John 15: 9-17 presents us with a powerful summary of Jesus’ economy of love. Here’s a summary of the promises that Jesus makes about his love for us:
9. Jesus loves us as the Father loves him
11. Jesus’ joy is in us > our joy is complete
12. Jesus loves us
13. Jesus lays down his life for us
14. We are Jesus’ friends
15. We are Jesus’ friends (not his servants)
16. Jesus chooses us (not us him)
16. Jesus appoints us
16. Jesus enables us to be fruitful
16. God gives us whatever we ask in Jesus’ name
Part of what is beautiful about this passage is the generous and unconditional outpouring of love, care and enabling of us by Christ.
However, there are some aspects of this passage that are conditional – there are some IFs
11. We remain in Jesus’ love IF we keep his commands
14. We are Jesus’ friends IF we do what he commands
It is true that Jesus’ love has conditions – it is not utterly unconditional. He has expectations and makes demands of us. It is not a free-for-all. But before we get worked up about being held hostage to God’s expectations, let’s look at what those conditions are:
12. My command is this: love each other as I have loved you
17. This is my command: love each other
That’s it. Just two commands. Actually, just ONE command, because they are the same command: Love each other. That’s the only condition that Jesus places on us: Leave each other.
And let’s look at the ratio of unconditional and conditional promises in this passage:
That’s a pretty good economy! 83% of Jesus’ promises in today’s reading are unconditional. And the 17% that are conditional are conditional on something that is surely good for everyone – us and everyone else! To love one another.
Loving one another surely in our own interests – if we love others and all the others are loving us, that’s a good deal!
Hence John writes in his first letter (1 John 5:3), “God’s commands are not burdensome”. I’m not sure I fully agree with John here, because loving others is sometimes not easy. We have to love difficult people, people who don’t love or respect us, people who do bad things, and so on. It is not always easy to love others. But we are talking about just ONE command, not 613 commands, not 10 commands, not even 2 commands: JUST ONE!
Cutting in the Christian faith is inevitable. In John 15:1-8 Jesus makes it clear that we will be cut as part of our faith journey. If we bear no fruit, we will be cut off; and if we do bear fruit, we will be pruned. When we are cut off, we will not produce any further fruit, but when we are pruned, we will produce even more fruit. So, what Jesus says in John 15 is that we will experience cutting in our faith journey. This cutting will be either a whole branch that is cut off, or bits of a branch that will be pruned off. The purpose of this cutting and pruning is to make us even more fruitful. Jesus’ teaching here in John 15 is indeed sobering. No-one wants to be cut.
In this same passage Jesus also speaks about the importance of remaining in him. And when we remain in him, he remains in us, just as he remains in his father and his father remains in him. In this passage today of eight versus, Jesus uses the word remain eight times. It is a central theme for the message today. So how do we not remain in Christ? We do not remain in Christ when we do not invest in our relationship with Christ. And we do not remain in Christ when we are fruitless, because we will either wither will be cut off.
So then how do we remain in Christ? John’s first letter, chapter 4, provides us with some answers to this question. In verses 8 and 9, John says, “God is love. This is how we how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him.” So, we remain in God’s love first because God comes to us and loves us. All remaining in Christ is always a response to Christ’s coming to us. In verse 16, John continues saying, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them.” This sounds very much like remaining in Christ and Christ remaining in us. It is a reciprocal action of remaining. And further on, in verses 20 and 21, John emphasises that our love for God must manifest in our love for one another. He writes, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” Central to us remaining in Christ is God’s love for us, is our love for God and is our love for one another.
Therefore, let us remain grafted into Christ. We must accept that they will be cutting and pruning in our Christian journey. And yes, this is painful and uncomfortable. And sometimes it may make us question God’s love for us. But I am reminded of Peter’s response to Jesus in John 6: 67-69. Jesus had provided a difficult teaching and many of his followers turn away. And then Jesus asks his disciples, “You do not want to leave too do you?” And Simon Peter answers Jesus, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the holy one of God.” There is no better alternative then remaining in Christ.
And so, I encourage us today to take seriously our faith in Christ: to remain in him, to be grafted into him, to accept God’s pruning, and to be fruitful in our love for God and one another.
In John 10:11-18, Jesus strives to convey to us the depth of his love for and connection with us, and his desire and expectation that we should love one another. This passage is part of a larger set of “I am” statements related to Jesus being a shepherd – the good shepherd. Central to this message is this:
Jesus knows you. Jesus loves you.
I encourage you to hear these words and to take them to heart. In our service, I gave each person a paperclip, and asked them hold and fiddle with it during the sermon. A paperclip is used to hold things together, and today’s message is about Jesus holding us to himself and to each other.
Twice, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd – not just a shepherd, but the good shepherd (vv 11 & 14)
Jesus emphasises, “I know my sheep”. We are not merely a mass of sheep in a large flock. He knows each one of us. Indeed, Jesus says that he knows us and we know him “just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (vv 14-15).
Four times, Jesus says that he lays down his life for his sheep – for you (vv 11, 15, 17 & 18). This points to the extravagance and not-withholding nature of Jesus love. Indeed John says (in 1 John 3:16): “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”
It is hard to ignore these words of affirmation and extravagant love from Jesus. His love for you is immeasurable.
In the middle of this passage, Jesus says something a little different (v16):
I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
Outside of this verse, there is a sense that Jesus loves only me. But v16 suggests not only that Jesus loves you, but also that he loves completely different groups from you. And the words, “I must bring them also”, are extremely strong in the Greek, conveying the sense that, “I absolutely have to bring them also”.
We should also note the sequence that Jesus presents: [In the present] I have other sheep [and now] I must bring them [and then in the future] they too will listen to my voice [and then after that] there shall be one flock with one shepherd. While these sheep do not yet know Jesus’ voice, Jesus still regards them as “his sheep” (“I have other sheep…”), and he loves them.
Who might these ‘other sheep’ be? The possibility that Jesus engages other groups outside of our group, outside of our congregation, outside of our denomination and even outside of the Christian faith, is tantalizing. But even if we do not go that far, think of those in your group, in your flock, that you dislike, those you think are not living an adequate Christian life, those you think are not adequately committed, those you think don’t believe correctly, those you think should rather leave your group.
Perhaps these people are sheep in Jesus’ other sheepfold. If so, Jesus loves them just as he loves you. And who are we not to love them, since Jesus loves them? Every sheep is loved by Jesus. And he is the Good Shepherd, who brings them into his fold. And so should we.
In Luke 24:13-35, we have the story of the two disciples who are walking to Emmaus and who encounter a stranger, who we later learn is the resurrected Jesus. They did not recognise him, despite having a long conversation. It was only as they sat down for a meal that “their eyes were opened and they recognised him” (v31), and immediately Jesus disappeared. They saw Jesus, but they did not recognise him.
In our reading set for today (Luke 24:36-48), Jesus meets the disciples in a room, and although they see him and recognise him, they do not believe him. They have moved a little further than the previous two disciples, but they have not moved to a place of belief or faith: seeing is not always believing. In response, Jesus – patient as ever with the disciples’ slowness – presents a series of evidence to prove to them that he is indeed risen from the dead and not a ghost:
v38 – Jesus asks why they are troubled and why they doubt. He confronts their lack of belief and faith. But still they do not believe.
v39-40 – Jesus invited them to look, to touch, to see. He shows them his hands and his feet, so they can get physical evidence of his wounded body. But still they do not believe.
v41-43 – So Jesus asks if they have any fish. Not because he is hungry, but to prove that he is not a ghost, but a physical being, who can eat food. But still they do not believe.
44-47 – So Jesus tells them about the scriptures – the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms – which all prophecy everything that has happened to Jesus. But still they do not believe.
48 – So Jesus reminds them that they are first-hand witnesses of everything that Jesus did – healings, forgiveness, raising people from the dead – they saw a lot and they themselves did some of these miracles in his name. But still they do not believe.
50-51 – And then, finally, he blesses them and ascends in front of them up into heaven.
And then they believed! They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
Sjoe, they were really SLOW! Slow to recognise him. Slow to believe in him. Slow to put their faith in him.
Perhaps we also are slow. Perhaps we also fail to recognise Jesus’ actions in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Or perhaps we see them, but don’t believe them. Or we believe them, but we don’t put our faith in him. In the recording of the sermon I share an experience of my own slowness to believe, to illustrate my own slowness.
Fortunately – thanks be to God – Jesus is supremely patient. And he is willing to provide us with evidence and to persuade us (this also is part of my testimony in the recording). I encourage you, therefore, to make a choice to see God’s hand at work in your life. To accept that it may be possible – even likely – that God is present with you, even when you don’t perceive God. That God is working in you, even when you don’t recognise that. That God loves you, even when you may feel unloved.
Today’s message is about second-hand faith, meaning faith that rests on other people’s experiences of God, rather than on our own. 1 John 1: 1-4 presents such a faith. John emphasises his and the other disciples’ first-hand experience of Jesus, using words like see, looked, appeared, heard and touched a total of nine times in just a few verses. And he concludes by saying that we must believe him, and through believing him, who knows God, we get close to God. We are given a second-hand faith. Most of us don’t want a second-hand faith! We want our own, first-hand faith!
John 20:19-25 has a similar narrative. The disciples – minus Judas, who was not there – have a first-hand encounter with the risen Christ, who shows them his hands and his side. When Thomas joins them later, they say, “We have seen the Lord!” and expect that Thomas will be satisfied with this second-hand account. But Thomas says, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Thomas wants simply what everyone wants – he wants to know first-hand that Jesus is risen. He wants to see and to touch. And Jesus meets this need.
We also want a first-hand faith. We want to know for sure and for ourselves that Jesus exists. We want to see him. We want to touch him. Where can we get such first-hand experiences? Three places: (1) We get them from the Scripture, where we read first-hand accounts of others and have confidence that their testimony is true. We can tag these accounts for future reference. (2) We rely on what others in our community tell us about God’s grace and working, and have confidence that their testimony is true. We can tag these accounts also for future reference.
(3) And we rely on our own experiences of God working in our own lives. We may not have many such experiences of our own, and they may not be particularly spectacular. But they are first-hand – they are OUR experiences and we KNOW them. These are the experiences we need to recover and treasure. We can tag them, because they are our first-hand encounters with God. They are the touchstones or reference points that we turn to when our faith gets shaky.
Today, we focus on the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments, from Exodus 20:1-17. In the church where I became a Christian, a reformed evangelical church, we had the Decalogue up on the walls at the front of the church – they were presented as the most important verses of Scripture and central to our faith.
Four of the commands are about our relationship with God – essentially, it is supposed to be an exclusive relationship (“no other Gods but me”) – a 100% commitment to God, to Yahweh. And six of the commands are about our relationships with people – essentially, they are supposed to be ethical relationships – we are to treat people well.
In the First Testament, the Decalogue was written on stone tablets, but the very finger of God. But the later prophets, Ezekiel (11:19 & 36:26) and Jeremiah (31:33), wrote about having hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone, and of God writing God’s law on our hearts.
We see this fleshy version of the Decalogue most powerfully in Christ’s incarnation – God come to dwell among us in human form. And Jesus, when asked about the Decalogue, distills them into just two: Love God and love your neighbour. These align well with what I wrote about – to be exclusive with God and ethical with people. But what is particularly emphasised in Jesus’ summary, and not obvious from the Decalogue, is love. (In Exodus 20, love appears only in verse 6, as an explanation of God’s jealous love for God’s people.)
If I were still at the church where I became a Christian, I’d be advocating for removing the Decalogue – the First Covenant Law – and replacing it with Jesus’ Great Commandment – the distillation of the Second Covenant, which is rooted in freedom and love.
That brings us to our gospel reading for today (John 2:13-22), where Jesus clears out the template. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, this story is narrated during Holy Week, on or after Palm Sunday, and as being the trigger for Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. It is the culmination of Jesus’ offensiveness to the Jewish priests and leaders. But in John’s gospel, it comes as Jesus’ second act, right at the start of his ministry – following immediately on the wedding at Cana. The wedding story, with its extravagant and exceptional wine, is a story of freedom, generosity and abundance – the abundant life that John writes about so much. While the clearing of the template story is about God’s demand for our exclusivity and ethics.
Here, at the start of his ministry, Jesus acts out the requirements of the Great Commandment. Firstly, God’s house is being used in unholy ways. The things of God (the animal sacrifices) are being sold and bought. There is no place for such unGodly things in the very house of God. The exclusive relationship with God that is required by the Decalogue and by the Great Commandment, is being violated. And in addition, the people – the worshippers – are being exploited, having to pay to exchange currencies, to purchase animals for sacrifice. This is not ethical, not loving.
Jesus clears the template as a demonstration of the Great Commandment – Love God, Love your neighbour!
These standards that Jesus sets for us are impossibly high. I, certainly, fail again and again at these two seemingly simple commands. I stray from my exclusive relationship with God, and I fail to love others as myself.
Thanks be to God, Jesus bridges the gap between the high ideals and our broken efforts. He connects us to God, and his faithfulness transcends our fickleness. He strength transcends our frailty. He maintains the bond of fellowship between us and God and each other, even when we inevitably fail.
And so, as we continue our pilgrimage through Lent, let us continue to turn back to Jesus, and recommit ourselves to the Great Commandment: love God, love others or be exclusive with God and ethical with others.
Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 27-minute message. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 24 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.
Our readings for today – the First Sunday in Lent – includes God’s Covenant with Noah after the great flood, in Genesis 9:8-17. Below I present this text from the interlinear bible, which endeavours to translate the Hebrew word-for-word into English:
8And God spoke to Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, 9“Behold, I, even I, am establishing my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, 10and with every living creature which is with you, among fowl, among cattle, among every animal of the earth with you, from all that go out from the ark, to every animal on earth. 11And I have made stand my covenant with you, and all flesh shall not be cut off again by the waters of a flood; nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12And God said, “This is a sign of the covenant, which I am about to make between me and you, and every living soul which is with you, for everlasting generations. 13I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. 14And when I gather the clouds on the earth, then the bow shall be seen in the clouds. 15And I will remember my covenant which is between me and you, and every living soul in all flesh. And the waters shall not again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul, in all flesh which is on the earth.”
17And God said to Noah: “This is the sign of the covenant which I have made stand between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
It is worth taking careful note of the language used this passage, to gain an understanding of how radically inclusive God’s post-flood covenant with Noah was. See below the same text with coloured key words.
In green, note the 8 uses of “you“: 5x “with you”, 1x “with your seed” and 2x “me and you”. God’s message to Noah is very directed towards him and particularly towards a partnership with him – the ‘with’ and the ‘and’.
In yellow, note the 6 uses of “every“: 1x “every living creature”, 2x “every animal” and 3x “every living soul”. The Hebrew words behind the English all point towards living entities, whether human or animal – context may lean us towards one or other, but overall, the passage speaks equally about both people and animals.
In blue, note the 5 uses of “all flesh“. In the Hebrew, ‘all flesh’ refers to the skin or flesh of any living being – again, people or animals, and also plants. The verb form of this Hebrew word means to be full of life, hence the skin (perhaps with its reddish colour) prompts us to think of living beings. But the Hebrew verb also means ‘good news’ and that’s a lovely link between this passage and the goodness of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preaches.
In pink, note the 7 (yes 7!) mentions of the “earth“. In 5 of these, the reference is merely to people or animals “on the earth” – the earth is just a ground (soil) on which living things live. But in verses 11 and 13, we get two radical statements. In v11, God says that a flood will never again destroy the ‘earth’ – this is an expansion on God’s covenant not to destroy living things (animals and people) – now God also commits to protecting the earth itself. Moreover, in v13, God says that the rainbow “shall be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth”! Not only is the Noahic Covenant with Noah, people, animals AND plants, it is ALSO with the very earth itself. As if the earth is a living and sentient being! A great passage for those committed to ecospirituality.
Finally, in lime, note the 5 uses of “between“. Two of these are “between me and you” emphasising a close partnering between God and Noah. The other three ‘between’s are between God and the earth, every living soul and all flesh. Here God shows his partnering with people, animals, plants and the planet (and perhaps by implication, the cosmos).
In short, this passage strongly emphasises a radical inclusivity by God towards the whole of God’s creation, encompassing not only all of humanity, not even also only of all animals, but also of the entire planet itself. This implies a universal covenant – a broad baobab tree with enough space for all created things to shelter under is branches. Humans, plus, plus, plus!
In this same passage, we also have 7 uses of the term “covenant”, which is why this passage is referred to the Noahic Covenant, following the devastating flood. A covenant is a binding agreement, and we get the heart of it in v11, “I have made stand [erected] my covenant with you, and all flesh shall not be cut off again by the waters of a flood; nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth.” The famous rainbow (mentioned three times as “bow”) is “a sign of the Covenant” – it is not the Covenant itself; just a symbol or sign that points to it (vv 12-13).
But what is most striking about this sign, is that it appears to be more for God’s benefit than for ours. God says in v16, “And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul, in all flesh which is on the earth.” The bow is there for God to see, so that God will remember the covenant. It is hard to imagine God might forget about the covenant, so this is particularly intriguing, suggesting a strong commitment on God’s part.
It is reminiscent of the Passover blood that the Israelites painted on the doors of their homes. Exodus 12:13 has God saying, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Here again is a sign that God sees that activates Covenant protection and blessing.
God’s covenant with Noah is universal – humans, plus, plus, plus. It foreshadows a far later Covenant, made in Christ.
This new covenant that we have through Jesus Christ is similarly radically inclusive and universal. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just of some. Thus everyone can potentially be saved. And perhaps, if one adopts a universalist theology, God may just find a way to actually save every person. I don’t know, but I hope so!
Christ expands the Noahic covenant and completes it. His death and resurrection is God’s final Word on salvation. Christ incarnated, ministering, on the cross, resurrected and ascended is the new sign, replacing the rainbow. It fulfils the Noahic covenant.
We look forward in Lent towards remembering and walking through this new covenant that Jesus makes possible for the whole of creation.
The transfiguration of Christ, which is reported in Mark 9 (our reading for today), Matthew 17 and Luke 9 (all with very similar content), is a remarkable story. I wish I had been there with Peter, James and John, to see this for myself! What a beautiful and transcendent experience. And also how terrifying and mind bending. No wonder the disciples were rendered virtually unconscious. We read this passage every year and get a sermon on it every year. What more can be said?
This year, I spent time reading the texts on either side of the transfiguration narrative, and found that these passages also were congruent across the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). What struck me the most was how difficult and dark these passages were. The transfiguration is just a brief moment of light – brilliant, blinding, cosmic light – within a much darker narrative.
Before the transfiguration, we read about Peter declaring Jesus to be the Messiah (v29), Jesus telling the disciples that he will soon be killed (v31), Peter rebuking Jesus for saying this (v32), Jesus rebuking Peter and uttering these dreadful words – “Get behind me Satan!” (v33, reported also in Matthew, but not Luke) and Jesus explaining the cost of discipleship and the way of the cross (v34). Wow, dark material indeed!
After the transfiguration, the dark material continues. Jesus and the three disciples find a major argument going on among the people because the disciples were unable to cast out a demon (v18), Jesus gets angry asking, “You unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you?” (v19) (or “how long must I put up with you?” in Matthew). And then Jesus repeats his message that he will soon be killed (v31).
These passages before and after the transfiguration are in such stark contrast with the transfiguration itself. In the midst of dark, difficult, conflictual narrative is this brief blinding moment of Christ’s glory as God the Son. But it is so short lived – the three disciples come crashing back into a challenging world.
This contrast reminds me of our Palm Sunday services in our (Anglican) tradition. We start our service outside in red, with crosses and candles and incense and palm branches, shouting “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”, processing around the church and into the road singing “All glory, laud and honour!” Such an exciting and happy time. And then our reading for the day is the whole of the passion narrative (from the last supper to Jesus’ burial). This contrast in tone (from joy to despair) is stark and shocking.
We ought not to think that we are promised a happy joyful, prosperous, wealthy, healthy life, even though some churches do teach this. We do not find it in the scriptures – it is not in the life of Jesus, it is not in Jesus’ teachings and it is not in the transfiguration narrative. Instead, we are invited to grapple with faith, discipleship, health, death, effectiveness and power. And within this real but difficult life, there are moments of light, joy and peace.
This is not to say that we should wallow in depression or succumb to despair and hopelessness. No! Certainly not! Rather, we need to face and confront depression, despair, hopelessness and all the other challenges we face in life. We walk in faith, trusting in God’s abiding presence, even in the darkness. We call on him for life, for salvation, and to offer thanks. We journey through the challenges of life, knowing that God is on our side.
To help us with this, I encourage you to read Psalm 116. And if life is sitting heavily on you, I encourage you read it multiple times each day, as a prayer for protection and God’s sustaining presence. Here it is:
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 6 The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, 9 that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. 16 Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord— in your midst, Jerusalem.
This sermon (preached a week ago on 4 February 2024) is about a healthy parish – what makes for healthy parish life. It emerges, in part, in light of various churches failing to uphold core values around clergy integrity and sexual relations. A model for a healthy church is presented, based on the readings that were set for today in the Revised Common Lectionary, viz. Isaiah 40:21-31, Psalm 147:1-11, 1 Corinthians 9:6-23 and Mark 1:29-39.
Jesus is always our model for everything to do with Christian living, including corporate or collective Christian living – the church. This model is influenced by the readings above and also by how Jesus lived his life, related to God and people, and exercised his ministry.
1. Personal relationship with God
The foundation of a healthy church – and the foundation the triangle above – is each member’s personal relationship with God. Our collective well-being rests on the aggregate of each individual person’s health relationship with God. In Mark 1:35, Jesus leaves his ministry to spend time in his personal relationship with God – he does so repeatedly, even though there are so many people waiting for his healing ministry and teaching. If a personal relationship with God is important to Jesus – who is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity – how much more important should it be to each of us.
When you fly on an airplane, you will be told that, in the event of cabin decompression, oxygen masks will drop down from above your seat. And you will be told to put your OWN mask on FIRST, before helping others (including your children). This is an apt illustration of the need for each of us to see to our personal relationship with God. I, as priest, must ensure the robustness and depth of my relationship with God.
2. Preach words
In 1 Cor 9:16-18, Paul refers to his preaching as central and as God-given. In Mark 1:38-39, Jesus says he needs to go to other villages to “preach there also”. He goes on to say, “That is why I have come”. Preaching words is important to build people’s faith.
But for a health church, I suggest we translate preaching as our words. Too often our words are harsh, judgmental, critical and gossipy. Such words break down, alienate, diminish and harm. There is no place for such words in a healthy church.
Our words should heal and create. Psalm 147:4 says, God “determines the number of stars and calls them each by name”, while Isaiah 40:26 reiterates, “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. … not one of them is missing”. These verses indicate how the words of God bring stars into being, as he names and calls them. Similarly, our words – whether good or bad – can call things into being.
Therefore, our words should be deliberately encouraging, edifying, building up, loving. Last year, we spent the whole of Lent reflecting on Jesus’ command to “love one another”, where we teased this out in detail.
3. Heal through actions
Mark 1:29-34 and 39 say, “…[Jesus] went to her, took her hand and helped her us. The fever left her … Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons … So he travelled throughout Galilee … driving out demons.” Isaiah 40:29-31 says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Psalm 147: 2-3, 8-9, says, “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; the gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. … He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.”
These words are all of healing actions. How we behave impacts the health of a church. When we exclude, abandon or just do nothing, we harm the church. We break it down and weaken it. Rather, we should engage in actions that build up a health community. We can do this by simply showing up, instead of being absent. And through simple acts, like cooking a family a meal when they’re going through a hard time, giving someone a call or sending them a message, helping to clean up. In our tradition, we share the peace during the service – we can make sure we greet all the people around us, instead of rushing off to chat with our friends and ignoring a visitor.
4. Empathy
I have placed ’empathy’ at the centre of the graphic of a healthy church, even though the word ’empathy’ does not appear in the Bible. But the concept is there, for example in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul writes:
19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
Here Paul steps into the shoes of others, in order to understand them from inside, in order to share the Gospel in a way that makes sense to them. This effort to feel with others is core to empathy.
We see this profoundly in Jesus. Until Jesus was conceived, God had no first-hand understanding of what being human was like. God was not a man, and didn’t have personal experience of being human. But when Jesus incarnated in Mary’s womb and was born like any other human, God got a first-hand experience of being human – God discovered empathy for the human condition.
Too often, however, we jump to negative conclusions, without first exercising empathy. We assume the worst of people, rather than considering other less judgmental reasons for their behaviour. For example, if we don’t see someone for a few weeks we assume they have lost their faith or reneged on their responsibilities, when in fact they might be ill. Instead, let us rather assume the best – if we’re going to make an factless assumption, let’s make a positive one rather than a negative one, until the facts suggest otherwise.
A church that is grounded in personal relationships with God, that speak and act in ways that build up and encourage, and that chooses to empathise with each other, is likely to be a healthy community. This is the kind of community or body that God desires for us. It takes some effort on each person’s part. Working together, we can build a healthy church centred on God.
Reflections of God's Love 
