I pray that our worhsip gives us the courage and the faith to lay down our lives in service of Christ and God’s reign again.

READINGS:
Isaiah 49:1-7: Isaiah’s second servant song seems to refer to both an individual and to the nation of Israel. Either way the message is clear – the work is hard and leads to mockery and rejection, but God will make God’s servant a light to the nations and will ultimately bring the servant praise and recognition.

Psalm 40:1-11: Praise for God’s grace and rescue, and a commitment to serve God and proclaim God’s justice.

1 Corinthians 1:1-9: God has gifted God’s church with all they need to serve in partnership with God, and to remain strong until the return of Christ.

John 1:29-42: John the Baptist testifies that Jesus is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit, and two of John’s disciples follow Jesus. One of them, Andrew, calls his brother Simon to meet Jesus, and Jesus names him Peter.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Following on from Jesus’ baptism, his mission is now proclaimed and affirmed in the readings this week. The prophetic song of Isaiah’s servant holds challenging foreshadows of Christ’s sacrificial life. The psalmist’s commitment to serve God is echoed in Jesus’ own ministry, as is God’s gifting of followers of Christ in God’s church. Finally, as John testifies, Jesus is the one who leads people into transforming encounters with God (baptism in the Holy Spirit) and who is the “Lamb of God” who will be sacrificed for all people. The Scriptures this week hold Christ up for us as the example of one who is called, and one who has responded to that call, and is committed enough to make profound sacrifices in service of God’s reign. Like the first disciples, we also find ourselves called, and needing to respond and commit. Along with the call is God’s equipping – the hope of God’s ultimate glory (as reflected in the Psalm and Isaiah), the Baptism of the Holy Spirit given by Christ and the gifts God has given to God’s church, spoken of by Paul. If God’s reign of justice and love is to find a place on the earth, it will be through faithful, sacrificial followers of Christ who have responded willingly to God’s call.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: It seems amazing to say it, but one of the most significant shifts that needs to be made in the world is for every person and organisation to recognise their part (their calling) in addressing the great challenges we face, and to embrace the necessary sacrifices required to bring about justice. On a global scale this involves wealthy nations making such changes as doing away with trade restrictions and unjust trade subsidies and reaquirements in order to level the playing field for poorer, less powerful nations. It may involve refusing to use sweat shops, and doing the necessary checks to ensure that producers of the products we import and sell are treating their workers fairly. It may mean cancelling third world debt, and prioritising health care and getting medicine to those who need it over the profits that can be made through these medicines. It may also mean, for those who live in poorer countries, addressing the corruption and lack of accountability that sometimes plagues aid in these countries. These are just some thoughts, but if we are truly to follow the Lamb of God, it will not be without significant commitment and sacrifice. As we work for these changes, we may be mocked and threatened, labelled and rejected. But, ultimately, as the world’s systems change, so God’s reign is manifest, and God’s life is made available to all.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Answering the call to follow the Lamb of God, as Andrew and Peter did, is a daily decision made in the little details of how much we consume, what and how we buy, what we drive, where we live, what we eat, how we use energy, how we work, how we treat others and how we care for ourselves. Many of these decisions result in sacrifices that we would probably prefer to avoid. At its heart discipleship is about recognising that our faith is not an individual journey, but is connected into community. Our choice to sacrifice or not impacts others in our churches, neighbourhoods and world, and so we find that as we follow Christ, we are brought face to face with others, and the impact of our choices and lifestyle on them. To make the sacrificial changes that will lead to a more just world – the world that Jesus proclaimed – we need resources beyond ourselves. For this it takes both the recognition that the Christ we are called to follow is the Lamb of God who calls us to take up our crosses, and an openness to receive the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” – the transforming, empowering encounter with God – that John said Jesus would offer. But as we embrace the life of sacrifice and of following Christ, we each become foundations stones – Peters, rocks – in the reign of God being built among us.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Call Of Compassion
A Small Price, Really
Counting The Cost
Faith That Carries The Cross

Hymn Suggestions:
A Charge To Keep I Have
O Loving Lord, Who Art Forever Seeking
The Church’s One Foundation
Jesus Calls Us! O’er The Tumult
Hail Thou Once Despised Jesus
May The Words Of My Mouth (Link to YouTube video)
Let Me Shine: Chord Chart; Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for link)
I Give You My Heart (Link to YouTube video)
I Will Offer Up My Life (Link to YouTube video)
Everyday (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Celebration of Sacrifice

Video Suggestions:
A Voice In The Wilderness
Following Jesus

In the light of this, you may want to consider reading The Hour That Changes Everything – How worship forms us into the people God calls us to be, if you haven’t already. This book, that is designed as a 50 day journey for individuals, small groups and congregations, is a journey into a deeper, more empowering relationship with God that flows from a vibrant and committed discipline of worship. More details can be found here.

May we be drawn into a deeper and more vibrant relationship with God as we worship this week.

READINGS:
Isaiah 9:1-4: Isaiah prophesies a reversal of fortune for the people of God who are occupied by Assyria – though they are in darkness, light will break in, and they will be freed from their oppression.

Psalm 27:1, 4-9: David’s Psalm celebrating God’s protection and the security he finds in God’s presence and in God’s sanctuary.

1 Corinthians 1:10-18: Paul confronts the Corinthians about the divisions and factions among them, reminding them that it is only the message of the cross that is important and that offers God’s power for salvation.

Matthew 4:12-23: Jesus begins his ministry and is seen by Matthew to be fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy of the light shining in the darkness. He preaches the nearness of God’s reign, calls his first disciples and heals those who are afflicted with disease.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
In times of oppression and distress – Assyria’s occupation of Israel, David’s fear of attack by surrounding enemies, internal strife and divisions in the Corinthian church, John the Baptist’s arrest and imprisonment – we need light to guide our feet, to give us sight and to warm and protect us. We need a sense of God’s enfolding presence, of dwelling secure in God’s house, of being saved by God and claimed by God’s love. All of these passages reflect this need, and all of them offer a vision of God’s faithful response in the promise of salvation, in God’s presence in our pain, and in the healing and strength that God provides. It is this sense of the reality of God’s presence and action on our behalf, this lived experience of God’s help and grace, that makes faith real. Without it, our faith is nothing more than an intellectual exercise, cold and powerless – having the form of godliness but lacking the power. And so as, with the disciples, we seek to answer Jesus’ call to follow, as we seek to experience the reign of God that Jesus proclaims, as we seek to live out the message that Jesus preached and embody the healing and liberation that Jesus demonstrated, we can ask for, and expect, a real, vibrant and strengthening relationship with the Living God. Only in this way can we hope to know life, and to truly know and share the blessing of God’s reign.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: As we work within the systems of this world to bring about justice it is tempting to get caught into the factionalism and calls for loyalty of the systems we challenge. We may find ourselves subtly becoming more devoted to our causes than to Christ. We may discover that we are seeking to build a kingdom according to our dreams and ideas, rather than according to the values of God’s reign. Any time that we, as followers of Christ, allow our place in political parties, advocacy groups or even religious affiliations to become more important than God’s truth and grace, we have lost our way. As we face the threats to our world’s wholeness – violence and war, poverty and greed, consumption and environmental degradation, exclusion and discrimination – we can only do so in the security and strength of a strong and vibrant lived relationship with God, and an inspiring and challenging vision of the reign of God that Jesus preached and enacted. And, as we allow this relationship with God to be our primary loyalty, we will find ourselves welcoming even those we oppose and disagree with. We will find ourselves challenging the injustices within our own organisations and groups as much as we challenge those we are not part of. We will find ourselves called to stand in places of vulnerable mediation, in-between-ness, and love without partisan loyalty. It may feel like it is only through the system that real change can happen, but in reality it is only as more and more of us are prepared to opt out of the systems as much as we can, and embrace the new way of God’s reign, that the kingdoms of this world can truly become the kingdoms of our Lord and of God’s Christ.

LOCAL APPLICATION: There are two responses that must be made to the readings this week. The first is to remember, as we seek to serve the most vulnerable in our communities, that meeting their physical and justice needs is only part of the work. If we do not also invite them into an experience of God’s reign themselves, if we do not allow them to discover, or deepen, a relationship with the Living God, we are little more than a social service organisation. The poverty of soul, the violence of feeling abandoned by God, the oppression of being at the mercy of this world’s systems with no awareness of another reality – these are also justice issues to address. And the Gospel addresses them powerfully in the teachings, the example and the sacrifice of Christ. The second response is for each Christ follower to ensure that we, personally and collectively, nurture our own relationship with God. Without a constant, vibrant and empowering experience of God’s grace and presence, we all too easily grow despondent, cynical and even destructive. The power to live from the reality of God’s reign, to work to change the world and bring justice, flows from knowing God’s light and presence. Ultimately our first calling is simply to follow Christ and invite others to do the same. Changing the world, then, is not our task – it is God’s. We simply get to participate sometimes.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Simple Logic Of Light
God Of Presence And Light

Hymn Suggestions:
The People That In Darkness Sat
In Heavenly Love Abiding
Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies
Jesus, Hope Of Every Nation
There’s A Light Upon The Mountains
There’s A Light (Upon The Mountains): Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon.com Mp3 Store)
Consuming Fire (Link to YouTube video)
Here I Am to Worship (Link to YouTube video)
Shine Jesus Shine (Link to YouTube video)
Shine (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
The Calling
Land Of The Living
Light Of The World

May our worship this week lead us into true encounter with God, and lead us out in the power of God’s Spirit to serve the world that God loves.

READINGS:
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12): The people complain because God does not seem to notice when they fast and pray, but Isaiah speaks God’s word that challenges them on their injustice and exploitation – that they have the appearance of penitence without a true change of heart.

Psalm 112:1-9, (10): Those who live righteously are compassionate, just and generous, and they have confidence that God will care for them.

1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16): God’s wisdom is Christ crucified, which cannot be understood without opening our spirits to God’s Spirit. But, for we who have received God’s Spirit, we are able to know and receive the wonderful blessing God offers us in Christ.

Matthew 5:13-20: Jesus calls his followers to be as salt and light in the world – allowing our good works to be seen in order that others may praise God. Further, Jesus calls his followers to true righteousness, beyond the external legalism of the Pharisees, but embodying the true spirit of the law.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
What is authentic spirituality? In what ways do we know – and do others experience – that we have a real, vibrant relationship with God? These are the questions raised by the Lectionary this week. In Isaiah a contrast is drawn between the indulgent spirituality of the people, which leaves them disconnected from God and from God’s purposes, with the result that they feel no answer from God when they fast and pray, and true fasting and prayer which is expressed in lives of justice and compassion. In the Psalm, those who live justly and righteously are celebrated, and are assured of God’s care. In Paul’s letter, we are reminded that God is not known by the usual means that the world tries to find life and goodness, but only in Christ and Christ’s crucifixion. It is as we open to God’s Spirit that we receive God’s presence and power, and that we receive “the mind of Christ” which will inevitably lead us into lives that emulate Christ’s selfless service and sacrifice. In the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew’s Gospel, we discover that true righteousness is not that of the Pharisees – legalistic, individualistic obedience to law – but is to be light and salt in the world, fulfilling the heart of the law by bringing life and goodness to others, and drawing them into healing and saving knowledge of God. Clearly, for the Lectionary this week, true spirituality is seen in a living, vibrant relationship with God through Christ, and by God’s Spirit, which is then reflected and expressed through actions of compassion, justice and service in the world. If we live this kind of spirituality, it will inevitably draw others to this God we serve – and that’s a huge bonus for us!

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: It is all too easy to allow our spirituality to become “otherworldy” and disconnected from life’s realities. It is all too easy, even for those of us who are committed to justice and compassion in our world, to become like Pharisees who focus on outward, legalistic observances – becoming social justice fundamentalists, if you will – and losing the life-giving relationship with God and the empowerment of God’s Spirit that makes us true salt and light – healing, creative, colourful, restoring influences in our world. Yet, as we engage with the systems of our world, we need to keep asking ourselves how we can be those who lead both victims and perpetrators to “give glory to God”, to find a real relationship with God for themselves. How do we work with the powerful, the connected, the wealthy, the influential in such a way that they are led into lives of justice and compassion as well? Judgement, self-righteousness, or adopting the world’s methods of control, coercion and condemnation will not bring true change to our world. Rather it is as we commit to a cross-embracing way of living, and offer ourselves in service and compassion of all people that we are able to bring something of God’s life and justice into being. It is as we commit to authentic, lived righteousness – becoming salt and light in word, action, thought, communication, participation in the systems and processes of our world, and engagement with others – that our different way of living demonstrates the power and wisdom of God, and invites others into this alternative life, while also gently bringing change where it matters.

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is very easy to allow our sense of call to be reduced to becoming the conscience, or the moral watch dogs, of our communities and neighbourhoods. It is easy to point fingers and judge, to identify evil and, like Pharisees, make our religion about separating ourselves from “others” who don’t live up to our standards. This can be true for both conservatives and liberals, for both evangelicals and social justice Christians. But, such engagement with the world seldom brings any real change. It is when we are salt and light – those who live out in our own lives what we seek to see in the world – that we make a real difference. In the early days of the apartheid struggle, a group of church leaders went to see the then Prime Minister of South Africa, to challenge him to do away with apartheid. His response was to look at the division and discrimination in the churches and to tell them to get their own house in order before trying to sort out the country. Salt and light people are those who bring flavour and colour, integrity and insight, healing and compassion into the world by the way they live, love and interact. Their influence is felt not through judgement or legalism, but through a life lived with a completely different quality, that touches others with grace and truth and compassion and calls out to the best in them, leaving them longing to live better lives themselves. This is what it means to let our good deeds be seen so that others will praise God, and it’s the only thing that really brings change into the world. As Gandhi famously said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Light And Salt
True Fasting
A Goodness Worth Pursuing

Hymn Suggestions:
A Charge To Keep I Have
Take Time To Be Holy
Being Of Beings, God Of Love
Take My Life And Let It Be
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
Priceless Vision: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon.com Mp3 Store)
May The Words Of My Mouth (Link to YouTube video)
Lord, Reign In Me (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
Salt And Light
Light Of The World
Salt Of The Earth
Give, Fast, Pray
iFast

May we find God not just in our sanctuaries this week, but also in the world we enter into as we live through the week.

READINGS:
Micah 6:1-8: God challenges God’s people regarding their tiring of God, and calls them to love mercy, do justice and walk with God in humility.

Psalm 15: Those who are true worshipers, who may enter God’s presence, are the ones who live with consideration and compassion for their neighbours, and with justice and integrity.

1 Corinthians 1:18-31: God is not known through the wisdom and power of this world, but in the foolishness of the cross, which, to those who believe, is the wisdom and power of God. In this cross alone do we boast.

Matthew 5:1-12: Jesus teaches his disciples that those who are poor, mourning, pure in heart, working for peace, desperate for justice and persecuted for following Christ are the ones God blesses.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This week we get a glimpse into God’s longings and the ‘workings’ of God’s heart. God longs for us to know God and be in intimate relationship with God – as shown by Micah’s challenge and the Psalmist’s question, by Paul’s reflection and Jesus’ teaching – all of which show us God’s longing to have us in God’s presence (Psalm 15), to bless us (Matthew), to be ‘walking with us (Micah), and to be known by us (Corinthians). But, what also stands out is that knowing and being in relationship with God is not done in ways that make sense from a human perspective – individualist spirituality, self-protection and using material gain, personal satisfaction, power and human wisdom as measures of God’s blessing. Rather, God is known and encountered in our following of Christ into different values, different interactions with others and different ways of being in the world. Sacrifice, justice, compassion and integrity – these are the doorways to God’s presence, the crosses in which we know Christ and the places in which we discover God’s presence and blessing. It’s time – these verses seem to say – that we move away from the dualistic spirituality that makes worship and social action separate, that makes God’s presence and the work of justice separate and that leaves us hoping for evacuation to another world, while this world suffers and dies. It is time that our worship leads us into lives of justice and transformation, and that it teaches us to encounter God in the least and most vulnerable in our world.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: What Brian McLaren calls “evacuation theology” – the belief that this life is just a testing ground for another, better world, and that faith is about separation from this world and its issues in order to be ready for this other world – is a deeply destructive influence in our world. In such a theology, it makes sense to hate and kill those who believe differently, because they are a threat to our purity, and therefore to our attaining this other world (even as ‘they’ seek to kill us for the same reasons). In such a theology, it makes sense to use up the planet, and care little for the impact of our consumption of its resources, because it will all be ultimately be destroyed anyway. In such a theology, the poor, the sick and the marginalised are ‘unclean’ and deserving of their disadvantaged lot in life, because we know the ‘blessing’ of God that comes from being pure and righteous and separate from sin. This theology is not the message of Jesus’ Gospel. If our world is to become more whole, and if the injustice and inequity in our world is to be addressed, we desperately need to revisit the Bible’s teaching about what God requires and what Jesus actually taught. And as we look again at the Gospel, we discover that God is found in working for justice, in caring for the least and in opposing forces of violence, destruction, materialism, greed, and power. Let us revisit the cross, and embrace again it’s call to be powerless fools in the name of Christ, bringing justice and compassion wherever we may find the opportunity.

LOCAL APPLICATION: The idea of obeying a few laws, and keeping ourselves pure, while enjoying ‘blessing’ until we get to bliss in the afterlife is deeply attractive, and a very popular spiritual creed in our word today. It demands little from us in the way of sacrifice, discomfort or even change. Rather, our collusion in the world’s corrupt systems is sanctified by our theology, and our worship becomes little more than a regular personal ‘pick-me-up’ that feels good, and gives a diluted and unreal sense of connection with God. It is no wonder that this ‘Gospel’ has grown so popular in our world. But, for those who genuinely long for a real encounter with God, and who believe that the Gospel is more than just a personal ticket to paradise in the next life, such a spirituality will always be found wanting. In fact, for any human being who risks looking within their own heart, such Christianity will always leave us longing for more – because we are wired to want true intimacy with God, and genuine connection to God’s purposes and reign. It is to this longing that this week’s readings speak. God is found when our lives are overtaken by the Gospel, and when all that we do and think and say is inspired and empowered by the cross. This will inevitably lead us to stand alongside the poor, the excluded and the hurting in our communities and churches, seeking to bring them to the top of our agendas, because it is in them that we encounter God, and it is in working for justice that heaven begins to manifest on earth. The challenge is whether we have the courage to commit to both a real and transforming relationship with God, and a life of loving sacrifice in the service of God’s reign and the poor for which it is Good News. So, in what ways does your worship connect with the work of justice in your context? And in what ways does the work of justice lead you into deeper, more real and transforming worship?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Blessed
Boasting In The Cross
What God Requires

Hymn Suggestions:
Blest Are The Pure In Heart
Now Thank We All Our God
I Sing The Almighty Power Of God
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
The Kingdom Of God Is Justice And Joy: Lyrics; Mp3 Backing Track
O The Wonderful Cross (Link to YouTube video.)
Mighty Is The Power Of The Cross (Link to YouTube video.)
You Have Shown Us (Link to YouTube video. Song starts at 1:24)
Blest Are They (Scroll down for link & click icon next to the title to listen)
Act Justly (Scroll down for link & click icon next to title to listen)
This Place: Chord Chart; Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for link)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Lord’s Supper

Video Suggestions:
Blessed
Disrupt With Mercy

In the next few weeks I will be making an announcement about a new Lent worship resource for Year A that I’m busy working on. I’ll still be posting the weekly resources on this blog, but for those who would like something with more detail, more in depth study of the main passage and more purpose-written resources, this resource will take what I offer here to a new level. It will have a small cost attached, but it will definitely be worth it. Keep watching this space for more information!

This week the Lectionary continues with the Sermon on the Mount, and with an examination of what true spirituality looks like. Here Jesus focuses on the heart as the place where true obedience and true righteousness happens, and from which a Christ-like life of grace and compassion flows.

May our worship capture and transform our hearts, so that we become true reflections of Christ in the world.

READINGS:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20: Moses offers the people a choice between life and death, challenging them to love and remain faithful to God and God’s commandments, and promising them prosperity and blessing if they do.
OR Sirach 15:15-20: Before each person are life and death, and each must choose which they will receive.

Psalm 119:1-8: Because a life of integrity is blessed, the psalmist pleads with God for the ability to live a life of obedience to God’s commands.

1 Corinthians 3:1-9: Factions among people of faith are a sign of immaturity. Paul calls the Corinthians to be mature and to recognise that those who serve God’s people are equal, and insignificant. It is God’s work in the believer to bring growth that matters.

Matthew 5:21-37: Continuing the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that righteousness is not just about following externals, but is about what happens in the heart. He challenges his hearers to true integrity, goodness and compassion with regard to dealing with anger, lust, adultery, divorce and making promises (vows).

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Not surprisingly, there is a clear development this week from last week’s readings. The Old Testament passages, though, if looked at alone, can be misleading in the sense that they seem to indicate that obedience to God’s law is a guarantee of health, wealth and happiness. This is, of course, much the way the world was believed to work back when these passages were written, but we know that it’s a little more complex than this. It is this complexity that both Paul and Jesus try to engage in their teaching. For Paul it’s about growing into a spiritual maturity that no longer needs competitive factions to feel secure and “righteous”. Paul calls the Corinthians to recognise that all of God’s servants are just that – people doing a job for God’s reign. What is important is not aligning oneself with particular people, leaders or ideas, but following God’s constant work of growth into becoming a true Christ-follower. For Christ, faithful and true spirituality is not about ticking off a few laws in a box of obedience, but is doing the work of the heart, of checking the real impact of who we are and how this works out in what we do and in our relationships. It is embracing the quest to reflect God’s grace, God’s goodness and God’s integrity that is the heart of this week’s call. Law is easy, and does not transform. Living with a God-formed integrity of heart, speech and action is what truly saves.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: There are two ways to apply the theme this week. The first is to reflect on Paul’s ideas of factions, and Jesus’ call to reflect on how we treat each other. It takes only a few seconds to identify the many ways we separate ourselves in the world – nations war against nations; political parties slander and undermine each other; religions seek to kill one another’s followers; wealthy and poor seek to protect themselves from each other. The destruction brought about by this division is devastating. If we can begin to find our common humanity within, and begin to live, globally, from a Christ-like heart, we can begin to heal some of the damage we have done. The second is to focus the challenge on living our faith from the heart in a globally connected world. It is easy to do business in ways that are legal, but that nevertheless hurt poor farmers, factory workers or the environment. It is easy to lead nations or organisations in ways that are constitutionally and legally sanctioned, but that nevertheless serve only ourselves and leave others broken. It is easy to conduct ourselves as citizens of the world in ways that are lawful, but that bring great harm to people in other parts of the world – or even our own neighbourhood. Christ’s challenge is to refuse to allow ourselves to live only according to the low standard of law, but to go beyond it to living from the heart – serving, seeking justice, offering welcome and compassion, protecting the vulnerable and preserving our rich ecological heritage on the planet. There is no question, though, that to adopt Christ’s heart-driven life is going to be painful and difficult. It will also open the doors to life for us and others, though.

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is all too easy to build our lives and our churches on programs – easy sets of rules and laws that guide what we do, but that have little connection with our real, heart-felt, lives or what’s going on in the world around us. It is easy to go to church on Sunday and sing songs and pray prayers. It is easy to not steal, not kill, not commit adultery. But, simply obeying these laws do not bring life to us or to those around us. It is when we allow God to capture our hearts with the truth of the Gospel, when we allow God to continually and disturbingly challenge and grow our hearts, when we live from the inside out, ensuring that our hearts are filled with Christ’s love and are right with God and others, and allow that to guide our speech and actions – then we become those who make a healing, restoring impact on the world around us, and who both find, and bring to others, fullness of life. This living from the heart takes far more work, and far more awareness than legalism. It requires us to allow God to constantly challenge our attitudes and convictions, to constantly transform our feelings and reactions and to constantly call us to a higher standard. In this way of living we cannot rest in a future guarantee of heaven after we die. We are called to work to be citizens of heaven now, and to actively bring heaven into our world and our lives through submitting to God’s gracious transforming guidance. But one thing is sure. If we are courageous enough to embark on the journey of heart-driven living, we will discover a richness and a fullness to life, a deeper connectedness and a more gracious way of relating and living together. In this sense the Old Testament writers are correct – following God’s ways does guarantee life for us.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Inside Out
By Heart
Law And Love

Hymn Suggestions:
O For A Heart To Praise My God
Be Thou My Vision
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Jesus Calls Us! O’er The Tumult
Dear Jesus In Whose Life I See
Let Me Shine: Chord Chart; Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for links in both cases)
What Can I Do (Link to YouTube video)
Love Enough (Link to YouTube video)
With Kindness (Press the play button in the media player to hear the song)
In My Generation (I Want To Serve The Purpose) (There’s a video of someone singing this song unaccompanied on YouTube if you want to get a sense of how this song goes. Check it out here)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
After The Heart
Servant’s Heart

What a wonderful opportunity to deconstruct and reconstruct what we believe about this often unpopular word in our worship and preaching this week!

READINGS:
Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18: God calls the people to holiness, instructing them to treat one another with compassion, integrity, justice and fairness.

Psalm 119:33-40: A prayer for God to teach the psalmist God’s ways and to give understanding, commitment and reassurance to help in following God’s ways.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23: Christ is our foundation, and we all build our lives and community on that foundation so that we become together the temple of God’s Spirit. To do this does not require human wisdom, or following particular leaders, but recognising that God has given us all things in Christ.

Matthew 5:38-48: Jesus teaches his followers not to seek revenge or pay-back, but to treat those who oppress and harm them with grace and generosity, and to love even their enemies and persecutors.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The idea of ‘holiness’ appears in all of this week’s readings in different forms. In Leviticus the people are commanded to be holy as God is holy, and this holiness is revealed in their treatment of one another and their seeking for justice. The psalmist prays for a life that is directed by God’s ways and God’s commands, and for the strength to pursue this life faithfully. Paul challenges the church to be a holy temple for God’s Spirit by building their lives and community on the foundation of Christ. And, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus teaches what ‘perfection’ or holiness is to be like – compassionate and non-violent, refusing to retaliate when harmed, and seeking the best even for those who consider us to be their enemies. What is clear here is that holiness is not about not doing things. It is about doing things that make a difference. It is not about avoiding so-called sinful behaviour, but about doing justice, compassion, fairness, non-violence and generosity. It is about caring for those who are vulnerable and poor, and treating all people with the same respect and dignity. Note: Interestingly, Luke’s parallel for Matthew’s “Be perfect…” is “Be compassionate…” (Luke 6:36 NLT).

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: I’m not sure when holiness became synonymous with piety, but that does not seem to be what the Bible is trying to teach us about holiness – at least not this week. Both the Old Testament lesson and the Gospel point to the link between justice and holiness, and in a world where social justice can sometimes be labeled as unChristian, this is a message we need to hear. As a Methodist, my Wesleyan heritage is a huge help here. John Wesley spoke about holiness (Christian perfection) as both perfect love and “social holiness”. Jesus of course makes this all-encompassing when he includes even enemies in those who deserve love and justice. Even Paul’s teaching for the Christian community makes the foundation of Christ the platform on which this community is built, and through which we experience God’s indwelling Spirit. But what does this mean practically for our world? It means we need a world-wide “no-enemy” campaign – a global movement of people who refuse to view anyone else as an enemy, irrespective of religion, race, sexuality, language, economic status or even action. Martin Luther King Jr. made it clear that the essence of non-violent transformation was learning to love those against whom we work. Perhaps the most profound work of justice is this work of unconditional indiscriminate love (or compassion, if we follow Luke). And just maybe this is, as Wesley suggested, the essence of what it means to “be perfect as God is perfect”. What might our world look like if we worked harder at loving our enemies than we do at killing them?

LOCAL APPLICATION: At the most simple level Christian worship has so often been the cause of hatred and injustice, setting even believers against each other as “enemies”. Throughout history Christians have warred against each other – and this has not stopped today. We may not always use physical weapons, but we certainly use the weapons of the media, of words and of rejection. We do this against people of other religions as well, but as long as we do this, we fall short of God’s holiness, and we inflict death on both our enemies and ourselves. It is when the offer of grace costs us the most that we are most reflecting the grace and character of Christ. When we refuse to hate or attack or reject even those who are the most threatening and unloving, we begin to embody the “perfection”, the holiness which Christ teaches about. This may be expressed in small ways – like learning to worship to musical styles that we do not enjoy – or in large ways – like taking the hand of someone who we believe is completely wrong in their beliefs or actions. As I explore in Chapter Three (Becoming Holy) of my book The Hour That Changes Everything, holiness comes down to wholeness (integrity and authenticity), compassion and hospitality. These three characterics are what God offers us, and what we are called, in this week’s Gospel and Old Testament readings, to extend to others – even those we most want to reject or condemn. What would it mean for your church if you measured holiness not by attendance at church or small groups, and not by what your people avoid doing, but rather by the extent to which compassion and justice were extended to others?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Whole-y God
True Whole-iness
Holy God
Fruit

Hymn Suggestions:
A Charge To Keep I Have
Saviour Thy Dying Love
It Passeth Knowledge That Dear Love Of Thine
What Shall I Do My God To Love
God Of All Power And Truth And Grace
Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace (Link to YouTube video)
You Have Shown Us (Link to YouTube video – Song starts at 1:24)
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
How Long: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon Mp3 Store)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For the Celebration Of Sacrifice

Video Suggestions:
Gandhi: Eye For An Eye
Know The Word: Love Your Enemies

May your faith be renewed and inspired as you worship this week.

READINGS:
Isaiah 49:8-16a: In response to the Servant Song of Isaiah 49:1-6, God speaks to the servant and promises the restoration, prosperity and security of Israel through him, calling the nation to rejoice and trust in God’s love which is greater than a mother’s.

Psalm 131: A Song of Ascent. The Psalmist enters worship with confidence in God’s security, comfort and love, and exhorts the people of Israel to do the same.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5: Paul exhorts the church to avoid judging one another, or their ‘leaders’ and to leave the judgement to God, who alone knows the heart and will give praise as it is due.

Matthew 6:24-34: Jesus warns against serving money as a way to deal with our fears, and rather to trust in God’s care and provision, seeking first God’s reign and serving God alone.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The word “faith” has at times been used in painful and confusing ways. People who are not healed are accused of not having enough faith. Those who do not have enough food or money are encouraged to have faith, and if they get afraid or stressed they are chastised for their lack of faith. In some cases, faith is seen as a magic attitude that can ensure health, wealth and happiness, if we just have enough of it. As a result, the idea of faith – of trusting God to provide and care for us – has often been thrown out in thoughtful faith circles. However, the idea of trusting God is the heart of this week’s Lectionary readings. God promises the Servant that Israel will be restored and that God’s care is more reliable than a mother’s. The Psalmist affirms his faith in God’s care, and calls his people to join him in faith. Jesus, in a much misunderstood section of the Sermon on the Mount, calls his followers to trust God and not chase after money. In this context, Paul’s words in Corinthians may seem out of place. However, perhaps it is Paul that gives us the key this week, because he is also speaking about faith – about trusting God. But this time, it is trusting God to know our hearts truly and to give us the praise we are due when we need it. This is the image of the parent celebrating the child’s achievements and growth, no matter how humble they may be. This is the image of the parent who will sometimes allow the child to struggle in order that they may find their own strength, wisdom and way in the world – much like the Psalmist’s image of the “weaned child” (as opposed to the much more dependent “nursing infant”). When all of these passages are held together we discover that the Scriptures do not guarantee us a care-free, prosperous life. But they do promise that as we seek God’s reign, we will find the strength, encouragement, inner resources and sense of comfort and peace that we need to face whatever joys or struggles life throws at us.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Where does faith in God’s care and provision fit into a world of injustice, suffering and gross inequality? How we deal with the reality that it is often those who live in affluent countries or circumstances who most claim that God provides for them? What can it mean to engage in the work of justice, while believing that God does care and does provide? These are some of the tough questions that sometimes drive justice-oriented believers to cynicism and functional atheism. It’s hard to believe in a God who actively provides for God’s children when faced with dire poverty, life-threatening diseases that afflict poor communities more than wealthy ones (or where lives wouldn’t be threatened if there was money to buy necessary medicines – like AIDS and TB) and the seeming prosperity of those who perpetuate injustice while the poor continue to suffer and die. However, it is the very concern for others that drives us to seek justice that is evidence of God’s care. It is our capacity to “seek first God’s kingdom” that reveals God’s quest for justice and goodness to prevail. The key, though, is to move away from the God-limiting idea that God must “supernaturally” intervene to make a difference and begin to embrace the call to both trust God, and be agents of God’s care. The trust comes in what Evolutionary Christians (www.evolutionarychristianity.com) call evolution’s God-given “trajectory of compassion” – that the universe is becoming ever more compassionate and gracious as it evolves. The call to be agents of justice and grace – to seek first God’s reign – is fueled by the faith and hope that this insight brings, and is expressed in our ongoing, unswerving commitment to participate in social movements and political processes, and through small daily lifestyle changes and acts of justice that make small but significant contributions to healing and justice.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In our communities we will inevitably have those who claim that God provides for them every time – from money to parking spaces to protection from harm or trauma. But, equally, we will have those who have not experienced such “provision” – who have been harmed or traumatised, who struggle to make ends meet through no fault of their own, or who face sickness, unfortunate accidents or unexpected, bad life changes. How do we reconcile these two groups? How do we affirm God’s care, without leaving those who are suffering feeling unloved and rejected by God? How do we recognise life’s struggles without undermining the faith of those who believe they experience God’s care? Perhaps the answer is to begin to embrace a different understanding of God and of God’s care. Rather than a deist view in which God waits outside of our world, swooping in to save or help us, we can present a God who is within and among us, involved in the processes of creation and growth and chaos and life and death. Rather than a faith that requires God to meet every need, or ‘answer’ the details of our lives in order to protect us from suffering, we can present a God who works with us and within us no matter what we may face, giving us strength, courage, and grace to navigate the inevitable pain and chaos that must exist in any creative universe. In this view, then, we avoid the equal and opposite errors of believing that we must “serve money” and look after ourselves without any thought that God will help us, and of thinking that God will do it all for us and we have nothing to do but to trust and wait for God’s provision to magically appear. Rather, we begin to recognise that we have the awesome responsibility and privilege of working to contribute to God’s reign even while we engage in the usual tasks of providing for ourselves and our families. We are able to avoid making money an end in itself, and we can commit to the “higher purpose” of God’s reign, God’s justice and God’s compassion (which means recognising that we may often be called on to be God’s provision for someone else). But, we can also avoid becoming “too heavenly minded to be any earthly good”, trusting God’s guidance and care, while working however we may to make a life in the world for ourselves, and for others in our circles of influence.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Your Kingdom Come
The Measure Of Faith
In Defiance

Hymn Suggestions:
In Heavenly Love Abiding
Trust And Obey
Blessed Assurance
Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
My Hope Is Built
Blessed Be Your Name (Link to YouTube video. Note: I prefer to leave the bridge out of this song.)
Your Grace Is Enough (Link to YouTube video)
You Are: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download
I Believe That God Appeared In Human Form (Tune is the famous “I believe for every drop of rain that falls”)
Seek Ye First (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For The Eucharist

Video Suggestions:
Do Not Worry
That’s My Money

Image Suggestions:
Church PowerPoint Epiphany 8A – Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 (Includes a featured sermon and Lectionary notes as well)

If I may, I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you about the new Lent resource that I’ve developed at Sacredise. It’s called Dancing With The Light and it seeks to make Lent more than just a season on the church calendar, but an extraordinary journey in worship that leads us into deep encounter with God. In this resource I offer a thematic journey through Lent, based on the Gospel readings from the Lectionary, far more in-depth exegesis and application than you find here, theme-linked prayers, liturgies, orders of service, hymn suggestions (for traditional and contemporary worship) and graphics. Click here to learn more, or to download the whole Ash Wednesday resource free.

May we allow our worship to lead us into the ministry of affirmation, even as we receive God’s affirmation ourselves.

READINGS:
Exodus 24:12-18: God calls Moses to come up the mountain to receive God’s commands, and he obeys and spends 40 days and nights with God on the mountain.

Psalm 2: A Royal Psalm reflecting on the antagonism of the nations against God’s anointed king, and affirming God’s claim of the king as God’s son.
OR Psalm 99: A celebration of God as Israel’s king, who loves justice, who answered the calls of God’s people for help, and who speaks from the pillar of cloud.

2 Peter 1:16-21: Peter affirms the reliability of his teaching, and that of the other apostles, reminding his readers of his experience with Jesus on the mountain, and confirming his trust in the message of the prophets.

Matthew 17:1-9: Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a mountain, where he is transfigured and talks to Moses and Elijah who appear with him. God proclaims Jesus to be God’s beloved son, and afterward, Jesus instructs the disciples not to tell anyone what they have seen until after the resurrection.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The heart of this year’s transfiguration readings is God’s affirmation – especially of Christ. In Exodus, Moses is called to meet with God on the mountain to receive God’s commands, both affirming the leadership and ministry of Moses, and foreshadowing the meeting of Jesus with God on the mountain. Psalm 2 expresses God’s affirmation of God’s son, and Psalm 99 shows how God has affirmed God’s called servants, and has spoken from the cloud, even as God did with Jesus. Peter draws attention to his experience of Christ’s transfiguration, and of God’s voice affirming Christ, and on the basis of this affirms the trustworthiness of the prophets’ message. All of these passages serve to draw our attention to God’s voice speaking from out of the cloud and affirming Christ, as well as to the affirmation of Moses and Elijah in their appearance to Christ in this event. Since God saw fit to affirm Christ in this way, it raises the question of what that means for us. In the first place, it must challenge us to reflect again on our view of Christ. It must cause us to think again about the way in which we believe God’s affirmation and act on it in our response to Christ. In the second place, God’s affirmation of Christ, becomes the basis on which we trust and adopt Christ’s way of living – as Peter suggests. This moment, placed before Christ turns toward his death, was intended to affirm again that his way of sacrifice is God’s chosen way. This was an advance assurance for the disciples, who faced deep doubt in the face of Christ’s death, but is also an affirmation for us as we face times when Christ’s way appears to be “failing” or costing us too much, or doesn’t make sense.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Two immediate implications of this week’s theme come to mind. The first is that God’s affirmation of Christ can and must inform the work we do as Christ-followers in the world. This may mean that we need to resist the temptation towards functional atheism, in which we get so caught up in the work of justice and addressing social ills that we become little more than a social upliftment organisation. It may mean ensuring that we remain committed to Christ’s sacrificial way, even though more expedient, but less ethical, possibilities are available to us. It may mean preserving our own spirituality so that the radiance of Christ shines from us, even when we’re faced with conflict, persecution, struggle or misunderstanding. Whatever it may mean for us specifically, there is no question that the light of Christ’s character and Christ’s way of living are desperately needed in our world.
The second implication – which flows from the first – is the powerful role that affirmation can play in bringing justice into the world. It is easy to criticise, easy to break down and easy to oppose. But, real life and justice are found when we seek and find common ground, even with our antagonists. This approach was what got Nelson Mandela into dialogue with F.W. De Klerk in the process which ended apartheid. This was the approach that was embraced by Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. In addition, when we take the time and energy to affirm the creativity and resilience of the poor, when we affirm the courage of peacemakers, when we affirm the servanthood of those who work with the homeless and those on the fringes of society, we strengthen the efforts of these faithful people, and support the work of justice in the world. When we affirm the efforts, the good intentions and the positive work that is done by those we disagree with, we build bridges which can lead to peace and justice. And when we affirm one another, we give ourselves the courage and strength to persevere even in the face of great hardship. The Transfiguration, then, is not just an amazing event of the past. As we follow Christ’s way, we embrace God’s affirmation of Christ, and as we follow God’s example of affirmation, we allow the light of Christ to shine brighter in our world.

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is unfortunate that the church is often known more for what we condemn or criticise than what we affirm. It is all too easy to oppose and to say ‘no’ to other groups, other initiatives or other communities. But, rather than reflect Christ’s glory and God’s affirmation of Christ, we only leave people feeling bruised and rejected. Further, there is the tendency to adopt the same attitude as Peter – attempting to ‘contain’ and ‘preserve’ our experience of God for ourselves. But, God’s affirmation of Christ calls us to listen to him, and what he instructs is for us to return to others to embrace them with Christ’s sacrificial love. A significant question to ask, then, as we seek to impact our communities for Christ, is this: What can we affirm and celebrate in our community?
Of course, the work of affirmation is also something that must happen within our churches. Relationships, connectedness and community are built through celebrating one another and affirming one another. It is as we recognise the image of God within each other, and enable each other to shine, as Christ did, that we each find our place in community and in the work of God that we are called to do. Then, as we gather for worship, we can come with the expectation of encountering the transfigured Christ – indeed of experiencing a kind of transfiguration for ourselves – as the light of Christ radiates from each of us, and we are prepared to recognise and acknowledge it. Such an encounter will inevitably change us, and then, we will find ourselves moving out into the world to recognise the Christ-light everywhere, to affirm all who we meet, and to draw all people into this affirming, Christ-revealing way of living.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Affirmation
Whole-y God
The One We Worship

Hymn Suggestions:
Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation
The Mountain
All Hail The Power Of Jesus’ Name
An Image Of That Heavenly Light
Jesus On The Mountain Peak
How Great Is Our God (Link to YouTube video)
Shine Jesus Shine (Link to YouTube video)
Here I Am To Worship (Link to YouTube video)
Open The Eyes Of My Heart, Lord (Link to YouTube video)
Open Our Eyes, Lord (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For The Sacrament

Video Suggestions:
Transfiguration
Transfigured

Image Suggestions:
Skylight
Transfiguration (Church PowerPoint – also includes Lectionary reflections): Page 1, Page 2, Page 3