This week the eyes of many across our world will be on Melbourne. Representatives from the 20 most economically influential countries in the world will gather in Melbourne for the G20 summit. While the G20 gathers where will also be many other happenings in Melbourne trying to draw your attention towards this summit.
Bono being the front man for U2 has come out with guns firing. U2’s first concert for their Australian tour in Brisbane was laced with strong political messages (what else would you expect from a rock band) highlighting the plight of the poor and disadvantaged. U2 will hold concerts in Melbourne during the weekend of the summit and no doubt this is deliberate to coincide with the summit.
You’ll also see Make Poverty History slogans everywhere as they have named this Make Poverty History Week and focus on the Millennium Development Goals which are a commitment to halve poverty across the world. Festivals and concerts will be held in the city over the weekend of the 18th & 19th of November. There will be protests, outspoken celebrities, differences of opinion and lots of talk about our combined effort to make poverty history.
My question to you as followers of Jesus is this: Will you shut all knowledge of these events out of your mind and lay low until it all blows over, or will you engage with the issue, provide a voice and contribute to making a difference?
Last Sunday night we gathered for a nice movie night in the chapel. We kicked back in the couches with our popcorn ready to be lightly entertained by a romantic comedy about a guy who meets a girl in a café in London.
While the movie ‘the girl in the café’ is light hearted and funny at times it hosts a mixture of disturbing messages that we cannot ignore. Lawrence meets Gina in a café, two lone unassuming strangers. Lawrence is the financial advisor to the Chancellor and Gina is just a regular everyday person. As their relationship develops the very nervous and shy Lawrence invites Gina to accompany him to Iceland where he will be part of the 2005 G8 summit – the gathering of the 8 most powerful leaders to discuss issues including the Millennium Development Goals.
Lawrence and Gina’s characters represent such powerful parallels to the way our society operates. Lawrence is the polite people pleaser however Gina is not afraid to say what she thinks. As Gina learns of the issues facing the poor and the agendas of the world leaders she begins to develop a deep personal conviction for making poverty history. Because of her relationship with Lawrence she rubs shoulders with some of the most powerful influences in the world. While it is social edict to smile and be polite Gina begins challenging the consciences of those who have power to make decisions that can change our world.
While many are disgusted at Gina’s unorthodox behaviour, I find that there is a bit of Gina in me that’s just busting to come out but the Lawrence in me may be afraid of what people think. Gina exchanges social grace for standing for what she believes in. She is just one ordinary person with one voice yet she had the guts to use it.
We are in a climate of change in many different ways and in the words of Tim Costello we have the power to change the ‘direction of the wind’. If Jesus is any example to go by, one man, with one voice who’s actions changed the world. Surely Jesus’ followers have no other option but to do the same.
Never think you can’t make a different, knowledge on these issues is not hard to come by and your federal MP’s are always open to conversations and letters, they just need enough voices to bring these issues to the front of the agenda.
Nelson Mandela said that ‘all it takes is for a generation to be great, you can be that generation, you can be great’. This week seize the opportunity to be great for the Kingdom of God.
Shalom
Mark
Monday, November 13, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
On the edge of the Kingdom
I may have mentioned this before but I quite enjoy Mark’s Gospel. It so happens that this year has been the year of Mark and although my preaching doesn’t always follow the lectionary themes, I thought I’d reflect on the reading from this week.
I enjoy Mark’s Gospel not because it has nice stories that suit my agenda, but because the Jesus of this Gospel is particularly earthy and gutsy. Mark’s Jesus confronts me in a particular way and gets straight to the point. I enjoy each Gospel for what it is.
In this reading from Mark chapter 12, Jesus is set up in a question time by nearly every different group that represents the Jewish faith. As each take their turn in trying to trick Jesus, a teacher of the law speaks up and asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is.
It’s almost like you can see Jesus rolling his eyes as question after question is fired at him. It seems that the most important outcome each faction of the faith are looking for from Jesus is that he believes the right stuff and delivers the right answer according to their system of belief.
I find it entertaining to read because after reading it a number of times I can then step back and check myself and say ‘hang on, I’m just like them’. It is true isn’t it, look at how many arguments, divisions and wars are caused over ‘believing the right stuff’. Every religion including the Christian movement has a copious amount of division that form into denominations mainly because of difference of opinion over fundamental beliefs that make the religion what it is.
Jesus’ response to all of this is, ‘you’ve all completely lost the plot – missed the mark’. Belief is only part of the equation. We can debate what we believe all we like but what good is our belief if it does not inform our action? In the case of the teacher of the law and Jesus, they both believe the same thing, to love God with all your heart mind and soul and love your neighbour as yourself. This is the greatest commandment. Then Jesus says this really strange thing, “You are not far from the kingdom of God”.
So what’s all that about, I thought if I believed the right stuff I was ‘in’, but Jesus says ‘you are not far…’.In fact he’s basically saying ‘you are right on the edge of the kingdom yet there’s just one more thing you require. Our lectionary reading only includes vs 28-34 but if you read beyond this you’ll find a stern warning.
Those who claim to believe all the right stuff, the religious types who pray the waffling prayers and hold prominent positions in their community and let everyone know about it, they think they’re in but are actually far from the Kingdom of God. Yet the one thing Jesus requires to step into the Kingdom is that what you believe translates through your actions. Your love for God is displayed through your love for your neighbour, your love, care and service towards the disadvantaged, broken hearted, outcast and poverty stricken.
Here’s what it means to believe in Jesus, that you embrace Kingdom values as the theme to live your life by.
Shalom
Mark
I enjoy Mark’s Gospel not because it has nice stories that suit my agenda, but because the Jesus of this Gospel is particularly earthy and gutsy. Mark’s Jesus confronts me in a particular way and gets straight to the point. I enjoy each Gospel for what it is.
In this reading from Mark chapter 12, Jesus is set up in a question time by nearly every different group that represents the Jewish faith. As each take their turn in trying to trick Jesus, a teacher of the law speaks up and asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is.
It’s almost like you can see Jesus rolling his eyes as question after question is fired at him. It seems that the most important outcome each faction of the faith are looking for from Jesus is that he believes the right stuff and delivers the right answer according to their system of belief.
I find it entertaining to read because after reading it a number of times I can then step back and check myself and say ‘hang on, I’m just like them’. It is true isn’t it, look at how many arguments, divisions and wars are caused over ‘believing the right stuff’. Every religion including the Christian movement has a copious amount of division that form into denominations mainly because of difference of opinion over fundamental beliefs that make the religion what it is.
Jesus’ response to all of this is, ‘you’ve all completely lost the plot – missed the mark’. Belief is only part of the equation. We can debate what we believe all we like but what good is our belief if it does not inform our action? In the case of the teacher of the law and Jesus, they both believe the same thing, to love God with all your heart mind and soul and love your neighbour as yourself. This is the greatest commandment. Then Jesus says this really strange thing, “You are not far from the kingdom of God”.
So what’s all that about, I thought if I believed the right stuff I was ‘in’, but Jesus says ‘you are not far…’.In fact he’s basically saying ‘you are right on the edge of the kingdom yet there’s just one more thing you require. Our lectionary reading only includes vs 28-34 but if you read beyond this you’ll find a stern warning.
Those who claim to believe all the right stuff, the religious types who pray the waffling prayers and hold prominent positions in their community and let everyone know about it, they think they’re in but are actually far from the Kingdom of God. Yet the one thing Jesus requires to step into the Kingdom is that what you believe translates through your actions. Your love for God is displayed through your love for your neighbour, your love, care and service towards the disadvantaged, broken hearted, outcast and poverty stricken.
Here’s what it means to believe in Jesus, that you embrace Kingdom values as the theme to live your life by.
Shalom
Mark
What do you see in the journey?
Over the years I have written a number of reflections about ‘journey’, the journey of following Jesus (you can check these out in my blog archives). One of my favourite passages of scripture about journey has popped up in the lectionary this week – Mark 10:46-52 the story of Jesus healing Bartimaeus the blind man. While it has been my tendency to focus on the end result, Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the ‘journey’ into Jerusalem this pericope has read me differently this time.
What I find interesting about the discipline of ‘dwelling in the text’ is that we don’t just look up our favourite bible passages, take them at face value and use them for our own purposes. A dwelling means just that, sitting and being with the text, allowing it to read into your life and ministry experience, what does it uncover about the stories you bring to the text? What does it tell you about you as a Jesus follower? How is the living Spirit calling you to respond out of the text?
So now you’ve grabbed your bibles and have read these 7 basic verses what did you see? Just a story about Jesus healing a blind man? Is there something more? Did you bother to read the stories around it that give this pericope context and meaning? The Gospel of Mark is fascinating, particularly the theme around what it means to see the way of Jesus.
Here’s some things that stand out to me in this passage. You notice Bartimaeus is shouting out to Jesus. Those who were part of the large crowd following Jesus into Jerusalem rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet. I wonder who was in that crowd? Could it be that even the disciples were among disapproving the voices of Bart’s yelling? It wouldn’t be the first time, earlier in chapter 10 the disciples rebuke the children that are brought to Jesus. Yet children and blind men are overlooked all the time, they’re not important, in fact they’re a nuisance, they get in the way. Yelling beggars on the side of the road are a dime a dozen. Even with their yelling at the top of their lungs they blend into the background. Yet just as Jesus embraces the little children, he stops and hears Bart’s cry.
One of the questions I ask in my dwelling in the text is ‘where is the church in the text?’ I have heard reflections from the overlooked people in our community say the church is in the crowd! Surely not!
As the story goes, Bartimaeus is healed of his physical blindness and follows Jesus on the journey. Yet a question remains with me, ‘who in this text is really blind?’ I wonder, as we are on the journey with Jesus what do we discover along the way? How many people do we stumble across and actually notice? Do we see those who are otherwise overlooked or do we look the other way? The way of the Kingdom of God in folly to many of us yet is profound Good News to others. On the journey we are called to see what Jesus sees, to stop in the crowd, and respond to the other against the grain of society and expectations and out of love and compassion.
May you be blessed with Kingdom eyes
Shalom
Mark
What I find interesting about the discipline of ‘dwelling in the text’ is that we don’t just look up our favourite bible passages, take them at face value and use them for our own purposes. A dwelling means just that, sitting and being with the text, allowing it to read into your life and ministry experience, what does it uncover about the stories you bring to the text? What does it tell you about you as a Jesus follower? How is the living Spirit calling you to respond out of the text?
So now you’ve grabbed your bibles and have read these 7 basic verses what did you see? Just a story about Jesus healing a blind man? Is there something more? Did you bother to read the stories around it that give this pericope context and meaning? The Gospel of Mark is fascinating, particularly the theme around what it means to see the way of Jesus.
Here’s some things that stand out to me in this passage. You notice Bartimaeus is shouting out to Jesus. Those who were part of the large crowd following Jesus into Jerusalem rebuked Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet. I wonder who was in that crowd? Could it be that even the disciples were among disapproving the voices of Bart’s yelling? It wouldn’t be the first time, earlier in chapter 10 the disciples rebuke the children that are brought to Jesus. Yet children and blind men are overlooked all the time, they’re not important, in fact they’re a nuisance, they get in the way. Yelling beggars on the side of the road are a dime a dozen. Even with their yelling at the top of their lungs they blend into the background. Yet just as Jesus embraces the little children, he stops and hears Bart’s cry.
One of the questions I ask in my dwelling in the text is ‘where is the church in the text?’ I have heard reflections from the overlooked people in our community say the church is in the crowd! Surely not!
As the story goes, Bartimaeus is healed of his physical blindness and follows Jesus on the journey. Yet a question remains with me, ‘who in this text is really blind?’ I wonder, as we are on the journey with Jesus what do we discover along the way? How many people do we stumble across and actually notice? Do we see those who are otherwise overlooked or do we look the other way? The way of the Kingdom of God in folly to many of us yet is profound Good News to others. On the journey we are called to see what Jesus sees, to stop in the crowd, and respond to the other against the grain of society and expectations and out of love and compassion.
May you be blessed with Kingdom eyes
Shalom
Mark
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