Do you really want to be forgiven? 24 Mar 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Do you really want to be forgiven?
Last week I attended a seminar about some of the Psalms that ask God to avenge the enemies of the Psalmist. Many of the Psalms seems foreign to a Christian since they express feelings and attitudes that we have been taught (rightly or wrongly) not to have.
One aspect of the problem concerns whether one can forgive the unrepentant. The speaker quoted a Japanese proverb that says, “Forgiving the unrepentant is like drawing pictures on water.” Many of us will know the truth of this if we have lived or worked with a person who has chronically harmed us and who has been unwilling to acknowledge or repent of their wrong. Our forgiveness is meaningless to them.
Repent might not be the word we would have used in all of those circumstances, but it is probably the right one.
Eating bread 17 Mar 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Eating bread
“This bread is the bread of affliction that our ancestors experienced in Egypt.” The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread combined to remind faithful Israelites of the suffering and subsequent salvation of God’s people at the Exodus.
A later celebration of the Passover had Jesus providing new words. “This bread is my body.” His body of affliction. Representing the affliction that was ahead of him, rather than behind him. “Take it, and eat it,” was his command.
It is one thing to eat bread that reminds you of troubles in the past. It is another to eat bread that tells you of your friend’s approaching afflictions. It is a much deeper thing to eat knowing that you are joining yourself with your friend in his afflictions. That his troubles are your troubles. That you will share his afflictions because he has shared yours.
Set free to serve 10 Mar 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Set free to serve
Burn-out is a common experience in some long-term missionaries. The reasons for it are fairly obvious. The cure is sometimes less obvious. Burn-out affects Christians at home as well. Not only burn-out caused by work but also burn-out caused by church work.
There are other casualties in the church, not just the burnt-out. Many of us suffer the present effects of a variety of difficult experiences which happened in the past. It may be the distant past or it could be the recent past. Some of these are things we brought upon ourselves. Many are the results of other people’s actions, lack of action, words, expectations, domination, or manipulation.
All of them have made an impact on us. Most of us have coped. But the coping can add to the difficulty. Our coping method may have been the best we could do at the time, but often it continues as an ongoing pattern of life. And results in a way of life that is not really helpful any more.
4. The Cross reconciles Sinners 2 Corinthians 5.14-21
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: The Cross: Gracious Power of the Cross
{podcast id=112}
The Cross Reconciles Sinners 2 Corinthians 5.14-21
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 3 March 2013
For those who are a new creation in Christ they have a message and a ministry of reconciliation.
Afraid? 3 Mar 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Afraid?
Last Sunday at the 10am service we were asked what stops people in our congregation inviting their friends to church. A variety of answers was given, but the most frequent reply was fear.
Fear of rejection, fear of ridicule, fear of losing friendships and so on. These are good answers. Some fear comes from experience. Some comes from imagination. But fear is not necessarily bad. It may indicate that we are in the right place.
Michael Harvey said that fear is the boundary edge of the kingdom of God. It goes with God’s presence (and forms a nice tension with the comfort of God). Avoiding things that make us afraid is a natural (and often wise) human strategy.
Not everything can be avoided.
3. The Cross Saves Believers 1 Corinthians 1.18 - 2.5
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: The Cross: Gracious Power of the Cross
{podcast id=111}
The Cross Saves Believers 1 Corinthians 1.18 - 2.5
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 24 February 2013
Why God ignores our suggestions and demands for improving Christianity and saves people through Christ's death.
Would you like to Upsize that? 24 Feb 13
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- Written by: Dale
- Category: Weekly Reflections
Would you like to Upsize that?
What will heaven be like? Part of the answer is that we will be with Christ. If that is the case what else would one want. Someone said, whoever has God and everything else has no more than the one who has God only.
That may be a way of thinking about heaven. What about life on earth. Does the same apply? God only, or God and everything else?
Actually it can appear sometimes the other way around when we talk to people who have everything already. Or if not everything, quite a lot. Enough to make them feel comfortable, and not really in need (except, of course, for those niggly things they wish they could afford).
Do they need God? How can we talk to them about God? One of the ways we are tempted to speak is to offer God as an Upsize. Would you like to Upsize your life by adding God to it? Sounds harmless, and even attractive.
Except that God doesn’t do Upsizes.
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