Psalm 147.1-12

Praise for God’s Care for Jerusalem

¹Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
   for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
   he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals the broken-hearted,
   and binds up their wounds.
⁴He determines the number of the stars;
   he gives to all of them their names.
⁵Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
   his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
   he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
   make melody to our God on the lyre.
⁸He covers the heavens with clouds,
   prepares rain for the earth,
   makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹He gives to the animals their food,
   and to the young ravens when they cry.
¹⁰His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
   nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;^*
11but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
   in those who hope in his steadfast love.

¹²Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
   Praise your God, O Zion!

The Psalms are wonderful and Psalm 147 ranks with the best of them. It is post exilic (see verse 2) – written some time after Cyrus allowed the people to return to Jerusalem and even after the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah. People drifted back over many years – ‘outcasts’ and ‘broken-hearted’ and ‘downtrodden’. There is a lovely image of God gathering them, healing them and lifting them up. Even when we have fallen and landed ourselves in a real mess, He is willing and able to overcome all things and make us whole once more.

Verses 7-11 introduce another theme – God’s sustaining providence – and so the Psalmist praises God for rain, vegetation, food for all even the beasts and the birds. God does not delight in physical strength, but rather to those who respond to Him in reverence and hope. (see Rhodes 1960:188-189)

What had happened?

The returned exiles had rebuilt Jerusalem, especially the Temple and the walls, and had been reminded of God’s Covenant with them: “I will be your God and you will be my people if you obey my commands”. Disobeying God’s commands had got them into trouble, eventually leading to their defeat and exile in Babylon. But now God had used the Medes and the Persians to deal with the Babylonians and they had been defeated. King Cyrus – the great Persian – had allowed them to return. There had been a long period of peace. Knight suggests that Psalm 147 probably came from those who had remained in Babylon for some time after their freedom and were now trickling back into Jerusalem. Knight sees a parallel with the Return of the Prodigal Son and in like way, ‘God gathers the outcasts of Israel’. He continues:

“… in our time, once God’s lost sheep return home to the local ‘Zion’, they ought to be finding an older brother ready and willing to heal the broken-hearted and bind up their wounds.”

I believe this is a time when the gods of Babylon have failed people today, the gods of material possessions, status, power and general worldliness. But is the Church ready and willing to receive those wishing to return? We are the Body of Christ; it is our duty and privilege to be there as Christ to those who are lost. They are as numerous as the countless stars in the universe and God knows them and loves them and wants us to reach out to them.

God knows all things as He is the creator of all that is. He is greater than anything we can ever imagine and yet he loves us all – especially when we are lost. God wants us to return to Him. His power and his understanding and his love are beyond measure – like all He has created. In fact, Knight suggests that ‘… his power and his understanding are his love beyond measure.’ (page 352) Apparently, this came home to Luther who, while recovering from utter exhaustion, was given a break in the countryside. In order to get some fresh air, he was taken for a ride to watch a hunting party. Luther got comfortable in the carriage and opened his Bible at this Psalm. Knight explains: “Quite forgetting where he was, he there and then penned an exposition of it that plumbs the depths as a great revelation of the love of God.”

We are inspired to erupt into praise. God cares for nature but most especially for His people. Jesus reminds us that God is ‘moved’ even by the fall of a small sparrow – and yet we are worth much more than many sparrows.

Don’t you just love verse 11: God ‘… takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love …’

As we know, the word ‘fear’ is just another way of speaking of reverence. We come to God, always in reverence because of God’s greatness and we place our hope in Him which enables us to face the greatest trials because we are filled with God’s ‘hesed’ – his steadfast love. (A lovely definition of ‘hesed’ is “… the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of our Father God.”)

We can give God pleasure; we can bless God. What an amazing thought. Little old ordinary you and me can give pleasure to Almighty God. To use an over-used word from teenage vocabulary – this is truly ‘awesome’.

Let us give our Lord pleasure today as we worship him with great reverence and as we place our hope in his steadfast love.

Thank you for a lovely week of refreshment as you have expounded the Scriptures. Indeed faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).

As ever,

David

Isaiah 40:21-end (NRSV)

²¹Have you not known? Have you not heard?
   Has it not been told you from the beginning?
   Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
²²It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
   and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
   and spreads them like a tent to live in;
²³who brings princes to naught,
   and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

²⁴Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
   scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
   and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

²⁵To whom then will you compare me,
   or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
²⁶Lift up your eyes on high and see:
   Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
   calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
   mighty in power,
   not one is missing.

²⁷Why do you say, O Jacob,
   and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
   and my right is disregarded by my God’?
²⁸Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
   his understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹He gives power to the faint,
   and strengthens the powerless.
³⁰Even youths will faint and be weary,
   and the young will fall exhausted;
³¹but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
   they shall walk and not faint.

This passage brings back wonderful memories of us at St Alpheges in Pietermaritzburg – and the song book Let’s Sing Scripture. Part of the secret of the Methodist revival in the 18^th century and the charismatic renewal of the 1970s was to put to good music, good theology! We used to sing verse 31 with great gusto and enjoy the reminder that as we wait upon the Lord, we renew our strength “… they shall mount up with wings like eagles … …”

Of course the people of Judah needed reminding of the blessings that were theirs. Their sin had landed them in trouble and they had been defeated and taken off into exile in Babylon. They, like us, often forget God’s love in times of difficulty. And so the Prophet begins his hymn: “Have you not known … heard …” because the people were behaving as though they had forgotten the love and blessing of their God.

Of great significance is verse 27b: ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God’? This gives expression to the people’s feelings of rejection by God and the idea that they have been forgotten by God. Who are they that God cares for them? Barrie Webb writes that they thought the following: “Isn’t the truth rather that we are too small to be of more than passing interest to Him, and that if He really cared about us, surely he has long since ceased t do so?” (page 165)

We often fall into the same trap: “Who are we that God is mindful of us?” Nothing could be further from the truth. And so the prophet returns to his “… have you not heard …” mantra again to remind them that the creator and sustainer of all that is, does in fact care more deeply than they (and we) can ever imagine. He never tires of loving us and his ways are unsearchable. Webb continues: “… the fact is that no one and nothing is too small to be important to him or worthy of his attention and care.”

Our minds are too small to be able to comprehend both the power and the love of God, yet, as G Ernest Wright explains: “… all that exists is in complete dependence upon him …” So, how can one possibly believe that such a God would ever disregard anyone who turns to him. Here is the hub. We need to turn to God to receive his blessing in our lives. We return therefore to the idea of repentance. It was the people’s turning away from God that had landed them in exile in Babylon – it was not God’s doing. Despite the outcry of the early Isaiah giving them warning after warning, coupled with Jeremiah and others, the people thought that they knew better. And they reaped what they had sown. So, it does not make sense in human terms, for God still to want them back to bless them, but he did and does. But we need to change direction and return to God if this blessing is to be a reality in our lives

It is a simple but wonderful truth – God never tires of forgiving all those who turn to Him. And what is more, his forgiveness is complete. The Psalmist writes of our sins being removed from us as far as the East is from the West. God’s ‘… understanding is unsearchable …’

I am reminded of the Catholic nun who believed she met with our Lord when she prayed. The matter was reported to her Bishop who, quite rightly, decided to check it all out. He instructed her to ask “Jesus” what his (the Bishop’s) sins were that he confessed at his last confession. In Catholic tradition, with the sanctity of the confessional, only Jesus and the Priest who had heard the confession would know! A short while later the Bishop was summoned to the convent because the mystic nun had received a reply. He was nervous, thinking that he was summoned personally so as to save him embarrassment. When he arrived he asked the Nun: “Sister, what did Jesus say were the sins that I confessed at my last confession?” To which the nun replied: “Jesus told me that he has forgotten!”

“As far as the East is from the West …”

But we struggle to live as those forgiven – or at least I do. I am sure that when I sometimes confess, Jesus replies: “David, I do not know what you are talking about!”

We get to live by faith with all the joy and peace when we wait upon the Lord. Jesus needed to get away to pray and be with His Father and so do we. When we wait upon the Lord, we renew our strength. What a lovely image. And it keeps getting better: “… they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

When we used to sing this as undergraduates it used to end with important words: “Teach me Lord, teach me Lord, to wait.”

Wait upon the Lord, Brother and be blessed.

As ever,

David

Revelation 12:1-5a

The Woman and the Dragon

¹A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ²She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. ³Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. ⁴His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. ⁵And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne …

I am reminded that John was writing in code; he and other Christians were being persecuted for their faith and so he needed to write to the Churches in such a way so as not to cause offence and heighten the already horrible time they were having. For the casual reader, it seemed like a colourful fantasy, an ancient equivalent of a science-fiction drama, escapist and harmless. But for the initiated, it is a tale of wonderful encouragement and blessing; a source of inspiration for those struggling with the travail of life and torment.

One the surface, one can take it that references to ‘Babylon’ were references to Rome and most (almost all) the other images come from the Old Testament. The average Christian leader of the day would have been steeped in the Scriptures and so would have known exactly what the images meant. On a few occasions (and this is one of them) they would have required a little more thought. The case in point is the identity of the woman: because the reference to the Son is obviously the Messiah – Jesus - some have thought that the woman was a reference to Mary.

One of my favourite New Testament scholars, Bruce M Metzger is full of insight. He has an excellent little book on Revelation entitled Breaking the Code. On this section he explains that, periodically, John gives us a brief history lesson – a ‘flashback’ to the past as a preface to his future vision. And this is one of those occasions. As James Efird in his Revelation for Today adds, ‘… the author describes the flow of history from an earlier time to the current period of persecution. This serves to show how the present evil time has evolved.’ (page 86) Metzger’s ‘flashback,’ at one level, is telling of the birth of Jesus and the attempt of King Herod to kill Jesus soon after. Instead of just giving a straight historical narrative as Matthew and Luke do, ‘… John presents a heavenly tableau of characters that are portrayed with sensational Near Eastern imagery …’ (page 72) But, as always, John writes a message that has more than one level of meaning.

So, who is the woman referred to in this passage? On closer reflection, Mary does not seem to be the obvious choice. Others have suggested that it could refer to the Christian Church or even to the Jewish people. Most scholars eventually agree that it is probably a reference to a ‘… personification of the ideal community of God’s people, first in its Jewish form, in which Mary gave birth to Jesus the Messiah, and then in its Christian form, in which it was persecuted by a political power as evil as the dragon …’ (Metzger, p. 74).

It was out of the community of God’s original people – the Jews – that Jesus came in history the first time. It is out of the Christian community today that Christ must come, i.e. we must be Christ, for those who have never known him. Today the Church is the Mother. There are going to be challenges and there will be opposition, just as we saw was the case for Jeremiah and Paul and as we know it is a reality for many people still today. But no matter how strong the opposition and how we might struggle as we go through life – both as a community of faith and as individuals seeking to be obedient in what God has called us to do - we are ‘… under the protection of God and, therefore can never be ultimately destroyed.’ (Barclay, p. 76)

Richard Bewes reminds us that this passage enables us to look at a parallel view of the entire era spanned by our Lord’s first and second comings, and we are introduced  ‘… to the unseen spiritual conflict that lies behind our world’s struggles …’ (page 63) John reminded his first readers that the persecution they were facing was more than a mere religious community standing against and imperial power – the Romans – it was also part of the ‘… ongoing conflict between the divine and the demonic, between the higher and the fallen power, between light and darkness …’ (ibid.)

True, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of finding a devil under every bush and blaming all our evils on Satan. I remember a wonderfully amusing sketch by Bill Cosby where his wife, after such a sermon, blamed everything, from a bad meal to the reckless purchase of an expensive dress on the ‘deceiver’ exclaiming: “Don’t blame me; it was the Devil!” But at the same time, I believe that the greatest victory that the Devil or Satan ever achieved was to convince the world that he does not exist, because then he can go about his ways without any opposition. It does not take a huge leap into absurdity to recognize the very real nature of evil in our world. We see it manifest in parents hiding their children to gain reward money; we see it in dictators allowing their people to starve, die of curable diseases and live in dire circumstances, while they live in the lap of luxury. It was manifest in Apartheid South Africa, Hitler’s Germany, Polpot’s Cambodia, Stalin’s Russia – the list sadly continues. But could it also be closer to our back garden. Does it include selfish bankers whose irresponsible dealings have forced thousands to lose their jobs and their homes and security and all the misery that has resulted? Could it also be manifest in the selfish business people who exploit their staff for the sake of their own profit? Could it also be in the selfishness of shareholders putting profit above principle?

Earlier I concluded that the mother / woman in the text could be a reference to the people of God throughout the ages. To refer back to history this could have been a reference to the people of Israel and their bondage in Egypt, their wandering in exile and their travail and persecution - these being the birth pangs - but resulting in the delivery of the Messiah from within their midst. We have already seen that some take it more literally and even see Herod the dragon and Jesus being rushed to Egypt to escape the ‘Massacre of the Innocents’. There is some logic in this, because it is obvious to me that Herod was an instrument of Satan. But I believe there is more. True, Satan was especially active during the time of Jesus ministry, culminating on the death of our Lord. It might have appeared to him that he had won – but he had not! By far the majority of scholars see verse 5 and the reference to the child being ‘…snatched away and taken to God and to his throne …’ as referring to our Lord’s Ascension. Bewes comments: “Jesus’ saving work was completed, at the Cross. The resurrection established it. The Ascension celebrated it!” (page 64)

As always, John’s message also has a timeless element. What was true for Israel is true for today’s community of God’s people. We continue as the woman, and we experience birth pangs. We are out in the ‘wilderness’, as was the Apostle Paul for much of his ministry and as was Jeremiah and others before him. Many Christians and especially those of us who are ordained ministers will all be able to identify with the solitude of our Christian position, the pressure to compromise and sometimes even the adversity we have to endure for our faith, often in subtle almost impossible to identify ways; for this is the red dragon at his most powerful, when his presence is not obvious.

And this is where this passage is such a wonderful comfort and blessing; the woman fled into the desert where she found a ‘… place prepared by God so that she could be nourished …’

In this passage, the reference to the child being taken up can be a reference to Christ’s Ascension: but why no reference to anything in between? Barclay comments:

“It is due to the fact that all through the revelation, John’s interest is not in the human Jesus but in the exalted Christ, who is able to rescue his people in the time of their distress.” (Page 78)

Even in the midst of our travail, we Christians often find a sense of real peace and tranquillity. I remember well the four times when I was dying because of the (at the time) undiagnosed pancreatic tumour, but throughout, I knew more than at any other time in my life, a real sense of the closeness of God and I experienced, in a deep and beautiful way, the “… peace of God, that which passes all understanding …” This is because the victory is ours; the red dragon has been defeated. We, the Church might flee into the desert, but it is to a place created there for us by God, and there we are nourished. John was probably inspired by the time when Elijah was fed by the ravens in the desert (1 Kings 17:1-7) and again by the angelic messenger (1 Kings 19:1-8). John had also lived through a time when people had to flee into the wilderness for safety. We all know that being a Christian can be a lonely thing, especially when we are called upon to witness to the truth of the Gospel – but, as Barclay adds: “ … even in human loneliness there is divine companionship …” (page 80).

THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY

Here are the readings for the Third Sunday of Epiphany     22 January 2012

Genesis 14:17-20

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹⁷ After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).
 ¹⁸ Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, ¹⁹ and he blessed Abram, saying,
   “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
   Creator of heaven and earth.
²⁰ And praise be to God Most High,
   who delivered your enemies into your hand.”
   Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Revelation 19:6-10

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
   “Hallelujah!
   For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
   and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
   and his bride has made herself ready.
⁸ Fine linen, bright and clean,
   was given her to wear.”
   (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
 ⁹ Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
 ¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

John 2:1-11

New International Version (NIV)

John 2

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

 ¹ On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”    ⁴ “Woman,^[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
 ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
 ⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.^[b]
 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
 ⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
   They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
 ¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.



Weddings in the middle east go on for up to 7 days and its easy for refreshments to run out. Furthermore, there is not the same formal etiquette about receiving nicely printed invitations. It is very much more relaxed. And in this case, Jesus dropped in and brought 5 other unexpected guests which may well have contributed to the crisis which arose.

One of the techniques when reading the bible is to look for levels of meaning, stating with the superficial and going deeper into the symbolic. Superficially this is an embarrassing story for a number of reasons. First, Jesus spent time at a social occasion. Some Christians are not very good at socialising. Perhaps Jesus should not have been wasting precious time so soon after his baptism and the start of his ministry! But Jesus had time in his life for a social life. There is a contrast between Jesus and John the Baptist. John came fasting but Jesus came feasting. Jesus was even nicknamed the party-goer because people were always hearing of Jesus at a party. He certainly didn't spend all his time preaching. He enjoy the company of other people. That's why so often when someone came to Jesus they threw a party and invited friends and neighbours. Jesus was not a killjoy!

A second source of embarrassment was Jesus' provision of wine - 2400 glasses! We must face the fact that although John the Baptist was tee-total, Jesus was not. Of course he never got completely drunk and behaved like an animal.

A third problem superficially is the way Jesus spoke to his mother in this passage. "Woman, don't tell me what to do." Sounds very rude and disrespectful. We must understand why Mary said what she said and why Jesus replied the way he did. Jesus knew his mother well. We must presume that Joseph was dead and that she relied on Jesus. And as Jesus looked into his mother's eyes he may have seen a mother's pride speaking, "Jesus show them who you are"  I'm so proud of you".  And so Jesus replies, "I must take my orders from a heavenly Father not an earthly mother."

If we go deeper, we see something about Jesus here. First, Jesus honours marriage. It was the first public thing he did - to attend a wedding. God made sex and marriage and, yes it is true that Jesus was not married but he is going to be when his bride the Church is united to him. Second, Jesus helps people in trouble. The young couple didn't realise how soon in married life they would be in trouble and embarrassed in front of their friends. Jesus came to help them.

Kierkegaard once said something very profound. He said that Jesus performed a wonderful miracle when he turned water into wine; but the Church has performed a more wonderful miracle by turning wine into water!  The power and the "kick" of our Faith is often watered down so much that we become ineffectual.

Mark

Revelation 5.1-10 (NRSV)

The Scroll and the Lamb

¹Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; ²and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ ³And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’

⁶ Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. ⁸When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ⁹They sing a new song:
‘You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
   saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;
¹⁰ you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,
   and they will reign on earth.’

John 1.43-end (NRSV)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ ⁴⁶Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ ⁴⁷When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ ⁴⁸Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ ⁴⁹Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ ⁵⁰Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ ⁵¹And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

My text is written in John 1.46 b: where Philip says to Nathaniel: ‘Come and see.’

I remember well, when I read this passage from Revelation for the first time in preparation for a sermon (as distinct from mere reading it for pleasure). I was gripped by the imagery of the whole scene. Many scholars link chapter 5 with chapter 4: the vivid colours, the crystal sea and the drama of the occasion. How wonderful would it be if someone like George Lukas, the producer of the Star Wars series, were to make a film of this book using all the fantastic special effects technology available to capture the wonderful imagery?

When I was reading it back in ‘94 in preparation for my expository series, I felt gripped in the vision.  I felt the sense of anticipation: all was about to be revealed – the secret of life. I could feel John’s sense of excitement and then his disappointment – there was no one worthy to open the scroll and for the truth to be revealed – and he wept!

As Richard Bewes puts it: “It is a terrible thing to be unable to solve the mystery of life.”

What could be more pertinent in today’s world? All the gods of the 20^th century have been proven worthless. I feel deeply for the many that have lost so much financially and the struggle that lies ahead for them. I also know that for those who are in Christ, the struggle can also be tough, but it will be borne with a deep sense of hope and even joy in the midst of it all because they will know some sense of meaning and purpose. But for others it is going to be especially difficult because there is, for them, no meaning at all. Bewes makes an interesting comment:

At various times in history the despair of thinking people has reached a time of crisis. This happened in the first century AD, with the mounting phobia of death. It was no coincidence that, simultaneously, the resurrection of Christ began to be heralded by the Church, gossiped on the highways of the Roman Empire, scrawled upon the walls of the catacombs. There was an answer!

Crises will happen – it is part of the mystery of life – and the Church has the answer. Rowan Williams claims that it is Jesus that fills in the missing pieces in the puzzle of the meaning of life (my paraphrase). But has it – or has the Church forgotten it? Are we singing the new song or have we found other songs that have distorted the music? I have found, recently, local churches that are singing the new song loud and clear, and it is my privilege to be part of them. But is there not a challenge in this passage for the Church as a whole? Why are we still divided? Should our focus be on things like sexuality? I am sure you can think of more issues that take us away from the Gospel …

By the time of the Middle Ages the Church was no longer proclaiming the Gospel and so the world was plunged into a crisis of guilt – and the Reformers (both Protestant and Catholic) - needed to rediscover it again and set the people free. The people of our world are steeped in a morass of meaninglessness. Are we doing what is needed to give them a new song to sing?

The world keeps on being told that the Cross of Christ is meaningless. We still have so-called theologians going on TV programmes stating that the Bible is completely discredited, or that at the heart of Christianity is hatred and violence against others. I am not saying that the Church in the past has not been guilty of atrocities or that dreadful things have not been performed by those claiming to be Christians. But this does not mean that the finger can be pointed at Jesus. I am with Bonhoeffer who called for a ‘religionless’ Christianity – getting rid of all the trimmings that are in the way of things and returning to the essence – the risen, living Christ.

Each day as I watch and listen to the news, I see a world that is weeping – and we have a message: Do not weep! There is an answer. But it does not seem obvious to the world. They expect the answer to come from someone strong and powerful (a lion), but it comes from one who is the epitome of love (the Lamb).

In our Gospel reading, Philip could not keep the good news that he had discovered to himself and rushed to find Nathaniel. Notice that he did not argue – for I believe that no one is ever argued into the Kingdom of God and arguments do more harm than good. Philip had something much more powerful to offer: ‘Come and see’. The best evangelist is the person who had actually encountered the risen Christ.

Nathaniel had been thinking deeply about Christ. We know from contemporary sources that vines and fig trees were symbols of places of peace and meditation for their owners. We also know that the author of the Fourth Gospel always uses the richest of symbols in all his writing in order to try to tease out the depth of meaning. When Nathaniel met Jesus, he experienced the deepest sense of self understanding: here was someone who understood his dreams, who knew his prayers, who had seen into his intimate and secret longings – things he had never even out into words – the heavens opened and angels ascending and descending. This reminds us of the lovely image of the ladder between earth and heaven, referred to in Genesis, and Jacob’s experience at Bethel. But now Jacob’s ladder is replaced by Jesus and that, when we come to God in prayer and worship, the avenue of angels and all the company of heaven join the earthly and the heavenly together. In John’s vision, praise breaks out as the Lamb opens the scroll and they all sing out a new song.

Have you seen the wonderful film Educating Rita? We watched it as a family over the Christmas period. In the midst of trying to educate herself and finding hostility from her husband and family, Susan (her real name – she calls herself Rita as part of a game she plays with her tutor) finds herself in a pub singing along with husband and family, some popular song in time to the jute box. Her family are delighted that they have taken her away from her studies – but she finds the whole process empty and unsatisfying and replies to her mother: “Surely there must be a better song to sing!” (One of the privileges of being in education is that we give people choices of songs to sing … In the Church we can offer the song …)

We have the song – but we need to make sure that we singing it? Let us ‘…Sing unto the Lord a new song …’

I also  found myself also looking at the Old Testament lesson for Sunday (1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]) where I found another lovely image – in verse 11: ‘The Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears it tingle.” In the context of this passage, the ears of Eli and his sons would tingle, because they were about to hear the words of God’s judgement. But our ears tingle, because we hear the words of God’s love for us, our families and friends and all who would come to be embraced by this love.

As we renew our Covenant with God, let us all be reminded of his great love for us, for the new song we have been given to sing, and of the joy that is ours, that we too can say with great conviction, because we have experienced the presence of Christ in our prayers in the sacraments and as we love others, ‘Come and see …’

Amen 

AN OLD MAN HALLUCINATES?

Here follow the readings for the Second Sunday of Epiphany

1 Samuel 3:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

The LORD Calls Samuel

 ¹ The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.  ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.
   Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
 ⁶ Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
 ⁸ A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
 ¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
   Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Revelation 5:1-10

New International Version (NIV)

The Scroll and the Lamb

 ¹ Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  ⁶ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits^[a] of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. ⁸ And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹ And they sang a new song, saying:
   “You are worthy to take the scroll
   and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
   and with your blood you purchased for God
   persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
   and they will reign^[b] on the earth.”

John 1:43-51

New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

 ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”  ⁴⁴ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
 ⁴⁶ “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
   “Come and see,” said Philip.
 ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
 ⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
   Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
 ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
 ⁵⁰ Jesus said, “You believe^[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” ⁵¹ He then added, “Very truly I tell you,^[b] you^[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’^[d] the Son of Man.”



Some brief thoughts on the phrase in verse 11 of the New Testament reading for Sunday “…the one seated on the throne…”

This of course refers to John’s vision in Revelation 4, “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.”

I looked up some descriptions of the book of Revelation – just for fun. Here are some.

‘Beautiful beyond description!’
‘It either finds one mad or leaves one mad!’
‘The only masterpiece of pure art in the New Testament.’
‘A haphazard accumulation of weird symbols’

What always strikes me about this wonderfully weird book of Revelation is how cryptic it is. Almost as though John was writing in coded language to Christians to encourage them in a time of uncertainty and suffering in such a way as to avoid detection by the Roman authorities who were persecuting them.

This is an apocalyptic book. That is, it gives us a peep behind the scenes. A glimpse at the way the world REALLY is, not the way it seems to be to us -trapped in time and space.

Christians in Asia Minor (now Turkey) were under persecution by either Diocletian or Nero at that time and John describes seeing a door open in heaven and someone sitting on the throne – and it’s NOT NERO! As much as to say to suffering Christians,

‘Remember, things are not as they seem to be. The Emperor may seem to be on the throne and in charge but, in reality – in the real world – Jesus is on the throne. Things may seem to be out of control and your prayers may seem to go unanswered and your suffering may seem to be pointless but THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY SEEM TO BE! Jesus is actually still on the throne but only we Christians can see that.’

What a wonderfully simple and yet profound way to encourage a suffering people. When people are afraid because of economic suffering we can remind them that things are not out of control. There is order and purpose to it all. When people suffer indescribable agonies in Zimbabwe or the Middle East I really hope that Christians there are able to remind them that things are not what they seem to be. When we fall into sin and it seems that the evil one is rampant in our lives– things are not what they seem to be! Jesus Christ is still on the throne and he still loves us and is willing to forgive us unconditionally. When atheism and secular humanism seem to be gaining ground all around us – things are not what they seem to be! Jesus Christ is still on the throne. That is how we can gain mastery over all the challenges we face.

The other wonderful thing about this passage is the hallucination. Hallucination? Yes, if you read the passage carefully you notice that one of the elders points John to a lion – the lion of the tribe of Judah who has conquered. Yet when John looks for the lion he sees a Lamb which looked like it had been slaughtered. The lion of Judah, the Lamb of God.

Obviously (well it seems obvious to me) these are again coded references to Jesus and we are all familiar now with the beautiful image of Aslan in CS Lewis’ imagination. Two reflections here. On one level this is telling us something about the work and the ways of Jesus. His work because his power lay in his sacrificial death - like a lamb to the slaughter he did not open his mouth. His ways because in his life and ministry he always knew how to strike the perfect balance between strength and apparent weakness (of course it was not weakness at all).

On another level, as disciples, this is a wonderful pattern for us to strive to follow. I must strive every day, in the power of the Spirit, to be both lion and lamb – but in the right balance! That’s where the problem comes in. I see myself acting out these two roles every day but almost always in the wrong balance. I’m a lamb when I should be a lion! And then I’m a lion when I should be a lamb!

‘Gentle Jesus meek and mild…’ Well Jesus certainly wasn’t mild but he was meek. Lord, help me to be meek like you. A lion and a lamb in perfect balance.

Mark