Mustardseed Talks

These days many people want peace. Yet the same people so often find it alludes them. The systems and strategies the world offers as pathways to peace are continually disrupted. Chaos and confusion break in to our ordered places and threaten the stability of every system and strategy. We need a new way that is not according to this world’s power structures. We need a way that is resilient against the most penetrating hostility. We need a peace that holds not just for weeks/years/generations… but that holds for eternity. We need someone to show us the way to that peace… Maranatha! Come Prince of Peace!

John Baptist comes as a fore runner to prepare the way for the Messiah. Preparation is critical if there is to be a hope that people might receive something hitherto unknown and unexpected, that is about to come. John functions in the traditionally familiar role of prophet. Yet John is preparing the people for one who does not fit neatly into any role they are familiar with. Even their concept(s) of Messiah will be broken open when Messiah arrives!

Today’s Gospel reading recreates a small segment of a conversation between Jesus and Pontus Pilate. Jesus is being interrogated by a midlevel bureaucrat in the Roman foreign service. By definition an interrogation is marked by a severe power imbalance. When you listen to this exchange between Jesus and Pilate, it’s not a matter of one person holding more power than the other but rather a collision of two kinds of power. If I was writing the story and showing that Jesus is Christ the King, he would be interrogating Pilate. Jesus would be asking him about what he, the dictator, is doing to be an honest and just ruler. Does he care that people are suffering in Judea under his administration? Does he care that poor people are dying? This morning we will look at the ‘conversation’ through fresh eyes and see that Jesus is ‘Christ the King’.

Things that we think are so permanent in our lives, in actual fact, are only temporary. The things we own, our wealth, our accomplishments, all the things we think are important really are very temporary. So are our worries, fears and problems. After a personal tragedy or the news from Paris we realise that assurance and comfort can only come through faith in Jesus. Hope in him and everything that he offers is all that matters. The promises of Jesus that we have heard a thousand times before suddenly take on new meaning and importance as all the other things that we once thought important are relegated to the sidelines. Our God and his promises of love, strength to endure, and the joy of eternal life in the end are all that we need.

When Jesus speaks in his apocalyptic tone, it is a frighteningly disturbing picture that emerges. What are we to make of this? Is Jesus not powerful enough to stop such upheavals from occurring? Perhaps he does not want to?! But what if there is no other way to see the fullness of the reign of God appear as a reality among people? What if the only way is for the current cultures/structures that claim to be absolute, to be exposed as particularistic and oppressive. What if the natural reaction to this 'apocalypse' (uncovering) can only be disillusionment and dismay... in the first instance? What if it is the calling of the people of God to honour the image of God in all people even in the midst of the kind of chaos Jesus alludes to and we are now seeing as a historical reality?!

We hope that true leadership issues in profound service to the community who are being led. This seems to be very tricky for us in practice. We so easily get ensnared in the web of personal identity needs and the desires of others. Good intent can be twisted into damaging outcomes - and the church knows this very well. Jesus’ comments of observation and warning in these two stories (the scribes and the widow) cut to the core of our compromised perceptions of religion.

When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, his response is both concise and exhaustive. He attends to theologians and to every person at the level of 'how are we then to live'. To understanding such things only brings us near to the kingdom. It is the extent to which we live these things that draws us into the kingdom.

In our culture we are prone to soften the meaning of this story to accommodate our obvious preoccupation with material wealth and social power. But what if eternal life actually is only found when we let go of these priorities? What might it look like if we were to not simply soften our capitalist tendencies but genuinely believe life is found somewhere else entirely - and act accordingly? Perhaps it really is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. What then?!

In this talk Ian takes us on a journey - offering an overview of the passage in Mark’s gospel (Mark 10:2-16). For some, this is a hurtful or controversial piece of teaching from Jesus. Ian’s way of navigating the context and the nuance of the passage makes plain the heart of God amidst the complex dynamics of real life. You will not regret taking the time to listen (again).

Most often we understand the word 'scandal' to refer to someone being caught out doing something they should not be doing. This meaning is derived from the actual meaning of the word which is 'to stumble'. Being caught out is a form of 'stumbling' in your career/marriage/life etc. I want to suggest Jesus' meaning in using the word is closer to the original idea. The stumble blocks you from proceeding along on your way. Imbedded in the image of 'stumble' is the symmetrical collision of shadow with body (foot/leg). The image is of two equal yet opposing forces meeting and blocking each other. How often do we 'stumble' (bang heads with others)? What is the Jesus way?

How many times have you gone after something (or a person or opportunity) hoping to satisfy a particular need only to discover upon actually finding what you were after that it was not the right thing/person/opportunity after all? There is a double twist in this morning’s tale. The disciples are after the Messiah and they find him… not to be the saviour they were after… but the saviour they didn’t even know they needed! (Little wonder the poor fellows got so many things wrong along the way).

Cultures always have rules... Who's in and who's out, who can approach who and how they are meant to behave. That kind of stuff. More recently these have been further codified in our culture under the rubric 'Politically Correct behaviour' - which has subsequently been derided as inauthentic and representative of a manipulative agenda. Yes! It's complex. This morning we have the story of a woman who cuts through all that complexity and looks to Jesus as her hope. Jesus responds in a manner beyond political correctness or cultural norms... He responds to her!

Humans have always used carefully selected and refined liturgical rituals to mediate their relationship with God. Jesus goes to the very heart of the matter (our heart) and makes it clear that it is not the ritual that is the critical bit.

Paul offers us some wisdom in regard to self-defence. He does not mention the common go-to items the world sees as vital. Rather, he lists all that is necessary to keep us intact for our journey into the richest experience of life (eternal life).

The apostle Paul passionately desires the church to live the culture of the kingdom of God. For Paul, this has everything to do with our day-to-day relating with one another. Paul's very practical directives are counter to 'normal culture'. We are urged to engage honestly and get beyond our reactions and fears. The thrust is to 'be' for others and to build them up. The richness of this way of life can best be described as entering into the life of God... Imitating the very character of God.

Why do people seek Jesus? Do they seek a sign (pointing to something)... or simply the satisfaction of their own agenda? If we genuinely seek Jesus then we can expect to find Jesus... but we still might not find what we expect...

The fool has said in his heart there is no God... But the fool isn't necessarily aware that is what he has said. It is our actions more than the narrative we create that reveals what we have said in our heart. The psalms are designed to call out our deepest heart convictions and then expose them to a broader reality - inviting us to be a little more honest about what we are (and are not) saying in our heart.

Peace is perhaps the most illusive aspect of social interaction in society today. What does peace look/feel like? How would we know when we have it? Paul's letter to the Ephesians offers a bold contribution to this conversation...