharing his divine and creative life. God’s mandate for his image bearers involve three main areas; namely relationship, stewardship and worship. To be in relation to him and each other, to be stewards of the world and the creative abilities and gifts he has given us, and to worship him as we relate and create. Yet the distortion of sin has turned relationship into cheap sex, stewardship into the desire for money and things, and worship into a power struggle for self-edification against God and others.

Jesus came as the true image of the invisible God. In Jesus all the fullness of God dwelled and he came to live out for us the mandate that we had failed to live. To show us what it meant to relate to God our Father and to each other, to show us how to steward this good earth rightly, and to show us how to worship in Spirit and in Truth. In musical terms Jesus came and showed us the Musical Score that God had given us to ‘play and dance’ as his image bearers. However, we have distorted the score and written our own music, danced our own dance, and this has led to the destruction of our world, our communities and our image bearing selves.

Jesus showed us what God is like and he calls us back to being his children, to living life, playing the score and dancing the divine dance of life as we were created to be. There is only one divine score and our role as followers of Jesus and unique human beings is not to write our own score or dance our own dance. We are each called and filled with the Holy Spirit to learn to play God’s score in the context and family and community that we are placed. Being God’s image bearers is not a fact or a label – it is a vocation. To live our lives in a way that they will be salt and light and draw people back to the divine life in Jesus. To create curiosity and questions of others who are playing distorted music and destructive dance in a broken world where people treat the created good as either a gold mine or an ashtray. A ballerina was asked after her dance once what it meant. She replied that if she could have described it in words she would not have needed to dance it.

Jesus danced the divine score and he calls us into his kingdom as people who will learn the score and play it and dance it, not as a cold series of propositions, but as salt to a meal and as light in the darkness.

Grace and Peace - Garry

Nothing Changes in 2019

As we enter a new year we go through that familiar time when people try to implement new changes; either dietary to recover from Christmas, or related to some new goal they want to achieve. One thing we are certain of in 2019 is that there will be change. Someone once said that the three things you can be certain of in life above all else are taxes, death and change. We all dislike taxes and we all worry about death, and many of us are fearful of change.

However, although we know this new year will bring changes whether we like it or not, and that some of them may not be pleasant, there are some things that will not change. We can draw comfort from the truth that as we face another year with personal, family, communal and global uncertainty, God does not change. Scripture tells us that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and that he is faithful and his love remains. His kingdom is coming and his will is going to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

In this new year draw strength from the fact that your life is hidden with Christ in God, that none can snatch you from his hand. That no matter what comes God’s Spirit lives in you. We have a sure and certain future and we can draw comfort and strength from his presence in the now. There may be times that you will feel distant from God or even that he has forgotten about you or abandon you. But no matter what your thoughts and feelings, hold on to the truth declared by Jesus himself, who cannot lie, that he will never leave you or forsake you. Sometimes when God feels distant we experience him through his comfort and presence in others around us.

Jesus never promised us perfect health, no stress, no financial worries, no hardships, no challenges, no change. But he did promise that he would be with us till the very end, that he has gone to prepare a place for us, and that he will return to take us to be where he is. I hope this year brings you times of great joy, unexpected pleasant surprises, wonderful experiences and new areas of growth. But whatever comes I pray your foundation and roots will go deeper into our Triune God. That the foundation on which your life is built this year is Jesus Christ and your standing in him. May he draw you deeper into himself and may this year bring you closer to him rather than take you further from him. As the old hymn goes – “all may change but Jesus never”.

Grace and Peace - Garry

What Do You See?

We make judgements about people all the time; it is what we do as humans. Every time we meet with someone or even walking down the street, we are constantly making judgments even if it is subconsciously. We judge what people wear, what they do, how they look, what they say or even what they eat or what car they drive.

As a church community, what percentage of people would you say are worried about how they will be perceived or judged each time they come to church? I actually think most of us carry a fear of judgment a lot of the time. Maybe you worry someone will judge you because of your past or your tattoos. Maybe you think someone will judge you because you don’t have much money. Maybe you worry someone will judge you because you have lots of money and that is how they see you. Perhaps you feel judged because of the way your kids behave or how you parent or how your family compares to others. You might feel judged as a single or as a single parent or as a divorcee. Maybe you feel you are not very good looking or maybe you feel judged because you are good looking but that is the only thing people see in you. You could feel judged for not singing, or for worshipping too freely.

The truth is poor people feel judged and rich people feel judged. Ordinary looking people feel judged and beautiful people feel judged. Both single and married mums feel judged, quite worshipers and expressive worshipers feel judged, and so it goes and so it goes. Men compare themselves to others in a whole raft of ways. I think deep down we all worry about something in who we are or how others see us or perceive us.

But the wonderful reality of the Gospel is that we are all made in the image of God and we all have equal status and worth in his family. We all are unique and loved deeply just as we are by our creator and saviour Jesus Christ. God loves you – the real you, just as you are and nothing will change that. If we could see ourselves in Christ as he sees us I think it would totally change our perspective of others and ourselves. Henri Nouwen wrote a prayer about being his true self:

“Take away the many fears, suspicions, and doubts by which I prevent you from being my Lord, and give me the courage and freedom to appear naked and vulnerable in the light of your presence, confident in your unfathomable mercy”.

Jesus in his ministry treated and saw everyone for who they were – dearly loved image bearers whom he came to save. It didn’t matter if they were rich or poor, wicked or good, slave or free, male or female, young or old, common or beautiful. He loved them and he loves and approaches us in the same way. So allow yourself to be loved and free before God and allow others to be loved and free that they might find their true selves in Christ. Then we will begin to have true communion as the body of Christ. Then we will testify to the world that God’s love is among us.

Grace and Peace - Garry