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 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

May we be challenged to live under the authority of the Servant King as we worship together this week.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 23:1-6: A prophecy of judgement on the unrighteous rulers of God’s people, and a promise of a new, righteous leader from David’s line.

Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s song proclaiming God’s fulfiment of the promise tt send a righteous ruler from David’s line, and celebrating his son, John, as God’s prophet.
OR Psalm 46: A celebration of God’s protection and shelter, God’s presence and awesome works, and a call to silent and humble recognition of who God is.

Colossians 1:11-20: In Christ, who is supreme over all, and the visible image of God, we have been transferred from the realm of darkness into the realm of God’s reign.

Luke 23:33-43: While dying on the cross, Jesus assures the penitent thief that he will be with him in paradise that day.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This final week in Year C brings together two central aspects of Christ’s life and activity. On the one side there is the proclamation of Christ as the incarnation of God, the supreme ruler over, and creator of, all things. This transcendent vision of Christ (primarily from the Colossians reading) is reflected in the praise of Psalm 46 which proclaims God’s awesome works and concludes with the exhortation to “be still and know that I am God”. In a similar vein, Both Jeremiah and Zechariah proclaim the Christ as God’s righteous ruler, in the line of David, who will judge the unrighteous leaders of Israel and replace them with a just reign. The cross narrative from Luke 23, offers the other side of this reigning Christ. God’s reign – God’s kingdom – is most profoundly expressed and revealed through the cross. It is in the self-giving, gracious, life-bringing act of dying that Jesus wins the nations and establishes God’s reign in the world. This is not radically different Kingship – and it is one that the world desperately longs for.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: The celebration of the rulership of Christ is a significant one for our interaction with the world and its power systems. On the one hand it reminds us that no human power, however it may pride itself on military might, wealth or global influence, is truly in control of the world. All human empires ultimately fall. On the other hand, it reminds us that we are called to work within – and also in opposition to – the systems of this world to bring the values and justice of God’s reign into being in our human reality. This is complex and difficult task, although an inspiring and rewarding one. It engages our best energies on all levels of our participation in society. In so far as we are involved on a national level – be it in some form of leadership, or simply through participating in processes like voting, petitioning and lobbying – we are called to be accountable to Christ’s standard of sacrificial, servant leadership, rejecting the corrupt leadership against which the prophets spoke. On a community level, our leadership in Church, in our neighbourhoods and cities, in our schools and organisations, must similarly reflect the leadership values of Christ. And on a personal level – in our conversations, in our families and homes and in the ethical and moral decisions we face, we are called to act as leaders – reflecting Christ’s reign in the way we live under Christ’s authority. In these ways, God’s reign begins to influence the affairs of the world through small, significant groups of people who are committed to living differently, and to reflecting Christ in every situation. Make no mistake, when God’s reign is revealed like this, it has a massive impact on power dynamics and justice issues on a global scale.

LOCAL APPLICATION: At it’s most basic, the reign of God is manifest when those who, like the thief on the cross, recognise their brokenness and need to change, open themselves to the influence of Christ, and invite God to be the frame of reference for their lives. This does not just apply to those without faith, or those who have not made a conscious decision to follow Christ. It is a daily choice that must be made by all – especially those who are committed to the way of Christ. God’s reign will only be seen – Jesus will only be recognised as King – when we who are called by Christ’s name begin to live as true disciples, true followers of the sacrificial, life-giving Gospel. This requires two simple, but difficult, tasks to be undertaken. The first is to examine ourselves and our lives in the light of Christ’s teaching and example, allowing God’s Spirit to reveal where we still need to come under the rulership – the Lordship – of Christ. This must then lead us into a life of repentance and change which allows Christ’s character to be revealed in us a little more each day. If our faith doesn’t change us, then we’re wasting our – and God’s – time. The second task is to allow the change which God’s reign brings to us to filter through everything we think and say and do. Every interaction, every decision, every moment and every place we find ourselves in must be submitted to the influence of Christ, and must be received as an opportunity to experience God’s reign in our lives, and to share the blessing of God’s reign with others. This is not about evangelism in the “tell them about Jesus” sense. It’s about turning our faith into a life-transforming practice, rather than just an intellectual assent to some ideas about God. Ultimately, for Christ to truly be King in our world, Christ must be King in individual lives in such a way that God’s peace and justice, God’s love and grace, constantly flow through God’s people into the world – one moment, one interaction and one step at a time.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The UnKing
This Hidden Kingdom
May Your Kingdom Come
The Subversive Kingdom

Hymn Suggestions:
God Is Our Strength And Refuge (Link to YouTube video)
Jesus Shall Reign
O Worship The King
I Cannot Tell Why He Whom Angels Worship
The Servant King (Link to YouTube video)
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
How Great Is Our God (Link to YouTube video)
We Bow Down Before You (Scroll down for link)
The Lord Reigns: Chord Chart (Scroll down for link) Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for link)
Now And Forever: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon)

Liturgy:
A Foretaste Of The Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
Colossians 1
The Cross Of Christ
That’s My King (Remix)

Image Suggestions:
Christ King (A nice, simple set of images from Organic Videos)

May we be filled and empowered again by resurrection life in our worship this week.

READINGS:
Haggai 1:15b-2:9: God comforts the returning exiles as they grieve the loss of former glory, and face the reality of a new, simpler, less prosperous and glamorous life. God’s presence is assured, and a promise of future glory is offered as comfort and inspiration.
OR Job 19:23-27a: Job affirms his faith that God will ultimately defend, justify and restore him, in spite of the accusations of his friends.

Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21: God is worthy of praise, fair and faithful, and always near to, and protective of, those who love and trust God.
OR Psalm 98: A song of praise inviting all creation to celebrate God’s salvation and mercy.
OR Psalm 17:1-9: A prayer for God’s protection and justification based on the innocence and obdeience of the one praying.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17: Paul addresses the rumour-mongering and fear of the church, assuring them of God’s love and salvation, and their secure hope in Christ.

Luke 20:27-38: Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees about life after death, using the story of a woman who, through Levirate marriage, is married to seven brothers consecutively. He responds with an affirmation of resurrection, proclaiming that God is the God of he living, not of the dead.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Although the passages this week appear to be completely unrelated, there is, nevertheless, a thread that runs through all of the readings. In the face of difficulties – exile, persecution, and even death – God gives God’s people the assurance of God’s protection and salvation. The returning exiles are assured that God is with them and will restore their temple beyond its former glory (which, historically, motivated them to continue working on the temple for centuries!). Job, in the face of his accusers, pleads his innocence and affirms his faith in God’s justification and restoration. The Psalmists celebrate God’s mercy and salvation and plead, in faith, for God’s deliverance. Paul reassures the Thessalonian church that they have not been abandoned or left behind by God, but are guaranteed God’s love and a place in God’s eternal realm. Finally, Jesus, in the face of the Sadducees’ taunts, reaffirms the resurrection, and that even in death we are not separated from God and God’s life.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: While the promise of an afterlife has sometimes been used as an excuse for oppression or a reason to keep away from engagement in justice issues in the world, the truth is that the hope we have in Christ is more often a motivator to work toward that hope in this life. If our work to bring about a more peaceful, equitable society has no hope of success – which is the case if it depends only on us – then we will ultimately find ourselves growing cynical and disheartened, and falling into a “if you can’t beat them, join them” view. If, however, we can nurture our faith in God’s purposes, God’s life and God’s resurrection, we find hope. Our efforts are not ours alone, but are inspired and empowered by God’s Spirit, and at some point – even if only in a distant future – the work we do now will result in the world of which we dream. And, further, the life we live and to which we contribute now, lives on beyond the grave. So, what we do does matter, and every small act of mercy, compassion and defense of the most vulnerable is a manifestation of God’s life. We are participants in God’s work of resurrecting the universe! Once we allow this truth to sink into our souls, we begin to engage the world’s systems from a different, less desperate, more confident and compassionate place. Ultimately, in all of the world’s most effective activists this irrepressible hope is visible. As followers of Christ, how much more should this hope characterise us?

LOCAL APPLICATION: It takes tremendous courage and faith to live an alternative set of values and practices from the people around us. Unfortunately, though, our world has somehow become captured by short-term, expedient values – the quarterly report, the next new product or experience, the quick gratification. Long term hope, and the commitment to work and wait for the greater good are somehow seen as quaint but outdated ways of living. In our churches we can fall into exactly the same trap – measuring our success by numbers, money, buildings, new fashions, new trends and new equipment. when this happens, our message is lost, and the call for justice is silenced. When we renew our faith in the eternal, in the unending life of God, and in our hope of resurrection, all sorts of things change. We begin to view the world and its history through the lens of God’s reign, and the wide sweep of salvation history, rather than just the immediate moment. We begin to work for a better world, even though we may never see the fulfilment of our dreams ourselves. We grow in our commitment to make short term sacrifices in favour of long term justice and peace. Ultimately this faith enables us to change what we drive and how we use energy – even though it may be less convenient – to protect our planet. It enables us to give up our short term needs and hurts in favour of long term relationship building – even with those we may consider enemies. It enables us to sacrifice some of our own comfort in the short term – to buy less, consume less and throw away less – in order to ensure that there is enough to go around, and that what we use is justly and fairly sourced and produced. Hope in the resurrection – in God’s eternal gift of life and salvation – really does inspire us to live differently, if we will only allow it to capture our hearts and souls

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Life That Ignores Limits
Invincible Life
That Life Would Teach Us
What Life Can Be

Hymn Suggestions:
There’s A Light Upon The Mountains
O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing
O Spirit Of The Living God
We Shall Go Out With Hope Of Resurrection
Sing With All The Saints In Glory
There’s A Light (Upon The Mountains): Chord Chart; Mp3 (Amazon.com Download)
Everlasting God (Link to YouTube video)
Hosanna (Link to YouTube video)
Lord Of The Dance (Link to YouTube video)
Shine Jesus Shine (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
A Theology Of Rebirth
Psalm 17
Life From Death

Perhaps I can support this with a quote from my new book The Hour That Changes Everything – How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be:

A significant part of the practice of Sabbath is aligning ourselves with God’s rhythm. As rhythm organises a piece of music in time according to speed and pattern, so Sabbath organises our lives according to God’s sense of time – God’s tempo and pattern. This is more than simply giving ourselves a breather, or allowing ourselves time to rest so that we can launch back into our busyness with renewed vigour. Sabbath is about learning to recognise the significance of moments in time. It is about learning to recognise God’s tempo and pattern for us, our community and our world, and it is about matching our pace with these eternal rhythms.

The book releases in South Africa this week, and will be available for international purchase through Amazon.com shortly. More information will be going up on the Sacredise web site this week.

May worship lead you into a life of true Sabbath-keeping this week.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 1:4-10: Jeremiah is called by God to be a prophet, but protests that he is too young. God promises to put God’s words into Jeremiah’s mouth.
OR Isaiah 58:9b-14: God promises goodness and honour for God’s people if they will act justly and honour the Sabbath.

Psalm 71:1-6: A prayer for God’s protection and care.
OR Psalm 103:1-8: A song of praise and thanksgiving for God’s forgiveness, healing and goodness.

Hebrews 12:18-29: Unlike the people of Israel who were afraid of God’s appearing at the mountain, followers of Christ have been invited into God’s grace and the joyous community of worship in Christ. We have received an unshakeable kingdom, and must be careful to listen to Christ’s words, and worship God in thankfulness.

Luke 13:10-17: Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath, incurring the criticism of the synagogue leader. Jesus points out that everyone ‘works’ on the Sabbath, and that it is right and good that she should be freed.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Although it is only specifically mentioned in two of the readings this week, the prominence of the Sabbath in the Gospel reading, and the underlying foundations of a “Sabbath way of life” provide exciting possibilities for worship. Closely aligned with this is the word “kingdom” which comes through in a number of the readings. These two biblical words are closely related. The Sabbath is one element of the whole Jubilee system of justice and equity that God gave to Israel, ensuring sufficient rest, and – arising from the Manna story – discouraging hoarding and accumulation. The Kingdom, as best represented by the “mission statement” of Jesus in Luke 4, is also about Jubilee, about justice and equity, and about ensuring “shalom” (peace and well-being) for all. This is the unshakeable kingdom of the writer of Hebrews. This is the call of Isaiah’s prophecy, and the message of Jeremiah that will bring down unjust kingdoms and build up just ones. This is the prayer and the praise of the Psalms. In healing this crippled woman on the Sabbath, and teaching that mercy is a Sabbath-activity, Jesus embodies the justice, grace and welcome of God’s unshakeable kingdom. The theme, then, this week could be titled “God’s Sabbath Kingdom”.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In our “time is money” world, Sabbath has lost its essential meaning. It has become nothing more than a “day off” to restore energy to get back into the fray as soon as possible. However, this is far from what the Sabbath was originally intended to be. Rather, the practice of Sabbath – both the Sabbath day, and the Sabbath Year/Jubilee – is about realignment. It is about taking ourselves out of the human system of accumulation, self-protection and self-aggrandisement, and placing ourselves under the influence of God’s rhythms, God’s priorities and God’s direction. It is not about getting back into the fray, but about living with a whole different value system – that of justice, mercy and equity. The call to live God’s Kingdom’s values is a call to live as Sabbath people, and it is this gracious kingdom alone that is unshakeable – unmoved by the temptation to benefit by exploiting others, by the threat of economic collapse, or by the ‘competition’ for resources. When we scratch the surface of our world’s economic systems, we cannot help but see the destructive results of a Sabbathless existence. Exploitation of foreign workers in order to ensure cheap labour for producing everything from chocolate and coffee to cell phones and computers, Trade regulations and subsidies that favour the rich and powerful over poor farmers and labourers in third world countries, and political decision making that is more influenced by wealthy donors and lobbyists than by the needs of the most vulnerable all leave suffering in their wake. The drivenness and hyperactivity of those who chase wealth also wreaks havoc on marriages, families and individuals. If our world needs anything in order to become more just and peaceful, it’s a return to the Sabbath-rhythms of God’s reign. This alone will bring healing to the those who have been crippled by the Satan of our broken society.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Jesus spoke about his followers being “in the world but not of it”. This was not a call to “otherworldliness” or to check out of the world as we wait for heaven. It is a reflection of the reality that as individuals and churches we face the daily temptation to adopt the broken values and practices of the world around us. It is a call to live the values and practices of God’s Sabbath Kingdom within the societies and communities in which we find ourselves. It is all too easy for us to become driven by the same idols of success, wealth and convenience that the affluent sections of our global society embrace – and all too many churches and theological systems have done just this. But, if we are to be Sabbath/Kingdom people, we are to step out of this system, embracing rather the rhythms of justice – meaningful work, joyful rest, compassionate service, generous sharing, and a commitment to equity and compassion. In small but powerful ways we can change the world by living these values in our communities – by worshipping in venues of simple reverence; by adopting technology, practices and programs for their usefulness, not their “sexiness” or fashionable-ness; by sharing what we have with the people around us, rather than using our wealth to aggrandise ourselves; by using our influence in society to ensure protection for the most vulnerable and needy among us; and by working for a more equitable society using all the tools at our disposal, from votes to prayer. Who are those who have been crippled by the weight of the world’s unjust and inequitable systems? How can we allow the Sabbath to become a healing and liberating experience for them and us?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Rhythms Of Life
Sabbath People
Weak And Poor God

Hymn Suggestions:
Jesus Calls Us
Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind (I would prefer it if this hymn was more inclusive in its language – perhaps it could be sung as: Dear Lover of all humankind)
I Am Known
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
O Come, And Dwell In Me
Love And Justice
(Scroll down for preview and link to purchase the song)
King Of The Broken (Link to YouTube video)
Thuma Mina (Send Me) (Scroll down for
preview). Chord chart
Jubilee
(Link to Amazon.com Mp3 preview)
Chord Chart (Scroll
down for the link)
Your Grace Is Enough (Link to YouTube video)
Everlasting God (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
The Sabbath And The Poor
Missing The Joy
We’re Alright Down Here

Here’s quick reminder of the countdown for The Hour That Changes Everything – How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be on the Sacredise blog. There are only a few days left before the South African release, and a few weeks before the international one. Stay tuned!

May your worship this week inspire you to see clearly and live with ruthless clarity and honesty.

READINGS:
Isaiah 5:1-7: A metaphorical prophecy of judgement against Israel and Judah, pictured as God’s vineyard, for their lack of justice.
OR Jeremiah 23:23-29: A prophecy against false prophets who make up lies in God’s name, compared to God’s true word which burns like fire and smashes rock like a hammer.

Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19: A Psalm of repentance for abandoning God, and praying for God to once again tend and protect God’s people as a vineyard that is well cared for.
OR Psalm 82: This Psalm, picturing a ‘council of the gods’, has God speaking judgement over the gods of nations who oppress the poor and allow injustice to continue unchecked.

Hebrews 11:29-12:2: A reminder of the “great cloud of witnesses” – people of faith who suffered for their message and stayed committed to God through great trial and heartache – who surround us. They encourage us to stay firm, and follow Christ – the one who endured the cross – faithfully.

Luke 12:49-56: Jesus grieves his coming suffering, recognising the conflict that will arise over his message, and challenging people to discern the true nature of the time they live in, in the same way that they interpret the weather.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The Gospel reading this week is a difficult one, a deeply uncomfortable one, but a very significant one. The key is in Jesus’ call to discern the times – the division that Jesus speaks about flows from our responses to the times we live in, and whether we will do this discerning work or not. When justice is ignored, and the poor and vulnerable are oppressed, God is angered, and, as indicated in both Isaiah’s prophecy and Psalm 82, judgement is prophesied. The image of the well-tended vineyard that is allowed to be destroyed for failing to produce good fruit is a powerful metaphor for this judgement. In the face of such injustice, there will always be those who refuse to do the work of discerning the times that Jesus called for, and who will prophecy what is untrue (as in Jeremiah), comfortable and expedient. However, there will also always be those who will repent, as in Psalm 80, and who will embrace the sacrifice and rejection that comes from speaking the truth, confronting injustice and working for a more compassionate, peaceful world. Unfortunately, there will always be division between truth speakers and truth deniers, between defenders of justice and defenders of the status quo. This is the cross we are called to carry.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: The Gospel call of justice is bringing division to our world and even to the Church, as Jesus predicted it would. In the face of the economic crisis, there are those who are eager to ‘prophesy’ restoration, and that the worst is over. But, the ultimate, underlying causes have not changed, and the system remains broken. Those who insist on pointing this out, are rejected and scoffed at. In the face of climate change, there are those who are eager to ‘prophesy’ that there is no problem, and that the world is to be destroyed by God anyway. But, those who insist on challenging oil companies, energy companies and government, those who insist on calling attention to the danger of our consumption, are scoffed at, questioned or ignored – as with the warnings about offshore drilling before the Deepwater Horizon debacle. There are many voices in our world that want to ‘prophesy’ lies – to ignore the signs of injustice, poverty, excessive consumption, and health care and education failure. And those who insist on proclaiming the Gospel message of repentance, justice and simplicity will need to embrace the cross, for they will not avoid it in the divisive responses that result.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Every Christ-following community and individual is faced, daily, with a choice. We can choose to adopt an ‘escapist’ faith, ignoring the pain of the world while waiting for heavenly bliss after we die, or we can do the work of listening, watching and understanding our societies and neighbourhoods, and the times in which we live. We can prophecy what is easy, comfortable and expedient for us – what requires little sacrifice and work, what makes us feel good, but changes little – or we can draw attention to the signs of injustice among us, we can call out corruption and exploitation, and we can hold ourselves and our leaders accountable to care for the marginalised and vulnerable. Ultimately, if we take the latter course, we will face the suffering of getting involved, for we will have to actually do something about the issues we expose. We also, inevitably, face the aggression and threats of those who are invested in the status quo. We will find ourselves upsetting the peace, and being labelled “divisive”, “rabble-rousers” and other names. The question is whether we have the conviction and courage to follow the great cloud of witnesses in service of God’s reign, or not. This is a choice we will face every single day.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Seeing The Signs
Seeing
In Defiance

Hymn Suggestions:
O Young And Fearless Prophet
See How Great A Flame Aspires
The Vine
Christ Is Alive, Let Christians Sing
Forgive Us Now
God Has Chosen Me
How Long: Amazon Mp3 Download. Chord Chart.
God Of This City (Link to YouTube video)
We Won’t Stay Silent (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For The Celebration Of Sacrifice
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
The Song Of The Vineyard

You may have noticed that the site was down for about six hours this weekend. My hosting company had some database server issues, and it took them a while to fix it. If this inconvenienced you in your preparation in any way, I apologise. I do hope that it came back soon enough to still be useful to you.

One last note: If you’re interested in hearing more about my upcoming new book The Hour That Changes Everything – How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be, you may want to click through to the Sacredise blog for the countdown. Every day of July, in a thirty-one day countdown, I’m posting an excerpt from the book. Feel free to take a look, and please spread the word. If you’ve missed them, you may also want to see Day 31 and Day 30.

May God’s faithfulness inspire your commitment and perseverance this week.

READINGS:
Hosea 1:2-10: God instructs Hosea to marry and prostitute, and give his children names that prophesy God’s judgement on Israel, but also God’s ultimate restoration.
OR Genesis 18:20-32: Abraham bargains with God to try and avert the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and God agrees that if ten righteous people are found, God will spare the city.

Psalm 85: A song in celebration of God’s grace and forgiveness, and God’s blessing in restoring God’s people.
OR Psalm 138: A song of David praising God for God’s love, faithfulness and trustworthy promises, and pleading for God’s continued protection and care.

Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19): Paul encourages believers to sink their roots deep into Christ and find their completeness in Christ. He reminds us that in Christ our sinful nature was ‘circumcised’ and we have been raised to nee life. So we no longer need pander to legalism.

Luke 11:1-13: Jesus teaches on prayer, and on the need for persistence in prayer, reminding the disciples that God gives the Holy Spirit to all who ask.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The Gospel reading sets the tone for this week’s theme. The call to persistence is clear from Jesus, and it is directly linked with our prayer life – our relationship with God. In a similar way, Hosea’s persistent faithfulness to his unfaithful wife reflects God’s faithfulness to God’s people, and Abraham’s bargaining with God reveals both the value of persistence in our seeking God’s resources, and God’s persistence in seeking our restoration. Both Psalms offer praise and requests in the assurance of God’s faithfulness, and out of a persistent committing to God’s ways. Finally, Paul instructs the believers to stay true to the new life that they have received in Christ, and not be drawn away by legalism or by dramatic visions and stories. If we are to follow Christ and make a difference in the world then it will not be quick, dramatic or constantly changing innovations that will help, but rather – to use the name of one of Eugene Peterson’s books – “a long obedience in the same direction.” This does not mean we cannot be creativity or adopt new ideas and strategies, but that we remain faithful and committed to Christ and the Gospel proclamation of God’s reign, working consistently and persistently to fulfill God’s purposes in our world a little more each day.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: There is so much that needs to be changed in our world and the stakes are so high that we can easily be disillusioned when the work of justice changes things slowly or in less than dramatic ways. It is easy to begin to believe that it is only in expedient partnerships, or in cynical pragmatism that we can succeed fast enough. We can too eaily begin to compromise our ideals and our souls in the quest to make head way. But, ultimately a justice earned this way is no justice at all, and will end up leaveing with new battles to fight – or with us becoming the very thing we strive against. The message of this week’s Lectionary Readings is a difficult but important one – as we stay faithful to Christ and God’s reign, as we continue to pray earnestly, and work persistently, and as we celebrate the little victories along the way, remembering how far we’ve come, even as we recognise how far we still have to go, the work of justice is served, and lives are changed for the better a little more each day. So, whatever justice you pray for, whatever work you do, stay faithful, persistent and prayerful – many victories that we celebrate today we a long time in the winning (Civil Rights, abolition of slavery, equality of women etc.).

LOCAL APPLICATION: As you reflect on the ministries of your community, and the people who are involved in them, where do you detect signs of fatigue, frustration and the temptation to take short cuts? In what ways do you long to see change in your church and/or in your neighbourhood or society? Which of these changes show signs of movement, and which appear to be stalling? Are there perhaps areas of need or injustice that you have resisted getting involved with because you’re feeling overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue, or because you feel pessismistic about the possibility of change? Perhaps this week’s readings can encourage and motivate you. Perhaps you can use your worship this week to pray for and encourage those who work for justice in your community, and recommit to the work you do. Perhaps you can allow for time of rest and refreshing, not to give up on the tough work of proclaiming and demonstrating God’s reign, but to gain new energy to continue a persistent, faithful, prayerful witness to God’s justice.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Relentless Love
Staying Faithful

Hymn Suggestions:
O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee
Praise My Soul, The King Of Heaven
Come Let Us Use The Grace Divine
Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah (Redeemer)
The Power Of Prayer
Forever (Link to YouTube video)
Everlasting God (Link to YouTube video)
Unfailing Love (Link to YouTube video)
Always Forever (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
Wounded Bride
Shine Your Light
The Persistent Quarterback

May we embrace a marriage of grace and justice, of inclusion and of confrontation with legalism and exclusivity as we worship this week, and may our experience of grace deepen as we do.

READINGS:
1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15a: God instructs Elijah to go to Mount Sinai, and comes to him there. At Elijah’s cave he experiences wind, earthquake and fire, but God’s voice is only heard in the whisper that follows. In spite of his fear at the threats against his life, God leads him back into ministry.
OR Isaiah 65:1-9: A prophecy of judgment against the wickedness of God’s people, with the promise of a remnant who will be saved.

Psalm 42 & 43: A song of lament, with a commitment to praise God in the face of persecution of suffering.
OR Psalm 22:19-28: A prayer for God’s help in the midst of persecution and a commitment to worship and stay faithful to God.

Galatians 3:23-29: Now that the way of faith in Christ has come, the law is no longer needed. Those who trust in Christ are God’s children, and we are all equal in God’s family.

Luke 8:26-39: Jesus liberates the Gerasene demonaic, who begs to go with Jesus once he has been healed. But Jesus sends him home to tell of what God did for him.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The reality of evil and the destruction it brings is brought into sharp focus in this week’s readings. The threat that the forces of darkness pose to justice and to those who work for it is shown by Elijah’s isolation in the face of Jezebel’s threat, in the cries of the psalmists facing persecution, and in the diseased mind and body of the Gerasene demoniac. The hope of God’s people, though, is that evil does not have the last word. God’s presence and help is assured for those in need, God comes to strengthen and guide Elijah, Christ frees the demonised man, and Paul assures us of our place of belonging in Christ’s family, in which there is no privilege based on gender, social status, race or anything else. In Christ the divisive tools of evil are removed, and the power of evil is neutralised. Now, we who follow Christ are called, like Elijah, as prophets who live according to a different order, a different set of values, and who invite others into the freedom that Christ offers. This is an appropriate next step after the call to trust in God’s Spirit and the invitation to forgiveness that we have explored in the last two weeks.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: As we engage, as Church, with the big issues in our world, it is disturbing to see how the “big issues” are sometimes defined. Are issues of sexuality and the exclusivity of Christ really the main issues of good and evil in our time? Or does the Gospel call us to define global evil differently – using this weeks’ readings of God’s grace, protection of the threatened, and liberation as a basis? Could it be that any economic or political policies that deprive the poor of the opportunity to support themselves is evil? Could it be that ignoring the damage that our greed and exploitation of natural resources does to our planet is evil (especially in the light of the Deepwater oil spill crisis)? Could it be that any faith that leads us to justify violent conflict with people who are different from us, or who believe differently from us, is evil? And could it be that using “the law” – whether human or ‘divine’ – to justify these evils is equally evil? How would we stand against evil if we used God’s grace, protection and liberation as the lens through which we looked at the world? What good might we celebrate and embrace if we used these lenses? What role would we seek to play in the policy-making, opinion-forming, global-crisis-addressing work that goes on in our world. In reality, it is easier to defend law, and condemn law-breakers, than it is to offer grace and stand against those who deny grace to others. But, the work of the Gospel was never about what is easy.

LOCAL APPLICATION: As we seek to resist the work of evil in our churches and communities, it is important that we  are careful in what we identify as evil. Jesus correctly recognises the forces at work within the demoniac, but does not label the person as evil. In contrast, Elijah, finds himself in confrontation with people who have given themselves over to evil purposes and actions. As Paul points out, it is tempting to use the law as the basis for deciding what is good or what is bad, and obedience to the law as the basis for deciding who is good and who isn’t. But, from the basis of grace, and of Christ’s inclusive invitation, good and evil look very different. Anything that would persecute another (as the Psalmists experienced), anything that would oppress another (like the demoniac) or anything that would deny grace to another (as Paul teaches) violates God’s grace and love, and brings division and destruction. As we seek to stand for God’s justice, it is important that we keep God’s grace and love in mind, and that we rightly choose what to oppose and what to embrace.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Goodness of Grace
Give Us Your Grace

Hymn Suggestions:
It Is Well With My Soul
Blessed Assurance
If Thou But Suffer God To Guide Thee
We’ll Understand It Better By And By
Sing Praise To God Who Reigns Above
Song We The King Who Is Coming To Reign
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
God Of Justice (Link to YouTube video)
How Long: Mp3 Download (Amazon Mp3); Chord Chart
Hear Our Praises (Link to YouTube video)
I, The Lord Of Sea And Sky (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For The Foretaste Of The Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
Jew Nor Greek
Amazing Grace
Spoken Word – His Grace

Image Suggestions:
Cross Shadow
Love

Epiphany 4 on January 31st is a week that can really challenge us about our views and practice of grace. What has struck me as I have reflected on this week’s readings is that grace is not just a “yes” to love and compassion and acceptance and forgiveness. Grace is also a “no” to hatred and apathy and condemnation and exclusion. The “yes” is often easy to speak and to receive, but the “no” is much harder, much more painful, and can lead us into confrontation and even conflict. Yet, the “no” is as important as the “yes”, for without either one, grace is not really grace at all.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 1:4-10: Jeremiah is called to be a prophet, and God explains God’s knowledge of Jeremiah from his conception, and God’s message for Jeremiah to preach. Note both the “yes” and the “no” in the message Jeremiah is given.

Psalm 71:1-6: A prayer for God to protect and be a refuge from one who has trusted and praised God since the womb.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13: The noble and godly characteristics of love, which lasts forever, and is the greatest of all things. Again note the “yes” (love is…) and the “no” (love is not…).

Luke 4:21-30: After reading the “yes” in Isaiah’s scroll (last week) the “no” to the people of Nazareth in Jesus’ teaching offends them, and they attempt to kill him.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The two major themes in this week’s reading stand out in clear relief:
1. God’s grace is not always a comfortable and gentle thing to experience. Integral to God’s grace is the work of justice which distresses the comfortable and self-assured (the “no”) even as it comforts the distressed (the “yes”). Jeremiah is told that his message will not only build up but break down; The psalmist reflects on his vulnerability and the threat of evil in spite of his long life of relationship with God; The love that Paul speaks about is not an easy or comfortable way to follow, but challenges our self-centredness and lethargy toward others; and finally, Jesus makes it clear that his ministry is not “friendly” and non-disruptive, but  a life-changing, all-inclusive confrontation of self-righteousness and injustice.
2. As with Jesus’ near execution in Luke, those who choose to follow Christ in his liberating work, must expect that they will find themselves in confrontation with injustice and those who propagate it. This will inevitably lead to great sacrifice and suffering.

The work of grace is not all acceptance and healing. Sometimes it is a wounding battle – not least because we are called to love even those we challenge.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
“One day, he’s here, and the next he’s not, but you mustn’t press him, after all, he’s not a tame lion.” Mr. Tumnus, speaking of Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

GLOBAL APPLICATION: Like the people of Nazareth, there are still those who seek to “own” Jesus for themselves. By domesticating Jesus, and editing his message to fit our national, corporate or religious agendas, we tame the Gospel, and make it palatable, with little cost. But, as the people of Nazareth discovered, Jesus will not be tamed, and his grace, while offered to all, also challenges of all that resists grace. As Matthew Fox explains, following Jesus means embracing biophilia – loving life and all that supports it and provides joy and enjoyment – and resisting necrophilia – standing against all that robs life, oppresses and abuses. This dual-character of grace is what is revealed this week in Epiphany, and calls us to stand against any attempt to domesticate and “use” Jesus in our world – as Wilberforce, Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. all did.

LOCAL APPLICATION: As preachers, worship leaders and even Christ-followers, it is all too easy to seek to bring Jesus and his Gospel into service of our own desires and agendas. It is easy to accept grace for ourselves, but deny it to others – even in Jesus’ name. It is easy to remain silent when Jesus is used as justification for abuse, oppression, greed, hatred or arrogance. But, grace does not call us to silence, or to compliance with that which hurts and destroys. The strength of grace is to resist what keeps others from grace – defending the powerless, speaking for the voiceless and lifting up the downtrodden – all while still seeking to love those against whom we stand. Inevitably, this just (justice-focused) grace, will bring us into situations of confrontation and conflict, but they can be navigated with both strength and compassion, if we will learn from Jesus. Who, in your community, needs just grace to defend and heal them (the “yes”)? Who needs just grace to confront and disturb them (the “no”)? And where, in our own hearts, do we need grace to confront and disturb us?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Wild God
Just Grace

Hymn Suggestions:
Christ For The World We Sing
Ah, Holy Jesus
O Young And Fearless Prophet
Stop The Clanging
The Church’s One Foundation
You Are (Link to YouTube video. Or download the mp3 & chord chart free from here)
History Maker (Link to YouTube video)
God Of This City (Link to YouTube video)
Everlasting God (Link to YouTube video)
Living For Your Glory (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Celebration of Sacrifice (Calls us to remember Jesus’ sacrifice and to embrace the suffering and struggle of following Christ)

Video Suggestions:
Disrupt With Mercy
Justice And The Kingdom Of God (This is different from the Brian McLaren video that I’ve featured before)
Spoken Word – His Grace
MLK – Faith Is Taking The First Step