Stop fighting among yourselves!

One of the signs of contradiction is the number of different Christian denominations that seek to proclaim Christ to the world. It seems as though if we really believe that we are One in Christ Jesus much of our effort should be focussed on looking at unity rather than division. As one person said to me, "If you cannot get your act together why should anyone follow you!" In recent years the hard work of ecumenism seems to have stalled and in fact, many denominations seemed to be consumed in internal disputes about who Jesus is but more importantly how he wants us to live. Each person seems to have their own version of what Jesus would do and what Jesus would say! No wonder we struggle to build a world which allows people to encounter Jesus rather than just encountering us. He is not our own personal possession but rather a person who draws us to consider what God is drawing to us in our current age. His Word and His Life have never been more important than in our own.

The Gospel for this coming weekend directly addresses the signs of Jesus' presence in our midst. This is not just in the words we speak but in the actions which seek to provide refreshment and hope to those with whom we live. This calls for a twofold reflection. The first part of this is a humble acknowledgement of when we have been promoting ourselves rather than Christ. It means that we need to stay close to His Word and to the living tradition of how that Word is made manifest both in the life of our Church communities and in our own lives. This means that we need to recognise how we miss the mark through our own frailty. It also helps us to acknowledge how the material goods entrusted to us have to be used justly and not to just leave us feeling comfortable. Jesus' life should leave us feeling uncomfortable not out of worry or fear or guilt but rather out of a deeper desire to allow his living presence to be at the heart of our own.

The second part of the reflection is how we encourage other Christians to be faithful in their life and ministry. Too often we become caught up in theological debates or rhetorical arguments which prove that I am right and that you are wrong. These often arise out of a deep disturbance of the spirit which seeks to put us at the centre of the universe rather than God. If we believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in the life of our communities we can acknowledge the signs of His presence through the fruits that He produces. This calls us to be people of prayer and discernment who listen before we speak. We need to walk with a person as they seek to make sense of where God is speaking to them in our current age. This builds on the lived experience of the person which can draw them into the rich treasury of the lived experience of the Church. If we just teach from a text or from a book it can often be a dead letter which falls heavily on a person's heart. Yet when we listen to the experience and help them to discover the rich heritage of saints and thinkers over the ages we start to discover a God who is always faithful and speaks the Word in many ages and many languages. As the Ecumenical movement has discovered by much hard work, this act of listening calls us to be vulnerable to the work of the Holy Spirit and an openness to distinguish between innovation and novelty. The Word will always be seen in what brings faith, hope and love. In allowing people the freedom to discover Jesus who is at the heart of our lives. As the Psalm says the precepts of the Lord bring joy to the heart.

Changing the world over a cup of coffee!

How many times have you sat around the kitchen table or in your local cafe setting the world to rights? The conversation often focuses on our own perspective and what we see as needing to be changed. We are often critical of the present leadership of our country, of our churches, of our banks and other institutions. We notice with an eye on how we would do things differently and what we would focus our energies on. The main difficulty is that if we were in a position of leadership would things be any different. There is a difference between discussing who should be in power and actually exercising that power for the good of others.

This is probably why Jesus draws people's attention to the little child who has a natural openness and curiosity about the world. They have grown to trust those around them and are able to teach them how to experience wonder in the creation and in the normal events of every day. They what to discover more and be present in the moment. They are entranced by each encounter and moved to learn more about our world and what holds it all together. They talk about a leadership from below and not above. They want people to enthralled by every aspect of what is happening in their lives and the impact it is having on them. They want to have life and have it to the full.

Yet too often we become busy with many things and the "important" issues of the day. We want to make an impact which will profoundly change the world and the way we live. Yet when James notice the internal wars that we have within ourselves we start to notice how our focus can be drawn too easily to being powerful, spectacular and successful rather than faithful, hopeful and loving in our interactions with others. The call is not to just see the world as we want it to be but rather to view it as God desires. It calls for our prayer to listen to the heartbeat of God which seeks our to be in sync.

This can often be challenging because people do not want a life which is focused around a profound calling but rather that the world is shaped in their own image and likeness rather than God's. As a people of prayer, we are called to discover what leads to peace and enables people to be open to the gifts of the spirit. God wants us to be open to the Spirit which leads us into a closer unity of purpose which seeks a leadership which emerges in our local communities and on our own streets. Then when we sit around the kitchen table or at a cafe our talk is not mere words but rather a recognition that in our conversations and in our lives we change the world. A leadership which enlivens and emboldens us to live in union with God and in union with each other.

What are we actually asking for God in prayer

I remember that it was Robert Louis Stevenson who commented that if we actually prayed the "Our Father" in an intentional way and actually believed the prayer our relationship to God and our neighbour would change. We would discover that our relationship with God is not exclusive to the lives of others and our forgiveness is conditional on our an ability to adopt a merciful heart. We are called to seek God's reign not our own. This seems so relevant to our own time when issues of power, privilege and possessions seem to be at the heart of many of the challenges facing our world. This is not just about changing deckchairs by putting someone else in power because they will face the same reality that the early disciples faced. Life is not changed from the top down but from the bottom up. It comes from a heartfelt response that we can live differently. This is evident not just in the life of the Church but in many other areas of life. This is not about preaching what others should do or dictating how others lives should change if we are not prepared to examine what needs to change in our own life. 

I believe the challenge we have centres on the use of power that we witness in the Gospel where Peter is given the keys of the kingdom. He immediately starts to seek control over the mission that Jesus' of dying and rising. Peter is confused as he believes that the power that Jesus has on offer is for him to decide what is compatible and not compatible with the living of the Good News. What he discovers is that in order to gain life we need to be vulnerable in discovering who the person of Christ is for us. This is not through a carefully prepared plan about how Jesus will turn up but rather a willingness to risk our whole self for the glory of God. It is why hearts change structures not structures changing hearts. I think this is the profound risk that we face as the Church reflects on how to respond to the shocking revelations of abuse in its life. There needs to be a heart for change which not only seeks to ensure that children and vulnerable people are safe but also to discovering a renewal of the Gospel in the lives of all people. There needs to be a call which recognises that Intentional Discipleship is not just about paying lip service to the person of Christ but a profound way of living which offers our whole self to living that in our time and space.

Such an approach recognises the teaching of St James where we do not just say that something should happen but it should not cost us anything. He recognises that our response is one of faith and works where it is not just about saying that we are good in a way which privatises our relationship with God. Rather it seems to see how our heart engages with the mind and the body by demonstrating how this can be lived out. This often means that we have to wrestle with the temptation to have power over others, to be spectacular or to possess what another rightly owns towards an attitude which is present to our current situation which provides all we need to live a life which is humble, tender and just. This allows us to be people who do not seek to overpower others by the force of our will but allows them the freedom to discover a God who truly brings life in what we are prepared to surrender for their good more than our own.

Be Opened, Be Open

One of the most remarkable things about living in Australia is the blooming of the desert flowers which happens maybe once a decade. Anybody who has travelled to the red centre knows how it attaches itself to every crevice of your car. This is so evident that almost on every occasion that you open the door some more dust falls out to let you know that you carry with you something from the heart of Australia. Yet the remarkable events of the rains falling on what appears dormant ground amazes and delights the people who witness how even in the most barren landscape life can be regenerated and renewed.

All too often we can look across our country and our world witnessing what does not bring life. What appears to be dark, dismissal and lifeless. There are ways in which this red dust of the everyday life attaches itself to us in a way which is hard to escape. Just when we fill we have shaken loose the last remnant of what seems to be deadly and inhospitable than we see more of it falling to the ground and surrounding us. Our eyes can become clouded and our hearing blocked from seeing anything but the red dust. How will we shake ourselves loose of what so finely attaches itself to us?

Yet the Gospels talk to us about hearing clearly and allowing our ears to become unblocked. I believe that in my own reflections the words that seem to resonate with me are addressed to the heart of our own lives and the life of our churches: we were silent when we should have spoken, we spoke when we should have been silent. What seems to be critically important is that we need to listen well and speak with a compassion for the good of others. This means that while we need to provide appropriate self-care for ourselves we also need to show the same consideration to others. In this way, we try in every conversation to hear what God wants us to hear and respond in a way which touches the humanity of the other.

We are called to be people who are present to each other in a way which seeks their good more than our own. To discover what animates their life and what fulfils their desires. This is so much at the heart of this weekend's readings that we always seek the good of the other so that they may experience the same freedom that we can take for granted. So that they may discover what brings life and what brings hope. This compassionate sense is not just doing good but being good with hearts which are open to the person in front of us. Be open to the heart of God as God's heart opens to you.