The Alternative Imagining | Richard Foster | Pulse | LinkedIn

The Alternative Imagining | Richard Foster | Pulse | LinkedIn

DISCOMBOBULATED

Discombobulated. Great word that, sort of rolls around your mouth. I was enjoying a family holiday recently and I was trying to work out my state of mind or at least find a word that described it, and that was it. Discombobulated.

The problem was that I and a number of my family members (9, leaving the other 10 at home) were on holiday in what by local standards could only be conceived as luxury. We had a large villa to ourselves, staff to provide breakfast and other meals as required and our laundry taken and delivered daily. We had our own swimming pool and the air conditioning dealt with the tropical heat and humidity. All of this was behind a secure wall with a security guard just outside to ensure our safety. All in all in it was a fantastic place to be. So what was the problem?

On the other side of the wall lived those who served us and many others in comparative poverty. They depended on the wage they received and the tips given by those who used their services. The infrastructure was either non-existent or badly run down, traffic rules were suggestive at best and there was little joy to be seen on the faces of those who sat at the roadside or tried to convince us to buy their wares.

This for me created a sense of dis-ease. Here am I, an advocate for social justice, I write about it, speak about it, campaign, sign petitions and fundraise on behalf of those who are disadvantaged. But now I was sitting in the midst of it but separate from it because I had the financial ability to pay for a safe haven in the midst of the squalor and disappointment endured by the local community.

For those who haven’t figured it out, this was Bali. The chosen holiday destination of many Australians. They choose it because it is cheap and it is accessible. For years millions of dollars have been poured into this island by visitors, but it does not seem that much of it is serving to improve the lives of the locals. There are beggars who appear at car windows on major road ways, the hawkers in the shops and markets make the walk along the road way unpleasant and the need to constantly refuse an offer to buy something quickly turns the polite ‘no thank you’ to a curt ‘no’ or attempt not to make eye contact at all. We teach our children to beat these sellers down to the lowest possible price no matter whether it is reasonable or fair.

The people who served us in our villa were and are beautiful, friendly people. Always ready with a smile and offer to help. However I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on beneath the smile, did they have any hope that one day they too could enjoy the type of privilege we were enjoying? Was there any expectation for their children other than more of the same? Was there a sense of resentment there, or is that only the preserve of the well off and the entitled?

As a minister of the gospel I believe and proclaim that the good news is a message of hope, that this message brings transformation and expectation of an eternal inheritance. But as I sat in my villa I had to ask myself, how this message would or could be received in a place like Bali, especially as so many of those who visit from a so-called Christian nation are happy to maintain the social imbalance so that they (and I) can still afford our cheap holiday.

I returned to Australia on Australia Day, the day when we celebrate the place we live by drinking a lot (it’s the Australian thing to do) and spending millions of dollars on an hour or so exploding little coloured lights in the sky.

We had a great holiday, we enjoyed the places we saw and the people we met. The church we attended was gracious and enthusiastic. But for me, I was left with a great sense of frustration – what could I do to make the difference that needs to be made. What is the point of preaching a message of hope and engagement in the life of others if nobody listens and nothing changes?  I will get over it and get back to what I am called to do – but right now I am discombobulated.

I Resolve

It’s that time of the year again, when the mind turns to making good resolutions for the year to come. Generally I try to make one resolution, which is ‘don’t make resolutions’. Otherwise I think I am just setting myself up for failure. I always start well but the initial enthusiasm doesn’t sustain me and then I feel guilty that I haven’t followed through.

However it is a good idea to reflect and think about those core values that I want to commit to and give evidence of in the next chapter of my life. You never know, that may result in changed behaviour, almost resolution by stealth!

In a letter to a bunch of Hebrew Christians a couple of thousand years ago the writer gave a list of ten behaviours that seem to me to be a pretty good pattern to follow:

·         Love each other

·         Show hospitality to strangers

·         Identify with prisoners, the persecuted and the ill treated

·         Be faithful in your marriage and make it work

·         Let your character be free from the love of money, be content with what you have

·         Remember those people that got you where you are and copy them

·         Don’t get carried away by wacky ideas and strange teaching

·         Keep doing good to others and share what you have with them

·         Obey your leaders and submit to them

·         Pray for those who established you

In the middle of this list there is a statement that seems almost out of context, it is ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever’. It seems the writer was looking back to the first five items on his list which ended with the injunction to keep one’s character free from the love of money and to be content with what you have. This was based on the reminder that God had said in history that he would not desert nor forget them, and that if God is on their side, then what do they need to be afraid of? The Jesus that was faithful then will be faithful now. More money is certainly not the answer.

As he looked to the future the writer seems to be warning that there will be some strange ideas and philosophies and the demand to honour and protect those of proven character will increase. It will be increasingly important to focus on what we know to be true, and of course in doing so we will focus on the same Jesus who proved himself in the past and can be relied on in the future.

As I look at this list I find that in every case there is room for improvement and I can certainly address myself to them. Maybe a strategy or a SMART goal or two, or even a KPI might help to keep me on track. But the reality, for me at least, is that unless the Jesus Christ who is the same today as he was in the past and will be in the future is not the one who guides and motivates me then it is just another set of resolutions that probably won’t get past February.

They didn't know him

When the apostle John recounts the story of the coming of Christ into the world he makes the remarkable statement: He was in the world, the world was made by him, and the world did not know him.

Christmas is upon us and around the world people celebrate this event by having a holiday, giving and receiving presents and eating way too much food. It is reported that last year alone in Australia $42billion was spent on Christmas and $17billion of that on food! Of course in other parts of the world Christmas is remembered differently and in some cases the ‘Christ’ part of the event is removed entirely. In some cases people will turn up at church, it may be the only time of the year but they come to pay respect to the one whom the event is named after. In others regular church attenders take the day off in their rush to enjoy the holiday.

Wherever you go and to whomever you speak Christmas as an event is understood and acknowledged, yet for many they do not know him. Christmas is an event that marks the entry into the world of a child, an event that so changed the way we view history that calendars are based on his birth. This was no ordinary child but as the apostle said, one who was full of grace and truth and who reflected the glory of his Father in heaven. Everybody knows about Christmas but many do not know about Jesus.

John goes further, he said that even his own people didn’t receive him. In many so-called ‘Christian’ nations today Jesus is no longer received. We want the event, the celebration, the festivities, but not the saviour. We cannot separate Christmas from Christ, it is not about the myths that accompany Christmas, it is not about getting bent out of shape because some people talk about a large man in a red suit. It is about understanding that Christmas is the entry of God into our world, it is about an offer to all who would receive and believe in him that they could become sons and daughters of God.

The prophet Isaiah, 700 years or so before that first Christmas, said that those who were in darkness would see a great light, because a child is born, a son is given and his name will be called Immanuel which means God is with us. The apostle John declared that Jesus was this true light, the light that could illumine every person. This Christmas Jesus offers the gift of light and life to you, his light will illumine the dark places, dispel the gloom and bring hope where you thought there was no hope. This is his gift to all who would receive him, by believing in his name: Jesus, Saviour, Christ, Lord, Immanuel, wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting father and prince of peace. 

This Christmas, make sure you know him of who the story is written and receive him by faith and you will know that Immanuel, God is with you.

In the Meantime

There is a parallel between the times of the prophet Jeremiah and our own days. The people of his day were living in exile, because of their collective disobedience they were taken to Babylon where they were to remain until God re-established them in the city and land of their inheritance. In the meantime they were to live in the place where God had sent them in anticipation of a future when they would live under the rule and authority of the King of Kings. While we have not been taken into a physical exile, as the people of Israel were, we are living under the authority of an alien ruler whose desires are contrary to the plans of God, and we live in anticipation of the time when Jesus will return and establish his reign.

The times we live in lie between Christ’s ascension into heaven and his return in glory, in the meantime our world is under the rule and authority of Satan, the one who stands in absolute opposition to God and his purposes for humankind. These times are appointed by God and will end when he decides they should. While there are things that we can and should be doing which God requires before the return of his Son, we cannot bring forward the day, it is an appointed time and part of God’s eternal purpose. When the disciples questioned Jesus about his return, he answered that it was not for them to know when and how this would happen but in the meantime there was work for them to do. That work was to be witnesses to the things they had seen and heard, to be heralds of the good news by the power of the Holy Spirit that would indwell them.

We live in anticipation of the return of Jesus Christ; we are living as aliens in a land under the authority of a ruler whose plans, purposes, values and intentions are in direct opposition to our king. This isn’t our land; we are strangers here. It is inevitable then that there will be a clash between our values and those that belong to this world. One of the challenges this poses for us is how to succeed in the world of work, family and community while having different purposes and motivations from those we live among. Is it possible to survive, let alone succeed, in the business world without conforming to the standards and expectations of those around us? The apostle Paul’s answer to this dilemma was to instruct his readers to be transformed by the renewing of their minds; he went on to say that this was the most reasonable form of worship they could offer. The solution to successful Christian living in the midst of alien land is not to enforce a set of rules and regulations but to do those things that will serve to renew our minds. Once our minds have been renewed then there will be no problem in deciding between the various choices with which we are faced. Rather than try to live under a set of prohibitions, most of which we will occasionally fail to keep, we should focus on filling our hearts and minds with those things that will serve to bring our lives into harmony with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often Christians put themselves under a tremendous burden of guilt by following self-imposed disciplines, assuming that this is what it means to live a righteous life. God puts the emphasis on the positive rather than the negative, instead of concentrating on what you shouldn’t do focus on those things that will renew your mind. Fill your thoughts with the word of God, communicate regularly with Him in prayer, seek out the fellowship of others whose desire is to grow in Christ, and commit yourself to doing his will in your home, community and place of work. In this way your mind will be renewed and the details of life will look after themselves. 

Prayer born of complaint

The Bible records that as the people of Israel journeyed from Mt Sinai to Edom they were provided with manna to eat. This food was ground and baked and had the taste of sweet cakes. However they became bored with the lack of variety in their diet and began to complain. In fact they started to act as if they were suffering some sort of adversity and on hearing it, God became angry. The fire of God’s anger consumed some of the people and they died, but Moses prayed on behalf of his people and the fire died out. But they continued to complain and even began to weep and moan over their hardship. This caused God to become angry again and because the complaints of the people were directed at him, Moses complained to God that it was not fair, God was being too hard on him. He felt that he wasn’t receiving the favour of God and as it wasn’t his idea to bring them out of Egypt in the first place it was all too much for him to bear, he just couldn’t carry the load by himself. He became so depressed that he asked God to let him die rather than continue in this misery.

God’s reply was to tell Moses to find seventy elders to stand with him and share his load. God did not rebuke Moses for his complaint, but he didn’t allow him to die either. In a sense Moses was justified as the burden of his office was excessive and he did have to endure it alone. God met this need, he provided Moses with the support of others but then he also answered the complaint of the people in such a way that demonstrated his power and holiness. The people complained that they had no meat, so God said that he would give them meat. In fact they would have so much meat that they would become sick of it, they would eat ‘until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him saying ‘why did we ever leave Egypt?”’ Moses was stunned; he didn’t believe God could do it. He questioned him suggesting that all the fish of the sea or all the herd and flocks on the earth would be insufficient. But rather than rebuke him for lack of faith or trust, God asked Moses ‘Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you will see whether my word will come true for you or not’.

Once Moses had selected the elders, God sent a wind from the sea and on that wind were thousands and thousands of quail. There were so many of these birds that they covered the ground to a depth of about 1 metre on all sides of the camp as far as one days journey in each direction. The people greedily went and gathered as much as they could and started to gorge themselves. But as soon as the flesh of the birds touched their teeth God struck them with a plague and many died.  The place became known as ‘the graves of greediness’.

We can learn from Moses’ exchange with God. While it would seem that Moses spoke out of turn when he complained to God, he cried out from genuine need. He would rather die than fail in his ministry and yet it was too much for him to bear. He poured his heart out to God and God heard him. On the other hand the people had no legitimate ground for complaint and their ungratefulness for the blessings of God on their lives was met with a righteous response from God. He punished them because of their complaining but also because they rebelled against God’s chosen leader. In rejecting Moses, they had rejected God. God gave the people what they desired but it proved to be at great cost to them. If they had gladly received the blessings of God they would have been led securely in to a land flowing with milk and honey, instead many of them perished in the desert.

When we pour out our hearts to God with legitimate concerns, he hears us and meets our need, usually in very practical ways. God’s power is not limited, even when the situation seems beyond our understanding we must simply trust him. On the other hand when we complain without cause, we may receive what we desire, but it will often be at the cost of forfeiting God’s blessings.

Chance Encounters

In three of the great religious traditions of the world the person of Joseph figures prominently. Joseph was one of twelve sons born to the Hebrew patriarch, Jacob. He rose to prominence as the governor of Egypt and by using his own ability and a prophetic gift from God brought about economic and agricultural reform that not only protected Egypt through a long period of famine, but secured safety for his family and their people. His story is told in the writing of the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions.

Joseph’s life was not however always quite so rosy. He was not popular with his brothers, who thought him spoilt and condescending and knew that their father loved him more than them. He had dreams that seemed to suggest that he was going to rise to a position of prominence and his whole family would need to bow down to him and he told tales on his brothers. It got so bad that he and his brothers could not speak on friendly terms and actively hated each other.

One day when Joseph’s brothers were away working with the sheep, Joseph stayed behind. Jacob decided to send Joseph to his brothers to see how they were doing and report back, so off he went. But when he got to the place they should have been they weren’t there. As he wandered around Joseph encountered a stranger and so he asked him where he might find his brothers, the stranger replied that he thought they had gone off to a place called Dothan, so Joseph went and found them there. From that point on Joseph’s life was changed completely.

The identity of the stranger is not revealed. The Bible doesn’t say where he came from, where he went, what his name was or what he was doing in the fields. All we are told is that he found Joseph and had a short conversation that changed the direction of Joseph’s life. As I reflect on this story I also reflect on those one off conversations which have changed the direction of my life. Sometimes I know the identity of those people, some of them have faded from memory, but there are a number who have said something that has caused me to pause, or reflect or to change.

As a pastor and an educator it is my hope that I will have some of those conversations. Where something I say, even if unknowingly, has changed the course of someone’s life for the better. Joseph endured a lot of pain after his encounter with the stranger and it is likely that he didn’t see the change of direction as immediately beneficial. But it was necessary, not only for his sake for many others, even whole nations. It is possible that those words I sow into the lives of others will not always produce immediate benefit, in fact if acted upon they may even produce pain. But with God’s grace they may produce the right result.

You may look back and recall those whose words that have changed the course of your life. I remember a conversation with a business man in Argentina who changed my thinking about my ministry. I became convinced that I was called to pastor a community, not a congregation. That conviction led me to resign from my church and caused a lot of heartache and suffering – but it was the right call. I also recall a conversation with two young girls, also in Argentina, who asked if they could pray for me – that encounter caused in me a desire to understand the heart of the heavenly father toward children and the broken and changed my life. You may have similar recollections of those great and small who have affected you.

It may also be that you are the one whose words of challenge, encouragement or even direction will alter the course of someone’s life. Seek out those opportunities, use your words wisely – who knows your unwitting counsel may one day change the course of history and the fate of nations!