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A student survey conducted at one of our local schools determined that young people see the church as being full of old people and pews. And they think that the pews have to go. There’s some good news in that survey, they didn’t say the old people should go, only the pews.
Think for a moment: How does their perception match reality?
We might immediately begin to defend the pews. They've been good enough for generations. They keep us awake. They haven’t killed anyone.
Or we might be offended that they’ve labelled us as old. We might argue that we’re not nearly as old as our grandparents were at the same age.
We might want to join James and John to ask Jesus whether we should call down fire from heaven and destroy them.
But before we get too defensive, these young people are crying out for the church to recognise and value them. They don’t think the church cares about them, they don’t think we care. They think the church is only interested in the people who’re already involved, which to them means old people.
I wonder whether they’re any different to those of any age who aren’t connected to our churches. Would the whole ‘unchurched’ and 'previously-churched’ community agree that we don’t care. Would they contend that we’re only interested in ourselves.
If we’re so busy polishing and defending our pews then they have to go. If there’s anything in our church that uses up our time at the expense of living our lives for Jesus then it has to go.
Even more urgently we have to go. Not leave the church, the community of God’s people, but go with the good news that because God loves and cares for every single person in this world so do we.
“As you go”, Jesus says, “make disciples of all nations.” Jesus cares about this because he has ‘skin-in-the-game’. He died for each and every one we encounter as we go about our lives.
How do we, as individuals and a church, need to change so that no one in our community will feel that we don’t care about them?
Restoration and comfort (outsiders welcome)
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
I will restore the crushed spirit of the humble … I will comfort those who mourn (Isaiah 57:15b,18b).
Read Isaiah 57:14–21
Interesting pictures in this passage. The Holy One lives in a high and holy place (verse 15). Separate, above, distant!
Yet, this Holy One is also very practical and down-to-earth, restoring roads and clearing rocks (verse 14). This Holy One also comforts the humble and revives repentant hearts (verse 15), comforts those who mourn and brings peace and healing (verses 18,19). So, God, from this high and holy place, is also willing to get down into the nitty-gritty parts of life.
This, of course, occurs in the person and presence of Jesus. Jesus comforts those who mourn; he heals many; he often talks to the humble and restores them to places of dignity; he tells people their sins are forgiven when he sees their faith (Matthew 9:2). And he often sends people away with a blessing of peace (Mark 5:34).
God incarnate! The high and holy one, come to earth. God with us, preaching, healing, praying, blessing, encouraging, comforting. Perhaps Isaiah knew something! He was a prophet. Challenging and yet reassuring the people, but also foretelling the One to come, the Christ – the divine One, Jesus – the human One, mixing and living with ordinary people, often those from outside normal circles!
The Holy Spirit is at work here: hovering over God’s people as they begin to return from exile; working in the hearts of those who gathered to hear from Jesus in the flesh; encouraging and inspiring us today. The Holy Spirit prepares people to hear the gospel, to live the gospel. And the Holy Spirit does this within and without the confines of official religion!
May you be restored and comforted, not from a distance, but within your heart as the Holy Spirit stirs you to new life. And may you extend that comfort and restoration to anyone ‘outside’ who does not yet know the grace and blessing of Christ’s peace in their lives.
Comforter, Restorer, move and inspire me that I may offer comfort and restoration. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
All the world (outsiders welcome)
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Let all the world look to me for salvation (Isaiah 45:22a).
Read Isaiah 45:21–25
If you read this entire passage from Isaiah, you might be struck, as I was, by the allusions to other parts of the Bible.
Isaiah 45:21a reminds me of Isaiah 1:18a: ‘Come and let us reason together.’ Isaiah 45:21b reminds me of Job 38:4a (worth reading separately as we near the end of the Season of Creation): ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?’
Isaiah 45:22b echoes a recurring theme throughout Isaiah (e.g. 45:5,6) and the Bible: ‘I am the Lord; there is no other God.’ Isaiah 45:23b echoes the wonderful statement in Philippians 2:10,11 that every knee will bow and every tongue confess.
Perhaps these are all tied together in the thought expressed in Isaiah 45:22a: ‘Let all the world …!’ The God of the Old Testament, alongside the practices of Jesus, seems to have no favourites. Or, putting it more accurately: everyone is a favourite of God.
God, the Creator of all things and the giver of all gifts, looks on each one of us with favour. It’s a bit different to how I look at other people when I consider their actions. But God wants all to be saved. This is shown clearly through Jesus’ words and actions: he explains love in action through the good Samaritan, the woman at the well, the unclean leper(s) and so on. Jesus lets us know the kingdom is for all who accept God’s mercy and grace in their lives.
I wonder whether Isaiah, with the wide scope of his words, anticipated the natural human desire to narrow the scope of the gospel to those who believe in a certain way, or act according to particular laws (of morality?).
But Isaiah declares (remember he is writing to the people in exile here) that God is above all earthly powers, all religious rules, all pious morality, and welcomes all who respond to kindness and justice, mercy and grace.
Thank you, giver of all good gifts, for the gift of your love and acceptance of me. Help me to extend these gifts to others. In Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com
By what authority (outsiders welcome)?
by Peter Bean
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
Then I will tell you by what authority I do these things (Matthew 21:24b).
Read Matthew 21:23–32
There is an overall theme in our readings this week of ‘outsiders welcome’!
It begins in today’s reading, with Jesus and the religious leaders clashing over authority. Authority seems to be important. We like to know who is in charge. Political parties make hay out of law and order. We often like black-and-white answers and respond positively to them.
But Jesus is not like this. You want to know my authority? You can’t even answer my simple question. So, I’ll leave the mystery hanging in the air. He then tells a parable that seems to have a simple meaning. Except when Jesus explains it, it challenges all authority.
Who’s getting into the kingdom of God first? Not those who live upright lives, who obey the law. Rather, it is those we don’t want to associate with. The ones we are happy to speak about in bad terms. The ones we would condemn!
Oh, oh! Whose authority counts here? It seems to me that our rules can be dangerous. Those we consider insiders, worthy of respect and law-abiding, are not so highly regarded after all. Instead, the outsiders are welcome: the lowly, the sinners, those who don’t live as we expect, those who respond to unexpected grace.
God’s grace is not based on human authority. Human authority is not Jesus’ guide to life. Rather, it is the gift of grace; the welcome to the outsiders; the welcome to all and any who can put aside their own prejudices and notions of right and wrong, and instead respond to God’s mysterious and wonderful gift of forgiveness and life.
Lord Jesus, thank you for challenging human authority and showing a better way. Help me to respond to your love and mercy, and extend love and mercy to all I come across. Amen.
Spring has sprung. Flowers are displaying their colours; fruit is forming on the trees. There is new growth everywhere. As you observe this wonderful new life, may you revel in the new beginnings God offers you each day. As Peter continues to meander his way through the Book of Psalms, he invites you to read them anew and apply them to your life. If you would like his paraphrase of any psalm (from 1 to 120), send your request to pbean087@gmail.com