This is a time when the persecutions begin. I note that South Park can be blasphemous about Jesus, but not Mohammed. Because they are afraid of their skins. I see that the left is afraid that there will be a winnowing of them, while accusing their opposition of being genocidal racists, perverts, and worse.

I’m not that courageous and I prefer to be in comfort. Yet I claim to follow this person>

Matthew 4,

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Jesus was a healer and preacher. He attended to the needs of people who came to see him. But does this mean, to be like him, we have to remove from the rich to give to the poor? In Acts a couple came to Peter saying they had sold all to give to the church but had held some back. They were killed (without a hand on them) and Peter commented that their property was theirs, they could choose to keep it, sell it, and give what they wanted. Their crime was claiming to what they are not.

Colossians 3:1-17

1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

via PCUSA – Devotions – Daily readings for Saturday, April 24, 2010.

From this: we must be truthul, pure, not jealous of other’s blessings — instead be happy for them.

• We should neither demonize or praise the rich. I note that both occur far too often in our political discourse.
• We should be honest. If our brother is struggling, he needs help, but if he feels he has to pretend to not have problems… how can he get help.
• We should resolve our differences in house.
• We are all one. There is no place for playing the politics of colour.
• We are one. We should not encourage the lords of this earth to steal from us.
• We should do good. One could argue that the state is not the means for this: for it is not sustainable in times of poverty. Families should look after their own and we should then provide for those who do not have. If we don’t have a few homeless people coming in for the food we are not doing our job.
• In the end, we are hidden in Christ. We have to account to him. Each day we can do good, or not, and that is our responsibility, And if we were not hidden in Christ, it would be our condemnation, for each day we do not meet these standards.

So moving to a social gospel, to a gospel that proclaims and ruminates on imagined oppression and the need for some authority to punish, is not a gospel.  If one preaches this, one ins against Christ.

The Gospel needs to be available and understandable by a child — and the current neopagan gaiaist syncretic liberalized faith ain’t that.

Part of the Reformed position is a sense that the Church is in society and should influence it. The technical name for this is Catholic — the Church is full of fallen people and (it is only by God’s power) that any good happens. The Roman Church calls itself Catholic, but the position is shared by those who take a Orthodox or Reformed position.

The other position the Church has taken is separation from the world. The first people who did this were monks. There has been a quietist and mystic group within the Catholic churches that subsumes its feelings to the wider church. However, from the enlightenment on, the idea that the Church should be separate from society has gathered both among pagans and believers. This leads to statements such as:

“This is a personal opinion, but I don’t expect New Zealand society to observe the Christian story at Easter.

“I don’t have religious objections at all if shops are allowed to open any time they like over Easter. I don’t think the churches can expect New Zealand society to observe Easter in the way the Christian churches do.

“It’s something that is special and precious to Christians that should be respected, but the churches shouldn’t seek to impose that on society.

“People can have their days off and enjoy them in ignorance of what Easter is about for Christians, and that’s fine.”

I’d say that if Jesus did not rise, our faith is vain. If our faith is not vain, it behooves us to bear witness to him at all times — and the cycle of festivals within the Church (and fossilized in Society) gives us a chance to do this.

via Pagans, Passover and the resurrection | Otago Daily Times Online News.

For many years I lived with being told that each time I fell that I was some form of secondary (and Katholic) Christian because I could not be holy. The implication was that Good Christians should not sin, and I was a Bad Christian.

So let’s look at today’s reading

Romans 6:3-14

3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.

via PCUSA – Devotions – Daily readings for Sunday, February 28, 2010.

Paul has a pattern. He starts with elaborating the reasons behind a point. He appeals to our heads: he is the first theologian (and has been beaten up for this for ever: the critics ignore his discussions of tears…).

Then he says “do not let sin exercise dominion”. This does not make immediate sense because he has just said we “is dead” and thus are not compelled into sin.

But we can choose to do it. And we do. The text is about becoming holy. It is not about being perfect. In fact, to state we are perfect is to be in a state of sin: for in our position “above” others we can easily class those who are not as udermenschen — to be ignored, patronised or destroyed. (The German word is the best I know for this, but since I can barely speak it, my spelling is off).

And in this we are all Catholic. We accept that the Church is full of fallen, imperfect people. Some of whom are not interested in moving towards Righteousness. Some of whom are not of God. But we cannot tell who will told they were a good and faithful servant. We hold the balance of accepting we are poor, weak and inconsistent and also striving for the best. And in this, Reformed people can state “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church…”

Most people don’t think that Jesus was confrontational. This is unbiblical

Jesus overtly claimed to  forgive sins. This is the perogative of G_d. He is either mad, blaspheming, or what he said he is.

5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7″Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 9Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and take your mat and walk'? 10But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – he said to the paralytic – 11″I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” 12And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

via PCUSA – Devotions – Daily readings for Thursday, February 25, 2010.