Look Up not Down!

It is a challenge to look up but on Ascension Day we are reminded to look up.  What might that mean? (Below is shared at our sheltered home service today)

We live in a world where we often look down.  We feel battered and bruised by the stage of life we find ourselves at.  Our bodies don’t behave the way we want them too or our minds flit between topics like a remote control going through the channels on the tv.  Our politicians seem determined to make a right royal mess of all that they are supposed to be handling and we are not sure if they or we are in, out, in, out, shake it all about, do the hokey cokey…

But as people of faith we are called to look up.  We are not called to look down.  We are a people of hope, of life, of love and of God.  So we look up, not staring into the heavens waiting for Jesus to return although we live in hope of that.  But looking up – knowing that we walk in the confidence of God, proven through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.  We are people of his Kingdom – no longer afraid of what this world might do to us.  When you read the beginnings of the early Church we are reminded that following Jesus can be really tough but we are not called to look down, but up.  When Elijah felt that he was the last prophet standing and he was on a kill list, he looked down.  When he looked down he lost sight of God, of the beautiful world around him, or the community of faith that existed.  When he looked up at the cave, however reluctantly, he heard God in the gentle whisper and was told that thousands of believers existed just around the corner. Or Peter walking on the water – when he looked up at Jesus he walked on the water.  When he looked down and saw the storm and the waves and the water, he sank.  When he looked up and reached out his hand to Jesus he was saved.

It is often easier to look down than to look up.  Down is where we find those deep wells of self-pity.  Down is where we don’t see the world around us full of beauty and blessings.  Looking down feeds our negative emotions, hides us from interacting with others and isolates us.  The greatest problem with phones for example, is that they encourage to look down, and so we walk through this world unseeing.

The disciples had looked down.  Jesus no longer made sense to them, if he ever did.  Those who have eyes will see, ears will hear.  But they were lost, confused, uncertain, and looking down was easier somehow.  Easier to lose oneself in a locked room away from prying eyes and awkward questions.  But Jesus breaks in again and again, helping them to look up. To understand their scriptures not the way they were taught them, but interpreted through the life, death and resurrection of God’s Son.

And finally he took them outside Bethany – and there he rose up to heaven, out of their sight.  They truly had to look up to watch and there they worshipped him.   There is much in this world that will encourage us to look down but faith in the Lord means we need to look up.  Look up and see each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore reminding us that we are not alone.  Look up and see the beautiful world, hear the birds singing, the rain thumping or feel the heat of the sun on your face.  Look up and see – but remember that we walk by faith not by sight.  So whether you can literally see or not matters not, but your faith will always encourage you look up.  Look up and know that God loves you, that you can walk through this world with confidence and hope no matter what happens.  Amen.

Encountering the Risen Christ - How it might happen?

Encountering the Risen Christ
Readings:  Acts 9:1-20 and John 21:1-19
Have you ever been so right, so absolutely right that no one could persuade you otherwise?
How do you know you are right?
Do you trust your eyes?  Was that dress blue or was it gold?
Do you trust your teachers?  They taught us that our tongues taste in sections, since proven wrong by scientists.

Saul was an educated young man, full of passion and youthful idealism.  And he was determined to stamp out Christianity.  It was false and dangerous and had to be crushed.  He became quite the figurehead, and was the subject of much prayer even if he didn’t know it.  Can you imagine how many were praying that the Lord would intervene...?

So prayer changed him.
But for Saul – what an answer to prayer – that encounter with Jesus was life changing.  It needed to be because Saul would have ignored or missed anything else.  He was so hell-bent on his mission that nothing would have got through.  Losing his sight for that short time would have been the space God needed.  Saul as he was known was a determined young man, who knew what he was doing was right and he needed an intervention as we would call it nowadays.  And Jesus intervened in style.  Crikey – Saul was left in no doubt as to who he met.

Are we missing encountering the Risen Christ because we are too busy, too hell bent on getting done what needs to be done?  What does Christ have to do to get your attention?  Something big or maybe you need something more soothing.

The story from John’s Gospel is a gentle story. Here Jesus is intervening again but in a much less dramatic way, although not without some flourish.  It’s almost as if Jesus who kept a relatively low profile before his death is relishing some freedom.  It is almost playful but at the same time Jesus meets his friends where they are.  They are hurting, confused and wondering what comes next.  We can be guilty because of hindsight to think that all would have been hunky dory after the resurrection.  Yet we know that we are complicated people.  We worry about details.  We overthink things – even men!

Judas Iscariot had done the dirty on them all and then killed himself before any form of judgement, anger, or explanation could occur.  Talk about regrets and unfinished business.  Judas was a friend, a fellow traveller for the previous three years.  Even if he was a bit of a loner, he would have been involved.  How do they deal with that?

Peter is on the world’s biggest guilt trip – a broken man.  Previously a leader, in the inner circle, but he denied he even knew Jesus.  His self-preservation kicked in and he couldn’t be the big, brave, man he was known for.  Jesus dies on the cross and there is no release for Peter.  And then he rises again and Peter rejoices and weeps, convinced perhaps that he will be shunned.

Interestingly Jesus doesn’t deal with the ‘sin of betrayal’ directly or immediately.  Funny that!  Instead he makes breakfast and together they share an agape meal of bread and fish at the water’s edge.  There is, for those of you who like to spot continuity threads, a wee nod to the feeding of the 5000.  Bread and fish, and despite an exceptionally poor nights fishing, suddenly there are so many fish they struggle to bring them to shore.  God doesn’t punish their lack of faith – he builds up their faith.  He is not punitive.

And then there is that conversation between Jesus and Peter as they walk along the water’s edge.  God doesn’t avoid the difficult conversations but nor does he wield the belt and rub in the salt.  He speaks to Peter and asks him if he loves him.  God doesn’t need us to grovel or beg.  Peter needed to repent – and in this case repentance meant turning from his regret and grief, his failure and turning to commitment, love and faith.  Paul might have needed an intervention that was ‘big and flashy’ but Peter needed fellowship and conversation.

When we encounter the risen Christ it will be personal to us.  We might get a Damascus moment and God bless you if you have.  Plenty people have and a lot write books afterwards.

If you encounter Christ walking on the beach or at a hospital bed or in the quiet of the night your encounter is just as valid.  Or if, like me, you have felt the bulldozer effect, gently pushing you to commit to Him, then welcome to the gang.  If you have yet to encounter the risen Christ, stay alert, for he is there. Speak to him, invite him or simply let him you are wanting to meet him.  Perhaps it will be a breakfast on a beach or chance encounter that is anything but chance.

Don’t judge each other’s encounters, but rejoice in them and share them.  Remember it is the same Christ we each meet, but it is a meeting that Jesus determines and we have to trust that he knows best.

Be open to encountering the Risen Christ this week, and know that even when you are not aware of him, he is always with you.  Amen.

Seeing is Believing - or is it?

Here is an edited version of Sunday’s reflection where we had a baptism.

Photo (The Bield Grounds)

 

Seeing is believing so the saying goes.

What do you see?  In the photo - death or life, destruction or new growth?

When you look around the world what do you see?

At first glance we see the world falling apart.

Creation is in meltdown – literally.  The ice caps are melting, and with that comes rising water levels.  On World Penguin Day we learnt that there are not as many baby penguins as there should be.  The polar bear community is losing their hunting grounds.  Rising water levels are wiping out island communities especially around the equator.  We live in a consumer society where so much is wrapped in plastic…and we live for today with little or no thought for tomorrow.  But at first glance we say – what’s the point?  It’s not like the rubbish gets sorted down the line either.

Yet when we look a bit closer, when we pay attention we find out that actually since the Blue Planet plastic episode usage of plastic has been cut.  It is known as the Attenborough Effect, where 53% of people reported cutting down on use of plastic, and the EU have banned single use plastic. Coffee chains are introducing recyclable coffee cups.  We will be introducing reusable plastic cups for the water cooler to save on that plastic waste.

Seeing is believing!

Last week we were rocked by the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday as Christians and ‘wealthy’ guests at hotels were targeted.  Previously we have mourned with Muslims in New Zealand when they were targeted. We mourned with the community of Londonderry and beyond as Lyra McKee is killed in the shootout.  We mourned with the Jewish Community who were attacked in the States.  We look at people around our world, at how they treat each other, even those who practise faith that speaks of love and mercy killing others.  Christians have no excuse because we are called to love our enemies, and Jesus took a non-violent route.

Seeing is believing and for many today – faith is meaningless.  What’s the point in faith when the evidence of what it gives believers is judgement, prejudice, hatred and violence?  Faith is meaningless when even those of faith behave as if there is no hope.

But again, look a bit closer.  Christianity thrived in the New Testament times because when everyone else abandoned those in need, Christians didn’t.  When the plague hit London it is said the last to leave were the Christians.  Wherever there are situations that require that extra mile, often you will find Christians in the mix.  Faith, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish or others can often make us more willing to go into the breach, especially when it hurts or calls for sacrifice, because faith gives a perspective bigger than ourselves or even our families.

Seeing is believing but when we cannot see, whether literally or metaphorically, what happens?

For the disciples they were blessed to see Jesus.  Probably terrified to be honest, hence he offers them peace first.  But they were witnesses to the resurrection and there had to be witnesses to the resurrection.  Once again, though, God is subtle.  Like Jesus’ birth, his resurrection is shared with the few and not the many.  We could have had Jesus appear in the sky with a whole fanfare of angels but instead he appears to small groups of people, to the disciples on a number of occasions and others.

We are not coerced into faith.  God doesn’t do some kind of magic show.  He provides markers along the way, but our faith has to be built on more than just vision. There is a running joke that poor Thomas is left with the nickname Doubting Thomas but somehow none of the others get landed with their failure.  I think, however, doubting Thomas is a actually a blessing to us, even if he doesn’t think so.

We cannot stand before the leaders of this world, the naysayers and those determined to undermine us, and say we were witnesses to the resurrection like the story in Acts.  But we can say blessed are those who believe without seeing. We have looked beyond the first glance, and found more than we expected.

We are blessed.  We are loved when we are unloveable.  We are don’t just live today but we live forever.  We are in a relationship with him who made the world.  And I don’t mean in 7 days but the one who created everything so intricately, so balanced, so beautifully is real.  When our world is upside down, God is our rock, our anchor, our safe place.  When we celebrate, the angels celebrate.  When we worship, pray, praise, God is there.
When we need peace or comfort or strength that is unfathomable to the world around us we can know it, feel it, experience it.
When there is no reason to hope we are not hopeless.

Yes life hurts.  Yes bad stuff happens to good people. It has always been so.  This world is not perfect – and it won’t be even if you believe. We will still need foodbanks because officials are more interested in protecting their misguided prejudices than helping those in need.  We will still have war because people just cannot get along with another, heavens most of us don’t get along with the people we call family.  We still have pain and suffering and grief.

But we also have hope, the very real hope that this isn’t all there is.  Hope that one day the words of Scripture that we hear so often – there will be no more pain or suffering, death or tears.  The Psalmist writes –
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Saviour and my God.

The author of Hebrews writes ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.’ James encourages us, indeed instructs us not to doubt because then we are tossed about like one on the waves. And Peter believes that we should be able to explain the hope we have within us, gently and with respect.

Today we welcomed M at the Font, as we have a large of number of people over the years.  We welcome all whether they come for a week, a month or years and years.  We welcome because we believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead to bring life to all people.  Baptism is a sign and a sacrament that helps us to receive the grace of God, and an outward sign of our acceptance of that grace and love.  M is welcomed in God’s family, and in that moment of mystery and grace, where heaven and earth touch and the water of the font, poured upon his head, enfolds him in the loving arms of Jesus, blessed forever by the Holy Spirit, we are witnesses to God’s grace and love.

Blessed are those who believe without seeing, and yet once you look deeper, you might be amazed at what you do see, with the eyes of faith.  What is holding you back?  Can you look deeper?