"The Kingdom Of God An Illusive Dream "

Nov. 1, 2015

Readings:  Ruth 1: 1-18 Psalm 146, Heb 9: 11-14, Mark 12: 28-34

The line in the reading from this morning that kept coming back to me was what Jesus said to the scribe, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”  Not far must mean close, but we know that “close only counts in horse shoes” not far meant he had not yet fully arrived in the kingdom.   Jesus gives the man credit for what he understands but the question lingers doesn’t it.  What was it that he needed to do or to recognize in order to fully enter into the Kingdom of God Jesus was talking about?     Interesting words for Jesus to say to a scribe, remembering that a scribe would have been considered to be a member of the religious elite and they we often portrayed negatively in the gospel accounts.  “You are not far from the kingdom of God yet, as with the scribe, many of us have been pre- conditioned, programmed if you will,  to be more concerned about following the rituals and rules of the church than following the lead of  God’s spirit, more concerned with observance than with the motivation behind the observance.   Jesus credits this man who understands the intent of the Old Testament Law, the essence of that being, loving your neighbor as you love yourself.   But Jesus indicates that just following and observing this knowledge in itself isn’t enough, saying “You are not far from the kingdom of God”.   So then what is missing!  What step or steps does the scribe need to consider now, could it be, accepting Jesus as the foundation of the Kingdom?  That Jesus is God’s love incarnate, in human form, he is the Messiah they have been waiting for, the Prince of Peace, God’s only begotten Son, the light of the world, the way, the truth and the life.   Here I would like to suggest that many in the past and yes still many today, make the mistake of thinking as the scribe, that you can find the way to the Kingdom through obeying a religious law or ritual.  One particular religion comes to mind.  Many feel that you must be a committed saved Christian to know and follow the way of Jesus.   Yet the disciples, and later the apostles, were a combination of Romans, Jews and Gentiles not Christians.  What then, do the biblical scriptures tell us, we who claim Jesus as Lord?   May I suggest to you that Jesus and Jesus alone is the way, not the religion we follow.  Many have and will continue to meet Christ outside a religious community.    Just because you or I claim Christianity as our religion doesn’t guarantee that our religion will show us the way, the truth and the life.    Could this be the stumbling block for the scribe?  The inability to personally know and accept Jesus as Lord of “ALL”.   Could it be that this is also a stumbling block for many in the Christian church today?    Many are cough up in the emotionalism found in spiritualism with a praise band pumping out the choruses with their repetitive chorus line.   Other are cough up in religious ritual such as liturgy, communion, baptism, the speaking in tongues and yet have not felt or encountered the spirit of Jesus, the risen Christ in their only personal lives.   Let me tell you a modern day parable.       

A thoughtful, curious young man went to the desert to visit an elderly monk, who had lived in the desert for many years.  Arriving at the holy man's cave, the young man encountered the monk, who was sitting out enjoying the sun, his dog lying lazily at his side. This spiritual seeker asked, "Why is it, teacher, that some who seek God come to the desert and are zealous in prayer, and meditation but leave after a year or so, while others, like you, remain faithful to the quest for a lifetime?"  The old man smiled and replied, "I have a story to tell you” . One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog.   Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog seeing the rabbit, jumped up, began barking loudly, then ran off after that big white rabbit.  He chased the rabbit over the hills with a passion.  Soon, other dogs hearing the commotion, began to bark and joined the chase, across the creeks, up stony embankments, and through thickets and thorns! Gradually, however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase.  Only my dog continued in hot pursue of the prize.   In that story, young man, is the answer to your question.  The young man sat in confused silence.  Finally, he said, "Teacher, I don't understand.  Have you forgotten your question ask the Monk, ask me, “why didn't the others stay the course and continue the chase”?  The other dogs did not see the prize, they just became caught up in the chase, induced only by the excitement and the emotional barking of my dog .  “Young man” said the Monk,  “Once you see the prize, you will never give up the chase and that sir, is what keeps me faithful here in the desert." 

You see it is easy to become caught up in the emotionalism of religion seeking peace, harmony, healing, wisdom, prosperity, and the good life only to become discouraged and drop out because we have not had that personal encounter with the prize in our own lives.    

Jesus is the prize and tells the scribe, and he echoes these words for many of us in the church today, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”  These are positive encouraging words for the scribe and for those who really seek a face to face encounter with the prize.   

Jesus is the prize that we all need, and once we have seen the prize for ourselves we too will never grow weary or fall away ever again.    For Jesus said that the kingdom of God is at hand.  I believe he was speaking about himself as the foundation.   Those who have accepted Christ they will become the tireless builders of God’s Kingdom in the here and now.   Want to enter into the kingdom, your opportunity is now, not in the future.

How many folk have you known who have put off following their dream or filling a need in their lives only to die prematurely?

If you have not yet experienced a personal encounter with Christ in your own life, fear not,  be persistent for you too are not far from the Kingdom, remain faithful, never ceasing to ask for that transformation through pray and thanksgivings, and one day Jesus will come into your life too.   

                                    “Seek and Ye Shall find”

"I Look With Blinded Eyes and See"

"Blind but Yet I Can See"

Readings:  Job 42: 1-6, 10-17  Psalm 34  Mark 10: 46-52

When you think of the word blindness what comes to your mind?   Being in the darkness, mobility, not being able to get around, aloneness, a burden to others?    We heard two stories this morning that suggest there are two kind of blindness, not one but two.   There is physical blindness as in the case of Bartimaeus but in the case of Job, we find a great example of spiritual blindness.

Bartimaeus was physically blind, he had no sight, but medical science tells us that if we lose one or our senses often other senses kick in and become more acute.  With physical blindness hearing and the ability to listen usually improve considerably.  Just recently in the news you may have seen that we are discovering that the blind have sonar abilities never understood before.  They can with training, actually detect objects and there distance from them by using clicking sounds.  Some have gotten so good at it they can tell you the size and description of the object and its distance.   Scents and odors may become more alive, more distinct, touch or taste more sensitive, you become more open to others, listening opens up new possibilities.   The opposite occurs often with Spiritual blindness.  The lack of spiritual awareness can cause people to become desensitized to the holy in others, and in nature itself.  People who suffer from spiritual blindness can easily become paranoid, more fearful, more self-centered, narrow in thinking, reluctant to change and new possibilities.   These conditions can exists not only with individuals but within groups, governments and even some religions.  Ecologists and environmentalists and theologians are suggesting today that those who are in charge of our resources, our economy yes even some religions have the blinders on.  We are using up all our resources faster than nature can replenish them.  We were meant to be stewards of nature not to plunder our natural world.  This kind of spiritual blindness can lead us into a world of greed, protectionism and eventual self-destruction.    

Bartimaeus’ blindness was considered by the people of his time to be a curse or punishment from God because of some sin he or one of his family members committed.   This way of perceiving God, a God who punishes sin with affliction is still being preached in some religious circles today.  Yet Jesus refutes or disproves this perspective, this belief by reaching out and healing both physical and spiritual blindness.  Did you hear that Jesus can heal both kinds of blindness.  Now I did not say cure because, often healing only changes us on the inside not the outside and God seeks to heal us not punish us.  God heals because our God is a God of rescue, a God of unconditional love.  Not trusting that God has our best interest in mind, regardless of our personal circumstances helps to add to our Spiritual blindness.   When we indulge in or commit to wrong doing within our world, we create our own spiritual blindness and condemn ourselves to certain punishment.   God has no need to punish us, God gave to us our own will that allows us to punish ourselves.   It’s built right in to our choices folks.  Take a long hard look at the Old Testament stories your blinders will began to be removed.   Jesus isn’t trying to heal or save us from God’s punishment, Jesus wants to heal and save us from creating our own punishment. That is the true essence of salvation.  We can be our own worst enemy as we create our own Hell.    Job is one of the stories that can help us with spiritual blindness.  He was a righteous man whom loved God, yet God doesn’t stop misfortune, or disease from befalling a good person.  Yes even the righteous have a human nature that causes trouble in their lives.   Spiritual blindness here can allow ourselves to think like Job’s friends.   That we are puppets on a string, that God manipulates us with a system of rewards and punishments.   Job’s friends wrongly assume that suffering always comes as a result of something we had done to upset God.  Job knows this is not so and maintains his faith no matter what the devil throws at him, even though he can’t understand the workings of God.  Spiritual blindness here might make us question the goodness of God especially when our expectations are not met or when we have to endure suffering because of some choice we have or our ancestors have made along the way of life.  God’s wisdom is greater than our understanding.  He allows our human nature and our minds the freedom to choose.  God doesn’t force control over our human nature but we can.   Here we need to remain faithful regardless of our circumstances, trusting and believing.   Spiritual blindness allows us to think that we can figure out and understand the wisdom of God.  God is God and we are just his children no matter how mature we think we have become.  Spiritual blindness can keep us form believing and having faith in God’s promises.

Many people today make the claim that they are not spiritual.    I believe that Jesus  would disagree with them because that suggests that only some of what God created is of the Spirit .    To be human, to be part of creation is to be spiritual.  You can’t separate the two, God and you are one and nothing can separate you from that reality.   Everything in existence is spiritual.  God breathed into existence everything by the spirit.  According to the Gospel of John chapter 1 Everything in the cosmos both in heaven and on earth were created by the Word, and the word was light to the world.  In  verse 3 we read:  through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life and that life became a light to the world, it brings spiritual awareness, to a world full of darkness, full of the spiritually blind.     Therefore we could conclude that everything in life that has ever existed is sacred and spiritual.    If we have eyes to see, and ears to hear, all things, the rocks and trees, the flowers, and the bees, the oceans and all of its contents, the land, the insects and animals are all spiritual creations. We humans are special, we are not like anything else that was made, we were given spiritual awareness, dominion over all things in creation.   We were meant to be stewards of creation.  We have and many feel this special spiritual connection to each other and to our world.     Many of us feel this connection when we commune with nature, or with certain people.  Our spirits seems to be on the same wave length, and there is a sense of peace and contentment when we are in each other’s company, you can sense our connectedness.  Spiritual blindness can prevent us from experiencing this unexplained joy and oneness with others, with Jesus, and with nature .      

"Born Blind but yet I see"

   

"When Best Never Seems To Be Good Enough "

Who sets the rules for Goodness?

When is Good enough?

Oct 11 2015  Thanks Giving Sunday Readings:  Job 23: 1-17, Psalm 127, Mark 10: 17-31

How many of us here today have been faced with this question at some point in your life, whether as an adult or a child.   Don’t they recognize what I have done, I’ve done my best but my best never seems to be good enough,   For many, this is especially true when dealing with family, work, or even play?  As hard as I tried growing up, my efforts never seems to be good enough to make me feel like a real team player.      Most of us who have had this experience have come to the conclusion that no matter how hard we try, good never seems to be good enough.  “What’s Good for anyway and what measure of Good is good enough”    Most of us have been brought up to believe as did the rich man,  that if we do enough good deeds, follow the ethical and moral laws of the land, surely that’s good enough to get us into heaven, the GOOD GET TO GO right!!!!     Let me tell you a story. 

A Sunday school teacher whose assignment was to explain to the 8 year olds in his class what someone had to do in order to go to heaven.  In a attempt to discover what the kids already believed about the subject, he asked a few questions.  If I sold my house and car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the poor would that get me into heaven?   NO!! the children answered.   If I attended Church every week, helped on all the committees and mowed the yard, would that get me into heaven?  NO !! The children answered.   If I was kind to animals, nature and gave candy to all the children, loved my wife and was good to my neighbors; surely that would get me into heaven?   Once again the children answered NO!!! Well then, said the teacher “how can I get into heaven.”  A boy in the back row stood up and shouted “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD”   

Here in lay the problem:  Now think about this for a moment FOLKS for you literally have to die in order to find out if there even is a heaven to get into.  Consequently, only the dead can truly know much about the after-life.    You know there are some people who seem to be confident about what eternal life is like, they are those who claim to have died and come back to tell us about it, and what do they say.   Well you have to read about it, in their bestselling books.   You know the ones entitled “Life after Death”, and some make a lot of money doing it.   There stories are interesting and they get a lot of attention from their readers but, they still never really answer the age old question,   how do we get there?   One of the big assumptions for most of us who have been brought up in a western theological tradition is, “Good People Get to Go”.  But that brings up another question, if only good people get to go  “WHO” sets the standard for GOOD and what measure of this good is good enough?  I do believe Jesus said only God is Good.    Mark 10: 18   

If we take Jesus seriously as found in Gospel of Mark, it clears up the whole problem of who or what is good,  because according to Jesus nothing we do can be compared to the true Good.    Only God can be considered good.  This was devastating to the rich man, because, according to Jesus, his notion of Goodness was irrelevant, in fact so is ours.   Human Goodness, no matter how good we think it is, will not guarantee us anything.  You have heard the saying, only the good die young.  This may come as a shock to a lot of people especially those who have fallen into the trap of believing in brownie points as did the rich man.   Now I don’t want to take the wind out of anyone’s sails or suggest that our good works are meaningless because we all know that’s not true.  Our good works here are for the benefit of each other, our good works lay the foundation for God’s Kingdom here on earth, which according to Jesus isn’t later but is at hand, meaning now, not sometime in an after- life.  The Kingdom is being built as we speak whenever we mimic the goodness of God.  God and the heavens rejoice when one of us does a good deed or work no matter who performs it, or how it is offered.  BUT!!!  As humans we are flawed, we have invisible strings attached to our goodness, and if exposed as was the case of the rich man with Jesus, we also will see, compared to the Goodness God we are but a shadow of that good.   Jesus is telling his friend the rich man, don’t worry I know you can’t give up your riches but I love you anyway.   He loves us too, unconditionally, even though we aren’t ready yet either and hold back .   God’s goodness, poured out upon us, is without obligation.  There are no strings attached to the blessings God continues to pours upon us.   We receive his blessings by grace, they are free of obligation.   You don’t have to earn them nor can you improve on them and no one is denied, if you have the eyes to see.  Jesus said the rain falls on the good and the bad all are refreshed.   It is the same with God’s LOVE and God’s Forgiveness.   There yours, for the receiving, you don’t have to earn them.     Yet we need to understand that our good deeds and acts of compassion are meant not as an offering to God to have him look favorably upon us but are offerings made on behalf of the other.  These offerings build the foundations of faith in others and give hope when things seem to be hopeless.   Therefore we need to be humble, not making claim to the goodness that is produced in us, for it doesn’t come from us, but through us, from the author of Good.    In verse 27 Jesus makes it clear that salvation is not based on human effort, for humans cannot save themselves, Jesus saves us from ourselves, and with God’s unconditional blessing of grace, all things are then made possible.  What should we do? Jesus tells us to enter my kingdom now, which is at hand, it already exists for you.   Follow in my way, and I will  offers you a new lease on life, a fresh start.  Give me what you can, I knows you can’t give it all over at once.  Jesus continues to loves us anyway and still he offers us new life.  The past will begin to fade, and the future will slowly be place in his hands and we will begin to live in the moments of our day.   Let us be the example of God’s goodness in the world, for this truly is what we are meant to be in service for one another.  
                               "There is Something In That Name"

"Jesus Is Questioned, What About Divorce?"

Moses allows a certificate of dismissal 

giving a man the right to divorce his wife. 

              Oct 4 2015   World Wide Communion      Mark 10: 2-16

This is one of those passages that many a clergy will skip over during the lectionary year as this text on marriage and divorce is a difficult text to deal with in our modern world both in the East and in the West.   Many of us in the west have been taught that divorce in the eyes of God is an absolute no within some of the Christian denominations.  That no matter what, marriage, when you enter into it is for life, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part, isn't that the pledge many make.   In at least two of the Christian traditions Orthodox and Catholic, marriage is considered a Holy Sacrament.  The Scripture says; "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate".   In the beginning this may have been the intention for marriage within the Kingdom of God and still is but this is not the reality in the kingdom of humankind.  Under the Law marriage would fall from the ideals of Gods intention, only to end up in the Jewish legal system of the courts along with Moses' certificate of divorce.  To this very day, marriage and divorce are still a legal issue licensed by the provinces {government} and settled by divorce through our court system, not religion nor the church.  Now you think about this folks because as much as we want marriage to be sacred and concatenated by God as it was intended in the beginning, but marriage only happens if the province {government} issues you a licence.  Marriage and divorce became and still are part of our legal system.   All clergy get their license to preform marriages from the province, therefore in reality the church can only offer God’s blessing on the ceremony.

From my perspective these passages from Mark raise for us three levels of understanding. 

1. First they raise the question of our proper understanding and teaching about marriage, children,  and the effects that divorce can produce.   

2.  Secondly it raises the questions of who, or what has the proper authority to answer our questions?  Should we turn to our own traditions, our own reasoning, experience, conscience or should we appeal to scripture and if so, whose interpretation do we accept as gospel?  

3.  Thirdly in the final verses of today's reading, Mark 13: 13-16 Jesus raises the question of the Kingdom of God.  He explains the proper attitude of those who are to receive and enter into the Gods Kingdom.    

The question posed to Jesus by the Pharisees was “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?   In typical fashion Jesus turns the question back to his opponent asking “What does the Jewish Law command you”.  They said “Moses' Law permits a man to write a certificate of dismissal and divorce her”.  Let us keep in mind here that the purpose for this question presented to Jesus was not for clarification but was intended to trap him, to stir up anger against him with the crowd and ultimately Herod.  If he supported divorce, he would be upholding the Pharisees position.  They saw marriage and divorce as legal issues not spiritual or religious ones and they doubted that he would do that.  If Jesus spoke against divorce that would anger Herod who had already used this loophole in the Jewish law to rid himself of an unwanted wife.  Not only Herod but many Jewish men were using divorce as a means to fill their own passions rather than to take into consideration God's original intentions for marriage, which by the way, did not include separation, but a union for life, till death do us part.    Let us recall that Herod had John the Baptist beheaded for speaking out against his divorce.   Moses’ certificate of dismissal was written into Jewish Law as a concession to people's sinfulness.  It was not intended as an escape root for Men to fill their own passions or remove a wife at will.     Divorce was originally intended to help the abused person escape the abuse.  But this law appears to favor the male and actually opened up a loophole for male abuse.   Women were often treated as property.  Marriage and divorce were often regarded as transactions similar to the buying and selling of land.    So where did that leave the divorced woman?    In Jesus’ time when a woman received a certificate of divorce, she lost most of her rights, including her right to own property.  She could very easily find herself begging for food on the streets or prostituting herself for her livelihood. Jesus condemns this attitude, clarifying God’s original intention, that marriage be a union of oneness.

Let's make this very clear folks, God’s original intention for marriage was never meant to imprison a women or a man in an abusive relationship that threatened life or the livelihood of either party.  Here divorce is not an option it is the reality. 

Jesus had a pastoral concern for women who could have their lives and the lives of their children torn apart by a man’s signature on a piece of parchment.  Jesus goes on to explains that living within God’s Kingdom, there would be mutual respect and concern for each other.  There would be no need for a certificate of divorce or a call to a lawyer to take her of him for all they are worth.  That became the norm in Jesus time and seems to be the norm in many situations surrounding divorces today.   The marriage commitment was intended as an example for a divine human relationship.  Unfortunately many marriages that end up in our divorce courts today are usually entangled with personal ego, money, power, self-centredness, status, or adultery, not about physical or mental abuse.    As trivial as it may sound some men and women are just bored with their spouse, distracted by the allusion of greener pastures on the other side of the fence.   

Jesus was declaring the beginning of a new era in which relationships could work if each party approached each other with mutual respect and concern.  With Jesus as your guide it would be possible to go beyond what was just permissible to what was kingdom enhanced.   Unfortunately many do not choose this form of new beginning.  On our own the kingdom standard will seem to be beyond our reach, utopia.

On a final note it is no coincidence that in the very next few lines of this passage from Mark Jesus involves the children.  More often than not, these little ones are the real casualties of the divorce courts.  Jesus knows that young children are able to reconcile their difference when it comes to their relationships.  Jesus also know's the forgiving heart of a young child emulates the forgiveness of God, and for that reason he claims them for himself and states:  “Let the little children come to me, for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs.”  Understanding the unconditional love displayed by little Children, he offers a stern warning to all who have the ears to hear.  “Truly I tell you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”   As we get ready to come to the communion table with Christians all around the world today, let us recommit our lives to the way of the Christ.  

                                   There's A Place In My Heart" 

 If you have never watched the Movie "Mary Magdalene"  may I suggest you take the time.  You will see the results for "Divorce for Men Only" You can get it from Youtube or down load it from one of the other movie sights.  
                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonUDIl56Ek