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

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

Through Lent we have been called to journey with Jesus, to learn the steps of God’s life-dance from him, and we are not stopping now. It’s a challenging call, but, if we are to join Christ in his resurrection, we must also journey with him through the cross. Yet, even as we face the struggles and sacrifices of following Jesus, we will always find these moments of glory that sustain and strengthen us.

May our hearts be strengthened and prepared, and may we embrace both the glory and the sacrifice of our faith as we worship this week.

READINGS:
Ezekiel 37:1-14: Ezekiel’s prophesy of restoration in which he sees a valley of dry bones, and is called by God to prophesy that the bones come together and be clothed again in flesh, and then that the wind/breath/Spirit blow into them and bring them alive. In this way, he proclaims, God will bring life and restoration to God’s exiled people.

Psalm 130: A plea for mercy to God, with assurance that God does not keep a record of sins, but forgives, restores and rescues.

Romans 8:6-11: God’s Spirit, and the spiritual attitude that it nurtures, leads to life, and will enliven us not just in our spirits, but in our bodies as well.

John 11:1-45: Jesus, on hearing of Lazarus’ illness, returns after a short delay, to Judea, risking his own death, in order to raise Lazarus. After proclaiming himself as “the resurrection and the life” he raises Lazarus, and many people believe in him as a result.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The readings for Lent 5 are a prophecy. As we prepare to move into Holy Week, the transition point this week is a focus on resurrection. God’s people are given a vision of resurrection through Ezekiel. The Psalmist recognises God’s grace, mercy and rescue, and Paul proclaims that God’s Spirit gives us life in our whole being. John’s Gospel, also in a prophetic narrative, describes the raising of Lazarus, and demonstrates that Jesus is the one in whom life and resurrection is found. So, as we prepare our hearts for the coming journey through Jesus’ passion, we are reminded in advance that death does not have the last word, and that resurrection is promised and experienced in the midst of pain, threat and death. Jesus does not shy from the threat of death, but offers himself as the one who brings life, even though he will ultimately die. And, yet, there is the hope, proclaimed even by Jesus himself, that he, as the forerunner, will be raised, assuring us that our resurrection is also certain. It’s a celebratory theme this week, but also a challenge to not shy away from the forces of death and evil, but to confront them – in ourselves and in our world – in the hope of resurrection.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: This week I find myself reflecting on the work of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and how the dream of justice, of resurrection for their people, enabled them to embrace the deaths, the suffering, of working toward that resurrection. Jesus did not shy away from his death, and even Thomas, while doubting the hope of resurrection, gave himself to die with the Saviour in their journey to raise Lazarus. In the same way, in the work for justice, especially in terms of the massive human rights issues – human trafficking, violence against women and children, poverty, inclusion of gay people and immigration – we need to find the courage to embrace the persecution, the attacks on our reputation, and even physical harm – as we work to bring life and dignity to all others. The cost is often frightening, and yet, the cross is what we are called to bear, and our hope is that after the cost, we will nevertheless find life and joy – that is the hope of resurrection that continues to drive us and empower us. So, if we take the call and the hope seriously, we need to reflect on how we can engage with those who oppose and threaten us, and how we can deliberately and visibly bring life to those for whom we strive. And, as we lay down our lives, we must remain mindful of the signs of resurrection that are always around us.

LOCAL APPLICATION: For every follower of Christ, and every Christian community, resurrection is both a promise and a challenge. It is a promise that opens us to God’s life which inspires and empowers us every moment. It is a challenge not to shy away from the sacrifices and struggles that we will inevitably face as we work for life and justice in our world. Daily we are called to lay down our own comfort and embrace simplicity for the sake of those who are poor. We are called to think carefully about what we buy and where, what we eat and how much, and how we do business for the sake of those who face oppressive trade restrictions and unfair exploitation by the wealthy and powerful. In our own relationships we are called to give up our need to be right, our need to protect ourselves and our fear of those who are different and ‘alien’ to us, in order to bring life and grace to those who need it. Even our worship calls us to lay down our own preferences in favour of others so that they may encounter God in the way that is most helpful and transforming for them, rather than fighting for our own preferred styles and forms. All of this sacrifice can only be done if we truly believe in and embrace the promise of resurrection – for ourselves, that we will be lead to life, and for our world, that our small contribution will make the world a more whole and alive place. In what ways can you embrace a smal sacrifice this week in order to bring life to another?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Defiant Praise
Counting The Cost
We Choose Not

Hymn Suggestions:
Breathe On Me Breath Of God
Hark My Soul! It Is The Lord
And Can It Be
Saviour, Thy Dying Love
Christ For The World We Sing
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
Here I Am, Jesus: Chord Chart; Mp3 Preview
Breathe (Link to YouTube video)
Lifesong (Link to YouTube video)
May The Words Of My Mouth (Link to YouTube video)
O The Wonderful Cross (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Celebration of Sacrifice

Video Suggestions:
Lazarus
Selfless