NEW LIFE

Acts 10:34-43 

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
1 Corinthians 15:19-26 

John 20:1-18 (or Luke 24:1-12)

If you've ever watched an action film, you’ll know the basic plotline: Life is fine, bad guy turns up, hero saves the world, life is fine again. These stories always feature spectacular near misses. When everything is hopeless for the good guys, the hero arrives, dodges a bullet and saves the day.

The story of Jesus’ death and resurrection however, is not about an heroic near miss. Jesus doesn't dodge a bullet, he dies.

Jesus’ death is the end of a world, the end of a story. It is an ending that had to happen, in order to make way for the ‘new thing’ God had in store for Creation. (1 Corinthians 15:22) So in order to make space for the new life that God is gifting us in Jesus, we must be willing to let the old life die. Instead of near misses and last minute rescues, during Lent God calls us into surrender and obedience. It is a holy ‘letting go’, the end of life as we know it.

And this death is not without grief. We hear in Mary Magdalene’s words at the tomb that she has lost everything that mattered. “Why are you crying?” they ask her. “They have taken my Lord away...” (John 18:13-14)

Surrounded by her discarded dreams, she doesn't even know where to find God anymore. It is the end of her world. And it’s an ending that needs to happen for all of us too, an ending that Lent invites us to greet so that God’s new life might have room to grow in us.

And when we have let go of everything the bringer of life will come and find us, just like he found Mary in that garden, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Rev Malcolm Gordon

MANY VOICES

Liturgy of the Palms - Luke 19:28-40, Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
Liturgy of the Passion - Luke 23:1-49

This account of Jesus’ final hours describes an utterly chaotic mess marked by a feverish din of voices. Pilate, Herod, religious leaders, the mob – all raising their voices in increasing anger and frustration in an attempt to get their way. Pilate’s voice is heard as he becomes deeply disturbed by the obvious injustice of it all and increasingly worried by the growing power of the crowd. Herod’s voice is heard as he becomes excited by it all in that he finally has an audience with Jesus but frustrated that Jesus doesn't entertain him. The religious leaders’ voices become desperate in demanding that Jesus is sentenced to death. The crowd’s voice becomes ever louder as they call for Barabbas’ release and Jesus’ crucifixion. Then as Jesus hangs on the Cross, the voices continue to mock and taunt him; the leaders, the soldiers and one of the criminals on the cross.

Yet through the tumult of voices – as Luke’s account comes nearer to the moment of Jesus’ death – the violent voices seem to be drowned out by one Voice. Through all the evil static an astounding clear Voice can be heard. Comforting the grieving women (Luke 23:28-41); forgiving the offender (Luke 23:34); promising the condemned (Luke 23:43); demonstrating unbelievable trust (Luke 23:46).

What are the voices surrounding and deafening your world today? What violence and injustice are being called for? What taunts are wounding your soul? What are the destructive voices that are so extraordinarily powerful around you?

Listen.

Read Luke 23:1-49 again and listen to the voice of Jesus in this account. Listen as his suffering, death and love silence them!

Rev Dr Geoff New

WALK WITH JESUS

Isaiah 43:16-21 

Psalm 126
Philippians 3:4b-14 

John 12:1-8

“A tale of two hearts”

There is a stark contrast in this story – two hearts demonstrating two opposing reactions.  Imagine the scene, full of tension. A dinner party with one woman – Martha, working hard, serving the guests. All would have seemed quite normal until another woman – Mary literally “let her hair down” (quite an inappropriate action for a woman of that day), and Judas’s reaction. What he said was true, righteous, and hard to disagree with.  Can you imagine the atmosphere? Awkward…

Now we have met Mary and Martha before. Luke describes Martha as busy while Mary sits listening to Jesus (Jesus describes this as “the better way” - Luke 10:42).  Their brother Lazarus was raised to life (John 11). She walked with Jesus, and displayed remarkable faith, hope, and love. She is easy to admire.

Of course we know Judas and his famous betrayal – which John reminds us of in case we’re not sure, and goes on to expose Judas’s true motives. “ I'm pleased I'm not like him” I think smugly. Often you find more out about people when there is money around.  Curious the reactions of each heart: one extravagant, humble, expressive, and loving.  The other cold, selfish, and mean.

How did their hearts end up this way? Dallas Willard asks “Why are Christians so mean?” and concludes “Christians are routinely taught by example and word that it is more important to be right than it is to be Christ-like”.

Both Judas and Mary walked with Jesus. We walk with Jesus. How is my heart? Is it growing or shrinking? How do I react to others and treat them, or talk about them?  Where are we walking to? Towards Friday. After Sunday we continue to walk with him - may our hearts grow as we do.

Rev Darryl Tempero

FORGIVEN

Joshua 5:9-12 

Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Forgiveness lies at the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s what our Christian faith is all about. And yet only some of us really desire to be forgiven because only some of us are humble.

Our reading from Joshua indicates that the people had been shamed and disgraced.  They needed a new start. The Promised Land was not theirs until they were all in covenant relationship with the Lord, and for that they needed to submit to the knife of circumcision. It takes humility to submit. Mostly we would prefer to exempt ourselves from acknowledging who we really are. But as Psalm 32 tells us: once we have humbled ourselves and confessed our need, then we are truly happy and our strength that has been expended in denial is renewed.

Forgiveness is a profound experience. It alters our entire perspective on life. We view people differently; we view ourselves differently; we view Christ differently. Everything is now understood through the lens of reconciliation, and as we see the father in Luke 15 running to greet the son who had been lost, and as we listen in to him begging the stay-at-home son to join in with the festivities we start to realise that life will never be the same again.

Forgiven, we arrive home. Forgiven, we are free to forgive. And forgiven, we are enabled to do justice in a world that desperately needs it.

Rev Helen Martin

HUNGRY

Isaiah 55:1-9 

Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 

Luke 13:1-9

As I begin to write this reflection (Sept 2012), my family and I are in the middle of New Zealand’s attempt to “live below the line”. Living on $2.25 for food per day isn't really fasting in the rigorist Lenten traditions of some of our Christian ancestors, but like them, our family’s “fast” serves to focus attention on important things that can get over looked in everyday living. Our ‘normal’ can leave us spiritually hungry, yet what we consume fails to satisfy (Isa 55.2). Or, like the Psalmist, we know only too well how much our souls thirst for God (63.1). “There must be something more to life than this” is a common complaint, even (or especially?) in relatively affluent societies like New Zealand. What can be done to overcome such a deep spiritual hunger among us?

The Lenten tradition connects fasting with repentance. “Repent or perish” are Jesus’ stark words to those who were questioning him about an atrocity carried out by Pilate’s soldiers on Galilean worshippers (presumably) in Jerusalem (Luke 13.1, 5). He follows this with a parable of a fig tree, its lack of fruit invites the farmer’s axe. “If you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” is Paul’s advice to the charismatic Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10.12).

I think of the “ruler” who came to Jesus hungry for eternal life, but who left sad because he wouldn't put Jesus’ words into practice (Luke 18.23). The point of Lent isn't to feel hungry, but to find joy in obedience.

Rev Dr Paul Prestidge

IN GOD’S TIME

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 

Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17–4:1 

Luke 13:31-35

‘Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage’ (Ps 27:14). Kia kaha!  Be strong and wait for the Lord. Oh if we could wait on God and God’s timing, but we struggle to wait. We have been trained well by the culture with its patience-defying imperatives: “Here it is! It is what you need! You need it now! Come and get it! Pay later!”

In pondering the biblical concept of surrender we see that we have to drop ideas of our needs and desires being instantly satiated. We have to learn to wait on God and what God has in mind. We are taught by Jesus to wait on the Lord: “Your will be done”. But Jesus laments over a Jerusalem that has been sent prophets and messengers and has refused to wait and listen to those God has sent. Under the same threat as those previous prophets, Jesus heads to Jerusalem anyway. He refuses to heed the kindly Pharisees who warn him of an angry Herod. No, he is not afraid of Herod; he is free because he has long since surrendered to God.

In this season of Lent we are invited to wait on the Lord. A careful reading of the Psalm reveals that there is no expectation of an easy ride – there is an army of enemies encamped against the writer! The surrender is not to these enemies and their agendas; the surrender has long since been to God. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” What do these enemies really have when everything has already been given to the God who is like a hen who gathers her brood under her wings?

Rev Martin Stewart

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 

Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16
Romans 10:8b-13 

Luke 4:1-13

The conversation in Luke is a spiritual debate. The suggestions were legitimate suggestions! Earthly sustenance; making sure that God loves you; material satisfaction and using all this power to care for others.

But the instant fix is not going to be part of the toolkit of the newly baptised Jesus. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He is hungry, he has fasted for 40 days, and the rocks around him start to look like loaves of bread. And he is tempted - we can only be tempted by what we see as possible for us to have and good people are tempted by good things - to turn a stone into a loaf of bread.

Why not do it for himself and for others? What a gift to bless a hungry world! There were plenty of people on the breadline in Jesus’ world.

But was this his task? He turns and challenges the tempter, “one does not live by bread alone”. Jesus is hungry and lives among people who are in need, yet he says there is something even more essential than food for life.

Food is basic for our survival, but the temptation to only deal with the physical needs and ignore our deep spiritual needs is great.

When I was active in Women’s Refuge we provided a place of safety. Emergency food, shelter and clothing were the first needs. But those who came needed to deal with the constant fear which was not going to vanish overnight. This is a spiritual struggle and those who could not trust anymore had to learn to trust again to live. Often everyone in their lives had let them down.

So where could they find the bread which fed their emptiness?

And where have we found it and what have we shared?

Rev Margaret Anne Low