Tuesday, March 28th, 2006
I had the privilege yesterday of speaking and presiding at communion at Trinity College, the Uniting Church theological college in Brisbane. I was working with a small group of staff and students to lead worship, focusing on the John 12 passage in which Jesus is visited by a group of Greeks who say to Philip, “We want to see Jesus”. The chapel was strewn with banana and sugar cane plants, helping us connect with the people who are cleaning up after the cylone last Monday.
I spoke this morning on John 12:24: “Unless a Grain of Wheat Falls to the Ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” The graphic comes from Heartlight Gallery. I found some inspiration from a sermon preached by Cornelius Plantinga at his installation as professor of systematic theology at Calvin College.
Pivotal to this morning’s message was the realisation that the germination of the seed - the seminal moment - is unseen by the human eye. Likewise, the seminal moment of Jesus’ life - his resurrection - was unseen by the human eye. We reflected on the acts of God that are usually experienced in humble surroundings rather than in front of large audiences. Participation in the life of a seminary has an element of being buried like grain. In fact the word ’seminary’ refers to a seed bed. We finished by reflecting on the challenge of being embedded in everyday relationships.
Posted in John | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 28th, 2006
Please excuse the inconvenience caused by the change over from Blogger to Wordpress. The posts will all be back soon. In the meantime you can access this site at:
http://www.gospelnotes.postkiwi.com/index.html
Posted in Site Maintenance | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 7th, 2006
The Baptism of Jesus
About that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. As soon as Jesus came out of the water, he saw the sky open and the Holy Spirit coming down to him like a dove. A voice from heaven said, “You are my own dear Son, and I am pleased with you.”
Jesus and Satan
Right away God’s Spirit made Jesus go into the desert. He stayed there for forty days while Satan tested him. Jesus was with the wild animals, but angels took care of him.
Jesus Begins His Work
After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and told the good news that comes from God. He said, “The time has come! God’s kingdom will soon be here. Turn back to God and believe the good news!”
Mark 1:9-15 (Contemporary English Version)
Following the Revised Common Lectionary can do strange things to the way we read the gospels. We’d not long been following the ministry of Jesus when suddenly Lent arrives and we’re right back to the beginning again! At church we’re encouraged to enter a phase of preparation for Easter. We’re asked what we’re going to give up for Lent.
I must admit I’m in two minds on this.
I’ve always been wary of an artificial division of life into holy days and ‘not so holy’ days. Much of the literature around the seasons of the Church revolves around the natural seasons of the Northern Hemisphere. Above the equator there’s the anticipation of Spring. Down under we’re heading into autumn, though on the Gold Coast I’m not sure we see any discernible difference. Seasons of the church don’t seem to have much correlation with what’s going on in the everyday rhythms of anyone’s life beyond the life of the church.
However there is something helpful about shared focus on preparation for changed minds and changed lives. As a family we’ve started a short Lent reflection before dinner each night, courtesy of Phil Hoffman in Adelaide.
I note this morning that Jesus goes into the wilderness for forty days. Forty days of preparation for a new phase of his life. Preparation for a new era for us all. Preparation for living.
I find a parallel for myself here as I start a new phase of my work for the Uniting Church, serving as Vision for Mission Advocate, resourcing fresh missional initiatives in Queensland. The temptation for me is to launch head on into the challenges we face. The reality is that there’s a lot of inner work to be done. I’m challenged to reframe my approach to life and align myself again with the values of God. That has implications for the way in which I approach relationships, power, authority and finances.
Posted in Mark | No Comments »
