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February 17th, 2012
The Tale of two Banquets and the Cost of Discipleship
Mark 6: 14-44
G’day everyone and welcome to Church. Today we will be focusing on two accounts from Mark’s Gospel (6:14-44). At first glance, these back to back accounts seem to interrupt the flow of the narrative in that the mission of the twelve (6:7-13) and their reporting back to Jesus (6:30) is placed either side of the beheading of John the Baptist (6:14-29). What Mark is employing is a literary device called a ‘sandwich construction’ in order to draw some comparisons.
The point of comparison from today’s reading is that each story is about a banquet. This comparison draws many contrasts, for whilst Herod’s banquet was held in a palace, Jesus held his in the open air and upon the greening hills of Galilee. And whilst Herod only invited VIP’s, Jesus catered for all, wether great or small. And unlike Herod, whose primary purpose for holding a banquet was to bolster his position and boost his standing, the reason for Jesus’ banquet was simply to provide for needy people. Finally, whilst Herod’s banquet ends in a horrific and unjustified death, Jesus’ banquet was to sustain and satisfy life.
Yet there is another point of comparison in this sandwich construction. Mark brackets the martyrdom of John the Baptist with the mission and the reporting back of the disciples to emphasise the connection between mission and martyrdom, discipleship and death. Whoever wants to be a follower of Christ must first consider the fate of John, for John’s martyrdom not only foreshadows Jesus’ death but highlights the cost of discipleship. Later on in Mark, Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it” (Mark 8:34-35 NLT).
February 10th, 2012
The Parables of Jesus
Welcome to church today! We hope you discover the joys of being part of a family where Jesus’ love can be seen by words and actions.
This week we join the crowds following Jesus and his disciples as he begins teaching in the streets and villages – much to the disgust of the synagogue teachers of the Law.
Jesus uses parables or short stories to help illustrate and convey the deeper meanings of his message. A parable compares something familiar (eg crops and soil) to something unfamiliar (eg the truth of God’s Kingdom). Parables use everyday examples to help us understand hidden spiritual truth.
Parables compel listeners to discover truth while at the same time concealing the truth from those too lazy or stubborn to see it. Originally parables were delivered orally – they were spoken to an audience that was largely illiterate. We must be careful not to read too much into parables, giving them unintended meaning. Each parable has a central theme unless otherwise specified by Jesus.
Agricultural images were familiar to the rural first-century listeners, so Jesus tells the Parables of the Four Soils hoping his meaning will become clear, even carefully explaining to be certain.
The four soils represent the different ways people respond to God’s message. This might refer to different kinds of people, but may also refer to different seasons of our lives, or even being selective in how we receive God’s message. Do we welcome the truth in some areas yet resist it in others? Our challenge is to become fertile soil for God’s truth in every area of our Christian life. Likewise as modern sowers, we should spread the seed of God’s message without losing heart when it fails to bear fruit.
11And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’ [Mark 4: 11-12]
February 7th, 2012
Using God’s Strength
 Welcome to church today! We hope you discover the joys of being part of a family where Jesus’ love can be seen by words and actions.
This week we continue our journey with Jesus as he begins his earthly ministry of teaching and healing with his small band of disciples who have left everything to follow him.
Jesus’ reputation spreads quickly after several spectacular healings and the crowds flock to him bringing the sick and afflicted.
Simon Peter’s mother-in-law returns to health after an encounter with Jesus and is a fine example of dedication and service as she immediately sets herself to work in God’s name.
Popularity brings increasing demands on Jesus and his team. However it’s in the in-betweens that we catch a glimpse of Jesus’ attitude to prayer and spending time with the Father as a means of spiritual and physical refreshment. For Jesus, prayer is not simply an exercise or a ritual but the very breath of life itself.
Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer. He had the absolute certainty that prayer to the Father is always answered.
Do we share his certainty? Do we expect God to answer prayer? Do we think that our prayers have gone unheard because God chooses to respond in ways we may not recognise or prefer?
God answers prayer in the best way – not some of the time – but every time. Only when we discover the deep joy of ‘praying without ceasing’ do we glimpse that intimate relationship with our Father that was so natural to our Lord.
February 3rd, 2012
We’re on a mission from God…
(Mark:1:29-45)
We’re on a mission from God was the constant refrain of Elwood from the classic film ‘The Blues Brothers.’ No matter what difficulties or resistance the Blues Brothers encountered along the way they would not let anything hinder them from accomplishing what they understood to be their God ordained mission. Now whilst their mission was clearly dubious and therefore to be taken comically, it does provide us with a way in to understanding today’s reading from Mark 1:29-45.
After the amazing reception Jesus received from those who attended his ministry in the Synagogue, which resulted in his fame spreading rapidly throughout the region, providing ongoing ministry opportunities, one would assume, as the disciples did, that the focus of his ministry was to be a worker of miracles. However, early the next morning, Jesus quietly slips away to a secluded place to pray. His disciples, led by Simon, seem to think that he was making a big mistake not capitalizing on the huge potential that his recent publicity had brought. But Jesus, knowing his purpose, refused to be sought out as a mere miracle worker. Instead, he wanted to be recognized as a saviour.
You see, Jesus time spent in prayer galvanized in his mind what he was to be about. He was on a mission from God which stretched far beyond performing miracles in the local area but ultimately encompassed the offer of salvation to the entire world. Nothing was going to stop him from accomplishing this purpose, for he was indeed, on a mission from God.
January 28th, 2012
In Word and Deed
(Mark 1:21-28)
If Mark’s Gospel were to be made into a movie that you could rent out from your local video store, it would undoubtedly be found in the ‘Action’ section. For in Mark’s Gospel, we learn through a variety of encounters, who Jesus ‘is,’ by what he ‘does.’ Today’s Gospel reading is a case in point.
In the synagogue in Capernaum, Mark demonstrates the authority of Jesus by showing what happens when a man with an unclean spirit encounters the One anointed with God’s Spirit.
The passage contains two episodes that make the same point. In the first, Mark shows that Jesus teaches with unique authority, unlike and indeed surpassing that of the Scribes (vv.21-21). In the second, Jesus puts his authoritative word into action.
Mark emphasised that all who were present were astonished at Jesus, for the authority by which he spoke was the same authority by which he could expel a demon.
Thus, Jesus’ words were backed up by his actions, in that together, in both word and deed, He ushered in the Kingdom of God.
For most Christians in today’s Western society, the idea of possession by a personal force of evil and an expulsion of a demon, leaving the ‘host’ changed and restored to normality, sounds at best far fetched and at worst decidedly suspect.
Yet in Jesus’ world, and for Mark, the demonic dimension was as real as the divine, and a Messiah who left the forces of evil unchallenged would be of little interest. You see, the reality is, that there is no sphere of life that falls outside of Jesus’ extraordinary authority; there is no predicament into which people may fall from which He cannot rescue them.
January 20th, 2012
Come, Follow Me!
Mark 1: 14-20
 It comes as a shock when we realise that Jesus pays no attention to our likes or dislikes.
When he calls us into discipleship – to follow him into his service – Jesus demands that we set aside any notion of what is convenient or preferable or within our ability.
Our readings this week from Jonah and Mark are examples of that call to service and the rewards that await those who faithfully obey.
Jonah’s initial reluctance to take God’s message of repentance to the evil people of Ninevah eventually gave way to obedience, and the results of his efforts were astounding.
Mark gives us his account of Jesus calling the first disciples from their boats and nets into the work of kingdom-building, marking the beginning of an unforgettable and life-changing adventure with the Son of God.
When Jesus calls us from our comfortable lives into his service, it’s usually unexpected and often inconvenient. We must realise we have no right to decline him whether for personal preference or lack of confidence.
The mark of a saint is confidence in God’s ways – faith in an omnipotent power who engineers circumstances according to a divine plan beyond our understanding.
When we abandon ourselves to Jesus and obey his invitation to ‘Come’, we can be certain he will continue to use us as his agents, and to say ‘Come’ through us as we likewise invite others to ‘come and see’.
Have I come to Jesus? Will I come now?
January 13th, 2012
COME AND SEE – (John 1:43-51
Welcome to Church everyone. Today is the second Sunday after Epiphany and our Gospel reading certainly emphasises this theme, as we see that both Philip and Nathanael, on encountering Jesus, had an epiphany, that is a revelatory insight, into to Jesus’ true identity.
Upon realising that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, predicted by Moses and the Prophets, Philip, much like Andrew had done the day before (Cf. John 1: 40-42), sought to share the good news of his discovery, with a friend. As such, along with Andrew, Philip is a model of evangelism, particularly evangelism through relationship.
Initially, Nathanael’s response to Philip’s newfound faith in Christ was one of scepticism, yet Philip was not perturbed by Nathanael’s cynicism. Instead he challenged him to see for himself, with the pertinent invitation, come and see.
Nathanael took up the challenge, and upon encountering Jesus, discovered that he is not only the Messiah, but God incarnate, the axis, between heaven and earth.
The reason that Nathanael had this opportunity to discover who Jesus is, is simply because Philip invited him to come and see. We as Christians have the most blessed privilege of gathering together each Sunday to hear from Scripture, to share in Christian fellowship, to worship God and to encounter Christ, but the challenging question is, when did you last invite someone you know, a family member or friend, who does not yet know Christ, to church so that they can encounter Christ for themselves? When did you last invite someone, to come and see?
January 8th, 2012
The Baptism of Our Lord
Today we look at the Baptism of Repentance that was performed by John the Baptiser, and the Holy Spirit Baptism that has come through our Lord Jesus Christ. John was a remarkable man and a great preacher, who knew how to draw a crowd, and always stood up for the truth. He performed a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and many were coming to him to be Baptised. He said “That one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thongs of his sandals.” This one was Jesus. The almighty Son of God, the incarnate God in the flesh. Jesus was sinless, and himself had no need to be baptised because he had nothing to repent of. And yet He was baptised by John to identify with the sins of humanity. As he came up out of the water, a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” This Jesus, offers us “Baptism in the Spirit”, a True cleansing of our sin made possible through his sacrifice of himself on the cross! May all of us here today be true followers of Jesus, recipients of his Holy Spirit, and inheritors of eternal life!
Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11
January 2nd, 2012
Welcome to church today as we think about some New Year’s resolutions that we pray will last!
Today we look at Jesus set on the path to fulfil the requirements of the Law, and at our own redemption through faith in Him. The Gospel reading speaks to us of a young couple setting out in married life trusting in God and His promises. It also speaks to us of two Godly people nearing the end of their lives who are still trusting in God to keep His promises.
Our God is trustworthy! The fulfilment of the promises made by God to Simeon and Anna are a great encouragement for all of us. At what ever stage in life we find ourselves, God can be relied upon!
And why rely on God?
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians reminds us that through faith in Jesus, we can have the utmost confidence that we are God’s redeemed people, in fact we are adopted Children of God! And we are called upon to love one another, just as Christ loves us.
I pray that some of our New Year’s Resolution this year include a renewed focus on Living as children of God, as we persevere in prayer, study the scriptures and love one another by encouraging each other to grow in our faith day by day!
May all of us today have a ‘true and living faith’! A faith in word and deed, where our actions show our genuine faith!
December 22nd, 2011
The Real Heart of Christmas!
Welcome to Church this Christmas!
The real heart of Christmas is Jesus, and it’s great to have you with us to celebrate the birth of Jesus our Saviour around 2000 years ago!
We’ve read a lot in the paper about ‘Lismore; Come to the Heart’! It’s a great advertising campaign, encouraging customers to support the Businesses in the CBD by returning to the heart of the town!
For followers of Jesus, Christmas is all about coming to the Real Heart! It’s all about returning to the heart of Christmas; Jesus’ birth, which shows how much God loves us! Just as some people have been enticed away great shopping in the CBD, some people have been enticed away from following Jesus to lesser things, when Jesus is the best! Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and He became a human being to enable us to become friends with God. He died on a cross and rose from the dead to make this possible. What a loving heart God has for all of us!
So thank you for celebrating with us, the heart of Christmas; the Greatest Gift of all – Jesus!
From Rev. Mark & Trisha Harris, the staff, and all of the ‘Lismore Anglicans’; we wish you and your families a truly Happy Christmas and new year!
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