So I’m going to ask a question, and as a bit of warning, If you put your hand up I am going to ask that you prove yourself and answer it – this is not a hypothetical question. So, Who is able to name all ten of the Ten Commandments? No-one? I think we’ve got a bit of work to do here. Ok, so how about something a bit easier – what book and chapter is it found in? Did you know that it’s actually found in two places – in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Anyway, here are the 10 commandments.

1. You shall have no other gods before me
2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water underneath the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house.

And then it goes on to list a few other things that you shall not covet.

What do you notice about the 10 commandments? There’s a lot of “shall nots”! In the New Living Translation of the bible, they actually translate the phrase as “You Must Not” and it appears 10 times in their full text of the ten commandments.

Now, I don’t know about you, but for me I find it hard to do something when I am told that I “must” do it, even if I think it’s the right thing to do. I would rather do it my own way, and discover the mistakes myself.

When we’re told that we’re not allowed to do something, or that we shouldn’t do something, it often makes us want to do it more. Tell a child not to touch the kettle because it’s hot, and they’ll want to touch it even more. Tell a teenager that they’re not allowed to go out, and sure as anything they’ll find a way to get out.

Ok, let’s try something different? What are the two greatest commandments? We read about them in Matthew 22:34-40.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

As a former Anglican, these two commandments are a lot easier to remember, as they are read in 90% of the Sunday services (the other 10% they read out the full 10 commandments). But they are still easy to remember

They are also easy to apply – Love God, Love Others, Love yourself.

Micah 6 – how have I burdened you?

In Micah 6, the Lord asks his people what he has done to them to burden them. Takes place in a metaphorical court case argument. He asks how he burdened them, and follows that with an account of salvation – He brought them out of Egypt, redeemed them from slavery, highlights the stories of Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Balak and Balaam, and their journey from Shittim to Gilgal.

The Lord has done many wonderful things for us – most of all, he sent Jesus to redeem us from our sin, so that we may live in relationship with him. Yet we often still turn Christianity into a burden. You must not do this. You must not do that. We often do it in the Salvation Army ourselves – When someone asks you about soldiership, what do you say? Well, we’re not allowed to drink, smoke or gamble. Is that really what we want setting us apart – what we’re not allowed to do? We need a paradigm shift – from what we’re not allowed to do, to what we’re required to do.

The Lord Requires us to Do

Now we hear in this passage what the Lord requires of us. Now for some that might be a great word, but the Hebrew word can actually be translated a number of ways. It can also mean to seek, or to ask for, or to practice, study, or seek with application. Basically, what does the Lord ask for us to practice and apply to our daily lives? It’s a much nicer way of putting it, and something that is practical and easy for us to remember, and to put into our daily lives. And there are many who are living out the Micah 6:8 promise who we can turn to for inspiration.

Act Justly

There are a number of examples of people who we can model our lives on who have acted Justly, or fought for justice. You could very well argue that the Salvation Army’s founder, William Booth, was a prime example of someone who acted justly, seeking justice for the oppressed and forgotten of society. Or what about William Wilberforce, who fought against the injustice of slavery.

The man who comes to my mind when I think about justice is Martin Luther King Jr. The way that he fought against injustice within the American political sphere cemented his place in the American history books, and the hearts of the people. But he deserves our recognition as well, as a Christian man who acted justly. He saw an injustice, and he fought against it in a manner that was completely becoming of a Christian – he did it in a prophetic, non-violent style. What I mean by that is that his protests, and his speeches, presented a vision of what could be, a better way of doing things. In all these things as well, he was non-violent. He did not lift a hand in anger against those who oppressed him, instead he rallied public opinion (as did the organisations that he represented), and forced the politicians hands until there was nothing that they could do but right the wrongs of their nation.

If we were to look at the three men I’ve mentioned, and how they lived their lives, we would see that they have all acted justly through their lives. Yes, on the large-scale, but it is through these men that we can see how to act justly in our own lives – to treat everyone with respect, no matter their background, and to fight for the better treatment of the least, the lost and the last to the best of our abilities.

Love Mercy

The second part of Micah 6:8 has also often been translated as to Love Kindness, and when I think of mercy and kindness, I think of Mother Teresa. This wonderful woman of God showed kindness to everyone she met. She practically showed kindness and mercy to “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.” Through setting up her order, the Sisters of charity, she founded hospices that cared for the lowest of the low. One of the criticisms leveled against her was that she was friendly to dictators, and while we may say she could have lobbied for justice better, she did show kindness to everyone she met, regardless of their background.

It can be hard, but this is something that is very practical that we can do in our own lives. From things as little as offering your seat on the bus to someone else, or making sure you tip your barista, to inviting your neighbor over for dinner when you know that they’re struggling.

Walk Humbly with your God

When I first started putting together this sermon, I thought that i would put in a joke about how I did a Google search for humble Christians, but it returned no results. How sad it was when i actually did the search, and I got no answers. The thing is that the most well-known Christian figures are anything but humble, due to their being in the spotlight so much. On the flip-side  the truly humble Christians are there doing God’s work often completely unnoticed, and hence don’t show up in Google searches.

I think of one woman from my Church, who is always there willing to work and do whatever is needed, and rarely takes and thanks for the work. I’ve never heard a nasty word from her mouth, instead, the words of someone who is truly humbly walking with God.

Likewise, I think of my good friend, an old retired priest, who continues to serve his church through a prayer and healing ministry, and a wonderful widows and widowers ministry. So humble is his approach, that I’m sure there are many other things that he is doing that i don’t even know about.

Being humble is probably the thing that we find the hardest as Christians  A lot of that is probably due to us needing to put ourselves apart and put God and others first. It’s not something that we like to do, but it is something that God has asked of us, and as such we need to do something about it.

So tonight, I’m asking you to commit to yourselves living out Micah 6:8, however that looks to you. Commit to acting justly, treating everyone with respect no matter their background. Commit yourself to loving Mercy, showing kindness to everyone. And finally, be humble in your walk with God – make everything you do be to the glory of God, not the glory of you.

Fairtrade

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.

Fairtrade is a worldwide organisation that aims to ensure that those who are producing the product are paid a fair wage for the work that they accomplish. They claim that around 6 million people in developing countries benefit from the Fairtrade system, which provides them with a fair price for the produce that they sell, and also provides for investment in their local community. Fairtrade certification also prohibits child labour.

The way Fairtrade ensures a fair wage is by setting a minimum trade price for a product. This is the minimum price that goods can be sold for. However, this just sets a starting price for negotiations, and allows better quality goods to fetch a premium price.

While most people would recognise Fairtrade most with chocolate and coffee, you can also get Fairtrade certified cotton, fruit and vegetables, jams and spreads, spices, grains, homewares and more.

There is of course some criticism of the Fairtrade system. Some say that it creates a quality problem, where producers get guaranteed a minimum price, even for poor quality products. Others say that the conditions for entry into the program make it restrictive for producers to enter, and receive that price. That said, Fairtrade is still one of the most well known ethical trade systems around today.

Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.

The Rainforest Alliance is similar to Fairtrade, however it has more of a focus on the environment. It has five areas of focus for its model: Keeping forests standing, curbing climate change, protecting wildlife, Alleviating poverty, and transforming business practices. As you can see, the focus here is very much on the environment, with some focus also given towards those producing the goods.

In terms of alleviating poverty, Rainforest Alliance claim the “Rainforest Alliance Certified™” seal allows farmers products to reach new markets, negotiate better prices, improve access to credit, and lift themselves and their communities out of poverty, through investing the extra money that they earn in their own community. Being part of a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm also means that employees receive decent wages (which they determine as a minimum of $2 a day), respectable housing and healthcare, and their children having access to education.

Rainforest Alliance boasts some big name supporters. Kraft Coffee is integrating Rainforest Alliance beans into its major brands, Mars has pledged to source its entire cocoa supply from certified sustainable suppliers by 2020 and all of Lipton tea bags will be entirely Rainforest Alliance certified by 2015. The coffee used by McDonald’s McCafe are also Rainforest Alliance certified.

Of course, there are criticisms. It has been described as “Fair trade lite” – allowing companies to be seen as doing something ethical, but at a cheaper price. The Rainforest Alliance certification also doesn’t provide a minimum price for goods, meaning that those who are involved are exposed to the fluctuations of the market. The minimum price for employees is also seen as being set too low. Finally, for things such as coffee, the Rainforest Alliance seal is permitted to be used on products that only contain a mimimum of 30% certified beans, meaning at up to 70% of that coffee does not meet their certification system.

UTZ Certified

UTZ Certified stands for sustainable farming and better opportunities for farmers, their families and our planet. The UTZ program enables farmers to learn better farming methods, improve working conditions and take better care of their children and the environment.

UTZ Certified was originally “Utz Kapeh” which means “Good Coffee” in Mayan. They claim to have 50% of all sustainably certified coffee grown under their label and requirements. Strict monitoring by independent third parties verify that good agricultural practices and management, safe and healthy working conditions, no child labor and protection of the environment are assured throughout the growing and manufacturing processes. They do this by educating farmers on better farming methods; ensuring that working standards set out by the International Labour Organization are upheld; better care for nature through the optimization and reduction of pesticides and using sustainable practices such as recycling and renewable energy; and a strict “No Child Labour” policy, which includes supporting local schools to ensure that children get an education. Through this, UTZ Certified claim that farmers will receive a better crop, which will lead to a better income, while at the same time producing a better environment (through more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices), and a better life through supporting the farmers and their families.

Unlike Fairtrade, UTZ Certified doesn’t specify a minimum price for Coffee, and as such Farmers are subject to the volatility of the market. While they claim protection of the environment, UTZ Certified farmers are allowed to use pesticides as long as they are allowed to be used in the major markets (US, Europe and Japan), and that they are applied according to the directions on the label. Another criticism is that UTZ Certified requires workers to be paid in line with national laws – it doesn’t take into consideration if the national laws set the minimum wage too low.

UTZ Certified brands include IKEA, Harris Coffee, and The Coffee Club, which boast 90% of all coffee beans as being from UTZ Certified farms.

Not Labelled?

It should be noted that just because something doesn’t have a label, doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily bad for the environment or the workers who produced it. Dilmah Tea has long refused Fairtrade certification, with the founder claiming that Fairtrade is a “farce” and nothing more than marketing spin. Dilmah has long supported fair remuneration of its workers, and puts 10% of its gross profits into a charitable fund to aid disadvantaged people. I’m currently enjoying some coffee that is completely Australian grown, roasted and owned. Due to the Australian fair trading regulations, you can assume that this coffee is ethically farmed.

In the end, when looking at the benefits and criticisms of all three major labelling systems, it is difficult to pick one as being better than the others. In the end, for me personally, I prefer to choose coffee (and other products) that have a label, as opposed to none. While it doesn’t guarantee everything, it means that at least some effort is being made towards making the farmers lives more sustainable.

Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34:14
At any time such as this, we need to strengthen our resolve to turn from evil and instead to do good. We need to seek peace and to pursue it in our world. We need to be the voice shouting in the wilderness of the new way, the way of peace, of nonviolence in ways that provide real solutions to the issues at hand.

Language

Language is a major issue that affects how refugees and asylum seekers are able to integrate into a community. One journal article wrote that “English language proficiency has a direct and obvious impact on the ability of women to settle in Australia and on the length of time that process takes.” The authors of this article found that the majority of participants in a study attributed many of their problems as arising due to their language difficulties. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship does fund an Adult Migrant English Program, providing 510 hours of ESL tuition within the first five years of arrival. However, many have found that these programs are filled with cultural problems, such as mixed classes which make it uncomfortable for those who have come from countries where segregation was the norm.

Another difficulty is that the children often pick up English quicker than the parents. This forms more difficulties between children and parents, where the children know words in English, but are unable to explain it to their parents. This puts further strain on their parents, as they are unable to fully communicate with their children.

As indicated in the last post, the Australian Government’s new “no benefit” policy allows for asylum seekers to be placed in community detention, but they are unable to take part in employment, volunteer work, or to take part in ESL classes. As stated above, this means that those in this situation are unlikely to integrate into the community at any stage. It is a very disturbing policy, that makes the life for those in this situation very difficult.

Employment

Employment is one of the major issues and concerns of Asylum Seekers and Refugees, because they do not want to feel like they are a burden on the community. Those who are not permitted to work (because of Temporary Protection Visa’s or conditions placed on their community based detention) find themselves feeling demoralised or despaired at their inability to contribute to Australian Society. Those who are able to seek employment often find discrimination either in the application process, or within the job itself. One Sudanese woman said “At work, the white Australian nurses give me the heaviest and messiest duties to do. Some talk down to me and others just don’t take notice of me and ignore me.”

The Australian Human Rights Commission visited those who were living in community detention. During those visits, they found that “opportunities for self-reliance and meaningful activities are critical to rebuilding resilience amongst asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons.” Providing meaningful employment can be a very strong way of enabling refugees and asylum seekers to feel a part of their new community.

With this in mind, the Australian Government’s new “No Benefit” policy is incredibly worrying. Basically, what the government can do is give some asylum seekers a temporary protection visa, which does not allow them to work, volunteer, or even take part in ESL classes. This effectively removes them from society, and adds shocking results for their mental health, because not only are they sitting around doing nothing, but they feel bad about having to rely on people and agencies for their survival.

Housing

There are a number of issues relating to housing in the resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees. The Brotherhood of St Laurence found that in Shepparton, cheap housing was initially plentiful, it since has become scarce. Housing that was available is often of poor quality, and within a system that is difficult for asylum seekers and refugees to understand. This makes exploitation by real estate agents a common occurrence. There are multiple stories of families with many children being placed in houses with only two or three bedrooms. In a Sudanese community in Colac, the Brotherhood of St Laurence again found a lack of public housing, and difficulties in getting private rentals. Initial settlement costs are another concern, with essential items such as a fridge, beds or blankets being difficult to source from a local Migrant Resource Centre. Where public housing was available, it was often shared amongst a number of families. One woman said “the way we live now, we don’t have plans because we are living together, three families in the one house.” Stress in the area of housing makes it difficult for asylum seekers to feel settled within a community.

Stay tuned for the next post, where we discuss some of the issues that asylum seekers and refugees face in the area of Employment. In the mean time, I’d love to hear any stories that you have about housing difficulties for asylum seekers and refugees, and any thoughts about how we can be more open to sharing the boundless plains of our nation.

References: Taylor, Stanovic and Brotherhood of St Laurence, Refugees and Regional Settlement: Balancing Priorities, 2005

This past week has been a bit of a shock to the system. We came down on Maundy Thursday, got straight into things with the Haagidah dinner, Good Friday, Dawn Service and Easter Sunday. Then that afternoon, we headed back up to Melbourne for lunch with Liesl’s family, then we stayed in Melbourne to do some study on Monday, before heading down that night to be back here for the 8am prayer meeting, and starting our ministry here with Janette and Geoff. And already, I must say, that they’ve been great, and have shown us a lot already in this short time, but I do have to say that my head doesn’t really know where it is right now.

In the Church’s calendar, today is the first Sunday after Easter, and while through Easter, we focus in on the Death and Resurrection, it is this period that the church can really look forward to. We are in the time of remembering Christ’s days on earth post resurrection, and everything that means to us. Christ may have risen last Sunday, but he lives on in the hearts and the lives of those who worship him in his church. There are, however, so many who live just for the Big holidays. “CoE Christians” they’re sometimes called – Christmas and Easter. The two biggest days in the Church’s calendar, where we also get the largest congregations. Now I’m new to the Salvos, but I’m sure the same principle applies. In the Anglican Church, the Sunday after Christmas and after Easter were always known as Low Sunday. After the massive high of Christmas and Easter, the Sunday after was traditionally when we would get our smallest attendances of the year. Christmas, I can understand that. But Easter – the story isn’t over yet. Jesus is Risen! But that’s not the end of it. Christ rose from the Grave, but he hadn’t finished here on earth, and even though he had to ascend into Heaven, he left behind the Holy Spirit to continue the work here on earth.

Today we’re looking at a reading that takes part firstly still on that Easter Sunday, then on the following week. Jesus has risen – but he still has work to do. But just like my week this week, the Disciples are not quite sure where their heads are at right at the moment.

Despite the knowledge, there’s still doubt

The disciples had a really crazy day. It started with their teacher, that they had devoted three years of their lives to, being dead. The one who had taught the revolutionary message of a new way, of a new kingdom, the one they believed to take this new kingdom to fruition, was dead. The seed of doubt had been planted. Then one of the women, Mary, had come saying the body had been stolen. Peter and the beloved disciple confirmed that the body was gone. The seed of doubt grew – had someone stolen the body? Had something miraculous happened? Even when Mary returned saying that she had seen Jesus, they still weren’t certain.

They met that night, ten of the apostles, and a number of disciples, to discuss the events, and to worship. They locked the door, because they were still fearful as to whether the Jewish leaders still had it in for them or not.  They knew Jesus’ teachings, they knew the events of that day so far, yet when Jesus appeared, he still deemed it necessary to show his wrists and his side to show where he had been pierced. They then realised what had happened and they celebrated.

Thomas had even more information than the disciples who were there that night. Thomas wasn’t at the meeting that night, and despite being told by the disciples that Jesus appeared in the room with them, he still couldn’t bring himself to believe. This was a big thing for Thomas. Earlier – on the way to see Lazarus’ dead body, Thomas had exclaimed “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” This was a statement of blind devotion to Jesus – he was willing to follow him even to death. Yet when doubt had crept in, unless he saw with his own eyes, he couldn’t be brought back to that faith.

When there is doubt, faith flourishes

It’s so easy for us to have doubts these days. There is so much pressure from the world to have us doubt our faith, or for us to have to prove it beyond doubt. Even last Sunday, Easter Sunday, I was watching on Sunrise a creationist who was willing to put up $10,000 for an evolutionist to disprove the bible in a court – even if this guy wasn’t the most convincing of creationists himself. People want us to prove, beyond all doubt, that Christ is saviour. The problem comes is that Jesus himself said that there would always be a need for some doubt, because where there is doubt – that is when faith can flourish.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” We have not seen with our own eyes. We can read the stories, we can study the biblical accounts, we can know our own accounts of God in our lives, but there will always be people who try to explain away those experiences. This is where faith comes in. In Hebrews 11:1, Paul writes that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Though we did not see Christ crucified and risen, we have faith that this embodies our hope – that on the cross Christ paid for our sins, and in the resurrection God accepted that payment.

When we embrace this doubt, that is when our faith can grow. The doubts that we may have actually provide the space for our faith to grow, and when that happens Jesus provides us with a rich reward.

With faith and belief, comes life

At the end of this passage comes a little epilogue from the writer of the fourth gospel. Verse 30-31: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” The signs that are written in the Gospel of John are written so that we may come to believe that Jesus IS the Messiah. When we have faith in that, when we come to believe, the result is that we are given life in Jesus’ name.

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have a guarantee that tells us that we are free. We have a new life, where we can live in the hope that Christ has paid for our sins, and we no longer need to live in them. The guarantee that we have in Christ’s resurrection tells us that we are free – so let’s live that life! Let’s give up the sins that we hold on to, because we’re holding onto a bit of doubt. Jesus commissioned his disciples with the words “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” God sent Jesus to bring people into a relationship with him, to know him, and to know the life that he gives. As his disciples, we are commissioned with those same words – we are sent, and the Father sent Jesus. We are sent to spread his message, and to tell others about what Jesus has done in our lives, whether that’s through words, or through actions, or just through our lives.

Live the life that Jesus gave, and share your faith

Some of you may know that I have just recently come back from Manus Island, working in the Refugee Processing Centre there. In our role there, The Salvation Army is not allowed to proselytise, however despite this I had many opportunities to share my faith. This was just through living life with the community members, and when they asked why I did the things that I did, it all basically comes back to one answer – Because of Christ, who lives in me. As an Anglican, evangelism was a difficult thing for me – we weren’t very good at it, and I never saw myself as gifted in it. How surprising it was in my first college review for one of the staff to say that they saw in me a strong gift of evangelism. See for me, evangelism isn’t just telling people about Christ, and seeking converts. It is living the life that Christ has asked of us, and being open for the opportunities when they arise.

Isn’t that, after all, what Jesus did? He lived the life that God had sent him to. He engaged in the community, and lived according to God’s will. Because of the way he lived, people were attracted to him. That’s what he meant when he says “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” So start living the life that Jesus has called you to, and living out the faith in your everyday life. Jesus died that we may have new life. Let’s spread that new life to everyone that we meet.

Who is it that you’re looking for? It’s a question that Jesus posed to Mary, but it’s one that is apt for us today as well. Who is it that you’re looking for? Are you looking for chocolate eggs or hot cross buns? Are you looking for the faith you once held as a child, or at your first conversion? Or maybe at this time in the morning, you’re looking for the nearest barista?

Through the story today, we have lots of people looking, and seeing, and they are filled with different meanings. Mary first sees the stone has been removed, and runs to the disciples. She doesn’t know what is in the tomb, and makes assumptions that someone has stolen Jesus’ body. This is put to rest when Peter and the beloved disciple get there. The beloved disciple arrives and sees the linen strips, but remains outside. Peter goes straight into the tomb, and looks around. The word used is the root word of the word “theory”, and we get that from the context. He sees that the strips of linen are lying there, with the cloth in its place. This means that the body wasn’t stolen – a grave robber wouldn’t have taken the time to unwrap a body, particularly one that had a large amount of precious oils and spices that would have been worth a lot of money. When the beloved disciple enters, he “sees and believes” – but the word here means so much more. It means that he was sure of what had happened, that he understood.

Mary again sees things in different ways. She saw – in the same way that Peter saw – the two angels. But she only saw – in the same way that she saw the stone of the tomb – Jesus when he first appeared. She saw, but she didn’t understand. But when Jesus said her name, she turned around and exclaimed his name. When she saw the disciples, she said to them that she had seen – but not only seen, but stared at, clearly discerned, she experienced the risen Christ!

So I ask again, who is it that you are looking for? Do you see, as Mary first saw, the chocolate and buns and know that something has happened, but you’re not sure what? Or maybe you see as Peter saw – looking at the gospel narratives that tell of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but you’re not quite sure what they all mean? Maybe, as the beloved disciple saw, you have read the texts, and you know, you are absolutely sure that Jesus died to save you from your sins. Or maybe you see as Mary finally saw – you see Jesus, in your life, the living, resurrected Christ, who died for your sins, and now lives in you, because he loves you, and wants to spend eternity with you. If that is you, then do as Mary did – go and tell the world about how you experienced Christ in your life, and what that means for you.

Today is the last day of our Christmas season. I hope it’s been a good season for you. It’s been a very special season for me, as it has been Annabelle’s first Christmas, and it was very special to be able to spend it here at home. But that presented itself with some other challenges. Everyone wanted to give Annabelle lots of presents, but we had to remember that everything that we received, we had to make sure that we could fit it all in our suitcases to take back to Melbourne. Thankfully we didn’t receive many large presents, but we’re still hoping that we’ll come in under our baggage allowance.

I wonder if Mary and Joseph had the same thoughts when the caravan of Magi rocked up with gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh? We don’t hear how much was brought, but considering how far they are thought to have travelled, I wouldn’t expect that it was a small gift. I can imagine Joseph saying “Thanks very much, but how am I going to get all this home? Can you at least give me one of your camels to carry all of this as well?”

Today I want to look at these three gifts. We may not be able to give Gold, Frankincense and myrrh to our Lord, but each of these three gifts are associated with an aspect of our lives that we can give to God. Gold, being the gift of holiness, Frankincense, the gift of prayer, and Myrrh, the gift of self.

Myrrh – the gift of self

Myrrh is produced from the sap of a tree. It features in many different aspects through the bible. In Genesis, Israel offers it, as well as other products, as part of the best gifts of the land in compensation for food from Egypt. In Esther, oil of Myrrh is part of the beauty treatments for the women who are to go before King Xerxes. In Exodus, it is part of the anointing oil that is used to anoint the temple and temple articles. Finally, in John, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea use myrrh and aloes to embalm Jesus’ body.

So we have a few ideas here, although most people tend to associate myrrh with Jesus’ death and suffering. Yes, we’re still focussed on Jesus’ birth, but we also need to look towards Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus Christ, during his time of prayer before being arrested, prayed “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39. Jesus gave up his own will, in order that the plan that God had would be fulfilled.

Likewise, we need to give up our own wills, in order to align ourselves to the plan that God has for our lives. For myself, I had to give up my dreams in order to follow the plan that I had for my life. I had plans to become an orchestral violinist. I had such a great time at WAAPA, and loved music, and knew that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. But when God called me into ministry with the Salvos, I had to give up my own dreams, my self, in order to follow God’s plan for my life. I’m not saying that we all need to give up our career plans in order to join the ministry, but when God places something on our hearts, we need to follow his will, and not our own.

Frankincense – the gift of prayer

Frankincense was a form of incense that was regularly used in the offering up of prayers to God. Psalm 141 says “May my prayer be set before you like incense;” and so our prayers should be fragrant offerings towards God. This year, as a gift to God, let’s look again at our prayer life.

Last year, I took a class looking at the contemplative side of spirituality within the Salvation Army. We looked at many different ideas, but one that really struck me was looking into the Rule of St Benedict. In his prologue to his rule, he said “Before doing anything worthwhile, begin first in prayer.” I think that this is such vital advice – before doing anything worthwhile, go to God in prayer. I take it a step further, and say before doing anything, begin first in prayer. Because if you are doing something that isn’t worthwhile, then it isn’t worth doing, therefore we should begin everything in prayer.

Another thing that struck me through doing this class is that there are many different styles of prayer, and they are all fantastic, and the fact is that most of them probably won’t feel comfortable at first. Praying in tongues has never really worked for me, but that’s not to say that it won’t be a wonderful way of prayer for you. I’m one who likes to internalise my prayers, but maybe that doesn’t work for you. It doesn’t matter how, it only matters that you do.

But it’s also important that we constantly reassess our prayer life. At the college, we have reviews about every six months just to see how we’re doing. Through this process, we get an opportunity for our peers, and staff, to give feedback on a number of benchmarks. Through my most recent review, I had already known that I wanted to re-evaluate my prayer life, to inject some freshness into it. Yet through my review, I received feedback saying that I was deeply grounded in prayer – through what my friends and the staff had seen. But I know that you can’t become complacent in your prayer life, just like you can’t become complacent in any relationship. Stop talking to someone and you’ll eventually grow apart, and not know how to talk to each other. But if we relentlessly pursue our relationship, and keep finding new ways to talk, to get to know each other, then we will grow deeper and deeper together.

Gold – the gift of Holiness

Finally, the gift of Gold. Traditionally given to signify royalty, one of the things that makes Gold special is its purity. When dug out of the ground, it has lots of imperfections, and other materials that make it effectively just a chunk of rock. But when it is heated up, it melts, and the impurities rise to the top, and the goldsmith is able to take out those impurities, leaving just pure gold. You need a lot of heat in order to do this, but the end result is a metal so pure that it is highly sought after.

This past year, one of my favourite subjects was the foundations of the Wesleyan Holiness Tradition. The Salvation Army is very much a holiness movement, but I believe that holiness is something that we all can achieve, and something that makes our lives better, and our relationship with God deeper. As I was going through this course, I became deeply aware of the sinful nature in my life. I prayed to God, and I asked him to take this, and all impurities out of my life. I wanted to live a life of holiness, because I believed it to be possible. After I prayed, I tried to avoid all temptation, to stop me from falling into my sin.

Daily I would pray for God to help me through this time. There were times that would have been triggers in the past, but on reflection I realised that I had been strong, and that the triggers and temptations were no longer an issue. Upon realising this, I praised God for helping me through this time. It was tough – but through God’s refining fire, he is helping me to live a holy life. It is a struggle every day, but one that is possible, because with God all things are possible.

So this year, let’s devote our lives to give God these three gifts. Myrrh, the gift of self. Frankincense, the gift of prayer. And Gold, the gift of holiness. Through these things, may we grow ever closer to God, deeper in our faith, and stronger in our determination to bring God’s Kingdom to this world. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, you sent your son, Jesus Christ, to this world to bring your radical message of love. The Magi came and brought him gifts, fit for a king. Lord this year, may we also bring you gifts, because you are king of kings, and lord of lords, and lord over our lives. May we give our whole selves to you. May we deepen our prayer life with you. And may we, with your help, be encouraged to live lives of purity that honour you. Grant us your help through all these things, and bless us richly this year. Through your glorious name we pray, Amen.

Ex-leper or lame beggar?

When I think of the miraculous healings in the bible, my mind always gets drawn to the scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, where Brian meets an ex-leper, begging for alms. “Spare a talent for an old ex-leper” Through the scene, we find that this ex-leper spent 16 years behind the bell, before Jesus walked up to him and said “You’re cured” without so much as a “by your leave.” As such, he’s now healed, but doesn’t have anything to do, as all he knew how to do was to beg for alms. So despite being healed, he stays in his old life, begging, and wishing that he was just a bit of a cripple during the week – enough to beg, but not as annoying as full on leprosy.

But, today, we hear of a man whose response is quite different to that of the ex-leper. I wonder what life story he would tell to Brian, if he were to run into him.

I was sitting there, begging outside of the Beautiful Gate, and it was about mid-afternoon. My friends had carried me there, because it was the best place to beg for alms. All those pious Jews would soon be going through that gate to the temple to go to prayers, and truly pious Jews knew that to be seen giving money to us was a visible sign of their piety. I’d been there most of the afternoon, and a couple of men came up to me. One of them told me to look at them, and I thought that they were going to give me something. He said to me that he didn’t have any silver or gold, but he would give what he had. I was thinking what he could give that wasn’t silver or gold, but he went on and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” He then grabbed my hand, and helped me up. All my life, I had never had any strength in my legs and feet, but all of a sudden, I was able to stand and walk on them. They invited me to go with them into the temple, and I went with them, but I couldn’t just walk. I hadn’t walked all my life, but neither had I jumped, and run. Never had I praised God before, but now I could run, and jump, and dance, and it was wonderful!

The difference between these two is that the ex-leper wants to hang onto his old life. It was all he knew, and all he knew how to do. The lame beggar on the other hand was more than willing to jump, and leap, and praise God. He went into the temple, and clung to the disciples who healed him. He left his old life behind, and clung to this new life that he had been granted. It was as if the shackles of bondage that had been holding him down had finally been released.

Release the shackles of your sin

It’s important to note that in biblical times, many people saw ailments such as leprosy and being lame as punishment for sin. Even though sin is not mentioned in this story as the cause of this man’s ailment, it still must be noted that it was a common understanding. Therefore, for him to be healed, must have meant that his sins had also been forgiven.

As Christians, we believe that all our sins have been forgiven, and that they were forgiven when Christ was crucified and rose from the grave. He paid the penalty for our sins. However, while we can believe that, sometimes we like to hang onto our sins. We don’t like to completely give them up, even though we believe that Christ had forgiven us completely.

Earlier this year, I had a revelation. In doing a 12 steps course in spiritual development, I realised that I could trace some of my behaviours back to a particular event, almost ten years ago. As I reflected back on my time, I could see how my behaviours had all been affected by this event. Over the years, I had slowly given up a behaviour at a time, one sin at a time. Each time, I thought I was doing really well, but in reality, with each one, I was hanging on to all the other sinful behaviours.

It was only this year that I made a decision that I needed to release all of the sins that I was hanging on to. I asked God to take away all my sins, and to help me lead a holy life. I confided to my wife about the sins that I had committed. I believe that confession is a very important part of the process – confession to God, and confession to someone else, so that they can help you along the process as well.

Once I asked God to take away all my sins, I started seeing that God had given me what I had asked for. Very soon after this, I was placed in a situation which would have been very easy for me to fall back into sin. My sin was in my thoughts, and I was all day, alone, and focussing on my thoughts while walking around the city. It was only at the end of the day that I realised that I had not fallen into my old thoughts at any point during that day. I had been released of my sin, and it was no longer an issue for me in my life.

Walking and Leaping and Praising God

However, there is still one sin in my life relating to this. I hadn’t fully praised God for the work he has done in my life. When the lame beggar was healed, he was “walking and leaping and praising God” – that’s how we should be. We need to walk and leap and praise God for the work that he’s done in our lives. So often we get stuck into asking God for things that we don’t rejoice and praise God for the good things that he’s done in our lives. While I’m talking here, start thinking about the wonderful things that God has done in your life. For me, God has given me a wonderful wife, and a beautiful baby girl. He has blessed me with a wonderful family that is supportive of us and our calling. He’s given me a wonderful country in which to live, that is peaceful by nature, and its nature is beautiful. He has saved me from my sins, and encourages me daily to live a holy life that is honouring to him. So right now, I want to thank you God for all the awesome stuff that you’ve done in my life. And you can do this too. It’s not a hard thing – you don’t need any special words. Just spend some time now, thanking God for everything that he’s done in your life. Big or small. Whether it’s a massive about face from the depths of despair that he’s saved you from, or having provided a family that loves God for you to grow up in. Whether it’s Christ’s redemptive love, or the ability to feed your family this week.

One of the common forms of prayer that we use is the ACTS prayer – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. We praise God in adoration, and say how great he is. In Confession, as we discussed above, we confess the sins that we have committed. In Thanksgiving, we give thanks for the things that God has done in our lives. ACTS should be a daily prayer for us – that we can wake up and praise, confess, thank and ask God every morning, and we can go to sleep having praised, confessed, thanked and asked God every night.

We’re going to now share in the song Amazing Grace (My chains are gone), and what a wonderful song God has provided for us. Amazing Grace, how sweet a sound that saved a wretch like me. God’s Grace is what saves us from our sin. It goes before us, having paid the price for our sins before we ask for it. But we also get the chorus, My chains are gone, I’ve been set free. God’s grace sets us free from our sins, it is like a flood that pours into us, and flushes out every trace of sin. How glorious it is that through this grace, we are set free from this sin, and we should praise God for that. So while we sing this song, search out your life. Will you be like the ex-leper, holding onto your past sin? Or will you be like the lame beggar, fully releasing your sins to God and walking and leaping and praising God. While we sing, the mercy seat is open as a place of prayer. You are invited to come and ask God to take that sin that you are holding onto – and if you come, then leave that sin there on the mercy seat. Or come and praise God for the work that he has done in your life. Thank him for everything that he has done in your life.