Rev. Len Abrams                                                1 Samuel 3:1-10, John 1: 43-51

The Calling of God

The theme in today’s bible readings is the Calling of God – and how we can take up the challenge to answer that call!

It is not often that we remember sermons. However I remember one sermon from when I was a teenager. It was on the subject of God’s calling and our response. I am not sure why this made such an impression on me, but I have never forgotten it. I do not recall who the speaker was but they painted a picture of someone to whom God’s call came when they were young and were in college or university.

The response to God’s call was “just let me finish my course – then I will be of so much more use and I will go anywhere and do anything for you.” A few years later God’s call came again when the person had recently begun their first job. Their response to God’s call was “just let me get some experience and then I will be of greater use and I will go anywhere and do anything for you.”

Again a few years later God’s call came and the response was “I have a young family and responsibilities, as soon as I have fulfilled my responsibilities, I will go anywhere and do anything for you.”

More years past and the dim call was heard once again to which the response was “as soon as I retire I will go anywhere and do anything for you.” And then finally the response was “just let me enjoy a few years of my retirement for which I have worked so hard, and then I will go anywhere and do anything for you.”   And then it was too late.

This morning we hear in our two readings examples of God’s call – one to a young boy called Samuel, and the other to a fairly cynical young man called Nathanael.  Samuel heard the voice of God but did not know it was God, and Nathanael was minding his own business sitting alone in the shade of a fig tree, completely unaware that Jesus knew exactly where he was what he had in store for him…..

The main calling is to know Jesus

Now perhaps the emphasis in that sermon all those years ago was slightly incorrect – perhaps it was slightly back-to-front. The first and most important question is not where you might be called to, or what you might be called to do, but “Who is doing the calling?”  Perhaps some of us are aware of a calling to something different, something intriguing, something challenging and we are not quite sure what it is or who is calling us.  Or perhaps we are quite happy in the shade under our fig tree, thank you very much, and not looking to be called anywhere. If you understand who is calling, then all else falls into place. Jesus’ invitation is out there still today, irrespective of how long you may or may not have been a Christian – Jesus is still reaching out to us and saying “Come, deeper in and higher up and see who I am”.

As we begin to explore who Jesus is, as we begin to get to know him and let him into our lives, into our hearts and into our minds, we will hear his call to life and service. We begin to discover, not only who Jesus is, but who we really are. The irony is that as we surrender ourselves, we find ourselves.

The sovereignty of SELF vs the sovereignty of God

The spiritual life is a lifelong struggle between the sovereignty of SELF versus the sovereignty of God. We live in a society where hearing a call from God makes no sense – we live in a society where SELF is king. I heard Frank Sinatra’s song “I did it my Way” played at someone’s funeral the other day which epitomises this.

The words of the song go, at the end:

“not the words of one who kneels
The record shows, I took the blows
But I did it my way”

I would rather be known as one who does kneel – I hope that the record shows that I took the blows but that I did it HIS way.

My generation embraced this philosophy of independence and individualism, and we taught our children well because doing it MY WAY is the essence of secularism, which is the prevailing religion of our time.  In contrast to the tyranny of SELF – to the philosophy of “I DID IT MY WAY” – there is Jesus, who stands full square in front of us and says, I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. 

So – to get back to our original question – the question of God’s call on our lives. The key to answering the question lies in relationship, which should then lead on to activity. 

The general and the intimate call

Once we have become aware of God’s primary call into relationship with him and as that relationship begins to transform the way we see the world and our role in it, we then begin to ask the question of what we should be doing with our resources, our time and our talents.  The general call of God on our lives is universal and relentless – God desires that all people should turn to him all the time and find their true wholeness in him.  The specific call of God on our particular lives, however, is intimate.  It is deeply challenging and the ultimate route to self discovery as we increasingly discover who God is.

What are the ways in which God may be calling YOU today.  At one level there are a whole lot of ‘jobs’ to be done at Christ Church – there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to keep everything going and to continue to worship together, care for each other, and support the wider community in which we live.  The first and most important thing though, is that he is calling you, and ALL OF US, to deepen our lives and relationships with him.  This is a life-long process – learning how to come to Jesus in prayer each day, reading the Bible and listening for his call – just like young Samuel.  Out of a life of commitment to Jesus comes a life of service.  And that service may be anything from helping at services on Sundays, supporting neighbours in times of difficulty, serving on the PCC or becoming a Church Warden. All these things should NOT be done out of a sense of duty – they should be done out of love and service.

Another way in which God may be calling you is in trained Christian ministry – as a Pastoral Auxiliary with a ministry of caring, as a Reader with a ministry of teaching, or even as a priest or deacon.  Don’t think it could never be you! I thought it could never be me!  I really do feel the Imposter Syndrome very strongly – who me? A priest??!!  That could not possibly be right!  But I followed the prompting from within and from others over too many years and here I am now.  Don’t be surprised with what God can do if you say to God “I’ll go anywhere and do anything for you”.

I want to share something with you which I came across a couple of years ago – you may have heard of it.  In March 2014 the Cabinet Office in the UK undertook a national survey which was published by the BBC.  I quote a section of it:

The Cabinet Office has been looking at the relationship between different jobs and levels of life satisfaction, and publicans, it turns out, are in the unhappiest occupation of all. They are closely followed by brickies and debt collectors.

The happiest workers, the research suggests, are vicars and priests. Members of the clergy enjoy the most satisfying lives – but farmers and fitness instructors are pretty jolly too.

This is secular government research.  Clergy head the list of 274 different types of jobs.  The second on the list is Chief Executive Officers – CEOs – the people on the top of the corporate pile.  The CEOs are the highest earners in the table, earning nearly 6 times the incomes of clergy (probably more now) but they don’t have the same level of life satisfaction.  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26671221)

When Karen and I moved into the vicarage in Mid Street at the beginning of December it was the 15^th home move we have made in our married lives.  We have lived all over the place and done quite a few things and travelled widely but there is nowhere I would rather be at this point in time than right where we are.  I feel the most alive doing exactly what I am doing right now.

And so I dare you to listen out for God’s calling to you wherever you are in your life journey today.  You may be in precisely the right place in which case you are very blessed.  You may need to take on that role in Christ Church even if you are in trepidation doing so.  Or perhaps God is calling you to think right outside the box.

Discerning God’s call for you need not be something you do entirely on your own.  Speak to those who know you, pray about it.  If you want to, send me an email or give me a call.  Remember that as we surrender ourselves, we find ourselves.  If you stay happily (or miserably) under your fig tree, you may be missing out on what God has in store for you.

Another way in which that sermon I heard all those years ago was perhaps not entirely correct was right at the end when the preacher said “It was too late”.  If the primary call of God is into relationship with him, it is never too late.  It is never too late.  We may have missed out on the adventure which God might have led us on if we had surrendered our whole lives to God 10, 20, 50 years ago, but it is never too late to answer Jesus’ call on our lives right now.  He still invites us to “Come, and see who I am”, right now.

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Revd.Len@cc-nutfield.org.uk

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Revd Len Abrams    Revelation 21 & Romans 8

Reference: Tom Wright – “Surprised by Hope”

This is the sixth and final of the series on celebrating creation. Today we are going to look at the full cycle of the creation story. How do we understand creation – the beginning, in the context of where we are now and where we are headed in the future – the ultimate future?

There is a great deal of very fuzzy Christian thinking about this. What do the new Testament Scriptures tell us about the continuing saga of creation and the fulfilment of the creation story? I don’t believe we can be proper stewards of God’s creation today without understanding both the beginning and the end.

The Cosmos began with God creating everything from nothing – and it was GOOD and remains GOOD but has become corrupted. Death has entered the scene which is not good. Then God reveals his hand in salvation history through the Israelites who spend most of the time in rebellion against God.

The Exodus happens which sets up a motif of redemption – God breaking into history to miraculously save God’s people. Then, after more rebellion and exile, God breaks into human history again, becoming fully human whilst remaining fully divine. Then the impossible happens – God is killed, Jesus is crucified.

Then the impossible happens again – Jesus is resurrected in physical bodily form. This is the pivotal point in the ongoing, still emerging creation story and is the centre point of human history. The apostle Paul describes the resurrected Jesus as “the first born of the new creation”.

The resurrection of Jesus electrifies the early Christians. Realisation dawns what the Hebrew Scriptures (the old Testament) have been pointing to all along and what the resurrection means regarding the future of creation and life. Paul writes about it in numerous places – 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 8, for example, and John brings it to a climax in Revelation chapter 21 and 22.

The future will bring bodily resurrection in a new earth and a new heaven.  The ultimate state is not so much the destruction of the original creation (which was good) but rather the completion of it, bringing it to fruition. These are not so much the “end times” as the completion of the first chapter of creation and the beginning of a new creation which is even more amazing then the first.

The Bible points to the transformation of those living at that time and that those who are “asleep in Christ” will be raised in bodily form, not with the old corruptible bodies but with incorruptible bodies, of which Jesus was the first fruit. Death will be no more.

This is the Christian belief which is included in the creeds with which we are all familiar: I believe in the resurrection of the body.  Onwards to a new Eden, as it was meant to be!

The problem is that we have become so woolly in our thinking about this over the years and centuries. We have lost the revolutionary perspective which the early Christians had. 

Greek philosophy which regards the physical as corrupt and subject to decay has permeated western thought. In death the spirit or soul is released from bodily imprisonment to continue a disembodied existence either retaining its identity or merging with the divine, the life force – as a drop merges with the ocean.  How persistent is the notion that we will all end up in a spiritual heaven either with or without clouds and harps, and creation as we know it will be rolled up and will cease to exist.

This is not Christian. We are humans, created as the image bearers of our creator. We were created to be physical beings with the rest of creation and it was good. Our destiny is to live as we were created to live, without death, in a new earth. We are not meant to go to heaven, that’s not how we were made, heaven is meant to come to earth where we will experience the perpetual presence of God which is the picture given in Revelations chapter 21.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

² And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

³ And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

What has all this got to do with Saint Francis of Assisi? Francis of Assisi lived from 1182 – 1226. He was born into a wealthy family but renounced his wealth and became one of the most revered and influential of all Christians.  Whilst his life is surrounded by myth, his love for nature and animals is well known and he is regarded as patron saint of animals and the environment. He had a deep understanding of creation and of being part of it.  We need to love and care for creation as he did because it is our home, it is what we are part of.

We live now in the “in-between” age – the age between the resurrection of Jesus as the first fruits of the new heaven and new earth.  We, together with all creation, groan together as we await the fruition of history –

Romans 8: 22-24 – ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved.

And so we come full cycle – we need to love and care for this world because this is our home, this is where we were created to be.  It has been our home from the first Eden and will be our home in the renewed, recreated earth – the second Eden. 

Amen.

Revd Len Abrams                     John 15:1-11

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at the I AM sayings of Jesus as recorded in John’s gospel. These together give us an insight into who Jesus is. Today we are looking at the last of these sayings in John’s gospel “I AM the true Vine”. This was made during Jesus’ farewell discourse at the Last Supper.

Jesus uses the imagery of the Vine which his listeners were very familiar with the Vine is a symbol of Israel. Quote Isaiah 5: 7.

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
    is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
    are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
    for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

At the time of Jesus Jewish coins had the Vine on them as a symbol of Israel. Herod’s grand temple Jerusalem had an impressive Vine covered in gold over the entrance portal. Synagogues today are often adorned with the symbol of the Vine. So Jesus’s listeners knew exactly what he was talking about when he mentioned the Vine. And here we have at the Last Supper Jesus saying that he is the true Vine. He redeems Israel which has not lived up to the expectations of the Almighty. In doing so he reaffirms once again that he is the awaited Messiah.

In the picture which Jesus paints, the father is the vinedresser, Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches. We, as branches, get our sustenance, our life, our sap from the Vine. The branches cannot survive without being connected to the Vine. We have to remain attached. If we do remain attached we will bear fruit, if not we will wither and dry out and be separated. If we are attached the vinedresser will prune us and discipline us so that we bear more fruit. The New International Version of the Bible uses the words “remain in me” which is a weak translation . The Revised Standard Version uses the stronger language of “abiding in Jesus” .

⁴ Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

I want to tell you a story about a meeting which I had last year in Namibia. It was a meeting of high ranking government officials from several countries which all share the Zambezi River basin in southern Africa. I was a lead consultant in a team who were supporting the countries to develop a strategic plan for infrastructure in the Zambezi River basin.

During the meeting it was necessary to set the date of the next meeting and the chair suggested the 8th of July 2019 for the next meeting and all the officials agreed. I spoke to my colleague and said that unfortunately I would not be able to make the meeting. The officials were not happy – after all I was a mere consultant and I had to be at the future meeting. I had on my iPad a picture [see below]. I said to them that for the past 41 years I and my wife had a photograph taken on the day of our anniversary each year and this is the collection of pictures and therefore I simply could not miss the 42nd picture. The officials, many of whom I had known for many years, all thoroughly agreed and they changed the date of the meeting.

Whilst I was working in development which took me to 26 countries in Africa over the years, at times I travelled for between 180 and 200 days a year but Karen and I made every effort, which did not work every time, to speak to each other every day. This is for me an example of abiding. We looked after that aspect of our relationship – staying close to each other, even when we were apart, and the years looked after themselves. Neither of us are perfect and we’ve had our ups and downs but I do believe that looking after the daily process of ‘abiding’ together is what is needed and the rest will look after itself, more or less.

What does it mean to abide in Jesus? It means to live with Jesus and to have him live with us. We are not instructed to bear fruit – we are instructed to abide in Jesus and, if we do, fruit will be the consequence, the result. How often are we tempted to think that it is the other way round! We think if we do the right things we will get close to Jesus. If we get the abiding right, all else follows.

The commentators on this passage agree that, in this teaching, the emphasis of Jesus is to the collective church, to the disciples together, rather than to Christians as individuals. When the Apostle Paul speaks of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 he is Speaking of individuals. Each of us having different gifts and being different parts of the body of Christ, but in this discourse which we are discussing now, Jesus is talking to the disciples, and to us, collectively.  

If we look at verse 7 of the passage, bearing in mind that Jesus is talking to the disciples collectively, let us see what it says “If you abide in me (collectively) and my words abide in you (collectively, as a church community) then ask whatever you wish (as a church) and it will be done for you”.

I am convinced that this is central to the life of the church and to the community of Christ Church, South Nutfield. If we focus on abiding in Jesus, all the rest will come as a consequence. If our prayer is that God – the vinedresser – would add to our number new families and individuals who are putting their faith in Jesus, it will be done for us; if our prayer is to meet our financial responsibilities, it will be done for us; if our prayer is to get through this Corona virus crisis together, inclusively and safely, it will be done for us – as a consequence of abiding in Jesus.  

And why would it be done for us? The answer is in verse 8: “My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples”.

There is so much in this passage that we could be here all day but I just want to emphasise 2 last points. In verse 10 we read “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love”. Ah, we say to ourselves – here is the rub! It’s not just a matter of abiding in Jesus, we have to obey all these commandments as well. There had to be a catch.

However, in verse 12 , which was not included in today’s reading, Jesus says “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”  So it is not all the “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots”.  The commandment is to love, but there is still a catch – you will recall when Jesus was asked what the two main commandments are he said the familiar answer, to summarise, “love God and love your neighbour as yourself”. But what Jesus gives us in verse 12 is a substantial raising of the bar.

Now the measure of our love for others is not how much we love ourselves but how much Jesus loves us. We are to love each other in the church community, and I believe in the world abroad, as Jesus has loved us. This of course is not possible unless we abide in Jesus – only then there is a possibility of us loving each other with his love which is much greater than our love can ever be. If the church had only obeyed this command, human history would be very different today.

And finally, Jesus wraps up this bit of the discourse by giving us a reason why he is saying all these things. He’s saying these things to us so that we may have joy – his joy which is far deeper than happiness. He is enticing us to abide in him so that our joy may be full and complete.

And so I conclude – the central message of Jesus for us today is to abide in him as a community, to live with him day by day and to have him live with us.

Well, on Thursday Karen and I will take the 43rd photograph of us “on the day” to mark 43 years of abiding together under the blessing of our Lord.

Amen

John 15:1-11

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

 

Rev. Len Abrams             Christ Church South Nutfield 10am – 7 June 2020

Jesus – the pre-existing Word

Introduction

The Trinity. One of the central doctrines of the Christian faith is that God is a triune reality. God is 3 in one, God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. One God in three persons.

One of my lecturers at theological college remarked that no one had ever preached on the Trinity without committing some heresy in the first 5 minutes. It is the problem of the finite trying to grasp the infinite; it is a problem of perspective. It is the problem of the Word becoming flesh. The creator of the universe (which is 13.8 billion years old and 93 billion light years across) is born as a human child in a stable! It is like us as an Ant trying to understand what an elephant is whilst we are crawling on its big toe. This is reflected in today’s reading from Isaiah chapter 40 – God holding all the world’s oceans in the palm of God’s hand. We don’t have to understand it all – we cannot! We are called to trust.

Over the coming month we are going to be looking at who Jesus said he is. This will be done through the lens of Johns gospel, through a series of sermons over the next few weeks during which Jonathan, David and myself will unpack the “I am” sayings of Jesus in John’s gospel. Now you may be very familiar with these or you may be looking at them for the first time. In my experience, if we are open to God, there is always something new to learn. It is like an onion – there is always another layer to discover. “Deeper in and higher up”.

Introduction to John 8: 48-59

John’s Gospel is focused on the identity of Christ as the primary theme with secondary themes of eschatology and salvation.   

⁵⁶ Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

⁵⁷ “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”

⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I AM!” ⁵⁹ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

The passage brings to a focal point the identity of Jesus and the saving work of God in human history, especially in the climax in verse 58. ‘The Jews’ misunderstand Jesus’ statement as relating to mortal lifespan and ridicule the notion, but Jesus’ meaning is that he does not occupy a temporal time frame, implying his pre-existence outside time.  This is resoundingly driven home by his statement in verse 58. 

Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ (NRSV)

The ‘I AM’ phrase in verse 58 is έγώ είμι in Greek – ego eimi – it is without a predicate nomative and is thus not a normal Greek form; this requires explanation. 

The format is a recurrent formula in the gospel which is key to the development of Johannine Christology.  The phrase is used in the Septuagint LXX – the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures dating from the middle of the third century B.C.– to denote the name of God.  It is first used in Exodus 3:14 and then elsewhere in the Old Testament; a prime example is Isaiah 43:10.

a) Exodus 3:14

¹³But Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you”, and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ ¹⁴God said to Moses, ‘I AM who I AM.’ He said further, ‘Thus you shall say to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you.”’ (NRSV)

In the traditions of the ancient near east, the name of a god was important and incorporated its location, attributes and the extent of its power – it denoted the identity of the god. Speaking the name was an act of invocation.  The real name of the god was often a secret, the knowledge of which enabled invocation (Stalker, 1963).  The Hebrew is   אחיה  ׳הוה  (HWHY, reading right-to-left), the meaning of which has been the topic of wide debate. It has been translated ‘The one who causes to be’ and ‘the one who is’.  The name denotes absolute being as it is in the continuing tense implying neither beginning nor end.  The Hebrew form of the phrase – YHWH – became the unsayable divine name.  The name denotes an active God involved in the world as the ultimate CAUSE, who is particularly active in the salvation history of the Israelites and all humanity, as is illustrated in the reason for his revelation and commission to Moses in this passage.    

b) Isaiah 43:10

You are my witnesses, says the Lord,
   and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
   and understand that [I AM].
Before me no god was formed,
   nor shall there be any after me. (NRSV)

This is one of a number of occurrences of the I AM formula in Isaiah.

Johannine intentions of John 8:58

The I AM formula is used extensively in John’s Gospel both with and without a predicate nomative.  In verse 58 it is used in the absolute sense to indicate that Jesus always existed before Abraham and will continue to exist after him.   Stoning was the prescribed penalty for blasphemy, indicating that they had heard plainly what he had said in making himself equal to God.

The use of the ‘I AM’ formula in John’s Gospel

The two forms of ‘I AM’ phrases in John’s gospel – those with and without a predicate nomative are distinctive.  (A ‘predicate nomative’ is a clause that describes the subject – it is also known as a ‘subject complement’ and follows a linking noun.)  In both forms έγώ είμι (ego eimi) is used which would have a specific and provocative meaning for the Jewish hearers at the time of Jesus who were familiar with the Greek Old Testament as discussed above.  However the use of the formula without a predicate nomative is not meaningful itself in Greek usage and is directly associated with the Jewish holy name of God donating the absolute pre-existent being.

a) The ‘ego eimi’ – I AM – sayings with a predicate nomative:

The use of the έγώ είμι formula throughout the gospel with a predicate nomative highlights a number of characteristics of Jesus and forms a series of self-revelatory episodes, usually associated with particular events or miracles.  “The combination of έγώ είμι with various symbols may be said to summarise [Jesus’] role in revelation and salvation”.   The sayings are summarised as follows:-

6:35      “I AM the bread of life.”
6:51      “I AM the living bread.”
8:12      “I AM the light of the world.”
9:5        “I AM the light of the world”
10:7, 9   “I AM the gate for the sheep.”
10:11, 14     “I AM the good Shepherd.”
11:25–6 “I AM the resurrection and the life.”
14:6      “I AM the way, and the truth, and the life.”
15:1, 5   “I AM the true vine, and my father is the vine grower.”

b) Absolute ‘ego eimi’ – I AM – sayings without a predicate nomative

These occurrences of έγώ είμι are generally less well known than the “‘I am’ sayings of Jesus” above but in many ways are more striking and direct and leave us in no doubt about who Jesus was saying he was.  They are each used by Jesus when addressing a specific person or group to expressly identify himself.

4:26      Jesus said to her, “I AM, the one who is speaking to you.” (Woman at the well)

6:20      But he said to them, “I AM; do not be afraid.”  (Jesus walking on the water)

8:24      “I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I AM.”
8:28      “When you have lifted up the son of man, then you will realise that I AM, and I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me.”
8:58      “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (Discussion with Jewish scholars)

13:19     “I tell you this now before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I AM.” (Last supper)

18:5, 7   Jesus replied, “I AM”. When he said to them, ‘I AM’, they stepped back and fell to the ground. (Garden of Gethsemane at the betrayal)

Most of these are “lost in translation” in our modern translations so it is little wonder that we have not known this about what Jesus was saying about his own identity.  Spend some time to reflect on these passages.

Message today 

In some quarters in recent decades Jesus has been reduced to the ‘personal friend’ of the ‘saved’ individual (which is true, in part), whilst in other quarters he is regarded as the remote Christ figure, sublime and intangible (which, in terms of being surrounded in mystery, is also true in part).  However, John’s portrayal of Jesus as both the pre-eminent, pre-existing Cause of all, and the God who is directly engaged in the salvation of human history, provides an infinitely more nuanced and holistic presentation of Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus, through the incarnation, brought the unsayable ‘I AM’ into the lives of ordinary people.

Parker Palmer explores the identity of the individual in the context of faith and community.  It is only within the freedom of being transformed by grace into the image of the ‘I AM’ that we can become who we were created to be and truly be the ‘I am who I am’ within our own lives, healed and redeemed. “One crosses God by trying to be something one is not” (Palmer, 2000: p. 51).

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Revd Len Abrams                      Christ Church 10am: Live Stream

Philippians 4:10-20, John 6: 37-42

Generosity in spirit

Introduction

Well, this experience of COVID-19 Lockdown is unprecedented – I am part of the baby-boomer generation.  I have had some stressful times in my life: living through the dark days in South Africa, growing up thinking that apartheid and the Berlin Wall were immovable realities, but then seeing them both go.  Getting to my age and never being involved in war.  Very fortunate in terms of the full scope of human history.  We have watched from the side-lines in recent years as Syria has torn itself apart and various crises have happened all around the globe to which we have been all but immune.  But now it is here, it lurks on our doorstep, it infuses inside our homes.  And this is on an early spring morning when we celebrate our mothers!

Last week we looked at the preceding verses in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi, where Paul spoke of God’s peace which passes all understanding and how excessive worry is unhealthy for us.  In today’s passage we come to the end of Paul’s letter and look at generosity.

A couple of years ago Karen and I met up with a whole group of friends in South Africa who we have known through many years in our faith journey together.  In reflecting together in the beautiful surroundings of the Drakensberg mountains we came to agree that there were three G’s which needed to characterise our lives: Grace, Gratitude and Generosity.

Grace

Grace in Christian theology is the undeserved love of God for ALL of God’s creatures.  This is a love which we can never earn by our “goodness”.  It is freely given – we can accept it or reject it, but we can never earn it.  One of my heroes is Bruce Springsteen.  I came across the lyrics of a song I have heard often but never really listened to the words – it is actually a Gospel song.  It is called Land of hope and dreams.  It talks of a train and calls for all to get on board.

This train carries saints and sinners
This train carries losers and winners
This train carries whores and gamblers
This train carries lost souls
I said, this train carries broken-hearted
This train thieves and sweet souls departed
This train carries fools and kings
This train, all aboard

I said, this train dreams will not be thwarted
This train faith will be rewarded
This train hear the steel wheels singin’
This train bells of freedom ringin’

Come on this train
People get ready
You don’t need no ticket
All you got do is just get on board

Link to a YouTube version of Bruce Springsteen’s song Land of hope and dreams from his 2012 Album Wrecking ball

God’s grace, through Jesus Christ, is extended to EVERYBODY.  You don’t need no ticket – you cannot buy yourself onto the train.  But you must get on board – no one is going to force you to get on – you must get on it if you are going to get to where it is going.  Down through history we have spent a great deal of time debating who should be on the train and who should not be, when it is not our decision anyway.  This is the Grace extended to us, to me and I know I don’t deserve it but there it is, a gift, waiting to be taken up.  This is the Mothering God.

Let us remind ourselves of the words of Jesus from John’s Gospel we heard read just now: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  Do not presume to know who should be on the train or who does not belong there, in case you find you are riding the wrong train yourself. 

Gratitude

And so I come to the second G – Gratitude!  What other response can we have for the grace we can appropriate for ourselves which we have not earned and do not deserve?  Gratitude, deep, life transforming thankfulness.  The thankfulness is because we know the destination of the train, for ALL who are travelling on it.  The Christian belief is that the destination of the train is LIFE.  The train may go through the valley of the shadow of death and that shadow seems to hang low over the world at present during the pandemic, but the train goes through it and we ultimately do not need to fear.  

On Mothering Sunday, I am struck with the gratitude I have for all my dear mum did for me, often unseen and now largely forgotten in detail as she has long since taken that train and passed through the valley of the shadow herself.  I am confident that I will see her again through the Grace of God and the work of Jesus.  Now I am very aware that thankfulness in hindsight is one thing but that in the hurly-burly of life a mother’s role is often thankless, especially if you are to be in social isolation with the little darlings for the next several weeks. 

Generosity

And so I reach the third G – Generosity.  Generosity is the proof of gratitude.  In the Gospel of Matthew we find a salutary story of generosity and ingratitude.  There was a servant who owed a massive debt to his boss and the boss was going to put him in the debtors’ prison as a result  – Matthew 18 vs 26:  ²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.  ²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.  ²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’  ³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.”

I believe real generosity is much more than only what we do with money and finances.  The story which Jesus tells is a metaphor for generosity of spirit which talks of forgiveness, mercy, pity, respect. We see that in how the master responded to the servant, but we also see the mean spiritedness of the servant.  In today’s Gospel passage we get a picture of generosity in the words of  Jesus : ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  

The generosity of spirit of which Jesus speaks is regenerative, it is the essence of living graciously in response to, and gratitude for, the grace which we have received. 

And so finally, amidst the fear and anxiety of the current COVID-19 threats, it is all too easy to become the opposite of a generous spirit as we seek to compete with everyone else to shore up our own defences.  Alternatively, this could be a period during which God’s grace could be seen in us, in our generosity of spirit as we serve those around us – in good measure, pressed down, running over, extravagant.  Just as God’s Grace is available to ALL, so our generosity of spirit needs to include ALL.

As the gathering storm approaches us, we need to hold fast to the three Gs, especially at times such as this:-

• We must remember the Grace by which we are assured of our ultimate security – nothing can separate us from the love of God; Get on the train.
• Gratitude for God’s grace will nurture within us a generous spirit which will enable us to pray for and serve those around us and also be generous towards ourselves. It enables God to be at work within us by his Spirit, to transform us by the renewal of our minds.  This is how we can overcome fear and anxiety.      

AMEN

–oo0oo–

revd.len@gmail.com

Philippians 4:10-20

Thanks for gifts

¹⁰ I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.  ¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.  ¹⁴ Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵ Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶ for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.

¹⁷ Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.  ¹⁸ I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰ To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Gospel: John 6: 37-42

Judging Others

³⁷ “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

³⁹ He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?

⁴⁰ The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

 

Revd Len Abrams                                                                   Philippians 4:4-9

Resources to face adversity

Introduction

Today we look at one of my favourite passages in the Bible.  It is also intriguing that, although this passage was set for today months ago, it fits so well into the concerns of the moment when we are all worried about a new global threat, the Corona virus.

I want to unpick what Paul is saying to the Philippians for us today, because I think it speaks into our situation in a special way and provides insights into a way of living which is counterintuitive in our modern world.  Whilst we await with great uncertainty what will emerge with the Coronavirus, and all sorts of preparations are being made all around us,  let us also prepare ourselves spiritually for what is to come …..

Rejoice

To begin with, let us get a picture of Paul’s situation as it was when he wrote this letter.  He was in prison in Rome – the most brutal prison you can imagine today would be like a four star hotel compared to Paul’s situation.  He was expecting to die and tradition has it that in the end he was beheaded.  And yet, in our passage today, written from within that context, Paul says “Rejoice in the Lord always.” and then reemphasises this “I will say it again: Rejoice!”. 

How does he do that?  What does it mean to “Rejoice” – Does it mean to be happy and smiley and to jump around in a state of euphoria?  Partially, but it is much deeper than that – the root of the word rejoice is JOY.  Joy is given new meaning for Christians by Jesus.  In John 15:11 Jesus says in the middle of the farewell discourse before he was crucified  “These things have I spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”  This is the joy of the soul – it is the joy of abiding in Christ and having Christ abiding in you.  It is knowing who you really are – that you are held in the eternal hand of God, loved, ultimately safe, and whole.  Joy is a response to a reality which is not shaken by what is happening in the world around us; joy gives us the strength to engage positively in the world, irrespective of what is happening.  This is not artificial joy of our own making, conjured up to make us feel good – this is God’s joy within us…. “that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”   

“Gentleness”

Let your gentleness be known to all – We do not know all the implications of what is coming towards us right now.  There is a temptation to become rattled, to hunker down and go into self-protection mode where it is ‘me-and-mine’ against the rest – so get to the supermarket and get those provisions and toilet rolls and everyone else is a competitor to be beaten!  But Paul says the opposite – it is at times like this that we need to show the world and each other that there is a different way.  The translation “gentleness” is weak here – the Greek term is stronger – it denotes generosity towards others, magnanimity or consideration of others. We need to radiate generosity and magnanimity to others, especially at times like these.

“The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything”

Then Paul says don’t worry!  This from a highly vulnerable person in imminent danger.  Paul is echoing Jesus as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 6 vs 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

My daughter is a Clinical Psychologist with the NHS – she confirms this perspective.  Fear is a necessary reality in our lives to alert us to danger and the need to plan and ensure our safety through the responses of ‘fight’ or ‘flight’.  Without fear and the ability to translate it into action, our forbearers would all have been eaten by sabre-toothed tigers!  Worrying though is different and is not healthy from a mental health perspective.  Often it is a retreat into a comfort zone of inaction and can lead to irrational fear and debilitating incapacity. 

I have had personal experience of this through clinical depression which is an all too prevalent condition in our society.  One of the tell-tale symptoms is the three dreaded “Rs” – Rumination, Recrimination [self-recrimination] and repetition – when these three start revolving in your head at two in the morning they will take you to deep, dark and painful places and make you very unwell, believe me, to the point of despairing of life itself. 

Our Lord asks “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” This is the worrying and anxiousness which Paul is talking about in Philippians 4.  We must not let worry cripple us – instead we need to assess the situation, taken note of the dangers and take them to God in prayer.  This is NOT saying we do not need to take all necessary precautions and follow guidelines such as social distance etc.

Peace of God  

Intentionally and consciously refusing the path of anxiousness and instead taking our concerns to God in prayer results in the presence of God’s peace.  This needs to be understood – the peace of God is no mere absence of strife.  It is Shalom – which denotes wholeness, wellbeing, ultimate security, harmony with God, harmony with those around us, and harmony with ourselves.  It is another ‘big’ word like Joy.  God’s peace is in fact beyond our understanding – we mortals, we finite beings are not capable of getting our minds around it. 

Guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This though is not the peace of a comfortable country garden – Paul uses military language to describe how God’s peace will “guard” our hearts and minds in the midst of danger and turmoil.  We do not need to go down the road of despair and worry when the news is bad or there is imminent danger.  We need to take hold of that peace and let it guard our hearts and minds.

Whatever is true . . .

This brings me to another example of congruence of Paul’s letter with modern psychology – Paul gives us positive examples of what we should intentionally fill our minds with – “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable….” In my fight with depression, one of the tools suggested by therapists is CBT, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  This basically means intentionally training yourself to focus on real, positive perspectives rather than allowing oneself to be pulled down by the negative cycle of the dreaded Rs of rumination, recrimination and repetition.   I am not talking here of the cult of positive thinking – Paul is talking about focusing on these things “—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things!” 

It is especially important in difficult times like we are now facing with uncertainty and threat, that we must be careful what we allow to capture our thoughts – we need to ask ourselves what is true in what we hear; what is noble rather than petty and self-seeking; what is right to do to others, especially the vulnerable and marginalised; what is pure and not warped by ulterior motives; what promotes love and care; what leads others to admire and want to emulate what we do in the midst of difficulty.  These are the things we must think about, not what will cripple us with worry and anxiety, whilst having eyes wide open to the realities facing us.

Put it into practice

Finally, Paul says “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.”  What this means for us today, I think, is that we have, many of us, been Christians for many years.  We had been taught all these things through all these years from within this church and other churches, through home groups and courses, through our own reading of the Bible and from Christian friends.  Now, when there are threats abroad, now we must put it into practice!  Throughout the Gospels there is a sense of immediacy – NOW IS THE TIME!

The God of peace will be with you.

We are not alone.  In verse 7 Paul says that the peace of God will be with us.  In verse 9 Paul reverses this and says that the God of peace will be with us.  Jesus is the source of the living water who will refresh us, in whom we have confidence no matter what comes.

Action

A number of people, including your Church Wardens and some members of the PCC, began a discussion late last week as to how we could join with members of the South Nutfield community to prepare for the virus.  This would include everyone from inside the church community and outside it, to begin to make plans how to identify and care for the most vulnerable and those who may find themselves self-isolating.  This should include pooling information from everywhere – the pub, the shop, the school, the church, existing groups etc.  It should include how we protect people from being taken advantage of.  I suggest that we take courage from what we have learned from Paul this morning and put love into action.

AMEN

–oo0oo–

revd.len@gmail.com

Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Rev. Len Abrams                   Philippians 3:1-11, Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16

Where do you place your confidence?

Introduction

Many years ago when I first graduated as a civil engineer in South Africa, one of my early jobs was working on building a new railway marshalling yard where goods trains sort their cars like a post office sorting depot.  It had miles and miles of rail track on it which all had to be precisely laid out.  One of the features of the new marshalling yard was a steel pedestrian footbridge across the yard the length of 3 football pitches.  We built large concrete footings with steel columns to hold the prefabricated footbridge sections.  The bridge was manufactured in another city and railed to the site in separate sections. 

The day came to lift the sections of the bridge with two large cranes and lower them onto the steel columns. We did it on a Sunday when there was less traffic but a lot of over-time costs.  The middle section of the bridge, which had several spans, was the longest.  The day had gone well with each section lifted up and lowered onto the columns and bolted into place.  We lifted the middle section with the two massive cranes and began to lower it slowly into place – and it missed the columns and just kept going down.  The distance between the columns was longer than the bridge span!  Someone had made a major and very embarrassing mistake. I had done the layout of the columns so it was a nervous time.  It turned out that the error had been made in the prefabricating yard.  RELIEF!

Sometimes, even with the best made plans, what you have just does not fit what is needed.  Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, talks of a similar situation.

Today we are continuing with the series based on Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi from the book “A life worth living”.  Previous topics have included gaining new attitudes, friendships and responsibilities – today we will be looking at New Confidence.

Where do we put our trust, our confidence?

Paul starts off this section of his letter warning the new Christians in Philippi against the Christians from a Jewish background who insisted that all Christians should follow Jewish rites and traditions, chief of which was circumcision for the males which was a sign of entering into the Abrahamic covenant.  Interestingly Paul calls them ‘dogs’ which were considered ritually unclean animals in strict Jewish tradition, inferring that they were not only incorrect in their zeal for Christians to become Jewish, but they were also unclean themselves for doing so. 

Paul then recounts a series of reasons why, as a Jew, he had previously had confidence that he had met the criteria demanded by the strict ritualistic form of Judaism of which he was a part.  They were as follows:

• He was circumcised on the 8^th day:- He met the strict ritual requirements – the letter of the law;
• He was of the people of Israel – the right country, the right citizenship;
• He was of the tribe of Benjamin – the right class – all the tribes were not equal;
• He was a Hebrew – the right racial background;
• He was a Pharisee so that there was no questioning his spiritual credentials, nor his intensity or commitment.

All of these factors gave him confidence that he was righteous, that he was meeting the requirements of the Law and was right before God.  He was doing ok – the bridge which he had spent a lifetime building would get him there.  The bridge would fit the gap.

Now we may read these words and think that they relate to the first century world of a corner of the Roman empire and the ancient religion of the Hebrews but we are often attached to these very same things today.  I am taking the funeral of a man on Tuesday who had been religious at one time in his life – many people say that they have been baptised, confirmed and married in church and attend occasionally at Christmas or Easter.  They live in a “Christian” country (whatever that is), they are British after all, and well to do.  Jolly nice people who have always done the right thing and never broken the law.  These things may be fine in themselves, but they are more the criteria for membership of the Country Club than the Kingdom of Heaven – they are the wrong criteria, they do not fit.

What Paul is saying is that all these things at one time added to the PLUS side of the equation which made him righteous before God, as though God holds a scale for each of us and puts all the good things on one side and all the bad on the other.  “He was such a good person.” Paul was convinced that his previous credentials and his actions were enough.

Instead, like so many marks of the Kingdom, the Gospel, the good news of Jesus, turns all this on its head.  All of what Paul previously held as assets, he now knew were not – if anything they were blockages or impediments.  Basically the criteria, the bridge to the Kingdom, is not of our making.  God has built the bridge and it is the only bridge that fits – and the bridge is open to ALL God’s people, of every nation through all ages.

So the bridge is there – through the work which Jesus has done through the cross, which is confirmed through his resurrection.  We cannot add to that bridge through any good we do, through deepening our prayer life, through fulfilling God’s will for our lives – the bridge is there.  Neither can we do anything to weaken or break the bridge by what we do in our lives, by our rebellion, by neglect, by hate or through gross atrocity against humanity or God.  We cannot add to or detract from the universal gift of love which God has already made.

We can, however, refuse to avail ourselves of the free gift: we can refuse to cross the bridge which is already there.  We could spend our lives trying to build our own bridge – but however hard we try, when the time comes and the bridge is lowered into place, it will be too short.  Too often we do avail ourselves of God’s Grace and recognise the beauty of the bridge but then start to try to improve it – we fall back into trying to earn our salvation through our spirituality.

Paul says he wants to “be found in Christ, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” What is faith? The writer to the Hebrews in our first reading defines it as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  It is not our purpose today to dig deeply into what faith is – libraries have been written on the topic over the centuries. 

One illustration or analogy would be that we may search all the available evidence such as the documentation or design of a bridge, we may look at the experience of others, we may see other cars driving over the bridge, and come to believe that the bridge is safe and will carry our weight or the weight of our car.  That is belief.  Faith is driving across the bridge – it is putting the belief into action.  You have faith in the bridge. It is not blind faith – in the case of the bridge it is faith built on the quality of the work of engineers and construction teams.  Now of course the analogy of a bridge can only take us so far in understanding what faith is. 

In Abrahams’ case it meant setting out towards a foreign land, towards a promise he would not receive in this life.  Believing in the promise of God was not enough – the faith part was in setting out into the unknown.  It meant giving belief feet! 

To wrap up, I have one more point.  I am always amazed at how, if we dig, we so often find new nuggets of gold in Scripture and preparing for this talk this morning I once again found something I had never seen before, notwithstanding Philippians being one of my favourite parts of the New Testament.  Reading the very familiar passage of Paul “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith”.  My worry is that the degree of my righteousness seems to depend on MY FAITH.  Now I am all too aware that I do not have great faith – Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Now I have not moved anything like mountains so how small is my faith?  And so this passage worried me and I went hunting to find out more.

It turns out that there is some controversy about the exact meaning of this passage and that different translations have chosen one of two alternative options – one is what we have had read to us “our righteousness is through faith in Christ”, the other is that this passage should be translated “our righteousness is through the faith of Christ” or the faithful work of Christ.  I am far more confident in that second understanding – the faithfulness of Christ is what I must put my confidence in, not my own faithfulness which would tie me in knots and lead me down the dangerous path of trying to have a big enough faith to save myself when Jesus has already done it for me.

Jesus, through his love has built the bridge.  He has done it all.  Where my faith comes in is receiving the gift, availing myself of the grace and having the faith to step onto the bridge which, thankfully is not made of my faith.

AMEN

–oo0oo–

revd.len@gmail.com

Philippians 3:1-11

¹ Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. ² Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

³ For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

 

Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16

The Meaning of Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. ² Indeed, by faith^[a] our ancestors received approval. ³ By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.^[b]

The Faith of Abraham

⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. ⁹ By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised.^[e]

¹³ All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, ¹⁴ for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.