This passage marks the end of the story of the birth narrative of John the Baptist. The main character continues to be Zechariah. His is a story of one who questioned whether or not God was really going to engage with His world and found his own call difficult to accept.
But it is in embracing anf fulfilling God's call on his own life that he finds his own personal freedom and fulfillment. This is done in completing the work to be done - naming his baby John as directed. The name cements the purpose of John's life which John is then raised to fulfil - the name means "The Lord is gracious" and the work God is doing in Christ which John is to herald and prepare others to receive is just hat - gracious.
But I can't help feeling for Zechariah. The process of accepting the will of God for one's own life can be very painful. It does demand that a person reconsiders their whole life, let's go of ideas and actions that have been survival mechanisms for many years. More than that, it involves the apparently risky business of faith and hope. Faith in the extraordinary intervention of God as he lays a hand on an individuals life - hope that God will remain to true and enable and empower.
This is real and difficult.
And the truth is that there is no peace or joy without accepting this call. And in acceptance there is release and joy - which is of course Zechariah's experience here as he opens his mouth to affirm God's will.
Of course, in hind sight the best thing to do is submit sooner!! But that is always easier said than done!
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Sunday, 6 April 2008
Luke 1:1-25
Luke's Gospel begins with a reference to fulfilment. It is very difficult to think of anything as fulfilled today. The world is so constantly changing and the pace of change appears to be accelerating. If I look at my own life - I hope I am not completed yet - I had hoped for more yet!!
But Luke is talking of a different kind of fulfilment. The sort of fulfilment that marks the end of something looked for, something expected and the arrival of something new.
The account of Zechariah's and Elizabeth is therefore written to ensure that references to what was expected and is now fulfilled cannot be missed - at least not by those who have come to understand.
The events of John the Baptist and Jesus' birth are not isolated events. They are part of vast train of events going right back to Abraham, indeed right back to God's creative act in man (as will be shown in the genealogy of Luke in Chapter 3). So the events that precursor Jesus ministry itself are passed on in the same tradition. Zechariah and Elizabeth, faithful yet childless, continue the story from Abraham and Sarah and from Elkanah and Hanah.
The angel Gabriel - the eschatological messenger of Daniel, bring the message to Zechariah and it will be 70 weeks until Jesus is presented at the temple, fulfilling the language and expectation of Daniel.
John, the child of Zechariah, will be a prophet with a mission to preach repentance, to turn Israel back to God in preparation for the coming of the Messiah - this in keeping with the prophetic expectation of Micah - one like Elijah will come.
As Luke pieces all these things together, you can almost feel his heart burning (like those on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:32) within him as he writes of the fulfilment of the prophetic expectations of Scripture.
Here 2,000 years on Luke has achieved his undertaking when our hearts burn too. Many people who are not familiar with the Bible and live in the context of society saturated with media may wonder why people get so excited about it. The answer is here. It is not a rule book (although there is plenty of wisdom to be found) it is the revelation of God as to the purpose and destiny of humanity and testimony to the fulfilment of his plans in Christ.
That all will come to fruition (as Morpheus form the Matrix would put it) is not a matter of faith it is only a matter of time.
But Luke is talking of a different kind of fulfilment. The sort of fulfilment that marks the end of something looked for, something expected and the arrival of something new.
The account of Zechariah's and Elizabeth is therefore written to ensure that references to what was expected and is now fulfilled cannot be missed - at least not by those who have come to understand.
The events of John the Baptist and Jesus' birth are not isolated events. They are part of vast train of events going right back to Abraham, indeed right back to God's creative act in man (as will be shown in the genealogy of Luke in Chapter 3). So the events that precursor Jesus ministry itself are passed on in the same tradition. Zechariah and Elizabeth, faithful yet childless, continue the story from Abraham and Sarah and from Elkanah and Hanah.
The angel Gabriel - the eschatological messenger of Daniel, bring the message to Zechariah and it will be 70 weeks until Jesus is presented at the temple, fulfilling the language and expectation of Daniel.
John, the child of Zechariah, will be a prophet with a mission to preach repentance, to turn Israel back to God in preparation for the coming of the Messiah - this in keeping with the prophetic expectation of Micah - one like Elijah will come.
As Luke pieces all these things together, you can almost feel his heart burning (like those on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:32) within him as he writes of the fulfilment of the prophetic expectations of Scripture.
Here 2,000 years on Luke has achieved his undertaking when our hearts burn too. Many people who are not familiar with the Bible and live in the context of society saturated with media may wonder why people get so excited about it. The answer is here. It is not a rule book (although there is plenty of wisdom to be found) it is the revelation of God as to the purpose and destiny of humanity and testimony to the fulfilment of his plans in Christ.
That all will come to fruition (as Morpheus form the Matrix would put it) is not a matter of faith it is only a matter of time.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
John 3:31-end
Some translations have these words as the words of John the Baptist, others as the words of John the disciple whom Jesus loved. It all depends on the quotation marks! But I am sure that the two John's would have both agreed with these words.
The words testify to Jesus as the One from "above" (as in John 3:7 - you must be born "from above" rather than "again" as Nicodemus misunderstands"!!), the One from Heaven. The One from Heaven has been given words to say - words that are inspired by the Holy Spirit which has been given without limit. The words and the power of God given through the Holy Spirit are the true nature of God - we know what God is like because of His Word in Christ. A person who hears and accepts this - i.e. believes in the nature of God and aligns their lives to the will revealed (however difficult and flaky this adjustment may be) is heading for eternity with God.
What is unusual is the understanding that for those who hear and reject God's word, "God's wrath remains on him". To understand "wrath" in the context of this heavenly language is to draw us back to the reality of a world in which people are evil and aggressive. Many will hear the words of Jesus and see his life as weakness and foolishness. They will not allow their grip on what they want to relax whatever the cost especially to others. The reality of wickedness in humanity when this happens is too real. This cannot be a situation that God will allow to continue for ever. So the wrath of God - although forgiveness, love and the Spirit are offered without limit - remains inevitable for those who continue to reject the way of peace.
The words testify to Jesus as the One from "above" (as in John 3:7 - you must be born "from above" rather than "again" as Nicodemus misunderstands"!!), the One from Heaven. The One from Heaven has been given words to say - words that are inspired by the Holy Spirit which has been given without limit. The words and the power of God given through the Holy Spirit are the true nature of God - we know what God is like because of His Word in Christ. A person who hears and accepts this - i.e. believes in the nature of God and aligns their lives to the will revealed (however difficult and flaky this adjustment may be) is heading for eternity with God.
What is unusual is the understanding that for those who hear and reject God's word, "God's wrath remains on him". To understand "wrath" in the context of this heavenly language is to draw us back to the reality of a world in which people are evil and aggressive. Many will hear the words of Jesus and see his life as weakness and foolishness. They will not allow their grip on what they want to relax whatever the cost especially to others. The reality of wickedness in humanity when this happens is too real. This cannot be a situation that God will allow to continue for ever. So the wrath of God - although forgiveness, love and the Spirit are offered without limit - remains inevitable for those who continue to reject the way of peace.
John 3:16-21
What new can be said about the most famous of all scriptures, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes in hims shall not perish but have eternal life". Every single world of this sentence has been analysed and mined for meaning - God, love, world, perish, Son, believes, eternal life - each word so pregnant with meaning.
Yet the meaning is so very simple; that God is for us and not against us; that God has passed the boundaries we would imagine based on human graciousness to let us know it and has taken away fear and offered us life. What more do we need to know?
Try this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJAvPQyS5O0
Yet the meaning is so very simple; that God is for us and not against us; that God has passed the boundaries we would imagine based on human graciousness to let us know it and has taken away fear and offered us life. What more do we need to know?
Try this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJAvPQyS5O0
Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph had his perception of the world changed. Even though Joseph was a religious man whose faith was part of his understanding of the world, the idea that there could be direct intervention by God in the world was unreasonable to him. Like many of us, the idea that the physical order could be influenced the way it was with Mary - a new creative act of God within her womb - the only interpretation of events was that Mary had conceived the child with another man.
But Joseph has his own world-altering revelation. Another visitation by an angel reaffirms Mary's news - what is happening is happening because the Holy Spirit has done something new.
Once the reality is embraced the world is a different place. His actions become clear, resolved and he is able to embrace his part in the unfolding story.
He affirms this be completing his duty in the way ordained by the angel - he names the miracle child, Jesus.
Note: Image available from http://www.kevinmayhew.com/Publisher/Article.aspx?ID=96102
Luke 1:26-38
The questions I am asked the most - especially by children - about the anunciation and how God 'made a baby' with Mary is "Didn't God have sex withe Mary then?!" Of course, it is not an entirely serious questions, more a questions aimed at ridiculing thw whole idea that a virgin could miraculously conceive. Luke was doctor himself and the question would have undoubtedly occurred to him (and to anyone else fascinated with the mechanics of things) and Luke provide the answer the angel gave, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you". The result of this is that "the holy oneto be born will be called th Son of God".
It has always seemed to me that just as the Holy Spirit is the creative force behind the start of the universe (and indeed its sustaining force) so the same creative power is involved here. The conception in Mary is a creative act of God - not a sexual act. If we look at the world around us and embrace the miracle of its existence, the miracle of another creative act in the womb of a virgin seems entirely acceptable. If, however, we explain everything according to cause and effect and imagine that the physical universe is eternal in its own right, the conception in Mary's womb is impossible without a physical cause - i.e. a sexual act.
Our acceptance, as ever, is a function of the breadth or narrowness of our world view. To embrace the miraculous requires us to embrace our possible ignorance and relinwuish the pride of our knowing and to let God be God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
It has always seemed to me that just as the Holy Spirit is the creative force behind the start of the universe (and indeed its sustaining force) so the same creative power is involved here. The conception in Mary is a creative act of God - not a sexual act. If we look at the world around us and embrace the miracle of its existence, the miracle of another creative act in the womb of a virgin seems entirely acceptable. If, however, we explain everything according to cause and effect and imagine that the physical universe is eternal in its own right, the conception in Mary's womb is impossible without a physical cause - i.e. a sexual act.
Our acceptance, as ever, is a function of the breadth or narrowness of our world view. To embrace the miraculous requires us to embrace our possible ignorance and relinwuish the pride of our knowing and to let God be God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
John 20:19-end
At the end of St. John's Gospel (see earlier blog) there were three key messages that he wanted to get across - i). that the death and resurrection of Jesus are central to God's plan, ii). repentance and forgiveness is the response the disciples are to encourage and iii), that the believer would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to empower them in their work.
John has these same three emphases but expressed in a different way.
The first key message is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God - believing this leads to life. The death and resurrection, his miraculous signs point to this truth. Accepting and embracing Jesus as the Son of God - as the One who shows us God and leads us into Heaven is life-giving because it releases us from fear into love. Thomas, originally frightened and hiding behind locked doors, is released into faith and the blessings that come from having fear and doubt replaced with love and faith. This blessing is received through accepting and believing - and we don't need to meet Jesus face to face to receive it.
The second message - repentance and forgiveness in Luke - is here replaced with the imperative - forgive and sins will be forgiven, don't forgive and people will remain unforgiven. This is the motive behind the message. Without the revelation of Jesus, people will not know or believe that they can be forgiven. The way of the world, of human nature is not to forgive easily; more often they way is to engender guilt and to manipulate it. This is the worst characteristic of a worldly church. But those who know they are forgiven will want others to know that they can be too. In contrast, those living in fear and guilt will want them to remain with them!
The third message, the power from on High - the Holy Spirit. In the fearful and secret place that the disciples found themselves in after Jesus had die, the sign of what is to come is given. - Jesus "breathed on them" and said " Receive the Holy Spirit". The breath of God that gives life is given in this dark place to give them the strength to continue - the strength to believe and respond. That Jesus breathed is a sign of His resurrection life and that the resurrection power is gently given to the disciples gathered there.
So the same emphases, although expressed in different language, are shared between Luke and John as they round of their Gospel accounts. Jesus - His Person and His work is God's Way offered to us; our need to know that we are forgiven and release us into new life is the response to Jesus; and that we are given the gift of the Spirit to empower us to forgive and live - not just for ourselves but for everyone.
John has these same three emphases but expressed in a different way.
The first key message is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God - believing this leads to life. The death and resurrection, his miraculous signs point to this truth. Accepting and embracing Jesus as the Son of God - as the One who shows us God and leads us into Heaven is life-giving because it releases us from fear into love. Thomas, originally frightened and hiding behind locked doors, is released into faith and the blessings that come from having fear and doubt replaced with love and faith. This blessing is received through accepting and believing - and we don't need to meet Jesus face to face to receive it.
The second message - repentance and forgiveness in Luke - is here replaced with the imperative - forgive and sins will be forgiven, don't forgive and people will remain unforgiven. This is the motive behind the message. Without the revelation of Jesus, people will not know or believe that they can be forgiven. The way of the world, of human nature is not to forgive easily; more often they way is to engender guilt and to manipulate it. This is the worst characteristic of a worldly church. But those who know they are forgiven will want others to know that they can be too. In contrast, those living in fear and guilt will want them to remain with them!
The third message, the power from on High - the Holy Spirit. In the fearful and secret place that the disciples found themselves in after Jesus had die, the sign of what is to come is given. - Jesus "breathed on them" and said " Receive the Holy Spirit". The breath of God that gives life is given in this dark place to give them the strength to continue - the strength to believe and respond. That Jesus breathed is a sign of His resurrection life and that the resurrection power is gently given to the disciples gathered there.
So the same emphases, although expressed in different language, are shared between Luke and John as they round of their Gospel accounts. Jesus - His Person and His work is God's Way offered to us; our need to know that we are forgiven and release us into new life is the response to Jesus; and that we are given the gift of the Spirit to empower us to forgive and live - not just for ourselves but for everyone.
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