What is Lent and what good does it do?

(This is not a Sunday talk but a wee conversation piece)

Someone fired this at me earlier a few days ago: “Can you explain Lent to me please. Its something I hear mentioned in the world every year but not something I hear much about in church. Could you give me a little historical background and why people observe it.”

Some Churches – historically the Roman Catholic, the Orthodox, and the Church of England/Episcopal Churches – have always followed a “liturgical calendar”. That means that every Sunday in the year – not just Christmas, Easter and Pentecost – is allocated to celebrate some part of the Christian faith, with set (or suggested) prayers and readings for each Sunday. Some other Churches have adopted this practise. Baptists (especially Scottish ones) along with most Pentecostal and independent Churches have tended to avoid it. That explains why you may not have heard much about Lent in Church – while Lent get a mention in the secular news due to the lingering legacy of the influence of the Church of England and the RC Church.

Basically, Lent stands in the church's year as a “Penitential season”. It lasts for forty days, which calls to mind the forty days Jesus spent in the desert, fasting, and being tempted by Satan. Indeed the set Gospel reading for the first Sunday in Lent is exactly that story. The basic idea is that we learn from the example of Jesus, overcome temptation, and turn away from known sin. By so doing we prepare ourselves properly for Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter. Other readings for Lent do focus on the meaning of the Cross (hence our theme for Messy Church) and on some of the events that took place between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. So for example we were looking, on 1^st March, at the cleansing of the Temple.

Fasting

The connexion with Jesus fasting in the desert explains the common custom of “giving something up for Lent”. Often it's simply a frivolous activity – giving up something you won't really miss. Sometimes it provides an opportunity to go on a diet for six weeks and detox or lose a bit of weight.

The Roman Catholic Church had at one time strict rules about fasting during Lent. In the middle ages, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products were all forbidden; the diet was strictly vegetables (cabbage soup according to the guys at Stirling Castle. Bleah!) By the way ...

• this explains the custom of having pancakes on Shrove Tuesday – using up all the eggs before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday.
• Mother's Day is half-way through Lent. It has a theme of “rejoicing” and traditionally was known as “refreshment Sunday” when the strict rules of lent could be relaxed.

Some people may feel that by self denial they can somehow get right with God. I don't think that is right, helpful or even kind. It leaves us slogging our guts out to “calm down” an angry God. Rather, we are put right with God as we put our trust in Jesus, because he carried our sins on the Cross, plain and simple.

Fasting is something we don't do often do in our churches. Jesus said, “When you fast” not “If you fast” and taught that fasting can help in prayer and spiritual warfare. I believe there is benefit spiritually and psychologically in fasting or “giving something up” as a way of identifying our potentially addictive habits and idols and making them subject to the authority of Jesus. I don't think we should be legalistic about it, but some people may find Lent is a good time for that sort of discipline.

Penitence/repentance

Ash Wednesday (straight after Pancake day) is the first day in Lent. In the Catholic and other churches, ashes (traditionally the ashes of last year's Palm Crosses) are used to make the sign of the –Cross on the forehead or sprinkled on the scalp of worshippers. The point is “repentance in sackcloth and ashes” and to consider our own frailty (“remember that we are dust...”). Again, not something that is big in our tradition. Perhaps we might be benefit from some way of humbling ourselves!

I have however heard of some churches offering “Ashes to go” as a way of street-witnessing on Ash Wednesday. As unchurched people receive the ashes (and people are willing to do so) they may be able to reflect on their own need to turn again to God.

Prayer, reflection, study

Traditionally the fasting was accompanied by prayer, and study. Ornaments and statues would be covered over, flowers would not be displayed; on communion tables, cloths of sombre purple would be used. It was common in the Catholic Church for people to follow the “Stations of the Cross” – a mini-pilgrimage consisting of a series of 14 plaques or pictures recalling the events of good Friday installed in Catholic Churches.

In the fourth century, new converts would be baptised at Easter, and those gong to be baptised would spend Lent preparing for their baptism. Sometimes this involved daily classes which lasted fro three hours!

Today many Churches and local groups of Churches hold Lent home groups. During 2013 we held a weekly “School of Prayer” during Lent. Again, there may be benefit to be had from taking a bit of time out each day – for example if you give up tea and coffee, use the coffee-break times to read the Bible or pray.

Conclusion

So, are we enjoying our freedom in Christ, or are we missing out on something? I personally don't believe in imposing legalistic ideas on others. We are free. But we should be free enough to dip into some of the traditions of Lent and benefit from them. In particular, I believe there is benefit to be had from:

• Penitence: taking time to reflect on and turn away from our sins.
• Prayer for ourselves and the world,
• Self discipline
• Study and reflection, and
• Preparation for Easter. As Bible-believing Christians we place a huge value on the Cross because Jesus died for our sins. However, in the way we handle the story, we can sometimes kind of soften its impact. Jesus died for our sins – but it's OK, he rose again. Now I want to say a big “Hallelujah” to the resurrection! But that “Hallelujah” is even bigger if we have taken the time, properly to reflect on the horror of the Cross and the significance of the events that led up to the Cross.

So the Lord may have some treasures for us in Lent, if we will receive them! 

© Gilmour Lilly March  2015
 

Luke 19.41-48 Compassion Cleansing & Claim

I wonder when was the last time you had a good cry?  Were they tears of joy?  Tears of sadness?  Tears of pain? What makes the tears flow for you?   Is it a love story, a miracle, a bereavement, or images of starving children.

1. The Compassion.
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem as he foresees its destruction. (V. 41-44) Jesus could have been angry, critical, resentful, or full of self-pity. But he wasn't. He was weeping for Jerusalem, a city he loved and respected. He is not weeping for himself. He is weeping for the pain of the City and its people; and for the  failure of the City and of the People who make the City what it is.

He wishes they knew the things that "make for your peace"(v. 42) that is to say for salvation.   He wishes they could recognise the “day of visitation”.   Salvation – the present life-changing action of the Kingdom of God – has been knocking at their door.  They have had a day or time (the Greek word is Kairos – which means the right time, a moment of unique opportunity) of visitation.  The Greek word is Episcope.  It literally means oversight.  It's the word from which we get our English words “Bishop” and Episcopal”.  It speaks of the visit that someone responsible makes – as a Bishop visits the parishes in his area, to bring encouragement and challenge.    "Visitation" is a coming of God whether for good or for judgement.  Jesus is the bishop (visitor, overseer, guardian, Episcopos of our souls, 1 Peter 2. 25).  His presence among the people has been a “visitation” intended to encourage them to know God's salvation, the arrival of his Kingdom.   That's what God wanted. Jesus says says “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him”.  (John 3. 17) 

But peace isn't what is happening.  Jesus sees the future – seventy years later, and his words came true. Building a wooden palisade and then a stone siege wall were tactics the Romans used.  The city would be besieged, and its walls and its people including the children, flattened. That was what happened in ancient warfare is it still happens today.  It was common (as it is today) to make a point of mentioning atrocities against children.

Why the judgement? “Because you did not know the time of your visitation.”  Visitation is intended to be the occasion of salvation, but as the people failed to recognize it as such the same visitation becomes the basis of a judgement yet to follow.   The "last days" have come through Jesus.  Those who don't recognise the salvation, put themselves in the place of judgement.

And Jesus is crying.   We need to learn from the emotion of Jesus here.  The word speaks of “a loud expression of pain or sorrow” – “howling.”  Like the woman who washed his feet, this is no wiping away of the tears from the corner of the eye.   Jesus is howling with grief.  He is overcome with emotion.  Let's be clear: the ability to be blasé about suffering and about judgement, is not part of the work of the Spirit.  That is not what Paul means when he talks about the fruit of the spirit being “self-control.”   We have filtered and diluted the emotion out of following Jesus, and as a result, we've lost sight of the real Jesus.   We have turned Christianity into a  cerebral, systematic, institutional way of being, a matter of  “knowledge”, or of “techniques” for dealing with our inner darkness.  Jesus  is calling us to a holistic, dynamic, relational way of being, a journey of discovery, and romance, where truth involves walking with this Jesus. and being changed.   We need to be transformed by the fact that “when human hearts are breaking under sorrow's iron rod, all the sorrow all the aching, wrings with pain the heart of God.”   Whether we see ourselves as having grasped our salvation and received our day of visitation or not, let's learn from the tears of Jesus.

2. The Cleansing
Then Jesus goes into the temple.   And in there, merchants were selling the requisites for sacrifice – animals, wine, oil, salt and so on, as well as changing money.  This trade was justified by the need, according to the OT law, for unblemished sacrifices including money untainted by gentile images.  He's seen all this before.  But on this day,  Jesus decides to drive these things out. He knows he is heading towards the Cross.   The outcome of the cleansing will be to further set the seal upon Jesus' commitment to sacrifice his life upon the Cross.  It will alienate and provoke his opponents to orchestrate his arrest and eventual death. 

Luke doesn't make very much of this story: he shortens Marks version of it, clipping out pretty much all the derails.  He simply tells us that Jesus. quotes from two Old Testament prophets:
1. Isaiah 56.7 –  Luke doesn't include the words “for all nations. ”   If he had wanted he could have included the words to make the point that the Gospel is for everyone, but he doesn't. He knew what happened when people thought Paul had taken Gentiles into the temple! (Acts 21. 27ff).  He's aware of the fact the  temple did not become a place for the Gentiles, and maybe for a Gentile reader he doesn’t' want to introduce confusion.  Of course Luke believed the gentiles should be fully included in God's people. It goes without saying.
2. Jeremiah 7. 11.  The temple had become a “den of robbers”.  For Luke – consistent with hid concern for the poor not just the poor in spirit – the main thing wrong with the trading in the temple, is the dishonesty, greed, economic violence and oppression and legalism.
 
Luke wants us to appreciate that the cleansing is a challenge, not only to exclusivism, but also to dishonesty, economic oppression, legalism.  So, the action that led Jesus to the Cross was political as well as personal and religious.  The Cross deals not only with “religious” sin, personal sin, but with structural sin, economic sin.  It exposes all that is wrong with the world; and all that is wrong in our hearts.   Paul puts it like this in Romans 8

The Cross condemns sin in the flesh.  (Rom 8. 3)  The perfect Son of God, obeying the father's will all the way to the Cross, exposes every sort of sin, personal selfishness, rebellion, greed and lust, religious contempt and intolerance, economic injustice and political oppression, for what it is: sin.
The Cross atones for all that sin.  Through it God has set us free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8. 2; Col 2. 14-15)
And through the Cross, all believers are set free from all sorts of sin, to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8. 4).

3. The Claim
Having “cleansed” the temple, Jesus then teaches in the temple.  He does so repeatedly, over a number of days.  He's not being fazed by the fact that some disapprove. He knows he has the right.  This temple is “his Father's house” (John 2. 16). 

But this is hard, challenging teaching.  He's not preaching the Gospel – which is why he is not healing the sick. He's simply dialoguing with those who are set to oppose him; he is challenging the wrong attitudes of those who don’t' want to give God his rightful place in their lives (Lk 20. 9-23) but  simply want an intellectual debate instead of putting their faith in to practise  (Lk 20. 24-47). And he warns of judgement to come.  As Jesus claims the temple, he claims our lives. As he claims the right to stand in the temple and teach the truth there, so he claims the right to stand in our lives with authority: hand over to God the things that are God's (Lk 20. 25)

So now, as two thousand years ago,  Jesus comes to us with compassion; he comes to cleanse and to claim our lives. And today some try to destroy him. Some hang on his every word, hang onto him as they listen to him. They depend on him and are prepared to pin their lives on him.   His tears challenge us, his grace cleanses us and his authority claims us.  In response, only you can speak for you: only I can speak for me. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.  (Josh 24. 15)

© Gilmour Lilly March  2015

Lent 1: Temptations of Jesus: Matthew 3.13 - 4.11

The Context of temptation: 
The work of The Spirit.  

Bernini: "Descent of the Spirit" Image Dnalor, Creative Commons license

The temptations follow an intense, spiritual 
experience

Jesus has just made a public declaration of his willingness to identify with fallen humanity – by taking on a baptism that in every other case was “for the forgiveness of sins”.  His cousin, John, had said “You  should not be coming to me for baptism, you should be baptising me.”   Jesus did it, not  as an act of “repentance from sin” but “to fulfil all righteousness”  (v 15). His baptism was “part of his life of obedience” (Green)  By submitting to baptism, Jesus acknowledged God's right to demand “total consecration of life and holiness of character”. As the sinless Son of God he was setting his face on the journey towards the Cross, right there and then in the river Jordan.

And when he had taken that step, the Holy Spirit had come upon him, seen like a dove landing on him.  And the voice from Heaven had said “this is my Son in whom I am well pleased.”  What an amazing moment.  Incidentally it was a  moment of Trinitarian blessing.  God the Son, committed to his earthly ministry, is empowered by God the Spirit, and affirmed by God the Father.  

I want us to have our encounters with God: the be filled with the Holy Spirit; to know that our Heavenly Father is pleased with us; to be like Jesus, set upon doing what we are called to do.  I want us to have these moments of intense spiritual blessing. In fact Paul says (Eph 1. 3) that “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”  But you know what? These times come with a health warning.

The Spirit led Jesus into the desert. 
 
Jesus' journey into the desert was the work of the Holy Spirit. Matthew Mark and Luke all agree about this, although the language they use is subtly varied.  Mark says the Spirit thrust Jesus into the desert; Matthew says the Spirit led him into the desert, to be tempted.  Luke says the Spirit led him in the wilderness.    The desert – the place of solitude, silence, self-discipline and even struggling – is just as much a place where the Holy Spirit can work as the river or the mountaintop. The Holy Spirit will take you to places of solitude and lonesomeness, where you can learn to discern the difference between hear the voice of God, the voice of the enemy and the voice of your inner heart desires.

We need these times of solitude – even after such a difficult time of testing, Jesus never lost his taste for time alone with his father.    Michael Green says “The desert is the place where we meet God.”  In Revelation 12.14  the woman (who represents the Church) is sent into the desert to be taken care of.

So let's not be afraid of the “Desert”.  We can be tempted anywhere. Jesus was also tempted when one of his followers told him that suffering and death could not happen to him – so much so that he said to Peter “get behind me, Satan!” (Mt 16. 23) Let's not be afraid of those times when everything is hard work and the fruit is limited.  Let's not be afraid of the times of solitude and silence.  The Spirit leads us into that place, and in that place.

And when we experience temptation, let's not imagine that somehow we have lost contact with God's Spirit or are outside of God's will.  Part of the experience of the spirit, is the experience of being vulnerable to the enemy's temptations.  Indeed, as we shall see, there are particular temptations that present when we know the power of the spirit in our lives and that have to be overcome in our own minds, if we are to be safe and ethical handlers of the dynamite that is the true power of the spirit.   Michael Green notes, “Temptation builds spiritual muscle.”

The cause of temptation
The reality of warfare.  

The temptation was a Spiritual experience not just a psychological one.  Now the enemy can use people (Mt 16. 23) and he can use the processes of our own minds – so much so that James said “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1. 14).   But let us not run away with the idea that temptation is simply a matter of recognising our own weaknesses and “desires”.  We have an enemy who wants to destroy us – just as he wanted to destroy Jesus – physically, spiritually, emotionally, morally.  And that enemy is no gentleman.  He will exploit our weaknesses.  He will pervert our strengths.

The core of temptation
Let's look at the temptations in detail: what do they mean?  

1. Wilderness bread:  “Turn these stones into bread”

Many rabbis believed that when Messiah came there would once again be “manna in the desert.”  So the enemy comes along and suggests to Jesus “Hey, Son of God – you don't need to go hungry; do the 'manna in the desert' thing now.”  The temptation is to take the quick and easy way.  To get personal  comfort through the power of God and by cashing in on the old promises. Christians who have had times of blessing and dramatic answers to prayer can be tempted to feel that the power of God is there to be used for their own comfort.  We can all be tempted to pray selfish prayers, simply askign for things that will make us feel good. 

2. The roof of the temple; “Throw yourself down”

Another belief about messiah was that he would “stand up on the roof of the holy place”.   So the enemy takes him up to the pinnacle of the temple – and suggests that Jesus jump off, claiming the angel protection promised in  Psalm 91. 12.   He tempts him to do something really spectacular that will draw a crowd. The Church can so easily be tempted to find a strategy for filling the pews, attractig a crowd: so we sometimes resort to pulling "Stunts" of one kind or another. Of course we don't call them "stunts" but "profile-raising activities".  Now there is a place for special events, but they must be undertaken in a spirit of wervice to our community, not simply to draw attention to our ministry. 

3. Striking a deal. “Bow down and worship me”

View from the top of Schiehallion. Image by G Lilly

In the end the enemy shows Jesus the kingdoms of the world and promises to hand it all over to Jesus... if he will bow down to Satan, just once, just for a second.  The bait isn’t' so much about getting wealth and power: it's about achieving what he came to achieve: it's about establishing God's rule – over all the earth.  The temptation is to achieve this by compromise with the very enemy Jesus had come to remove. “If you worship me, I'll go away...”  Michael Green sums it up brilliantly:  Satan tempts Jesus “to gain universal dominion back from the usurper Prince,  but to do so by striking a bargain with him rather than by striking him through the heart with the wood of the cross.”  God's word says “Worship the Lord young God and him alone!” 

The temptations to be selfish, to opt for the sensational and to compromise come to all Christians but they are recorded here so that we may witness the testing of god's son .  He was tempted to bypass the cross, to short-circuit the path of obedience, and to adopt the role of Son and King without stooping to the role of the suffering servant.  And that sums it up.  Whether it's temper, sex, money, lying, temptation is always about bypassing the cross.

The cure of temptation
Well, there isn't one! Temptation will always be there. It may change as we get older and our bodies, minds and circumstances change.  But always we will experience that pull to “bypass the cross”. 

But we can triumph over temptation, and Jesus shows us how.

1.  Get committed.  

Settle your mind on submission to God.  Jesus had already fixed in his mind which way his life was going to go.
  
2. Get equipped. 

Three times, Jesus responds to the temptations “it is written...”  The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   Do you know where the three quotations Jesus used come from?  
Dt 8. 3 man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord
Dt 6. 16 You shall not put the Lord your God to the test
Dt 6. 13  Fear the Lord your God, serve him only
It looks as if Jesus was particularly steeped in the book of Deuteronomy at this point: he may even have been reading these chapters – which for Jesus would probably involve regular visits to the synagogue.  The Spirit took the words that Jesus had stored up, and used them against the enemy.  The way to victory is to know the Bible well, and to know it freshly, through regular reading, listening, and study.  We need to use the Spirit's sword, to avoid the traps of selfish, sensational or compromised living. And there is one last thing to encourage us. If we resist, he will flee. 

© Gilmour Lilly February  2015

Luke 7. 36-50

In my first church – I was in my twenties, easily embarrassed – we had an occasional visitor; she came from Yugoslavia I think; she had a lined face, always wore a headscarf and spoke no more than a couple of words of English.  When she came to church she always brought a bunch of flowers; she usually arrived a wee bit late, walked to the front, laid her bunch of flowers on the Communion Table, and kissed my hand, before taking a pew near the back.  The flowers worried me: what would the dear lady who had been there on Saturday, and spent time arranging flowers in a vase, say about this addition to her display?  But it was the kiss that made me cringe. It's not the way Baptists greet their pastors. Should I receive this as  though I was someone special? I wanted to say to her, "I'm no better than the person you will sit next to at the back."  It seemed so out of place.

A Pharisee invites Jesus in for a meal.  It's all pretty routine; a cold lunch after the service in the synagogue.  Jesus enters and takes his place, reclining on a low couch at the table ...  and then the story really gets going.  “Look!  A woman of the city, a woman with a bad reputation, either a prostitute or an adulteress, walks in, with her long-necked jar of ointment.”  No doubt one or two people are thinking to themselves, “What's she doing here?”

What she intends to do is simply a generous, loving response to the fact that Messiah has come, and that Messiah has accepted her and forgiven her sins.  She wants to bring her precious ointment and anoint Jesus with it.  Jesus is facing the table and she comes up behind him; as she does, she is overwhelmed with emotion, with gratitude and love.  Tears flow; not the kind of wee tears that you can wipe away from the corner of your eye with a tissue, but floods of tears.  Jesus' feet are soaking wet.  The woman becomes confused, embarrassed; what is she to do? Without thinking she pulls away the pin that is keeping her hair up and dries Jesus' feet with her hair.  She kisses his feet, and at last with shaking hands breaks open the bottle of perfume and pours it on Jesus' feet.
 
To the dinner guests it's all a bit much; a bit embarrassing.  It seems so out of place... is she... a friend of his?  Or is he just stupid?  The generous host is thinking “If this Jesus was any sort of prophet at all he would surely know what sort of woman this is.  And if he was any sort of prophet he wouldn't let her touch him!”   The issue is Jesus' identity. Who Jesus is.  And this is a recurring theme in the incident.

You know what it's like when you have the first meal with your kid's new boyfriend or girlfriend.   The boyfriend starts eating before you have given thanks and you think “he's a complete heathen then!”  Then you bow in prayer and he thinks “The parents are complete religious nuts, then!”  It seems that as far as as Simon the Pharisee is concerned Jesus was being checked out and has just failed the test.  Silently, the Pharisee makes his judgement.  Nothing is said: at most, a raised eyebrow might have betrayed his thoughts.  But Jesus answers the Pharisee!  “Simon, I have something to say to you!” and Simon replies “Go ahead, Rabbi!”  He is polite enough and recognises Jesus as a teacher, but that's all.  He's not seeing Jesus as a prophet and not ready for discipleship, for following Jesus.  “Rabbi” is polite but it's not the full story.  It’s not “Lord”. 

What Jesus wants to say, is one of his ridiculously simple parables.   “One guy was forgiven £3,000; the other was forgiven £30,000: who loved the bank manager more?”  The answer is obvious, but the Pharisee feels he as to go along with Jesus, so kind of grudgingly he answers “The guy who was forgiven £30,000.”  He knows he has been cornered.   It looks like this prophet does know what's going on inside people's heads.  And this prophet is up for  challenging people's sins and blind spots. 

“Good call” Jesus says.  He doesn't mean to imply that the woman really was a bigger sinner, with more to forgive, than the Pharisee.  In fact he gives no assurance that the Pharisee has been forgiven at all. He is simply adapting to the parameters of the Pharisee.  And he proceeds to draw out the contrast between the Pharisee and the Prostitute.  Now, it is sometimes said that that Simon completely failed to offer Jesus the commonest courtesies of hospitality.  That is not true.  As a good Jew, the Pharisee would have expected his guests to wash their hands before eating and would have provided a bowl and towel for that purpose.  Washing feet was a nice luxury; a kiss was a faitrly common form of welcome; anointing oil was a recognition of a really special guest.  But none of these was really essential.  In inviting Jesus to his home Simon had treated Jesus with the “ordinary” courtesies for having people round for a meal but not as the guest of honour at a banquet.  It as the difference between saying “the bathroom is just upstairs” and giving the guest their own towel, bar of soap and hand lotion.  The contrast couldn't be more stark and plain.  The Pharisee, who thinks he had not too many sins, feels he is doing Jesus  a favour by having him round for a few sandwiches after the synagogue.  The woman, who knows her life is full of embarrassing moments she doesn't enjoy re-living,  who knows that this man Jesus has accepted her and made her clean again – even if she doesn't fully understand how – she is “overwhelmed by love” for Jesus.  Her very best seems inadequate.  She wants to pour out her ointment, for Jesus. In today's money you could say it was worth about £17000.  What did it matter if she had earned that money through prostitution: it was all she had.   So she pours out her tears, lets down her hair to dry Jesus' feet; kisses his feet and anoints Jesus not just with oil but with her precious ointment.

Then, horror of horrors, Jesus tells the woman, “your sins are forgiven!”    Again, the issue is “Who is this guy?”  He obviously is  a prophet, he can hear people's thoughts; does he really have the authority to declare people’s sins forgiven?  Maybe some are thinking it is blasphemous to make that claim (as they had before: see Lk 5. 21).  Luke simply reports the question and leaves us to figure it out for ourselves.  Who is this guy?

Jesus is not just a teacher, a Rabbi. We can be respectful to Jesus but not connect with who he is.  He is Lord, Messiah, the One who was wounded for our transgressions. He is the one who has a right to forgive our sins.  What Jesus does as he receives this woman's gift, what he had done as he showed her grace, is  the character of God on display, not simply being guessed at by a teacher however great.  God looks at all the embarrassment, all the failure, all the brokenness, all the wrong choices, all the deliberate grabs at what is not ours; all the times when we have put the boot in all the hurts we have caused. All the rebellion, all the times when we have not cared two hoots what God or anyone else wants.  Now if you're happy like that, OK.  But if you're embarrassed, ashamed, feeling cut off from God by it, and longing fro something better, then know that God wants to welcome you home and forgive you; that God the Son has already dealt with the wrong stuff in your life; he has died for it; that God the Holy Spirit wants to fill you and give you the strength to live for Jesus, so you can with confidence know God the father.  Connecting with Jesus, connecting with the trinity, connects us with grace.  Jesus is the grace bringer and grace giver.

Let's be quite plain, Jesus is not forgiving the woman her sins because she has shown such extravagant love; she has not earned her forgiveness by what she has done. Jesus is talking in past tense terms here.  “He who has been forgiven much, loves much.  Your sins have been forgiven”.  There has been some earlier encounter with Jesus – either directly or through hearing Jesus preach or maybe even hearing a report of things he has said. She is responding to something that has already happened.  Her faith has already connected her with God's salvation.  From Jesus, “Go in Peace” was a genuine blessing – the shalom the wholeness and peace of the Kingdom of God surrounding the woman as she goes on to live the rest of her life.  No wonder she loves so much.

There is not one person in this room who doesn't need that grace.  There may be one or two who like Simon, don't think they need it.  There may be one or two who think that somehow God chose you because you are the kind of person God likes. There may be one or two who don't know if that grace can reach them.  Maybe you've been following Jesus and you still struggle with guilt. But God's hobby is collecting broken people.  Putting them right.  That is how God deals with us.  Forgiveness, salvation, peace, isn't something we have to earn.  It is given because of who Jesus is, because of his sacrifice for us; we don't have to earn forgiveness. We just have to receive it; we simply hand over our lives, our brokenness, our failures and even our successes to God.  And in faith we receive from him.  He saves us; he makes us whole, in every part of our being; we are able to journey on from here in peace.  And we pour out our response, at Jesus' feet.
© Gilmour Lilly February  2015

Acts 28. 11-31: The Final stage of the Journey - part 1.

Appian Way by "Longbow4u" Creative Commons License

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The Story
This is the final stage of Paul's journey:  they took a ship called the “Castor and Pollux” from Malta to Syracuse, (the most important city in Sicily) and after three days headed to Rhegium (now Reggio, de Calabria, on the toe of Italy) and after waiting overnight – possibly for a favourable wind to get them through the Straits of Messina to Puteoli (the port that received Alexandrian grain ships, now Pozzuoli).  They stayed there for a week.  Julius must have had business to attend do in the area, so Paul was able to have fellowship with the local Church –  travelling Christians had already brought the gospel to this port. And then they headed by road to Rome.    There was already a Church. or rather a fascinating collection of house churches, in Rome: Paul had already written to them three years before, trying to arrange a visit. What an encouragement as somehow the Christians in Rome heard of his arrival (either the church in Puteoli had sent a message to their Roman friends, or because one or two church folks were actually in positions of authority in the army or government) and set out to meet him on the way; it was almost like an official welcoming party, and it encouraged Paul to know he had real friends in Rome.  (Verses 11-16)

As always, Paul started in Rome by contacting the Jewish community.  They were still god's people, who had a historic covenant relationship with God. One of the big themes in the letter to Romans is that relationship and it connexion with God's Grace.  In his initial contact, Paul was satisfied simply to establish his innocence of any offence against God's Law and his Pharisaic Jewish credentials.  The Jewish leaders, for their part, had heard nothing bad about Paul but a fair amount of criticism of “the Jesus way” of living. These guys had probably had some experience of Christians already.  They wanted to avoid any trouble.  Jews had been thrown out of Rome a few years earlier because of a dispute of riot proportions about the issue of “who is the messiah”?    Presumably the Jewish Christians in Rome walked a tight  line between loyalty to their Jewish background and commitment to their Christian faith. (Verses 17-22)  So they arranged a time to meet in Paul’s house to discuss what Paul believed.  And when they met Paul's theme  was not his own authority but the Gospel.  He preaches to the Jews about the Kingdom. Some were convinced by Paul's arguments.  Others were not, and Paul told those guys that even their rejection of Christ was something prophesied (Isaiah  ).  And as he had done elsewhere, Paul announced that he would go to the gentiles.  “They would listen”. (Verses 23- 28.)

So arguments continued among the Jews about Jesus.  That's no bad thing.  As with Paul himself, the Holy Spirit was still speaking and convicting people .  We can be content if as a result of our witness, there is a debate happening, a big discussion about Jesus.  And Paul's ministry, among the gentiles, continued unhindered for the next two years. (Verses 29-32. )

The point:  
Luke gives a number of details – some simply providing local colour; some that we can no doubt learn from.  But Luke wants to leave us with answers to a couple of important questions:
1. What is the Gospel?  That was a question he had sought to answer in his letter to the Romans. Luke says Paul was “testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets”   He wanted to show them that he message of Jesus was what the Old Testament was unavoidably, inexorably, leading to.  He explained from the Old testament that Jesus was the Messiah, the Kingdom Bringer.   That means he is “Immanuel, God with us"; it means he brings a new age of peace and hope to the world; it means he is the Suffering Servant who was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our sins.  Now it is interesting that when we went to the Gentiles, he was once again speaking about “The Kingdom”  and a the whole Jesus story.   For Gentiles as well as Jews, Paul's Gospel was about the Kingdom of God.  Do we know what the Gospel is?  Can we sum it up in a few short sentences?  Does our way of talking about the Gospel agree with Paul’s: is it about God's kingdom or just about our ticket to Heaven?  
2 Who is it for?  It is for everyone!   Paul began with the Jews because they have an historic covenant with the Lord.  God wants them to be his people.  He doesn't want to turn his back on them: he doesn't want to turn his back on anybody!  But when the Jews had their opportunity to hear and respond, Paul went to the Gentiles, as he had been called to do.  “This salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles.” (v. 28)The fact is – whether it offends Jews or not – this message has to go to the nations, and Paul knows that the gentiles will listen.  The message is for all who will hear it.  And today, that message is for a  who will hear it.  The message of Jesus is for you – if you will listen.  Do we as beleivers sometimes forget that and think the Gospel is only for people like us.  We are the type that God prefers.  But it is for everyone.

The point Luke is driving home is that we proclaim An upside-down Kingdom about God establishing his rule in the world through the death of Jesus for our sins, that is for gentiles as well as Jews and that has a transforming effect, building a community of love and encouragement.

The problem.  
It seems there are a number of loose ends as Luke finishes Acts.  What happens to these Roman Christians, as they are never spoken of again?  And what happens to Paul at the end of those two years which should have been long enough for his accusers to get a case together if they dared?  Was he tried and executed? Was he set free?  Is Luke writing as the two years draw to a close, without himself knowing what was going to happen to Paul?  It looks like Paul had a period of freedom after this imprisonment when he wrote the later letters – to Timothy and Titus. But we simply don’t know.  The whole narrative seems to end so abruptly.   But Luke who begain writing   an “orderly account” for Theophilus  finishes with what F F Bruce calls an “impressive and artistic conclusion”.

The difference.  
What we do know – and what I think Luke wants us to realise, is that
1.  The Gospel is more important than Paul.  Paul knew that.  Luke knew it.  We need to learn the lesson that the Gospel and the Kingdom of god are more important that us.  The Gospel is more important than me or Pam or Allan or Ruth.  The Gospel is more important than Lighthouse Kids or Gateway or Rosyth Baptist Church or for that matter the Baptist Union of Scotland.  The Gospel is more important than CLAN or Faith Mission or Street Pastors.  A few years ago we sometimes talked about churches or organisations as “Causes”.  The Union might talk about a “new Cause in Rosyth.”  But we are not causes. We are effects.  Our life together as churches is the result of Gospel preaching and Kingdom living.  In the end, it is not a matter of what happens to us or our Church.  It is what becomes of this gospel and this kingdom,
  2.  Whatever happened to Paul later, in these two years, the Gospel is the power of God.   Jesus is the Victor.  Luke shows us Paul, proclaiming the Jesus message, “openly and unhindered”.  This message that Theophilus had been informed about, was not some dangerous, subversive thing.  Yes it could “turn the world upside down” but it was not seen as a  threat.  Paul spent two years, in constant company of a Roman soldier, his activities no doubt reported to the higher authorities, and nobody said a word of complaint!  This is the power of the Gospel, the triumph of the Kingdom, the victory of Jesus in Rome!  The Gospel is still the Power of God.  Jesus is still the victor.  The Kingdom still advances.  We are not meant to be living in defeat.
3.  So Luke leaves us with a springboard for that Gospel to go further than ever.  The loose end isn't a loose end.  Luke has already hinted at this when he tells us that Paul said “salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles,” because Paul is not just taking about the local, Roman situation; he is talking about the mission and shape of the Church for the rest of time.  Luke has told us about the way the Good News travelled from Jerusalem, round Asia and Greece, to reach Rome. But Rome isn’t the final destination; as in the writing of the letter to the Romans, it is only a stopping off point.  There is Spain, Gaul, that dark and wild island called Britannia. And from that island, mission to India, China, America, Africa.  And from our lives, to people round about us we can't really imagine would ever trust in Jesus.

© Gilmour Lilly February  2015

 Acts 28. 1-11 Paul and the supernatural

Snakebite
Having survived two weeks being blown about in a storm, Paul's ship was driven onto a sandbank and began to break up.  Everyone on board survived, and they ended up, shivering on a beach (now known as St Paul’s Bay) on Malta.  The locals made a fire for the shipwrecked travellers, who helped by scavenging for twigs and bits of wood to make a fire.  Paul, putting wood on the fire, was bitten by a viper, but shook off the attack and survived unharmed. Luke was an eye witness.  But there's a problem with the story: it sometimes said that there are no venomous snakes on Malta. That's a slight exaggeration: there are no snakes with sufficiently strong venom to kill someone. 

So what’s going on?  

Did Luke make up the story? That's simply not his style. If he had been making up the story in order to validate Paul's ministry he could have put it in much earlier in the narrative . 
Did he exaggerate a story about Paul being bitten by a less dangerous snake?  The Black Whip Snake will bite and hold on, and (although not strictly classed as venomous) it can cause swelling and neuro-motor problems, but that's all. So maybe the bit about the locals expecting Paul to die was a bit of a misunderstanding. After all, the Maltese should have known what snakes existed in their own island.  But they weren't Greek speakers (that's what “barbarians” means) and Luke may have not understood what they were saying.
As a doctor one would expect him to be able to identify venomous snakes ; that was part of the knowledge base of the first century medical profession. The behaviour Luke describes, a Viper biting and holding on, is typical of the Levantine Viper which is common today in North Africa, Cyprus and Turkey. It may be that the Levantine Viper was found in Malta two thousand years ago. The Levantine Viper is frequently find around small trees and Malta has very few trees today. So it could be that the loss of habitat combined with persecution, caused the snake to become extinct in Malta. We used to have wolves and bears in Scotland (wolves as late as the time of Cromwell). There are no lions or deer today in the holy land though clearly there were in Bible times.
 
So why does Luke include this story? I believe he does because it happened pretty much as he describes. I believe he does because it's an example of God at work.

For the Maltese like other people in the Roman world, justice was see not just as a principle but as a goddess.  “This man escaped drowning but Justice got him in the end.”  The Luke tells with a satisfying sense of irony, how the people changed from thinking he had been caught by a god, to thinking he was a god.  In particular, for Christians, it illustrates the point that Paul experiences God's victory in Christ over the forces of evil as symbolised by the snake; and were a fulfilment of Jesus words in Mark 16. 18.

But Luke doesn't labour the point. He simply tells the story and leaves us to draw our own conclusions.  And that is how we should handle the supernatural. We should expect God to be at work. When he is at work, there will always be an alternative explanation from somewhere. When he is at work, it is not an occasion for hype or exaggeration; it doesn't prove anything; it simply happened. That is how we should tell it. Let people draw their own conclusions.

Publius' Father
The celebrity guests were welcomed in the home of Publius, the “Chieftain” (literally first man) of the island, where they stayed for three days.  He was a local landowner, and probably functioned as a “puppet king” under Roman authority.  Paul heard that Publius' father was ill; the combination of fever and dysentery still happens and is known as Malta fever; it probably comes from a germ that is carried in goats milk.  Luke's medical interest is showing here!   Paul responded by bringing the healing of Jesus to the old man.  The sentence in Greek reads like this: “coming to him, praying, laying his hands on him, Paul healed him.”  There are four verbs, and each one describes a simple, complete action. None of them are long, drawn-out actions.  The last one, healing him, isn't a long drawn out process involving the other three.  It is three simple actions leading to a fourth simple outcome.    These three complete actions that were part of the process are worth looking at in detail.  

He Went.  God can heal from a distance, and we can pray for people at a distance, knowing God hears.  But the Jesus way to engage in the supernatural, is generally through presence, going there; being with people.  It makes sense.  In counselling, we are taught to be “fully present” with the person we are helping.; that is, fully engaged, listening, feeling what they are feeling.  The very experience of “presence” can be a healing thing in itself. 
 
He Prayed.  All healing, whether medical or miraculous, comes from God.  The doctor or other health worker who wants to bring healing from God, will not rely simply on their medical skill but will pray for those they work with.  And similarly, the person seeking to minister healing supernaturally, will also remember that the source is God himself, not us; so we will pray, as we seek to be channels of God's healing.  We will pray for the person we are ministering to, for grace, for an encounter with father’s love, for healing and strength.  We will pray for ourselves, for power, for wisdom, for faith, for guidance: “Lord, what do you want me to say, what do you want me to do, what are you going to do in this person's life?”

He Laid hands on him.  Someone once said “Jesus didn’t' send us out to pray for the sick but to heal the sick!”  That is a slight overstatement, but I think I know what they mean.  It is good, having prayed, and having received some sense of direction from God, to lay hands on the sufferer, as a sign of passing something on from God to the person.  Jesus used many forms of contact – spitting, mud, touch, as well as speech – speaking to the sick person.  Laying on hands says “I believe God wants to do something for you; reach out and receive what God has for you.”  God will use us if we will use that simple example: go, pray, touch.

Crowds.
As a  result of what happened, led to a flood tide of people, coming and seeking healing.  This time, the verbs are imperfect, which means the coming and the curing kept on happening.  The island would take about 6 hours to walk from one end to the other. Some may have heard and arrived almost immediately, but it must have taken at least a day or two for word to get all round the place, possibly longer as many people would probably be in scattered villages.  I imagine that over the next three months while people were wintering on the island, Paul, Luke and those with them had regular visitors.  He says when they left “we were honoured.”  Paul's ministry got others including Luke involved too, and the healings may have been partly miraculous and partly medical.

So what does Luke tell us?
The whole story, from Publius' father to the crowds, is very similar to that of Peter’s mother-in-law (Lk 4.  38ff) so what Paul is doing is very much the Jesus' way of ministering.   Here, at the end of he Acts of the Apostles, Jesus is still in business, healing the sick.  The kingdom continues to operate through the Church. 

Luke takes one verse to describe the old man's disease and how Paul sorted him. He takes one verse to sum up the ministry to the crowds.  As in his telling of the story of the snake, Luke is calm, matter-of fact, and scientific.  There is no place for drama, exaggeration or hype.
Luke says very little about what happened afterwards. He doesn't specifically say that people believed in Jesus. or that a church was planted.   The only hint is that they honoured and rewarded Paul and his friends.  And there is a tradition that Publius became the leader of the Church on the island.  It's possible that the gospel had already come to Malta as it was a stopping off point for shipping to Rome.  Luke doesn't tell us.  We shouldn't make too many conclusions from Luke’s silence. He leaves a number of things unsaid.  For example, the islanders decided Paul must be a god when he shook off the viper.  Can you imagine Paul letting that go unchecked?  But Luke doesn’t' mention what Paul said.  As ever, Luke tells the story without labouring all the details.  In the end, it's the same picture of Paul, as in the last chapter,, practical, pastoral,  caring for those around him, in the power of the Spirit.

Maybe we need to engage in Kingdom ministry and not worry too much about the loose ends.   We encounter evil in the world – Satan, sickness and the false gods of the paganism around us.  We challenge that in the name of Jesus – not for the sake of he spectacular, but simply because presenting that challenge is the right response of the Kingdom of god.  And then we need to leave the responses to the people and to God.

© Gilmour Lilly February  2015

Acts 27 - All through the storm

In a close environment like a boat, you very quickly find out who are the ones

Image by Gilmour Lilly

who are always sure they are right. They can be irritating, right?  Now, at first glance, Paul may look like the irritating sort of guy – the one who knows about seamanship better than the captain, the know-it-all who is for ever giving advice, and is quick to say “I told you this would happen!”.  Nothing could be further from the truth, however.  Paul rather is a natural leader of the best, most positive kind.

Firstly, He has friendships.  

He builds good, positive relationships. 

In these last two chapters of Acts, Luke once again talks as an eye-witness as he did up until chapter 1v 18. he has probably been quietly working at his profession somewhere in Judea until the decision is finally made to sent Paul to Rome.  So Luke was on that ship and so was Aristarchus, who had come from Asia with Paul to Jerusalem.  It may be that Aristarchus was on his way home to Northern Greece, but Luke was to stick with Paul right the way through to Rome.  Both of them must have had to stick their necks out to be sure of a place on that journey, wither identifying themselves as Paul's companions, or taking the expense of arranging their own passage with Paul.

That tells me that Paul had wonderful friends.  He was someone who won people's hearts and for whom people were willing to make sacrifices.   It's clear from the book of Acts as well as from his letters that Paul, like Jesus, was regularly surrounded by people whom he was teaching, encouraging, listening to, supporting, in a fatherly, mentoring kind of relationship. 

And we see that again with Julius, the Centurion of the Augustan Cohort.  This unit was mainly responsible for securing the corn supply from places like Egypt.  A ship form Alexandria (v. 6) would probably be taking corn supplies to Rome.  Julius did his job diligently, finding the right transport, controlling his men, and holding the ship's owners to their contract.  Nothing suggests that he was weak or incompetent. And yet, we find that
he shows Paul the kindness of allowing him to be looked after by his friends in Sidon (v. 3, presumably with a guard in tow.)
he is able to involve Paul in the conversations before major decisions (v 9-11; 21-26; 31; 33f)
he wanted to save Paul's life when his men were ready simply to kill the prisoners rather than let them escape (v. 42f)
And all of that suggests that not only Paul's experience as a seasoned traveller, but also his obvious concern for the well-being of everyone on board and the warmth of his personality, had won the friendship of the Roman officer.

Secondly, he is in the boat.  

Image by Gilmour Lilly

The first journey, round the Syrian and Turkish coast to Myra, was  the the normal work of coasting vessels.  Then they joined what was probably a grain transport.  Then they hit this  Euraquilo or Gregale wind which sometimes still blows down the Adriatic from southern Europe and causes storms in the Mediterranean.  Men were too seasick, too scared or too busy or wet to eat.  It's all the routine, and the unusual perils, of a sea journey.  Unlike Jonah, trying to sleep through the storm in the hold of the ship, Paul is fully engaged with all that is happening.

And he shows that he is committed to the welfare of the boat and “all who sail in her”.  Throughout the journey, Paul demonstrates that his concern is not just for his own survival – although obviously he is motivated to reach the capital of the empire, Rome!  He is concerned for the survival and welfare of all in the boat.  He has identified with the ship's company and speaks the language of solidarity with them: “Our lives” (v. 10), “we shall have to run on some island” (v. 26).  

That's a model for us, too.  So often we can think of the Church as a lifeboat on the rough seas of life.  All our efforts are focussed on getting other people into our boat. The Church lifeboat is a good boat.  It exists to rescue people. That's a good enough image to work with. We are called to be a lifeboat. But the picture here is of believers, in the same boat as everyone else. So we are also called to be in the same boat with our families, or friends, facing the same storms – the same pressures as everyone else: paying the bills, bringing up your kids, keeping your job, getting older, looking after hour health, surviving difficult relationships, living through epidemics or terror threats.       But sometimes we need to get out of our Church “lifeboat” which can become a bit of a ghetto, and be there, in our communities, families, workplaces, as salt and light, and witness within our world, by presence rather than attraction.we need to be bringing blessing, encouragement as we sue our gifts and skills.  When God's people were taken into exile, they were all desperate to get back to their beloved home land.  But God said “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”  (Jer 29. 7)  We need to do the same.

Thirdly,  he is hearing God.

Andraé_Crouch - image to by  Eirik Voss

It may be that some of Paul's – correct – insights came from his astute mind and his experience as a seasoned traveller who had already survived shipwrecks.  But some, clearly, were supernatural, prophetic gifts.  He was someone who was able to speak God's word into the situation because he was someone who was hearing God.. as verses 21-26 and 33-37 demonstrate. 

We need to use our minds.  Sometimes Christians get just a bit silly: we're afraid to think things out for ourselves.  The story is told that Christian Soul singer Andrae Couch’s musical career began when his dad, who was a pastor, laid hands on him and prayed that he would have the gift of music so the church would have someone to play the piano.  The young Andrae sat right down next Sunday and played for the service; but I'm in no doubt that the prayer kick started something that God had already planted in the boy's heart and mind.  If you can't carry a tune in a bucket, you're probably not called to be in the worship band.  If the weather forecast says it's going to rain, you don't plan a barbecue.  It the cup final is on, you don't put on a Saturday all-day course for small group leaders (Yes, I’ve been caught out with that one, and the guys who needed training all disappeared after lunch!)

We need to listen.  God will speak, when we need him to, if we will listen to him.  You know what it is like, though.  Sometimes we get obsessed with rubbish, overwhelmed with the circumstances of our lives, and swamped by our own negative thought patterns.  Faith is drowned out and it is difficult to apply God's word or walk in faith.  That is the time when we need to take the time to listen. 

We need to pray. The angel says “God has granted you all those who sail with you”. Paul gave God time to speak, as he called out in believing prayer not only for himself, but for the people around him on the deck and the hold of that ship. in the boat with two hundred others, had a burden fro them.. He was obviously praying for the others.  

© Gilmour Lilly January  2015