Sides

This week in the coverage of the conflict between Israel and Palestine there’s been a shift. After the initial bloody attacks from Hamas fighters against civilian Israelis, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lit up blue and white in support of Israel. But as the Palestinian civilian death toll has ticked up through a breath-taking bombing response; as Gaza has been besieged even more than usual generating millions of displaced people within the city; and the boots-on-the-ground counter-offensive hasn’t begun yet, some of our political leaders are beginning to ask, “Should we be completely behind Israel on this?”
 
In other words, the actual war in the Middle East has given birth to a culture war here at home. Our political leaders, media personalities, even Tiktok get-ready-with-me influencers are being challenged to unequivocally come out in support of Israel – right or wrong, or to demand an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a two-state solution.
 
This trickles down to Christians too. A lot of Christians are announcing on social media that they “stand with Israel” or “stand with Palestinians.” Quasi-Theological arguments are sometimes offered for why Christians should take a stance one way or the other.
 
Many thousands of years before this fight, there was another one in that region, this time between the people of Old Israel and the city-state of Jericho. As Joshua was considering his battle strategy in Joshua 5, he was met by a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’
 
This man Joshua had met, we’re quickly told, is the commander of the LORD’s army. Indeed, this mysterious Angel of the Lord character goes on in the next chapter to speak as though he is the LORD. So, we might expect him to answer “Don’t worry Joshie! I’m on your side, I’m here to give you back up – like the Elves showing up at Helms deep… you know from the movie version of the Two Towers… I know that bit’s not in the book, obviously.”
 
But he doesn’t do that. He replies “Neither.” And we’d do well to notice that answer as the culture war rages around us. What the Angel of the Lord goes on to do is offer a way of salvation for his people that doesn’t endorse their faithlessness. It’s a method of salvation that can only be from the Lord.
 
I’d been pondering this as I heard about Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. The Catholic Cardinal to Jerusalem. In his role he’s moved between the Israeli and Palestinian camps serving churches on both sides of the border wall. His commitment to this work means he’s not a respecter of these ethnic divisions. This week he has publicly offered to give himself up to Hamas in exchange for the child hostages. His life for theirs. There are significant backchannel negotiations going on at the moment and this exchange may take place next week. His act of selflessness may well save the lives of scores of children – a beautiful display of the gospel where one life is traded for many. Likewise, it will make bombing Gaza to rubble more complicated, after all, could Israel risk killing the man who set their children free?
 
As we face the culture war at home, or the actual war abroad, lets pray for efforts like this to bring about a peace that can be chalked down to a surprising intervention of the Lord. If you’d like some help praying for these conflicts, here’s a little prayer from the Anglican prayers for peace:
Most holy God and Father,
hear our prayers for all who strive for peace
and all who fight for justice.
Help us, who today remember the cost of war,
to work for a better tomorrow;
and, as we commend to you lives lost in terror and conflict,
bring us all, in the end, to the peace of your presence;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

grace and Peace,

Steve

Three Post-Referendum Thoughts

1. I’m struck as I read the New Testament just how much of it is concerned with finding unity across distance.

Be it cultural distance (Jewish and non-Jewish Christians); confidence to live as a distinctive Christian minority who, nevertheless, are intelligible to the cultures around them (the so-called “stronger” and “weaker” Christians); and, of course, the mountains of passages about how to handle conflict, disagreement and sin.
 
A surprising thought rings out through these texts – unity within the body of Christ is deeply precious, it is worth contending for and is more important than being right. This thought is easier or harder to believe based on what’s going on around us.
 
I’ve got some pastor friends in Melbourne who tell me that they have to rebuild unity in their church when certain teams end up in finals together, such is the level of strong feeling. I’ve spoken with pastors in Washington who find the same after their presidential elections and in England after Brexit.
 
This referendum has just sorted us all into a binary – Yessers and Noers. And yet in the gospel we all share the same designations – loved and adopted children, forgiven sinners, branches in the vine.  
 
2. To my sisters and brothers who voted for the Voice and are now disappointed by the result.
 
I mentioned at the Referendum Forum a few weeks back that we should ignore arguments that suggested that implied that the Voice would be the silver bullet for reconciliation or addressing indigenous disadvantage. The Voice proposal was not a messiah replacement. It was only ever a gesture towards the kind of world that Mary sang about where the humble are lifted up (Luke 1:52).
 
Because of the true Messiah Jesus, we will one day live in that world. Regardless of whether we’re observing the arc of the moral universe bending towards justice or not, we can be confident that:

• One day justice will roll like rivers.

• There will be more opportunities to gesture to Jesus’ grace in the public square.

 
And so let me urge you to resist the weed of bitterness (Hebrews 12:15). Bitterness grows a long taproot and spreads prolifically, so it’s best to pinch it out when you observe it.   
 
3. To my sisters and brothers who voted no in the referendum.
 
I completely understand how tricky it might feel to live in a disappointed city when you got the outcome you, and the rest of the country, had asked for. Indeed, you might be feeling like the assortment of reasons that drove your vote have been trampled into an accusation or insinuation of racism.
 
That sense that the “other side” think poorly of you can calcify into indifference overtime. I think of the Brexiteer’s references to “Remoaners” – the dismissive nickname for people disappointed by the outcome of the Brexit referendum.
 
And so let me urge you to find grace for those who think differently to you. If you voted no because you didn’t like the model, when it comes time to feedback on future options, let’s look for ways to be constructive participants in that discussion.  
 
Friends, this weekend is the Windows to the World festival – a time when Canberra’s embassies throw open their doors and display their culture. Renew is an embassy of the kingdom of God. In the way we treat one another in the aftermath of this referendum, we’ll be demonstrating our culture – that we are known by our love. I pray that it might show our city a different way to be.
 

grace and Peace,

Steve

Image

Have you seen the new coin design with the King on the back? It’ll start being circulated very soon and will gradually make their way into our spare change in the next year or so. I understand that monarchs take approving this image of themselves very seriously – this portrait image is selected by the king himself at the Royal Mint in the UK and then that image is on-distributed to Commonwealth countries for use.

Do you notice anything… different about this image (apparently, it’s called an ‘effigy’ when it’s on a coin)?

 
The very first thing I thought when I saw it was, “wait… isn’t he balding?” It seems the king’s image has been treated with whatever the coin effigy equivalent of photoshopping is to airbrush him in a lustrous head of hair.
 
Now, before I go on, for those people in our church who have experienced hair loss, I want you to know that I don’t think this is a big deal. But seeing this effigy and the gap between it and reality makes me wonder whether the king believes that if we all think he has a full head of hair it will improve our opinion of his majesty.
 
Contrast this to the moment when God’s image arrived on earth. Aside from a few very notable exceptions, God’s majesty was entirely veiled in Jesus’ flesh. Consider the second person of the Trinity, existing in joyful perfection from all eternity taking on the ordinariness of human skin, getting scuffs and bruised and scarred, going through the indignities of puberty and banging his thumb with a mallet in Joseph’s workshop. Then consider him scourged and pierced, slung up on a cross. The path to Jesus’ glorification was the exact opposite of a Photoshop job.
 
Seeing him take up his cross on the road to glorification like that gives us courage to do likewise. We don’t need relentlessly accentuate the positive – even at your most beautiful now, you’re a seed compared to the magnificent tree that is to come. Render yourself to him. He makes you truly worthy.

grace and peace,

Steve

The boy

 A little over a week ago the Bureau of Meteorology announced that we’ve moved back in to an El Niño weather pattern. The tropical waters North-East of Australia are cooler than normal, meaning there’s less evaporation and so less clouds across Eastern Australia.
 
It’s the kind of news that’ll hit us all differently. If you know anyone who’s been flood affected over last few summers, the thought of drier conditions might sound like welcome relief. But with it comes the likelihood of extreme heat, bushfires, and drought.  
 
How might Christians best face El Niño this summer? I’ve been pondering this question – you might have other thoughts to share.
 

• El Niño is a chance to remember our creatureliness.

Modern people are used to thinking about our impacts on the climate, but are slower to admit the way climate affects us. Most of the time, as city dwellers, we feel we can sit apart from the costs of climate – we live in a world of year-round cheap bananas and apples, our workplaces, shopping centres and many of our homes are “climate controlled.” But extreme weather events that trace back to El Niño have a way of reminding us of our dustliness. Psalm 103:13-14 says,
 
As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
 
So, El Niño helps us to remember what the Lord always remembers. It humbles us.
 

• El Niño is a chance to love our neighbours.

Knowing the likelihood of difficulties to come this summer, it’s worth factoring that in to our plans now, so we can allow the margin to serve. Loving our neighbours who aren’t our friends is generally costly. Having the wherewithal to check on neighbours who are very old or very young, and therefore at most risk in heatwaves; getting amongst serving with disaster relief, should we see significant bushfires; praying for rain – all of these things may feel like impositions if we haven’t prepared ourselves to give up our lives for the sake of our neighbours.
 

• El Niño is a chance to test our dependence.

Dependence is a funny thing – it’s not visible if it’s not called upon. When Jesus invited his followers to behold the flowers and the birds in the Sermon on the Mount, he was reminding us that we have more in common with these creatures than we might want to admit. We humans have, over millennia, developed a massive gap between raw materials and our experience of them in food and clothes. And in that gap, we put a story of self-sufficiency.
 
El Niño will act as Jesus’ megaphone for us, to teach us to trust. To trust that he knows what we need. To trust that what he gives us is all we need. To depend upon God would be a terrifying thing to do if we could not be confident that God is loving. If we had any reason to think he was fickle or feckless. But, of course, God in order to meet our needs even gave up his Son for us. He’s committed, and he’s powerful.
 
Do you know why it’s called El Niño? Because South American fishermen in the 1600s noticed the pattern of current temperature around Christmas. The full name they used was El Niño de Navidad, the little boy of Christmas. El Niño is a chance to remember that Jesus has come to be present with us, entering into our hot mess so we can enjoy his reinforcing presence while we wait for our glorification, and the creation along with us.   

grace and peace,

Steve

Scams worth avoiding

 Hi team - I want to share with you a blog piece from The Gospel Coalition which I really enjoyed called "Scams… and How to Avoid the Worst Sort." written by Stephen Liggins

Have you ever received an SMS telling you to urgently pay a toll? An email informing you of an incredible investment opportunity? An unsolicited telephone call apparently from a reputable organisation asking for your personal details? Or a Facebook friend request from someone whose name you don’t know and whose somewhat provocative profile photo you suspect is probably not a photo of them at all? If so, you have almost definitely been the target of a scam.

A scam is a deceptive scheme that aims to take something of value from unsuspecting people. It usually takes the form: ‘If you do X, then you will get Y, but with the hidden agenda of taking Z.’ X may be providing your bank account details or sending someone your money. Y is some desirable outcome, such as getting a truckload of money, finding love, or helping someone in need. Z is usually the loss of your money, although it might, on occasions, involve the loss of something far worse.

Our laptops, smartphones and tablets are fertile ground for scams. A report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reveals that Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to scams in 2022.[1]

The Ingenuity of Scammers

Our church recently hosted a presentation on avoiding internet scams. The range and ingenuity of the scammers’ methods is extraordinary. Some of the more common versions include those which commence along the following lines:

• ‘Your email address has been selected for a huge financial prize!’

• ‘Your long-lost uncle has left you a huge fortune.’

• ‘Just send your money overseas for a share in this incredible company.’

• ‘Sorry, we can only text each other, but you are the one for me.’

• ‘Mum, I’ve lost my phone and am in trouble. Please contact me urgently on this new number.’

• ‘You need to pay a fee to get a tax refund.’

I could go on.

Looking at the spam folder on my computer I can tell you that I am not going to let Luke Zang revolutionize my trading. Neither will I enter into correspondence with Marina from Russia who is looking for marriage.

Forewarned is forearmed. Scams are easier to avoid when we are aware and alerted to some of the common tricks. This is also true for the most deceptive and dangerous of all forms of scams: spiritual scams.

Spiritual Scams

Spiritual scams aim to prevent Christian faith, or to damage and destroy it. Those that aim to prevent faith are often based on the model alluded to in Matthew 16:24–26. In this passage Jesus warns against thinking it is best to not take up one’s cross and following Jesus. ‘What good will it be for someone to save to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?’ he says. Or to put this sort of scam into algebraic terms: ‘If you do X (don’t follow Jesus), then you will get Y (the whole world), but with the hidden agenda of taking Z (your soul).’

Some common versions of scam suggest that if you don’t follow Jesus you will gain intellectual credibility… or social popularity… or more sexual satisfaction… or will avoid suffering. Of course, the result is that you will forfeit your soul. Most people reading this article will be aware of fairly straightforward responses to each of these deceptions.

Our problem is more likely to be with those scams that aim to damage and destroy our faith. Some tempt us, simply but powerfully, with disobedience. For example:

• You are stressed. Look at porn, it will relieve your stress.

• You are emotionally hurting. Get drunk, you’ll forget the pain.

• You are tired. Sleep in on Sundays and skip church, you’ll feel so much better.

Others push us in the direction of distraction and bad priorities. For example:

• Family is important. Give your children every possible sporting and cultural opportunity (even if it means you and your kids missing out on meeting with other believers on Sunday, or at any other time for that matter), then you will be a good parent.

• God has created a great world. Make sure you enjoy it (by constructing and then ticking off an increasingly long list of things you have to see and do before you die, even if it means expending all your thoughts, time and money on self-satisfaction), because God gave us good gifts to enjoy.

For those who insist on regular church attendance, there are other scams. One of the most damaging versions is simply based on the thought that venting our frustration at some (usually minor) church issue—for example, the length of sermons or the style of music—will make us feel better and result in positive change. Explosive ventings rarely result in anything good!

An honest reading of these lists combined with a little self-reflection probably reveals that we are getting spiritually scammed left, right and centre.

Satan: The Father of Scams

Jesus identifies who is behind these spiritual scams. He says of the devil:

He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (Jn 8:44)

The scams outlined above, along with countless others, ultimately come from him. Next time you think: ‘Getting drunk will help’; or ‘I’ll skip my Bible reading and prayer time (yet again)’; or ‘I’ll express my frustration and rage over that (non-essential) issue’, recognise the source. Remind yourself that the devil hates you and wants to see you dead.

C. S. Lewis incisively picks up on spiritual scamming in his famous book The Screwtape Letters (1942). This fictional account of a senior demon coaching a junior demon is a crash course in spiritual scamming.

To avoid internet scams, it’s good to get training from an internet expert who can teach you how to reliably identify scams. To avoid spiritual scams, we need the instruction of a spiritual expert. The expert is, of course, Jesus. In John 14:6 he says: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’

Jesus is the truth, and he tells the truth. We can avoid being spiritually scammed to our great harm, and to the great harm of others, if we stay close to him. We need to ensure we continually speak to him, listen to him, meet with others who love him, and serve him. And, if you don’t think that’s the answer, you are being scammed!