The Transfiguration ... early this week!

Luke 9.28-36 (NRSV)

The Transfiguration

28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

In this study we see Jesus, Peter, James and John on the top of a mountain where Jesus confirmed to them what they had come to understand as Jesus' true identity - that Jesus was the Messiah. Appearing with Moses can be seen as symbolising Jesus as the total fulfilment of the Law; appearing with Elijah can be seen as symbolising Jesus as the fulfilment of everything the prophets had foretold about the Messiah. This great event therefore confirms the truth of what the disciples had confessed about Jesus - that he was in fact the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of the world. This reaches a climax in verse 35 when the Father spoke: 'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him'.

The Father told the disciples to listen to Jesus. Remember what Jesus had been telling them - that he was on his way to Jerusalem where he would suffer. The disciples needed some encouragement after hearing the hard words about bearing a cross; they also needed some graphic confirmation that Jesus was who he claimed to be.

It must have been an amazing experience. It was so wonderful that Peter never wanted it to end. Peter's desire to remain and revel in this ecstasy is indicative of what many of us feel in our moments of glory. The commentator in the Life Application Bible writes:

            Sometimes we too have such an inspiring experience that we want to stay where we are - away from the reality and problems of our daily lives. Knowing that struggles await us in the valley encourages us to linger on the mountaintop. Yet staying on top of a mountain prohibits us from ministering to others.

Peter's response also reveals another danger - the problem of people running after wonderful experiences. There is no doubting that it is important to have encouraging and uplifting experiences - but we must never fall into the trap of trying to rekindle them to the exclusion of everything else. So many people fall into this trap. Some have become spiritual grasshoppers - jumping from church to church in search of experiences. Many churches go through times of incredible growth when they introduce something new and exciting. People flock from all other churches and join - but they only remain until some other group creates something fresh and new or the experience has worn off.

This is a truth in all areas of life. We only really enjoy and appreciate the times of delight and happiness when the times of sadness remind us of our great blessings. We take many things for granted until something happens to make us to cherish our blessings. People who are told that they have a limited time left to live start taking notice of their loved ones and their environment in a special way - sometimes for the first time in years. I am sure you can think of many other examples.

To base one's life and faith on experiences is a terrible mistake because our experiences are so fickle. What we need to base of lives on is the Word of God. Wiersbe writes:

            As wonderful as these experiences are, they are not the basis for a consistent Christian life. That can come only through the Word of God. Experiences come and go, but the Word remains. Our recollection of past experiences will fade, but God's Word never changes. ... That was why the Father said "Hear Him!" and why Peter made this same emphasis on the Word in his report [in] 2 Peter 1:12-21.

Listen to excerpts from Peter's message in that passage:

            ... with our own eyes we saw his true greatness ... We were there with Jesus on the Holy mountain and heard this voice speak from heaven. All of this makes us even more certain that what the prophets said is true. So you should pay close attention to their message, as you would to a lamp shining in some dark place. (CEV)

When we base our lives on the Word of God, we begin to experience the process whereby we experience our own personal, spiritual transfiguration. Luke does not actually use the Greek work that is translated as transfiguration. Matthew and Mark do. The word is metamorphose which means to experience a change in our nature and character. This is what salvation is all about, the transform­ing of people from sin to holiness. This is God's will for us. Paul explains in Romans 12:1-2:

            Therefore, my friends, I implore you by God's mercy to offer your very selves to him: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for his accept­ance, the worship offered by mind and heart. Conform no longer to the pattern of this present world, but be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

In Christ's transfiguration on the mountain the Father also emphasised this very point - He told the disciples to listen. In the context of the passage the Father was saying to the disciples - as paraphrased by Donald Miller:

            Unreasonable as his account of his suffering may seem, and incongruous though it may be with your idea of Messiahship, nevertheless listen to what he is saying, and believe it! You are the ones who do not know what you are saying ... Jesus does. Listen to him!

It is only in Luke's account that we are told of the conversation that took place at the transfiguration. In verse 31 we read: 'They ... talked about all that Jesus' death in Jerusalem would mean'.

Because this was the topic of conversation at such a time 'shows how central the death of Jesus is' (Morris). The word Luke uses to describe 'death' here is exodos. Because this is an unusual word to use in this context we should take note of some special significance. Morris explains that we are intended to see Jesus' death as it is related to Israel's exodus out of slavery in Egypt. He elaborates:

            The Exodus had delivered Israel from bondage. Jesus by His 'exodos' would deliver His people from far worse bondage.

Ellis links the significance of this to what Jesus had taught the people beforehand:

            The 'exodus' typology is clearly in view. Jesus is the new Moses who establishes a new Israel, gives a new covenant, and through his death and resurrection delivers God's people from the 'Egypt' of sin and death.

The death of Jesus is the central teaching of the Scriptures. The entire Old Testament looks forward to it and the entire New Testament elaborates on it - taking us into the depths of what it means. As J C Ryle states:

            Let us take heed that this death of Christ is the ground of all our confidence. Nothing else will give us comfort in the hour of death and the day of judgement. ... Christ dying for our sins and rising again for our justification must be our only plea, if we wish to be saved.

Ryle concludes: 'If saints in glory see in Christ's death so much beauty, that they must needs talk of it, how much more ought sinners on earth!'

The Cross of Christ is central to our faith. But more than that, because of the Cross of Christ we not only have a wonderful eternity waiting for us after death, we have the opportunity to know heaven on earth as we fight and conquer sin in our lives in the power if the Holy Spirit. We are offered forgiveness and transfiguration - the metamorphosis of our lives as God renews our minds and thereby our lives. Let us not be like Peter and seek only the joy of the mountain top experiences. But let us listen to God's word and allow it to transform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Luke 2.22-40 (NRSV)

Luke 2.22-40 (NRSV)

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), ²⁴and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
²⁹ ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
   according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹   which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’

33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed ³⁵so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, ³⁷then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

These verses deal with the time when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord. Mary was also required by the Law of Moses to go through a purification rite as all women after childbirth, were considered ritually unclean. While at the Temple, they met an old man called Simeon, who had some interesting things to say about their child Jesus.

Verse 21 tells us of how Jesus was circumcised. Every Jewish boy was required by the Law of Moses, to be circumcised eight days after his birth. This ceremony was considered so important that it was even permissible to perform this rite on the Sabbath, if that turned out to be the eighth day. We read in Galatians 4:4:

... when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law so he could set us free from the law, and we could become God's children.

Notice secondly, verses 22-24 tell also of the obedience of Mary and Joseph. In obedience to Exodus 13:2, they were publicly acknowledging that their first-born son was sacred to God. By doing this Jews remembered back to the time when all first born males were spared when the angel of death passed over Egypt before the Exodus. The Law laid down that parents needed to give their child to God by presenting him at the Temple, and buy him back from the priests for the sum of five sheckles - about 70p. The blood of earthly lambs ensured the salvation of the first-born males in Egypt; the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, can save all those who come to him. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 5:7:

... Our Passover lamb is Christ, who has already been sacrificed.

Peter also writes in 1 Peter 1:19:

You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.

Mary had to go through a cleansing ritual. When a woman had given birth, if it was a boy she was considered ritually unclean for forty days, if a girl, for eighty days. She could go about her household and do her daily work but she was not allowed to enter the Temple or share in any religious ceremony. At the end of this period of waiting, the mother was required to sacrifice a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering.

Because this was expensive Leviticus 12:8 records that if one was unable to afford the lamb, the mother was permitted to bring a second pigeon in its place. The offering of two pigeons was called 'The offering of the poor'. Mary could only afford the offering of the poor. This reminds us of the fact that Jesus was brought up in a very ordinary home, where there were no luxuries and where every cent had to be spent wisely. Jesus was a member of a family that knew all about the difficulties of making a living and the insecurities of life on this earth.

In verses 25-35 tell of the encounter of Mary and Joseph with Simeon. We are only told that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Christ, the Lord. When Mary and Joseph entered the Temple, the Spirit told Simeon that the time was now. This meeting between Simeon and Jesus is loaded with significance. Remember Simeon's first words: ‘Lord, I am your servant, and now I can die in peace ...’

Because Simeon met with Christ he no longer had any fear of death. He knew that God would send the world a saviour and when that saviour came, even though he came in the form of a baby boy of poor people - Simeon believed and so could die in peace.

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings true wisdom and understanding. Jesus can equip all people everywhere to understand the meaning of life. The reason why the world is in such a mess is because it has rejected Christ and his Word.

From verse 34, Simeon prophesied about the work and fate of our Lord. He stated that many in Israel would fall as a result of Jesus. Many Israelites as well as gentiles refused and even today continue to refuse to accept Christ. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1:23:

... we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross [so that people might be saved]. Most Jews have problems with this, and most gentiles think it is foolish.

Jesus never forces people to fall. People fall when they stubbornly and deliberately choose to refuse Christ's offer of grace. Still today Simeon's prophecy is being fulfilled. But more importantly, Jesus enables many to stand. They have been filled with his Spirit and know fullness of life on this earth and like Simeon also have no fear of death. Jesus lifts many people out of their old lives and gives them the gift of a new life where sin no longer dominates and where Christ fills our lives with dignity and wholeness.

The light of Christ causes people to face the truth about themselves. Therefore, Jesus acts as a warning sign to people. But many people do not like what they see, so rather than face reality, they reject him.

In verse 36, we meet Anna. Nowhere else in the Scriptures do we encounter her. The details about who she was are not important. Anna provides us with a beautifully human example of a Godly person. All Christians are required to imitate Christ and Anna, like John the Baptist and Simeon and others, provides us with a testimony of how ordinary everyday people can draw close to God.

After seven years of marriage Anna had lost her husband. Today her plight might not seem too serious but in these times it was considered a great shame. We read in Isaiah 54:4 that widowhood was considered by some, a curse. While the Scriptures condemned the poor treatment of widows, the norm of ancient society was generally one where widows were condemned to a life of loneliness and poverty. Only a few were fortunate enough to re-marry as society considered widows as inferior to virgins or unmarried women.

Anna had spent the remainder of her life after the death of her husband, alone. By the time we meet her in Luke's gospel, she was about 84 years old. We have no precise details about Anna's predicament, but we can safely deduce that she had known sorrow. It is however; also equally obvious that she had never grown bitter.

All of us have known sorrow. Sorrow can do one of two things: it can make us embittered, hard, resentful and rebellious against God; or it can make us kind, softer and more sympathetic and loving towards others. It can make shipwreck of our faith or it can make our faith stronger. Anna, despite what she had to go through in her life, obviously had a wonderful life, a whole life, a fulfilling life.

One of the reasons why Anna did far more than just cope with her circumstances was that she had her priorities right. She knew that she could not cope with life alone. She knew, as we all know today, that if she was to survive - more than that, still enjoy life and get the most out of life - she would have to stop relying on her own strength and become totally dependent upon God. And so she set about relying on God. We read how in verse 37:

She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.

Firstly, Anna was regular in worship. Luke records that she was to be found in the temple both night and day. In our times this would mean that Anna would have attended all the services in the church.

Nobody should come to church out of a sense of duty. We should all come to church because we know that we want to be here. While we can meet with God at any time and in any place - God meets with his people in a special way when they come together as his family to worship him. Christians therefore come to church because they want to and because they need to. God has promised that when his people gather together to worship Him he will bless them. We read in Psalm 84:4-5:

How happy are those who live in your temple, always singing praises to you. How happy are those whose strength comes from you, who are eager to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion.

When people are in trouble, they find comfort in coming to the house of God. We read of the example of king Hezekiah when he heard that they were about to be attacked by the Assyrians in Isaiah 37:1:

As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the Lord.

Coming to Church is also a place where people receive instruction from the Word of God. The focus of Christian worship is the Word of God - where we learn about who we are, who God is and how we ought to live. We are reminded of this in the prophecy of Micah 4:2 where the people said:

Let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel's God. For he will teach us what he wants us to do; we will walk in the paths he has chosen.

William Barclay states:

We rob ourselves of a priceless treasure when we neglect to be one with his worshipping people.

Anna was able to cope and experience a full life because she was regular at worship with the people of God. Here she received comfort and instruction from the Lord and met with Him in a deep and significant way.

Notice also that she is described as one who prayed. Public worship is fantastic and an integral part of the Christians life and well being, but nothing can replace a regular private prayer life. Some people think that if they come to church regularly, that is enough. It is not. We cannot draw close to God, we cannot discover his will for our lives, we cannot know his peace in all circumstances, unless we regularly spend time with him in prayer. The years had left Anna without bitterness. Anna obviously led a full and contented life because day by day she kept in contact with God. Coming to God daily gave her strength to take each day as it comes.

Prayers are absolutely crucial for all Christian people. No person can ever hope to discover meaning in their life, no person can discover direction in their lives, no person can ever know true peace - that peace of God which passes all understanding (Philippians 4.7) - unless we spend time speaking and listening to God. There needs to be a time in every person's day when they are absolutely and completely alone, away from all others, when they can be quiet and commune with God. Remember that well known teaching of our Lord on prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:6:

... When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you.

Many people feel that they cannot pray because they do not know what to say. But the words one uses are not really that important. The beauty of the words used and perfectness of the grammar has nothing to do with the effectiveness of our prayers. I am often flattered when people come to me and compliment me for what they think was a 'beautiful' prayer that I might have said as part of worship. But the prayers of all Christians are as beautiful and can be as effective if one gives ourselves over to the Lord and if we open ourselves to the leading of his Spirit. Praying is easy. All we need to do is go to a quiet place, relax and open ourselves to God, give him our thoughts and allow him to inspire us. Remember those wonderful words in Romans 8:26-27:

In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is there to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. All our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people.

When we are able to spend time being quiet, allowing God to organise our thoughts, when we spend time meditating or listening to God, then we will be blessed in ways that we cannot imagine, we will come to know God more intimately than we have ever dreamed possible and we will be enabled to start experiencing what it means to have meaning, purpose and direction in our lives. We will also be enabled to accept who we are and who we will be as God transforms us and renews us. We will experience life in all its fullness. (John 10.10).

The depth of spiritual experience that we see in the lives of people like Anna is available for all people. You do not need to be an academic or a well read person to be able to experience God in the same way as the great heroes of the faith. Mary was a simple, poor young lass - yet she was close to God; Joseph was a carpenter - yet he was close to God. David was a shepherd - yet he was close to God. Peter was a fisherman - yet he drew close to God. Anna, despite the cruel blow she experienced early in her life, did not let what had happened wreck the rest of her life. All too often people whose lives are a mess, have excellent reasons for the problems in their lives. So many alcoholics can look back into something that happened in their childhood that they believe has caused them to be in the state they are in; child abusers, criminals and others can do the same. The world is in fact made up of people who are past masters, experts in making excuses for their failures. While our past might enable us to better understand ourselves, we need not be enslaved to it and its consequences. Anna was not. She was freed from the trauma of her past and lived a full and glorious life filled with joy and hope. Paul was also a man who had every excuse to be a grovelling wreck. He had been an accessory to murder, he had persecuted the people of Christ - he was guilty. Paul knew that he was forgiven and so could be freed from his past and its consequences. He writes in Philippians 3:12b: ‘... I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.’

What is ahead for all Christians is a closer and more intimate walk with God. What lies ahead is a more glorious life, getting better all the time because we are becoming more and more like Jesus. While our bodies might be getting older and weaker, our spirits and souls can be continually renewed, more refined and made more beautiful. Be regular at worship, be regular at the sacraments, be regular in prayer and the other spiritual disciplines and you will be renewed, draw closer to God and experience the joy and wonder of life in Christ.

Luke 2 - Candlemas - The presentation of Christ in the Temple

The presentation of Christ in the Temple.

Luke 2:21-35.

(Please note, much of the historical background here comes from Barclay, Daily Study Bible).

These verses deal with the time when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord. Mary was also required by the Law of Moses to go through a purification rite as all woman, after childbirth, were considered ritually unclean. While at the Temple, they met an old man called Simeon, who had some interesting things to say about their child Jesus.

Verse 21 tells us of how Jesus was circumcised. Every Jewish boy was required by the Law of Moses, to be circumcised eight days after his birth. This ceremony was considered so important that it was even permissible to perform this rite on the Sabbath, if that turned out to be the eighth day. We read in Galatians 4:4:

... when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law so he could set us free from the law, and we could become God's children.

Notice secondly, verses 22-24 tell also of the obedience of Mary and Joseph. In obedience to Exodus 13:2, they were publicly acknowledging that their first-born son was sacred to God. By doing this Jews remembered back to the time when all first born males were spared when the angel of death passed over Egypt before the Exodus. The Law laid down that parents needed to give their child to God by presenting him at the Temple, and buy him back from the priests for the sum of five sheckles - about 70p. The blood of earthly lambs ensured the salvation of the first-born males in Egypt; the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, can save all those who come to him. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 5:7:

... Our Passover lamb is Christ, who has already been sacrificed.

Peter also writes in 1 Peter 1:19:

You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb.

Mary had to go through a cleansing ritual. When a woman had given birth, if it was a boy she was considered ritually unclean for forty days, if a girl, for eighty days. She could go about her household and do her daily work but she was not allowed to enter the Temple or share in any religious ceremony. At the end of this period of waiting, the mother was required to sacrifice a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering. Because this was expensive Leviticus 12:8 records that if one was unable to afford the lamb, the mother was permitted to bring a second pigeon in its place. The offering of two pigeons was called 'The offering of the poor'. Mary could only afford the offering of the poor. This reminds us of the fact that Jesus was brought up in a very ordinary home, where there were no luxuries and where every cent had to be spent wisely. Jesus was a member of a family that knew all about the difficulties of making a living and the insecurities of life on this earth.

In verses 25-35 tell of the encounter of Mary and Joseph with Simeon. We are only told that the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Christ, the Lord. When Mary and Joseph entered the Temple, the Spirit told Simeon that the time was now. This meeting between Simeon and Jesus is loaded with significance. Remember Simeon's first words: ‘Lord, I am your servant, and now I can die in peace ...’

Because Simeon met with Christ he no longer had any fear of death. He knew that God would send the world a saviour and when that saviour came, even though he came in the form of a baby boy of poor people - Simeon believed and so could die in peace.

The gospel of Jesus Christ brings true wisdom and understanding. Jesus can equip all people everywhere to understand the meaning of life. The reason why the world is in such a mess is because it has rejected Christ and his Word.

From verse 34, Simeon prophesied about the work and fate of our Lord. He stated that many in Israel would fall as a result of Jesus. Many Israelites as well as gentiles refused and even today continue to refuse to accept Christ. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 1:23:

... we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross [so that people might be saved]. Most Jews have problems with this, and most gentiles think it is foolish.

Jesus never forces people to fall. People fall when they stubbornly and deliberately choose to refuse Christ's offer of grace. Still today Simeon's prophecy is being fulfilled. But more importantly, Jesus enables many to stand. They have been filled with his Spirit and know fullness of life on this earth and like Simeon also have no fear of death. Jesus lifts many people out of their old lives and gives them the gift of a new life where sin no longer dominates and where Christ fills our lives with dignity and wholeness.

The light of Christ causes people to face the truth about themselves. Therefore, Jesus acts as a warning sign to people. But many people do not like what they see, so rather than face reality, they reject him.

In verse 36, we meet Anna. Nowhere else in the Scriptures do we encounter her. The details about who she was are not important. Anna provides us with a beautifully human example of a Godly person. All Christians are required to imitate Christ and Anna, like John the Baptist and Simeon and others, provides us with a testimony of how ordinary everyday people can draw close to God.

After seven years of marriage Anna had lost her husband. Today her plight might not seem too serious but in these times it was considered a great shame. We read in Isaiah 54:4 that widowhood was considered by some, a curse. While the Scriptures condemned the poor treatment of widows, the norm of ancient society was generally one where widows were condemned to a life of loneliness and poverty. Only a few were fortunate enough to re-marry as society considered widows as inferior to virgins or unmarried women.

Anna had spent the remainder of her life after the death of her husband, alone. By the time we meet her in Luke's gospel, she was about 84 years old. We have no precise details about Anna's predicament, but we can safely deduce that she had known sorrow. It is however; also equally obvious that she had never grown bitter.

All of us have known sorrow. Sorrow can do one of two things: it can make us embittered, hard, resentful and rebellious against God; or it can make us kind, softer and more sympathetic and loving towards others. It can make shipwreck of our faith or it can make our faith stronger. Anna, despite what she had to go through in her life, obviously had a wonderful life, a whole life, a fulfilling life.

One of the reasons why Anna did far more than just cope with her circumstances was that she had her priorities right. She knew that she could not cope with life alone. She knew, as we all know today, that if she was to survive - more than that, still enjoy life and get the most out of life - she would have to stop relying on her own strength and become totally dependent upon God. And so she set about relying on God. We read how in verse 37:

Night and day she served God in the temple by praying and often going without eating.

Firstly, Anna was regular in worship. Luke records that she was to be found in the temple both night and day. In our times this would mean that Anna would have attended all the services in the church.

Nobody should come to church out of a sense of duty. We should all come to church because we know that we want to be here. While we can meet with God at any time and in any place - God meets with his people in a special way when they come together as his family to worship him. Christians therefore come to church because they want to and because they need to. God has promised that when his people gather together to worship Him he will bless them. We read in Psalm 84:4-5:

How happy are those who live in your temple, always singing praises to you. How happy are those whose strength comes from you, who are eager to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion.

When people are in trouble, they find comfort in coming to the house of God. We read of the example of king Hezekiah when he heard that they were about to be attacked by the Assyrians in Isaiah 37:1:

As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the Lord.

Coming to Church is also a place where people receive instruction from the Word of God. The focus of Christian worship is the Word of God - where we learn about who we are, who God is and how we ought to live. We are reminded of this in the prophecy of Micah 4:2 where the people said:

Let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the Temple of Israel's God. For he will teach us what he wants us to do; we will walk in the paths he has chosen.

William Barclay states:

We rob ourselves of a priceless treasure when we neglect to be one with his worshipping people.

Anna was able to cope and experience a full life because she was regular at worship with the people of God. Here she received comfort and instruction from the Lord and met with Him in a deep and significant way.

Notice also that she is described as one who prayed. Public worship is fantastic and an integral part of the Christians life and well being, but nothing can replace a regular private prayer life. Some people think that if they come to church regularly, that is enough. It is not. We cannot draw close to God, we cannot discover his will for our lives, we cannot know his peace in all circumstances, unless we regularly spend time with him in prayer. The years had left Anna without bitterness. Anna obviously led a full and contented life because day by day she kept in contact with God. Coming to God daily gave her strength to take each day as it comes.

Prayers are absolutely crucial for all Christian people. No person can ever hope to discover meaning in their life, no person can discover direction in their lives, no person can ever know true peace - that peace of God which passes all understanding (Philippians 4.7) - unless we spend time speaking and listening to God. There needs to be a time in every person's day when they are absolutely and completely alone, away from all others, when they can be quiet and commune with God. Remember that well known teaching of our Lord on prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:6:

... When you pray, go into a room alone and close the door. Pray to your Father in private. He knows what is done in private and will reward you.

Many people feel that they cannot pray because they do not know what to say. But the words one uses are not really that important. The beauty of the words used and perfectness of the grammar has nothing to do with the effectiveness of our prayers. I am often flattered when people come to me and compliment me for what they think was a 'beautiful' prayer that I might have said as part of worship. But the prayers of all Christians are as beautiful and can be as effective if one gives ourselves over to the Lord and if we open ourselves to the leading of his Spirit. Praying is easy. All we need to do is go to a quiet place, relax and open ourselves to God, give him our thoughts and allow him to inspire us. Remember those wonderful words in Romans 8:26-27:

In certain ways we are weak, but the Spirit is there to help us. For example, when we don't know what to pray for, the Spirit prays for us in ways that cannot be put into words. All our thoughts are known to God. He can understand what is in the mind of the Spirit, as the Spirit prays for God's people.

When we are able to spend time being quiet, allowing God to organise our thoughts, when we spend time meditating or listening to God, then we will be blessed in ways that we cannot imagine, we will come to know God more intimately than we have ever dreamed possible and we will be enabled to start experiencing what it means to have meaning, purpose and direction in our lives. We will also be enabled to accept who we are and who we will be as God transforms us and renews us. We will experience life in all its fullness. (John 10.10).

The depth of spiritual experience that we see in the lives of people like Anna is available for all people. You do not need to be an academic or a well read person to be able to experience God in the same way as the great heroes of the faith. Mary was a simple, poor young lass - yet she was close to God; Joseph was a carpenter - yet he was close to God. David was a shepherd - yet he was close to God. Peter was a fisherman - yet he drew close to God. Anna, despite the cruel blow she experienced early in her life, did not let what had happened wreck the rest of her life. All too often people whose lives are a mess, have excellent reasons for the problems in their lives. So many alcoholics can look back into something that happened in their childhood that they believe has caused them to be in the state they are in; child abusers, criminals and others can do the same. The world is in fact made up of people who are past masters, experts in making excuses for their failures. While our past might enable us to better understand ourselves, we need not be enslaved to it and its consequences. Anna was not. She was freed from the trauma of her past and lived a full and glorious life filled with joy and hope. Paul was also a man who had every excuse to be a grovelling wreck. He had been an accessory to murder, he had persecuted the people of Christ - he was guilty. Paul knew that he was forgiven and so could be freed from his past and its consequences. He writes in Philippians 3:12b: ‘... I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.’

What is ahead for all Christians is a closer and more intimate walk with God. What lies ahead is a more glorious life, getting better all the time because we are becoming more and more like Jesus. While our bodies might be getting older and weaker, our spirits and souls can be continually renewed, more refined and made more beautiful. Be regular at worship, be regular at the sacraments, be regular in prayer and the other spiritual disciplines and you will be renewed, draw closer to God and experience the joy and wonder of life in Christ.

Epiphany 3

Luke 4:14-21 (NRSV)

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. ¹⁵He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
¹⁸‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
¹⁹to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
²⁰And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’

My text this morning is written in Luke 4:16:

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.

After his experience in the desert, verses 14 and 15 remind us that Jesus returned to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. News about him spread everywhere. He taught in the Jewish meeting places, and everyone praised him.

As these verses state, news about Jesus spread everywhere - including Nazareth and so we can imagine the excitement in this village when the people heard that Jesus was to visit them. The people would have flocked to the synagogue on that Sabbath, because they knew that Jesus would be there. We can therefore almost sense the atmosphere of expectation.

In verse 16 we discover a simple yet important truth. We read:

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.

Notice Luke's almost unconscious use of the words 'as was his custom'. Let us never forget who Jesus was - the perfect Son of Almighty God. This local synagogue would not have been a place where profound teaching took place. Rather it would have had many aspects that would have left much to be desired - yet Jesus, while living in the area - went there faithfully every week. Jesus could quite easily have argued that the religious system of his day was corrupt and grossly imperfect. He could also have claimed that there was nothing that any rabbi anywhere could teach him because he knew everything - because he did. Instead, every Sabbath, Jesus went to the house of God to pray, hear the word of God read, receive instruction and draw close to his Father. Jesus' example was followed by the early church. In Acts 2:42 we read:

They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

God has appointed these things as the channels through which he blesses his people. These are the ways in which people draw close to God and receive his blessing. People need all these elements, but because God has decreed it in his word. We should all therefore take every opportunity to place ourselves in the pathway of God's grace and blessing. We will never know the depth of God's blessing unless we take every available opportunity to meet with Him and experience his grace. If anybody did not need to be regular at worship and with the family of God it was Jesus - yet worship became 'his custom'. The commentator in the Life Application Bible writes: '[Jesus'] example makes our excuses for not attending church sound weak and self-serving'. We should commit ourselves to worship and study because we know that we cannot survive without it.

Secondly this passage gives us a glimpse of what truly Godly worship is like. Leon Morris reminds us that this passage is the 'earliest description of a synagogue service we have, so that this passage is of critical importance for the study of the synagogue'. Barclay explains: In the synagogue service there were three parts: The first was a period of worship in which prayer was offered. The second was the reading of the Scriptures. Seven people from the congregation read. As they read, the ancient Hebrew that few people understood, was translated by the teacher into Aramaic or Greek. The third element of the service was the teaching part. There was no professional ministry, nor any one person to give the address. The president would invite any distinguished person present to speak and discussion and talk would follow.

Central also to Christian worship is the word of God. It is only God's word that is timeless and infallible. Human wisdom is worthless because it is fickle and more often than not wrong. God knows what is best for us and therefore Christian ministers need to share that and only that with the people whom attend worship, applying biblical truths to our present circumstances.

Thirdly notice how the people of Nazareth responded to the truth of Christ's message.

The people of his home town were eager to hear his teaching and see some of the wonderful miracles he was reputed to have performed. So Jesus was asked to read the Scriptures and deliver the teaching that Sabbath in the synagogue. He read Isaiah 61:1-2 which the Jewish teachers interpreted as referring to the long awaited Messiah. They might well have been shocked when Jesus stated that it spoke of Him. But most of the people were impressed and amazed by what Jesus said. Verse 22 records:

All the people started talking about Jesus and were amazed at the wonderful things he said. They kept on asking, "Isn't he Joseph's son?"

The way Jesus could have convinced them that he was who he claimed to be - would have been for him to have performed a few dramatic miracles. Miller suggests that the connection between this incident and Christ's temptation is clear. In the desert Jesus had theoretically been tempted to do the right things at the wrong time. Now came the practical test. Miller writes:

What could be better designed as a test than the situation here? Jesus, the obscure son of a small village carpenter, has suddenly become famous. ... Now he returns to his home village and speaks in the synagogue. ... They expect something wonderful from him, some sign that will demonstrate to them what has made him famous elsewhere. ... If Jesus was ever tempted to deny the decision made at the Baptism to be the obedient Servant of God, it was here!

If Jesus was the Messiah, the people of Nazareth would expect him to liberate all Jews from their Roman oppressors because Jewish scholars interpreted Isaiah in this passage read by Jesus, as speaking about the deliverance of Israel from captivity in Babylon.

The reference in verse 19 to '... the year the Lord has chosen' is of significance. In the Year of Jubilee all debts were cancelled, all slaves freed, and property went back to the original owners according to the law in Leviticus 25. This happened every 50 years. The main purpose was to balance out the economic system: slaves were set free and returned to their families, property that was sold reverted to the original owners and all debts were cancelled. 'The land lay fallow as man and beast rested and rejoiced in the Lord'. So we can understand why this was considered 'good news to the poor'.

Jewish scholars also pictured Isaiah as referring to how the people would be delivered from oppression in Babylon. The captives would be set free and could return to their homeland. But even when the people left Babylon and returned home, this prophecy had never been completely fulfilled. The Jewish people were still oppressed, conquered and broken. Isaiah had therefore spoken of more than the people's physical liberation. He referred also to the coming of the Messiah and the time when the sin that had caused the people to be taken captive, could be dealt with. What Jesus brought was the good news of salvation to bankrupt sinners and healing to broken-hearted and rejected people. As Wiersbe puts it '... it was a spiritual "year of Jubilee" ...'

The people of Nazareth wanted to hear about their earthly liberation from Roman oppression. They became angry when Jesus revealed the truth to them - that the Gospel did not introduce an era of a perfect earthly kingdom - but a spiritual kingdom that was for all people and not only the Jews. This really angered them. They refused to accept the fact that God's Year of Jubilee, God's salvation, was not only for the Jews - but for all who would come to Christ. Jesus explained this in verses 25-27. Once more we see that people are not always happy to hear the truth. The people should have rejoiced at the stories of Elijah and Elisha because they revealed that God loves all people and that God does not make any distinctions on the grounds of class and race. Caird writes:

... the suggestion that Gentiles could be admitted to God's kingdom produced and outburst of nationalistic fervour which would have ended in the death of Jesus had the crowd not been overawed by the sheer majesty of his commanding presence.

God loves all people. Let God love you and bless you by taking every opportunity to receive his grace by worshipping regularly, private and group bible study, public and private prayer, fellowship with other Christians and participation in the sacraments. And finally we need to be willing to accept the truth of the Scriptures and allow God's Spirit to use his word to transform us into the people He intends us to be. For this is the example set for us by Jesus our Lord as Luke explains in 4:16:

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.

The Epistle for Epiphany 2

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NRSV)

Spiritual Gifts

¹²Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ²You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. ³Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.⁷To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

This passage takes me back to the time of my conversion at the height of the Charismatic Renewal in 1978. It seemed then that God was doing wonderful things in the power of the Holy Spirit. Barclay records how this sort of thing was happening at the time of the early Church and that ‘… in an age of ecstasy and of enthusiasm there can be hysterical excitement and self-delusion as well as the real thing …’

There is no doubt in my mind that much of what we experienced was the real thing – but even at the time, there was also much that caused great disquiet.

There are two important statements that help to find true experiences of the Spirit of Jesus. (i) Let Jesus be cursed: At this time, this statement was required by some of the Jewish religious leaders. In synagogue prayers, it was common practice to curse all apostates, and at this time Jesus would have been named among them. Jewish law laid down that “Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree …” As Jesus had been crucified – some would have cursed him in this way. It is also likely that those who converted to Judaism would have needed to curse Jesus, or face expulsion. St Paul explained to Agrippa that in his day of persecution of Christians he ‘… often punished them in every synagogue and I forced them to blaspheme …’ (Acts 26:11) History also tells us that later on in the days of the Roman persecution of Christians, people were forced to curse Christ or die. Sadly there have been occasions in modern times when this has also been true. Let us give thanks to God that we can worship our Lord in peace and without interference.

But there is also the other statement (ii) Jesus is Lord! If the early Church had any form of creed to begin with, it would have been: “Jesus is Lord!” Barclay reminds us that the word for ‘Lord’ is kurios. This was the word that was used to express the name of Jahweh (God) in Hebrew when translated into the Greek, and was used in the Septuagint; the Greek version of the Jewish Scriptures (Tenakh).  It was also the official title of Caesar. Still today, I believe that this is not something that we can find out for ourselves; it is a truth that needs to be revealed to us. It is therefore only when the Holy Spirit enables us – that we can say these wonderful words and mean them.

The Church is the Body of Christ and every part of it – like the human body – performs its own function for the good of the whole. There are different gifts and different functions, but they all come from the same Spirit and are designed, not for the glory of the individual, but for the benefit of the whole.

Paul explains that the Spiritual gifts (charismata) come from God and therefore must be used for God’s purposes. All too often, people think that the gifts of the Minister are the most important, and so they expect the Minister to do everything! But when one thinks of it, we need the gifts of all, not just in church services, but as a community. Especially in these difficult weather times, perhaps one of the most widely prized gifts are those of the plumber. A Christian plumber, who works for the glory of God and so does a superb job and charges a fair price, is a wonderful gift to a community, especially the vulnerable. And the same is true of others, doctors, teachers, traders – you name it – all working for the common good.

But here, Paul focuses on the Spiritual gifts and this in itself is of vital significance. We do need Christians to whom God has blessed with practical and other gifts, but in order to survive, we also need the Spiritual. It is not true that one can be a good Christian and not need to go to Church on a regular basis. I was amazed at a recent dinner for ministers where the controversial work of J A T Robinson was eulogised. This is interesting because his book, Honest to God, claimed that a supernatural God is no longer important. There is a truth that we do need to be grounded in the reality of the here and now, but we also need the transcendent – the Spiritual. Robinson also claimed that traditional Christianity including worship, was not really necessary. And this was preached from pulpits around the UK. Why then are people amazed because Church attendance has declined? Ministers, Priests and even Bishops taught that coming to Church was no longer necessary. I realise that this is somewhat of an oversimplification of Robinson’s work, and in many respects I think he made a vitally important contribution to the development of Christian theology, but this is what people heard. So, while there is much in his writings that I concur with, but here I disagree. We need to be grounded in this world and not live in a world ‘above’ alone, but we need both.

We also need wisdom as well as knowledge. The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia and refers to the knowledge of things human and divine, and of their causes, or in Aristotle’s writing “… the striving after the best ends and using the best means.” This does not come only from thought, but from union with God. Knowledge (on the other hand) gnosis is a much more practical thing; and I believe we need both. The place where we discern both is in the Church and this is why we need to be a worshipping people.

But is the Church searching for both? Without wisdom, knowledge just becomes a relativist matter of opinion. We need to discern the mind of God. If the Church does not do this, I will not blame people for staying away. Our world desperately needs wisdom, for without it, so many people are without hope, because they are without God in the world.

John Wesley makes the important point that there is unity in the Body of Christ (especially if one reads further from verse 12 onwards) even though there is great diversity in those who are members of the ‘Body’, and the gifts that are exercised within it. It is not that those of us who have the privilege to be ordained to the Word and Sacrament are any better than anyone else – we are just different. Laypersons are also included and contribute to the body’s unity through the gifts and graces used in leadership as well. Wesley nurtured lay leadership in small groups called classes. Leaders visited class members to discern spiritual wellness and need, to give guidance and comfort, to teach, and to receive offerings for the poor. If the body of Christ is to be effective in our world, we need all the gifts of all the people. I’m afraid, as a Methodist, that I am saddened that very little of this powerful recipe for growth is practiced anymore. There is therefore little mystery why my beloved Church is dying. We too have become (in many places) institutions where the minister does the work, and Methodism is also often a place where meetings happen on Sundays only. But this is not true here in Loughborough! Our Churches are busy, there are countless small group meetings going on all the time, and every time I drive past the church I see something happening; little wonder why it is such a lovely place to be, even though I (through my particular ministry as a School Chaplain) am somewhat on the fringe of things. But whenever I have the privilege of taking services, the Churches are good places to be!

Wesley explained that “Spiritual gifts, though varied, all flow from one fountain, the Holy Trinity.” Paul gives examples of nine gifts, beginning with two – wisdom and knowledge; he ends with another two – tongues and their interpretation – that were the focus of trouble. Spiritual gifts are designed with the ‘common good’ in mind (verse 7) and deployed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (verse 11). ‘Tongues’ was causing a problem because they were not being used in this way. Because people thought that they were evidence of the direct influence of the Holy Spirit on the individual, they were considered to be ‘better’ than the other gifts. But often the people were no better off, because the ‘tongues’ meant nothing to them because they could not be understood. I treasure those heady days of the Charismatic renewal in the 1970s when tongues were so much part of our experience; but I also remember their abuse.

Nevertheless, we have a picture here of the Corinthian Church that was vividly alive; things happened – astonishing things happened. There was nothing dull and ordinary about this Church. The Spirit of Jesus was alive and active and many gifts were being used by all, for the benefit of the Body of Christ.