Wednesday 6 July

2 Kings 12:1-14:22

I’m getting pretty sick of this. Why can’t the numskulls work out that it is a pretty simple formula - tear down the high places and the Asherah Poles, don’t make sacrifices to Baal, don’t attack your brothers and, about everything else, just ask God what he wants you to do.  Why can’t they manage it?? If I was in the place of God my patience would be burnt to a crisp - I would be more than ready to close the book on them.  But the LORD is far more gracious than I.  He is far more compassionate than I.  He is far more true to his covenant than I ever would have been.  This is the incredible thing about our faith - it weds us to one who surpasses us in every way.  He abounds in compassion.  He sees beyond meanness and murderousness to see people whom he loves and wants to redeem.  He is the very definition of grace.  He looks past idolatry and infidelity to see children whom he wishes to forgive.  He cannot be unfaithful to his word.  He overlooks corruption and conspiracies for the sake of keeping his promise to his people.   His emotions and his intentions towards us are compassion, graciousness and concern.  His commitment to us can never be shaken.  Nothing can separate us from the love of God, a love that is high and wide and far and deep, a love that refines us and soothes us, a love that was formed in those early days at the origin of this universe and a love which will stretch on through until this world crumbles into the sea.  He is unwilling to destroy us.  He is unwilling to banish us from his presence.

Acts 25:1-22

Christianity is about a dead man called Jesus who Christians claim is alive.  So said Festus (pretty much).  It’s an interesting summary isn’t it?  Does it work for you?  Does it cover all the bases?  I like it.  I think it is a pretty good starting point.  It is quite intriguing  in pointing out the peculiar paradox at the heart of this thing.  If you are going to take Christianity seriously while also keeping your brain switched on you have got to do battle with this pretty mega idea.  A man was dead but now his friends say he is alive.  If the idea is correct then it performs a judo nage-waza on everything we know about life, whipping it off its feet and smashing its back onto the cold padded floor.   Wisdom and knowledge and understanding say that death is the end.  Wisdom and knowledge and understanding don’t see a way back from the shutting down of bodily organs.  According to the nugget of the idea at the heart of Christianity, wisdom and knowledge and understanding are mistaken.  Christianity doesn’t just ask us to remain as we are but try to be good.  It doesn’t even ask us to remain as we are but to repent from our sins.  Christianity calls us to step out of one understanding of the world and step into another.  It bids us to repent AND believe in a whole new thing.  Believe in a paradox, believe that after death comes a return to life, a better life, a more substantial life.  Believe that the standard way of going about life is fundamentally mistaken.  Believe that there exists in Jesus a force so potent and so unruly that it refuses to bow to the one certainty for the whole of humanity.  Believe that Jesus brings real life.  And what is the evidence for so bold a claim?  What could possibly support this statement that Christianity is making?  I think Jesus said something about us loving one another.  I think Jesus said something about us speaking out the truth.  I think Jesus said something about us being empowered by the Spirit.  We carry with us the aroma of Christ.  It’s an aroma with the potential to perform nage-waza.

Psalm 81:1-7

“Their hands were set free from the basket”.  Is it wrong that my first thought was of clothes washing?  Does that make me a modern man??  Hey, maybe the Lord is speaking to me... maybe he is setting me free from doing laundry...