Hello and welcome to Tuesday’s Foundations podcast. My name is James and it is a privilege to record this short thought as we look to grow in our faith together. I hope it is as helpful to you as it has been for me to sit down and prepare them.

REFLECTION:

It can be helpful to see the gospel of Matthew in two parts, and from tomorrow you will notice a shift in the story as it picks up pace again leading to Jesus going to the cross and rising again. But today we’re focusing on two of the shortest parables, out of which will consider again the core motivation for why Jesus did what he did. His main motivation was to transform our entire lives. Jesus came to transform our entire lives. So as we talk about whole life transformation this morning our prayer is that it’s like rocket fuel for our faith. I hope it inspires you as it has me.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

So, two parables that at first look like they are saying the same thing about the Kingdom of Heaven but in two different ways. But it’s the similarities and the differences that will reveal something profound for us this morning.

In the first parable, the man working in the field, we can assume this labourer isn’t the wealthiest man in their community. It is not likely that he would have known the value of that field he was working in. He was employed for a task. Whereas in the second story we have a pearl merchant. Someone who is of incredible wealth. It’s a simple reminder the Kingdom of Heaven is for everyone. Our bank-balance does not qualify us to find the beautiful prize that is Jesus. Jesus is for all people and in all places. Everyone should have an opportunity to respond to the gospel.

Secondly, you’ll know it when you find it. In both stories they knew when they found something precious. Like an internal reality-check. The worker in the field came across something unexpectedly, whereas the pearl merchant was intentionally out searching for the best deal. But in both stories, the second they laid eyes on that prize the penny dropped. They knew that they had found something precious. If you’re listening to this and you’re a Christian, let your mind wander back to the first time you realised who Jesus was. That first moment when you realised that Jesus was God and he came to bring us close to the one who made all of us. It’s that moment. If you’re listening and you have never had that moment, take a look again at the life of Jesus.  Keep listening in to this podcast, come and do Alpha with us or anywhere near you. Jesus is a prize worth pursuing.

Finally, we can end with this. What we can really learn from these two short parables is their response to that revelation moment. One intentionally searched for a pearl and the other unexpectedly found treasure – but they both sold everything in order to get it. In both stories they held nothing back. They went all in. There is no deal to be negotiated. This not a Brexit moment. Everything they had was sold to get that field. The point is this: the Kingdom of Heaven coming into our lives is not a little change. It’s complete transformation. It’s not a bolt-on. It’s not a part-time diet. It’s not a clever access deal. It’s without barrier. It’s full-access. It’s transformation from the inside out. That is what Jesus came to do! He is worthy of that response.

Our lives will look very different when we respond to Jesus this way. And I just want to add this in because at the moment at STC it’s...

Hello and welcome to Monday’s Foundations podcast. My name is James, I’m married to Lucy and I’m part of the team here at STC. We are continuing through the gospel of Matthew this week. Last Friday, Helen focussed on fruitfulness and multiplication… both in our lives and with our friends… She used v23 from the same chapter (13)… “But the seed [the word of God] falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

REFLECTION:

In our reading today Jesus builds on this imagery. He tells a parable, which is a word that means to compare. He is making comparisons between ordinary examples (everyday things) and things of the Kingdom (divine things). In the comparing and placing the example and idea next to one another in parallel truths can be recognised… that’s why Jesus is often saying things like “the kingdom of God is like…”

So building on this imagery of seed and fruitfulness he makes a comparison about weeds. I will read three verses from v27:

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

There are three things to pick out from these few verses for us to think through today.

First, there is the work of the farmer. He sowed good seed and the seed began to grow. God is indeed at work in our lives and the desire behind the sowing of the seed is that we might grow. Grow to maturity and eventually to harvest but also to grow and multiply. Again, Friday’s podcast put this brilliantly.

Second is the work of the enemy; the enemy arrives and sneaks a seed into the same field. In doing research for this podcast, time and time again the books make mention of the original wording used here. It’s a seed called zizania. It’s not like a simple weed like the ones we battle in our gardens. Wheat farmers would have been sure to have known about it. It grows alongside wheat but when it came to maturity there would be no grain, just a stalk. For a very long time it would look similar to the good seed. But in the end it would be just a stalk. Growing alongside the wheat… competing for space and food in the field.

There is a subversive force in the world that wants to undermine the work of God. The battle is real but sometimes it is not often clear. I am borrowing this idea off a friend earlier in the week but I have forgotten who to give credit to! They told me the spiritual battle we are in is not like World War 2. There the battle lines are clearly marked, the trenches dug and the task was to defeat those in a clearly coloured opposing uniform. Our battle is more subtle than that. It is against the forces of influence in this world and in our lives. Even things that are similar in principle to the zizania seed. Things that grow up among the good habits and influences in our lives but in time have been revealed to be unhealthy forms of the real thing. For example, friends who have perhaps been great counsellors in the past but are no longer helping us become more like Jesus. The battle is subtle sometimes, but we are not helpless.

Finally, we see the patience of the farmer in this story. We really see it in verses 29 & 30. Don’t pull them out. Let them grow. Then sort it out. Burn up the bad. Bring in the good. People have asked the farmer, what should we do about this situation? The farmer’s reaction to the work of the enemy is...

It’s Friday, and it has been a pleasure to journey through the book of Matthew with you this week.

REFLECTION:

In Wednesday’s podcast we briefly introduced the themes of fruitfulness, multiplication and harvest, and the fact that we are called to be ‘gatherers.’ Yesterday we learnt how Jesus built an oikos family – a community of people around him – with whom he lived out the calling of God upon his life. And we learnt that we are intended to do the same.

In today’s podcast we will bring these two themes together as we look at Matthew Chapter 13 v1-23. It is the well known passage called The Parable of the Sower. This parable is the first in a series of 6 which make up Chapter 13, and my colleague James Brown will be looking at the rest of these next week.

Today, I’m going to be focusing on verse 23: “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

When we read the Bible it is important to remember that it was written without chapters and verses. They can sometimes distract us from the flow or continuity of the Gospel story. Yesterday, chapter 12 ended with the words “For whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Then, as we begin Chapter 13, we learn that on the same day that he said these words, Jesus also tells this parable of the sower. He left the house, where his mother and brothers had turned up, and went to the lake, where he taught from a boat.

The same crowd of people gathered on the shore. The same people who heard him speak Chapter 12 v50, then heard him say those words from verse 23.

The will of the Father is that people hear the word of God, understand it, and then produce a crop.

This gave the oikos family that Jesus was building a purpose.

A natural family grows by reproduction…..normally one at a time, occasionally in twos and threes! However, the purpose of oikos families is to grow by multiplication – 30, 60 or 100 times. They were a family on mission.

Yet again this is transformational teaching – a family, an oikos, isn’t just about us…..a place where we feel safe, secure and happy, a place where we can retreat from the world. Family isn’t about our life behind closed doors, just the two of us, or the four of us, who share the same living space.

It is the complete opposite. Oikos must have an outward focus, an open door. That is its fundamental purpose.

This is a real challenge!

Thinking about what it means to be or live as a family on mission has to involve us identifying the missional purpose of our oikos; and to understand that through being a family on mission we are aiming to form and create something through which others will experience Jesus, and come into a relationship with him.

Again, Mike and Sally Breen put this clearly and succinctly. The purpose of every family on mission is to, “Multiply the life of Jesus, by reproducing ourselves into the lives of others, so they become disciples of Jesus.”

As we saw earlier these themes of fruitfulness, multiplication and harvest run through both Chapters 12 and 13 of Matthew.

Matthew 12 v33 in the Message translation says, “If you grow a healthy tree, you’ll pick healthy fruit. If you grow a diseased tree, you’ll pick worm-eaten fruit. The fruit tells you about the tree.” This clearly parallels with Chapter 13 v23. If the seed, the word of God, falls on good soil, and we seek to understand it and put it into practice, then it will produce a healthy harvest of 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown.

If we are not producing a harvest, a healthy crop, then are we really seed planted in good soil?

As we saw in Wednesday’s podcast, part of being a follower of Jesus is committing to discipleship in our own lives – committing to reading the word of God and to prayi...

Thank you for joining us for the Foundations Daily Podcast this Thursday. It seems like the weather forecasters have got it right and we are indeed basking under clear blue skies. I hope you have been enjoying this autumnal sunshine over the last few days.

REFLECTION:

Our Bible reading today is Matthew 12: 38-50, and our focus will be verses 46-50:

“While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.’ He replied to them, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Family means different things to different people – nuclear family, extended family, step family, single parent family. The word ‘family’ will stir different responses in people’s hearts and minds – love, joy and support or perhaps anger, isolation and abuse.

As I have spoken about in a previous podcast, I was adopted by my mum’s husband at the age of 10, and have experienced the joy that a blended family can bring. Alan and I have quite a large family – we have 13 nieces and nephews currently, and that number is still growing! Within our own home we operate as an extended family, and at the last count we have had 34 people live with us over the past 14 years!

Whatever our past, current or future family looks like, it is vital that we take some time to understand the importance of these verses in Matthew, where in just a few sentences Jesus radically re-defines what family is all about.

The Old Testament talks a lot about family as we would recognise it. There are chapters where we read verse after verse of names ‘who was the son of, who was the son of…….. whose mother was, whose father was’ etcetera, etcetera. This is family based on lineage and descent. Identifying family in this way was particular important in Old Testament times, as it was the channel through which property, land and money was passed on, and it was the place where people would submit to authority and be disciplined.

In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus’ mother and brothers are only mentioned at the end of a long speech Jesus gave to the Pharisees and the gathered crowd. However, in Mark’s Gospel it is clear that they have actually been present all along. In Mark Chapter 3 v21 we learn that they had gone to “take charge of him, for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.” In other words, they had come to tell him off, to get him to stop talking nonsense and to take him back home where they could control him! By refusing to speak to his mother and brothers, Jesus is saying that he will not submit to their authority nor be disciplined by them.

Matthew, Mark and Luke don’t include this moment in Jesus’ ministry in order to give every teenager from then on the permission to ignore their parents, and refuse to come home when they turn up at the door of a friend’s house late at night. Nor does it give us as adults the license to just walk away from our family if they don’t agree with something we are doing. We know this because back in verse 25 Jesus said, “a family that’s in a constant squabble disintegrates” and we saw yesterday that his call to us a soldiers of Christ is to commit to one another.

But this conversation is included in the Gospels because it is another example of Jesus being powerfully counter cultural, and wanting to transform society. And this time he wants to transform our understanding of family.

This is really important for us to hear and understand; particularly if our blood family are not Christians, or we have a tendency to be a lone ranger or self sufficient when it comes to relationships.

Even when Jesus is rejected at Nazareth by his blood family, and when he takes himself out from under the authority of hi...

Welcome to Wednesday’s podcast. I hope you are enjoying your week. As I sit writing this the weather forecast suggests that today we will all be enjoying a mini heat wave of 21 degrees!

REFLECTION:

Today our Bible passage is Matthew 12 v22-37, and we are going to focus on v30 from The Message translation:

“This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping you’re making things worse.”

Sometimes I would love to have the option of using an image or a picture in these podcasts. Today I would use the famous World War One recruitment poster designed in 1914 by Alfred Leete, in which Lord Kitchener stares out with pointed finger, alongside the slogan “Your country needs YOU!”

The poster was highly effective, and continues to be used as inspiration for advertising to this day. Ironically it was also copied by both Germany and Russia in their own recruitment campaigns! Art historians have commented on the strength of the capitalised word “YOU” which grabs the attention. The focus on the word “You” engages the reader with the question of what they are doing or how they are participating with the war.

The same could be said of Jesus’ words in v30: “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping you’re making things worse.”

This verse forces us to confront the fact that we are in a battle. It is not a physical war of flesh and blood, but a spiritual war between the kingdom of Jesus and the enemy of God – the devil. The devil knows his time is short and so, as we read in verse 29, his intention is to plunder while he can. His aim is to tie us up, to distract us, to carry us away from God, by whatever means he can. Therefore, whether we like it or not, we are recruited, called to be, soldiers for Christ.

Within our passage today there are 4 things Jesus says that we can do in order to ensure we serve well as soldiers in God’s army.

Firstly, we need to Commit to Discipleship.

A good soldier listens to and learns from the instructions given by his commanding officer. In the NIV translation of verse 30, Jesus uses the words ‘with me’ twice….. “Whoever is not with me……whoever does not gather with me….”

A commitment to discipleship is a commitment to be with Jesus, to communicate with him through prayer and to learn from him through reading the Bible. In Ephesians 6 we read all about the armour of God. It is specifically designed to help us stand against the schemes of the devil. In that passage we read that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God, and the chapter ends with a reminder to be alert and always keep on praying. If you are part of STC Sheffield, the mention of the armour of God may have left you humming the tune to the family worship song ‘God Suit’. The words go “This way, this way, I know you’re with me. Every step I take.” Because a commitment to discipleship means that not only do we focus on being with Jesus, but we can also face our enemy without fear, because we know Jesus is with us.

Secondly, we need to Commit to One Another.

To be successful in battle, an army needs to be united, not only in terms of their strategy, but also in their relationships with one another. We see this in the military pledge to ‘leave no man behind’. We cannot even imagine an army where half the soldiers are just sat on the sidelines as the enemy approaches because they don’t really get along with others in their battalion. From verse 25 we know that we are not called to be a house divided, as this will never withstand an attack from the enemy. Instead we are to be a united household or family, and we will look at this more in tomorrow’s podcast.

This commitment to one another links closely to the third truth in this verse: that we need to Commit to Serve.

For 6 weeks this autumn over 10 million people in the UK were gripped to their TV screens every Sunday evening, eagerly watching the latest instalment of the drama series ‘Bodyguard.’ For those of you still catching up on iPlayer…..don’t worry…..this podcast does not contain any spoilers!

REFLECTION:

The main character – special protection officer David Budd – begins the series single-handedly talking down a potential suicide bomber. From this point onwards the story develops with plot twists galore. Every Monday morning the internet buzzed with new theories and ideas about who were the good guys and who could not be trusted. We saw characters behind the scenes, jostling for power and influence. We tried to work out which conversations were the real game changers; which events would discredit or bring down certain people. We asked the question as to whether David Budd was insane, or guilty, or being framed for something he hadn’t done. With loose ends still to tie up, and many questions left unanswered, it seems likely that David Budd will return to our screens in the future!

Our Bible passage today – Matthew 12: 1-21 – contains a sentence that could have come straight out of any drama series. It’s the biggest plot twist of all time.

V14 says, “But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”

As stories go, this is a game changer. This one verse is pivotal to the whole of Jesus’ life and ministry.

But how did the drama get to this point?

Who are the Pharisees, and why are they always jostling for power?

Which events or comments do the Pharisees look to as things that could discredit or bring down Jesus?

What on earth was so shocking or offensive about Jesus that the only plot device the Pharisees could think of to end this drama was to have him killed?

Back in Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus said that he had come to fulfil the Old Testament law, and that unless a person’s righteousness surpassed that of the Pharisees then they would not enter the kingdom of Heaven. The name “Pharisee” means “separated one.” The Pharisees specifically separated themselves from society to study and teach the law; and they taught that the way to God was by obeying the law. Straightaway Jesus was a threat to their religious power, and they were worried that their status and position was being undermined.

This threat is compounded in Chapter 7 when the crowds are amazed as they listen to Jesus, because he taught with authority, unlike the Pharisees. We can only imagine the whispered, behind the scenes conversations that took place between the Pharisees, as the rumours, theories and ideas about who Jesus was began to fly around Galilee.

If the story had stopped there – with Jesus just being a great teacher – maybe the Pharisees would not have resorted to such desperate measures. But Matthew Chapter 9 contains three pivotal moments that totally alter the plot line ahead.

To the paralysed man, Jesus declares “Your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees are outraged, because only God could forgive sins. Jesus responds to their unspoken thoughts by announcing himself as the ‘Son of Man’ – one who has God’s authority. From here, Jesus went straight to eat with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees really disliked this, as they deliberately separated themselves from the common people because they considered them to be unclean. Jesus announcing that he was God and that he had come for everyone and anyone was setting him on a collision course with the religious authorities.

So they decide to discredit him and make him out to be evil. And at the end of Chapter 9, they say that he is driving out demons because he himself is demonic. But this plot development also fails to bring a halt to Jesus’ ministry.

And so we come to Chapter 11. The scene is set for the ultimate showdown.

Welcome to the Foundations Daily Podcast. My name is Helen, and this week we will be continuing our journey through Matthew’s Gospel. Our reading today is Chapter 11 verses 20-30. You can listen to the full passage at the end, but I’m going to focus on verses 25 and 29.

“At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children…… Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

REFLECTION:

I am a mum to 3 children, a qualified secondary school teacher, the manager of a nursery, and have worked with children and families here at STC Sheffield for the past 10 years. Given that teaching and investing in children has been such an important part of my life over the last 20 years, you would expect me to say that we should pay close attention when Jesus talks about children.

But why are these sections of the New Testament so important to look at?

When Jesus talks about children his words are not just meant to be a catalyst for ensuring we have a vibrant kids ministry at church; nor are they meant to make parents feel guilty because at 3am in the morning they don’t always “welcome the little children” like Jesus said we should!

No. When Jesus engages with children, or uses them as an example in his teaching, he does so to remind all of us that to follow him means that we are called to transform culture and live differently.

Talking about children; comparing ourselves to them, saying that we ought to be like them, was totally counter cultural in New Testament times.  In Greek and Roman culture, children were viewed similarly to women, slaves and the old – namely that they were a burden on society and had little value or status in the wider community.

Jesus’ words cut powerfully through this cultural context. Through miraculous healings he shows that children are able to experience God’s blessing. He raises the status of children, saying that those who are lowly will be considered the greatest in God’s kingdom; and he speaks passionately about the fact that children can experience salvation for themselves. Jesus warns us that those who cause children to stumble in their faith may as well be drowned with a large millstone around their neck!

So, when we see mention of “little children” in Matthew 11, we know that what Jesus is saying is intended to be a challenge. And the area that he highlights in this particular passage is the issue of wisdom and learning.

Society today places a huge emphasis upon learning and academic success. In our family we are currently looking at universities, choosing 6th forms and visiting new senior schools, so I feel I can make that statement with a degree of confidence!

The word ‘learn’ means to become competent, to become proficient, to grasp or to master.

From my office window, I can see nursery children playing in the sand pit with a big yellow tractor, and making a glorious concoction of mud, water and leaves.

Little children have little academic learning. They are rarely proficient or competent. They don’t have a firm grasp of many concepts or ideas, and there are so many skills and abilities they have yet to master. They approach staff regularly with phrases such as “I can’t do it.” “I’m stuck.” “Can you help me?”

They have no SATS results, GCSEs, A-levels or degrees, and they are not weary, burdened, stressed or striving when it comes to learning. They do not think that they are more important that their playmates because of their academic abilities. And neither do they feel that a lack of wisdom and learning has robbed them of opportunity.

This is why being like little children is such a challenge to us; because so often as adults we forget that the skills, abilities and talents that we have are all God-...

Good morning and welcome to Friday’s podcast. My name is Alan and I have really enjoyed spending this week with you. Next week I hand over to Helen. She’s a great communicator, so do listen in.

REFLECTION:

Today’s reading is Matthew 11:1-19. I am going to focus on v2-3

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

John the baptiser was in prison, he had heard the stories of what Jesus had been up to. His question is “Who is that!??” John had crowds and crowds of people follow him out into the desert to be baptised. He preached a uncompromising message of repentance. He knew who he was and the role he had to play in God’s kingdom. He knew that his job was to open the door for someone much more important… Could it be Jesus? His relative? So he sent some of his followers to ask… Who are you?

Have you ever had someone ask you who you are…? Not when you first came to university – What’s your name, what course are you doing, where are you from? – More like the moment when James Bond walks into the room and all the heads turn… “Who is that!??”

Now, I’m not suggesting that we need to wear dinner jackets under our wetsuits, to go to the gym and get ‘fit.’ The kingdom of God works on a very different value system to James Bond and her majesty’s secret service. What we value, what see as awesome or worthy rarely is in God’s eyes.

But what I am suggesting is that we are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. The Jesus who John sent his followers to ask… who are you? We are becoming just like him!

In the beginning God made human beings in his awesome image, in his likeness. He set people as rulers over his creation. When the beasts and the birds saw humanity they were to recognise us as God’s emissaries – his ambassadors – as members of the royal household.

Of course all that got messed up, we know the story of Adam and Eve! As Adam and Eve turned their backs on God, as they figured that they could do life on their own, that they didn’t need to listen to God, that they were intelligent, as they figured they could work it out for themselves…. Life got tough, life got stressful, life got unmanageable. Adam and Eve learned quickly that they weren’t smart enough to make it on their own.

And if we are honest we see the same heart of self interest at work in our own lives, in our children, in our families, in our streets, in our neighbourhoods, cities and worked out in all the nations around the world. A world full of people who are trying to make ends meet, who are trying to provide, to protect, to look out for number one. We see it in the world of Banking and Big business who put profit before people. We see it in our own nation’s past and our quest for power and empire. We see it in Trump’s battle cry of “America First!” and what is Brexit all about if it’s not about looking after me, my interests, my future.

The story of the Bible, following our rejection of God, is God’s unfolding plan to provide us with a way to return to him; to enable us to be members of the royal family and to live life differently to the world around us.

It is true that what Jesus did on the cross enabled us to become children of God, children of the King of all creation. But it is no use claiming this right to be God’s children if we continue to live like orphans. If we continue to try and fix it on our own, if we continue to put ME first.

God is raising up his children. He is nurturing a generation to become princes and princesses in his kingdom. He is training his followers to live and breathe and love like Jesus did… He is raising a bunch of people of whom people will ask… who is that!? He is shaping a people to whom people will sit up and take notice when they speak. Whose love and compassion will turn heads…

Hello and Welcome to Thursday. My name is Alan and I trust you have been able to find somewhere free from distraction to listen to today’s podcast. Wherever you are try to focus your full attention on what is being said, the bible reading and the worship song. Press in to God and he will speak to you. Distraction is the enemy of hearing God.

REFLECTION:

Today’s reading is from Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 10 verses 21-42. I will read them at the end of the reflection so do stay tuned!  Today I am going to focus on v21 but before I start do be warned that today’s reading is incredibly challenging: “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

He goes on to say in v28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

And in v34: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law…’ “

These are strong words. Jesus means business. This is the same Jesus who loves us so much that he will die for you and me; he will lay down his life for us. He gave everything that we might put our complete trust in him and really live. But his love for us – unconditional though it is – is costly. And because of his great love for us he is not going to shy away from confronting and challenging us. Because I love my kids I am going to have difficult conversations with them. If I were to see them embarking on a path that is going to lead them to harm I will speak out. I will challenge – and no, they might not like it.

I am willing to bet (not that I am a betting man, this is a figure of speech!!) that the people in your life who are happy to challenge you have nothing on Jesus.

Jesus says you will be hated.

Jesus says that you will be persecuted.

Jesus said that your family members will want you killed because of Jesus.

;But don’t be scared of them… be more scared of God… he can do far worse than kill you, he can utterly destroy you in hell.

Jesus means business! He is not messing about! He is deadly serious – well you would be if you were going to sacrifice your own life for those that come after you!

I wonder what our approach to our faith is? I wonder what our approach to Jesus is?

Do we mean business? Are we messing about? Are we deadly serious?

I did a quick internet search for news articles with the key words “Religious Symbols” thinking about the air stewardess a few years ago who was banned from wearing a cross… here is a little of what I found from the month of September 2018:

Christianity crackdown: Government destroys 7,000 CROSSES and BURNS Bibles

China’s shocking Christian CRACKDOWN: Attack ‘resembles Kim Jong un’s North Korea dictator

Do Christians in China mean business? Are they Deadly Serious?

Nun who survived Odisha pogroms saw persecution but is not afraid

Deepika Nayak is originally from Tiangia, a village that saw some of the most vicious violence by Hindu radicals. In 2008 she survived by escaping into the forest.

“I saw my people brutally killed for their faith in Christ,’ she said, “but persecution in Kandhamal did not deter me. On the contrary, it pushed me to accept God’s calling.”

In the west we may not face arrest, the attack on faith and religion may be more sophisticated but it is happening…

Christianity crackdown: 18 US schools ban prayer before football games after complaint

Appeals Court Says Pensacola Bayview Cross Must Come Down

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. Yesterday our passage ended by Jesus instructing his disciples to pray that the lord of the harvest would send out workers into his harvest field. I wonder what Jesus does next?

REFLECTION:

Chapter 10 verse 1 says: “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”

Then there is a list of the 12 disciples’ names, ordinary men… then V5-8:

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “…Go to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Jesus asks us to pray for more workers and then, with his next breath, he calls his friends over and sends them out into the harvest field. You can hear some of them saying “Er, Jesus… I was asking that you would send some workers… send some other workers… I was asking that you would send someone … not me!”

Let me tell you a story about a postal worker, Aleksey Germash.  In April this year the New York Times reported that the post office service Inspector General had received a tip off about a Nissan Pathfinder parked in Brooklyn with mailbags stuffed inside. When Postal Service agents visited the location, they found 20 blue post office bags packed with undelivered mail inside. Agents determined Germash, who worked at the post office in the Dyker Heights neighbourhood of Brooklyn, was the employee who lived closest to where the vehicle was found.

The amount of undelivered mail investigators retrieved was staggering: 10,000 pieces inside his vehicle, 6000 in his apartment and 1000 in his work locker. At least one item was postmarked in 2005.

When investigators interviewed Germash, he said the vehicle was his and that he had hoarded the mail because he was “overwhelmed” by the amount he had to deliver. He told investigators he… “made sure to deliver the important mail.”  Germash was released on $US25,000 bail.

This is not a new phenomenon: In 2014, a Brooklyn mail carrier was discovered to have hidden 40,000 pieces of undelivered mail – a total of 1.1 Tonnes – over nine years. The carrier, Joseph Brucato, blamed excessive consumption of alcohol and depression. In 2015 a postal worker in Philadelphia failed to deliver more than 20,000 pieces of mail on his route and instead stashed them in his car and home.

In an article headlined “A Lazy Letter-Carrier,” The New York Times in 1874 reported on the arrest of a Maryland mail carrier who dumped 200 letters into a dock “to avoid the trouble of delivery.”

This is scandalous! Imagine not getting mail that is addressed to you! What must this man be like? A Lay-about? Lazy? Messed up?

Jesus says, “freely you have received; freely give.”

Jesus has given to us so abundantly. Jesus has filled our mail bags but often we get a little confused and think that it is all about me. Thank you Jesus, Thank you for my home and my job and my family and my clothes and my food… The problem that we have is the word ‘my’. And just as the letters that Mr Germash received were not his to do with what he liked, nor are the abundant gifts that Jesus has showered upon us.

Now, we might not have received healing, we may not have been raised from the dead, but we have all experienced the kingdom of God coming near… That is why we are listening to this podcast…

It says in 2 Corinthians 1:4 (from The Message) He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. …

We all have received from God. And just like Mr. Brooklyn postman,