Monthly Archives: January 2018

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Stepping out in Faith

Click here to listen to this 15-minute message.

When I look back over my life, I identify many moments that I regret. These are moments where I had the opportunity to do or say something, but didn’t. These are moments where I hesitated, was afraid or ambivalent, unsure of myself, or just plain lazy. Now, looking back, I wish I had seized those opportunities, despite the risk, and done or said what I could and should have.

In the readings set for today (Mark 1:14-20; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Psalm 62:5-12; Jonah 3:1-5,10), we see repeated instances of people NOT hesitating – Jesus’ calling his disciples, the disciples’ response to Jesus’ call, Paul’s attitude towards life while anticipating Christ’s return, and the people of Nineva responding in repentance to Jonah’s message from God. In all cases, people met an opportunity, and in all cases, they responded without hesitation. They stepped out in faith, taking up the opportunity that God presented to them.

In this sermon, I unpack these four readings, to see what they have to say to us about stepping out in faith. Each has a central life lesson, viz.

  1. Be quick to respond to God’s prompting (Mark 1:14-20)
  2. Time is too short to dither (1 Cor 7:29-31)
  3. God is dependable (Psalm 62:5-12)
  4. God will reward our faith (Jonah 3:1-5,10)

Let us be less hesitant, and step out in faith more readily.

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Ministry in Partnership

Please click here to listen to this 19-minute message.

Yesterday (6 January) was the Feast of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, when we celebrate the Magi visiting the Christ Child. This festival is important for at least two reasons. First, the Magi recognise the infant Jesus to be the Son of God, the King of Kings, because Christ has been revealed to them as God incarnate. Second, the Magi, coming from the East, represent the Gentile, non-Jewish world, and thus the message of Jesus is seen as being relevant not only to the Jews but also to all of humanity. Thus Epiphany represents the Gospel of the Son of God, incarnate in Jesus, for the entire world.

Against this backdrop, I look at the recurring themes that emerge from the three passages set for today: Genesis 1:1-5 (the Creation), Mark 1:4-11 (the Baptism of Christ) and Acts 19:1-7 (Paul’s baptism of John’s disciples with the Holy Spirit). Two main themes arise from these readings.

First, they all speak to new beginnings: a new creation, recreation through baptism, Christ’s new ministry on earth and Paul’s new ministry building the gentile church. This is relevant to us, on this first Sunday of 2018, as we think about what we want to do and accomplish this year, and who we want to be as followers of Christ.

Second, they all speak to participative ministry. Creation takes place through the collaborative work of God the Father (Genesis 1), God the Son (John 1) and God the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1). Jesus’ baptism by John (and Paul’s baptism of John’s disciples) involves the Triune God. Jesus’ willingness to undergo a baptism of repentance (which he did not need, as he was sinless) is an indication of his desire to participate fully in humanity – he was not only the Son of God, but also a son of man – one of us. And Paul and John were invited to participate with God in their baptism of others.

In all these cases there is participation: God participating with godself within the Godhead; God inviting humans to participate in divine mission; humanity participating with God in ministry; and people participating with other people for ministry. In short, there is no ministry that we do alone. We are not alone. Never alone!

Harking back to the Epiphany, we are all invited to participate with God in his great plan to reconcile the whole world to himself – to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to every person. We do this with whatever gifts and abilities God has given us, and also with our weaknesses and inadequacies. We do it by aligning our values with Christ’s values, through living out these values in our behaviour and relationships, and through sharing our faith with people around us. But we always do it with God, with each other in a community of faith. We are not alone in ministry. We minister in partnership.