Community is... Passing on the vision

Readings:  Deuteronomy 34 v 1-12

                  Matthew 22 v 34-40

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain--that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees--as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there." 

5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. 

9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

 Last week , we attended worship at a tiny church in the village of Collouire in the South of France. It was part of the Reformed church in France. I don’t have a lot of French but I followed the gist of the sermon, helped by the fact that the preacher was using the lectionary, the prescribed readings for that Sunday. It’s one of the things I love about following the lectionary is the idea that churches all over the world, in all sorts of places, different denominations in different languages are, together, struggling with the same texts.

And so, in that little church in France, I was enabled to hear the word of God, a word of challenge and a word of grace.

That afternoon, as we wandered around the village, we were stopped, literally, in our tracks by this colourful jazz band. (pic)

Just a foretaste of the wonderful, fun music we are enjoying this morning. (praise is led by Rae Bros New Orleans Jazz Band)

The promised land is sure to be full of jazz musicians.

What of that Promised Land?

Over these last few weeks we have journeyed, perhaps slogged might be a better description, with Moses and the Israelites, through the wilderness from their flight from Egypt to their journey to the Promised Land.

We have read stories of challenge and confrontation, of triumph and failure.

Today, Moses bids farewell.

That intrepid leader who has overcome all sorts of difficulties, who has conquered personal inadequacies, who has communed with God on the mountain top and then endured the grumbling of the people he led, Moses, within sight of the Promised Land, has to bid us farewell.

After all that he has achieved and all that he has endured, Moses doesn’t actually get to enter the promised land.

But he does get to see it.

There, on the Mountain top, it is laid out before him.

There’s a lovely detail in the passage that Moses’ sight was not impaired and his vigor was unabated – and so he was able to see in all it’s glory, this land promised to the Israelites.

With this sight burning in his mind and with passion still in his heart, Moses died.

The Israelites buried Moses, mourned him for 30 days and then moved on with their new leader, Joshua.

But what a wonderful epitaph we read:

Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

It is the end AND a beginning.

As the baton of leadership is passed from the elder statesman Moses to the younger but still wise Joshua.

Why was this passage so smooth?

Why does it appear seamless?

Because, although the leadership has changed, although there was the inevitable mourning of a great leader, the vision that the Israelites followed was one rooted, not in humans but in God – the passion that endured was founded on the will and purpose of God.

As it has been in the church from generation to generation,

Leaders pass on the baton and the vision remains rooted in God.

There will always be the grumblers, always the skeptics, always those small minded enough to want to hold things back.

But God’s vision to which we subscribe is so much bigger.

God’s vision sees beyond the pettiness and all the attempts at holding back progress.

God’s vision leads us on to a land and a life we can only imagine, bound as we are in human concepts.

Consider this quote from Oscar Romero:

“The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our wisdom. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No program accomplishes our mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. That is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

And the promise from today’s story is that God’s kingdom will come despite us, the followers of God. Even with all our stubbornness and pride we cannot hold back God’s mission.

THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS.

Fraser Aitken, from St Columba’s posted on facebook yesterday:

“What a comfort this passage is to leaders of the church today”.

That notion that if we are faithful in leadership, though we may not see the fruit of our labour, God’s plans will not be thwarted.

No matter how many obstacles we encounter, no matter how difficult it is to get people to change, to look outwards instead of inwards, to glimpse a vision much bigger than ours, God continues to lead us on beyond the present to a wonderful future.

Supposing then, that we choose not to be a stumbling block.

Suppose we were to embrace God’s vision wholeheartedly.

Where would we begin?

Jesus answer to his antagonists in the gospel provides for us the answer to that question.

6 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 37 He said to him, " "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Living like that, discovering HOW to love God by practicing love on our neighbours allows us to glimpse a vision of that new Kingdom that is God’s will for us – that kingdom where people live in love able to enjoy all that God promises to us.

Able to live in love because we are no longer squabbling for position, no longer holding back, no longer grappling for power but living in love with each other and with God.

Loving each other teaches us how to truly love God.

Loving like that takes us right to the heart of God.

As those entrusted today with passing on that baton of love, may we be enabled to lay down all that holds us back, may we stop being stumbling blocks to the kingdom and, instead love until we know the heart of God and see God’s vision come to life in this place, for this time and for this people that we are called to serve.

COMMUNITY IS… PASSING ON THE VISION

A vison fulfilled in God's own time, a vision that we work towards by loving God and our neighbour.

To God be the glory.

Amen

Community is... Trusting together

Reading:  Exodus 32 v 1-14

                  Matthew 22 v 1-14

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Many tributes have been paid this week to Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple inc who died tragically early.

He leaves a huge legacy in his technological innovations, innovations that have revolutionised the world of computing and global communication.

Not just the I phone and I pod and I pad but an inspiring story of amazing entrepreneurship and motivation

I saw a cartoon depicting Steve Jobs arriving at the pearly gates. St Peter is paging through a huge roll book, looking for Steve’s name. Steve tells him: I have an app for that.

Steve did in fact create and encourage others to create and circulate many apps that make life much easier and convenient.

But what struck me about the notion contained in that cartoon – is the idea of even heaven moving with the times, heaven being brought into the technological age.

And a God who not only imparts wisdom but also listens to and learns from humans.

The God we worship is a God of relationships.

And that is certainly a theme in our readings this morning.

Having got the people out of slavery in Egypt, God is building a relationship with those people.

Through Moses, God gave the people the ten commandments – rules that would help the community to live rightly together.

Rules, as we discovered last week that would not inhibit but would enhance relationships and community life.

Moses, after receiving the 10 commandments spends time on the mountain conversing with God.

Leaving his brother Aaron in charge.

And while Moses and God get to know each other better, the people decide to rebel.

Their rebellion consists of spectacularly breaking the first and second commandment – they make for themselves a God to take the place of the God who has led them out of Egypt.

Moses was nowhere in sight.

And, though God had proved to be faithful throughout their journey, the people’s sight was very short – as was their memory.

They demanded something more immediate and obvious.

How many of us have demanded at times, that God should be more evident?

How often have we wished that God would be more direct and not keep us guessing?

That’s exactly the sort of wrestling that’s going on in the minds of the people of Israel with both God and Moses out of their sight just when, more than anything, they need stability and assurance.

You’d think that, being left in charge of the people, Aaron would have been on his guard.

The track record is that the people are quarrelsome and argumentative as we have seen over these past few weeks journeying with them through the wilderness.

And, sure enough, after a short time with Aaron in charge, they get restless again.

They ask Aaron to make them a god whom they can worship and who can go before them.

And Aaron, although he knew well that it was wrong to do as they asked, wanted to please the people.

Aaron compromised what was right in exchange for a quieter life.

A strategy that was bound to come crashing down around him.

But a strategy that we see played out time and again in communities and in the church.

Popularity is not won by making difficult decisions – decisions that folk probably won’t like – even though they know them to be right.

All of us are susceptible to compromising our faith just so that we won’t rock the boat.

We may not instigate wrong things but, so often, we go along with them, we tolerate the wrong so that we don’t give offence or draw attention to ourselves.

God’s call to us as a community is to be strong together  - to trust together and, together, find strength to stand against evil in our world.

But then the story takes an interesting turn.

God sees what is going on and urges Moses to return to the people quickly so that they can be destroyed for their wickedness.

And that is when we see something of the fruit of the time that Moses has spent with God on the mountain – and probably also something of all the lessons he has learned as they’ve journeyed through the wilderness:

Moses has been developing a relationship with God, a relationship that allows him to converse with God and plead for the people.

Moses has learned enough, from spending time with God, to know that the love of God is sufficient to overcome all difficulties. Moses has learned that, no matter how far people stray, God’s love will always be big enough to allow people a way back to a healed relationship with God.

Moses has learned that God is not a distant, vengeful being but is a God who invites involvement and who invokes love and compassion before condemnation.

God is a God of relationships.

A God who is prepared to listen as well as to speak.

A God who is moved by the plight of people.

All this, Moses has learned as he has developed a new relationship with God.

And Moses has also learned how fragile are the people he has been chosen to lead.

He knows their weakness and their fickleness.

He knows how short their memories are.

He knows that they constantly have to be reminded of the goodness of God and of God’s faithfulness.

Moses knows that his leadership must be firm and conciliatory.

Not compromised.

But strong and loving.

It was strength and love that allowed Moses to plead with God to stick with the Israelites and love them back onto the right path no matter how far they strayed.

These are lessons that are not learned once and for all.

They are lessons that are gleaned from relationship.

We learn about the nature of God by nurturing our relationship with God.

And, every day, we learn a little bit more – sometimes more of the same, for we constantly need reminding about the nature of God – and sometimes, God reveals new things.

That’s a wonderful thing – no matter how long we journey with God, still there is more to learn, still there are more and wonderful facets of God to be revealed.

In the gospels, we find Jesus teaching about God in so many different ways.

Not least in the parables he shared.

The parable we read today, of the feast to which those who were originally invited did not come must have had quite an impact on the people who were there at the telling.

It spoke forcibly into a culture where there were very defined social roles and norms.

And cut across those traditions.

Those who would normally be expected to attend such a great feast excluded themselves and so the invitation list was broadened.

This parable points to an inclusiveness that Jesus is keen to emphasise throughout his ministry, much to the disgust of the religious leaders of the day, those who were keen to guard the faith.

All are welcome to the feast.

The table that Jesus sets, as we proclaim every time we celebrate communion, has no boundaries but is open to all.

So, what on earth is going on at the end of this story, when one reveler is ejected for being improperly dressed?

What’s THAT all about?

OF course this parable, like the other parables Jesus told, may speak in different ways to different people at different times.

But I believe that for this people today – for us as a community journeying together, learning to trust, this parable is a reminder of the transformative nature of our relationship with God.

We are all called.

We are all equipped to be God’s people, given all that we need to form a relationship with God.

But sometimes, we distance ourselves from the community by holding back.

By not giving as we could or as we should.

Although we might believe all that God promises, we fail to be changed by living into those promises.

Trusting together is not a matter for our intellect or our emotion.

IT is a total transformation of our whole being.

Trusting God together in community involves our whole lives.

Anything less leads to us excluding ourselves from the amazing grace and transforming love of God.

You are called.

I am called.

Called to be part of this trusting community.

May we be enabled to abandon ourselves to the transforming power of God as we journey together in community, trusting God in all things.

Amen.

Community is... Living rightly

Considering the 10 commandments this morning, we discovered that things are easier with instructions - though we can often get by without. Gregor even managed to create this "church" from a dinosaur kit!
In spite of everyone's inventiveness and creativity, we concluded that rules are good for keeping us together and on the better path.
And so, with the help of the Israelites in the wilderness, we discovered another aspect of being a community of God's people - living rightly.

Community is... hard work!

25th September 2011

Readings:          Exodus 17 v 1-7

                  Matthew 21 v 23-32

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Guess what?

The Israelites are grumbling again!

I’m off to a Ministries Council consultation later this week – and I’m sure the grumbling that will happen there will put the Israelites in the shade.

There’s nothing like a gathering of ministers for upping the stakes in grumbling.

UNLESS – it’s a gathering of Facebook users.

This week, Facebook, which is a FREE of charge social networking site, changed its layout and set up – and cyber space was filled with grumbling.

We just get used to things, whatever those things may be – and are not good at processing change.

Even when we would freely admit to the flaws or inadequacies in ways or routines with which we have become familiar, we still resist any change.

You may have heard on the news at the end of last week that scientists in Geneva are challenging the theory of relativity.

E = mc²

A constant of Physics asserts that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light.

Even that Einstein formula is being called into question!

Although there are many more checks to be made to confirm this, it seems that nothing is sacred.

Nothing escapes the need for change.

The church, nationally and locally, is going through massive change right now - maybe it’s always been so.

But does everything have to change at once?

Perhaps it does

Few of us would deny that change is needed – but getting there is always painful.

And, it seems, any and every setback gives us license to complain and forget about all the progress that is being made, forget about the purpose of change – to get us to a better place – forget about why we’ve embarked on the journey – and long for things to go back to the way they were, even though we know that’s not right either.

Any change that is worthwhile comes at a cost.

Of course we manage transition really well in the church.

Whenever there’s even a hint of something changing successfully, we simply set up a committee to get to grips with whatever is happening and slowly and surely bring change to a grinding halt.

That is why I refuse to have committees progressing work here at Castlehill but insist on Working Groups – to do what it says on the label.

Community is hard work.

And change comes at a cost.

Even for those of us who wholeheartedly embrace change, there comes an impatience in the transition.

We may not like where we are.

We may have a clear idea of where we want to be.

But the journey there will always be painful.

And, along the way, there is always the temptation to long for things to go back to the way they were.

It takes a LOT of courage to stick it out and reach that promised land.

The history of every congregation, even one as young as Castlehill, is littered with the bones of those who have perished along the way – I don’t mean the saints, those we love and miss – I mean the folks who just didn’t have the stamina for the journey, those who became weary of the constant struggle, those who opted out, those who went off in search of something comfortably more familiar.

Not all of those Israelites who started on the journey out of Egypt made it to the Promised Land.

But, at crucial points along the way, when the grumbling reached fever pitch, God reminded them who was in control.

Bread from heaven.

Water from a rock.

Gifts in the right place at the right time.

Signs pointing forward, encouraging all who were in danger of giving up on the struggle.

Where are those signs for us today?

Where do we find God gently or not so gently reminding us that we too need to make quite a trek to get to where we need to be?

Where are the signs of God’s affirming and nurturing along the way?

Like the Israelites, are we asking: “Is God with us or not?”

Are we finding the reassurance that God is with us?

And, with that reassurance, are we finding the strength to carry on into territory that God has prepared for us?

I came across a picture the other day – an artist’s impression of the sanctuary when it was first built.

IT showed the church and hall and manse surrounded by fields with horses grazing.

What a transformation in the area around the church, a transformation that I know many of you remember and, more importantly, survived.

This church extension charge, built as a symbol of hope on the edge of an expanding town, has grown through the years to serve an ever expanding parish and is uniquely placed and uniquely called to continue to do that.

And , just as the landscape around the building has changed, so has the work that we seek to do.

Those halcyon days when a minister would be on your doorstep as soon as the removal van pulled up.

Or the days when your neighbour would invite you to a social in the church hall or to the young mother’s fellowship or when you’d be asked to come along to help build or paint or clean – those opportunities have become memories.

But still, there is no shortage of other opportunities.

Still our hope and vision as God’s people in this place is to serve the community around us and share the wonderful news of God’s love and presence in all of life.

Yes, that community is vastly changed.

And so we, the people of God today, need to find out how to continue God’s mission for this day.

The signs that we still have hope and vision are found, not in our words but in our actions.

That story Jesus told – of the two sons being asked to go and work in their father’s vineyard – One said he would go and didn’t. The other said he wouldn’t go and then did.

That story sums up our predicament.

Are we journeying with God?

Is God in our midst?

Do we still have faith in the vision and the promise into which God leads us?

If we do, then our actions have to match our words.

What we say in this sacred space must mirror what we do in all the places that God makes sacred in our community.

We cannot go back – no matter how much we might want to.

And the past wasn’t all that we have painted it to be.

So let’s re commit ourselves today to the hope and the vision into which God leads us.

Let us re commit ourselves by our words and our actions to engaging in the hard work that is community.

Let us recognize the gifts with which God surrounds us – bread from heaven, water from a rock and all manner of things in between and see these as signs that God continues to lead us onward.

And let us be strengthened by God to continue the journey.

COMMUNITY IS HARD WORK.

Thanks be to God.

Community is... being in God.

11th September 2011

Readings:          Exodus 14 v 10-18

                          Matthew 18 v 15-20

In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

Last week we began our journey with the Israelites as they left Egypt and became a Community on the move – a community called out of all that they knew to follow God.

Today, as we continue to journey with them, we encounter them learning to trust God, who says to them “Do not be afraid”.

Time and again as they journey through the wilderness, God repeats that message “Do not be afraid”.

So, following on from last week’s theme: Community is… on the move, today we consider that Community is… being in God.

This ancient story of the parting of the waters was told – and is read today – as a reminder of the presence of God in all of life.

In deliverance AND in destruction.

I find this story disturbing because in the deliverance of the Israelites, the Egyptians were destroyed.

And the God in whom I believe, the God whom I want to reveal present in all of life is not a God who takes sides.

But maybe, just maybe, there is a message of warning in this ancient story:

Pharaoh, after every plague, promised to set the Israelites free.

And, each time, he reneged on that promise.

Then came the Passover – the last plague, when all the first born Egyptian sons were killed.

It was then that Pharaoh let the Israelites go.

But, as he saw them making good their escape, he had yet another change of heart and took his army and pursued them.

And there comes a time when there is no going back.

A time when we press the self destruct button once too often.

Sometimes, even God is helpless to protect us when we continually put ourselves out of God’s reach and choose, instead to go our own way.

Community is BEING IN GOD.

We, as a community of faith, are called to witness to God’s presence.

God present in and with creation.

So what ARE the signs today of God present in our lives?

And when we discern God’s presence, how do we communicate that to others?

As a community of faith we are called, not just to be a community on the move, willing to step outside the walls that we build.

We are called to be a community that mirrors God present in everyday life.

In our gospel, Jesus, who came to earth to show God, teaches of conflict resolution.

He teaches that we should go to great lengths to resolve dispute.

But, if resolution is not possible, then what should we do?

If resolution is not possible, says Jesus, we should treat those who have wronged us as Gentiles or as tax collectors.

Harsh words, it would seem – for Gentiles and tax collectors were people despised in Jesus’ day.

Until we remember how Jesus treated such outcasts.

Jesus sat at table with tax collectors.

Jesus invited Gentiles into the Kingdom of God.

So, it would seem, there is always, but always, room for forgiveness.

However difficult or however unlikely, Jesus exhorts us, as a community of believers, as people of faith witnessing to God’s presence today, to practise forgiveness.

Why should we adhere to that teaching?

Why should we continue to forgive when wronged?

The clue to that lies in the last few verses we read:

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Learning and practising forgiveness sets us free.

We have witnessed that freedom in people who have managed to forgive the most heinous crimes against themselves and their loved ones.

Their forgiveness is not just a cosy sentiment but a real heart wrenching yet life giving labour of love, one that doesn’t come cheap but one which brings true freedom.

Today as we mark 10 years since 9/11, forgiveness shows us a way forward through the melee of extremism and mistrust and revenge that seems to prevail.

The images of violence perpetrated in the name of justice are brought to us every day.

Revenge seems to have been deemed a human right.

I was disturbed, back in May, to see folks dancing in the streets when Osama Bin Laden was killed.

There was just something very unseemly about celebrating the death of another, no matter how evil.

His death did not bring about justice but, in fact, fuelled yet more violence.

The notion of celebrating the death of enemies IS a very biblical image.

Throughout the Old Testament we read of victory songs and celebrations after massacre and war.

However Jesus came to change all that.

Jesus came to show that there is another way.

The way of love.

And the way of forgiveness.

10 years ago today, I was putting the finishing touches to my preparations for a communion service for Presbytery at which I was to celebrate as moderator of the Presbytery.

From my office at the hospital, I popped upstairs to one of the wards and heard the news that the first of the twin towers had been struck.

The two emotions I can remember most clearly were:

Disbelief that this was an act of terrorism – although it was a grave tragedy however caused, somehow a terrible accident rather than calculated evil seemed preferable.The attack on the second tower quickly dispelled that somewhat bizarre hope.

But the other emotion I remember was one of panic – the words I had carefully chosen and the service I had painstakingly put together for the Presbytery Communion would now have to be drastically changed.

An emotion that seems incredibly shallow as events unfolded and the scale of the terrorism became clear.

What also became clear was that there were no words that could express the horror of how far humanity had fallen, how grotesquely we had obscured the image of God in which we were made.

I know that most of you could say exactly where you were and what you were doing when you learned of 9/11.

All week we have been bombarded with programmes on TV and radio about the day that changed the world.

This morning, I’d like to ask: Was that change for the better?

10 years after 9/11 are we any closer to a world that promotes peace loving communities?

And do our communities testify to the presence of God?

As people were facing the last few minutes of life, whether in a plane bound for destruction or a building from which there was no escape, they were not shouting words of revenge.

They were calling loved ones, speaking words of love and forgiveness, making peace.

Those were the emotions that folk wanted to express, the imprints they wanted to leave behind.

At the hospital where I worked and, in churches all over, people wanted to come together, to be in community and to re-experience the presence of God in the midst of life as scary as it was right then.

And amid all the carnage and the terror.

In the wake of all the revenge since exacted in our name by violent and war hungry governments, where are there signs of a community that displays its BEING IN GOD?

The quest for revenge.

And the war mongering that prevails

Are fuelled by fear.

We, as a community of faith are called to move beyond fear – to hope.

That is what will change the present climate.

That is what will move us from hate and violence, from the quest for revenge, to peace and forgiveness.

Not a neat, easy forgiveness that comes at no cost.

But a forgiveness that has been wrought against all the odds.

A forgiveness that comes through love, transforming the world, encouraging the move from fear of the next attack to hope for peace in our time.

Community is BEING IN GOD – the God of love and of peace and of forgiveness.

As a community of faith may we practice forgiveness until we get it right witnessing to God in all of life.

for the glory of God.

Amen