Karl Barth highlights, “What other time or season can or will the Church ever have but that of Advent!”
Advent: Peace in the Darkness
Last week, I might have surprised you by suggesting that Advent starts in darkness. Why darkness? This is because the early church would begin the period of Advent with a lament, a time of mourning, of remembering the hard times that they were living through and calling out, “Where are you, God, in the midst of our suffering?” How are you feeling right now? Are you stressed about Christmas? Have you planned your summer holiday?
What I find phenomenal about this season in Australia is that we have a stressful build-up for Christmas, which also includes build-up for the end of school and a long summer break all at once. In Europe, for example, these high-stress events are spread out throughout the year.
It is like a double whammy of stress! Not only do you have all the Christmas cooking, buying and wrapping of presents, such as Christmas declarations, Christmas lunch, and all the relatives coming to visit, but you also have school breakup and then the planning for a two or three-week summer break.
I've noticed that stress in Australia includes the following:
working long hours to get things finished before the holidays
It is the financial year end as we are the school year-end
worrying about the financial cost of buying Christmas presents
getting all the Christmas shopping done in time
overdoing it with too many family, work or social events
feeling isolated when everyone else around them seems to be having a great time with their families
feeling pressure to celebrate, especially for those who are lonely
No wonder people feel a bit stressed. I feel it, too.
I love my job, but it is a challenge to hear of broken relationships in this community, even in this church. Stress has led to the breakup of families and negative communication between couples in the church and the community.
All too often, I see husbands and wives, friends and neighbours, especially when stressed, criticising each other and even showing contempt for one another. Contempt is particularly harmful and involves sarcasm, eye-rolling, and name-calling. It is also a projector for relationship breakdown. Church, we want to avoid this at all costs!
It might be a fair question to ask God: “Where are you in our stressful “darkness” that so often leads to conflict and relationship breakdown?”
Advent means “preparing the way”, not just for Jesus coming the first time at Christmas but also for him to come the second time. For the early Christian Church, thinking about him coming back again was probably more important to them than celebrating his first Christmas birthday. Indeed, the practice of celebrating Christmas as a birth didn’t really start until 300 AD.
Perhaps we have forgotten that Advent is both about celebrating Christmas now and also looking forward to Jesus coming again in all his glory. We want to celebrate Christmas, yes, absolutely, Jesus coming, being born to a virgin, and entering this world humbly as a baby in a manger, but it is also a time to prepare for when the Messiah returns as king.
Karl Barth exclaimed, “What other time or season can or will the Church ever have but that of Advent!”
It is in this context that Mark states:
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the Prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
Mark 1:1-3
The Messenger is John the Baptist. Rutledge writes:
“All four New Testament Evangelists agree: there is no good news, no gospel of Jesus Christ, without John the Baptist. John’s whole life was lived with but one purpose; he was born, a man of destiny, to declare the imminent arrival of the coming Messiah. This voice crying in the wilderness, this “lantern which shone in front of the Son of God…”
John came out of the desert, single-mindedly determined to pursue his mission even to death, for John the Baptist feared no man, not even Herod the king, and no woman either, not Herod’s wife, who in the end arranged to have his head cut off. Another thing I’ve noticed about Australian culture is that we do love a direct-talking person, and John was certainly pretty direct! Even the Old Testament Prophet Elijah is pink and fluffy compared to him.
However, let us note that this black-and-white speaker was also humble and utterly submissive before the one who was coming; he lived and died to illuminate.
John told them, “One is coming who is mightier than me, and I’m not fit to untie his shoelaces.” The whole purpose of John the Baptist is to announce the beginning of the end.
Fleming states:
“John’s appearance on the banks of the Jordan River means that the kingdom of God has begun. The wickedness of this world is truly doomed; the Lord of the universe is about to step on the stage of world history to reverse its course. For those in the know, the import of John the Baptist as Mark’s opener could not be clearer: when Elijah comes back, the next person to appear will be God, and it will be the first day of the age to come.”
What would this kingdom look like? To start with, it will be a place of peace.
Who will bring this peace? Jesus, of course, whose name in Isaiah 9:6 is Sar Shalom, Prince of Peace.
Yes, it might feel like we are stressed and suffering even darkness, but the Prince of peace is coming, and so let us light two candles representing the two first Sundays of Advent. The first I lit last week was for hope, and today, we light another for peace.
For to us, a child is born. To us, a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace,
there will be no end.
Isaiah 9:6-7a
In the Hebrew, the word for peace is shalom. God is coming to bring Shalom with no end. He will be called Prince of Shalom, and there’ll be no end of Shalom!
And if you ask a Hebrew scholar, what is the correct definition of shalom? They might tell you it is “to live in anticipation of the day when God makes things whole again.” This links to the idea of the returning king that John is talking to us about. Shalom is the opposite of stress. It is the opposite of broken or violent relationships.
Shalom could also be translated into English as completeness or wholeness. It has to do with our well-being being totally restored.
Who needs to hear that this Christmas?
Bringing Shalom this Christmas
If we want to follow Jesus, we are to bring his shalom into the lives of others and to ourselves.
God is coming to bring a shalom with no end. He will be called Prince of Shalom, and there’ll be no end of Shalom.
I want to finish by offering three tips for building relationships in marriages and friendships. Hopefully, this will help you avoid conflict over Christmas and bring shalom to your home, family and friends.
Intimacy: peace in a relationship will flow out of intimacy with Him, so spend time with Jesus. Tend to your Rule of Life even when busy.
Forgive: avoid criticising people even when they are stressed; instead, forgive them.
Be the first to apologise, but do it genuinely.
“Please forgive me. I’m truly sorry. What I did was wrong, and I will try not to do that again.”
And so our daily prayer this Advent week is to ask Jesus to bring his shalom, his peace, into our relationships.
Christmas lights are not the light in the darkness we should look for. Western consumer Christmas falls way too short, and in fact, it can be harmful, bringing unsustainable stress into our lives. But Jesus is the peace in the darkness, and he is available to bring peace - shalom - to you and your family.
Again, like last week, just to remind you, His light may only be a small flicker inside our hearts at this stage, but one day, his light will shine brighter than the Sun. When there is no more stress and no more broken relationships, Shalom will bring 100% completeness into this world.
Happy Christmas,
Toby Baxter
12 December 2024
For the time being, we stand in a dark place—there's no question about it—but we look forward like the watchman who stands at the heights with his face towards the dawn…
Advent: Hope in the Darkness
Isaiah 64:5–7 (NIV)
5 You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How, then, can we be saved?
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our sins sweep us away.
7 No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you, for you have hidden your face from us and have given us over to our sins.
Isaiah depicts the silence and absence of God. In the King James version, the reading states: “Thou has hid thy face from us.”
You may have thought today, at the start of the Christmas season, Toby would be talking all about Christmas cheer! And don’t get me wrong, I love a good Christmas tree. In fact, throughout my children’s lives, it’s been my role to select the Christmas tree with my daughter, Molly, and bring it back home for the family today to decorate it. My job is to buy the tree, bring it home and put it up. Laura and Molly’s job is to decorate it; the whole thing is a lovely family tradition. Molly is now 24 and will not allow us to compromise in this Christmas Ritual, and to be frank, I love it all, too.
However, it might surprise you that today, the first day of Advent, starts in darkness. This is because the early church would begin the period of Advent with a lament, a time of mourning, of remembering the hard times that they were living through and calling out, “Where are you, God, in the midst of our suffering?”
And so, where are you, God, for those children in Gaza? Where are you for the hostages being held by Hamas in some dark tunnel for over a year now? Where are you, God, for those Ukrainian soldiers living in trenches totally inadequate to protect them from being bombed by drones that seek them out even underground? Where are you, God, for that Burmese village fleeing into the jungle from bombs dropping from on high? Where were you, God, for those 100 young boys beaten in a Christian camp? Where are you, God, for the 1 in 4 women beaten or sexually molested by someone they trusted in Australia? Where are you, God, for the 689 homeless people on this peninsula?
Have you seen the stories of the children killed by bombs in Palestine? Can you imagine the horror of being hostage for well over one year, moved from tunnel to tunnel by Hamas terrorists? Have you seen the images of soldiers trying to flee drones that are tracking them underneath the ground, even in deep trenches?
I could show you photographs in my inbox of villages bombed by Russian fighter jets being used by the military Junta in Burma, but they would not be suitable for today’s talk.
Just this week, I heard a story of a lifetime of abuse by men from her gentle and beautiful senior citizen living right here on the peninsula. And just the week before, I heard of her young man peddling drugs at his mother’s home. I learnt of a young father to two kinder girls committing suicide from our child care centre.
When Rutledge writes, “Advent begins in the dark,” she’s talking about suffering, sin, and the apparent hiddenness of God (that is, we often cannot sense him). She’s talking about “the Christians in Ukraine who worship without electricity or running water, the school-aged children whose lives are filled with anxiety like no generation before them, and Christians and non-Christians alike who wrestle with doubts and fears. Advent begins in the dark because we live in the dark.”
The Church has been asking them from the very beginning, going all the way back to the first century A.D. when the gospel of Mark was being put together. The early Christians were facing a crisis. Voices from that early Christian community were saying, “Where is the king? Show us some evidence! He said he would return, but there is no sign of him. The world has not improved. Where is God?”
In its confusion, the young Church told and retold the story to herself, a story once told by Jesus:
Mark 13:32–37 (NIV)
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
“Therefore, keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at Dawn.
36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
37 What I say to you, I say to everyone “Watch’!” “
Can you feel the tension in this parable? If it had not been for the owner of the house, the home itself would have no reason to exist, yet he has gone away.
The expectation of his return is the driving force behind all the household activity, yet it seems that he will never come. Everybody has been told to be 100% ready, yet sometimes it seems as though it all has been a big mistake. Oddly, however, despite all this, we can experience the urgency and stress in the text as a sign of its continuing truth. Rutledge states:
“the heartbeat of the parable remains strong, even accelerated, just as the drama of salvation accelerates through Advent. The atmosphere of crisis in the story of the life of the Christian community in the time in between the first Christmas and now 2000 years plus later.”
You could challenge me at the end of this talk that I have not answered all the Advent “why the darkness” questions, and you would be correct.
We do not know why God delayed his return so long. We do not know why he so often hides his face from us. Frankly, we do not know why so many people suffer with so little apparent meaning. But we do know that there is a rumour, a hope, and an expectation that the master of the house will come back.
The first Sunday of Advent, as you can even hear from the Carol we have sung, is not about the first coming of Jesus slipping in incognito in the stable of Bethlehem. It is about the second coming, glory to judge and bring His Mercy and Justice to those suffering. The final breaking in of God upon our darkness. It is about the promise that, against the evidence, there is a God who cares.
Perhaps the hope is that he is hidden close to us as the one hung on a cross, cursed for our sake. Perhaps the darkness gives this first Sunday Advent’s unique character. Perhaps Bayview’s light is hidden with Christ until he comes again, which explains why so much of what we do this night appears to be a failure, just as life appeared to end in failure. If Jesus is truly the Son of God, he is also the one who identifies with the least, the last and the lost. Who takes part who is born into a world as a homeless refugee and identifies with our human faith all the way to the end of his life, one who gives himself up to die a brutal, shameful and dehumanising death of a thief on a cross.
Thank goodness the story does not end there. It is but the beginning of the end. Auden calls this a “time between”. For the time being, we stand in a dark place – no question about it, but we look forward like the watchman who stands at the heights with his face towards the Dawn – one of the most wonderful of all biblical symbols.
Watchmen tell us of the night! In a very deep sense, the entire Christian life in this world is lived Advent, between the first and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, in a perpetual tension between things of the world today as they are and the things the way they ought to be. A time of now, but not yet.
I met this week a woman who has not forgotten the men who molested her, but she has forgiven them – and she wants her story to be shared for the benefit of others. I spent time with another who has had her struggles but now wants to bring the gospel to the nation and the nations. I heard from a missionary working in Burma - literally across the border in that country - who had had a motor scooter accident but was still determined to carry on with her work in that war-torn country. I listened to someone grateful for a Hasting’s welfare service who never closed a case because of funding.
I picked up on the hope and excitement of Greg’s boxer-size idea for here in the church to reach vulnerable teenagers’ next term. I spoke to a blind Indigenous young man who now has a role with Bayview Care and is loving it. I heard from Colin and Merran, who want to open their home to strangers on Christmas Day.
It is perhaps worth stopping and reflecting on where you have seen God at work through His people this Christmas.
Christmas trees and lights are not the light in the darkness we should look for. Western consumer Christmas falls away way too short. But Jesus is the light in the darkness, and he is available to bring hope to you and to me. His light may only be a small flicker inside our hearts at this stage, but one day, his light will shine brighter than the brightest star in this universe.
Toby Baxter
What commitments to Fidelity could we make to continue living out the vision of this Becoming series?
BECOMING SERMON SERIES FINALE – RULE OF LIFE
The idea we’ve been circling around throughout this series is this realisation that we’re all becoming a certain kind of someone. There’s no such thing as an unformed life; we’re all being formed – consciously or unconsciously. So, we’ve been looking at how we can be formed into Christlikeness, not just through information, but by taking on the life rhythms of Jesus as our own. So, we’ve explored the life rhythms of Jesus, such as - a down spirituality, Scripture Reading, Prayer, Service, Silence, Solitude, and Sabbath. The reality that I wanted to address on Sunday, as our series drew to a close, was this- What commitment to fidelity could we put in place to continuously live out the vision of this Becoming Series? That vision of becoming like Jesus through taking on the life rhythms of Jesus – all for the sake of others.
The truth is that to live a vision out continuously requires commitment and persevering fidelity; New York Times columnist and author David Brooks defines commitment as –“falling in love with something (or someone) and then building a structure of behaviour around it for those moments where love falters.” That’s what a commitment does for a vision. It builds a structure of behaviour around the vision, from which the vision can grow and flourish. Now, pastorally, I want to be very clear - the life of Jesus shows undeniably that your life does not rest on your commitment to dwell with God but on God’s relentless commitment to dwell with you. But your experience of that love and transformation will be profoundly influenced by what structures (commitments) you do or do not build into your life.
So, that leaves us with that question – What commitment to fidelity could we put in place to continuously live out the vision of this Becoming Series? Well, fortunately for us, apprentices of Jesus have been asking this question throughout church history, and the answer they’ve passed down to us has become known as a – ‘Rule of Life.’ Now, for some of you, that’s going to be an unfamiliar language. So, here’s a few definitions…. Andy Crouch defines it this way – “A Rule of Life is a set of practices that guard our habits and guide our hearts.” Tyler Staton, as follows – “A Rule of Life is a way of living today in line with my deepest desires and God’s deepest transformation.” Simply put, a Rule of Life is - a life architecture, a schedule, and set of relational rhythms that create space for us to be with Jesus, become like Him, and do as He did.
That’s the big picture – but that picture is seen clearest when viewed through different lenses. So, on Sunday, I explored a Rule of Life through six lenses: The Biblical and historical - The Sociological - The Relational - The Practical - The Missional – and The Pastoral.
Lens one – The Biblical and historical. In the OT, we see a ‘Rule of Life’ in Numbers 6, which is called the Nazarite vow. It was a committed, prophetic way of life, serving as a reminder to all of God’s people of the nearness of God’s presence. We then see a ‘Rule of Life’ guiding the whole Israelite community, given by God through Moses in Exodus 19 -24 – the Mosaic Covenant. Guiding the Israelite’s worship, relationships, and community life. Then, in the NT, we see a Rule of Life guiding the whole community that’s given by God through the Spirit at Pentecost. At the end of Acts 2, that famous passage summarizes the early Church's counter-cultural practices, their ‘Rule of Life’ lived out in the community.
Then, in between the OT and the early church, we have Jesus who said – “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). Now, Jesus' word for the road here is the Greek Hodos. Which can be translated as – journey or road – but the most accurate translation is – Way. You’ll find the word Hodos/Way over 100 times in the NT. 62 of those are in the Gospels – most of which come from the mouth of Jesus. So, Jesus is really clear – there’s more than one Way of life on offer. With the narrow way of life requiring greater intentionality, but with each and every step, there’s more life – and you get to experience that heaven on earth now & into eternity. And it was just that, the narrow way of life of Jesus that the earliest followers were known by – were named by
HODOS - is the Greek word that we read in Acts chapter 9 when the church was referred to as the Way. We see it again in Acts 19, 22, and 24 when discipleship to Jesus was summarised as the WAY. That’s how central the understanding of the narrow way of life of Jesus was to His first disciples. They were named by it and known for it – followers of the Way. Then, if we trace this language of ‘Way of life’ historically, what we see is – that the terms ‘Way of life’ and ‘Rule of Life’ are used interchangeably. ‘Way of life’ is the English translation of the Greek terminology - and ‘Rule of life’ is the English translation of the Latin. Then, over time, Latin became the universal language, so ‘Rule of Life’ won out in Christian communities across the world – and I know you hate that. So, if that language is a barrier – just use way of life – or life architecture – don’t let something as simple as language put you off. Because every movement in Church history has decided at some point along the way to live by a Rule of Life.
Now to the second lens – the sociological. In our cultural moment, there’s going to be pushback to living by a ‘Rule of Life’ – because we want to live a restraint-free kind of life. So, we’re like – No, thanks. I’m good! But here’s what I want you to see – each of us already lives by a ‘Rule of Life.’ Even if you’ve never heard of a Rule of Life up until Sunday, you have one. You have a life architecture – a morning routine, a typical day, a budget, ways in which you spend your free time and technology, habits, hobbies, and networks of relationships. The question isn’t, do you have a Rule of Life? It is, do you know what your Rule of Life is? Is it deepening your relationship with God and forming you into the person you want to become? Or is it getting in the way of that telos …? Again, to live a vision out continuously requires a commitment – it requires fidelity.
Third lens – The Relational. The Bible is a story about God, and God’s unrelenting love. At the beginning of the biblical story – is loving union/intimacy between God and people. But in Genesis 3 – through the Fall, through infidelity, we lose intimacy with God and each other. But through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection – the separation opened up by human infidelity is mended by a committed fidelity – a love that never gives up. Then the whole sixty-six book love story becomes resolved at a wedding banquet. Christ united to his bride (the church) for all eternity – a perfectly matured kind of love. What I’m trying to show you is – this theme of fidelity, it’s a thread running from the first to last page of Scripture - the whole thing is about fidelity. Human infidelity is repaired by divine fidelity.
This divine fidelity, is a fidelity that we’re invited to participate in. That’s why Jesus on the final night of his life, says to His disciples – “Remain in me” (John 15:4). So, how do we remain in that relationship – that love? Through a Rule of Life – through a set of relational rhythms (spiritual practices) that expose our lives to the HS and create time and space for us to be with and become like Jesus. However, over recent generations there’s been such resistance to living an intentional way of life informed by the way of Jesus. Now, I get the resistance – it’s often very legitimate – it’s often because someone has lorded it over you with legalism. But that’s not the picture that Scripture paints. A “Rule of Life’ Biblically, is about relationship, it’s about fidelity – it has nothing to do with legalism and everything to do with love.
Fourth Lens – The Practical. So, practically speaking, how do we begin crafting a Rule of Life? Well, I want to give you some baby steps….
Practical step number one - just honesty look at your current life architecture (Rule of Life) – take time to write it all down. Then simply pray – Jesus, how are you inviting me to structure my Rule of Life according to you…? This is our DPF for the week – it’s that we would sit each day for a week (morning and evening) with our current life architecture in front of us (all written out), praying - Jesus, how are you inviting me to structure my Rule of Life according to you….?
Practical step number 2 – start where you are, not where you think you “should” be. Be honest about your stage of life and limits – emotionally, relationally, even spiritually – and from there determine what spiritual practices you can do – and then let that be enough.
Practical step number 3 – think subtraction, not addition. Following Jesus in our fast-paced, hyper-distracted, noisy world is not about doing more but doing less. You have to say no more often than yes – take out more than you put in. Embrace a slowed-down spirituality – one that cultivates both wonder & boredom.
Practical step number four – take into account your personality. Designing an intentional Rule of Life will be shaped by your personality. If you’re an S on the Myers-Briggs - if you’re a doer more than a thinker, you might want to consider how you move your body as you participate in these relational rhythms (spiritual practices) with Jesus.
Practical step number five – When designing a Rule of Life, it’s helpful to think in terms of the daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly life rhythms of Jesus. How are you going to structure your day – week – month – or year to make space for these relational rhythms (spiritual practices)…?
Practical step number six – remember the J curve. Learning theorists across the board recognise that when you’re learning to live differently and grow in a new area of your life, you often get worse before you get better. So, resist the urge to judge, critique, or overthink how you’re going with these practices. Remember, this is not about performance but relationship – it’s not about perfection but participation.
Practical step number seven – craft a Rule of Life in community. Prayerfully design a Rule of Life for yourself – but if at all possible, do this in community – with a few friends – or your LG. Jesus’ vision was that this would be lived out in community.
And finally – when designing a Rule of Life honestly review how you use your phone & technology. Build into your Rule of life phone & technology free times. But in all this, remember, life is unpredictable, and it’s filled with interruptions – so embrace them too. Because Jesus was intentional, but he was also interruptible.
Fifth Lens – The Missional. One of the pushbacks against spiritual formation is that it all begins to sound like a spiritual wellness programme. But that’s to completely misunderstand spiritual formation. God’s ultimate will for our lives is for us to become like Christ. It’s to become love through relational union with Jesus - all for the sake of others (Robert Mulholland). Let me give you some pictures of how this works –
The early church was thriving for the first three centuries. A countercultural community is living by the power, presence, and Way of Jesus - a missionary reaching the margins. And what seemed ludicrous to the watching culture, then became attractive. Because the early church experienced what Jesus called ‘life and life to the full.’ So, the church grew & grew to the point that eventually, Emperor Constantine dawned Christianity as the official religion of the empire. Now, it seemed like a great victory at first, and yet, it became the diluting moment of the church. A pattern in church history is that when the church buddies up with power, the way & mission of Jesus become diluted. So, a few people independent of one another who identified with Jesus went into the wilderness (Luke 4) to face down the idols of the day, to say – we will preserve the way of Jesus in order to offer a truer kind of life (they’re known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers). Then, people were drawn to their intimate way of life with God - their Rule of Life - and communities began to form around them. And then, renewal flowed back into the church and the city - and that’s not an anomaly – that’s the pattern.
If you look under the hood of the great renewal movements (I went through some on Sunday) throughout church history, you will discover again and again, ordinary people radically caught up in the vision of Jesus, ordered by a rule of life to ensure that they live this vision continuously. Above the surface lived renewal under the hood lived a Rule of Life - a committed fidelity. That’s the pattern!
Sixth Lens – The Pastoral. A danger of this sermon series is to turn the practices or our Rule of Life into an end in itself – instead of them being a means to an end. With the end being constant communion – an intimate relationship with your Maker and Saviour – a lived moment by moment awareness of His presence. So, I want to end this series with a question but let me explain it in a story.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’……. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you because you are a stiff-necked people….” (Exodus 33: 1, 3). Do you see what God’s saying? He’s saying – I’ll give you everything you want, but I can’t go with you, because you’ve forsaken your first love – you love the promised land more than my presence. So, God’s offering Israel an exchange, He’s saying – you can have the promised land minus My presence - or, you can have a totally blank canvas kind of future with My presence. Which one would you choose…?
Here’s what Moses chose (Exodus 33:15-16) – 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here… What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” Moses answered – give me your presence every single time. Like what is our priority as the people of God? It’s to host the presence of God. As Moses said – what else will distinguish us from all other people. So, back to the question – what will we seek first, at the end of this series? – The promised land or God’s Presence? It’s an important question to end with – because misdirected loves lead to misdirected lives. The invitation of the Spirit at the end of this series is to seek God’s presence above all else.
What if we, like David, would live our lives with this one desire – This only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him (Psalm 27:4).
What would happen in you, in me, in us….? Honestly, I don’t know, but don’t you want to find out….
Clint Bevis
The Power of Yes
The word ‘yes’ can be powerful. It can signify a positive heart response to God’s call, to a compelling vision, or to steps of obedience required in our discipleship journey.
Children learn to say ‘no’ very early, and this can be an expression of the inner will, too. Just as parents shape and mould their children to say ‘yes’ to the right things, God forms his children for the right responses.
Revelation 3:20 has been depicted in a famous nineteenth century painting, ‘The Light of the World,’ which shows Jesus knocking at the door of a house. He seeks to be admitted at the door of our hearts, too, but we sometimes close ourselves off to his desire for growth, change, leadership, obedience, or other forms of responsiveness. The reason for this might be shame, unforgiveness, anger, offence, or feelings of inadequacy.
2 Corinthians 1:20 reminds us that God’s promises reflect his ‘yes’ to us through Christ. Jesus died for our sins, our shame, and for our wrongdoing – even that done to us by others – and he took these upon himself at the Cross, giving us right-standing with God in exchange. Our ‘yes’ response to serving, following, and honouring God is possible because of the empowerment and identity we have in Christ.
Philippians 3:13-16 shows the “one thing” we must do to move forward in this way, but it is one thing in three parts. These are three choices we must make in regard to our past, present, and future.
Firstly, verse 13 tells us to forget what is behind us, meaning to no longer care for it. Like a runner focused on the race in front of them, we need the right attitude to our past. We must choose to care less about its negativities and focus on the way forward. When we experience appropriate guilt for wrongdoing, that does not mean we also need to feel shame. As a new creation in Christ, the Cross empowers us to be free of feelings of unworthiness.
Unforgiveness can also keep us trapped in the past. Corrie Ten Boom, a survivor of a concentration camp that claimed members of her family, was confronted with the need to forgive a former prison guard who had become a Christian. Her pastor helped her understand the difficulty she faced in letting go when he said that forgiveness takes time to fully outwork itself. Just as a bell continues to sound once it is no longer rung, so too our minds can be preoccupied with thoughts and emotions while we are in the process of fully letting go with God’s help. It is important, though, to keep moving forward while we adjust to new realities.
Secondly, verse 13 also tells us to strain toward what is ahead. Striving with all of our effort and being will resist the urge to give up. We reclaim the present as God equips us. 1 Timothy 4:7 urges us to train ourselves to be godly, and the original text uses a word from which get ‘gymnastics.’ With the diligence of an athlete, then, we prepare and practice so as to give of our very best. One of the ways to map out small steps on the larger path to success is to hear from God daily. Asking the Spirit to reveal the action needed from a portion of the Bible we read can be helped by using a method (whichever one we choose), such as identifying a key verse of Scripture, making an Observation about its context, meditating on the Application, and Praying a response of commitment. Our minds are best washed with such SOAP. When God speaks daily, we have greater faith for strength and confidence.
Thirdly, verse 14 advises us to press on toward the goal. Once bible-based faith inspires us, we can pursue godly outcomes, knowing the action God wants from us. Jesus told his disciples to cross a lake in Luke 8:22-25, and this command should have prompted their ‘yes’ response. Their uncertainty and fear led Jesus to ask, “Where is your faith?” When the leading of God is clear today, our openness to God will increase, and our ‘yes’ response will be more certain.
Blessings,
Rob Nyhius, Executive Officer of the Churches of Christ Victoria and Tasmania
Thank you for Serving!
Project Yes Part Two – Serving in God's Kingdom.
Have you started to say "yes" this month? We are calling this Project "Yes!" The aim is for us, as a Church, to respond and say yes to him.
We're running Alpha in the Rye Pub, and it's going well. Last Wednesday, we discussed what having a personal relationship with God is like. At the time, I was feeling a bit down and anxious about things, but I felt God speak to me through Jaynee, an Alpha leader, who, when asked what a relationship with Jesus is like, said it is like a "big hug" and hugged herself to demonstrate. The following morning, with that image in mind and reflecting on Jesus's words:
Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. Psalm 16:1.
So, on Thursday morning, I was able to say, “yes”, Jesus, I won't feel anxious anymore and get on with writing my sermon. I was able to turn around, and I believe that Jesus had good news for me. It was what we call a Kairos moment.
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
61Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family."
62Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:57-62
Luke likes to make arguments in rules in threes and records three conversations Jesus had with three different disciples.
What Jesus is saying to his disciples, in Luke 9, is that there is a cost to following him; there is a cost to serving him. He states, "…the son of man has no place to lay his head". In other words, service for Jesus can feel like there is no time for rest, and for that reason, many people won't follow him because, at one level, serving him is pretty exhausting.
To another person, he said follow me, but the man asked to bury my father first. Jesus says, don't prioritise the funeral of your father above proclaiming the kingdom of God. Of course, in other places, Jesus says we must honour our mothers and fathers, but he says our number one priority is serving in God's Kingdom.
Still another says, I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family. Jesus replies no one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back as fit for service in the kingdom of God.
Like I just said, having a personal relationship with Jesus is like what Jaynee said on Wednesday – it is like having big hugs from him. Another Alpha leader and a great chap said, "Sometimes it's like having a sergeant major telling you to do something."
I was in the army, and I don't really want to think of God being like a Sergeant Major! I had two sergeant majors on my recruits course, and they were twin brothers. If you were in trouble, which seemed to happen to me quite often, they would come up and give you the "stereo treatment", with both of them telling you off simultaneously! It was not fun at all.
So, I gently challenged my friend, saying I don't think Jesus is like my sergeant majors, but, perhaps he is more like a parent disciplining a child. Jesus is that parent who hugs us, but he's also the parent who disciplines us, and Jesus has disciplined me on several occasions.
Jesus uses the term the kingdom of God a lot in Luke's Gospel, and it's good to remind ourselves that God's kingdom is where we are in full relationship with Him, bringing into this world his love, his peace, his story, his justice and his freedom.
Heidi Baker describes the kingdom of God like this, "But God's love is big enough to touch any life, to make light out of any darkness. Jesus came that we might have life so that no more would we have to die in depression, anger or pain. He loved people back to life. He would go anywhere and talk to anyone. And wherever He went, He would stop for the one - the forgotten one, the one who was rejected, outcast, sick, even stone dead. Even a thief who was dying for his crimes on the cross next to Him. n the Kingdom of God's love, there is no sinner who cannot come home."
So yes, there are challenges to serving Jesus, but there are also benefits, including:
becoming more like Jesus by saying "yes" to his Kingdom work
taking our eyes off our issues or problems
drawing us closer to him
growing our gifts and talents
In the meantime, I would like to say a very special thank you to those who are serving in our Church through its various ministries, and if you have not yet received your thank you note and a small gift, don't hesitate to get in touch with me - 0413 046 642 or toby@bayviewchurch.org
Every blessing,
Toby
Project “Yes”
I became a Christian in 1990 when I was 23 years old, having rejected my childhood faith in my teens and trying to run away from God, trying to fill my life instead with money, womanising and so-called good times.
However, when I realised how bankrupt my life was, I turned to Jesus and said yes to inviting him into my life.
From then onwards, I knew that I would have to try to follow him by saying yes to what he says in the Bible, such as following me, repenting and being baptised, loving mercy, serving the poor, telling other people about me, loving your enemies, loving your neighbour, and praying. I said, "Yes, okay, I’ll try to do this, Jesus, because I believe in you and feel loved by you.”
But what about trying to say yes to him in my day-to-day life? Have I been open to his whisper? Have I been open to that still, small voice telling me to be kinder to my wife? To say a word of encouragement to somebody? To stop spending hours on what I call “FaceTube”!? To leave my desk and go over to my neighbour walking his dog on my street to listen to his struggles? To not swear at the driver who has cut me up on the freeway?
Saying yes to Jesus means becoming more like him. It means learning to live His way, being attentive to God’s word in the Bible, and listening to the whispering of His spirit. It means learning to say yes not just once but every day.
Pete Grieg states that saying yes to Jesus is like this: “Little by little, as I learn to live in this way, attentively towards God’s Word in the Bible and to the whisper of his Spirit, I discover the intricate goodness of his guidance, stretching out behind me like shapes traced in the darkness by a sparkler…”
When we say “yes” to Jesus 10,000 times in everyday situations, each choice refines our thoughts for good. In the end, our destiny is defined not just by one-offs but by our day-to-day habit of saying yes to him.
When we say yes to Him, our thinking, feelings, and behaviour change, and indeed, our whole lives are transformed. Indeed, Paul states in Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will”.
“Kairos Moments” are events in time when God speaks to us. See Mark 1:14-15. There are moments when we can say “yes” to Jesus.
Can you think of a Kairos moment that has happened to you? It doesn’t have to be recent. Perhaps you could discuss how saying yes to Jesus led you to act differently.
If you would like, you could ask a trusted friend these questions (not all will apply) of each other:
1. What did you observe?
2. What did you reflect upon?
3. What did you discuss with somebody else about it?
4. what was your plan to act?
5. From whom did you get some support?
6. How did you act?
Chronos time means the journey of time, and if we say yes to Jesus over time, our Chronos’ journey through life changes and can lead to a life transformed.
Again, I quoted Pete Grieg, who says, “But what mountains might move if, say, half of us, merely a billion, were to spend the best part of a month saying an unconditional ‘yes’ to the leadership of Jesus? Or, to put it another way, if we were truly to make Jesus the undisputed Lord of our lives in sufficient numbers? Surely, he might eventually be recognised as the Lord of schools, streets and even cities? For this to happen, we don’t need non-Christians to become Christians. We need Christians to become Christians.”
Is it doable for Bayview Church? Can half of us say “yes” to Jesus through this next month?
Project “Yes” is about saying yes to Jesus through November in ordinary, everyday ways. Discuss with a friend (or with Clint or me!) how you could do this and how you can encourage each other to say yes each day throughout the month.
Every blessing,
Toby
toby@bayviewchurch.org
0413 0460642
“A Contemplative in the heart of the world”
MOTHER TERESA
DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR RABBI IS?
Mary Karr is a brilliant American poet and storyteller, and she opens her memoir ‘Lit’ with a letter to her son. It reads -“However long I’ve been granted sobriety, however many hours I have logged in the therapist’s offices and the confessional, I’ve still managed to hurt you, and not just with the divorce when you were five, with it’s attendance shouting matches and slammed doors. Just as my mother vanished from my young life……, so did I vanish when you were a toddler. Having spent much of my life trying to plumb her psychic mysteries, I now find myself occupying her chair as plumbee. Believe me. It’s a discomforting sensation.”
The picture that Mary Karr is so tragically and brilliantly painting is this really honest admission that in spite of our best, most sincere intentions, we will all wake up one day to discover that we’ve become a certain kind of person. A certain kind of father, mother, husband, wife, brother, sister, friend, co-worker, or neighbour. And it won’t be your best intentions that chooses that for you – and nor will it be your willpower. It will be your Rabbi. Yes, your Rabbi. See, everyone is a disciple.
DISCUSS: Discuss the above paragraph…. What stands out to you…? What are your thoughts…?
Now the problem with the word disciple, is that we just don’t use it much outside of church, so we think of it as just a religious concept, but it’s not. The Hebrew word for disciple is talmid and the Greek word for disciple is mathētḗs. Both are word pictures, that in their most literal sense mean - to be a student of, a learner of, an apprentice of. And when you think about it like that, it’s so relevant to us today.
Because everyone is a student of, a learner of, an apprentice of someone or something because none of us have been where we want to go. Put another way, we’re all disciples. The question isn’t, are you a disciple. It’s more like – who or what are you a disciple of? Which I imagine in a culture like ours where individuality is valued much more than imitation, some of you will bristle at that. Because ‘radical individualism,’ as sociologist Robert Bellah puts it, is the defining trait of the West. But Bellah points out that this way of thinking is a myth. That the West is built on this myth of the ‘rugged individual’ – or the self-made person. And he argues that there are forces at work in our wider culture that want us to believe the myth - because there’s so much money to be made. If they can make us believe that each person is an authentic self-made person, then they can keep us blind to all the ways we’ve been “discipled.”
DISCUSS: What do you make of Bellah’s argument? Do you agree/disagree (why/why not)
The truth is - none of us come into this world by ourselves, we’re not self-made – it’s not how the human body is wired by God. Whether you come at that through the lens of theology, modern neurobiology, or sociology. So, to acknowledge that we’re all apprenticing under some Rabbi, is just to be really honest about the human condition. Which is to say – I’m not unaffected by my environment – of course I’m an apprentice of someone or something. But the choice I do have, is to aim my attention and affection in a direction. I get to choose who I follow, who I become a learner of. Because we’re all going to aim of our lives at some telos, in some direction – consciously or unconsciously. The question is not – Are you disciple? The question is - Who or what are you a disciple of? We’re all following someone or something. Which means we’re all becoming someone.
DISCUSS: Who or what are you a disciple of…? Who is your Rabbi(s)…?
On Sunday, my assignment was this - Whenever prophetic pictures are given (last week’s sermon), you must always check them against Scripture. So, on Sunday I explored those two prophetic pictures of forming an intimate way of life with God through taking on the lifestyle of Jesus, through those 3 three primary lenses of a disciple: Be with Jesus // Become like Jesus // Do as Jesus did.
So, first lens – Be with Jesus. When Jesus walked the earth, his primary invitation was not listen to me, consider my teachings but – “Come, follow me” (Mark 1:17). To two groups of brother fisherman – follow me. To a sex worker – follow me. To a respected priest – follow me – and that invitation of Jesus still stands and if you take Jesus up on that offer, the first invitation Jesus will give, is to be with Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons (Mark 3:14-15). Jesus is going to teach them everything he knows – how to preach, how to drive out demons. They’re going to become the kind of people that can do that through His authority – that’s all coming. But first, he calls them that they might simply ‘be with him.’ There’s nothing more meaningful, nothing that we desire more, nothing that says more to the human person than the simple four-letter word – with. This is the first invitation of Jesus – it’s to be with Him.
DISCUSS: How does one simply ‘be with Jesus’….?
Now Jesus’ invitation of with-ness does not end there. Because in John 15, on the last day that the disciples will see Jesus before he goes to the cross, Jesus says – “Remain in me, and I in you” (John 15:4). In the original Greek, the word for remain is Menō, which can be translated into English as - to stay, remain, abide, dwell, or make your home in. It carries this idea of making your home in that with-ness with Jesus.
Now Jesus uses this word menō not once but 10 times in this short teaching. He’s driving home a single point – “Make your home in my presence – and I’ll never stop making my home in you.” Now at this point some of you may thinking – this sounds like the lifestyle of a monk or a nun, not for the average Joes who have jobs, kids, and responsibilities. But just entertain this idea of John Mark Comers – “Jesus isn’t asking you to do something that you’re not already doing. All of us are abiding. The question isn’t, Are you Abiding? It’s, What are you abiding in?” Jesus’ point, John Marks point, is this – we all have a source we’re rooted in. A place we make our emotional/mental home in – something that marks our passage through time. It’s where our mind goes when we need solace – & it’s where our minds go when we’re not busy. We all abide in something – we all make our emotional and mental home in something. The question is where…? Like where does your mind go when you’re eating breakfast, changing a diaper, checking your inbox. To be with Jesus, to menō, is to simply do those things with Jesus, it’s about learning to be in two places at once (again, you already do this). Dallas Willard called this kind of living – “the with-God life.”
DISCUSS: Where is your emotional and mental home…? What do you abide/meno in….?
So, first - Be With Jesus – Secondly, Become Like Jesus. Jesus once said this – The student (think apprentice) is not above the teacher (think Rabbi), but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher (think Rabbi) - Luke 6:40. This sits at the heart and soul of being a disciple of Jesus – it’s to be with Jesus for the purpose of becoming like Jesus. But it also sits at the heart and soul of whoever you’re apprenticing under. Here’s the principle – formation isn’t just a Christian thing, its’ a human thing. The question isn’t – Are you being formed? You’ve been formed, you’re being formed, you will be formed.
DISCUSS: What are the things that have formed and are forming you…?
Jesus says this – “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Now Jesus word for road here, is the Greek Hodos. Which can be translated as – journey, road, but the most accurate translation is – Way. You’ll find that word Hodos/Way over 100 times in the NT. 62 of those are in the Gospels, most of which come from the mouth of Jesus. So, Jesus is really clear about this - there is more than one Way of life on offer. The broad Way of life that many people walk leads ultimately to death with each step. And the narrow way of life that only few choose will lead to life. Which begs the question – Is Jesus talking about the present, the actual life I’m living now? Or is this a cryptic statement about the afterlife, about eternity? Yes. As it so often is with Jesus, it’s both. Because the line between heaven and earth or even life and death, is much finer for Jesus than it is in most of our imaginations. Jesus is saying there’s more than one way of life on offer, and the narrow way, which is harder to walk, requires greater intentionality. But with each and every step, there’s more life, and you get to experience that heaven on earth now, & into eternity.
It was just that, the narrow way of life of Jesus that the earliest followers were known by, were named by. Hodos - is the Greek word that we read in Acts chapter 9 when the church was referred to as the Way. And Christians were first called - followers of the Way. We see it again in Acts 19, 22, and 24 when discipleship to Jesus was simply summarised as the WAY – it was a Way of life. That’s how central the understanding of the narrow way of life of Jesus was to His first disciples. They were named by it and known for it. Here’s the reality that I want you to see – We’re all disciples - we’re all making our home in someone or something and we’re all following a way of life. We’re all investing the healing of our souls – of us becoming the kind of people we want to be by taking on a particular Way of life. We’re all on the same quest, the question is – What WAY of life will I choose? Whose way will I follow…? And really this question is all about trust - who do I trust with my entire life…? Which is to really ask – Who am I going to trust as Saviour…? We all give our life to something…? And whatever that is – that’s your functional Saviour.
DISCUSS: Discuss the underlined section…. What way of life are you choosing…? (Again, this isn’t a question about what you believe)
So, Be with Jesus – become like Jesus – and then finally we do what Jesus did. God’s ultimate will for our lives is to become like Christ, it’s to become love through union with Jesus – all for the sake of others (in the words of Dr Robert Mulholland). Discipleship to Jesus is not some spiritual wellness programme or life hack. Formation/becoming in the way of Jesus is always for the sake of others. Let me give you a picture of how this all works -
There’s no better picture of becoming Christlike for the sake of others (doing what Jesus did) than Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa served the poorest of the poor - but what fuelled that life? Because she went to her grave refusing to be called a social justice warrior or activist. In Her Noble Prize acceptance speech, she claimed that anyone who viewed her life as being about social work, had it backward. Instead, she claimed, she was nothing more than a - “Contemplative in the heart of the world.” She was saying, everything that she was being awarded for – rehabilitating addicts, caring for the poor - all of it happened in response to being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus by taking on the Way of Jesus. It was the natural overflow of apprenticeship to Jesus – and that’s the invitation.
DISCUSS: What is God’s ultimate will for our lives…? What is the end goal of our spiritual formation in the way of Jesus…?
Everyone is a disciple of someone or something, there’s no such thing as an unformed life. One day, sooner than you think we will wake up to discover that we’ve become a certain kind of person. And it won’t be your best intentions that choose that for you – and nor will it be your willpower. It will be your Rabbi. So, do you know who your Rabbi is..? That’s a question we’re spending some time with, because whatever your answer to that question is, it’s forming you into its image.
The most transformative thing you can do, for yourself and for the world around is come to Jesus – it’s never too late. See, what I’m trying to remind you of beloved from every angle I know how is this – the vision is Jesus. The vision is not a good work life balance – or survival - or resilience – or community – or mission – or contemplation – or justice. The Vision is Jesus. We only have one thing and it’s one thing we can’t lose - He’s the one thing that redefines all of the other things. So sell everything you’ve got and buy this field – because the treasure that’s buried there is worth everything you’ve got and so much more.
DISCUSS: Have we found a way of living that lets us stand on our own two feet in front of the One they call Jesus, who actually only comes into proper proportion when we fall to our knees, offering Him the whole of our lives?
I invite you to hold this question before God – Jesus, how are you inviting me, us, to be with you, to become like you, and to do what you did…? How are you inviting me to apprentice under you….?
How is God prompting your imagination….? What’s the next step for you to move deeper into that invitation…?
Come, Holy Spirit.
BECOMING SERMON SERIES – WHO IS GOD CALLING BAYVIEW TO BECOME?
On Sunday, we began our new sermon series titled – Becoming. This new series is very much an extension of our last series, An Invitation to Intimacy – the foundation upon which we’re going to continue to build in this ‘Becoming Series.’
But on Sunday, I wanted to begin this sermon series with remembering because remembering is one of the most frequent encouragements we find in Scripture. Remembering means – the way you go forward in the spiritual life is often first to go backwards and remember who God is and the life He’s inviting us into. So, on Sunday, I took us back to those two prophetic pictures I shared at the beginning of our Invitation to Intimacy Series.
Now, a prayer that I pray for us as a community is – God, would you show us where we are in the story….. Now, what I mean is – God, will you give us a biblical picture of the life that you’re calling us to inhabit? Because we all live toward a picture of who we want to become. So, I’ve been praying – God, who are you calling Bayview to become? The spiritual life of a community is all about listening to the story that God is already telling and then simply participating in it. It’s paying attention to God and His story amidst all of the competing stories – it’s a fight for our imaginations.
So, at the beginning of this series, I wanted to look back at those two prophetic pictures, and I wanted us to ask – What is the story God is inviting us into…? And how do we move from prophetic pictures to a deeper participation? If you’re intrigued or want to taste and see what those images were, why don’t you check out our online service https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDGXRS8reP8
On Sunday, I began with a story about Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence put intimacy with Jesus at the centre of his life – he took on the way and lifestyle of Jesus, and the rest of his incredible life was just the collateral damage of living in that moment-by-moment flow of love within the Trinity. And that’s how Jesus promised it would work, right – If you remain in me, I remain in you, you will bear much fruit (John 15:5). Ruth Hailey Barton puts that truth so poetically - “Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything else. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evening, how you spend your weekend, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”
Reflect on Ruth Hailey Barton’s quote… Do you agree/disagree (why/why not)…
I’ve felt for a long time now, that God is inviting our community into a deeper intimacy and life with God that we’ve never known. Now I’m very aware that I sound like a broken record, but God has not let the burden of this invitation go within me so I can’t put it down. So, on Sunday we began a new sermon series titled – Becoming. This new series is very much an extension of our last series, An Invitation to Intimacy – the foundation upon which we’re going to continue to build on in this ‘Becoming Series.’
But on Sunday, I wanted to begin this sermon series with remembering, because remembering is one of the most frequent encouragements we find in Scripture. Remembering means – the way you go forward in the spiritual life, is often first to go backwards and remember who God is and the life He’s inviting us into. So, on Sunday, I took us back to those two prophetic pictures I shared at the beginning of our Invitation to Intimacy series.
Now a prayer that I pray for us, is – God would you show us where we are in the story….. And what I mean is – God, will you give us a biblical picture of the life that you’re calling us to inhabit. Because we all live toward a picture of who we want to become. So, I’ve been praying – God who are you calling Bayview to become? Because the spiritual life of a community is all about listening to the story that God is already telling, and then simply participating in it. It’s paying attention to God and His story, amidst all of the competing stories – it’s a fight for our imaginations.
Read the underlined section again… Do you agree/disagree (why/why not)…
So, for 18 months now, I’ve had this vivid image in my imagination of David in the Valley of Elah for us as a community. You can read all about that (David & Goliath) account in 1st Samuel chapter 17. That famous story of David and Goliath takes place in the valley of Elah -there are these two hillsides on either side of the valley, the Philistines are on one, Israel’s on the other. The Philistines are so sure of their power, that Goliath’s taunting Israel everyday saying –“Send a challenger!” Israel’s so afraid, they can’t find anyone that will challenge him, until, this shepherd boy shows up whose been out in the wilderness ccultivating this intimacy and way of life with his Maker, among sheep. And out of that place, this shepherd boy says – I’ll take him on. Now he does so because he’s cultivated this moment-by-moment life of abiding in the love God, and so, his imagination & body has been captivated with a biblical story - with a really big God.
So, David goes into the valley, and he has to choose five smooth stones from the brook. Now the text doesn’t say that he knelt down to get the stones, but Eugene Peterson points out that he probably had to because we know historically that there’s no evidence that David had ever been in the valley of Elah before. Secondly, he’s got to get stones that fit his sling, so you’ve got to get on your knees to do that.
So, here’s the prophetic picture – There on one hillside, you’ve got the Philistines, on the other side, you’ve got Israel, there’s a valley in the middle. It’s almost like on one side you’ve got the world, and on the other side, you’ve got the church. The world so sure of their power in every new generation, the church so afraid. Then you’ve got a little boy on his knees in the most ancient posture of prayer in the middle. And where did that intimacy get developed? When he was alone in the field cultivating an intimate way of life with his Maker. Do you see parallels with Brother Lawrence’s story? A lifestyle of intimacy – that’s the invitation for us as a community! It’s not that we’d be thought of as innovative thinkers but a community cultivating intimacy with Jesus through prayer & the whole of our lives – a reminder, of how God still gets his work done. The way forward is not better techniques - it’s time to go deeper into the love and life of God
What might it look like for Bayview or your Church to inhabit this picture of an intimacy with Jesus through prayer and the whole of our lives...?
We’re in a moment where people are stuck between two stories. Where the cultural script is – If you can just throw off every voice that has tried to shape you and satisfy your desires, you will be satisfied. People are following that script and because we live in a time with so much access to social media and connection to the world, people can get to the end of that cultural script faster than any generation before. Then when they get to the end of that script they’re finding – I am chronically anxious, not satisfied, utterly exhausted & lost. The story I thought would free me has imprisoned me. Then ‘if’ they turn to the church, they find that the church has been shaped by culture as much as they have - so there isn’t a response.
So, if I look back over church history and say - when was a time when the church mirrored common culture and what was the response? To me, the response is the Desert Father’s and Mother’s (and there’s good and bad versions). So, a very brief history – the early church was thriving for the first three centuries. The church was on fire – a picture of intimacy. A countercultural community living by the power, presence, and Way of Jesus. What seemed ludicrous at first to the watching culture, then became attractive because the early church was experiencing what Jesus called - ‘life and life to the full’ in the midst of people that thought they were going after that, by a different way and weren’t experiencing it. So, the church became intriguing and grew and grew – it was like wildfire spreading through the empire. To the point that eventually this famous moment happened when Emperor Constantine dawns Christianity as the official religion of the empire.
Now it seemed like a great victory at first, and yet, it became the diluting moment of the church. Because a pattern in church history is, when the church buddies up with power, the life, the intimacy of the church becomes diluted. It’s still there - but you can’t taste it. So, there was a few people independent of one another who identified with Jesus going into the wilderness (Luke 4) to face down the idols of the day, resisting those temptations, to say – we will preserve the way of Jesus in order to offer a truer kind of life. Then what happened is, people were drawn to their intimate way of life with God and communities began to form around them.
So, in this moment, I look around, and I see that in many ways the church in the west is a by-product of culture – like the Way of Jesus has become diluted. So, where can we look? I think we can look to the Desert Father’s and Mothers who very ‘intentionally’ cultivated an intimacy with Jesus to preserve the life and Way of Jesus. So, here’s the prophetic picture – The loving invitation is to become Desert Father’s and Mother’s here and now, without retreating. It’s to intentionally cultivate an intimate way of life with Jesus that’s so alive, that it wakes the rest of us up. Because the truth is - if we want the life of Jesus, we have to take on the personal and communal lifestyle of Jesus. We have to come back to what being a disciple of Jesus actually is (it’s an embodied spirituality) – it’s to take on Jesus overall lifestyle not just His teachings and social ethics. Because we are formed by what we do, not just what we think.
READ the underlined section again… What sticks out to you about that invitation...?
I think the longing of God is to create these prophetic communities. Meaning – there’s something so different going on in the life rhythms of this community, that I’ve got to get there to taste and see. Because what’s coming out of it, is not a leader that I want to listen to – it’s a community’s life that I want to draw from. Because that’s the story - if you go back to the OT and God’s original intention for his people, it was that they would form a countercultural way of living with God, such that, it would draw the world to God. Now it’s really interesting that when you read about the NT church, the church is known by God’s presence among them, it’s all the shared life of the people – that’s what we’re still studying. We have this model all through Scripture, all through church history, of prioritising intimacy with God by taking on the lifestyle of Jesus - forming a counterculture where the cultural script is failing. That’s the invitation…..
What does it mean to live by the counter-cultural life rhythms of Jesus as a community...?
See, one thing I haven’t explained yet is that these two prophetic pictures are a picture of discipleship – God is inviting our community deeper, into what being a disciple of Jesus is. Now discipleship is this paradigm that Jesus used for the becoming of the of the whole person and how heaven invades earth. In its original context, to be a disciple of Jesus meant to radically re-organise your life around three primary goals: To be with Jesus (our last series – An Invitation to Intimacy) // To become like Jesus (our current series – Becoming) // And to do what Jesus did (our next series – Demonstrating the Gospel).
On Sunday, I landed the plane, by pastorally acknowledging a danger of this sermon series and then by asking you/us a question….So, a danger of this sermon series, as with any sermon series, is to fall in the love with the fruit of becoming instead of the Source. It’s to fall in love with the kingdom but not the King. It’s to seek the promise land before His presence. It’s to make God a means to an end – instead of your life with God being an end in and of itself. So, I have a question – but let me explain it in the form of a story - Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’…….. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you because you are a stiff-necked people…..” (Exodus 33: 1, 3)
Do you see what God is saying? He’s saying – I’ll give you everything you want, but I can’t go with you, because you’ve forsaken your first love – you love the promised land more than my presence. So, God’s offering Israel an exchange, he’s saying – you can have the promised land minus God’s presence. Or, you can have a totally blank canvas kind of future with God’s presence. Which one would you choose…? I mean honestly, because we know the right answer…. If God gave you, us as a community, everything that we wanted, but God himself didn’t go with us, would we notice His absence?
AGAIN READ the underlined question again….. Then ask yourselvelf this question - Do you tend to relate to God more transactionally or relationally…?
Here’s what Moses chose (Exodus 33:15-16) – 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here…. What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” Moses answered – give me your presence in the secret place, every single time. Like what is our priority as the people of God? It’s to host the presence of God. As Moses said – what else will distinguish us from all other people. So, back to the question – what will we seek first, at the beginning of this series – The promised land or God’s Presence. It’s such an important starting point – because misdirected loves lead to misdirected lives. The invitation of the Spirit at the beginning of this series is to seek God’s presence above all else. Because everything begins and ends in God’s presence.
What thoughts do these sentences bring to mind…? How is God prompting your imagination…?
How is God prompting your imagination….? What’s your next step to move deeper into that invitation…?
Come, Holy Spirit.
Clint Bevis
Don’t take Risks with Power Tools; instead, Practice Risky Compassion!
Rev Dr Ash Barker
One in for young people on the Mornington Peninsula suffer from anxiety or depression
Bayview’s Bounce Back accommodation provides housing a support for vulnerable women and their children
August Blog - Don’t take Risks with Power Tools; instead, Practice Risky Compassion!
Have you ever taken a risk with a power tool or something similar and regretted it? I certainly have, as the video opposite shows. The title of this blog is 'Don’t Take Risks with Power Tools; Instead, Practice Risky Compassion!'
Luke records the following in his gospel:
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.
A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The good Samaritan focuses on the basics—care and compassion. The outsider does the care, not the priest or the Levite. They are too busy or too scared to care. They do not want to take the risk. However, the Samaritan—an outsider despised by the religious elite of Jerusalem—is the one who takes the risk to care. The story gets me thinking about who are the outsiders in my community are.
Some of you may know Rev Dr Ash Barker. Ash and Anji lived with their two children as urban missionaries among 100,000 slum dwellers in Kong Toey, Bangkok, for over 10 years. They helped to bring about transformation in that slum by being faithfully present day-by-day and showing compassion to their neighbours, caring for them, and empowering them towards better living standards.
In 2011, Bangkok city was flooded, leaving 800 people dead and millions of homes and lives affected. The floods came up and left many neighbourhoods waste deep in horrible dirty water. The worst affected part of the city was in the north, where the floods forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. There were a lot of diseases and even attacks by crocodiles because the crocodile farms in Bangkok had flooded, enabling the crocodiles to escape.
Ash was relatively safe in Klong Toey but became aware that one of his neighbours had left his tools - vital for his work as a mechanic - in a house in the north of the City. So, he and some of his friends from Kong Toey went to help collect the tools, walking across the city through the floods. Walking there and back to get the tools took a whole day and was very challenging.
Ash says he was pretty scared with those crocodiles on the loose, and indeed, both he and one of his team members contracted typhus as a result of the journey. Two consequences of taking risky compassion. Anji, Ash’s wife, likes to remind us that compassion is never convenient; reflecting this, Ash writes, “Compassion has its risks emotionally, physically, (and financially) even if you’re just helping out.”
Have you experienced the consequences of taking risky compassion yourself, or have you seen them in other people?
When thinking about compassion, it's important to stop and see a person suffering; did you know that one in four young people on the Mornington Peninsula suffer from depression or anxiety? Also, the Shire reports that over 1,000 people sleep rough in tents and cars along the Peninsula every night.
In the 1940s, when challenging the Nazi regime in Germany, Bonhoeffer asked, “Have we learnt a little too late in the day? That action sprints not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”
More recently, Bishop Desmond Tutu echoed Bonhoeffer's sentiments, declaring: “Compassion is not just feeling with someone but seeking to change the situation. Frequently, people think compassion and love are merely sentimental. No! They are very demanding. If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action!”
Just last week, my wife, Laura, told me that she saw a young single mother called Mandy act out of compassion towards a young person. She took responsibility. Mandy saw a young person asleep on the pavement in Hastings. It was pouring with rain, and the girl was inadequately dressed in a white T-shirt. Even though she was a single mother on a low income and caring for a vulnerable child herself, Mandy ordered her food, warmed her up and then took her to Laura's work, where she knew the young person would be safe.
Mandy even came back the next day with more provisions to check that the girl was okay.
At Bayview Care, Andrew and Nikki established a small housing program for homeless women and their children. They took a risk with their own money and time to buy three units, acting out of compassion for those on the margins of our society.
Like the good Samaritan, Ash, Anji, Mandy, Nikki, and Andrew are modern-day risk-takers for compassion in their communities. I want to follow their example and attempt to become a good Samaritan in my community, too. However, it's not always easy or convenient, but I pray that I can take a risk with my time and energy in an attempt to make a difference.
