Movie Review

Mal and I and a few from our college went to see "The End of a Spear" on Monday night.  We really enjoyed the movie based on the true story of some missionary families.  I think for me it raised my awareness of the amazing love of God for all his creation.  I wonder at the conviction of men to risk their lives for a few unknown people.  I am in awe at the faith of the women to continue after such loss.  

I remember when I saw the documentary that this movie is based on I cried for my children.  I do not know what kind of unfriendly world they are entering.  And I prayed that no matter what they faced that they would be faithful.   This movie, I wondered where my convictions will take me.  Minister of the Word in Australia looks easy by comparison, doesn't it?

I thought wrong

I thought I would not like reading Calvin.  I was wrong.  There are bits I am uncomfortable with but there is so much good.  

For example Institutes 1.6.1

God therefore bestows a gift of singular value, when, for the instruction of the Church, he employs not dumb teachers merely, but opens his own sacred mouth; when he not only proclaims that some God must be worshipped, but at the same time declares that He is the God to whom worship is due; when he not only teaches his elect to have respect to God, but manifests himself as the God to whom this respect should be paid.

Interesting that since 1559 or something like that it hasn't changed God still informs people that they should worship God as opposed to everything else and that He is indeed God.  Deut 6:4 Hear O Israel: The LORD is our GOD, the LORD alone!

Will we ever get it.....

Don't look back

I was commuting home from university the other day.  I take the train from uni then transfer to a bus when I get into the city.  This particular day, I got off the train in rush hour and had made my way off the platform and through the terminal.  During rush hour there are young people handing out a news magazine.  They are at every platform and at the entrance to the station.  I had managed to get past the people at the platform, quite pleased with myself for not contributing to my recycle bin at home when halfway thru the terminal I spotted the young people at the front.  They were facing the street and handing out magazines to the people entering the station.  I was relieved.  Just then the young woman turned around and opening her mouth in a big yawn.  She was turning away from the throng entering but of course, without realizing it turned to face the throng leaving.  She blushed and looked down as I grinned. 

The moral of the story - don't look back.  Up, down, sideways are slightly more acceptable but never look back. 

Passion Fruit

Not to be out done by my friend Brad, I too have flowers in my garden.  Yes, it is nearing winter in Australia and I have a passion fruit plant that is a bit out of season but the blooms are beautiful.  The blooms are also very short lived.  There is a story about the name of the  passion fruit. 

The story goes, “When Spanish explored South America they discovered that passion fruit was used in native folk medicine as a sedative. When the Spanish brought the passion fruit to Europe the leaves were used as a sleep-inducing medicine. The name 'Passion' was given by Catholic missionaries in South America. The corona threads of the passion flower were seen as a symbol of the crown of thorns, the five stamens for wounds, the five petals and five sepals as the ten apostles (excluding Judas and Peter) and the three stigmas for the nails on the cross.” 

Called to be Light

I had the distinct honour of attending Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali’s lecture on Islam and Christian relations. He is a great speaker and confirmed to me, anyway, that we should get to know our neighbours. He was helpful because he spoke of history of Islam and related stories of historic Christian/Islam encounters both good and bad. I was disappointed that most people that attended the public lecture were my age and older. Don’t young people care to be informed? (this is a tangent by the way)

The most important part of the Bishop’s visit was that he came to college and we had a small group session with him earlier in the day. His focus there was not so much the topic of his later lecture but he brought up the notion of “secularism” (his word). He defined secularism as the trend in Western society to make, change and interrupt laws without considering Christianity or God. He pointed out that the basis for all moral/ethical law in western society is based on the Bible. He works with lawmakers in the UK and is disturbed that most do not understand the ethic that the current laws comes from. He spends a great deal of his time educating lawmakers.

He seriously believed that morally we may be entering a “dark ages”. (I forgot who he cited for this idea). And as church leaders he charged us to be “Light” of the world. He compared the light image to the salt image. He believes that Christian for awhile have been salt and now must be light.

I asked what that looks like in the parish context. He said we must hold to Christian ethic and educate people on what the Bible says. He pointed out that even in a small church someone will need medical treatment that may come from research that buys aborted fetuses or from other far out means. He indicated that he has already had to take a stand against research into human animal cross breeding.

The dilemma. If the research helps hundreds or thousands, is it okay to in a laboratory make a half human/half cat to get the medicine from? Secularism says why not. I ask, “What does us teach us about the value of human life? And its relationship to God?” My answer, “Under these conditions, life becomes another throw away product.”

Called to be “Light”. Could this be why the book of Amos came up about a thousand times (seems like) during my discernment to candidate for ministry? Time will tell, I suppose.

Creation

Creation has been a topic that seems to be in abundance recently. We watched Louie Giglio videos in church. Mal has purchased a couple books that explain science and the Bible. A blog I read had a couple of entries about creation. While I am trying to focus on the cross (and church reformed history), creation and its relationship to science keeps becoming the topic of discussion. So here ya go. Linda Hamill on creation….

First, for you to understand my position you need to understand some of the experiences that have influenced the development of these thoughts. I grew up in the country and there developed a respect for the land and the people. Our land was between two Native American reservations, so I also developed an appreciation for people’s stories.

The native people traditionally told stories to teach relationships; relationships between family, elders, other tribes, the land, and even animals. In the tribe, time, the measure of it, or the dependence on it was not the same as I was taught. I found time to be similarly not measured in the Pacific Islands.

I am not an anthropologist and just barely a theologian but I reckon Genesis chapter 1 is a story, in the sense of a tribal story explaining important relationships. When I studied Hebrew, I found that there were cultural aspects to the language that resonated well with me because I had grown up in the country and watched a tribe.

I use a bit of liberty in translating the Hebrew; actually, I tried to translate it quite literally and not attempting to put the translation into good English grammar. I also, used a bit of liberty in describing the telling of the story so imagine if you will, a group of people sitting around a campfire. The storyteller is in the middle casting shadows opposite the flame. The gaze of the faces around the fire is transfixed on the storyteller.

The storyteller puts up one hand and begins, “In the beginning,” the teller raises both hands to the sky and says, “God created the heavens and the earth,” thenlowering his arms to point to the ground.

“And the earth vacant and void,” the storyteller announces with a sense of urgency and awe so that the listeners wonder what will happen next. The storyteller does not pause but continues the suspense saying, “And darkness upon the faces of deep.”

Drawing a deep breath and noisily breathing out, whispers, “And God breathed and it fluttered over the waters.” The storyteller’s fingers flutter as if they were over the water.

The storyteller continues telling the actions of God in loud booming voice. “And God said “Be light” and light was. And God saw the light was good,” is pronounced with pride.

“And God divided between the light and between the darkness.” Then as if calling out to someone or something, the storyteller acts as if he were God calling, “And God called to the light, ‘day’; and to the darkness called, ‘night’.”

Then the dramatic actions cease and the storyteller stands tall and still and quietly proclaims, “And it was evening and it was morning, day first.” (Gen1:1-5)

The storyteller pauses before he continues telling the events of the next six days. I will not continue the story here but it seems to me that this is not a scientific explanation of the creation event.

This story is designed to give God the credit for creation. It introduces the Spirit of God, in the introduction of the ‘breath that fluttered over the waters.’ It introduces the Word, when God “called’ and ‘it was’ as if it were the Word itself that creates. Yes, I interpret this through the lens of the New Testament.

I understand this first chapter of Genesis as introducing important aspects of the God that is worshiped by the tribe that tells the story. The debate whether or not this is a scientific 24 hour day or a day as measured by God that to humanity could span year, is not relevant. If God is indeed God he could have created in seven 24 hour period or in seven set of God days that spanned years, the choice was/is God’s.

To try to pin down the science of creation is an interesting endeavor. I enjoy the reading and believe that God does reveal himself to people including myself through science but to get bogged down in that when telling the story misses much of the mystery and awe the people had for their God. So my comment on creation, “WOW!!.”

Passion Play

On Saturday evening Mal and I went to Ashgrove Baptist Church to see their passion play, Jesus, Liar, Madman, God! and it was absolutely incredible. This play was presented at this church a couple years ago and we were unable to attend because of commitments to our own church but made the point of attending because my son-in-law John had a major part.

Written by one of their own, this drama was the story of Jesus condensed to 1.5 hours, was told in modern Australian language and characters were in modern clothes. I was totally caught up in the play. I think for me the best part (other than John's characters) was the Jesus character. He was a bit wild, free, and alot loving and caring, just how I believe Jesus to be. This Jesus was very much like the Jesus who Scot McKnight described in chapter 4 of his book The Story of the Christ.

Many of the actors had 2 or maybe even 3 parts. I was impressed how they changed clothes and character so easily. John was Caiaphas and Thomas and he switched between the two parts flawlessly. And so did all the actors. The band was just a professional as the acting. The lights and sound matched. Well done Ashgrove Baptist, way to bring glory to God by telling the story of the Son.