Religion or People

"When you held days of fasting every fifth and seventh month all these seventy years, were you doing it for me? And when you held feasts, was that for me? Hardly. You're interested in religion, I'm interested in people." Zech 7:5-6

When we do something over a long period of time we can sometimes lose focus on the reason why we do it. The people from Bethel had been following their days of mouring and abstinence for 70 years and were looking for God's blessing as to whether they should continue to hold their ceremonies as they had done for many years. God's response via Zechariah was as per the verses above.

It must have come as a bit of a shock to them. I doubt whether they were expecting quite that response. How would they have reacted? Would they be outraged or would they have mulled over the response and realised that, yes, they had indeed forgotten the reason why these times were remembered and they had become nothing more than some religious rule keeping.

As a denomination, the Salvos are still doing some things that were done years ago. But I wonder whether some of the things we do have become religious rule keeping or whether we still remember the original purpose. The response may be different from person to person.

Are we still interested in the people? A couple of verses on we read this:

"Well, the message hasn't changed. God-of-the-Angel-Armies said then and says now:
"'Treat one another justly.
Love your neighbors.
Be compassionate with each other.
Don't take advantage of widows, orphans, visitors, and the poor.
Don't plot and scheme against one another—that's evil.'"

It's a constant message. Don't forget the reason for your existence. Don't get caught up in rule keeping for rule keeping's sake. Remember what is important to God not religious leaders.. And so on...

Remind me again God of your values and your love for people. Remind me again about the reason for doing the stuff we do.

Messiah's misfits

One of my memories of growing up was listening to brass band cassettes that my grandfather had received from Uncle Rog in England. These recordings were usually of British radio programmes such as Listen to the Band.

I sometimes have a bit of a chuckle when brass band people try to convince us that banding is popular or that there is a revival of interest in brass banding. The simple reality is that we get a mere 1 hour of banding per week on our radio and that is on two of the lowest rating radio stations in Melbourne.

However, thanks to the wonders of technology, we can listen to programmes from the other side of the world streamed on the internet. Today, as I have been working on a balance sheet and profit and loss statement I have had headphones on listening to the afforementioned 'Listen to the Band' programme on BBC2. Cory & Black Dyke massed bands played the magnificent 'Elsa's Procession to the Minster' which, incidentally, our own Preston Band used to play when we were more than a quartet!

My interest in brass bands compared to society's lack of interest reminds me of this verse in the Bible: "It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We're something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We're the Messiah's misfits." 1 Cor 4:9

Christians & brass band people both tend to be misfits in the eyes of the world. As Salvos we are double misfits I guess. Being a Christian often feels like trying to sell tickets that no one wants to buy. It can be tough. But Paul, who wrote this verse, was part of a group of people that had a massive influence in the world, even if at times it didn't feel like it to them. So, even though it often feels as though we are swimming against the tide we need to continue to be faithful in spreading God's message to those who need to hear.

God, help me to be faithful in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.

The key to life

"One of the religion scholars spoke up: "Teacher, do you realize that in saying these things you're insulting us?"" Luke 11:45

I'm not sure whether the scholar was trying to be polite or was a bit thick. What a silly question to ask. Jesus had just said that their insides were maggoty with greed and secret evil. He called them stupid, frauds, hopeless, unmarked graves with rot and corruption under a nice grassy surface. And the scholar asked Jesus if we was aware that he had insulted them! Jesus then went on and gave them a bit more.

There is a bit of a problem when religious leaders seem to be totally oblivious to their evil and corruption.

Amongst other things Jesus said "you took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won't go in yourself, and won't let anyone else in either". That's a terrible indictment of the Pharisees.

In reality I guess we all have issues where our inward lives don't match up to the outward show we put on. Hopefully I am not as bad as a Pharisee but what an indictment it would be on me to have the key to life and not use it or, even worse, deliberately prevent others from using it either.

God, help me to become more transparent. Show me the hypocritical areas of my life where I don't seem to be able to see what should be obvious.

What would they see in 3 hours?

"In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: "Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard:..."" Luke 7:21

John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to enquire of Jesus whether he was 'the one' or whether they were still waiting. Jesus could have just said "of course I am" and that would have been it. But he didn't. He made the disciples hang around for 2 or 3 hours and proceeded to heal lots of people. The actions were the proof, not the words.

If people were to spend 2 or 3 hours at Preston Salvos would they be convinced about God because of what they saw? If people spent 2 or 3 hours with me what would be the outcome?

Interestingly, the verse uses the word 'many' but not 'all'. Many were healed from diseases and many of the blind were healed. Presumably then, some weren't. So, we shouldn't expect a 100% strike rate or perfection in everything we do but, nevertheless, people should be more likely to consider God as a result of my actions than not. And actions do have more power than words.

Do I leave an impression?

As I was drinking my orange juice this morning at an eating establishment that shall remain unnamed, I became aware that the container was leaking. Apart from the fact that the puddle on the floor gave the impression that I had had an accident, some had also dripped onto my trousers. It is usually when you are wearing something light that this happens and today, of course, I was wearing something light and the stain showed up more than would otherwise have been the case.

A little later on as the 'orange juice' dried I noticed that it hadn't left a stain at all. Which just proves my long held suspicions that the 'orange juice' sold at this establishment contains little, if any, orange juice or anything else of any substance for that matter.

When you are in the habit of writing a blog, or are an minister of religion who preaches a sermon every Sunday, you start to think of christian applications for these incidents. Rather sad really! But I wondered whether what I am involved in or what I say or do leaves any trace. After the initial activity does my influence vanish without trace? Is the impact of my life as weak and fake as my so called orange juice?

Mike Pilley wrote this morning about fruit. You can read it here:
http://mrpilley.blogspot.com/2010/09/fruity.html
I hope the fruit of my life is a more powerful and real than my morning orange juice!

Underestimating people

"All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, "Isn't this Joseph's son, the one we've known since he was a youngster?"" Luke 4:22

In the 'olden days' we used to regularly have visits from the band or choir of other Salvo churches. Quite often these were powerful weekends when people shared and God moved in the lives of the locals. I have often pondered on why there seemed to be a very strong presence of God when a group was visiting but not necessarily so when it was just a normal Preston meeting.

Luke 4:14 says that "Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit". Yet, even with that power he couldn't seem to achieve much in his home town and was, in fact, run out of town.

The people there knew Jesus. They knew who he was and knew his background. Full of the Spirit he might have been but the locals couldn't see past who he was - the local kid from Nazareth. And so it was, I suspect, with visitors from other Salvo churches compared to our own people. When we don't know their past, all their faults and meltdowns, we can accept what God does through them. But when we know the past we can't see past their failings and so are unwilling or unable to accept that they might be 'powerful in the Spirit' and that God wants to work through them.

Maybe there are no real big black marks against them but if we have seen them grow up it's sometimes hard to accept that they might be, to use a Bruce McAvaney term, 'special'.

When I look at the people I see every week, and in many cases have known for many years, I have to remember that God can, and does, work through them. Ordinary, failed people they may be but I should never understimate God's ability to work through them.

An unbeliever's 'prayer'

"The king caved in and ordered Daniel brought and thrown into the lions' den. But he said to Daniel, "Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this."" Daniel 6:16

How much of Daniel's eventual safety was due to the faith of Darius? Even though he wasn't a Jew; even though he had signed into law, through arrogance, his own worship, he still trusted in God to get Daniel out of the circumstance he was in.

Would God have still saved Daniel even if Darius had wanted to kill him? Maybe, but I still have this feeling for some reason that God listened to the faith of Darius as well as that of Daniel.

God probably uses non Christians to fulfil his desires, or even answers their prayers far more often that we realise.

Who in my life right now is God using, and in what way, even though they may not profess a faith in God?

Help me God not to be so blind to the way you use all people and listen to even those who may worship other Gods or themselves.