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?