Tag Archives: Theology

Soveriegnty is not ours.

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The Lordship and rulership of this world is not given to us.

We can’t control it. No matter how good our engineering, all we can do is mitigate disasters. They happen. When the land beneath the foundations of your building liquifies, the craft with which you built the foundations is naught.

Samuel was confronting the people of Isreal who no longer wanted to wait for a judge. They were reaching for security. They now wanted a king, like the nations around them.  When they lost the kingship (for neither the people nor the king followed the law consistently) then they looked for the coming king. But Jesus’ kingdom was not built in slaughter and battle.

I Samuel

12But when you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ though the LORD your God was your king. 13See, here is the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; see, the LORD has set a king over you. 14If you will fear the LORD and serve him and heed his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well; 15but if you will not heed the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king

Luke 23

1Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. 2They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.” 3Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered, “You say so.” 4Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” 5But they were insistent and said, “He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.”

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Mission and Ministry — GAMC.

Since we are not sovereign, we must all submit to the will of the soveriegn — that is Jesus. Like soldiers, we are under orders. And like an army, there is a structure in the way we should order our church: The eldership guide the deacons and head of families who have the duty to teach their children. God’s intrusive: and the most systematic set of rules of living (developed by our Catholic brothers and sisters) gets quite direct about what should happen, even inside the marriage bed. My understanding of this is that it can be simplified by men to two commands and one piece of guidance.

  1. Love your wife as Christ loved the church.
  2. Do not oppress her.
  3. Use both Islam and feminism as a guide. Both are deeply in error, so if they advocate something, it is probably wise not to stray to that course of action.

Labour in NZ is expelling cheaters.

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Just found out who the Dunedin North Candidate is for the next election (Gollum is retiring). He is a local. He is respected. And it is a safe Labour seat.

However, there seems to be an ACORN type voter fraud infection in Labour. Let’s give credit where it is due: Labour will expel those who are corrupt.

The Labour Party will take action if any of its members were found to have been involved in a possible Auckland Super City voting scam involving the Papatoetoe ward, party president Andrew Little says.

Police are investigating, and search warrants have been executed at “properties of interest”, Detective Inspector Mark Gutry said yesterday.

The irregularities involved people outside of Auckland, but related to Papatoetoe in south Auckland.

The Registrar of Electors last week removed 306 enrolments after discovering people did not live at addresses stated on enrolment forms.

via Labour to ‘take action’ if members involved in voting scam – National – NZ Herald News.

Which agenda.

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This couple of verses occur at the end of the feeding of the 5000. The lectionary writers start off with Ps 15, in which the claiming of interest is called wicked, and the story of Gershom, who stole his master’s idols and how the Danites intimidated his master into letting him go.

John 6
14When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

15When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Jesus was not going to let people choose his agenda. Nothing has changed. As humans, we confuse strategy and tactics — as nations and in our lives. Jesus would not let the crowd set the agenda.

On the religion of the state.

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gisbourne

There has always been a form of public religion. There is a need within us for ceremony, pomp and circumstance, for ritual.The ritual should not just be the form, but have the practice and power of righteousness.

Which leads us to Isaiah:

Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

1The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

10Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. 12When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; 13bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation-I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. 14Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. 15When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

18Come now, let us argue it out, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

A holy terror

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I have no doubt that the money changers and sellers of animals were providing a service for worshippers. They were not merely providing souvenirs,  but things that were needed to fulfil the Mosaic law.

But Jesus drove them out. He was not being pragmatic. Zeal for the temple had consumed him: his rebuke follows the rebuke of Nehemiah. And he was not polite. Using a whip is not polite. This is not a pleasant and reasonable man. This is a man using force, the threat of terror.

But he was holy. He was separating that which is of God from the commerce and effort that produced it.

John 2

13The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Ministries & Programs — GAMC.

One of the things that we talk little about now is money and the business of Church. In this passage, I see that Jesus is trying to remove the commercial from the holy. Yet, we can let it drift in. We plead for money to continue this or that ministry. And at times of emergency we should. But should this in worship? Our offerings there should be of thanksgiving, not bullied out of us. And they should be hidden.

Song of Deborah.

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Dore

The RCL has this written as prose, when this is a song. Sisera, who was a general oppression the tribes of Israel, had been killed in his sleep by Jael. The Kenites were not Isreali, but had been allies (on and off) since the times of Moses.

In the 16th Century the Puritans took the highlighted verse and used it as a call for action. Meroz was cursed because they did nothing… and Jael was blessed because she acted

Judges 5:19-31

19″The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of silver. 20The stars fought from heaven, from their courses they fought against Sisera. 21The torrent Kishon swept them away, the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might!

22″Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.

23″Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD, curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they did not come to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

24″Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed. 25He asked water and she gave him milk, she brought him curds in a lordly bowl. 26She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet; she struck Sisera a blow, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. 27He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet; at her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell dead.

28″Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera gazed through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’ 29Her wisest ladies make answer, indeed, she answers the question herself: 30′Are they not finding and dividing the spoil? – A girl or two for every man; spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisera, spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?’

31″So perish all your enemies, O LORD! But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might.” And the land had rest forty years.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Ministries & Programs — GAMC.

One of the current positions within the Church is hard pietism. The secularists would argue that one should not have any religious beliefs and that “God-botherers” should not influence public debate. This has not been accepted within the Church: our internal wrong doing has to be confronted, as it was in 1688 here:

Christians have taken this and other passages as a order to act against injustice, regardless of which branch (Orthodox, Catholic, Reformed, Anabaptist or Pentecostal). We should not sit idly by but fight against injustice. There are historic examples:Yea, rather it is worse for them, which say they are Christians; for we hear that ye most part of such negers are brought hither against their will and consent,and that many of them are stolen. Now, tho they are black, we can not conceive there is more liberty to have them slaves, as it is to have other white ones. There is a saying that we shall doe to all men like as we will be done ourselves; making no difference of what generation, descent or colour they are. And those who steal or robb men, and those who buy or purchase them, are they not all alike? Here is liberty of conscience wch is right and reasonable; here ought to be liberty of ye body, except of evil-doers,wch is an other case. But to bring men hither, or to rob and sell them against their will, we stand against. In Europe there are many oppressed for conscience sake; and here there are those oppressed wh are of a black colour. And we who know than men must not comitt adultery, – some do committ adultery, in separating wives from their husbands and giving them to others; and some sell the children of these poor creatures to other men. Ah! doe consider will this thing, you who doe it, if you would be done at this manner? And if it is done according to Christianity?

But we must always speak publicly. The declaration of Bremen addressed the issues of the secular and frankly anti Christian and neo-pagan National Socialists saying that the church must reflect the national mission.

As members of Lutheran, Reformed, and United churches we may and must speak with one voice in this matter today. Precisely because we want to be and to remain faithful to our various confessions, we may not keep silent, since we believe that we have been given a common message to utter in a time of common need and temptation. We commend to God what this may mean for the interrelations of the confessional churches.

In view of the errors of the “German Christians” of the present Reich church government which are devastating the church and also therefore breaking up the unity of the German Evangelical Church, we confess the following evangelical truths:

1. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (Jn 14.6) “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber… I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” (Jn 10.1, 9)

Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in holy scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church could and would have to acknowledge as a source of its proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and powers, figures and truths, as God’s revelation.

2. “Christ Jesus, whom God has made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Cor 1.30)

As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so, in the same way and with the same seriousness he is also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. Through him befalls us a joyful deliverance from the godless fetters of this world for a free, grateful service to his creatures.

We reject the false doctrine, as though there were areas of our life in which we would not belong to Jesus Christ, but to other lords – areas in which we would not need justification and sanctification through him.

3. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body [is] joined and knit together.” (Eph 4.15,16)

The Christian church is the congregation of the brethren in which Jesus Christ acts presently as the Lord in word and sacrament through the Holy Spirit. As the church of pardoned sinners, it has to testify in the midst of a sinful world, with its faith as with its obedience, with its message as with its order, that it is solely his property, and that it lives and wants to live solely from his comfort and from his direction in the expectation of his appearance.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church were permitted to abandon the form of its message and order to its own pleasure or to changes in prevailing ideological and political convictions.

4. “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant.” (Mt 20.25,26)

The various offices in the church do not establish a dominion of some over the others; on the contrary, they are for the exercise of the ministry entrusted to and enjoined upon the whole congregation.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church, apart from this ministry, could and were permitted to give itself, or allow to be given to it, special leaders vested with ruling powers.

5. “Fear God. Honour the emperor.” (1 Pet 2.17)

Scripture tells us that, in the as yet unredeemed world in which the church also exists, the state has by divine appointment the task of providing for justice and peace. [It fulfils this task] by means of the threat and exercise of force, according to the measure of human judgment and human ability. The church acknowledges the benefit of this divine appointment in gratitude and reverence before him. It calls to mind the kingdom of God, God’s commandment and righteousness, and thereby the responsibility both of rulers and of the ruled. It trusts and obeys the power of the Word by which God upholds all things.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the state, over and beyond its special commission, should and could become the single and totalitarian order of human life, thus fulfilling the church’s vocation as well.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church, over and beyond its special commission, should and could appropriate the characteristics, the tasks, and the dignity of the state, thus itself becoming an organ of the state.

6. “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Mt 28.20) “The word of God is not fettered.” (2 Tim 2.9)

The church’s commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people in Christ’s stead, and therefore in the ministry of his own Word and work through sermon and sacrament.

We reject the false doctrine, as though the church in human arrogance could place the word and work of the Lord in the service of any arbitrarily chosen desires, purposes, and plans.

The Confessional Synod of the German Evangelical Church declares that it sees in the acknowledgement of these truths and in the rejection of these errors the indispensable theological basis of the German Evangelical Church as a federation of confessional churches. It invites all who are able to accept its declaration to be mindful of these theological principles in their decisions in church politics. It entreats all whom it concerns to return to the unity of faith, love, and hope.

What does this mean for all us?

  • We need to be reforming our own life. We are enjoined to love God and our neighbour, and therefore not oppress our neighbour. This is both a private and corporate struggle.
  • We should make our stances clear to the surrounding community, by way of declarations and protests within the law.
  • However, we should resist and refuse any move to make our message subservient to the political fashions and movements of the day, regardless of how worthy they are. The political leaders who make changes are allies for that issue. We reserve the right to oppose them, and we refuse to be cowed into some form of national or political coordination — as was the error of the German “National” church and the official churches during the oppresions of the 20th century. Our issue is diluting our faith to deal with the querulous legalities of political correctness.
  • We will not retreat into quietism. We will have to be silenced.

These things are costly.  Many of the people who signed the Bremen confession were killed.  But if we do not reflect the truth, we lose our salt and become… a useless appendage to a failing society. For without the Salt of witness, righteousness and truth, society rots.

A political arrest.

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In the process of terror, arrests happen at night. It is far, far safer to take someone into custody if they are not surrounded by their followers

Matthew 26

At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Ministries & Programs — GAMC.

In the times of terror, your allies do not want to be caught. Like the Moscow residents cowering in their flat thinking if they are silent the Chekists will find another sheep to make up their quota, people abandon the person who has been arrested.

I wonder if this is why those who visit prisoners are praised. To visit is to make oneself noticed. It is to ally with the undesirables — to be politically incorrect. And we need the courage to do this, for love is supposed to drive out fear, not fear drive out love.

Fluctuations.

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The Matthew passage compresses the last supper — the event we remember in communion — into three verses. Matthew mentions singing a song… and the Jesus says that the disciples will betray.

Matthew 26:26-35

26While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

30When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

31Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Ministries & Programs — GAMC.

We are fallen. We are inconstant. With the best of intentions at the beginning of the day, by the end we have strayed. It is wrong. It is also very human. We strive, but fail.

And the Gospels record the Apostles failures. And many readers have, sanctimoniously, said they would not have fallen, forgetting that was exactly what the apostles said before they abandoned Jesus.

Contra narcississimus.

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Narcissus was a most beautiful and proud youth. He was cursed with falling in love with anything more beautiful than him. He therefore fell in love with his reflection, and starved staring in adoration at himself.

Paul here gives some sober reminders. The first is that thoughts matter. We should concentrate on the good: we have to be anti cultural to a lot of the secular messages out there, not because they are secular, but because they concentrate on the bad.

Secondly, we are not to devalue ourselves, neither are we to worship self esteem. We are to do good, not get pats for trying. High self esteem is not an end: doing good is an end.

Besides, we should count our life poured out as a sacrifice.

Romans 12:1-8

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.

3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Ministries & Programs — GAMC.

Pentecost Kirk

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We had a member of the kirk who is considering ministry talking today. He discussed surfing. In Scotland: how he got up early, found his friends, cranked the music up and on the 3 hour drive, in midwinter to the good waves they got excited and motivated. So when they arrived at the beach — they cheerfully ran into the freezing water to surf.

And people thought they were crazy. On Pentecost, the Apostles were considered high — drunk. Crazy.

But we are not like that most days (we are Presbyterians — dour most of the time). He reflected that the apostles had been meeting and praying (he omitted the key word — together) and then Pentecost came. The time of preparation matters. If we have dreams and visions, we need to pray on them. We need to wait, to work. to prepare.

But we should not deny the spirit when it flows.

Acts 4:18-21, 23-33

18So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; 20for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21After threatening them again, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, for all of them praised God for what had happened.

23After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, 25it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: 'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? 26The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers have gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah’s; 27For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, 30while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

via PC(USA) – Devotions – Daily readings for Sunday, May 23, 2010.