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Promise Maker and
Keeper
October 5, 2008 - Ian
“The one
whom Moses and the Prophets wrote about” is the longest of the titles of Jesus
in John Chapter 1. It is also the longest one about which is written. For the
word ‘Moses’ is shorthand for the section of the Old Testament called the Torah
– Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The ‘Prophets’ is
shorthand for the rest of the Old Testament from Joshua to Malachi (except
Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Song of Songs and a few other books; but they are
probably included in this title). So the long title “The one whom Moses and the
Prophets wrote about” is a short/long of saying, the whole of the
Old Testament.
God is a
promise maker and a promise keeper. Jesus is proof of both the promise and the
keeping of the promise.
Politicians
make promises, Dads and Mums make promises, husbands and wives make promises,
presidents, court witnesses make promises, people being
Baptised or Confirmed make promises, we all make promises. And we often fail.
God keeps his promises, he never forgets them. Jesus is proof. Sometimes God
takes a long time to keep his promises. That is because he knows the best time.
He has a bigger picture of time and history than we do.
God doesn’t
cross his fingers when making a promise as children do to say ‘I don’t have to
keep my promise now as I had my fingers crossed’. God never seeks a way out of
his promises, he will keep them. God wise and Jesus is the proof. God is
trustworthy. Jesus is the proof. Trust God, trust Jesus when it seems God is
slow to keep his promise.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are
“Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of
God. 2 Cor 1.20
Ian
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Work Wanted - one
Christ
September 28, 2008 - Ian
‘Christ’ is
the 4th title of John’s opening chapter in the Jesus biography that
we are examining this month. We have looked at ‘Lamb of God’, ‘King of the
World/Israel’, ‘Son of God’.
This last
title is the one most often used and today is often used as a swear word......
‘Christ’ is
not a surname for Jesus. It wasn’t Mr Joseph Christ and Mrs Mary Christ who
raised Jesus Christ. Christ is a job description and is short hand for ‘oily
hair’. Christ describes someone who has had oil poured on their head – anointed.
Like Queen Elizabeth the 2nd was when she became Queen of England. In
the Old Testament Kings, Priests and Prophets were anointed, as a sign to them
and others that these people had a powerful job to do, a task on behalf of God.
Jesus is all these of these roles wrapped up into one person. Christ is
important.
The word
“Anointed” in English is the word for “Christ” in Greek which is the word
“Messiah” in Hebrew. The Anointed
One/Christ/Messiah was a person promised long ago in the Old Testament, as a
person who would fulfil ALL the promises of God. God is no politician who
promises much but never delivers. Christ is the proof that God keeps his word.
JESUS IS
VERY IMPORTANT to God and so should be to us.
Ian
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Lamb of God
September 7, 2008 - Ian
Lambs are cute, they are small, fluffy, white, innocent and
leaping about in the open field. So why did John the Baptist describe Jesus as
the Lamb of God? Lambs were used by the people of Jesus’ day as animals to be
sacrificed to bring about forgiveness
 from
God. “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” is what John called
Jesus and so is thinking of a sacrifice for sin.
Poor little cute and innocent lamb and it must to die for the
sin of a human!? It seems so harsh when what has the lamb done?
... Read the
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Twelve Steps
August 31, 2008 - Dale
Have you ever heard of the 12 Steps? Some
people know them off by heart, others have never heard of them. The 12 Steps
were developed by the founders of
Alcoholics Anonymous,
an organisation started in Ohio in 1935 by two alcoholics, Bill W., a
stockbroker, and Dr. Bob S., a surgeon. Since then AA has spread around the
world as the most effective help group for alcoholics, and the 12 Steps have
been adapted to a dozen or so other addictions.
Members of AA normally use only their first
name, so that they can retain anonymity. But being a member of AA means they are
ruthlessly honest. Here are the
Twelve Steps Of
Alcoholics Anonymous – you can see the kind of honesty that is practised.
... Read the
rest of the Article. Post a Comment [0 Comment]
Repent!
August 24, 2008 - Ian
We hear this word often from the lips of preachers and bible
readers. But what does it mean? It is just saying “sorry” or it is something
else?
A word picture might help... In Australia there are often signs
saying ‘Wrong Way. Go Back’. They are often placed on a freeway exit ramp. They
warn you that if you drive onto the freeway using this exit, you might have a
head on crash into car exiting the freeway using the same ramp but coming from
in the other direction. The sign is in red, the colour of danger.
In other words the sign says... ‘Danger! Go in the other
direction!’..Read the
rest of the Article. Post a Comment [0 Comment]
Warning: Your life may be at risk!
August 17, 2008 - Dale
A discussion during the week raised the question of conscience.
Is a conscience important? Is it a nuisance? Does it always tell you what to do?
Can you follow your conscience? Should you follow your conscience?
It’s like the warning that pops up on the computer screen
sometimes “Your computer may be at risk. No Firewall is turned on. Click here to
fix this problem.” Conscience acts like an alarm. It warns us about a mismatch
between what we are doing and what we think is right.
Consciences are warning devices. They detect differences, or
mismatches, between action and beliefs. They depend for their effectiveness on
two things. One is a reliable knowledge of right and wrong. And here is one of
the big problems. Our mind has been educated over a life-time about what is
right and wrong.
But it is quite possible that some of what it has been taught is
not actually true. ... Read the
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Having a life
August 10, 2008 - Beth
We have all felt this; I have felt it often
here in Indonesia, especially just after being back from Australia. It is a
feeling of belonging in your home in one country but having a life in another.
“In Australia, I belong but I do not have a
life, in Indonesia I have a life but I do not belong.” This may not be
your exact words but they are mine. And you might have felt this in a different
country. But even if we have not lived in a different country, we should feel
similar about heaven and earth. ... Read the
rest of the Article. Post a Comment [1 Comment]
Solutions to
corruption
August 3, 2008 - Dale
Yesterday I felt as though I was living in two different worlds.
And yet the two worlds seemed quite similar. As though a person living in one
would feel quite at home in the other.
One of the worlds is that of Noah, Abraham and the people of
Sodom and Gomorrah. Stories of ambition, incredulity, scepticism about the
existence of righteous people. Stories of a world and a city overtaken by
corruption. They are stories from the ancient world, and yet they seemed like
the same kind of stories that were told in the conversation I had with friends
last night about modern day morality and corruption.
Are there any righteous people? How can endemic corruption and
immorality be changed? Is the Sodom and Gomorrah solution the only one that
works? Did it work? What about the Noah solution? Or the Babel solution? ...
Read the rest of the Article. Post a Comment [1
Comment].
What's in a name?
July 27, 2008 - Dale
“’Tis but
thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself though, not a Montague. What’s
Montague? It is not hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
belonging to a man. O! be some other name: What’s in a name? That which we call
a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…”
What marvellous things are in a
name. Names of places carry with them the feelings and character of the place.
Names of people are more than labels. They remind us of the person themselves.
The name represents who the person is. We like to hear our name used because it
is the sound of us.
So it is with our family names.
They carry with them the characteristics of our family: its history, reputation,
strengths and values. That was the trouble with being a Montague.
Abram was promised that his name
would become great. In fact he was given a new name. But “Father of many” means
that many people want to name Abraham as their family name. And if the promises
God made to Abraham are true then it may be quite important to be a descendant
of Abraham.
Lots of people who have no
physical connection whatever with Abraham regard themselves as part of Abraham’s
family so there must be something in it. ...
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Dispersing
Identity - the possibility of language
July 20, 2008 - Dale
Everyone at All Saints knows the difficulties, challenges and
satisfaction of learning new languages. We know the difficulties of trying to
understand a language we don’t know very well, and of trying to understand
someone who does not know our language very well. And of trying to make
ourselves understood.
Languages are not just sets of words, they also represent
cultures and ways of thinking, and therefore identity. Not only do we have many
languages (and therefore cultures and thought worlds) represented at All Saints
we also have quite a few versions of English with the thought worlds and
background cultures that go with those communities.
While the forms of English we use can generally be understood by
all of us, the communities that unite around the different forms have some
significant differences. I can identify at least five English speaking
communities in All Saints. ...
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Walking in
the dark
July 13, 2008 - Dale
When I was a student teacher I went bushwalking one weekend with
a teacher from the school where I was practising. We decided to start on Friday
after school and to catch a train to the place where we would start the walk. By
the time we reached the bush it was night-time and we decided to keep walking
along a dirt road in the dark (on the Narrow Neck peninsula near Katoomba in the
Blue Mountains outside of Sydney for those who know the area).
There was no moon but our eyes grew sufficiently accustomed to
the dark to be able to distinguish the road from the bush (the gutters on the
side of the road also helped). But we found that being able to see the path was
not the only problem. It was very quiet and very dark. There were bush noises
that we couldn’t identify. Were they just lizards or kangaroos, or were there
people hiding in the bush? Might someone jump out and attack us as we walked?
We knew also that parts of the road went very close to cliffs
where the edge of the road may not be very clear. So our pace slowed and
eventually we decided it was time to camp - one’s imagination can become very
active in the dark.
But fear doesn’t always need real darkness. ...
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What do
you do when your prayers don’t get answered?
July 6, 2008 - Dale
What do
you do when your prayers don’t get answered? (a) Keep praying? (b) Stop
praying? (c) Pray for something else? (d) Get angry? (e) Tell God he owes
you? (f) Give up? (g) Answer the prayer yourself? (h) Look for alternative
sources of help? (i) agree that prayer is probably a pretend game? (j) Something
else …
“Getting
answers to prayers” often means, “getting God to do what we ask for”. But that
is making the playing field quite small. It does not seem to give God much room
to move. Even general prayers such as “Please help me” can carry our own
un-stated assumptions about what kind of help we need – and when we need it.
Of course we are asking the question in a fairly mechanical way.
What if we asked instead about when God does not respond to the person who is
praying. Read the rest of the Article. Post a Comment [0
Comments]
The Perfect Match
June 29, 2008 - Dale
Is getting married about finding the perfect match for yourself?
The person created by God just for you? A kind of unique fit – someone who fits
you and only you? And vice versa of course.
And if there is, how to do you know which one it is? Is there
some chemistry that lets you both know? Or a sign? Is “falling in love” the
proof that is needed? By now some of those who have been married for a while
will be muttering something like “romantic nonsense”. Some of the romantics will
be rationalising or still in denial.
The questions are romantic questions of course. The question of
two people being a “perfect match” is not the same question as to whether they
have “true love”. But the two questions do have something in common. They
assume that love and matching come ready-made. ...
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Comments]
Christian
Community
June 22, 2008 - Ian
As many of you know, my daughter Beth has been in hospital over the last
week with Dengue Fever and Typhoid. It has not been easier for her nor Narelle
nor me. But Beth is now out of hospital and recovering well. One thing that has
stood out to this grateful Hadfield family over this week has been the Christian
community support that we have received.
We are asked by God to weep with those who weep, mourn with those who
mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). This is what I have
discovered is real and true of the Christian community here in All Saints
Jakarta. And this is not only a discovery for this week but all my Christian
life (some 30 years now) I have found this to be true that where ever I go, God
has his Christ-like community.
God places his people around the globe to be
there for one another... Read the rest of the
Article. Post a Comment
Fathers
June 15, 2008 - Dale
Fathers have been under siege in
the last couple of decades. But some recent films have managed to portray some
of the complexities of being a father. The Kite Runner comes to mind as
does the earlier film Babel.
Most fathers will identify with
the pressures described in these films. Grief, tragedy, work pressures,
conflicts in family, political and economic stress, absence from children, and
uncertainty about how to be a father.
Both films give a sense of
things out of control, of situations not encountered before. Being films, the
stories are perhaps exaggerated. But not untrue. Across many cultures and
traditions, the culture and tradition is changing. Old patterns are no longer in
place. What our fathers did is not always a help to us because we find ourselves
in circumstances that don’t have any history. Things were not like this before.
Read the rest if the Article. Post a Comment
Life is not Fair!
June 8, 2008 - Ian
Life is an important topic in
our world at the moment. Life for many students currently is all about exams but
soon it will be about life on holidays. Life is struggling in Myanmar. Life is
getting harder and so a world summit is now being held on how to care for the
poor. Life is more expensive and so there protests about the cost of living.
Life is not fair!
At the point of the ending of a
life, at the death of one that we love, or in a dramatic disaster such as the
Sichuan Earthquake in China recently, most of us look more closely at life and
see that it is unfair; that is harsh, fleeting and is so soon followed by death.
... Read the rest of the article. Post a Comment.
Enough troubles?
June 1, 2008 - Dale
Each day has enough troubles of its own, someone once said. But
some days seem to have more than enough troubles. Most of us have got used to
carrying the usual stresses and troubles. Well, maybe not used to it, but at
least we have worked out ways of coping and surviving.
But not all troubles are of the usual kind. It is the new ones
that take up more energy. The new pressure or stress or trouble doesn’t come
with a best practice solution. So we try various ways to deal with it: trial and
error with lots of trials and many errors. Finding the way forward can be very
tiring, more so when our emotional or physical reserves are depleted. ...
So did the wise person who said each day has enough troubles of its own, have
any helpful advice about this? ... Read the rest
of the Article. Post a Comment.
Enough troubles?
June 1, 2008 - Dale
Each day has enough troubles of its own, someone once said. But
some days seem to have more than enough troubles. Most of us have got used to
carrying the usual stresses and troubles. Well, maybe not used to it, but at
least we have worked out ways of coping and surviving.
But not all troubles are of the usual kind. It is the new ones
that take up more energy. The new pressure or stress or trouble doesn’t come
with a best practice solution. So we try various ways to deal with it: trial and
error with lots of trials and many errors. Finding the way forward can be very
tiring, more so when our emotional or physical reserves are depleted. ...
So did the wise person who said each day has enough troubles of its own, have
any helpful advice about this? ... Read the rest
of the Article. Post a Comment.
Think and Pray for
Asia
May 25, 2008 - Ian
This week, I represented All Saints Jakarta at the Anglican Church Synod.
The Synod is the Parliament of the Anglican Church in Singapore, Indonesia,
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Nepal and Thailand. We at All Saints are part of this
church group that operates in these countries.
Just think of how many people that represents......
Just think of what a large number of people groups, cultures and
languages that represents......
Just think of the political and religious tensions that this
represents.........
Just think about the sheer size of the land masses and the geographical
difficulties that this represents......
Just think ....
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A Quiet Night
April 27, 2008 - Dale
Last week I spent two and a half days working with four or five other Anglican
clergy completing the last of the translations of all the Anglican services into
Bahasa Indonesia. The one we finished this week was a service called “Prayer at
the end of the Day”, otherwise known as Compline.
It is not in the Book of Common Prayer, being amongst the large number of
medieval services that were omitted or merged in the new services of Cranmer’s
Prayer Book. However it has gained new life in recent revisions of Anglican
liturgy (you can see a typical modern version in our green Prayer Book). It is a
simple service that allows people to conclude the day with readings from the
scriptures, prayers of confession and prayers for protection.
In the modern service there is still a sense of the dangers of the night....
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Powerful symbols
April 20, 2008 - ian
Recently Johan Teterisa,
who waved a Maluku flag in front of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was
found guilty of treason and has been sentenced to life imprisonment. Soon after,
Jakarta Post newspaper readers were asked to comment on the sentence and many
who responded called for an increased punishment, to give him the death
sentence. Execution simply because he waved a flag??!!
The penalty of life
imprisonment seems harsh to me but it does show that even a piece of coloured
cloth is a powerful symbol. Flags are powerful symbols because they symbolise a
Nation. They stir up pride, or discontent. When flags are burnt, torn down, or
jumped on, these are powerful images of people’s feelings not to the piece of
cloth, but the nation it symbolises. The power of the symbol is in that which it
represents...Read the rest of the Article. Post
a Comment
Do you belong to All Saints?
April 13, 2008 - Dale
A difficult question. Belong in what sense? Am I on the list of
registered members? Am I a regular attender? Is this my church home? Am I part
of the fellowship? Are my Christian friends and encouragers and supporters in
this church? Am I connected with strong bonds to those who are working to
strengthen and build up this church? Have I invested myself in its life?
So many possible answers. All Saints is an unusual church
because people can be part of it in different ways. Some people are both
registered members and part of the “engine room” that helps the church grow.
Others are not registered members but are part of the core strength. Some attend
regularly and share to some extent in the life of All Saints. Some are visitors.
The structure of this church allows all these three groups
(registered members, regular attenders and visitors) to be part of All Saints in
different ways. So it can be confusing for those of us who are from churches
where membership is defined more narrowly.
But belonging is more than whether we are members in some
official sense. Do you feel you belong? ... Read
the rest of the Article. Post a Comment.
Numbers and Labels
April 6, 2008 - Ian
According to the
Vatican – “Islam has overtaken Roman Catholicism as the biggest single
religious denomination in the world”. The Vatican estimates that there are 1.13
million members (17.4% of the world’s population) of the Catholic Church
compared to the estimated 1.3 million people (19.2% of the world) of the Islamic
faith. Yet if all Christians are put together “including Orthodox churches,
Anglicans and Protestants, then Christians make up 33% of the world's population
— or about 2 billion people”.
There is that in me that is disappointed that there are more Muslims in the
world than Catholics. As a Christian Pastor I would like to be on the side where
there are more of us than anyone else. But then I ask myself what does God want
in terms of numbers and what does he say is more important than numbers and
labels.
Just because there are more ‘Christians’ at the moment than any other faith
doesn’t excite God.... Read the rest of
the Article. Post a Comment [1 Comment]
What kind of Christian?
March 30, 2008 - Dale
I met some people last week who said they had decided to call
themselves “serious Christians”. They explained that this was instead of calling
themselves “committed Christians”. The idea I think was that “committed
Christians” has been over-used and needed to be replaced.
But the new term sounds a bit serious, doesn’t it? Almost dour.
No jokes. Much stroking of the beard. Except I don’t think that is what these
friends had in mind. They are not at all serious in that way. For one thing
they laugh too much.
They meant something else...
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Comments]
Easter in Eden?
March 23, 2008 - Dale
Easter - the season of new life. The season of a spiritual
Spring where life erupts again after the winter of death. Fair descriptions of
Easter do you think?
Certainly Easter is connected with the creation. It is about the
most dramatic and most terrible thing that has ever happened to the creation. It
is about death. At least it is about undoing death. Or is it?
Much modern discussion suggests that people do not want to undo
death. They just want to continue to exist in some form or other. As long as
life continues… that is the main thing. Greek myths and various images from the
Bible can build a picture of a pleasant sort of life after death, that in a
sense ignores death and leaves it behind.
So in a way death is denied....
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Good/Excellent
Friday
March 21, 2008 - Ian
What is so good about Good Friday? Is it the day off work? Is it
the public holiday? Is it the Easter Egg(s) that is soon to come your way? Is it
decorating the eggs? Is it the hunt for the Easter Eggs? Is it the hot cross
buns that are so yummy to eat? Is it the school holidays? Is it going to church?
Is it the cards or the sweets/candies? What makes Good Friday good for you?
There are lots of good things about Good Friday and all of the
above are good.
But for Jesus on the first Good Friday was there anything good
for him?... Read the rest of the Article. Post a
Comment.
Anti-climax?
March 16, 2008 - Dale
Talk about anti-climaxes. The great entry of the long awaited King into the
capital city of his empire was full of excitement and enthusiasm. But the King
himself did not seem very happy.
It seems that when the King arrived in the capital he saw that it was in a mess.
He closed down the worship in the temple for a few hours as a kind of warning of
worse to come. He got stuck into the leading theologians and the religious power
clique. He warned the crowds not to be misled by show and power and popular
display.
The triumphal entry seemed to give way to a rather severe auditor looking over
the state’s affairs and calling the authorities to account. And the tension
increased as the week wore on. The supreme governing body of the nation decided
the King was a fake and planned to get rid of him.
I wonder if Jesus thought it was a big let down? Was he disappointed? ...
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[2 Comments]
Thanks and belonging
March 9, 2008 - Ian
This Monday night, the current Church Council meets for the last
time. This Church Council has employed me and so my family and I wish to say
thank you to this Council and all who were involved in interviewing, arranging,
hosting etc. But the Council has done more; it has expanded Dale’s contract as
Vicar and spent time planning for the next 5 years. There are some exciting
possibilities ahead including starting a new church Service, employing a Youth
and Children’s worker, being involved in mission and developing the Menteng
property.
There have been some challenges and struggles, some joys and
gains. Our Councillors have served us and our Saviour. Thank you Kayee, Robert,
Ruth, Pek Swan, Shelley, Peter, Steve, Walter, Dave, Frandy, Danny, Alistair,
Paul and Richard. A big thank you
to Dave who has served us and the Council for about 10 years but who is not
standing this year.
All Saints is an amazing church with people from all sorts of
cultural and church backgrounds. We are God’s family and worship our God
together on Sundays and as smaller groups and individuals our worship continues
throughout the week. Belonging though is more than simply attending: it is also
about taking responsibility for All Saints and its ministries and being
interested in its leadership. ... Read the rest
of the Article. Post a Comment
The place of
suffering
March 2, 2008 - Dale
What should Job have done the next time? After his terrible
series of disasters and in the middle of his personal suffering, he asked God
for a debate, or a hearing in a court of arbitration, or a face to face
dialogue.
And then God spoke to him and asked Job what he knew about
creating and managing the universe. The series of sustained questions left Job
speechless – but he had seen God with his own eyes. He recognised God could do
anything, so he stopped complaining.
But having endured both the suffering and the dialogue, what
would he do next time? What did he learn that might help him the next time such
a thing happened?...
The question is hypothetical for Job. But the lessons learned
are understood by Habakkuk. And also by Jesus. The prayer in the garden of
Gethsemane is prayed by someone who understands the book of Job. “If it is
possible… if not….”
Paul understood the idea as well. But Paul had some advantages
over Job. He had seen what happened to Jesus. ...
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God Talk
February 24, 2008 - Ian
“Only one person has ever spoken to me about God at refreshment time after
church”. This comment was made to me recently by one of our members at Don Bosco.
That is very sad. Has that been your experience? And how often have you
mentioned God in your after church conversation?
I want to challenge us all, including myself, to talk about God more, especially
in the safe confines of church morning tea/refreshments at All Saints. After
church is a safe time when we are with people who have similar thinking to us,
after all they attend the same church. We have talked about God for the last
hour, sung about him, sung to him and talked with him and even heard from
him....So why end there? Surely God is worth talking about more than one hour
per week! ... Read the rest of the Article. Post
a Comment [1 Comment]
Limits to
tolerance
February 17, 2008 - Dale
It seems a bit hard to avoid commenting on Rowan Williams’ willy-willy**. The main issues have
been well and truly explored by a variety of commentators. You can see a round
up on
Ruth Gledhill's blog
Some of the more significant religious issues are probably too sensitive to
write about from here. But one which I think is relevant to those who live in
the western world is the issue of accommodation. For a long time now the church
in western countries has been under pressure not from followers of other
religions but from those with a secular religion.
The pressure has come in the form of not offending others. So churches and
Christians have been intimidated into virtual silence in case some group is
offended by what Christians believe or practise. ...
Into this atmosphere of accommodation and privatising of Christianity has come
another religion with clear and forward moving agendas. I think it has taken
both the secularists and the Christians by surprise. ...
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Comment]
A religious relationship
February 10, 2008 - Ian
It is easy to be religious here in Indonesia. This is an observation that I have
made whilst living in Indonesia for just a short time. In Australia the
religious affiliation question is non compulsory in the national census. You do
not have to declare what religion you are in Australia. But in Indonesia you
must declare to whom you belong as it appears on many official personal
documents –Are you Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, or Catholic? Here in
Indonesia you must have a religious label. But does this mean that here in
Indonesia you will be more godly? Will God simply be pleased with a label? ...
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More than enough
February 3, 2008 - Dale
What do you think of that famous occasion when the people
of God were told to stop giving because they had given too much!? On other
occasions they were told not to bother because their giving was entirely
hypocritical. But on this occasion there was too much to handle. An unmanageable
surplus.
Hard to imagine isn’t it? Not many people know about it.
But it ought to be better known because it concerns the Great Grumblers. “Why
have you led us up this road only to starve us to death?” they said. After one
of the most astounding events in their history they settled back into self-pity,
self-righteousness and grumbled like mad because they had run out of food.
So the Lord gave them food. As much as they needed. Some
collected a lot, some gathered little but all had as much as they needed. No one
had too much, no one had too little. But some thought they needed to store some
until the next day, despite the fact they were told that there would be enough
every day and no one was to store any (what they stored rotted and was full of
maggots).
The Great Grumblers were slow learners. Later they ran out of
water. ... Read the rest of the article. Post a
Comment
THE Wedding
January 27, 2008 -
Ian
Recently, a friend wrote an article for a monthly Jakarta magazine about
weddings and how late the invitations often arrive. He ‘complained/whinged’
about having to change weekend plans to make the wedding a priority to attend.
Weddings are wonderful events – lots of fun, joy and laughter, eating, talking,
drinking – it is about celebrating relationships.
Two of our church members get married on Sunday the 27th; Yolanda and
John Paul. As the person doing the marriage ceremony, I have had an invitation
for a long time and have been preparing with them for this very special day. Not
all of us have been invited though to their wedding.
But all of us have been invited to a wedding – THE wedding ...
Read the rest of the Article. Post a
Comment.
(This picture is not of Yolanda and JP)
Choosing bananas
January 20, 2008 - Dale
One of my earliest scientific theories concerned the little
brown bruises (about the size of a thumb print) that appeared inside a banana
after the peel was removed. My theory was that certain shoppers (I must confess
I have a picture in my head of a certain type of shopper) pressed the bananas to
see if they were firm or soft before they bought them (actually in these cases
before they decided not to buy them).
Sometimes in discussions about the relationship between God and
humans, God can be pictured as a kind of divine banana shopper. Why does he
choose this one and leave another? Is he looking for some kind of quality in us
before he chooses us? Is it possible to predict whether one is a suitable kind
of banana? Or to be sure he won’t throw us back? Are our unbelieving relatives
the ones with the divine bruise of rejection?
These discussions always seem dismal and depressing but they
arise from the mention in the scriptures that God does choose people. I think
they also arise from our observation of the variety of those who believe. It
seems hard to find a common factor that explains why God has apparently chosen
this group.... Read the rest of the
Article. Post a Comment [1 Comment]
Christ remains the
big attraction
January 13, 2008 - Ian
This article is from a friend…. In a long life largely devoted to sitting
at airports or on airplanes, I have been told by a stream of fellow travellers
that Christ, when on earth, was many things. He was, they say, (a) a non-smoker;
(b) teetotaller; (c) a pacifist; (d) a rebel; (e) a capitalist; (f) a unionist;
(g) homosexual and (h-z) countless other things.
The fact that those who told me these things were also (a) non-smokers; (b)
teetotallers; (c) pacifists; (d) anti-establishment; (e) a company director; (f)
unionist; (g) homosexual and (h-z) countless other things, might of course have
something to do with it. They may, let us say, have fallen for the temptation of
creating a god in their own image.
Then there was the man who assured me that Christianity began in England. He
was, need I say it, an Englishman.... Read the
rest of the Article. Post a Comment [1 Comment]
The hijacking of
history
January 6, 2008 - Dale
Have you noticed the way “historical” movies tend to adapt the story to fit the
views or prejudices or interests of the modern audience? I am thinking of films
like the Nativity Story, Alexander the Great, and so on. No doubt a certain
amount of “adaptation” is necessary. The same happens with old drama.
Shakespeare’s plays are regularly set in a modern context.
But history is different to drama. It is not that only a selected part of the
history is described. Historical description is always selective. It is more
that the history gets hijacked by modern concerns. At one level this may be a
way of saying that the people of the past faced similar issues to us. But at
another level it is a means of co-opting the history to support a particular
modern point of view. As though the people in the past held the same view that
we are supporting or opposing.
One example in the Nativity Story was the strong message that Mary’s arranged
marriage was against her (and any sensible woman’s) wishes. While this is an
important issue for many modern women, there is no evidence that it was an issue
for Mary (or even that her marriage was actually arranged against her wishes).
History also seems to be co-opted fairly regularly in films in the cause of sexual
propaganda (from the point of view of a variety of “preferences”).
One of the effects of this is to distort the history. Historical revisionism is
not a new idea, ...Read the rest of the Article.
Post a Comment.
New Year
Resolutions
December 30, 2007 - Ian
Having moved through the period of Christmas, we now celebrate the end of one
year and the beginning of the next. And at this time, we humans often indulge in
some promise making, called making New Year Resolutions. In this ‘ritual’ we
make promises to ourselves. Is your New Year Resolution in the top 10?
1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends 2. Get Fitter 3. Lose Weight 4. Quit
Smoking 5. Enjoy Life More 6. Quit Drinking 7. Get Out of Debt 8. Learn
Something New 9. Help Others 10. Get Organized (source).
I have a few questions about your resolutions; how long do they last? Do you
have a resolution that includes your relationship with God? Why do we make such
promises? ... Read the rest of the Article. Post a
Comment.
What kind of
excitement?
December 25, 2007 - Dale
Christmas is such an exciting time. At least there is a lot of excitement
surrounding Christmas. Or if not excitement, lots of activity. Lots of things to
do, parties, shopping, lunches, dinners, shopping, bazaars, concerts, carols,
shopping, – even church services. And all mixed in with a variety of cultural
traditions that add colour and spice and sometimes confusion and bewilderment.
By contrast Easter is decidedly dull – a kind of brown chocolately colour maybe.
Part of the reason may be the Bible stories themselves. The birth of Jesus has
lots of amazing events surrounding it, angels – in blinding light and out in
force- dreams, messages from angels, strange travellers from far away, massacres
of little boys, prophecies coming true, old people saying strange things about
the baby. ... Read the rest of the Article. Post a
Comment. [1 Comment].
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Is it the holiday from work or school?