Tuesday 31st March 2009 Because I can!

I thought to start with this from St Luke's for yesterdays Bible Reading plan.
Jeremiah 44-45.
When ever we attempt to justify a course of action, Christ will always hold to the truth and will bring us back to the truth.
This chapter reinforces the righteousness of God and His justice.
The Jews in Egypt attempt to justify worship to the "Queen of Heaven" on the ground that when they were still in Judah and had worship her, they had been prosperous. Not so say the Lord of Hosts. Look at what He says:
21 "Did not the LORD remember and think about the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your fathers, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?
Look at verse 23:
23 "Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see."
That's tough. When ever I try to "pass the buck" Christ always brings me back to honesty. Every time.
He is righteous and requires righteousness from us, which we cannot do. So He imparts to me the Righteousness of Christ. But it is up to me to look and live as James says. See, the way I see it, the Jews in Judah claimed God as theirs. yet their walk didn't match up to their talk.
I need to be mindful that my Christian walk lives up to my talk. The evidence of my faith will always be what I do, or more importantly, allow Christ to do in and through me. He is waiting to do that which He calls me to. The question is, will I allow Him to do it?
Now to today's reading which is from Jeremiah 46-47.
It is always very interesting where Christ will take me with these readings. Sometimes the message is for me, other times it is just musings. Is that a word? Musings I mean.
Anyway, as I read this reading today my mind wandered here and there and I got to thinking about how God treated Israel and what their reaction was to it and so on. Then I got to thinking about Romans Chapter 1. How does one get from Jeremiah to Romans. Well, it's easy really. Turn right and head to the New Testament.... Yes, Okay I know what you mean.
Lets just assume for a moment that Israel is a type of the church. And the way that God treated Israel is the same way He may, note I said may not does, treat the church today. How do I get there. Look at Romans 1. Look at verse 24. Now, God really didn't do much with Israel. He just left them to their own devices. And the parallel with the church? Look at verse 24. God gives these foolish people over to what ever it is they want to do. Look at Verse 18. That's the final outcome.
How's Melbourne transport. We wont go there. Just do a search of the Age and Herald sun Newspapers. You will soon find out.
I got an email today from Senator Steve Fielding. Who is Steve Fielding? Well he is a member of the Family First Political party and has a seat in Federal Parliament. The government wanted to increase the tax on alcopops. Alcopops are a sweet, alcoholic fizzy drink which the younger generation happen to like and they drink lots and get very drunk and do silly things. Senator Fielding voted against the bill in parliament. Why? Because he thought the government wasn't serious about binge drink and that this was just a money grab. He doesn't seem to think that increasing the tax would reduce binge drinking.
This is what he wrote in an email:

"It has been a tense and challenging few weeks in the Senate. I have copped a lot of flak over my decision to vote down the alcopops tax. But I stand by my decision – this tax did nothing to address Australia’s binge drinking problem. It was simply a tax on one product and the Senate inquiry found there was no evidence to prove that in the year it has been in place it has worked. In fact, what the research uncovered was that a number of drinkers had turned from drinking alcopops to instead using spirits – in much greater quantities – to mix their own version. How is that addressing our binge drinking epidemic?"

Now, that may well be the case. But it would seem to me that any measure that will slow down the binge drinking in any way at all has got to be a step in the right direct.

And that will do for now.

Saturday 28th March 2009. Guilty

Okay, I will admit it. I am guilty. And I don't repent. I am child centred. That is, I am my children centred. Yes, and I use shocking grammar. But my priorities are 1) Christ, 2) my family, 3 my employment and 4) my work in the church.
Christ is my Lord and my saviour. What He wants comes before all else.
My family is next. I passionately love my wife and my two daughters. They are the centre of my world and my whole being. Without them I wouldn't exist as I am.
Every thing Stephanie and I do is centred around these two girls. Stephanie sees her ministry as being the keeping of a Godly home and raising Godly daughters. That is her mission in life.
That is not to say she doesn't do anything else. No sir, not at all. She also sings in St Luke's Choir at the 9:15 service on a Sunday every second week. It would be every week, but on the other Sunday, her ministry in raising our daughters takes over because I am not there to be Mr Mum at service time.
I also do other things. But you see, providing for my family is part of my priority to my family. I love my family, therefore I must provide for their physical well being. I also facilitate Triple M's. But again, my family takes precedence over this. If my family needs me then Triple M's must wait.
Apart from our relationship to each other, Stephanie and I seek to love and engage with Michele and Cathy above all else. We love them, eat with them, laugh and cry with them and kiss them better when they are ill. They are so much a part of us. Our lives are wrapped up in seeing them come into relationship with our risen Lord Jesus Christ. We will sacrifice all else for them. We school them as well as sending them to school.
For my part, I would sooner spend time with my girls than go out to a movie or some other such leisure activity.
Does that make me Child Centred? Guess so.

Sunday 15th March 2009 I can't remember

It was such a large list. What's that got to do with anything, do I hear you say? Well a lot actually. You see at St Luke's we are into the Lent series of sermon. This morning our preacher was Vicar Phil. Here is a picture of Phil. Oh, while your there what about reading his Phil's Focus. Anyway, this morning sermon was about Getting to know God and in particular, knowing God's forgiveness. Our Vicar went on with this big long list of sins. There was a lot of them. But me to mind of "Sinners in the hands of an Angry God" by Johnathon Edwards.
Phil also went on about Conviction versus condemnation. Conviction is of the spirit and condemnation is of man. Especially self condemnation. Which is something we all might do from time to time. Some more than others.
But, this hymn was the highlight for me. It's a ripper. In fact I liked it so much I am going to re-print it here. I didn't like the tune much, in fact the tune is down right dead bog boring. But the words! They are life.

1. Father of heaven, whose love profound
a ransom for our soul hath found,
before Thy throne we sinners bend -
to us Thy pardoning love extend.

2. Almighty Son, incarnate Word,
our prophet priest, Redeemer, Lord,
before Thy throne we sinners bend -
to us Thy saving grace extend.

3. Eternal Spirit, by whose breath
the soul is raised from sin and death,
before Thy throne we sinners bend -
to us Thy quickening power extend.

4 Thrice holy! Father, Spirit, Son;
mysterious Godhead, Three-in-One,

before Thy throne we sinners bend -

grace, pardon, life to us extend.

I didn't like the tune and couldn't sing it then got to really looking at the lyrics. It is a prayer. So while every one else sung, I read. It is good to do that every now and then. I think it is great. A simple prayer. Of course it can be argued that we already have this in Christ. And that is certainly true. But I like the prayer because it reminds me of my constant need.

There was another highlight today. It is actually a memory verse from ages ago but one which I can never remember where it is.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight,

Oh, Lord; My rock and my Redeemer.

Now that should be our constant prayer. That is Psalm 19 verse 14.

It is good to gather with the brethren that we may encourage and uplift each other. Actually I find I am liking the form of the Anglican service more and more. Not the repetitive nature, but the form. The liturgy is good. I like the priestly nature of it. Not that it is our works, because our works are as dirty rags. (God look at the actually translation of that verse. It is too disgusting to be printed in here, but you would certainly get the drift.) Now Jesus fulfilled all the roles, Prophet (God speaking to us), Priest (us talking to God) and King, which He is. Now the Vicar, or who ever is leading, fills the priestly role, that is us talking to God and leading us all in the responses. And to me, being led to a higher place, where I have to follow and respond, I can't be a passive bystander, is what I need. I need to be reminded of our Holy God and His righteousness. We all do. Our Vicar, by his gown alone, stands as a constant reminder that God is "up there". He is a lot higher than us lessor mortals. We lesser mortals need to be reminded that we are just that: Lesser! We should not be so familiar. We need to be reminded that we are the created, He is the creator. We are His children.

If I have a criticism, may God forgive me, it is this. It is the same Sunday after Sunday, week in week out, month in month out. I should like to see a knew one for each Sunday, or at least for each month. Trouble is that would be expensive because we would have to print a service each week.

Oh, for those of you who don't know, we Frankston Anglican's use the 1962 Book of Common Prayer.

Till, next time: May God Bless you and May Jesus save you, and may you get Born Again if you are not already. Remember Salvation is God's work not yours.