Friday 7 October

Jeremiah 14:1-15:21

Joy is not found in comfort.  Life is not found in tensionless living.  These are the lessons of Jeremiah.  He eats the words of the Lord and with joy and delight he storms through the Pearly Gates.  But the heaven they lead him into is not clouds and harps and radiant light but a packed colosseum stocked with angry gladiators and dusty ground.  Jeremiah turns back to the gates in horror and bellows at the sky “you deceptive brook!”  “You spring that fails!”.  He thought he was walking into comfort.  He thought he was walking into harmony and good relationships with all people.  But he was wrong.  And he feels like he has been tricked by God.  God responds in his mercy.  In his incredible mercy the Everlasting One chooses to listen and to reply to these accusations of this man.  “You are here to serve me” he says.  “I gave you a mouth to speak words that are worthy not moans that are worthless”.  And God reminds Jeremiah of his lot.  He is to fight in the colosseum, he is to continually contest for the word of God.  And people will fight him and the cruel will try to grip him.  But God will rescue him.  God will redeem him. And maybe, just maybe some of the gladiators will hear the words of Jeremiah, they will acknowledge the truth and bravery of the man and they will turn to him, they will lay down their swords and start eating the Word.

Colossians 3:1-4:1

Since we have been raised with Christ....  Hold on a second, let’s just take that in.  As far as I am aware none of the Colossian church were wrapped in strips of linen and laid in the tomb with Jesus and, as far as I am aware, there was only one bloke in the garden who Mary thought was the gardener.  Only Christ was raised, only Christ appeared on the road to Emmaus, only Christ appeared to the disciples and showed them his wounds.  So how can Paul say the Colossians have been raised with Christ and, more than that - how can we read this and take from it that we also have been raised with Christ?  One day my grandfather discovered he was at war with Germany.  My grandfather didn’t  declare war and he didn’t do anything to bring about the war but he got carried along by the decision of his Prime Minister.  One day I was raised with Christ.  I didn’t beat death and I didn’t do anything to bring about my resurrection but I got carried along by the redemptive resurrective act of Jesus Christ.  Jesus rose from the dead and when I joined his team and placed myself in his grip I became part of this growing band of barbarians, Scythians, slaves and free who have been raised from the dead with him.  Whether I feel it or not, I can’t be a Christian and not be raised from the dead.  And this has enormous implications because behaviour flows from identity.  Jesus said as much when he spoke about good and bad trees and good and bad fruit.  And so if we are struggling with our behaviour and want to press into holiness the answer is not human rules and regulations but a reminder of who we are.  We have been raised with Jesus.  We have been turned into good trees.

Proverbs 24:15-22

the Lord will see