Wilderness Wanderings

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Let us return to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the divine Trinity. In theology classes, we usually distinguished between the character and the work of the Spirt. In these devotions, I am not interested in such matters. Rather, I am attempting to explore with you, what the scriptures reveal about the Spirit. I hope that over the past month you have noticed several things. The Spirit is present from the very beginning, at creation, deeply involved in God's creative work. Also, that the Spirit is powerful, He is no minor member of the Trinity. Finally, it seems to me that the Spirit is deeply involved with the Christian. We cannot be Christians without the wonderful work of the Spirit.

My main point has been and continues to be: the Holy Spirit, creative and powerful, involved in God's work from the very beginning is now at work in you and me and all who believe in Jesus. That is the part of the good news of the gospel.

In my last devotion on the Holy Spirit, I began some reflections on the Spirit as the seal of redemption. Let's continue with this particular work of the Spirit exploring some implications for the believer. As mentioned recently, being sealed by the Spirit removes fear, we do not have to fret that we can lose our salvation, our status as citizens of God's kingdom or our identity as a child of God. Let us dig a little deeper.

The Holy Spirit as seal of redemption is a sign of protection. Let me tell a story. It is said that Alexander the Great once sent an emissary bearing his seal to Egypt. The man travelled without weapons or military escort. His only protection was the seal of the great conqueror. When he met the ruler of Egypt, the mighty king stood in his royal splendour with the army of Egypt behind him. The emissary ordered the king, "Cease hostilities against Alexander's interest."

Hoping to save face, the king said he would consider this and let him know. Alexander's man drew a circle in the dirt around the King's feet and said, "Do not leave this circle without informing me of your response." The king had an entire army at his back. The emissary was alone and unarmed. Yet, the Egyptian could not touch him because he bore the seal of Alexander. To touch him was to touch Alexander. To anger him was to anger Alexander. Realizing this, he said, "Tell Alexander he has his request."

If you have time, reread that story, listen to it again. God has the same relationship with us. We carry God's seal. If somebody does something to one of his, it effects God. God will not stand by as if it does not matter. This does not mean that we will never be harmed by unbelievers. But it does mean that anyone who does harm a Christian will be held accountable. This is one of the aspects of the final judgement that we read about rather often in the Bible. Justice will be had.

Connected to this is another element of being sealed with the Spirit, namely that God is committed to us. Later in this letter, Paul will write that we are "sealed for the day of redemption" (4:30). This 'day of redemption' is a term used to describe the day of Christ's return. That is the day that His work of redemption will be completed. Through his death and resurrection and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit, Jesus saved us from our sin. The Spirit works out the fruit of that redemption in us, leading us away from sinful behaviours towards a character, an attitude and a way of life that is in harmony with the ways of God's Kingdom. That work will be completed on the 'day of redemption'.

The Spirit as seal of redemption gives us a sense of security. He is God's pledge that God himself will finish the work of redemption in us. He will not leave or forsake us! Are you struggling to live the Christian life? Of course, you are, we all are. The Spirit as seal, reminds us all that God is more deeply invested in our progress then we ourselves are. That's good news. More about that next time.

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Isaiah 41:10 from the New International Version of the Bible. There are no Dive In questions today. We do not ask that from a guest preacher.

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

Lately, I have been mulling over this verse. What does it mean to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God? Just before Canada Day there were more graves discovered near a residential school in B.C. It may seem easier to pray and allow others who are "more invested" do their part in perpetrating justice and preventing further injustice. But prayer alone, although this is much needed and one tenant of faith that God calls us to at this time, will not dampen the grief, nor remove the trauma of residential school survivors and their families. Pastor Michael offered three suggestions on Wednesday from an article on how to move forward from where we are. Truth telling, right teaching and action taking.

Today, I want to look at the biblical foundation and discipline of justice. The root of biblical justice starts in Genesis 1 when humans are set apart from every other creature as the image of God. God's representatives that rule the world. All people were created equal before God and have the right to be treated in equity, dignity, and fairness. But Adam and Eve rebelled against God, causing sin to enter the world. People started to take advantage of one another. In the biblical story this happens on a personal level, in families, in communities and entire people groups that perpetrate injustice, especially towards those who are vulnerable.

The root of the biblical word for justice has to do with doing good and correcting oppression. The Hebrew word for justice is mishpat. It can refer to retributive justice, such as we find in our judicial system, and in many examples throughout the Bible. And yes, we can pray for retributive justice for those in the wrong. Often in the Bible mishpat refers to restorative justice. That means taking the extra step to seek out and help those who are being and have been treated inequitably or unjustly. It also means taking steps to advocate for vulnerable populations and individuals and to prevent injustice. And it means too, seeing each individual as a person with a story to tell and a worth of great importance.

And justice is often found paired with the word righteousness which refers to right relationships between people. That is, treating others as God's image bearers, worthy of dignity and respect. Biblical righteousness is a form of social justice in which the givers benefit from giving as much as or even more than the recipients. What do we have to learn from indigenous individuals who have a story to tell? Biblical justice involves both a lifting up into a place of honour and a restoration for those in the place of injustice.

The community I live in, the Crown Point community, has the highest population of indigenous people in Hamilton. There are several Band houses on my street and one of my children's best friends is indigenous as well. These individuals are further removed from this tragedy that has occurred, but their grief is no less real for the community for which they represent.

I think that we can see how loving mercy and walking in humility with God are intimately linked with acts of justice. The word "mercy" comes from a Latin word which means "price paid." Jesus paid the price for all of the legacy of injustice of humankind one to another, coming to earth, forgiving us and dying for us all. Jesus, a gift from God to us. Now God declares us righteous not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us. When we seek righteousness and justice for others we are humbling ourselves before the vulnerable among us and showing mercy to fellow image-bearers of Christ, those in the indigenous communities, in the incredible hope that one day, all things will be made new.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength (Acts 9:17-19).

I am pausing my reflections on the Holy Spirit for one day. As many of you are doing, I find myself grieving over the revelations of so many bodies buried on the grounds of residential schools. These revelations raise significant questions caused by shock and horror. How can this be? How could the church have been so deeply involved?

And then, of course, how can we move forward? How can the devastating consequences of what happened at these schools be overcome? How can we as a country possibly get to a place where this does not keep raising its ugliness? More importantly, how can the church live in such a way as to redeem her image in our country? How can we be Christ's ambassadors of reconciliation in a context in which the church is guilty of such tremendous abuse?

An article in Christianity Today by Jennifer Singh, from Alberta, offered some suggestions. These were given to her by indigenous people in her congregation. I want to share them with you today.

First, "end the silence around residential schools among the wider Canadian public; pay attention and really listen to the stories of survivors". This, I think, is rooted in the Biblical value on truth and truth telling. One of the ten commandments is, "Do not lie." And also, "The truth will set you free", Jesus said. We need to take the time to listen to indigenous people, willing to hear their pain, if not firsthand, then at least second-hand accounts. This will take time, patience, and empathy.

Second, "since people are not born racist, 'Stop teaching people how to be racist.' In other words, work to resist and reverse the sense of inferiority and cultural genocide the First Nation people have been subjected to." There are so many ways in which we stereotype people, seeing them only as part of a group. If we take Psalm 139 seriously for ourselves, then we need to honour others by taking it seriously for them too. If we are pro-life, then we need to see and hear each indigenous person as an individual not reduce them to a stereotype. We must learn not to speak and think in ways that reduce people in anyway. Can we accept the reality that we might be teaching children to be racist?

Third, "since 94 Calls to Action came out of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, take these actions, some of which pertain to finding the remains of missing children and advocating for equal treatment". How many of us knew that this report included such actions? I had not taken the time to look at this report well enough to know this. I could have.

In the article, Dr. Singh refers to Acts 9. She writes, "We rarely highlight the character of Ananias in this story, but this is the character my congregants identify with. And they see Saul as a representative of how the church has treated them. Though God could have healed Saul's blindness without human help, God chose Ananias, one of Saul's potential victims, to come near to him, to touch him, and to complete his healing."

"The victim heals the perpetrator."

Will we allow this? Can we humble ourselves enough to receive from Canada's first nations people?

Tomorrow is Canada Day. There will be no Wilderness Wanderings. But there is plenty here for us to pray about. I suspect it will take more than two days for the Spirit to search our hearts about these things.

These things also include incredible hope here. Let us pray with hope for our country.

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matt 22:37-39

Service is embedded in the second greatest commandment, to "Love your neighbour as yourself." So, what exactly does that mean? The interpretations of this sentence could be numerous, but what it comes down to is that service is being the hands of Christ by offering our resources, our time, our gifts and even our influence to nurture others, administer justice, protect and care for others.

When I think of the word service the first image that pops into my mind is that of Jesus washing his disciples feet. Pure and honest humility. When He has finished, He asks His disciples "Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." (John 13:12-17)

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." Luther had it right. Service is a soul generated by love. Love for all the people of the earth, whether rich or poor, black or white, man or woman or anyone else.

At the root of service is the ability to see another person as a human being worthy of love, respect, and honour. Jesus saw His disciples, not as lowly or outcasts of society, but as respectable men of honour. Men with whom honour wasn't resplendent when Jesus called them, but through His example, His teaching and His service, like the washing of their feet, they grew to become more than they could have ever imagined. All because Jesus "saw" them and their stories and loved them anyway. Love your neighbour as yourself.

What does it mean practically to love your neighbour as yourself? It often means leaving your comfort zone in order to risk yourself in the act of service. Like some of the other disciplines, service can be a vulnerable place. One in which you see what is really inside of yourself and whether you are willing to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Service invites us into a place where interruptions aren't a bother, but an opportunity to do good towards others.

Some among us serve throughout the city for organizations and that is valuable and necessary in order for Christ to be displayed in our Christian community and community at large. For others that may not be presently possible, and service might be as simple as walking across the street or across the hallway and asking someone how you can help them today and taking time to check in with them. You might be surprised by the answer.

Service is not a way to measure up, pay our Christian "dues" or as something to lord over others or to act as a replacement for reading the Word of God and intimacy with God. Service is reaching out to others with the radical love of Christ and not worrying about what others think of us in the process. As we follow Jesus with increasing intimacy, service becomes the norm and not something we have to search out, because where Jesus is, there His Spirit is also.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

One issue that faces all religious people is that of security. How certain can we be that we are 'in'? Is the god that we worship satisfied with our commitment? Christians struggle with this question too. True, not everyone who grows up being dragged to church by parents may wonder about this. If that is you, let me suggest that you ought to take the question seriously. Are you sure that you are in? As a pastor there is a certain joy in walking with Christians who are dying in the wonderful confidence that they belong to Jesus. However, I have walked with seasoned Christians who have feared death, doubting God would welcome them.

The Ephesian Christians to whom Paul wrote this letter had their doubts. The Pagan religions that the gentiles converted from were notorious for creating doubt in the worshippers. The gods wanted stuff, always more. In those ancient cultures the people often worshipped multiply gods to increase their odds. Religion was sort of like playing the lottery. On the other hand, the Jewish Christians came from a largely law-based system. They had to be circumcised, attend synagogue, and follow the law of Moses. But with the history of the exile still in their collective memory and the Roman occupation of the promised land, there was persistent fear that God was not happy with them.

These are the fears that Paul addresses in our text. There is no need for Christians to be afraid, he writes. You 'heard the message of truth, the gospel of salvation, and 'you believed it'. As a result, 'you were included in Christ' and 'you were marked in him with a seal." The seal is the Holy Spirit, who is also 'a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.'

Notice that Paul is talking here about conversion, not baptism nor some other experience after conversion. He connects the Holy Spirit as seal and deposit directly to our conversion (it doesn't matter if you cannot pinpoint when you came to faith). Once you believe the deal is done, nothing more is required. This security is not based on how strong our faith is, nor on how much we know, or how sanctified our living is, nor on how well we practice the spiritual disciplines.

But what does he mean by seal? In ancient days, seals were used similarly to how we use them. Shipping containers and letters were stamped with the owner's seal. This indicated to those receiving the cargo or the letter that the contents came from the sender and were authentic. The Spirit is the seal in the life of a Christian. We belong to God; we are the real thing.

The trouble is that we often want to see evidence of the Holy Spirit. There are Christian groups who advocate that we need to do this and do that before we can be sure that we are really Christians, that we have the Holy Spirit. When I served as an assistant prison chaplain many years ago, an inmate doubted my claim to be a Christian because I had never spoken in tongues. (True story). There is some heresy here that suggests that some how we need to 'get a hold' of the Holy Spirit.

The teaching of Scripture is not that we must find the Spirit and somehow keep the Spirit around. We do not possess the Holy Spirit; rather, the Holy Spirit possesses us. Paul's point in our text is that the Spirit's got us. No need to be afraid, nothing more we need to do, but believe it. When we heard the gospel and believed it, we were sealed with the Spirit. That is the way things stand with us now. The seal cannot be removed, or broken -- for the praise of his glory.

If you have never wrestled with such questions, maybe you should. But not to create doubts and fears in your heart. Rather, that you can praise God for his marvelous redemption and that you can now live without fear – for the praise of his glory.

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Matthew 28:16-20 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN

1. What is the goal of conversion to Christianity?
2. Have you ever dropped the ball? What are some common ways that Christians drop the ball?
3. How does hope affect us? Have you ever experienced this? How can hope change the way that you live?
4. Why do we often drop the ball when we face difficulties? What does Paul encourage us to do?
5. What is the point of prayer? Look for other Psalms that follow the pattern of Psalm 13.

Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7)

When we are hospitable to another we create a space that is safe and that is open. Hospitality is a gracious welcoming of others into the presence of Christ. It's a laying aside of our own desires to let others into our space. That can seem like an intrusion at times and at other times, a welcome invitation.

There was a French village during World War II that risked their lives to shelter Jews. When pastor Andre Trocmé was asked why the village did so, he said, "I could not bear to be separated from Jesus." That, is the hospitality of Christ.

Jesus welcomed the lame, the blind, the helpless, the haphazard, the tax collector, the prostitute, the demon-possessed, and he welcomes you and me. God has welcomed us as his own dearly loved children. Could we do anything less that offer that same love and grace to others?

Hospitality is not about making good impressions with our beautiful or elaborate homes or tantalizing cooking. It's not only about welcoming others into our homes. If that was the case writing this devotional would be a moot point, as most of us have done little of that in over a year. Hospitality is a way of opening ourselves up to our neighbour and loving them in the same way that God has loved us.

Who is our neighbour? We learn the answer at the end of the parable of the good Samaritan when an expert in the law asks the same question. Jesus says to him of the priest and Levite who walked by the injured man and the Samaritan who helped him, "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." (Luke 10:36-37).

The original language gives us more depth to Jesus response. Mercy is defined as "kindness or goodwill toward the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to help them." You see, hospitality is not just about inviting someone to lunch after church, although that is definitely a mark of hospitality. Being hospitable means that we are willing to associate with those of both high and low position. It means that we don't uphold ourselves above others but that we invite them to share our space with us in order to share the love of Christ with them.

Hospitality opens us to share and open our space to others, and it invites us to receive from them. To accept the gift of their presence and who they are and what we have to learn from them. If someone is homeless for example, it doesn't mean that our heart cannot find a home in the treasure of their story. If someone is different from us culturally, socially, economically, ecumenically, we do not have to cast them away as "other" than us. There is always a reciprocation in hospitality. A place where the giver becomes the receiver, and the receiver is able to give back. What a beautiful picture of the grace and love of God in Christ.

I will give you new hearts. I will give you a new spirit that is faithful to me. I will remove your stubborn hearts from you. I will give you hearts that obey me. I will put my Spirit in you. I will make you want to obey my rules. I want you to be careful to keep my laws (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Over the past weeks, I have been reflecting with you on the Holy Spirit. As of yet, I have not referred to Acts 2 which records the story of Pentecost. And I do not intend to go there either. The reason is that the Holy Spirit is often associated only with the spectacular. Who can deny that what happened on Pentecost was spectacular? And what about speaking in tongues, healings, and prophesying? Magnificent stuff.

The problem is that if we are not into such things, or if we have tried and failed, then we try our best to ignore the Holy Spirit because, well, He is just not our thing. But such thinking ignores the story told in the Bible. There, we find the Holy Spirit involved in everything God does. He was there at the beginning, giving shape to the cosmos. He was there with Jesus in his earthly ministry. He continues to this very day, God in us, shaping the church and building the kingdom.

Maybe, because we used to refer to him as the Holy Ghost, we find the Spirit less tangible than Father and Son. We understand those terms, but ghosts and spirits, they are not physical. Maybe that makes us a little suspicious? Ghosts and spirits generally do not get a good rap in our literature, just ask Ebenezer Scrooge. We are not sure what to make of this Holy Spirit.

The Biblical image for the Holy Spirit is not ghost or spirit, in any modern sense, but wind. We know the power of wind. And that is, at least in large part I think, the point. The Spirit is power, God's power. That is the image of Pentecost, wind and fire, both powerful agents. As fire and wind, the Holy Spirit purifies and cleanses, but also builds up.

This is what our text says, I will give you new hearts. I will give you a new spirit that is faithful to me. I will remove your stubborn hearts from you. I will give you hearts that obey me. I will put my Spirit in you. I will make you want to obey my rules. I want you to be careful to keep my laws.

In theological terms we talk about sanctification. The Spirit makes us holy. He causes his fruit to grow in us. True, many of us find that we are still not very good at this. We are not very careful to keep God's ways. And sometimes we don't even want to. Is it possible that, at least in part, this is because we have not given the Holy Spirit enough credit?

The Holy Spirit was there in the beginning, giving shape to creation. He is present in our coming to faith in Christ, giving us new life in Jesus. But the Spirit continues on with us and in us, cleansing and purifying, chipping away at our stubborn hearts and replacing them with hearts that beat to God's drum.

When we become discouraged with ourselves, when we think we will never change, then we need to turn our eyes away from ourselves and see the Holy Spirit. We need to see him there at creation, we need to see him sustaining life through the eons, we need to see him at Jesus baptism and in the garden of tears, we need to see him breath new life into Jesus' dead body, we need to see him in our own hearts making all things new, including us. What's more spectacular than that!

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Sharing with others is an act of worship. It is offering up what we have freely been given back to God. Stewardship means recognizing that nothing that we own really belongs to us. In Genesis 1 "God said" six times as He created the heavens and the earth. Everything that was, was created by the word of God. And so, we are really only stewards of His wealth, His houses, His gifts, His technology and everything else that we have. Everything that we have belongs to and is a gift from God, freely given to us.

When we turn to Genesis 2 we see that we have been tasked with taking care of what God has given us, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (v15) God gave us a job to do. We are to be caretakers of all that He has given us. Whether it be physically working the ground and taking care of our creation, or whether it be taking our goods, money, time and talents and sharing them openly with others.

One of the biggest hindrances to the Christian life is pride. If we are not careful we can start to feel entitled: I deserve this, I earned this. We can start to feel inadequate: what I can give/do won't make a difference anyway. We can start to feel selfish: I need this, this is mine. All of these thoughts are rooted in pride, in our own desires and wants, or in our perceived ability or inability to "deliver the goods" that God has gifted us with to others.

The counter to this is humility. Humbly recognizing that all we own belongs to God, that we are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. The Holy Spirit fills us and sends us out into the world to be a blessing. We often like to complicate things though. We need to impress others with what we have, and we always need to have more. More clothes, more toys (yes, adults have "toys" too!), more stuff. And our entitlement mentality grows and our sense of ownership grows. No! Let this stop with us. We are to be the light and the love of Christ in this generation.

We don't need flashy evangelistic conversations, or prominent bumper stickers displaying a fish and our loyalty to the Christian faith for all to see. What we need is for the world to see Jesus in who we are and how we give just as Christ gave Himself up for us.

Paul says "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Phil 4:12-13).

What do we need to be content? Are we willing to share with others and live with less so that another might have more? Jesus said to a man asking what good thing he must do to inherit eternal life, "If you want to be complete, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matt 19:21). What are the desires of your heart? Where does your treasure lie? "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:21).

Jesus didn't carry extra food or provisions or an extra set of clothes as He went from town to town. Although He does ask a very few people to give up all they own and live as He did, that is not what He is usually saying to us. Rather Jesus asks us, "will you give of the first fruits of what I have given to you, the things of this world, as a symbol of my love, grace, and generosity towards others? Will you be a wise steward of My creation and all that I have made? Will you give back to Me what I have graciously given to you?"