In today’s readings two significant ideas come together: “Sabbath” and “God’s Kingdom”. A true understanding of Sabbath (which links, of course, with the idea of Jubilee), must lead us into the justice, mercy, equity and inclusivity of God’s reign. In fact, one of the simplest ways to embrace a “Kingdom-lifestyle” is to begin to practice Sabbath well. That is the challenge the Lectionary offers us this week.

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

The journey continues – all the different ways – small but significant ways – that we participate with God in bringing God’s reign into the world and into the lives of its people. There can be no question that the work of faith, of receiving God’s grace, and of following Christ in worship and service, is a life long journey of perseverance and faithfulness. And it is because of God’s faithfulness toward us that we can even contemplate this life. But, if we will, and if we can commit to the long haul, we will see change happening in us and we will see justice coming a little more to our world.

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

This week it’s all about listening – to God’s word – and to living it out in compassion, integrity and justice – which requires listening to others. This can be easier than it sounds with all the noise that bombards us each day. That’s why the discipline of worship is so important. It gives us the time and the space to learn the practice of listening well.

May your listening abilities be enhanced by your worship this week.

READINGS:
Amos 8:1-12: Amos sees a vision of a basket of ripe fruit, which God explains indicates that Israel is ripe for judgement. Amos then prophesies God’s judgement against the corruption of God’s people, and the famine of hearing God’s word that is to come.
OR Genesis 18:1-10a: Abraham entertains three mysterious visitors, who prophesy that within the next year Sarah will have a child.

Psalm 52: David speaks words of judgement against Doeg, proclaiming that he will be punished for his lies, while David will prosper under God’s care.
OR Psalm 15: Only those who live lives of truth and justice can worship in God’s sanctuary and enjoy God’s presence.

Colossians 1:15-28: Paul celebrates Christ as the visible image of God, the Creator and reconciler of all, and describes his ministry of proclaiming the Good News that leads us into relationship with God.

Luke 10:38-42: Jesus is welcomed into the home of Mary and Martha. While Martha serves, Mary sits at Jesus’ feet – and he refuses to chide Mary for this as Martha requests.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Truth and lies; prophecies and the silencing of prophecy; sitting at Jesus’ feet or serving; Christ as the image of God, and the Gospel as the saving message that reconciles us with God. This week it’s all about God speaking, and the question of whether we will listen or not. As tempting as it might be, based on the Gospel reading, to create a dichotomy between listening and serving, hearing and doing, the other readings don’t allow us this luxury. Listening to God’s word is inextricably connected to following God’s ways of justice, truth and compassion. Perhaps Jesus simply wanted Martha to listen before she acted, rather than assuming she knew what needed to be done? Whatever the case, the message of this week flows easily out of last week’s theme. Not only are ordinary things powerful in the work of God’s reign, it is as we listen to God’s message and implement God’s saving reconciling word through simple acts of justice, compassion and a commitment to truth and integrity, that we find ourselves living out the reality of God’s reign in our lives and our world.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Words, used as propaganda, mere rhetoric or to inspire, are a massive feature of today’s media-driven world. So many messages call us to label certain individuals or groups in certain ways. So many speakers claim to have the final word on certain situations or problems. So many speeches give little more than double-speak, finger-pointing or denial of responsibility. And, in all of the words, little actually changes. Lives are not saved. Injustice is not exposed and removed. Peace is not created, and solutons are not found to our big crises. One could be forgiven for thinking that we are living in the times Amos spoke about - a famine of God’s word. But, God’s word is not absent. It has not changed since Jesus lived it and preached it. The essential message of the Gospel – integrity, compassion and justice – has not changed or been silenced. All that is required is for those of us who follow the message of Christ to speak up, in words that are supported by accompanying actions, to challenge the empty words of our time, and call our leaders and our peers to account. But, we cannot do this unless we are prepared to be held to our own standards.

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is all too easy, in our personal lives and in our communities, to decide that we know what is needed, and what is to be done, without taking the time to listen. It is all too easy to speak, without taking the time to hear carefully and prayerfully, what God’s message for us really is, or what the stories of those we seek to serve really are. If we are to be a people who bring Christ’s grace and justice into our communities, we will need to listen carefully, and then act justly, compassioantely and with integrity in response. We will need to avoid the temptation to assume we know what our communities need, and we will need to resist the urge to see ourselves as ‘saviours’ coming in to ‘fix’ things ‘for’ those who ‘need’ us. Rather we will need to adopt the humility of Mary, the hospitality of Abraham, the commitment of Paul, the integrity of Amos, and the faithfulness of David, as we come alongside the people within and ‘outside’ of our churches, and speak, in listening and word and action, the Gospel message of Christ.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Listening
Word of God
Messengers

Hymn Suggestions:
And Can It Be
Where Cross The Crowded Ways Of Life
Master, Speak! Thy Servant Heareth
O Word Of God Incarnate
Lord, Speak To Me
All The Way My Saviour Leads Me (Link to YouTube video)
Thy Word (Link to YouTube video)
Living For Your Glory (Link to YouTube video)
Your Word: Mp3 Download (Amazon.com), Chord chart (Scroll down for the link)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Sacrament

Video Suggestions:
Listen: Alone
Listen: Failing
Always Listening
Protest vs. Listening

There is a lovely progression in these first few weeks of Ordinary Time. Two weeks ago we faced a challenge to prioritise God’s strength and grace, and to reject the idea that mission and justice oriented faith leans only on human resources and abilities. Last week we were reminded of God’s call to be forgiven and to forgive. In the face of the world’s challenges and the work of justice, forgiveness is the Gospel response. This week the call to grace continues with a challenge to define good and evil not according to law, but in the light of God’s grace and liberation.

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