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Theological

New Growth

Matt George · Jan 3, 2023 ·

In Joel 2:28-29 we read the following:

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. – NRSV

I love this verse and it makes me think about the New Growth waiting for us in 2023. God’s true character has been revealed and their Spirit poured out on us through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We know walk with amazing accessibility to the Spirit which is all around us and have endless moments to partner with Christ in restoring creation.

This restoration brings new growth from the most unexpected places, what unexpected new growth does God have for us in 2023? To discover the new growth, we have to lean into Christ and allow God’s Spirit to overflow by giving up our control. May we be vulnerable and discover the new growth God has instore for us in 2023.

The SMOOSHED Nativity

Matt George · Dec 22, 2022 ·

The Incarnation

Matt George · Dec 2, 2022 ·

I am excited about our upcoming series this Christmas, where we are going to be diving into the beauty of the Incarnation. This amazing moment in the history of our world where the God of the universe put on skin and was born as a helpless baby in a manager. The birth of Jesus Christ is a vital moment in the story of humanity and the reason for the Christmas season.

How often do we sit in this moment though? How often do we attempt to explain this unexplainable event?

Think for a moment about how inexplainable this moment is…… The God of the universe is born in human form, being both fully God & fully human, through an unplanned teenage pregnancy. To first time parents who are not wealthy or in positions of power.

This moment of incarnation where God and humanity become intertwined leading to the salvation of our world is beautifully unexplainable. I hope this Christmas we will get lost in the beauty and mystery of God putting on skin.

Knock, Knock

Matt George · Nov 23, 2022 ·

I have been reflecting around a verse found in the book of Revelations. The verse I am about to share is often used by churches in the direction of non-believers, but this verse is found in Revelations when Jesus is addressing the church. In this part of the story Jesus is addressing the church in Laodicea, and we read the following:

“Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” – Revelations 3:20-22 NRSV

          I am struck by how far too often in Christianity we skim over this verse as if we know for sure we have all heard Jesus knock and have opened the door. It is clear though that Jesus is speaking to the CHURCH!  We have Christ speaking to his followers…… not to those who do not believe.

          The reason we skim over this verse is because it forces us in churches to ask ourselves, “Is Jesus knocking at our church doors, and are we not hearing it?”

This is a question I believe all of us as Christians should ask ourselves and then look at our communities for the evidence of Christ love. If we have opened the door and Christ is dinning with us in our communities, the evidence of his love will be all around us.

We are the Temple of God

Matt George · Aug 30, 2022 ·

 Have you ever realised that your body is a temple? In Paul’s epistles he consistently points towards this fact. In his letter to the church in Corinth, Paul on numerous occasions hints at this amazing truth. We read the following in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred – and you, remember, are the temple. – MSG

I love this passage for several reasons, but it has serious implications for us. For instance, if we call ourselves Jesus followers it means that WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD. The Holy Spirit which created the universe, parted the Red Sea, and was present in the incarnation now lives in us.

This means that we are worth something!!! We are so precious to God that they now dwell in us! How amazing is this truth, especially in a world where we are told our worth comes from our social status. God says you are ENOUGH… better yet God says YOU ARE VALUABLE BEYOND MEASURE TO US.

          This is big because it means that all humanity is VALUABLE and when we dishonour or dehumanise the other…… we are dehumanising the very TEMPLE of GOD. Even if they are a not a Jesus Follower yet, they are a TEMPLE OF GOD in RESTORTATION.

In our world with so many differing opinions it is hard to show love and not dehumanise the other. As Jesus followers we are called to walk this hard & complicated path that continues to ask us to express the sacrificial love revealed to us in Jesus Christ.

Speaking the Truth in Love

Matt George · Jul 22, 2022 ·

Last week I spoke about Speaking the Truth in Love and explored Ephesians 4:15-16 in more depth.

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, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

– Ephesians 4:15-16

Too often we have used this misquoted verse to excuse some of the most unloving actions in Church history. We cannot go back in time to change any of these actions but we can control how we live out the Gospel in the present.

Remembering the first time “in love” is used in this section of Ephesians which is aimed at maintaining Unity with Christ followers. At the beginning of this section, we read the following:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

-Ephesians 4:1-6 ESV

This means that Speaking the Truth in Love cannot be separated from humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and mainlining unity through the bond of peace. We also need to remember that TRUTH in the Bible often means to simply not lie, it has nothing to do with sharing our unrequested opinions to others. To ensure we Speak the Truth in Love let’s live out the Gospel of Christ with our actions and humbly share our convictions when requested.

How many harmful debates around God would end if we simply humbly shared our convictions upon request? Allowing our actions to preach the Gospel and only using words when required as Saint Francis of Assisi encouraged us to as Jesus followers.

To be honest this doesn’t take a major effort on our part and truthfully adding the simple phrase, “but I could be wrong,” at the end of our sharing of our conviction could have profound implications allowing many to experience the love of Christ. The Love of Christ has the power to change our world! We are simply asked to live it out and humbly share our convictions when requested.

This is Speaking the Truth in Love

Seeing Jesus Again

Matt George · May 31, 2022 ·

The following is Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation from the Center for Action and Contemplation. We hear from Diana Butler Bass who speaks about Seeing Jesus Again.

The question of how we see, and what the lenses are that allow us to understand our lives and the world more deeply is a question that I’ve cared about for a really long time. . . . How do we understand where and how the divine, where God, the Holy Spirit is operating in our lives, in our institutions, and the world around us? What gives us the capacity to even understand any of that? . . . In the latest book [Freeing Jesus], what I really wanted to do is settle down to the basic issue, or the basic central reality of Christianity. Because people started asking me about ten years ago, “Why do you stay Christian?” . . . And I’d have all sorts of fancy answers and then I’d just say, well, it’s because of Jesus. . . . That’s where I wanted to go, and think about: who is Jesus really? Who has Jesus been for me? And why has that been so central to my own life story? . . . And I think where Freeing Jesus has taken me is that somehow staying Christian is about staying in and with and through Jesus. Jesus has everything to do with it. And that really matters to me. Yet Jesus has not stayed the same for me through my whole life’s journey. And so, I’ve had to be open to understanding that, even though there’s one verse in Hebrews that says “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever” [Hebrews 13:8], I have not stayed the same yesterday, today, and forever. The church does not stay the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so, in a very real way, Jesus has changed for me. Jesus changes for the world. Jesus changes for the institutions of faith, for the church. . . . If you’re not doing that kind of work, of letting the end of one image emerge for you and a new image of Jesus be born for you, you’re probably in a pretty static place in your own faith.

In Freeing Jesus, Bass describes our relationship with Jesus as a dynamic opportunity to see God and ourselves perpetually anew:
If we think that being with Jesus means getting the right answers from a creed or remembering points of doctrine from a sermon, we probably will not manage to truly know Jesus. We will only succeed in keeping the right responses scribbled on some back page of our memory. “Who are you, Lord?” [Acts 9:3–5] is the question of a lifetime, to be asked and experienced over and over again. That query frees Jesus to show up in our lives over and over again, and entails remembering where we first met, how we struggled with each other along the road, and what we learned in the process. [Diana Butler Bass, Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence (New York: HarperOne, 2021)]

Not Again

Matt George · May 26, 2022 ·

The following is a poetic prayer of pain & grief to God after hearing about the Mass Shooting in Uvalde, Texas, USA at Robb Elementary School. My prayers, thoughts, condolences go to all the families hurt in this tragedy. Hopefully one day in the near future real change will happen so we never repeat the phrase ‘not again’.

Not Again……

I scroll to discover another mass shooting in my home country.

19 kids under 11 killed for no reason…

2 adults trying to protect them…..

A President gives a far too familiar heart felt speech…

Promising change and a stand against the NRA.

Does this mean a rejection of all the pro-gun lobby groups?

Their money funded every political official’s campaign……

Not Again….

A misconstrued commandment made when there were no automatic or semi-automatic weapons……

Before a National Military was sworn to protect the land….

Commandments were never meant to be static….

They are a living organism….

19 kids under 11 killed for no reason….

2 adults trying to protect them…

A hurt traumatised young men pulled a trigger to easily accessible…

The debate will run its course again….

Advocating both sides while….

19 kids under 11 & 2 adults are buried….

Endless debates that too often led to zero change…

Leading me to say……

Not Again……far too soon.

God help us change so we never again have to say….

Not Again.

Stuck

Matt George · May 20, 2022 ·

Have you ever felt stuck?

Where your body is unable to move,

The mind is unable to dream,

The heart is unable to hope.

Days seem to never end,

Your only escape from the Nightmare is sleep.

 Then you hear a small voice saying,

“Get up and walk with me.”

Your body begins to move,

The mind starts to dream,

The heart can hope.

Then you hear the voice again saying,

“I am here with you.”

A warmth and peace spreads starting with

Your body as it moves again,

Then your mind as it dreams,

Followed by your heart as it hopes.

The voice of Christ whispers to you again saying,

“You are my friend, and I need your help with something.”

Stories From the Heart

Matt George · Sep 1, 2021 ·

Throughout our upcoming series called Stories From the Heart, we are going to be diving into stories in the Bible and discovering the heart of some of our most loved Bible Stories. This will allow us to dive deeper with God and discover more of God’s heart.

Too often we do not dive into the Bible and really wrestle with the stories presented in the holy scriptures. This series is aimed at diving into the stories to discover more about the heart of God.

As Christians we should always be seeking fresh revelations because the Bible is the living word of God meaning there is always more to discover. Sometimes the smallest verse or sentence can completely reshape our understanding of a passage. This happens once we are willing to truly dive into the scripture. Swimming in the deep waters with God is something that can totally reshape our walk with Christ.

The goal of this series is to help us learn more about the Heart of God and I would encourage you to attend one our services at 9am at 6 Highfields RD followed by Morning Tea.  May God’s grace and peace be with you and may you always remember there is more to discover.

Please the messages planned below:

The Story Melchizedek

In this message we look at the story of Melchizedek found in the Bible and wideness of the Heart of God.

(Pastor Matt George)

September 12th

Jesus and the Women Caught in Adultery

We will unpack a story of Jesus and a Women caught in adultery and how this reveals something beautiful about the Heart of God.

(Pastor Matt George)

September 19th

The Financial Supporters of Jesus’s Ministry

In this message we will look at the individuals that financially supported Jesus’s ministry and what this shows us about the diversity embraced in the Heart of God.

(Pastor Matt George)

September 26th

Joseph from Arimathea

We will look at the story of Joseph from Arimathea found in Luke 23: 50-56 and what this reveals about the Heart of God.

(Naomi Kay)

Preaching “On the Mount”

Matt George · Jul 20, 2021 ·

The following is Richard Rhor’s Daily Meditation from Centre for Action and Contemplation

   Popular religious scholar and friend Diana Butler Bass shares how Jesus’ teaching “on the mount” placed him in the lineage of Moses and other revered Jewish prophets. Jesus builds on his own Jewish tradition to call his hearers to transformative living. She writes: This section [Matthew 5–7] opens with Jesus going “up the mountain,” a deliberate choice that ancient Jewish Christians would have recognized as aligning Moses and Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount opens with blessings—on the poor, those who mourn, the meek, and those who hunger—in the same way that Moses pronounces blessings on the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the land of milk and honey in Deuteronomy 28. . ..  

Jesus’s first hearers would have understood what he was doing. Jesus was restating the written Torah, the passed-down law of Moses, in the words of his own “oral Torah,” a practice common in Judaism. In Matthew, Jesus places himself in the line of authoritative voices in the Hebrew tradition. Although this was done throughout the history of Israel by teachers, scribes, and prophets, including the most revered leaders, when Jesus claimed to join the ranks of these teachers, it was a pretty gutsy thing to do. . ..   Near the end of the sermon, Jesus states the Golden Rule, the foundation of all the commandments: “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and prophets” (7:12) . . . .

The crowds got it—Jesus the rabbi was at work renewing and reinterpreting the law and, in the process, claiming the divine authority to do so: a teacher and a prophet. . . .   Jesus does not replace. Jesus reimagines and expands, inviting an alternative and often innovative reading of Jewish tradition. [1]

The German preacher and religious reformer Eberhard Arnold (1883–1935) believed that the people who heard Jesus’ message—both in his own time as well as ours—were obligated to act on the ancient call of God to live the Great Commandment, not simply listen to it.

It is incredible dishonesty in the human heart to pray daily that this kingdom should come, that God’s will be done on earth as in heaven, and at the same time to deny that Jesus wants this kingdom to be put into practice on earth. Whoever asks for the rulership of God to come down on earth must believe in it and be wholeheartedly resolved to carry it out. Those who emphasize that the Sermon on the Mount is impractical and weaken its moral obligations should remember the concluding words, “Not all who say ‘Lord’ to me shall reach the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven” [Matthew 7:21]. [2]  

[1] Diana Butler Bass, Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence (HarperOne: 2021), 39, 40, 41. 

[2] Eberhard Arnold, Salt and Light: Living the Sermon on the Mount, 4th ed. (Plough Publishing House: 1998), 135.

Mark’s Jesus

Matt George · Jul 16, 2021 ·

Check out our recent Podcast which looks at the version of Jesus depicted in the Gospel of Mark.

Self-Worth: Knowing Our Worth In The Eyes of Christ

Matt George · Jun 29, 2021 ·

We would love for you to join us this month on Sunday at 9:30am 6 Highfields Rd. Find some information about our series for this month.

Self-Worth (July Series)

Throughout this series we are going to dive into our Self-Worth. Looking at what the Bible tells about our Self-Worth and how to curb some of the toxic self-talk that can plague our everyday living. Knowing our true Self-Worth through the eyes of Christ is essential as we navigate through life.

July 4th

The Divine Fingerprint

We will look at how we all have a divine fingerprint within because we are all created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 139:13-14; John 3:16-17)

July 11th

Putting Ourselves First

We will look at how it is important to put ourselves first at times so we can give others the best version of ourselves. (Mark 1:29-39)

July 18th

 In The Mirror

We will unpack the power of the Holy Spirit which magnifies our divine fingerprint which encourages us to look within. (Acts 1:8; Philippians 4:13)

July 25th

Flipping the Script on Self-Talk

We will look at how we can flip the script on our damaging self-talk by resting in how God sees us. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

In The Beginning

Matt George · Apr 27, 2021 ·

We are starting a new series at our Church this month called, In The Beginning: Diving into Genesis Ch. 1-11.

In this series we are going to look at what God can show us through these amazing stories found in the beginning of our Bible. These stories are too often skimmed over or debated between scholars and theologians. Our goal throughout this series is to dive into the heart of these stories and see what they reveal to us about the Nature of God and humanity.

The book of Genesis is a beautiful part of our Bible and can teach us so much if we are willing to sit with the text. Allowing God to show us more than we can imagine as we sit with them and reflect on the things happening in our world when God inspired these Holy scriptures.

We would love for you to join us on this journey as we practice our value of Going Deeper with Genesis Ch. 9-11. You can stay up to date with our sermon by either checking out our YouTube Channel or Podcast (which you can find details about below). We will have weekly blog post and Midweek Devotionals throughout this series going deeper into the book of Genesis.

Our series kicks off this Sunday May 2nd, and feel free to attend our service at Geham SS from 9:30am to 11:00am followed by a light morning tea.

Sincerely,

Pastor Matt

Highfields Church of Christ – YouTube

Unexpected Detours

Matt George · Feb 24, 2021 ·

I have been thinking lately about our journeys through life and the Unexpected Detours that change our direction. If you have ever had one of these detours that force or give you an ability to change directions, you are left asking yourself a question…… This is a question that repeats like a trending pop song you just cannot get out of your head, and only contains 6 words…

“Did I make the RIGHT choice?”

This question is asked because often in these detour moments we are left to choose the direction forward. If we are followers of Christ, we lean into God…. Attempting to find the direction God wants us to go, and very rarely do we hear a voice from heaven guiding our steps. This leads to us making the best decision we can and trusting it is in step with what God wants for us. Coming to this decision after countless hours of prayer and reflection with God. We sometimes know shortly after if the decision we made was correct but often we are left with a 6-word question.

“Did I make the RIGHT choice?”

              I know this question has repeated in my head numerous times, and I have often struggled with knowing if I made the right decision throughout my life in these Unexpected Detours. If we are honest this question rings louder at times when what we expected does not happen. We wonder if our life journey would be greener if we made a different choice, so we ask ourselves…….

“Did I make the RIGHT choice?”

              What if this is the wrong question to ask ourselves? In the story of Jonah, we read of a prophet who consistently rebelled against God. When he did listen to God, he only does the bare minimum required. Throughout his journey though we read of God meeting him and those around him. Pagan sailors turn to God and are welcomed by God’s divine grace. A city called Nineveh, known for its dominance and violence, turns to God and are embraced by his divine grace. God consistently meets Jonah on this journey regardless of his decision making. Jonah creates detour after detour and God simply continues to move and show more people his divine grace. We should not ask ourselves the question that repeats in our head about these Unexpected Detour moments, and instead ask ourselves another 6-word question.

“Do I lean into God’s grace?”

by Pastor Matt George

Taking the Lower Place

Matt George · Dec 16, 2020 ·

Tuesday, December 15, 2020 from Center for Action and Contemplation by Richard Rhor

Jesus’ life offered an example of humility and self-emptying, but he chose an additional model for his disciples: that of little children. Despite what we see depicted in so much religious art, it was not meant as a “cute” or sentimental gesture! As Albert Nolan shares, it was a radical revaluing of human dignity, based on nothing that society could see or quantify! Taken seriously, it is still a profound message for us today.

Jesus was uncompromising in his belief that all human beings were equal in dignity and worth. He treated the blind, the lame and the [sick], the outcasts and beggars with as much respect as that given to those of high rank and status. He refused to consider women and children unimportant or inferior. This turned a carefully ordered society of status and honor upside down—even more so when he advocated moving down the social ladder instead of striving to reach the top. [1]

When his disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, Jesus put his arm around a little child (Mark 9:36–37). According to Jesus, the least or most insignificant persons in the society are the greatest (Luke 9:48). In the society and culture of the time, the child had no standing or status whatsoever. The child was a “nobody.” The implication is that Jesus and those who want to follow him are “nobodies,” right at the bottom of the social ladder. For Jesus, the child was a model of radical humility (Matthew 18:3–4) [or what I am calling “self-emptying” this week]. Those who wish to follow him will have to become as humble as little children. [2]

Richard again: It’s difficult to hear, but Albert Nolan is simply quoting Jesus from several contexts—usually when the Twelve are all in their heads arguing. We cannot become humble by mere intellect or willpower. Pretending to be humble only makes us more self-absorbed and self-referential. All we can really do is become more aware of our pride or vanity by noticing how we respond to even minor slights or humiliations. That will be more than enough to let us know how self-centered we are and how meaningless our taking offense truly is in this infinite universe.

The Law of Love

Matt George · Nov 24, 2020 ·


by JARED BYAS, M.A. from the following website, just click here

As a former teaching pastor and professor of philosophy and biblical studies, he speaks regularly on the Bible, truth, creativity, wisdom, and the Christian faith. Tweets at @jbyas

In the Bible scholars often talk of two kinds of law: apodictic and casuistic. These are part of a collection of fancy words that we use as a secret code to determine who really is the nerdiest among us (see also: Deuteronomic, theophanic, and other impressive terms that end in ‘c’.)

Apodictic laws are Divine Commands that tend to be both general and absolute. Take, for example, the Ten Commandments. “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” That’s a very broad statement but is clearly meant to be an absolute command. It’s black and white – which you would think would help us be clear about it. But because life is in color, and all shades of gray, apodictic laws are actually confusing.

Enter casuistic laws.

Casuistic laws are case laws. They are very specific and also conditional (meaning they usually start with “if” and are followed somewhere along the way with a “then”). In some ways casuistic laws are the on-the-ground working-out of apodictic laws. We see this relationship in the Bible all over the place. If only we didn’t skip those sections out of boredom but then lie and tell people we really did read the whole Bible in a year.

A famous example of course is found in the contrast between Exodus 20 and Exodus 21. Exodus 20 contains The Ten Commandments, which contains things like:

“You shall have no other gods before me.” (v. 3)

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” (v. 8)

“You shall not murder.” (v. 13)

“You shall not commit adultery.” (v. 14)

“You shall not steal.” (v. 15)

And so on goes the list of apodictic laws.

Exodus 21 begins with a very different kind of law. See for example verses 28-29:

“If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death.”

These casuistic laws are trying to apply the abstract principle “You shall not murder.” If my bull kills someone, is that murder? Well, it depends. Does your bull have a habit of goring? Have verbal warnings been given? Casuistic laws have a lot of “it depends.”

Why do I bring you down into the dungeon of nerdom? Because I’ve been thinking a lot about how this applies to our ideas about love. 

I find almost no one who pushes back on the “apodictic” law of love.

In the abstract, black-and-white, principled sense – who wouldn’t agree that love is the highest good?

It’s when we start to get into the casuistic applications that things get messy. In other words, expressing love in our life is more about practical wisdom than it is abstract principles. It’s messy. It’s the push and pull between the ideal and the real, the “this should work in theory” and “why the heck didn’t that work?”

What might not be obvious when we read Exodus 21 is the experiences and stories behind those casuistic laws of “if/then.” There was likely a time when the pronouncement was made: “Thou shalt not kill.” And we felt safe and secure knowing we had a rule. And then a bull gores someone. And we have to ask, “What do we do now?” There is no rule for this particular situation at this particular time involving these particular people. And we are stuck. To apply a universal rule that doesn’t take into account the specific situation feels unfair and unhelpful. To ignore the rule feels ungrounded and unhelpful. 

So, we work through it. And then leave it as an example for the future generations to say, “This is how we did it. But you will need to make your own path.” 

So, what is love? It depends.

Love Your Enemies

Matt George · Nov 11, 2020 ·

The following is a meditation writing from Richard Rohr from November 9th ,2020 from the Center for Action and Contemplation:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I say unto you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:43–45

In the United States few public figures have spoken more plainly and powerfully about Jesus’ teaching to love our enemies than the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This was not an abstract theological question for Dr. King. He wrestled practically and at great cost with how to love his enemies, both through prayer and through nonviolent direct action. This passage is an excerpt from King’s sermon “Loving Your Enemies.”

When I speak of love I am not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I am speaking of that force which all of the great religions have seen as the supreme unifying principle of life. Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. . . .

Probably no admonition of Jesus has been more difficult to follow than the command to “love your enemies.” Some people have sincerely felt that its actual practice is not possible. It is easy, they say, to love those who love you, but how can one love those who openly and insidiously seek to defeat you? . . .

This command of Jesus challenges us with new urgency. Upheaval after upheaval has reminded us that modern humanity is traveling along a road called hate, in a journey that will bring us to destruction. . . . Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love one’s enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival. Love even for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world. Jesus is not an impractical idealist: he is the practical realist.

I am certain that Jesus understood the difficulty inherent in the act of loving one’s enemy. He never joined the ranks of those who talk glibly about the easiness of the moral life. He realized that every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God. So when Jesus said “Love your enemy,” he was not unmindful of its stringent qualities. Yet he meant every word of it. Our responsibility as Christians is to discover the meaning of this command and seek passionately to live it out in our daily lives. . . .

When Jesus bids us to love our enemies, he is speaking of neither eros [romantic love] nor philia [reciprocal love of friends]; he is speaking of agape, understanding and creative, redemptive goodwill for all people. Only by following this way and responding with this type of love are we able to be children of our Father who is in Heaven.

Richard again: This is a timely reminder to Christians around the world. We must ask ourselves “What would it mean to seek to embody love as ‘creative, redemptive goodwill’ on behalf of all living things?”

All Around Us

Matt George · Nov 6, 2020 ·

The Kingdom of God is always

Working, Moving, Breathing, and Dancing

All around us.

Help me to see this God because when I look, I see

Pain, Suffering, Distrust, Violence, and Manipulation of Power.

Help me to remember the parable of the Growing Seed found in the Gospel of Mark.

This parable allows us to see that the Kingdom of God is always

Working, Moving, Breathing, and Dancing

All around us.

You are calling for our partnership in this continued growth because

You are a God of relationship.

When I see

Pain, Suffering, Distrust, Violence, and Manipulation of Power.

You call me to partner with your Kingdom that is always

Working, Moving, Breathing, and Dancing

All around us

Even if I am unable to see it.

Like a seed that grows underground even when

We cannot see.

The Kingdom of God is always

Working, Moving, Breathing, and Dancing

All around us.

by Pastor Matt George

Engaging the Bible as If God Were Out Ahead of Us

Matt George · Aug 11, 2020 ·

Post from https://peteenns.com/engaging-the-bible-as-if-god-were-out-ahead-of-us/ for more information about Pete Enns and the work he does please visit his website.

Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. ~ Ecclesiastes 7:10

Thus says the ancient, postexilic, author who went by the penname Qoheleth. 

Qoheleth likely lived during the time when the Persians ruled, or even later during the Greek period. His world was complex and messy, a far cry from the ordered world of old that birthed his Jewish tradition. 

To read Ecclesiastes is to see someone struggling to stay connected to his tradition amid a changing world—not for lack of trying, but because the tradition did not help him explain his present. 

The finality of death, skepticism over the afterlife, the absurdity of life’s labors, and his blaming of an inscrutable God for this whole business pitted him in a struggle with the God of old, and he made no bones about doing so.

I am very glad that Ecclesiastes found its way into the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. His experience of alienation from the faith of old very much rings true for many Christians today, namely those who are having trouble staying connected to the faith of their youth.

They are seeking new language for their evolving faith, which, like that of Qoheleth, is sparked by the tensions between an ancient faith lived in a modern world. 

What resonates with me so powerfully about Qoheleth is that he calls into question a tendency that is so common in American evangelicalism today: to think of the Bible as a mandate to return to the “former days”—a sentiment evidenced whenever “biblical” or “unbiblical” is used to describe someone’s thinking. 

I think if we were to pin Qoheleth to the wall and ask him whether he actually rejected the tradition, he would say no. In fact, the book ends with a call to “fear God and keep his commandments” (12:13)—an affirmation of tradition if ever I heard one.

But . . . 

This affirmation of tradition is set side by side with the affirmation of Qoheleth’s bracing challenges to the tradition. After nearly 12 chapters of skepticism, even cynicism, the writer of the brief concluding section still calls him a wise teacher who “wrote words of truth plainly” (12:9-10).

Call it a paradox: honor the tradition of old and interrogate it as we exist in the present. 

Or perhaps better put, honor the tradition by interrogating it. This is how I understand Ecclesiastes 7:10 cited above: not as a blanket rejection of tradition, but as a warning not to idolize it. 

Traditions survive by adapting to the challenges of the present. A tradition that does not remain curious and flexible, willing to address the moment, is a tradition that will die a slow but inevitable death. 

I find this paradox life-giving, particularly because Scripture as a whole models this paradox again and again, not only in Qoheleth’s challenging of the tradition, but, for example, in Job’s rejection of the theology of retribution such as we read in Deuteronomy, and Jonah’s realization that God may not hate Israel’s enemies.

And the New Testament writers proclaim the Gospel as deeply tied to the ancient tradition while at the same pushing past the tradition—obedience to Torah, temple worship, a monarchy, and possession of the Promised Land. 

For the New Testament authors, these core elements of the tradition were not rejected, but neither were mimicked or reproduced. Rather, they were radically reinterpreted to keep pace with a God who was out ahead of the tradition, leading it to place “no eye has seen or ear heard.”

The Bible simply does not allow its readers to glorify an idealized past time as a golden age. The Bible, rather, bears witness to how knowledge of God is a process of on the move— changing, developing, evolving—because God is always out ahead of what we can possibly understand or think.

The Bible itself bears witness to the process of moving forward rather than retreating to an idealized past. 

And so engaging the Bible seriously today means more than seeing it as a vault of unaltering, static pieces of “information.” It means paying attention to this paradox of old and new. 

Never simply a choice between one or the other, but always both. 

Never thinking that God is found only in the one and not the other, but in both.

Never limiting God’s activity to the past, but always asking where God might be out in front of us. 

Like Qoheleth, we live in a messy world made more and more complicated, for generations, now, by explosions in technology and science. To think the Bible provides an escape from addressing constructively the challenges of our day is not only to miss the Bible’s own witness, but will signal far and wide that the Christian faith is only prepared to wish for a past rather than create a future. 

Engaging the Bible responsibly means today what it has always meant: embracing the expectation that God is doing a new thing among us. Our job is to discern what God is doing, not isolate ourselves from that sacred responsibility by cloaking ourselves with prooftexts.

By Pete Enns, PH.D.

Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He has written numerous books, including The Bible Tells Me So, The Sin of Certainty, and How the Bible Actually Works. Tweets at @peteenns.

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