Hope beyond unfairness

1 Peter 2:13 - 25

During the 9:30 am service on Sunday we did some brainstorming about the things we see in this world that are unfair. See here, for what we came up with.

In dealing with the unfairness of the world, we can turn our anger outward and seek revenge on others, or we can turn our anger inward, and act like a victim. These responses hurt either others or ourselves. The response that Peter gives us is to look upward to Jesus and follow his example. "When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23).

Peter shows us that there is hope beyond the unfairness of life. The cross of Jesus was the ultimate demonstration that the world is unfair. Yet, the cross is also the ultimate statement that God is working to bring about a new future that is beyond the unfairness of this world. This new future can be ours as we allow the example of Christ to determine our reaction to unfairness in this world. I came across a great quote: Hope lights a candle instead of curing the darkness. The unfairness of the world will remain until Christ comes, but through hope in Christ, we can live with it and bring the light of Christ to alleviate some of it.

Hope beyond bitterness

1 Peter 3:8 - 16

There are often times when we are left feeling hard done by others. We have sought to do the best for someone else, and they in turn have misunderstood what we've tried to do, they have ignored or made slight of our efforts, they have ridiculed us. Other times we may think that people don't respect something in the way they should, they don't behave like we think they should. There may be unresolved conflict. All of this can lead to bitterness within us. However, Peter tells us not to repay evil for evil, instead we are to repay them with blessings.

This can be hard to do. How do you bless someone who has hurt you to the core of your being? We can only do this as we embrace the hope of the coming of Jesus and know that already we have his presence and this gives us hope beyond our bitterness.

1 seek God's blessings in whatever situation you're in. Know that as unfair and hard done by you may feel, God is with you, loving you and journeying through it with you. When all others may desert you, he won't.

2 don't be afraid. Bitterness comes about when we think that we don't have any control over our situation. We can choose how to respond, we can choose what effect the other person will have on us. We don't have to be afraid, because God is in control.

3 acknowledge that Christ is lord of all things, including this situation. He will show us the way of living that is different from bitterness and he will give us the ability to provide a positive witness to him.

Hope beyond division

1 Peter 1:23 - 2:3

The church, as the body of Christ, is meant to be unified in our following of Jesus, and indeed this is Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 "...that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." But this has not been the case. For too long and in too many ways, the church (both universal and local) has divided, split and followed individual preferences, at the expense of the witness that Jesus prays we would be.

Unity in the church though is not uniformity. God loves diversity, and wants us to embrace our own unique identity in him. But unity does call from us a common working toward the one goal.

The good news though, is that in this time of waiting for the second coming of Jesus, there is hope beyond our divisions. Our hope comes from:

1 our common birth into the family of God, not through our own effort or worth, but through the gracious act of God.
2 the bible that we have in common, and the way the Holy Spirit can inspire us to live out the new creation that we are in Jesus Christ.
3 the ability we have, through the Holy Spirit, to put behind us the ways that lead to division and instead grow toward unity.

What does this hope mean for you in your life? How are you able to grow beyond those patterns of behaviour that cause division, and instead, in Christ, embrace our common baptism into the life and death of Jesus Christ?

Hope

Luke 21:25 - 36

Harlee opened our Advent season by introducing us to the theme of hope. He spoke of his (misplaced) hope that the Canberra Raiders would one year win the NRL grand final. Whilst he'd like to see this happen, he assured us that this is not the hope that we as Christians have. Our hope is not in some possible future event that may or may not happen. Rather our hope is grounded in the promises of God and what he will do. This promise is expressed in places like Revelation 21.

Whilst we wait for the coming of this future, the question though is how we live now. We are not to "duck and cover", fearing the world and avoiding it. Rather, we are to live with confidence that the future of God has broken into our present reality as a result of the death and resurrection of Jesus. In this confidence we stand against the hopeless situations that many people face in this world.

Where do you put your hope? We all put it in something, is it something that is worthwhile?

A kingdom not of this world

John 18:33 - 37

In his conversation with Pilate, Jesus tells him "my kingdom is not of this world." It is a kingdom that finds its place in within us, and is expressed through our attitudes and behaviours. His kingdom may not be of this world, but it does and should have a significant impact in this world.

We demonstration our membership in the kingdom of God, and show our allegiance to the kingship of Jesus, when we allow him to set our agendas, determine our priorities and lead us into his way of living. When we fail in this, we effectively stage a rebellion, and unseat Jesus from his rightful place as king of our lives.

What is it that you do to ensure that your life remains in tune with the way of Jesus? There are so many competing voices and lifestyles around us, that hearing the word of Jesus can at times be hard? What are you doing to grow in your discipleship, to listen more attentively, and to act in the power of the Spirit?

Barreness

1 Samuel 1:4 - 20

The life of Samuel, starts with the sadness and humiliation of his mother Hannah. The story of Hannah points to the utter futility of us thinking that we can solve our problems on our own. Hannah's story of infertility is our story of lost dreams, abandoned hope and unrealised expectations. Just like Hannah, we can't get out of these holes on our own. I heard someone recently say that sometimes the horizons that we can see is just the rim of the rut that we are in. The most practical thing that I can say when we are in this situation is to call out to God. Come before him with your cries of lament, admit your angst and total inability to do anything about the situation you're in. Then wait to see the marvellous and unpredicatable way in which he will answer. The story of Hannah is a reminder of our Easter faith, God who brings life out of death, God who brings joy where there was sorrow, God who brings opportunities where there was hopelessness and despair.

Acting for Justice

Micah 6:1 - 8

God tells us that he wants us to act justly, not to talk about justice and equity and fairness, but to work toward towards it. We are to love mercy, to respect other people and seek to honour, value and serve them without thought of manipulation or exploitation. Finally, we are to walk humbly with God, submitting ourselves to his leading in our lives as he causes us to work for the future that he has envisioned for us.

How is it that you are do this in your life? What is it that you do that brings God's justice, mercy and love to the weak and the vulnerable? As you think about our church, where do you see this happening? As you think about our church, what are the opportunities that exist for us to do more?

Finally, we remember that it is not through our efforts or striving that we bring God's justice to this world. Rather, relying on the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, we reflect the Kingdom of God that is within us. What does that mean for you?

The Greatest Commandment

Mark 12:28 - 34 is probably very familiar to many of us. It is at the very heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The challenge for us today is to move beyond knowing this passage, and to ask ourselves what we are doing about it. Three important questions that we need to ask ourselves are:

1. how much do I love the lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strenght;
2. how much do I love my neighbour as myself; and
3. what am I going to do about the gap between what is and what should be.

To come near to the kingdom of God is to humble ourselves before him, being willing to put behind us all that we have grown comfortable and confident in and to again throw ourselves onto the mercy and love of God. In doing so we learn that the way of true love is to lay down our lives for the sake of others.

What does this mean in terms of your attitudes toward God in worship, service and witness? What new or renewed practices of devotion and spiritual practices do you need to engage in? How can you show love to your enemies, as a way of loving your neighbour?

Welcome

Welcome to Emmanuel Uniting Church's blog. The purpose of this blog is to help us engage in dialogue with each other on the content of Sunday's sermons. Each week a summary, and some key points from the sermon will be posted. I encourage you to reflect on and wrestle with what has been shared on Sunday, as it relates to your situation in life. Share these thoughts with other members of the congregation by posting your own comments on the blog.

The challenge for us as followers of Christ is to allow his word to seep deeply into all parts of our lives. The sermon on Sunday should not be an opportunity for the preacher to dump alot of words on us and for us then to shrug these off as we go about our lives during the week. Rather the words on Sunday should be food for thought that we mull over, digest slowly and allow them to transform our living. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Heb 4:12).