When the Father sent the Son the Father remained with the Son. As the narrative in John’s gospel builds there is movement from the idea that Jesus is doing the Father’s work to the climax of their relationship described in John 10 “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”. The mystery of the inner relationship of God’s own life is that Son is accompanied by the Father and that the Son also remains with Father.
To quote Calvin, “Here is something marvellous: the Son of God descended from heaven in such a way that, without leaving heaven, he willed to be borne in the virgin’s womb, to go about the earth, and hang upon the cross; yet he continuously filled the world even as he had done from the beginning!”
In John 17 Jesus prays those amazing words. “As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
This then is the final and most wondrous aspect of the sending of the disciples and of us. We are sent in unity with Jesus and so with Father, just as the Father remained with Jesus in his life, so Jesus remains with us. And even more amazingly, as Paul wrote to the Colossians, “for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (3:3). Not only is God with us but in Christ we are already with God in heaven!
Showing posts with label John 20. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John 20. Show all posts
Friday, 29 April 2011
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Believing is Seeing!
Thomas’ doubt that Jesus had risen is the classic case of ‘seeing is believing’.
‘The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”’
Now I have long thought that Thomas has received bad press being labelled ‘the doubter’ because the rest of the disciples did not believe until Jesus appeared to them. However, that anomaly in Christian tradition aside I want to explore with you this morning the interplay between belief, doubt and revelation.
To begin with whilst we have a tendency to think that seeing is believing I heard a sermon in January in which the minister asserted it is actually the other way around. What we believe determines what we see, or at least shapes our seeing.
To give an example of this, consider what you believe about people who live in poverty. You might believe that there are enough opportunities in this life so that if people work hard enough they should not live in a state of poverty. In other words some people believe that we make our own beds and therefore logically must lie in them. So if a poor person turns up whilst you might have some compassion for them there would also be a level of blame going on, most likely subconsciously. This person has gotten themselves into this mess.
On the other hand you might believe that people who live in poverty are victims of circumstance, which might include things like socio-economic surroundings, education opportunities or health issues. So when a poor person turns up when you look at them you see the person as a victim of the difficulties that life can throw at us. Once again there would probably be some compassion and maybe a sub-conscious thought like there but the grace of God goes I.
Now of course there would be a whole range of beliefs that people could have towards those who are poverty stricken and we might even find a blend of beliefs in the same person based on the idea that different situations mean different things. So we might find a belief which can accept a poor person in a developing country but not a first world country which has greater welfare and employment opportunities.
The point is that what we believe shapes how we see things, how we see events and people. If you listen carefully to each other most of us can hear what other peoples belief systems include because most of us have a tendency to sprout our beliefs somewhat unknowingly. Most of us have little sayings which are like our life rules – they are our beliefs and they shape how we see people and things and how we respond to them.
‘The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”’
Now I have long thought that Thomas has received bad press being labelled ‘the doubter’ because the rest of the disciples did not believe until Jesus appeared to them. However, that anomaly in Christian tradition aside I want to explore with you this morning the interplay between belief, doubt and revelation.
To begin with whilst we have a tendency to think that seeing is believing I heard a sermon in January in which the minister asserted it is actually the other way around. What we believe determines what we see, or at least shapes our seeing.
To give an example of this, consider what you believe about people who live in poverty. You might believe that there are enough opportunities in this life so that if people work hard enough they should not live in a state of poverty. In other words some people believe that we make our own beds and therefore logically must lie in them. So if a poor person turns up whilst you might have some compassion for them there would also be a level of blame going on, most likely subconsciously. This person has gotten themselves into this mess.
On the other hand you might believe that people who live in poverty are victims of circumstance, which might include things like socio-economic surroundings, education opportunities or health issues. So when a poor person turns up when you look at them you see the person as a victim of the difficulties that life can throw at us. Once again there would probably be some compassion and maybe a sub-conscious thought like there but the grace of God goes I.
Now of course there would be a whole range of beliefs that people could have towards those who are poverty stricken and we might even find a blend of beliefs in the same person based on the idea that different situations mean different things. So we might find a belief which can accept a poor person in a developing country but not a first world country which has greater welfare and employment opportunities.
The point is that what we believe shapes how we see things, how we see events and people. If you listen carefully to each other most of us can hear what other peoples belief systems include because most of us have a tendency to sprout our beliefs somewhat unknowingly. Most of us have little sayings which are like our life rules – they are our beliefs and they shape how we see people and things and how we respond to them.
In the locked room!
The image of Jesus earthly followers huddled in a locked room denying the witness that had already been given them concerning Jesus resurrection should challenge every congregation as to whether we are being like the disciples - gathering in locked rooms.
As we gather for worship wach week despite the fact the doors are open and we are free to come and go is it possible that for some of us our experience is exactly this: an experience that is closed off from the world around us and locked in?
In coming into this space do we cloister our religious experience?
Do we shut it inside an uncomfortable hour of piety, in which we struggle with the notion that Jesus rose from the dead, let alone that he is God!
Do we close of this hour because we are not sure how to make connections between what is spoken here and what occurs day by day? At school, in our family, in our work place, social settings, Earth hours, economic downturns and the list goes on.
Do we do this because we fear being open about our faith we run the risk of being labelled a bible basher; a do gooder; a moral prig?
Do we do this because we fear being told we are nutters that science outstrips religion in terms of truth and knowledge?
Or have we been so socially conditioned by our culture which wants our spirituality to remain a ‘private matter’ that we feel we cannot cross those socially accepted boundaries of 21st century Australia?
As we gather for worship wach week despite the fact the doors are open and we are free to come and go is it possible that for some of us our experience is exactly this: an experience that is closed off from the world around us and locked in?
In coming into this space do we cloister our religious experience?
Do we shut it inside an uncomfortable hour of piety, in which we struggle with the notion that Jesus rose from the dead, let alone that he is God!
Do we close of this hour because we are not sure how to make connections between what is spoken here and what occurs day by day? At school, in our family, in our work place, social settings, Earth hours, economic downturns and the list goes on.
Do we do this because we fear being open about our faith we run the risk of being labelled a bible basher; a do gooder; a moral prig?
Do we do this because we fear being told we are nutters that science outstrips religion in terms of truth and knowledge?
Or have we been so socially conditioned by our culture which wants our spirituality to remain a ‘private matter’ that we feel we cannot cross those socially accepted boundaries of 21st century Australia?
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