Context Changes Everything

Jeremiah 31:7-14     Psalm 147:12-20     Ephesians 1:3-14     John 12:44-50

Context Changes Everything

Ever since childhood, I have struggled with claustrophobia. I have tried to overcome this several times in several different ways, but the sheer panic that runs through my body like an enormous electrical surge every time I even as much as think about a tight spot, has prevented me from defeating it completely. However, this has not stopped me from venturing into dark, tight spaces, like tunnels and caves. For me, the trick is knowing what lies ahead as well as knowing what lies at the end. I need to know what I am in for, and I need to know where I am going, and that knowing starts at the beginning. 

There are two tunnels that come to mind as I write this talk. The first is a tunnel in Ethiopia that links two monastic centres. The purpose of this tunnel, besides the obvious link between the two communities, is didactic. Like so many other things in Ethiopian Orthodoxy, people are not just taught with words but also with images. Ethiopian icons are a very good example. For oral learners, stories or pictures or drama (like acted out parables), are better conduits of knowledge than books. 

But back to the tunnel. We were told by our guide at the opening to the tunnel that, for these communities, the journey through the tunnel represents our journey through life. For them, our present life is dark and mysterious. Just like while walking through the subterranean blackness you cannot see where you are going, so in life no one really knows what lies ahead. The tunnel itself is uneven, so at times you either trip over a raised part of the floor or hit your head on a low part of the ceiling or bump into a narrower part of the sides. Our guide encouraged us not to use our flashlights so that we could experience the full effect of the lesson. You really could not see a single thing, that is until you began to approach the end of the tunnel. The community on the other side, the guide told us, represents heaven. Hell is if you lose your nerve in the tunnel and turn back. Well, I was certainly not going to go to hell, so I pressed on through to the other side!

But my point in telling this story is that knowing what lay at the end of my angst-filled adventure helped me to overcome my claustrophobia. There was, quite literally, light at the end of the tunnel, and once there we were jubilantly greeted by friendly fellow believers, just like at a homecoming or a victory celebration after a long trip, battle, or ordeal. Knowing what to expect and knowing that the experience was temporary, helped me to overcome my fear of dark confining spaces and I made it through.

The other tunnel is in Jerusalem. It is a long tunnel connecting a pool inside the city with a spring outside the city. Built by King Hezekiah in the late 8th and early 7th Century, its purpose was twofold. Firstly, to ensure an adequate supply of water for the inhabitants of the city in case of a siege by the menacing Assyrian forces, and, secondly, the tunnel was designed to keep the entire outflow of the spring inside the walled area so that they might deny access to water for those enemies outside the gates. The tunnel was carved out of rock by two teams from both ends with the diggers meeting in the middle. As such, it is an engineering marvel given the time and the implements used.

Here again, like with the tunnel in Ethiopia, knowing the background story, or in this case, the underground story, helped me press on to the end. I even stopped once or twice to observe the niches in the walls made for the oil lamps that served as the digger’s only light. (Yes, this time I cheated and used the flashlight on my phone.) But my point is this: in both cases, in Ethiopia and in Jerusalem, the context changed everything for me…at least I knew the purpose of the tunnels, the shape and structure of the tunnels, and I knew that there was an end to the tunnels. 

Now, you are probably wondering where this talk is going! Well, the same principle I used with the tunnels can be applied to the interpretation of Scripture. Knowing the context changes everything…and that context starts at the very beginning. 

Very few people will start a novel in the middle or at the end of the story. Of course, one can do this and still have an inkling as to what the plot is about, but you will not have the full picture. The same is true of the Scriptures. Too many believers start two thirds into the story…they start and hang out only or mostly in the New Testament…and while it will not damage their relationship with the Lord nor will it endanger their salvation, they will miss the plot and, sadly, at times even misunderstand or misinterpret or misrepresent the message. Just like a puzzle with missing pieces, an incomplete reading of the Bible can leave many gaps.

The best place to start in order to get that full picture is, of course, the beginning. I have always believed that if one does not grasp the theology of the first three chapters of Genesis, one will never truly understand the devastating effect of sin nor the greatness of grace. Adam and Eve’s fall from grace is all encompassing…their act of defiant treachery and their rejection of their Creator God produced a barrier between them and their source of life. From that point on, everything was in a state of death and decay. But in the very midst of their desperate brokenness God came to find them, even in their wretchedness, to give them a word of hope. One day, God promised, the Seed of the woman would conquer the serpent. 

The rest of Scripture builds upon this foundation. There is a reason why certain images and words are repeated throughout Scripture…in the prophets and psalms and in the Gospels and the New Testament Epistles. Images such as gardens and rivers and trees. There is a reason why Israel is often depicted as a garden or a vine or a tree…these are all illustrations of what once was and what is yet to come. The images compel us to view Scripture in context...the context of rebellion and redemption…of exclusion and of restoration. They help to sharpen our understanding with regard to the need for rescue, ransom, and reconciliation. 

Reading through the Old Testament is, in many ways, like walking through a deep, dark tunnel. Right at the entrance to the tunnel we are told what lies ahead and what we can expect at the end. Countless times, the authors of Scripture return to the images of the garden to help us grasp the need for divine intervention. Page after page after page we read of the failure of even the best to live up to the standard of our created reality. They stub their toes and bump their heads and sometimes even stumble and fall. As such, the Old Testament can seem like one long litany…a requiem for humanity. 

But even amid the sightless blackness, the promise of what lies ahead is raised every so often to provide hope for the future…to encourage those faltering forward to press onward and upward toward the light. 

The prophet Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet for good reason. Regardless of what he said or did, no one listened…even when the disasters he predicted came to pass, the people still refused to heed his warnings. Jeremiah begged his people to repent and turn back to the God they no longer served. He warned them that their ongoing rebellion would lead to judgment. Their attempts to save themselves through political and military alliances and alignment with their pagan neighbours would ultimately fail and their refusal to abandon their idolatry and injustice and ethical misconduct would lead to their defeat and deportment. All to no effect. 

He ended up being abducted and taken to the very place he told them not to go…back to Egypt. Like the Ethiopian story of hell waiting for those who turn back, so the return to Egypt illustrated a reversal of their redemption as slaves…a reversal of their status as a free nation. But just as the guides provided hope for us before we plunged into the darkness, and just as the oil lamps helped the diggers plot their way forward, so the prophet Jeremiah provided his readers with hope. All who were scattered would be gathered in once more, he said. The Lord will come to bring them back to the land…he will restore them so that they will be like a well-watered garden…like Eden. He will lead them beside still waters on paths that are level where they will not stumble. Mourning will be turned into dancing and comfort will displace sorrow. In other words, in spite of everything, with God there is always hope for the future.

As such, Jeremiah points us to the fulfilment of God’s promise made in the garden. Through the advent of the Seed of the woman…through the coming of our Lord Jesus, the barrier between God and humanity has been removed, and now those who believe in Him are once more able to receive every spiritual blessing because we have been ransomed, redeemed, rescued, reconciled, and restored. We have been adopted as sons and daughters of God in Christ Jesus. We have life through his death. The resurrection of Jesus from a tomb in a garden is a picture of the reversal of the judgement in the Garden of Eden. The entrance once blocked and barred, has now been opened and we may freely enter into God’s presence once more.

And yet, there is a perfect Garden still to come. As Paul says in our reading from Ephesians, we have received a deposit…a guarantor of something we will inherit in the future. You see, we live in an in-between time…the now and the not yet…a place in the tunnel where we can see the light at the end, even though we have not fully arrived at our destination. The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John shows us that we are still to emerge from the shadows into the eternal bliss of another well-watered Garden where, like in the prophecy of Jeremiah, there will be no more sorrow as there will be no more curse…there will be no more death as the Tree of Life bears fruit in abundance. 

But as with the tunnel in Ethiopia, the destination is only for those who do not turn back. Jesus speaks quite plainly in our Gospel lesson for today. “When someone believes in me, he believes not only in me but in him who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” In other words, those who do not accept the Son, do not accept the Father either. Jesus said he was the only way to the Father…the only one through whom we can re-enter the Garden. 

Clambering through a dark and dingy subterranean tunnel was no easy task…but we believed the word of our guides and we received the reward they had promised. Not that we earned the reward…it was there whether we emerged from the tunnel or not. It was freely ours if we only believed. All we had to do was plod on in hope.

When one places life in its greater biblical context, it really does change everything. It shows us in stark relief where we have come from, and it shows us in all the fulness of bliss where we are and where we are going. And as we plot our way forward in the light of this context, we can be rest assured that even in the deepest, darkest part of the tunnel, our Saviour is right there before us, behind us, beside us, and within us. 

Let us pray.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2021

Contrasts

1 Samuel 2:18-26            Psalm 148        Colossians 3:12-17       John 1:1-14

Contrasts

The word ‘contrast’ often simply means one thing as opposed to another…or as one dictionary defines it: the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association.

Most often, the word is used to compare opposites, like black and white, night and day, success and failure. The word can be used to illustrate differences that help us better understand an idea or concept or something that helps us see more clearly. A material example of the latter would be the contrast between black ink on white paper that makes for easier reading. Black ink on black paper would not be very helpful, would it? Contrasts are needed to aid us in understanding in the same way as the black ink and the white paper help us to read.

But contrasts are not always made between opposites. Things that are in one way similar and yet different can also be contrasted for the sake of distinction, clarification, or interpretation. One simple example would be the contrast between a cat and a dog. Cats and dogs are similar in the sense that they are both classified as animals, but they are also definite contrasts because they are very different…different but not opposites. In this case, contrasts help us to classify and to describe things that are similar and yet dissimilar. 

In telling stories, contrasts are used to make a point. For instance, John used the contrast of light and darkness to illustrate the power of the incarnation…that the coming of Jesus ushered in the dawning of a new era of liberty from captivity. Blessing eradicates the curse in the same way that light dispels the darkness, or as a favorite carol of mine states so eloquently: He came to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. The aim of contrasting light with darkness helps us understand the greatness of this event we call Christmas. God has turned the light on, so to speak, and anyone who has ever stubbed their toe while groping about in the dark will know exactly what that means…no more stumbling about in the search for clarity or certainty in our reality. Or to put it another way, the incarnation exposes error as much as it illuminates truth. The contrast could not be clearer.

 But how sad it is when that which is meant to shine out the light becomes part of the darkness. Contrast is never needed more than when what ought to be dissimilar looks awfully similar. The lack of contrast confuses, befuddles, and bewilders. When the light goes off, things cannot be seen clearly. People are rendered blind and are consequently led astray by others who are equally blind when neither have clear vision due to the lack of light. When all things are considered relative and open to individual experience and interpretation, truth becomes meaningless as it no longer has any substance. 

And while we expect such elastic philosophies or illogical beliefs from those who have not yet encountered the light, we are perplexed when they creep into the one institution that ought to uphold the faith once delivered, so to speak. What do we do when those who are meant to be the salt of the earth lose their saltiness? When those who have been set apart are as unholy in life as those who have not been set apart? When the followers of Christ no longer reflect the character or the mind of the one they claim to follow? 

The opening chapters of the First Book of Samuel present us with two stark contrasts. The first contrast is that between Hannah and the old priest Eli. While Hannah is very specific and active in her prayers and enthusiastically faithful in the fulfilment her promise, Eli appears to be apathetic, complacent, and indifferent. His attitude and lack of positive response to the complaints of the people and the inevitable divine judgment announced by the boy Samuel, displays a lack of faithfulness in his priestly promise and duty to uphold the law of God as far as the behavior of his two sons in the Tabernacle is concerned. 

The second contrast is between Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas, and Hanna’s son, Samuel. Not only were his sons breaking the laws regarding sacrifices, but they were also breaking the laws regarding purity and morality…and everyone knew about it. They were so arrogant and flagrant in their abuses that they did not attempt to cover up their offenses nor deny them when challenged. Why? Because, as the literal translation of the Hebrew in verse 12 of chapter 2, states “They did not know God.” Now, think on this for a moment. The representatives of God did not know God. And the people of God suffered…as the proverb says, the bad trees bore bad fruit and consequently, instead of being sustained spiritually, all in Israel were starving. 

But the contrast between the brothers and Samuel provides us with a ray of hope. His presence in the Tabernacle is like a light shining in the darkness. This seemingly insignificant child born to an otherwise insignificant and ordinary barren woman from an insignificant backwater town, represents the silent, behind-the-scenes work of God. There was no major political campaign, no major prophetic speech, and so, as far as the people of God were concerned, things seemed to be moving forward in very much the same way they had for years. Nothing appeared to be changing. Eli’s sons still dominated the arena of the religious establishment and still misled and abused the sheep of God’s pasture…ravenous wolves disguised in shepherd’s clothing. 

But moving in unnoticed from the silent shadows was a new leader…a child who would grow up to govern the people of Israel. Here is the contrast that helps us see things more clearly…the work of God is seldom flashy or noisy. He moves in mysterious and unexpected ways to bring about a major shift in power. He had his man right there…even in the midst of the darkness…in the compromised and defiled Tabernacle itself, waiting for the fullness of time to arrive. 

Commentator, Dale Ralph Davis tells a marvelous story of a B-17 bomber that had been hit in the fuel tank by antiaircraft flak, surprisingly without ill effect. When the eleven unexploded shells were taken to the armorers to be diffused, they found them all empty except one. One of the shells contained a rolled-up note written in Czech. It simply stated, “This is all we can do for you now.” Apparently, some Czechs who had been compelled to work in a Nazi munitions plant, were quietly helping the allies by removing the explosive chargers.

God’s help often slips in soundlessly, behind the scenes, as it were, but when it does come, the effect is lifechanging. Eli’s sons were killed in battle and, upon hearing the news that the Ark of God had been captured, Eli fell over backwards from a high stool and broke his neck. But Samuel was already present in the Tabernacle…ready to step into the vacuum to lead God’s people justly and rightly.

One of the things that has intrigued me over the years is that John used a very interesting word to describe the incarnation of Jesus. It is the word ‘tabernacled’ (a verb form of the noun ‘Tabernacle’) usually translated as ‘dwelt with us’ or ‘lived among us’. I must confess that until writing this talk, I have only ever connected this word with the position of the Tabernacle in the middle of the Israelite camp during the Exodus. I had always thought that John was trying to tell us that by assuming human form, Jesus had come to take up his place among us in our own wilderness wanderings, just as God had come to live among His people in the desert to lead them on to the Promised Land. 

But while comparing the story of Samuel with the story of Jesus, I saw several more parallels. Like the coming of Samuel to the Tabernacle, the coming of the Messiah happened very much in the background…an insignificant young virgin (in one sense a barren woman), from an insignificant backwater town, giving birth to a seemingly insignificant child, not in a palace nor in the holy city of Jerusalem, but rather in a place considered insignificant at the time (if you recall the words of the prophet Micah from last Sunday) away from anything that would have been thought of as the echelons of power in their day.

And just like the child Samuel quietly lived among the people of Israel in the Tabernacle, while Eli, Hophni, and Phineas were still alive, so Jesus was in the world, yet the world knew nothing about him. Even when he entered the public arena, so to speak, he was rejected by many, simply because he did not fit into their preconceived ideas. As in the days of Samuel, there were some who knew all about the corrupt state of the priesthood but said little or nothing because they either loved the praise of others or because they were afraid of others. The Pharisees and Sadducees, the Chief Priests and the Scribes added to the heavy burdens of the people with their legalistic interpretations of the law. Corruption was rife. The High Priests were hired and fired by the pagan Roman government to do their bidding and to keep the peace, which was, more often than not, quite fragile. The Sadducees lined their pockets through temple taxation and sacrifices sold at inflated prices. We can only imagine what the people thought…would God never rescue them? Had he forgotten about them? Was he angry with them or had he abandoned them? Did he even hear their cry for mercy?

But silently God was working out his purposes. One day, this seemingly insignificant child…this unlearned rabbi from an unimportant village…would triumph over darkness and sit down at the right hand of universal power to rule and reign over everything and everyone. 

This kind of unobserved intervention has often been the Lord’s way of redemption, and we would do well to learn from it. There are countless examples in history…Joseph the imprisoned slave in Egypt, Moses the forgotten foundling in Midian, Samuel the servant of Eli, David the youngest son of Jesse…and Jesus the controversial rabbi from nowhere. 

May I ask you, dearest beloved brothers and sisters, where is God in your lives right now? Is he silent? Is he ostensibly absent? Are you wondering if he hears you? Have you thought that he might have abandoned you? Or that he might not care for you? 

If so, then consider this. The light that entered the world on Christmas day allowed himself to be extinguished by those who loved darkness more than light so that he might overcome the darkness once and for all, for you and for me through his resurrection from the dead. They did not see his light then…many still do not see his light today…but the contrast between those who have seen and embraced his light and those who have not, is so startlingly illuminating that it cannot be ignored. Believers down through the ages, who have retained their distinctiveness despite opposition and pressure to conform…who have not lost their saltiness…they continued to bask in the warmth of his light even in the midst of what appeared to them to be impenetrable darkness. And as they endeavored to clothe themselves with the wisdom given by God, that peace that comes from knowing Christ…the peace that transcends understanding…ruled in their hearts and minds and kept them from despair. 

We can look to both those who are now part of the great cloud of witnesses, as well as our Lord Jesus who was destined to go to the cross as silent as a lamb to the slaughter, and we can contrast their legacy with those who opposed them or rejected them or killed them. Through them, the light that came to us at Christmas, still shines on in the darkness…and nothing in all creation can ever extinguish it.

Let us pray.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2021

The Present Reign of Christ

Isaiah 52:7-10               Psalm 98                  Hebrews 1:1-12              Luke 2:1-20

The Present Reign of Christ

An old friend recently told me that he believed the Christmas Carol, Joy to the World, was better suited to the Second Coming of Christ than the First. Of course, this is not at all what the hymn writer, Isaac Watts had in mind, but for the sake of this talk, let’s leave that obvious fact out of the equation. 

So, here’s the question: Is the carol better suited for the second coming of Christ rather than the first? Or is Jesus’ reign a present reality?

But before we answer the question, I’d like to use an illustration from history to provide us with a picture to help us get to the answer. On June 6, 1944, thousands of brave soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy in France. This event marked the beginning of the Allied invasion of Nazi occupied Europe. This day became known to the world as D-Day. But it was only the beginning of the end, not the end itself. The end of the Second Great War came 336 days later. On May 8, 1945, the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was formally accepted by the Allies. It was declared “Victory in Europe Day” or VE-Day and it has been celebrated every year since then. 

Now, I believe we can compare this historical reality with the First and Second Comings of Jesus. Christmas Day marks the initial divine invasion of planet earth, a planet up until that time controlled by an evil fallen angel known as Satan together with his fallen angelic minions, otherwise known as demons. Satan was considered the ruler of this world ever since he tricked Adam and Eve into obeying him rather than God in the Garden of Eden. Thus, Christmas Day can be likened to storming the beaches of Normandy. The beginning of the end…but not quite the end itself. 

The Old Testament Prophets certainly saw the birth of the Messiah as the beginning of His universal reign. The best-known prophecy from the Old Testament that is quoted in the New Testament, showing us what the Holy Spirit inspired writers of Scripture believed, is surely Isaiah 9:6. “For a Child has been born for us, a Son has been given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named wonderful, counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace.” And here’s the most important bit of the prophecy: “His authority will grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Did you get that? His authority will grow continually…the incarnation is like D-Day. He has invaded to establish His authority…but that authority will grow until the final day…like VE-Day…when our Lord will return once he has placed all his enemies under his feet, to echo what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:24-26…speaking of the period of time between the resurrection of Jesus and his second coming, the apostle said, “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

This seems to be what the author to the Hebrews had in mind when he spoke under direction of the Holy Spirit, “in these last days (the last days beginning with the incarnation and moving forward to culmination of the present reign of Christ) God has appointed a son as heir over all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the mirror image of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When (and here’s the time reference) he had made purification for sins (through the sacrifice of himself on behalf of humanity on the cross) he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” Jesus is reigning now…presently…and his kingdom is growing as he continues to place all his enemies under his feet.

This agrees with the message of the angels to the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. The child born in the city of David was both saviour and lord, an allusion to the prophecy I mentioned earlier from Isaiah 9:6. Everyone at that time knew that inscriptions all over the Roman empire only ever referred to Caesar in these terms. Clearly the shepherds were to understand that the baby they were about to see was at least as great if not greater than the emperor! But don’t miss the angelic reference to global peace…this child whose birth we celebrate this day, would bring about reconciliation between God and us and between us and others as well. 

Think about it. From the very moment Jesus was born he was opposed and attacked by both demonic and human forces…from Herod all the way through to Pontius Pilate…and eventually they murdered him on the cross. But as with so many other divine interventions, it was the very malevolent things intended by the evil powers that achieved the victory of God. Again, as the Apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Colossians, through the very instrument of execution, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them triumphing over them in the cross.” 

And so, our spiritual D-Day has come and gone…all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus and he reigns right now at the right hand of God the Father, ever placing all his enemies under his feet. Universal authority is his now as he has defeated our archenemy…and yet that authority continues to grow throughout all the world as his children continue to witness to his victory, by making disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all he has commanded…bearing the Gospel of Peace to every human being, even to the ends of the earth. 

Or to quote the 3rd verse of the Carol Joy to the World: “He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found.” 

And so, from our D-Day, we press on until VE-Day.

Let us pray.

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2021

How much did Mary know?

Micah 5:2-5a      Hebrews 10:5-10      Luke 1:39-56

How much did Mary know?

There is a modern carol that seems to irritate the living daylights out of some people. It is the song written by songwriters Rufus and Alan and entitled simply: Mary Did You Know. The problem with this song for those who don’t like it, is that it has one of those earworm-type tunes that get stuck in your head and once the music starts the words follow.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would one day walk on water?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would save our sons and daughters?

Did you know that your baby boy Has come to make you new?

This child that you delivered, will soon deliver you

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Will give sight to a blind man?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Will calm the storm with his hand?

Did you know that your baby boy Has walked where angels trod?

When you kiss your little baby You kiss the face of God

Mary, did you know?

The blind will see, the deaf will hear The dead will live again

The lame will leap, the dumb will speak The praises of the Lamb

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Is Lord of all creation?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy Would one day rule the nations?

Did you know that your baby boy Is heaven's perfect Lamb?

That sleeping child you're holding is the great, I Am

Now, personally, I think the song writers ask a good question. Mary did you know? Or, for the sake of this talk, we could ask it a bit differently: How much did Mary know? Did she know the answers to all the questions the songwriters pose…or did she know some answers…or perhaps none?

I think the best place to start in an attempt to answer this question, is with the annunciation…when Gabriel came to tell Mary that she would give birth to a son whom she would call Jesus but who, at the same time, would be called the Son of the Most High. We read over this passage so quickly that we miss something quite startling. Think about this. Mary’s only question is about the method of impregnation. How will this be possible, she asked…I’m a virgin. So, at least we know that, even though she was more than likely only about 14 years of age, she knew how that worked! She knew that in order to have a child, you needed both a man and a woman. Now, please, I am not making a political statement here, I am merely stating the obvious biological necessity…this is the way God created us…without a man somewhere in the picture, a woman cannot get pregnant. And Mary knew that. She was a virgin…she was not married…so how was this prediction to be fulfilled? That was her only question.

Now, in the light of this knowledge, I think it is astounding to hear her respond to Gabriel’s explanation, “I am the Lord’s servant,” she replied. “May everything you have said about me come true.” Whatever we may think of this young girl, she knew that the baby she would bear was no ordinary baby. Note that she never asked the angel about the Holy Spirit or about how he would bring about such a miraculous conception…she did not ask what it meant that the baby to be born was the Son of God. Either she was the most naïve human being that ever walked this planet, or she suffered from a deplorable lack of curiosity, or she actually knew at least something of what Gabriel was talking about. In one sense - in his humanity - the child would be fashioned in the same way as Adam. God himself would take on human form, not out of clay this time, but rather out of the flesh and blood of a woman. And I think, given Mary’s lack of further need for clarification, that she knew that this man to be born from her womb would be the promised seed of a woman…that he would be the fulfilment of God’s promise in the Garden right after Adam and Eve plunged our race into darkness through their disobedience. One day, God had said, the seed of the woman would deal with the demonic usurper by striping him of his stolen authority.

Then there is the meeting between the aunt and the niece. When the older Elizabeth heard the greeting of the younger Mary, the 6-month-old baby in her womb (what is today known as a foetus) leaped for joy…a movement unlike any other she had experienced thus far as she interpreted it as a display of worship not just a shift of foetal position. This in itself is something worthy of meditation and contemplation – that a 6-month-old foetus in one womb could respond to the presence of a month or less old foetus in a different womb. It tells us something about life before birth.

But be that as it may, notice once again Mary’s response to the words of Elizabeth. Mary does not question her as to what she meant by calling her blessed or what she meant by calling her child blessed or what she meant when she referred to her as “the mother of my Lord”. 

As a side note here, someone once stated quite emphatically that he believed Elizabeth did not use the word “Lord” as a title of divinity, but rather as a form of respect, very much like calling a senior male person, ‘sir’. My response then is still the same today…seriously? The text tells us clearly that she was filled with the Holy Spirit and was therefore making a prophetic declaration of some sort, and then at the end of her short speech she once more uses the same word ‘Lord’ to refer clearly to God. No brainer…

But back to my line of reasoning. Note how Mary responded to her aunt’s declaration…she did not disagree nor did she ask all sort of questions, but rather she responded with a hymn of praise and affirmation.

This hymn, known to most of us as the Magnificat, is quite informative. It tells us something about how much Mary really knew. The entire hymn is made up of quotations from several Old Testament texts, some from the Torah and the Psalms, which would be understandable as every Jewish child had memorised at least the Torah and the Psalms by the age of ten, but there are also quotations and allusions to other writings such as from the first book of Samuel, the book of Job, as well as some of the prophets like Isaiah, Micah, and Zephaniah. Clearly, Mary knew more than we often have thought in the past. True, some critics have said that this was Luke exercising extreme poetic license, but that does not concur what Luke says about his own writing in Luke 1:3, that he had carefully investigated everything about Jesus from the beginning and that he had endeavoured to write down an accurate account of these things. So, either the modern-day critics are wrong, or Luke is wrong…I think I would prefer to stick with the Holy Spirit inspired author of the Gospel. 

And then there is that wonderful verse that is often overlooked. Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her home. Now, besides the fact that this seems to be the exact opposite of what we would do if our unmarried teenage daughter got pregnant – Mary went home once she was showing rather than waiting till after the birth – but besides that, she stayed three months with, not only the wife of a priest, but also a righteous and devout woman in her own right who was a direct descendent of the first High Priest of Israel, Aaron himself. Add to this the fact that Elizabeth and Zechariah had had their own angelic visitation and angelic communication, and I think you have the recipe for a very interesting three-month long Bible Study. 

Have you ever wondered what these two women talked about for three months? Surely not about the right amount of salt to throw in the dough for challah or matzos. Ok, maybe they did swap some recipes, but I think these two remarkable women talked about what God was about to do for the world through the children they were bearing in their wombs. 

You know, I wonder if Elizabeth perhaps sent her mute husband to the local synagogue to retrieve the scroll containing the prophecy of Micah…the prophecy we read from today. Maybe they discussed how Mary would be able to have the Child in Bethlehem when she lived in Nazareth. As descendents of David, that was both her and Joseph’s ancestral town, but how would God work it out that they would need to relocate just in time for the birth? I think here we could probably safely assume that Mary did not know that Augustus would soon call for a census that would necessitate such a move. 

But I do wonder if the two women did not study all the messianic prophecies in detail and if they discussed them at length and deliberated how they might be fulfilled. The entire nation was speculating about the advent of the messiah…why would Elizabeth and Mary be any different?

I wonder if they talked about how Jesus would save his people from their sins. It seems clear from what we read in the Gospels that the disciples did not anticipate the crucifixion…that Jesus would give his body as a sacrifice to fulfil the requirement of the Law. But did Mary know? Did Mary know that when she wrapped her baby in the same cloths used by shepherds to prevent the sacrificial lambs birthed in Bethlehem from injury so that they might be without blemish – did she know that when she did this, she was performing a prophetic act that Jesus would be the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world? 

When Simeon, the righteous and devout man who was eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah, declared that Jesus would be a light to the nations, did Mary have any idea of the global spread of the church through mission? Probably not, but have you ever wondered what she made of his comment that a sword would pierce her very soul? Did she recall Simeon’s words when the leaders in Israel began to oppose her son? Could she see the writing on the wall, so to speak, when Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem that one last time? 

Now, although Mary most probably did not know exactly how her son would fulfil all what had been said about him in the words of Gabriel, Elizabeth, Joseph, the Shepherds, Simeon, Anna, and the Magi, Luke tells us that she pondered all these things in her heart. She meditated on them…mulled them over in her mind…contemplated these things.

But regardless of how much she actually knew or how much she actually understood, there is one overriding “knowing” that every follower of her son can learn from. It is simply this. She knew in whom she believed. When faced with what she knew was humanly speaking impossible, she humbly stated: I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be done to me as you have said.

Dearest beloved brethren, none of us know what tomorrow may bring. We all face an uncertain future. And while we may be able to predict a few things based on simple logic, we ultimately do not know if we will take the very next breath. 

But this we do know…together with Mary, we know that our God loves us so much that he was willing to send his one and only son into the world so that, through the sacrifice of his body, we might become the adopted children of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, once for all time.

Let us pray…

© Johannes W H van der Bijl 2021

The First Sunday in Advent - 28 November 2021

The First Sunday in Advent – 28 November 2021

Jeremiah 33:14-16    Psalm 25:1-10    1 Thessalonians 3:9-13     Luke 21:25-36

The True Master and Commander

When I was a lot younger, I believed I could be the master and commander of my own ship…that somehow through hard work, sweat equity, and dogged determination, I could shape my own destiny. But if there is one lesson our ever-gentle Lord has taught me through the passing years it is that there is really only one true master and commander in life and that is Him. 

Perhaps our desire for control…our desire to know all things, even what is hidden…is a holdover from the ridiculous notion of our first parents…that somehow through our own doing, and in their case, disobedient doing, we could make ourselves like God…knowing all things, both good and evil…when, in actual fact, He has already made us like Him. He made humanity, both male and female, in His image so that together we might reflect, not a prideful independence, but a loving, surrendered dependence on Him who knows what we do not need to know…a dependence on Him who alone does all things well.

I have always felt uncomfortable when it comes to prophetic predictions regarding the Second Coming of Jesus. It is a topic that has consumed the time of many good and bad scholars alike, but it is not necessarily a topic that has brought harmony or peace or, dare I say, growth in the church…it is a topic that divides, polarises, and, as a consequence, stifles or even smothers growth. I much prefer to follow the words of Jesus in Acts 1:7 – “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority.” 

You see, we have to learn that there is only one master and commander in life, and we would do well to trust Him to deal with the unknown in His time. 

Now, Jesus’ statement in the opening chapter of the book of Acts was, no doubt, as disappointing for His first century followers as it is for His modern want-to-know-the-signs-of-the-times followers, but He quickly added what ought to be our priority. “You will receive power,” He said, “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We are not called to be speculators…even expert ones…no, we are called to be witnesses. His timeless message is simple: we are not to speculate but to participate…to participate in His work to seek and to save the lost. 

Speculating on the signs of the times is nothing new. Even in the first century there were all sorts of rumours doing the rounds…rumours and challenges. Some of the non-believing Jews were openly mocking the believers…where is the sign of his coming, they taunted. Jesus had predicted that the vestiges of the old order would be destroyed, but 30 odd years later, Jerusalem and the Temple were both still standing, and the unbelieving Jews had power to persecute the Jewish and non-Jewish followers of Jesus. 

Now, 30 odd years is a long time to wait for the fulfilment of a prophetic promise, don’t you think? So, we can be generous in our judgment of the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews and, indeed, the recipients of other New Testament letters, when we read that some Jewish believers were wondering if somehow, they had made a mistake in following Jesus. Where was the sign of His coming? Little did they know that in a very short space of time, the words of Jesus would be fulfilled in horrific detail…by AD 70 Jerusalem would be surrounded by Roman armies, the Temple would be burned to the ground, every stone would be prised off the other to get the melted gold out from between the cracks, and by AD 135, the Romans would rebuild Jerusalem as a Roman City, by the name of Aelia Capitolonia. 

Our impatient first century brethren were to learn that there is only one true master and commander in life…and He has His own timetable.

You see, the first century believers had His promises…just like we have His promises. And they, like some of us, were tempted to think that they could figure out His schedule…speculate on His timing…or worse, try to manipulate Him through brilliant rhetoric or imaginative mathematical or astronomical calculations. 

When Jesus spoke out His judgement on Jerusalem, He was quoting liberally from Scriptures His followers knew all too well. Remember, every Jew knew the Torah and the Psalms by heart before the age of ten, and most of the other Scriptures too, especially the messianic prophecies, as they belonged to an oral society where everything was committed to memory. 

And because messiah fever was alive and well before, during, and after the time of Jesus, prophecies such as the one we read from Jeremiah, and the prophecy from Daniel quoted by Jesus in our Gospel reading, were the talk of the day. In fact, quite a few Jews tried to take matters into their own hands, claiming the title messiah for themselves, leading bands of misguided men in revolt against the monolith of Rome, only to be dispatched mercilessly as only the Romans could…wholesale slaughter and crucifixion for the survivors. 

So, we need to learn a lesson from our first century brethren. We would do well to remember that there is only one true master and commander in life and he holds all time in His hands. If He says the days are coming when he will fulfil a promise he has made, they are coming and they will come, but not necessarily when we want them to or how we want them to.

The Psalms teach us a few things about crying out to God for the fulfilment of His promises and then waiting for Him to answer in due course. Notice the words the Psalmist uses in our Psalm for today. In you I put my trust…do not let those who wait on you be put to shame…lead me…teach me…for on you I wait all day long. The Psalmist teaches us that we can wait because our God is merciful, forgiving, upright, good, loving, and faithful. 

I know, waiting is not easy…not even for the stoically patient…of which I am not one. We want to know…because we think that somehow knowing will make us feel better…more prepared…more in control…

Now, today is the first day in the short season of Advent, and for the first two Sundays in Advent we focus our attention on our Lord’s Second Coming. But Advent is not a time for speculation…it is a time for preparation for participation. Like the prophets in the Old Testament, we too are heralds of our God’s present and coming rule and reign. They looked forward to His first coming…we look forward to His second coming. But like them, we too do not know the day and the hour, because it is not for us to know…it is for us to trust and it is for us to obey. 

There is only one master and commander in life…we are only sailors and deckhands on His ship. We live to serve Him and to do what He asks us to do…to be witnesses to His love, His care, His power, His mercy, His grace, His kindness, His compassion, His forgiveness and His redemption. We live to stand firm in the Lord…we live by faith, even in the midst of distress and persecution…we live to love…to love God with all our being and to love our neighbour as ourselves. If we concentrate on obeying the great commandments, we simply will not have time for idle speculation or for debates or conspiracy theories. There is a good reason why fortune telling is forbidden in Scripture…it is contrary to faith.

God alone knows what lies ahead…He alone knows the future…and who better to lead us on into the future than the one who holds that future in his hands?

Now, this does not mean that we are to be fatalists. No, we of all people ought to look to the future…to actively participate on bringing the blessed reality of that future to bear on our present…to yearn for the time when our Lord will bring an end to all suffering and pain and struggle and hardship and hatred and sin. We ought to work toward that end because we are the ones who have His light so that we might shine out that light in the present darkness…we are the salt of the earth…to be fatalistically idle would be akin to losing our saltiness. 

So we pray, we petition the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers into His harvest field, we press onward and upward to attain the promise that is ours in Jesus, we strive to walk in His truth, we learn, we trust, we wait…but we do not direct, we do not dictate, we do not presume, we do not speculate…because there is only one master and commander in life, and we live to serve Him.

Of course, this does not make us puppets in the hands of a divine puppeteer. Not at all! The Apostle Paul did not hesitate to express desires for things that were outside of his control, and so we too have the freedom to express ourselves in petitions and prayers. And often we need to persist in prayer for days, weeks, months, or even years…but we persist in faith that He who knows what is best for us, He whose thoughts toward us are for good only, He whose plans for us are to prosper us and to give us a future, He who alone has the ability to work all things together for the good of those who love Him…we persist in faith that He knows the when and the where and the what and the how and the why in all matters. And we rest in that…

© Johannes W H van der Bijl November 2021

IMPORTANT UPDATE

Johann and Louise: Training Disciples to Make Disciples in Southern Africa Our SAMS IT staff have been working on fixing the giving links for our missionary account. Now all the links are fixed so browsers won’t send up security alerts. What they did was take out the hyphen in the giving link where sams-usa is. So our new giving link is now: https://give.samsusa.org/missionary/johann-and-louise-vanderbijl It is only one hyphen - the one between "SAMS" and "USA" - that has been removed. Louise and I pray for you all daily. We are so grateful to each one who prays for us and supports us financially and otherwise. You are a blessing to us and very much appreciated.   All our love Johann and Louise Support Us Johann and Louise spent two years helping to develop the St. Frumentius Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia. At present, they are mostly working in Southern Africa where they are serving in seven southern African countries, although they continue to work with the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa as well as other southern and northern African countries, through engaging in a disciple making movement in order to grow the body of Christ. They are partnering with J-Life and other like-minded ministries. This ministry is massive and has the ability to reach thousands. We are sent  through the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, a missionary sending community, engaging in building relationships with the worldwide church to experience the broken restored, the wounded healed, the hungry fed, and the lost found through the love and power of Jesus Christ.  Support SAMS Copyright © 2016 Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, All rights reserved. www.sams-usa.org      Our mailing address is: PO Box 399 Ambridge PA 15003 Attention to: Johann and Louise van der Bijl Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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May News

Johann and Louise: Training Disciples to Make Disciples in Southern Africa Psalm 23 is without a doubt one of the best-known Psalms. Even folks who do not follow Jesus know it or snippets of it. The Psalm of the Good Shepherd King.   I can’t tell you how many times I have read, recited, chanted, and sung this Psalm in my life. But it was only recently that it struck me that the same Good Shepherd who tenderly leads the flock in his care to places of rest and restoration…still, cool pools of refreshing water and lush, verdant, nutritious pastures where the very core of each lamb is fully restored…this same Shepherd also leads his flock through the deepest, darkest, life-threatening valleys of life. However, the fact remains that while the topography and environment may change, the Shepherd is still leading, guiding, protecting, and providing the very best for the flock in His care.   There is a banquet table prepared there, set within the context of dire peril…in the very presence of the things and the people who seek to do us harm…like the thieves and robbers in the parable of the Good Shepherd. But on this lavishly laid table, indeed in the very midst of this table, stands a Cup or a Chalice, if you will, that is not only full of God’s very best blessings, but it is overflowing.   The Psalm ends by revealing to us the certain hope that is unshakeable and irremovable for those who trust the leading of the Shepherd wherever regardless of the setting or the situation. There is no doubt in the mind of the Psalmist. He dwells in the home of the Almighty Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, and King of all that exists.   The end of 2019, the whole of 2020, and the beginning of 2021 has been the deepest, darkest, most life-threatening valley through which we as a couple have been led by our Good Shepherd King. But while the storms raged and the flood waters threatened to engulf us and drag us under, He was right there by our side…invisible, often imperceptible…at times the sense of isolation and loneliness was almost crushing…but He was present, nonetheless.   It seems, this Good Shepherd King has seen fit to bring us through this period of dangerous vulnerability into a place of tranquillity once again. Because of the timely intervention of our wise and discerning leadership in SAMS-USA and other dear, caring friends, we are now in a place where we can rest and be restored. We will be here for a while. While we do long to see you all and spend memorable moments with you, it is best that for the moment we stay reposing on the lawn of His compassion. Pray with us that His Cup of blessing and kindness may sustain us and heal us on every level.   The good news is that Breakfast on the Beach will be published in June, God willing. We will let you know when it is available.   Louise did an outstanding job on writing a grant proposal for the Tools4Life centre in Villiersdorp and we trust that their leadership and their board members will continue to explore the possibilities in her absence. I am very proud of my wife.   Thank you for being part of our support system. May our gracious Lord bless you even more than you bless us.   With all our love and prayers Johann and Louise Support Us Johann and Louise spent two years helping to develop the St. Frumentius Seminary in Gambella, Ethiopia. At present, they are mostly working in Southern Africa where they are serving in seven southern African countries, although they continue to work with the Diocese of Egypt, North Africa, and the Horn of Africa as well as other southern and northern African countries, through engaging in a disciple making movement in order to grow the body of Christ. They are partnering with J-Life and other like-minded ministries. This ministry is massive and has the ability to reach thousands. We are sent  through the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, a missionary sending community, engaging in building relationships with the worldwide church to experience the broken restored, the wounded healed, the hungry fed, and the lost found through the love and power of Jesus Christ.  Support SAMS Copyright © 2016 Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders, All rights reserved. www.sams-usa.org      Our mailing address is: PO Box 399 Ambridge PA 15003 Attention to: Johann and Louise van der Bijl Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

This email was sent to Vanderbijl@gmail.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences SAMS-USA · PO Box 399 · Ambridge, PA 15003-0399 · USA