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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?
Who is the Son of Man?
by Dianne Eckermann
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‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets’ (Matthew 16:13b,14).
Read Matthew 16:13–20
The location of today’s reading, Caesarea Philippi, a city named in part in honour of Caesar Augustus, who was deified by his subjects, may highlight how humans like to be glorified in contrast to Jesus’ humility.
Unlike Caesar, Jesus did not proclaim his own divinity. Instead, he asked, ‘Who do people say I am?’ This is the first of two questions Jesus asks of his disciples. In effect, he is using them as his social media advisors to discover what is being said about him in this city founded on a Greek site dedicated to Pan and named after the Roman emperor. In their travels with Jesus, the disciples have heard speculation about him: references to John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or other prophets. They recognise something unique about Jesus.
Here, in this culturally mixed city, with an equally diverse range of religious beliefs, Jesus asks his second question: ‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter’s response is immediate. He sees the Messiah, Jesus, in what Jesus has said and done. He has heard the speculation but boldly declares, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
With more than two thousand years of Christian understanding, we may feel that Peter is stating the obvious. However, Peter is at the very beginning of this tradition. He is a Jewish man living under Roman oppression, but despite this, he knows what he has seen and heard. He is yet to discover what it means to be the Messiah. Peter has not yet experienced the death and resurrection of Jesus, but has closely observed Jesus, his teachings and his miracles, and knows Jesus well. Peter knows Jesus because he has seen his power at work in the world.
As modern-day followers of Jesus, we understand his work because we know who he is. In a precarious and unpredictable world where warfare, disruption and division emerge almost daily, we may wonder where Jesus is at work. He is there with the peacemakers, with those who support others most in need of comfort, following in his footsteps. Knowing who Jesus is, we can joyfully join Peter and proclaim Jesus as the Son of the living God.
Dear Jesus, help us to follow in your footsteps and recognise you in our lives. Guide us as we support those most in need of your comfort and care, and help us always to know you through your work in our world. Amen.
Dianne has served in Lutheran education as a teacher, school leader and system leader at Lutheran Education Australia. Now retired from full-time work, she continues to volunteer on several committees and as a school board member. She lives in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, Robert, and is in strong demand as a babysitter for her three grandchildren.
The Creator cares about me?
by Stuart Gray
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Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life (Psalm 138:6,7).
Read Psalm 138
The theme of this week’s devotions is that God is the God of all peoples, not just Israel.
There is an encounter Jesus had with a Canaanite woman (an outsider), and the prophecy in Isaiah of the creation of new heavens and a new earth where people of all nations worship God. Then there was the struggle the Jews had in accepting that Christ died for all, and the passage from 1 Timothy saying that it is through Christ that God connects to all people. Then we had a vision of what reconciliation between God and humankind will be like.
In keeping with this theme, Psalm 138 also references that God is the God of all. ‘May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord, when they hear what you have decreed.’
But the verse that really caught my attention is something I have pondered many times. ‘Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly.’
In Psalm 8, the contrast is made greater. ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?’ (Psalm 8:3,4).
The Creator of the universe cares about me? While it might seem arrogant to believe that God pays attention to me, I approach this with humility.
And the psalmist expresses faith in God’s care. ‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me’ (Psalm 138:7).
We are not promised a stress- or trouble-free life. But we are promised that God is with us.
So how can we believe this? It is because God has kept his promises by sending his Son to die for us so that we might live, for and with God.
God is the God of all peoples, and that includes me. Only with humility can I thank and praise God.
And humility opens the heart to grace.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for caring for us and looking kindly on us through all the ups and downs of life. We thank you for reconciling us through your Son, who sacrificed his life so that we might live. We pray that we can approach you with both confidence and humility. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Stuart lives with his wife Pamela Dalgliesh in Mansfield, in the beautiful High Country of Victoria. In between helping to maintain a large garden and domestic orchard with 80 fruit trees, Stuart is a volunteer mentor for learner drivers, a Red Cross patient transport driver and is involved in a very active Mansfield Anglican church community. Stuart loves travelling, being outdoors and maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle.
All light, no night
by Stuart Gray
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There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:5).
Read Revelation 21:10–22,22:5
How do you describe perfection? More specifically, how do you describe God’s perfection and the promised eternal life with him?
Today’s reading offers a good attempt to describe the divine splendour. It is rich in imagery, a breathtaking vision of extravagant beauty and perfect fellowship with God and the Lamb.
I doubt if modern film technology could do justice to the glory and brilliance expressed in this passage. It is beyond human comprehension.
But apart from the dazzling description of the New Jerusalem, there are three very interesting insights.
Verse 22 says, ‘I did not see a temple in the city.’
The temple in Jerusalem was central to Old Testament Jewish life. As well as a place of worship, it was the spiritual, religious and national centre of Israel. The inner sanctum of the temple represented God’s presence. But while the people worshipped at the temple, their access to the inner sanctum was very limited, only by a priest on the Day of Atonement.
In the New Jerusalem, there is no temple, ‘because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple’. There are no barriers between God and the redeemed; there is direct fellowship with God as full reconciliation has been achieved.
The second important message is that there is no more night. Darkness is often associated with fear, danger, evil and death, but in the New Jerusalem, none of these exists, only the pure light of the Lord God.
And the third insight of this vision: ‘… and they will reign forever and ever.’ This relates to Genesis and God’s original intention that humankind should rule over creation under God’s authority. A creation that was ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31).
Redeemed humanity is not merely living eternity; they are reigning with God.
What a wonderful vision and hope to hold onto.
Heavenly Father, we so look forward to your promise of being in direct fellowship with you and the Lamb in the New Jerusalem. Help us to be your light in this world so that all people may come to you through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
Stuart lives with his wife Pamela Dalgliesh in Mansfield, in the beautiful High Country of Victoria. In between helping to maintain a large garden and domestic orchard with 80 fruit trees, Stuart is a volunteer mentor for learner drivers, a Red Cross patient transport driver and is involved in a very active Mansfield Anglican church community. Stuart loves travelling, being outdoors and maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle.