Lent for Ordinary People-Lent 3 2012 Jesus loses his rag with the bankers

This Sundays reading rings a close chord with today! Jesus lost his rag with the bankers! He cleaned out the temple in Jerusalem of market traders, pigeon sellers and money changers. You can imagine the noise and caflufel! 

There was an economic network of curtain makers, barbers, incense manufacturers, goldsmiths, trench diggers,, shewbread bakers. It was a racketeering issue with ruling class interest. Maybe some parallels with the banks and the City today? The temple fundamentally was an economic institution that dominated Jerusalem. Again as the financial sector dominates UK economy. Greek or Roman money had to be changed into temple or Tryian coinage for temple dues. There were other money changers, bankers. Doves were sold to the poor and widows, women, lepers, who were considered unclean by the law and were made to pay for it.

Jesus also had an issue with anyone carrying a vessel through the temple. He basically caused all business to be suspended for the day-at a loss to the markets! In the Old Testament the prophet  Isaiah (56) speaks of an inclusive Israel, of giving justice to foreigners who were marginalized and to the dispossessed and outsiders. The thieves or robbers Jesus refers to are social bandits, the government! Unless exploitation of the poor stops, the temple will be destroyed. And it was!

Jesus attacks the underlying political economy of the temple economy that exploits the poor. His actions upset the temple authorities who depended on the sale of those sacrificial victims and the exchange of money to lubricate their coffers. Prophets were associated with miracles so the Jewish authorities demand a miracle to explain his actions. His answer indicates that despite his anger he does not believe that God lives in buildings alone. The Temple of God he alludes to in his reply is of course his body and by implication our bodies (and the implications of that take some swallowing) which will be resurrected in 3 days. The Jewish authorities are scandalized by his response and fail to understand what he is talking about. And despite his following in Jerusalem, Jesus intuitively knew he could not trust the people. Time would tell that he was right.

Often our holy places are not places of prayer but are cold reminders of a bygone age or are let out, sold for other purposes. We desperately need places to pray-and if churches should be anything they should be those places-and places of justice like the protest outside Sty Pauls. Whose side should the church be on, should we be on at this time of terrible in justice for so many people? 

The story also speaks to us of the passion of Jesus, his anger, his righteous indignation. We need that passion as a channel to energise our fight against the injustices and abuses we are now daily surrounded by. Are we going to let our apathy see the NHS and the Welfare State destroyed as appears to be the case? Anger is a sign that something is wrong, recognising that and using it rather than getting depressed is essential for our well being and that of families, our society and our world.

Lent for Ordinay People-Lent 2 Mark 8

Who do people say that I am?

Who are you?  

The question of who you are is more important today than ever before. Are you employed or unemployed, from a well off family or not? Are you a woman or a man, are you black or white, are you a Muslim or a Christian? The answer to these questions will determine your place in British society and in the world. Jesus was a Middle Eastern, Jewish, young male, unmarried. He was an itinerant rabbi, a miracle worker-today how would he have been regarded? The Jews at the time of the life of Jesus were expecting a particular person who had a definite identity or so they thought. They were expecting the Jewish Messiah, a saviour who would lead them, a strong leader who would throw off the yoke of the Romans under whose rule the Palestinians lived. If you want evidence for this then you will find it in the caves of Qumran.

Peter’s confession at Ceasaria Philippi (now known as Banais, on the borders of Lebanon) is a turning point. The statues of to the Greek God Pan can still be seen there and people sit and eat their sandwiches on them. Its there that Jesus asks, “Who do people say that I am?” It wasn’t normal for rabbis to ask questions of their pupils but this rabbi did. He asked them to test out the water, to find out the gossip. And they told him, Elijah or Jeremiah, John the Baptist or a prophet returned from the dead. Then he asks them who they thought he was and immediately Peter says “The Messiah, the Son of the living God!”. It’s a shocking answer! Its blasphemy at the time but he says it. He doesn’t deny it and so we presume it is true. And with that recognition, comes a passing on of the inheritance we remember on Ash Wednesday, the inheritance in this case of authority to bind and loose. Finally they are told to keep quiet because this knowledge is dangerous. You only tell those you trust with your life, such things.

The question Jesus poses is a juxtaposition between who do you think I am and who I know I am? “Who do you say that I am”? Jesus asked this question of his closest disciples, one of the few of such questions recorded. Why did he ask it? He asks this question, “on the way”. As for all of us we learn as we journey, as we are traveling on in life. The question relates back to Mark 6. Peter knew who Jesus was-the Christ, the Messiah. But Jesus’ knows that this means he is someone who has come to challenge the authority of the religious powers the scribes and Pharisees and because of it he will be condemned and executed, Peters understanding of Messiah is different and so he reacts and in turn is fiercely rebuked.

Where have you come from?

Where have you come from and where are you going? Jesus came from a humble background, poor people.

Where are you going?

The prophesies in the Old Testament about this coming Messiah are ambiguous. He would be a warrior king, he would be a servant of God, humble, a bruised reed he would not break, such was his gentleness. His life is in danger because of who he is. Its political. Dont mix religion and politics! He will suffer and die, and on the third day be raised from the dead. Its fantastic. No wonder Peter intervenes only to be rebuked by Jesus and to be accused of colluding with Satan.

Who people say you are?

If you look at the person next to you it maybe that you can tell me who that person is, what are their main personality traits or quirks, what are their likes and dislikes. What you say may be linked to their work because in our society we place a great deal of emphasis on work. Work in our society could become your total identity and when you cease working in paid employment you cease to have a role, an identity-very relevant at the moment. Many people have become invisible and they dont know who they are because they have no work. In other cultures you have a role simply because of your gender or place in the family or caste. But none of that answers the real question of who are you?

To say to someone that you are a Christian means two things take place. Firstly people quickly reflect on what being a Christian means, a nuisance, a do-gooder perhaps, a good Samaritan, a nice person, patient, someone who gives money out, is loving and so on. Then they look at you and ask themselves if you fit the bill and inevitably you probably at some point dont. The point is that if we are going to openly identify ourselves as Christians, we have a standard against which we are set and it is a very high one and we will fail.

When Jesus asked the disciples “Who do you think I am?” They were engaging in a similar exercise. Prophets went about prophesying the future and did strange things. Maybe he’s a prophet. But Peter knew the prophesies concerning the Jewish Messiah and he matched Jesus with them. Its funny how the religious leaders did the same and came up with a different answer. Peter knew and was right that Jesus was the Messiah. A point contested by most Jews to this day. What he did not know was the implications of this and at this point his perception of Messiah was wrong.

Who are you really?

Jesus knows who he is and where it will lead despite Peters protestations. Do you? Do you know how your life will pan out? Your calling? What God wants you to do? We all have a distinct identity given to us by God and a destiny with that identity. Nobody else’s life will be like ours.We are unique. God given. We too all have an identity and a destiny and the two are inexplicably interlinked. The closer we get to finding out who we really are, the closer we get to God, and to our God given destiny. Who are you and where are you going in this life that God has given you?

Identity

This question of who you are your identity is something we cant ignore. Look at the move from multiculturalism to separate ethnicidentities. Look at the movement away from ecumenism. In each case there is a reaction to a unified identity(metanarrative-the big picture story) back to micronarratives-the smaller stories.

The growth of churches of ethnic churches indicate this same process. Who you are matters. Difference matters. God is in our stories, our contexts, the local story. This is a time for stories.Your story matters.

Jesus knew who he was and what that would mean for his life. It is a fundamental challenge to all of us. Do you know who you are and what that meansfor your life and the direction it will take?

And this man can I trust him, this Jew who was followed by dirtyfisherman and tax collectors and lepers? This Jesus, a man born into a particular place in Israel? A Jewish man, teaching a variant of Judaism of the day. Some people cannot identify Jesus as a Jew even today! Can I as an educated white western woman in the C21^st really trust him? Does he represent me as he did the common people of the land, the hamarez. And as ordinary women, prostitutes and even rich women followed him, can I too with integrity?

We like Jesus are each on a journey, to discover who we are and what God wants from us, a pilgrimage through our own wilderness, deserts, with mirages,oasis and strange guides.In the desert, wilderness times, we will face ourselves in temptation and danger from wild beasts, from principalities and demonic powers, but also experience ministering angels. If we survive the wilderness experience, we will have forged a new identity, ready for the plan that God has for us.

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Lent for Ordinary People-Ash Wednesday

During the service for Ash Wednesday a cross is drawn on your forehead in ash and we are reminded that from dust we have come and to dust we will return. So begins Lent.

Ash Wednesday is about  repentance. Repentence in the Greek of Jesus' day doesnt just mean saying sorry, it means a change of direction. Not just words but a change of intention. We can all do with time for self reflection to get us back to our own "true North".

In the Old Testament, Amos speaks  of the inevitability of God's judgment on a
society that turns it's back on humility before God and tramples the poor, by laying burdens on them in the form of taxes, taxes on food. How appropriate for today in Britain! Judgement will come on the rich, says the prophet, on the leaders, the powerful, who have turned away from humility to a life of materialism and comfort, who have turned away from caring, to feather their own
nests. Such times are evil says Amos. As for the wise, the godly, he tells them to follow goodness and not evil "that you may live" with echoes of Deuteronomy -"Choose life!". There's a health warning here, and a promise-if you seek good, God will be with you. If you seek justice, God will be with you.

In the well known story of the prodigal son, the father is like God. He has riches, inheritance to give and he shares it out with his sons. One chooses to live wildly-that is his choice. He is like some of us, maybe. He is like our society. Live, drink and be merry! He runs out of money and becomes a begger, scrounging the pigs food and finally he comes to his senses and returns to his father. Similarly we have been given an inheritance, our faith is an inheritance and as God's people we can squander it; our society has been given an inheritance and we can end up selling it off. The NHS, the Welfare State. Will we return to God as the son returned to his father?

Jesus cries from the cross "Father forgive them, for they dont know what they are doing".
In these words there is the recognition by Jesus that what we do is inevitably short of the mark. We are always messing things up. We can all look back and realize our failings. We are all capable of
crucifying Jesus in our own way by losing that humility, of relationship of the creator to the created one, losing the sense of the sacred, the sense of the divine image within us. And so becoming Godless.

And so we say sorry. Not just for the big mistakes, the mistakes we inherit as part of a flawed humanity but also for our individual failings; for our capacity to treat others whoever they maybe as less than ourselves. We create in this way-fragmentation, an unloving, competitive people who neither care for one another or their neighbours. We may excuse our behaviour but God does not. And we cant help it!

And we accept that in some way that we may not fully understand Christ has made an atonement for us and we can be at peace. Forgiven. Whatever we have done. We can make a new beginning, a returning, like a lost wayward child, to make amends, like the prodigal son, to make our peace with God, the God whose mantle covers us all and who we worship ....fitfully.

"Teach us to sit still
Our peace in His will...
And let my cry come unto Thee." Ash Wednesday, T.S.Elliot. 1930.

Lent for Ordinary People-Shrove Tuesday 2 Pancake recipes including one low fat

Pancakes with sugar and lemon Ingredients 110g/4oz plain flour, sifted pinch of salt 2 eggs 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water 50g/2oz butter or marg, sugar, lemon wedges, lemon juice Preparation Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl with a sieve held high above the bowl so the flour gets an airing. Now make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs - any sort of whisk or even a fork will do - incorporating any bits of flour from around the edge of the bowl as you do so. Next gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, still whisking (don't worry about any lumps as they will eventually disappear as you whisk). When all the liquid has been added, use a rubber spatula to scrape any elusive bits of flour from around the edge into the centre, then whisk once more until the batter is smooth, with the consistency of thin cream. Now melt the 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 tbsp of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl and use it to lubricate the pan, using a wodge of kitchen paper to smear it round before you make each pancake. Now get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium and, to start with, do a test pancake to see if you're using the correct amount of batter. I find 2 tbsp is about right for an 18cm/7in pan. It's also helpful if you spoon the batter into a ladle so it can be poured into the hot pan in one go. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook; you can lift the edge with a palette knife to see if it's tinged gold as it should be. Flip the pancake over with a pan slice or palette knife - the other side will need a few seconds only - then simply slide it out of the pan onto a plate. Stack the pancakes as you make them between sheets of greaseproof paper on a plate fitted over simmering water, to keep them warm while you make the rest. To serve, sprinkle each pancake with freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar, fold in half, then in half again to form triangles, or else simply roll them up. Serve sprinkled with a little more sugar and lemon juice and extra sections of lemon. Low Fat Version Basic pancake batter
5 minutes to prepare | 30 minutes to cook | Makes 12 pancakes
Sift 125g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 egg and 300ml skimmed milk until smooth. Heat an 18cm (7in) frying pan over a high heat. Add 1 tbsp sunflower oil and swirl to coat. Tip the oil into a heatproof container. Ladle 3 tbsp of the batter into the pan, swirling it round to coat the base. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the underside is golden. Loosen the edges with a palette knife and flip over. Cook the second side until golden.
Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter, separating each cooked pancake with baking paper.