Somebody needs to lead and somebody needs to hold power, it’s just that Jesus simply doesn’t recognise this as a prerequisite for greatness. Having the most power, prestige, influence, money, or might is irrelevant to Jesus’ definition of greatness. It is obvious who Jesus thinks is great. He draws attention to the widow with a few coins, the good Samaritan, the faithful Centurion who petitions for their servant, and the Canaanite woman who seeks healing for her child. These are the people that impress Jesus.

Our picture of God must be shaped by our understanding of Jesus. He is the only true perfect representation of the father, and he is the lens through which we must interpret all Scripture and revelation. His teaching and example are superior to all others, and when we are faced with complex theological and moral conundrums the sensitivity, graciousness, and kindness of Jesus must be our model for both contemplation and practice.

We must trust that war and violence, death and suffering, greed and malice, and all manner of evil will ultimately be done away with in the kingdom of God. We must trust that the unjust, apathetic, unmerciful and  evil empires, powers, and authorities will receive judgement and that the poor, the oppressed, the broken, and the innocent victims of the world’s corruption will receive life everlasting through Christ who died for them!

Today we have the wonderful Chevelle Hibberd sharing about favouritism from the book of James.

Even though the psalmist of Psalm 84 longs to be back in the courts of the Lord, he knows that there is a blessing for the pilgrims who seek out God. God gives his children the strength to carry on even through the Valley of Weeping. God is just as real on the journey as he is in the temple. God is just as present on the difficult road as he is in the sanctuary of his courts.

Solomon had a listening heart but sadly the later part of his life was dictated by him listening to the call of his wives’ pagan worship and idolatry. Solomon is an example of wisdom, but he is not the fulfilment. Jesus is the true beacon of wisdom that we should seek to follow.

The crowd that followed Jesus missed the signposts that were pointing them to his true identity. They were able to connect the dots and see how Jesus was like Moses, but they couldn’t see past their physical reality to the spiritual reality being revealed.

Today we have something a little bit different as our face-to-face  meeting was shifted online due to Covid. Instead of a regular sermon Geoff guided us through a Bible study in John 6:1-21 using a range of visual tools including maps and interlinear Bible resources.

The church should be a place of healing, not a place that causes trauma. And not just miraculous physical healing, but the kind of healing that  comes from deep abiding relationship, from connectedness, intimacy and belonging. The kind of healing that comes from extended times of  listening, from tea and from coffee, and from the breaking of bread.