First God’s continued grace to his people.

The opening chapters is a brief history, a reminder of why Israel took an extra forty years to enter the promised land. ‘…you were unwilling to go up because you rebelled against the command of the Lord’ 1v26. They assumed they could go up without the Lord: ‘everyone put on his weapons thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. But the Lord said tell them do not go up and fight because I will not be with you. You will be defeated…...in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country….but …they chased you down like a swarm of bees and beat you down…1v43-44. So they wandered the desert because of their sin. However God’s response is nothing but sheer grace: ‘He has watched over your journey through the vast desert . These forty years the Lord has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. 2v7. In fact God now commands them to go into the land: ‘Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you’ 3v22. God by his grace brings them into the promised land despite their rebellion. In fact when God predicts that they will fail again he reminds them of who he is: ‘The Lord God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath’ 4v31. God is gracious and he continues to be gracious in our continues rebellion and sin.

Second God’s loving choice of his people.

As we read on through we are reminded that we are where we are today simply because of God’s loving grace. There is no room for pride or feelings of superiority. If we are to continue on with God it must be with a humble dependence on God: ‘The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers…and redeemed you from the land of slavery..’ 7v7-8. Our life starts with grace and continues with grace. There is nothing in us that attracts us to him, it is simply his choice to set his love on us. In fact the only thing we contribute is our sin: ‘After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness…understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.’ 9v4,6

Like Israel we need to be constantly reminded that if it were not for God’s loving choice we would be lost forever.

God’s saving purpose for his people

Deuteronomy may seem quite obscure to us especially the laws we read about from chapter 12-26. However they help us see that God had a purpose in choosing and loving his people. This was not to be a private faith but a relationship lived out among the nations. We are reminded of why they have all these laws in the first place: ‘Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear all these decrees and say ‘Surly this great nation is a wise and understanding nation.’ 4v7.

The laws were to keep them separate from other god’s and loyal to their one true God. This way people would see how great and wise God is. In fact they were to reflect God’s character to the nations: ‘Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them,and he chose you, their descendants, above all nations, as it is today’ 10v15. But why did he choose them? ‘ And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.’ 10v19. God’s people are to love the peoples around them as God loved and treated them, thereby reflecting his character to them.

But more than this God’s people are to also reflect God’s demand for our absolute loyalty. In chapter 28 God sets out the standard: ‘If you fully obey the Lord your God and follow all his commands…all these blessings will come upon you’. ‘However if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands…all these curses will come upon you’ 28v1,15. God’s warning is crystal clear if they turn away from him: ‘The Lord will scatter you among the nations, from one end of the earth to the other….There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.’ 28v64, 68. When this happens: ‘All the nations will ask, why has the Lord done this to the land? Why his fierce, burning anger?’ And the answer will be, it is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord…In furious anger and in great wrath the Lord uprooted them from the land and thrust them into another land as it is now’ 29v24-25, 28. The point is God takes sin seriously and when we give our devotion to another he is rightfully angered. God’s people are to reflect to the nations that God demands our love and loyalty. You see the reason we are saved and chosen is to show the community around us that true life and blessing is only found in loving God.

God’s persistent call on his people.

God has shown consistent grace to his people. God has lovingly chosen his people. God also has a saving purpose for his people, so it’s not surprising that he will not let them go easily: ‘For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God’ 4v24. We tend to view ‘Jealousy’ negatively. If someone is jealous they are envious and never satisfied with what they have. It can be controlling. However for God to be jealous is positive. His love is so strong for us that he is not willing to share that love with another. Not unlike that of husband and wife. It expresses faithfulness, commitment, loyalty and devotion. God has given himself to his people and so God persistently calls people to himself.

Throughout Deuteronomy God calls his people back to himself everyday. Every time Moses preaches he calls for a response Today: ‘Acknowledge and take heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commandments, which I am giving you today…’ 4v39-40. Similarly ‘You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in his ways…And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised….26v17-18. God is loyal to us each day and calls us to express our loyalty to him each day. It is a daily choice we are all called to make: ‘See I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God…This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death’ 30v15-16,19.

This is not a legalistic choice it is a calling to apply the gospel everyday. To repent of where we have not loved God with all our heart and to renew our faith in God that he is all sufficient and all satisfying. The way to chose life today is exercise repentance and faith. This is God’s persistent call on his people.

So Deuteronomy may be a repeat of what has been said before in Exodus-Numbers but I think we need to be told again and again of God’s continued grace and gracious choice of us. Deuteronomy may not be full of action but it does remind us of an active God who has a saving purpose for our lives and persistently calls us back to himself.

As we read this great book we need to hear God’s grace to us afresh. No wonder it is the book that Jesus quotes from the most!

Another struggle with the book is there is not much action – nothing really happens. Exodus at least has the drama of the plagues and rescue, Leviticus makes us squirm with all the details of how to slaughter animals and Numbers for all it’s counting keeps us engaged with the the miraculous provisions in the desert and the odd battle too. But Deuteronomy has no action, all that happens is Moses dies: ‘And Moses the servant of the Lord died…as the Lord said’ 34v5, and even at that ‘no-one knows where his grave is.’ v6                                                                                                                                  However the death of Moses is very significant and it gives us the clue to understanding the whole book.

Who will replace Moses?

Moses was first introduced to us back in Exodus 2 when Israel were in slavery for four hundred years. God called and chose Moses to lead his people out of slavery. For the following forty years Moses led the people of God as God spoke through him. It was God who spoke to his people through Moses. Forty years later, Israel are standing on the East side of the Jordan ready to cross over into the promised land. But there is one person who is not going to make it. Right at the beginning of Deuteronomy Moses reminds the people of what God said: ‘Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, You shall not enter it, either.’ 1v37. Even when Moses asks God if he can go over God is emphatic in his response: That is enough…do not speak to me any more about this matter…look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan.’ 3v26-27. Then at the end of Deuteronomy we are reminded twice more that Moses will not go to the promised land: ‘I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me ‘You shall not cross the Jordan’ 31v2, and then finally God again reminds Moses: ‘This is the land I promised..I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’ 34v4.

We are left with the people ready to enter the promised land but their leader is not going with them, in fact the book closes with his death. So the big question is who will lead the people as they venture into the promised land, who will speak to them from God?

Well Deuteronomy is a collection of final sermons from Moses to the people. It is a summary (Deuteronomy means second law), a repeat of all that God has spoken to the people. So while Moses will not be going with them God’s word will. That’s why no one knows the place where Moses is buried. It’s not important! We are to leave Deuteronomy not remembering Moses as a great leader but trusting that God’s word will sustain us and keep us as we journey on. It’s God’s word that will lead the people. Moses realises this as he faces his imminent death: ‘So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests….when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law in their hearing. Assemble the men, women and children, and all the outsiders living in your towns so that they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.’ 31v9, 12                                          Yes other people will be chosen in place of Moses but they lead by speaking God’s word to the people.

Hearing God’s word

Since the book is a collection of sermons the emphasis is on careful listening: ‘Hear (50 times) now O Israel, the decrees and laws I am about to teach (7 times) you. Follow (16 times) them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land…Do not add to what I command you to do and do not subtract from it but keep/observe (170 times) the commands that I give you.’ 4v1-2

God’s word is to be central to their life and living, because how they respond to it will be their life or death: ‘See I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction…now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you will love the Lord your God., listen to his voice and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life…’ 30v15, 19-20.

In fact the reason they wandered in the desert for forty years instead of entering the promised land is because they ‘rebelled against the command of the Lord your God’ 1v26..’in spite of his word you did not trust the Lord your God.’ 1v32.

So the people are commanded: ‘Do not turn aside to the right or the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord has commanded you so that you may live..’ 5v32, 28v14

Ultimately the call to hear God’s word is a call to choose Christ.

Jesus Christ comes as the ‘word of God’ John 1v1, he is the ultimate ‘Moses’ and in his words are life: ‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.’ John 5v24.

Moses spoke of the Christ to come: ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him’ 18v15. God said of this prophet: ‘I will put my words in his mouth..If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call to account.’ 18v18-19

So as we read Deuteronomy we are hearing Christ and as we listen, we are called to choose Christ, the true prophet and the one who has come to give us life in all it’s fulness.

(This life is seen in four themes that progress through Deuteronomy. We will look at these tomorrow)

Intervention                                                                                                                      ‘When the time had fully come, God sent his Son…’

God looked down on the world, he saw the mess, the brokenness, the suffering and the pain. He saw how rebellious and disobedient people had become. Like a spoilt child on Christmas morning we have taken all God’s good gifts and have broken and destroyed them and then expected more. God saw that we were utterly weak and helpless and unable to change our situation. So without invitation, without consultation, God intervened. He took the initiative and did something about it. He could no longer sit back and let people and the world destroy itself. When the time had fully come God sent his Son.

Incarnation                                                                                                                        ‘…God sent his Son, born of a woman…’

It simply means that God became a man. While he was still God he was born into the world just like you and me and experienced the full range of emotions and feelings that you and I have. If God was going to help us he had to become like one of us. The creator of the world, who has no beginning or no end. The sustainer and provider of all life, who depends on no one and who needs nothing. The ruler of the universe, who is all powerful and all controlling – was born into this world. God came near and experienced the world, first hand, in all it’s mess, suffering and pain. He loved us so much that he moved in with us. Not only so he can know us but that we can know him – personally and intimately. We are reminded of this each Christmas through the name given to Jesus – Immanuel God with us. God sent his Son, born of a woman.

Identification                                                                                                                                    ‘…born under law to redeem those under law…’

To redeem is to buy back. It means to intervene into the life of someone who is utterly helpless and give them a life that they could not achieve on their own.                                 ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ (Galatians 3v13)                                          God became like one of us so that he might identify with us. His identification was so great that he not only became like us he took the place of us. He came ultimately to take on himself the punishment that the law demands for our sin. Jesus did not stay in a crib he went to a cross and became a curse for us. On the cross he died for you and for me. He redeemed us, he rescued us, he gave his life for our sin so that we might have his life. Born under the law to redeem those under law.

Inclusion                                                                                                                               ‘…to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.’

This brings us to the climax, the purpose and reason of Jesus coming for us. So that we can be adopted into his family. No longer are we outsiders, excluded and rejected we are included into his family. We have been given the full rights as ‘sons’. A son has access to his Father. That means God is no longer to be feared he is our loving father. It means we are his valued and treasured possession and he now treats us as his own Son, Jesus Christ. But there is more. Sons are heirs of all that belong to their Father. So in the same way we will inherit all that God has for us – an eternal Kingdom ruled by justice and peace. As his children we will share in his eternal home.

Happy Christmas!

Generally speaking, it seems that Abortion on Demand is not supported, however abortion can be an option in the following circumstances: Rape, Suicide and Mothers life.

Rape At the very outset Rape is a horrible and henious evil act. It robs the victim of their security and innocence, and violates their human rights. While there can be healing, the physical, emotional and physcholgical scars will always be there. It is never justified. It is wrong. When a pregnancy occurs from rape the victim may seek an abortion on the grounds that the child is not only unwanted but as the child grows will be a continual reminder of the rape and the perpetrator. Therefore in this case an abortion should be allowed. However, when a pregnancy occurs from rape we are dealing with three people not one. Two are innocent, the mother and the baby, there is only one who is guilty, the perpetrator. So why should we give an innocent victim, the baby, a sentence more severe than the perpetrator of the crime? Why make the baby a victim? Why violate their human right to live? All life is precious and should be treated with dignity, respect and care. So while we seek the right to life of the unborn we should also seek the very best care for the mother, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Every resource, financial, medical and social should be available to the mother to support her through the pregnancy and care of her new born baby and into the future.

Suicide The x case of twenty years ago led to the call for an abortion when the mother was suicidal. As with all reasons for abortion it is very sensitive. While a mother may not want an abortion, her suicidal thoughts may mean her life is in danger. Therefore it is argued that an Abortion should be offered or advised – a tragic choice that just has to be made. However abortion in this case views the mothers life as more valuable and precious than the unborn child. All life is precious and all life should be protected. We are concerned and saddened by any suicide and we are equally concerned for the termination of a life who is completly dependant on the just and right choices of others. Rather than see an abortion as a tragic choice to be made we should have recources and care in place so that a mother has the choice of bringing the child to full term with all the support that is required. Would this mean more money? would this demand greater professional support? would this mean an increase of resources? Yes, yes and yes! and every mother who is pregnant and struggling with suicidal thoughts should be supported with the utmost care.  In fact, a mother who has chosen abortion can, in later years become suicidal because of her choice. So abortion in this case does not provide a solution but creates the very problem abortion was meant to solve. This is not a choice of either or, but, both and. All life needs protected.

Life of mother  This is perhaps the one most in our minds after the sad death of Savita Halappanvar. We still do not know all the medical facts, all we know is that the mother requested a termination of her pregnancy and her request was denied. So the reasoning is, when a mothers life is in danger for medical reasons an abortion may be given to save her life. This is very difficult and thankfully it is not at all common. Ireland has one of the highest rates of child birth and we can expect that to continue. However there are cases when a mothers life is at risk. So what should we do? First there should be no deliberate intention to end the childs life in a desire to save the mothers life. However there may be situations, which are very rare, where a mother receives treatment to save her life and as a result the pregnancy is terminated. But we should never see the child or mothers life as more worthy than the other. Second because of the advances in medicine we are now able to tell the health of the unborn. Sadly there are times when a child is born and is incapable of independant survival outside the womb. Such cases are extreme and are termed ‘anencephalic birth’ (born without a brain). When a mothers life is at risk and the unborn is unable to survive independantly then there maybe a case to terminate the pregnancy. However such circumstances are excepional and are never the basis on which to make judgements about abortion.

The debate about abortion will continue and we must make it our business to be clearly informed, medically and theologically, so that we are ready to give our answer and reason. ‘We must contend for the full dignity and humanity of every single human life at every point of development and life from conception until natural death, and we cannot rest from this cause so long as the threat to the dignity and sanctity of any life remains.’

A following post will look at what the bible says about Life.

No longer is it national news, it is now international news. Newspapers and News channels all over the world are reporting the very sad and tragic death of Savita Halappanavar and her just 17 week old baby. The very real emotion of it all has reignited the whole abortion debate, with protests in Dublin and Cork, calls for new legislation and demands for abortion to be made legal. It seems no one is short of an opinion. Those who are pro-choice will say that Mrs Halappanavars death is reason enough to introduce abortion in Ireland, after all, if it was legal it would have saved her life. However when an Irish woman nearly died last year, during an abortion at a Marie Stopes clinic in  England, the same argument was not applied, after all, if it was illegal then her life would never have been in danger! Amidst all the voices and opinions who do we listen to?

First, I think we should listen to the voice of Praveen Halappanavar, Husband of Savita. More than anyone else he wants answers and an explanation but he has also requested privacy and time to greive. Right now Praveen is greiving the the loss of his wife and his child that he never got to hold and cuddle. In the emotion of it we should pray for Praveen and Savitas’ wider family as they come to terms with the loss of a dear loved one, what ever the cause of death may have been. What this may mean for pro-life or pro-choice campaigners is yet to be made clear, and whatever laws are passed Praveen will never see his wife and child again. Sometimes we need to greive with those who greive.

Second, I think we should listen to the voice of the 100,000 + who can’t give an oppinion. These are the voices of those who have been aborted by Irish women in the UK over the last 20 years. What ever the cause of Savita Halappavar’s death (the findings we may know later today), what ever legislation will be needed to bring clarity in a similar situation, let’s remember that while we all have an opinion many will never be able to say what they think – the most basic of human rights.

Third, I think we should wait and listen to the voice of those who have been given the responsibility of inquiry. Theirs is a difficult job as they interview doctors and staff and see what procedures were or were not followed. The truth is we do not yet know what was the reason and we will do well to wait, be patient and listen before passing judgement.

Fourth, I think we should listen to the voice of God. God is the creator and sustainer of all life, both mother and child, and is grieved when any life ends. God has compassion on all he has made and entered into this world as a baby to redeem and restore all life. The suffering and the tragedy that the whole Halappanavar family have had to go through is great and it is for this reason that Jesus Christ came – to bring hope, to bring life, to restore the brokenness we see all around us. The saviour of the world became a baby, lived and died and rose again to defeat death and offer eternal life to all who come to him. That’s why we celebrate Christmas – the birth of Jesus – who came for all people, Irish and Indian.

The name ‘Magdalene’ comes from a true story found in the Gospel of Luke*. The woman in the story is not named, perhaps to highlight her rejection in society. Church tradition tells us she was Mary Magdalene but there is no evidence of that within Scripture. The lady in the story however is described as ‘one who had lived a sinful life’ which suggests she led a sexually promiscuous life, but again we are not told what the sin is. So what has the story in the Gospel got to do with the Magdalene Laundries?                                                                                                            Well Luke’s story shows us the failure of grace-less religion and contrasts the restoring grace that Jesus offers to those who are most in need.

Before the story begins Jesus is accused of being a ‘drunkard and a glutton, a friend of “sinners”’. Clearly his association with certain people got him a bad name – but he was neither embarrassed nor ashamed with those he met as the following account tell us.

One of the Pharisees (The Religious Ruling Elite) named Simon invited Jesus to dinner. Jesus obliged. During dinner an uninvited ‘woman who had lived a sinful life’ gatecrashed. Ignoring all religious protocol she ‘began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them’. It’s the response of the Religious Leader that is both surprising and shocking. His private thoughts; ‘If this man (Jesus) were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is – that she is a sinner.’, are an indication of his heart attitude – judgemental, critical and superior.

This woman needs grace not criticism, restoration not condemnation. Those who claimed to be ‘God’s representatives’ failed those whom God came for.

But Jesus is a prophet and he knows what Simon is thinking. He tells a story.                            “Two men owed money to a certain money-lender: One owed fifteen months wage, and the other one months wage. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of him will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.  

Jesus however, not only knows the heart of Simon he knows the heart of the woman.                    “Do you see this woman? (In contrast to Simon)… she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair…she has not stopped kissing my feet…Therefore, I tell you her many sins are forgiven – for she loved much.” Jesus is not saying she earned forgiveness by being loving. No! He is saying her many sins are forgiven and this is how I know – she loved much. Her love is a sign she has received forgiveness. This is the restoring grace the woman was in desperate need of, that should have been evident in Simon. Jesus knows her heart. Jesus sees that her extravagant devotion is a sign that she knows her failing and therefore receives the loving and accepting welcome of Jesus.

While this woman went away renewed and restored Simon was left with the words of Jesus confronting his critical heart; “But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”                                 The story in Luke’s Gospel assures us that in Jesus we find the home, the refuge we all long for. A home full of grace, where the rejected are welcomed, the sinner forgiven and the broken restored. 

* The story can be read in the Bible. Luke’s Gospel Chapter 7 verses 36 – 50. 

But fear not! We are still gathering – but instead of just gathering with our usual group from Carrigaline we will be gathering with other Baptist Churches from Cork/Kerry.

So instead of meeting with us in Carrigaline, please join with us and our sister Churches in Midleton Park Hotel at 11.00am.

Of course such events are sad and filled with unbearable grief as loved ones come to terms with what has happened. But why did it happen? To others he was fondly known as ‘Jimmy’ a reserved but respectful kind of guy. A fellow football team member described him as ‘hard to get to know him, but once you did, you realised he was funny and accepting of everyone’s faults.’  Holmes’ professor said: ‘…academically he was top of the top…’ The son of successful hard working middle class parents he was ‘just a nice guy’  ‘a good son’. So we might ask what went wrong?

The Joker

No doubt many answers will be given and people will make much of the fact that he was part of a support group for those struggling with depression, and was under extreme pressure to succeed like his Father. While not dismissing any of these reasons I want to suggest a deeper and more serious one. People refer to him like ‘The Joker’ in the comic series Batman – he’s just pretend and make belief, a fictitious villain. We often see him portrayed as dressed in a red outfit, with horns, a tale and a pitch fork in hand. Of course I’m talking about what the bible calls Satan or The Devil – but Like ‘The Joker’ we don’t really believe in him.

CS Lewis famed for his Narnia series, wrote a book called The Screwtape Letters. It’s a collection of letters from a senior devil (Screwtape) to an apprentice devil (Wormwood). Screwtape’s aim is to help Wormwood guide a man (The Patient) to ‘Our Father Below’ (Satan) and away from our Enemy (God). At one point Wormwood asks Screwtape about their existence. Here is Screwtapes advice:

‘My Dear Wormwood, You asked me whether it is essential to keep The Patient in ignorance of your own existence. That question, at least for the present phase of the struggle, has been answered for us by the High Command. Our policy, for the moment, is to conceal ourselves. I do not think you will have much difficulty in keeping The Patient in the dark. The fact that ‘devils’ are predominately comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade him that since he cannot believe in that, he therefore cannot believe in you.’

The events at a cinema in Denver Colorado were not fictitious, they were real, bloody and violent, ask any of the survivors. Satan too is real and his desire is to destroy all that is good and beautiful and the way he does that is to get people not to believe in him.  No wonder he is described as ‘that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray.’ Revelation 12v9. Not for one moment do I excuse what Jason Holmes did, and blame the devil instead. No, Jason Holmes is responsible but behind him is the work of a very real and sinister ‘Joker’.

The True Knight

Thankfully however the bible also introduces us to a real Hero. The True Knight who has come ‘…that he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil..’ Hebrews 2v14. When Jesus Christ the Son of God came into this world he came to confront Satan and his minions. He came to defeat and destroy his works. Jesus came on a mission of restoration and renewal. He came to rescue people (like me and you) from the grip of Satan and give them new life. This was ultimately achieved through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The True Knight has risen he has defeated him who holds the power of death and offers it to all who will believe.

The Last Laugh

My memories of ‘The Joker’ is a very distorted looking clown with a big laughing grin. Satan may celebrate and laugh at the destruction around this world but his end is guaranteed. Jesus has promised the restoration of all things, a new creation where there will be no more sadness, no more death, no more shootings and no more evil. Jesus Christ will come again ‘The True Knight’ the ultimate ‘Hero’ and he will replace our tears with laughter and silence our enemy forever.

The sooner the world starts believing in the Devil and starts trusting in Jesus Christ the sooner we will see an end to violent and bloody shootings.

May God comfort those who mourn and hold close those who grieve.

‘Kony 2012′

Make Kony Famous

Jason Russell made a film called ‘Kony 2012′ to highlight the crimes of the LRA and to move the world to action. Their aim is to make Joseph Kony famous so that every person, especially those in positions of leadership and influence, take note and together, see this man removed. Through intensive lobbying of governments and broadcasting over the internet their dream is becoming true. People are responding, signing up and taking action to see this cruel and violent leader brought to justice. In fact the other day when I was walking through some local woods I came across a stone with ‘Kony 2012′ written on it. While you or I may not be able to do anything on our own – this world movement can.
On April 20 2012 ‘cover the night’ will take place as people are encouraged to put up posters of Kony and make his name and face unavoidable. The goal is to see this man removed and children to be released. The efforts of Jason Russell and his team have been immense and the impact has not been without effect. World leaders are taking note and the hope is by 2013 Kony will be captured.
I, along with millions of others support this and have signed up to see this dream become a reality. I encourage you to do the same.

Replacing Kony

While I support this venture I also dream of something greater to happen. My fear is that should Kony be brought to trial there will be another ‘Kony’ to replace him. Just before Saddam Hussain was captured he boasted that there would be a thousand more to take his place. The same happened with Osama Bib Laden – he may have been killed but there are many more lining up to take his place. While on holiday in Germany we visited Dachau, the former concentration camp. In the camp was a memorial which had been put there by some of the survivors. It was a promise that these things would never happen again. Sadly history tells another story – genocide is still all too common. My point is there will always be another Kony. While we may see the end of Joseph Kony the reality is there are many more who will continue to do the same. The dream of Jason Russell is great but I dream of something greater.

Make Jesus Famous

Today is Good Friday, a day when millions around the world remember and yes, celebrate, the torture and execution of Jesus Christ. The New Testament Gospels record for us what happened – the betrayal, the trial, the injustice and the agonizing death. Now while the suffering was great, many others have suffered far worse including many of the children Kony has abducted. But here is what makes the death and suffering of Jesus Christ so unique. On the cross Jesus cried out

‘My God My God why have you forsaken me?’ On the cross Jesus went beyond the worst kind of human suffering and experienced cosmic rejection. He suffered infinite separation from the Father, foresaken for you and for me. The bible tells us that this was God’s way to pay and deal with our sins so that he could end all suffering and evil without ending us.
But the story does not end there. Three days later Jesus would rise and walk out from the tomb. His resurrection is proof of the restoration and renewal that God has promised. This world as we know it will be made new. All evil and suffering will end. All that has been broken will be made beautiful. Every horrible experience will be repaired and will become better and greater. There will be no more Joseph kony’s and no one to take his place.
This is what I dream of and the death and resurrection of Jesus makes it a reality.
So rather than make Kony Famous lets make Jesus Famous. He is the one to end all wars. He is the one to change and transform lives. He is the one who can make the world we all long for a reality.

In the meantime we fight for justice we seek the removal of men like Joseph Kony and we do all we can to care for the abducted children. Why? Because this is what Jesus came to do – he came to rescue creation.

Part 1

Suffering World
The problem is not if we suffer but when we suffer. Live long enough in this world and we will suffer. This is the message of the bible and this is the reality for Job. Suffering may be experienced in different ways. It can be physical as we deal with chronic pain or an incurable disease. It can be emotional as we come to terms with the loss of a loved one be they young or well on in years. Suffering can also be seen in natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and floods and it can be witnessed through human evil like terrorism, genocide and corruption. The cold reality is we live in a world of inevitable suffering. While there is much that is beautiful in creation and while there is so much to enjoy in life, we live with the fact that so much of what we see and touch is terribly broken and disordered.

Of course the issue is further complicated when experience tells us that it’s the innocent that seem to suffer most. That’s the big theme of Job. Those who are corrupt and wicked and care nothing for God seem to live better than those who seek justice and show compassion and love the ways of God. (21v7-15)

Introducing Job
Job is introduced to us as the ‘greatest man among all the people of the East’ 1v3. Materially he was wealthy but it’s his spiritual health that is the focus. He is ‘upright and and blameless, he feared God and shunned evil’ 1v1,8. Job even takes time to pray for his children after there parties ‘perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts’ 1v5. In fact at the very end of the book God commends Job as speaking what is right 42v7.
Because Job is so righteous it makes his subsequent suffering all the more difficult to comprehend. Within the space of a few days Job’s wealth and health is destroyed (1v13ff). His livelihood is wiped out by invading armies, his children and their families have all been killed in a natural disaster and his health has been snatched away. None of it makes sense. Why does God allow it? Why does God not intervene? These are questions Job begins to ask as he lives with the reality of such awful suffering (3v11-12, 20-23). As we read through Job we are left asking the big question: ‘What kind of God runs a world like this?’ From chapters 1-3 we are left to conclude that God is either Not Loving or Not powerful or perhaps both!

Introducing Satan
Unknown to Job, but known to us the reader, Satan has come to God. Surprisingly it’s God who reminds Satan of Job: ‘Have you considered my servant Job?’ 1v8. Behind the scenes and in the control room of power God gives Satan ‘permission’ to pursue Job. It seems Satan is convinced that Job only loves God because he has a good life. But upset his life, bring some suffering and he will soon turn his back on God. While Satan wants to cause harm to Job’s life with the intent of turning him away from God – in everything that happens – Job remains true to God. Amidst all his questions Job can say: ‘I know that my redeemer lives…and after my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I will see God.’ 19v25-26. Apart from chapter one and two we hear no more from Satan. It seems the writer wants our focus, not on Satan but on God.

Introducing God
Despite all the suffering and all the questions about suffering God remains in absolute control. No where are we to think that this world is in ‘free fall’ or that somehow Satan is a force that God is struggling to cope with. In fact the opposite is true. Behind all the suffering stands a God who remains firmly in charge of Job’s life, Satan and the world in which we live.
While Satan pursues Job, it’s at God’s initiative and under God’s control. In fact the writer wants us to see that Satan is on a leash – he can only do what God permits him to do. ‘Very well then everything he has is in your hands,…’1v12, 2v6. Job himself recognises that his life is under the Sovereign care of God, ‘The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away…1v21′ ‘Shall we accept good from God and not trouble? 2v10′. While Job knows it in his head he only comes to experience it in his heart as he listens to God speak to him. The concluding chapters remind us that God alone is the creator of the world and is therefore in change of all that happens in the world (Ch 38-41). We are left to conclude that there is just one God with absolute power and supreme authority. The creator God stands behind both good and evil, but yet God is never charged with evil. In ways that remain a mystery God is seen to allow, permit and even cause suffering in the world and in the lives people – even innocent and righteous people like Job. That God stands behind all suffering raises many questions but it also provides our hope.

With these introductions we are now better placed to understand the structure and therefore the message of Job.

Part 2

Chapters 1-3: Job and his suffering
The first three chapters introduce us to Job and the suffering that invades his life.
While much suffering is the direct consequence of sin the suffering of Job is what we might call ‘innocent suffering’. It does not mean Job was sinless, rather he was a man who loved God and sought to do good. This kind of suffering is the hardest to deal with. In seems irrational and threatens to destroy our understanding of God and the world in which we live.
Job’s lament in chapter 3 reminds us that this is something we all fear: ‘What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.’ v26

Chapters 4-31: Job and his ‘comforters’
We have all heard about Job’s comforters Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. If we want an example of how not to comfort someone who suffers then this is it! Their only positive contribution is the first week of Job’s suffering when they just sit with him and grieve with him. (2v11-13) Sometimes words are not appropriate.
What follows is three cycles of ‘advice’ from these three comforters. (ch 4-31)
Each one takes a turn which is followed by a response from Job. This happens three times with advice turning to accusation.
Their primary line of reasoning is this: Innocent people don’t suffer. ‘Who being innocent has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? 4v7. Together they counsel Job to repent of his sin and God will restore him (5v27, 8v6). In fact their accusation only intensifies – Job, they say, deserves his suffering (15v20-26).
Job’s response is to continue to claim his innocence, however his response turns to one of questioning God: ‘I desire to speak to the almighty and to argue my case with God’ 13v3. Job longs for the day when he can ask God why he is suffering when he has done nothing wrong. He wants vindication: ‘As surly as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul…I will never admit you are in the right..I will not deny my integrity.’ 27v2-6

This is the heart of the message. Job is not denying his faith he is working out his faith. He is angry and annoyed. If God is loving and powerful then why does he not do anything about it? Like Job we are drawn in to ask and reason with God, to tell him what we think. It’s only as we do this that we begin to find a way to deal with innocent suffering.

Chapters 32-37: Job and his friend
Ironically the three ‘comforters’ only bring more suffering to job. Far from being wise they fail to understand the way in which God works.
Elihu is next up. While he is angry with Job for speaking against God, he speaks with compassion and concern. His desire is to help Job see that fighting against God and charging God with injustice is not right (33v12). God does answer, God does speak but not in the ways that we want (33v13). God is not unjust and we should never think that God is evil or vindictive: ‘It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the almighty would pervert justice. Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world?‘ 34v12-13. Elihu does not have an answer to the ‘why’ question, but he begins to help Job and us get perspective. In short he prepares Job for an encounter with God.

Chapters 38-42: Job and his God
The last time we heard God speak was to Satan back in chapter two. Now God breaks his silence and speaks to Job: ‘Who is this that darkens my counsel..? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you will answer me’ 38v2-3. What follows is two chapters of questions from God directed at Job … Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?….Have you ever given orders to the morning?….Do you send lightening bolts on their way? Do they report to you?….Do you give the horse his strength? The answers all lead to one conclusion, only God can do all this, we can’t control the world or nature so who are we to find fault with the ways of God? Job responds in humility: ‘I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I spoke once, but I have no answer – twice, but I will say no more’ 40v4-5.
God does not answer Job directly but God does tell us what answers are unacceptable. If Job can’t control the *’Behemoth’ (40v15) or the *’Leviathan’ (41v1) then who are we to say we know better than God? Who are we to say what God should or should not do?
Once more Job responds: ‘I know you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted…My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes’ 42v2-5. Job does not repent because of sin but because he has been angry at God and accusing God and holding him guilty. Job has learned to let God be God to trust Him in the suffering – that He is Sovereign and in control. We might not have an answer, we may not understand God’s ways but we rest in the knowledge that God is right and he remains firmly in charge. No plan of God’s can be thwarted. This is our comfort and our hope.

*The Behemoth and the Leviathan are thought to be large land and sea creatures. They are also thought to be symbolic for the evil and destruction we see all around us.

Job and Jesus
The book of Job is long, 42 chapters, perhaps because there are no easy answers to the question of innocent suffering! We should not read Job with the expectation that we will find answers to everything we ask, however as we read Job we will find Jesus. In Job we get a glimpse of the ultimate ‘innocent sufferer’ Jesus Christ. Jesus was truly righteous, blameless and upright, the man who feared God and shunned evil. He did nothing wrong yet God was pleased to see him suffer the pain and death of the cross. Jesus took my sin your sin on himself and suffered the punishment that you and I deserve. The truly innocent one suffered for you and for me, death and hell, forsaken by the Father, so that we might live. Like Job Jesus cried out in agony and pain..’why have you forsaken me? The answer was silence. God does not always answer what we ask but he does provide comfort and hope. The book of Job ends with a reversal of all that he endured: ‘The Lord blessed the latter part of his (Job) life more than the first…’ 42v12. Perhaps this is a glimpse of all that is promised to those who love and trust Jesus – a reversal of all that we might endure. Because of Jesus we have the hope of a new heaven and a new earth. One day our short suffering life will end and ‘we will be his people and God himself will be with us and be our God. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who is seated on the throne says: I am making everything new!’ Revelation 21v3-5.