Being Too Nice ?

 

This year the New Zealand Government voted in legislation for Abortion up to birth along with other life and freedom destroying laws. There is more in the pipeline. At the March for Life procession last Saturday (5 December 2020) some Pro-Lifers brought along gruesome posters depicting aborted foetuses. Definitely not the thing for a “family-friendly” event.

One of these pro-lifers told me that being too nice hasn't worked and that we need to show pro-abortionists the consequences of their decisions. He went on to say that generally we have been too soft and that there is a growing movement of people who will do what it takes to turn things around.

Though I went along with his thinking, my rejoinder was that we need self-discipline and the wisdom to know the time and place for the in-your-face approach. 

Jesus certainly came to bring fire to the earth: he got immersed  in the pressure and he caused divisions even in families. (See Luke 12:49-53)   Perhaps it is time for a discussion for some of us to take the tough approach.

What do you think?

Republicans and Hispanics

In this morning’s Wellington newspaper, a New Zealand journalist reflected on the re-election of President Obama. He noted that the crowd celebrating the election with Obama looked like a cross-section of American society, whereas the crowd listening to Governor Romney’s words was white and well-dressed. He suggested that the USA had moved from government by the established European groups to government by the consensus of minorities. He commented specifically on the Republican Party not attracting the Hispanic vote.

I thought to myself, why had that large group of white Americans not attracted many voters in the Hispanic Community? After all they spoke about faith, family-values and rewarding hard work which are all characteristics of the Hispanic Community

The focus of this blog is the Gospel-in-action, so I am not looking at the socio-economic issues here.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard an American member of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) speaking on God’s way of doing things in a Nation. Over twenty years ago I noticed that YWAM had developed the ability to take the Revelation of God, divest it of our cultural baggage and connect it with new situations. Landa Cope is in that tradition and she reminded me of our constant need to keep returning to the core biblical principles and applying them to new situations.

Studying the first five books of the Bible, Landa realized that God was not only concerned about our salvation from sin but in discipling (i.e., forming by word and example) a nation. Following on from that, Jesus preached more than the Gospel of Salvation; he preached the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Landa gave us a sliced pizza view of God’s concerns beyond our salvation from sin. God is concerned with Government, Economics, Science & Technology, Church, Family, Education, Communication, Arts & Entertainment.

A few of the thoughts that I came away with:

God is integrated into everything we do.

The beauty of Beauty is that it doesn’t have to be explained.

God hates ugly; ugly is less well thought through.

The Kingdom works through influence and persuasion.

God gave the People the right to choose their leaders from their tribes.

God have the People the right to be wrong.

God chose the Levites; the Church doesn’t vote on absolutes.

Where the economy does not benefit all, we have slave shops.

God reveals himself in the things he has made.

If you don’t have free speech, you can’t tell the truth.

Adam and Eve married each other.

Parents have no authority over married off-spring.

Chinese, Japanese and Indians are smart because parents are in charge of education.

After 70 years only 20% of Russians were communists: parents knew better.

We can take back marriage with or without government.

Government is a line-keeper; it gives order.

Business is the best way to deliver services.

When business gets greedy, government steps in.

How much responsibility are the People taking for government?

God’s Kingdom uses checks and balances.

Well, there are a few teasers. See Landa’s website and her book ‘The Old Testament Template’ to get more.

The crunch point is that people can come to salvation by repenting of their sins and receiving salvation through the Cross, as many Hispanic and White Americans have. But to bless a Nation requires putting God’s principles into action in all aspects of society. Republicans could find common ground with Hispanics with that approach.

But for all of us who put the Gospel into Action, we have to act on the message of the Kingdom not just on the message of Salvation.

The Paranormal

In 1953 my family lived in Inverlochy House. It was an old house within ten minutes walk of the main street of Wellington, NZ. It had been divided into eight apartments when we lived there. It is now an art academy.

These days Inverlochy House is well known as a haunted house having appeared on local television. So it was interesting last week when I met up with a paranormal investigator, James Gilberd, to learn that his team only had ghost stories that went back to the 1980s. So I was able to tell him my family’s story from the 1950s of an apparition in the night.

One of the reasons that I had got in touch with the investigative team was that believers in paranormal activity often got an assertive response from believing Christians instead of an understanding one.

I found that one of the challenges an investigative team has is balancing the need for objectivity with the need for empathy with people who can be quite upset by what they perceive.

This team also looks for the simplest explanation of a phenomenon. For instance, at one place a plaster skull would ‘fly across the room’ from a shelf. It was discovered that the fridge in the next room was hard up against the wall and it would vibrate, hitting the wall as it started up. This could knock an object off a shelf. So they simply shifted the fridge a little away from the wall, which is what we should do anyway.

Since my meeting with James, he e-mailed me to say: I swapped the 'flying' one with her (the client) for another plaster skull I had. I retained the flying skull for weighing and testing, to see how it fell, landed, rolled etc, and what impulse was required to make it land where she said. (I haven't quite worked out that last bit yet. I want to recreate the position, fall and viewing angle in a video to see if I can get it to look like it's flying.)

From my discussion with James, I would say that the nine people in the team are basically open-minded skeptics, which is a healthy way to be. Also, they like to follow through an investigation to see if they can find an explanation.

To them it is an interesting hobby and I suspect they would love to find hard evidence that something is so strange that it is unexplainable from a scientific perspective.

I will probably follow up in the area of the paranormal, partly because in the Church we accept that the preternatural exists. But also because, as one Pentecost minister reminds us, people who are ‘hypersensitive’ in this area should not be shut out from the Gospel, but should experience the saving love of Jesus.

If we are putting the Gospel into action we need to have more than a “Just throw holy water at it” mentality when we look at paranormal activity. Investigators using scientific methods can help up us with our understanding.

Take a look at these web pages:

A Wellington Paranormal Investigative Team http://www.photospace.co.nz/strange_home.htm

The haunting of Inverlochy House http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ed2aPP-Z0 (2001)

James Gilberd and Inverlochy House (2011) http://www.3news.co.nz/A-tour-through-Wellingtons-haunted-house/tabid/309/articleID/222539/Default.aspx

A Pentecostal Pastor’s perspective on the paranormal http://christ-spiritpower.blogspot.co.nz/

A Catholic understanding of the preternatural http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=35762

Euthanasia Discussion

Voluntary Euthanasia - murder or mercy?

In the New Zealand Parliament, right now, a private members bill is being draft to legalize euthanasia. Last night I attended a Discussion hosted at the Wellington Museum with about 150 people attending. The panel was {L to R} : Dr Anne Maclennan, (Palliative Care); Janet Marsland (Voluntary Euthanasia Society): Paul Russell (HOPE); Dr Grant Morris (Law School).

You can find the issues in the debate elsewhere; they would be similar in most western countries. John Kleinsman's article "No case for killing society's most vulnerable" summarizes our present NZ discussion well.  I am only giving a couple of reflections from last night’s meeting.

Turning Doctors into Executioners.

Because the meeting was conducted politely, given the dignified surroundings of the Museum, I did not say this out loud: “You want our doctors to become executions!”

Janet Marsland gave some heart-wrenching cases of people seeking to die and, in all honesty, she said that legalizing the assisting of the terminally ill to die would mean killing them. It was pointed out that we don’t need doctors to do that; some other trained professional could do it!

My thought was, given the legal prescription around mercy-killing, which Grant Morris would want in place, the person coming into the room, no matter how dignified the circumstances, would be acting like an executioner who kills in a humane way by lethal injection.

It is repugnant to me to presume that doctors should carry out that duty. As part of the fabric of our culture we hold dearly to the clause “Do no harm” written in medical codes of conduct. If the Vulnerable, such as the comatose, the mentally impaired and the severely disabled cannot trust our doctors not to yield to pressure to kill them, then we are well on the slope to barbarism.

Protecting the Vulnerable

This brings me to my second reflection, that the law against Euthanasia protects the Vulnerable. As Paul Russell put it: “Patients need to know that their doctor can’t kill them.” Drawing on her experience in palliative care, Anne Maclennan said that it was very rare that a patient has a persistent desire to be euthanized. When it does occur, it is most often because of other issues which can be worked out. She, in particular, inspired me to protect the Vulnerable by seeking to maintain the law as it stands.


For the Dangers see:
The Dangers of Euthanasia: A Statement from the New Zealand Catholic Bishops

Prayer at Parliament

Last Thursday I had lunch with a friend of mine, Gordon Copeland, who was a Member of Parliament for a couple of three year terms. He invited me to a prayer meeting that evening in the Grand Hall in Parliament Buildings.

With the help Gordon and his wife Anne, I  worked my way through the security checks and into the Grand Hall where about 130 people were gathering. There were old faces from the time of  the Charismatic Movements Conventions about  35 years ago and of course lots of new faces. The Honourable Chester Burrows welcomed us on behalf of the 4 Members of Parliament who were present.

Our prayer was focused on political party leaders and cabinet ministers, then on the other MPs and staff  right through to the cleaners and caterers. The final session of  prayer was focused on the particular issue of child abuse in New Zealand.

I learnt more about the people in parliament and the issues they are dealing with. Also I was reminded of  our responsibility to pray for our political leaders. This can best be explained in the words of Rasik Ranchord, the Convenor:

About Prayer at Parliament

Over many years of ministry I have observed that churches pray for various issues e.g. for the flock, the sick, the needy, for their ministry programmes and mission yet prayer for those in authority in other sectors of society was largely neglected. We have not taught our people to pray for those in authority adequately.

Why Pray for Our Leaders?I was drawn to two passages of scripture. Firstly Romans 13 which instructs us that all powers that be, derive their authority from God who is the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe; that human authorities were therefore God’s agents for the promotion of the common good and the preservation of law and order.

From 1 Timothy 2 we learn that in Apostle Paul’s agenda for prayer, praying for those in authority heads the list. We are to pray for "kings and all in authority". The late Derek Prince’s observation confirmed my own: "Extensive experience has convinced me that the vast majority of professing Christians never give any serious consideration to the topic of prayer. Not merely do they not pray for the government, first, they scarcely pray for it at all! They pray more or less regularly for groups such as the sick, the preacher, missionaries, evangelists,....... anything and everything but the one group that God puts first, the government. It is no exaggeration to say that many who claim to be committed Christians never pray seriously for the government or their nation as much as once a week."

It was out of these observations and convictions that the vision for Prayer@Parliament was born some 8 years ago.Our policy is not to endorse any one political party but to pray for kingdom influence in every party. To pray for Christians and also for those who are followers of other faiths or no faith at all because of the function they perform in Parliament. The function itself is ordained by God. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans and to Timothy there were no Christians in Government! 

It is a Christian Prayer Gathering that is open to all. Over the years many members of Parliament from across the political spectrum have attended and many have been invited to participate. This includes Ministers of the Crown, former Speakers of the House and present assistant Speaker.. Besides people in central government we also pray for those in local government, Mayors and former mayors and councillors have participated. "Seek the peace and prosperity of the city. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers You too will prosper" (Jeremiah 29:7)

We also pray for those involved in various sectors of society besides government; Education, Social Welfare, Youth, Public Health, News Media. Many from these backgrounds have participated.

Christians from all denominations and from the whole of the Wellington Region and beyond attend these gatherings. Prayer is a uniting factor and where there is unity there God gives his blessings. Prayer is a Declaration of Dependence-upon God. Our nation needs God.

Rasik Ranchord
Convener

Ordinary Folk

Last Tuesday I spent the day in the newly built Supreme Court in Wellington, NZ. Not only did the building impress me, but also I was impressed by the way proceedings were conducted. Abortion can be a heated topic and I have been overseas in a courtroom which was electric with emotion. Here, the Judges wanted to give those involved a fair hearing, they would give the lawyers advice if they were not making their case well and there were moments of humour. There were no ‘airs and graces’ but a warm respectfulness.

The reason for being there was that I now live within walking distance of the Court House, I have the time and I wanted to express my personal support for Ken Orr who I had met on a few occasions in Christchurch.

Ken Orr is an ordinary bloke.  You could easily miss him in a crowd. People might say that he is ‘dogged’. Yet, with the support of other Pro-lifers, he has seen a case against the Abortion Supervisory Committee through to the Supreme Court. He had won in the High Court, lost of Appeal and could well win again in the Supreme Court. (The five Judges are deliberating at this time)

You can read about what Ken has done at: http://www.spcs.org.nz/2008/thank-you-ken-orr-right-to-life/ 

The point that I would like to make is Ken is not the most attractive or gifted personality. A lot of people I know would write him off on that score. He can be a bit of a nuisance. But he is always polite and unassuming and quietly gets things done. But it can be ordinary folk like him who put the Gospel into action and go places with it.

You can read more about Ken himself at: http://righttolife.org.nz/2010/11/15/papal-award-presented-to-ken-orr-for-services-to-the-church-and-the-pro-life-movement/

Among the Greenies

 Last night I went to a meeting about the Food Safety Bill that is now before the New Zealand Parliament. A Green Party Member of Parliament , Steffan Browning, was to speak and the documentary film Food Inc was to follow.

A great way to spend Saturday night! But that is Wellington for you. It's a little city, less than half a million residents. So we take our role as the seat of government very seriously.

There I was amongst the Greenies who vote pro-abortion and I was not looking to chat till I had got the measure of this lot.  A bloke about my age (most were) came over. He saw my little wooden cross and asked about my christianity. He said 'there are four of us here' and that it was good for us to be at meetings like this.

I thought this was an example of the Gospel principle of 'leaven in the dough' (See Matthew 13:33). Jesus had got out of his comfort zone and mixed with all sorts of people and he certainly would have been happy to mix with those who were concerned for the poor and under-privilaged. His heart would have resignated with those who cared for animals and the environment as a gift rather than out of greed. (See Genesis 1:28ff and 2:15 which feature humanity before we sinned.)

I left at the end of the meeting encouraged by the intentions of the Greenies and their allies and by the presence of  these Christians. It was an example of the  Gospel in action.

Bye the way, the documentary Food Inc. is well worth a watch. And if you can't, then check out the comments on the internet.

Steffan Browning's Comments on the Food Bill are will worth reading

Praying in Public

I must confess that I have not been praying in public recently.
Yesterday, I biked up town to the hospital, where abortions are carried out,in order to pray with a group that prays for the end of abortion.

Praying in such situations is near the sharp end of putting the Gospel into action. And after years of doing it, I still get that feeling of fear and hope that nobody recognises me. Still, I resisted the temptation to put on my sunglasses.

Jesus did a lot of his work in such a public setting and that experience yesterday helped that aspect of the written Gospels come alive for me again. It is as though the Spirit is very close. (See

Introducing to the Streets?

Forty years ago I was introduced to the streets of the city by a group of Young Christian Workers. It was in the days of the hippies and people were used to talking with strangers on the city streets on a Friday night. This group of young people would simply walk around the streets aware of the people around them and without proselytizing would chat with people and help out where they could.


Over the years attitudes on the street have changed and people are more suspicious of motives. So I have taken to wearing a fairly inconspicuous looking cross around my neck.

Anyway, I was carrying on the tradition in earthquake-affected Christchurch (NZ) last night when I got off the bus at the central hub. I turned to a youngish middle-aged woman with two young women in tow. They had obviously been talking quietly about me on the bus. I asked where they came from since their accents intrigued me. They told me the country and explained why I had not picked it.

Next, she asked me where I came from and I answered. Then she asked me if I had children. I told her that I hadn’t. Then she asked me about my wife. I was starting to get suspicious where this line of very friendly conversation was going. I thought that this is time to pull out.

Remembering the little wooden cross around my neck, I pulled it clear of my shirt and blurted out, “The People of God, they are all my children.” This was a rather odd thing to say. The woman suddenly said, ‘Lets go’ and the group disappeared in the opposite direction.

I wondered afterwards if this rather engaging woman was introducing two pretty young women to the streets, but for a different purpose than mine. Thank God for that little cross, whichever way.

The Same or Different?

"All religions are the same; people just say the same thing in different ways." This statement came from a martial arts practitioner as we were striking and avoiding each other's strikes. This guy talks about 'chi', 'chakras', 'yin and yang' and he uses the Lord's name in vain; so he is a fairly religious bloke.

While trying to maintain my balance (physically) I was thinking 'How do I maintain the bonding between two religious people going on here, while suggesting that they are not the same.' So during our strikes and evasions I said that the way we express our search for God may sound similar. The difference comes when God reveals himself to us.

He gave me that "I hadn't thought of that" look and we carried on belting the stuffing out of each other.

Systema

An amazing thing happened to me this morning. The 90-year-old member of our household offered to assist me in learning the Russian Martial Art called Systema.
The picture on the left shows you are never too old.

This all started because I was around at the home of some friends last weekend. Their 21-year-old son told me of a new form of martial arts that he was learning. He liked it because it was Christian-based. Before I left he had given three DVDs of the Russian Martial Art called Systema.

Having been in a few physical confrontations during my life, I was impressed by the instructor's desire not to harm his opponent because he recognized him as a human being like himself. Well, that is a based principle of Gospel-in-Action blog site.

Then he spoke of being relaxed when under attack. If we are not relaxed, it is because we are not humble. Well, that hooked into my Christian conscience.

After watching the DVDs, I delved a little deeper on the Internet and found that Systema’s breathing exercise was from the ‘Jesus Prayer’ of the Orthodox Faith. The Jesus Prayer has been used for centuries by Russian Orthodox Monks to experience the presence of the Blessed Trinity.

I have been to a couple training sessions during the week. Learning to relax while someone is punching you is a humbling experience. It may do good to my spiritual life.

Neo-Pagans

Recently I visited the North Island of New Zealand and caught up with a friend. He asked what 'increased my energy' and which of the four base elements did I find most helpful for doing this. It all seemed strange coming from a christian bloke. So I did some reading of writings by people who generally go under the title of 'neo-pagans'.

A lot of what they wrote about I actually had some experience of. I guess it is because I move among 'spiritual people.'

To help me organize my thoughts I worked out a questionnaire. You may find it helpful:

Is there talk about ‘energy’ in a group of people?
Do participants declare a ‘sacred space’ around a prayer group?
Is there an invocation of the four winds or four elements or surrounding spirits?
Is there an affirming of ‘energy’ rising within a group?
Is there the directing of ‘energy’ for some purpose?
Is there an acknowledgement of the divinity within oneself?
Do participants feel empowered when they leave the ‘sacred space’?
Is there an acknowledgement of the divinity within created things?
Do participants feel more connected with other living beings?
Is there guided meditation, in which a person is led through a journey of the mind?
Are symbols treated as the reality they represent?
Do people empty the mind of thoughts and images to connect with the spirit realm?
Do people induce an altered state of consciousness?

I am pretty sure that people I come across, who go in for this sort of thing, are good people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is different from the nasty stuff in satanism. But I suspect that they are opening themselves up to influences that they know little about.

There is one sure way of reaching spiritual fulfillment:
By renouncing self-centredness and embracing the cross of Christ we enter the very life of the Blessed Trinity

St John the Evangelist concludes his letter on our life together in the Blessed Trinity with these words: "Children, be on your guard against false gods." (1 John 5:21)

Golden Fillings

I caught up with an old friend the other day. A couple of hours into our conversation she told me about two amalgam fillings in her teeth "turning gold."

Some years ago, she had gone to a prayer meeting with a friend seeking the conversion and mental healing of a wayward son. The speaker said that someone's dental fillings had turned to gold and would the audience look into their neighbour's mouth to find out who it was.

Well, it turned out to be my friend. She hadn't felt a thing and was not interested in gold fillings. She was more concerned about the spiritual well-being of her son.

What I found interesting was the reaction of her dentist and her pastor. Both registered anger!

When she went to her dentist, he examined her teeth and read her records. He grew very angry and said nothing further to her. I suspect that he thought that she had gone off, behind his back, to another dentist to have her fillings changed

Her pastor's reaction was even stranger. He just got visibly angry and refused to speak to her about it. I have known the guy for 50 years myself and can picture his reaction to people who believe in miracles.

One of my friend's teeth looks similar to the golden one in this photo. Whether there is a natural explanation or not, I don't know. If God is directly involved, it seems strange to me that he might have brought the grace of conversion to her son, rather than doing a cosmetic job on her teeth; but who knows the ways of God?

However, the angry response of two professionals indicates that some people just don't want God getting involved.

On the Margin

 
Yesterday, I spent the day in Courtroom 1 at the Christchurch NZ District Court. I felt that I had been getting too out-of-touch with the human race. There is nothing like going to the margin of one's own culture to get a broader perspective on life in general.

Seeing the people brought before the judge for fighting, stealing, drug-taking and so on, reminded me of the feelings of Jesus for the crowd:

'When Jesus saw the crowd, he felt compassion for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.' [Mt 9:36]

I asked myself, "Where is the Church here, bringing the saving love of Jesus?" Jesus made a point of taking the Good News to those on the margin of society. (See Lk 4:18) If I am to put the Gospel into action, I need to spend more time with the marginal people.

Getting belted around

People who consistently put the Gospel into action get belted around, whether it is emotionally or physically.

It is encouraging to know that Jesus himself didn't feel too good after going three rounds with Satan in the desert. Matthew's Gospel tells us: 'Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels appeared and looked after him.' (Mt 4:11)

Normally, of course, we can count on some other believers to help us put ourselves together again. But, if we are stuck out in a desert by ourselves, God may provide some angels.

"You can't trust anybody."

The expression "You can't trust anybody" sounds a bit cynical, stated so baldly. But from some points-of-view, it is simply realistic. On the one hand, each of us has hidden depths in our psyche; on the other hand, we don't know what we are going to do in a strange situation till we have been in it.

In putting the Gospel onto action Jesus lived out this principle. We are told: "Jesus knew all people and did not trust himself to them." (Jn 2:24)

Whatever our hidden weaknesses are, when we put the Gospel into action, we are likely to be tested by Satan. Jesus was aware that even his closest follower, Simon Peter, could falter during such testing; so he prayed for him: 'Simon, Simon! Look, Satan has got his wish to sift you all like wheat; but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail; and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers.' (Lk 22:32)

A cynical expression? Maybe, maybe not. But certainly, we have good reasons to watch out for and to pray for one another.

Helpful Images

Recently I heard a school teacher talking about the religious education of Children.
Following the Montessori method, that puts a lot of learning options before children, some religious educators have found that children are drawn to the image of the Good Shepherd.

Younger children find the idea of the Good Shepherd knowing and loving his sheep helpful; older children look more to the Shepherd laying down his life for his sheep.

I have since put this question to Adults: "What image of Jesus do you find most helpful?"

We may find that image in:
· the gospel narrative, e.g., the agony in the garden and his treatment of women
· Jesus’ sayings, e.g., “follow me” and "Amen,Amen",
· his titles, such as, “Son of God” or “teacher”
· his symbols, e.g., the crown of thorns and the breaking of bread,
· his parables like “the good Samaritan” and "the sower of seed".
· his actions like healing the sick and dining with sinners.

It would be interesting to learn your answer.

Plundering Satan's House

No one can break into a strong man's house and plunder his property unless he has first tied up the strong man. Only then can he plunder his house. [Mark 3:27]
What does this teach us about Jesus?
How are we to follow in his footsteps?

Proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus is a safe way to tie up Satan and set people free. This litany is a 'Lordship' prayer that you can use in a group.

Deliverance Litany

Response for Greeting the Heavenly Court : “PRAY FOR US"
Mary, Immaculate Mother of God –
St Michael, the Archangel –
All the Angels of God –
The Holy Apostles –
Sts Peter and Paul –
(Other individual saints can be named)
The Holy Martyrs –
All the Saints of God –

Response for Deliverance from Specific Evil : “LORD, DELIVER US”
From evil intentions –
From psychic attack -
From witchcraft -
From satanic power –
From unclean spirits –
From familiar spirits –
(other evils can be named)
From the evil one –

Response for Proclaiming Jesus: “JESUS, YOU ARE LORD”
Over all principalities and powers –
Over the ‘father of the lie’ –
Over the cunning serpent -
Over the ‘murderer from the beginning’ –
Over the accuser of Your People –
Over the devouring dragon –
Through your self-emptying -
Through your Incarnation –
Through your empowering Spirit –
Through the Good News –
Through your signs and wonders –
Through your obedience to the Father –
Through your love of your disciples -
By taking our sins upon yourself –
By your suffering for us –
By your death on the Cross –
By your glorious Resurrection –
By your Ascension to God’s right hand –
By your headship of the Church –
By the coming of your Spirit -
By your return to judge the living and the dead –

Response for Rejoicing in God: “GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST”
In you we live and move and have our being -
You live in unapproachable light –
You created all things, seen and unseen –
You are tender and compassionate -
You hear the cries of the poor –
You set the downtrodden free –
You are Father to Your People –
You are faithful to your covenant -
You have numbered the hairs on our heads -
You gave your Son for the life of the world –
You sent forth your Spirit of holiness -
You want all people to share in your banquet –
You are adored by the Angels and Saints –

Mixing with Marginals

When the scribes of the Pharisee party saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, 'Why does he ear the tax collectors and sinners?' When Jesus heard this he said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need the doctor, but the sick. I came to call not the upright, but sinners.' Mark 2:16-17
Why was Jesus dining with Marginals?
Who are the Marginals in my world?


Would you go over to the table in the photograph, pick up some food and go and mix with some of the marginal people? Or would you walk on by?
Mixing with these sorts of people gives us a feeling for Jesus's desire to save sinners. He was like a doctor wanting to attend the sick.
At the very least, our presence can be a sign that God cares.

Rejoice always!

"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances. This is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." [Philippians 4:4]
What is the bible passage saying to us? Is it easy?

I was chatting with our housekeeper at the clothes line the other day. We were talking about people complaining. She said, "Complaining, it is the default position." I agreed.

She then said, "If people are being positive all the time, others think that they are 'up themselves'; they have an easy life; they deserve to be taken down a peg or two."

Realizing that we were complaining , she said with enthusiasm, "But its a good world!"