MustardSeed Talks

God becomes present in time and space and amongst humanity. The divine presence in the form of a baby - a universal symbol of dependence and vulnerability. The paradox of the Nativity is that the baby in the manger has the potential to draw from human hearts the very divine love of which the Messiah is an expression. The only appropriate response to a totally dependent baby is self-giving love. Self-giving Love is the most tangible experience of the presence of God we can have. The Nativity is an invitation to know the love of God. How are you responding to that invitation?

An angel visits a young woman and brings her news she would have barely understood and even more… struggled to accept. Mary did not see herself as anyone special. As far as the usual indicators go, Mary was not anyone special. It was somewhat incongruous to her that she had been considered a ‘favoured one’. The angel tells Mary she is being entrusted with a world shaping responsibility. Her response is simply to acknowledge her humble station and declare herself available.

Isaiah’s anticipation of Messiah is the clearest picture of God coming among the people offered by any of the Hebrew prophets. In this particular vision (Isaiah 40:1-11), Isaiah sees a new way opening for the people of God. Not just the people of God… but for all people everywhere! This new way is the eternal way. It was once hidden (since the foundation of the world). It is revealed by God’s Messiah. It is a gentle, grace-filled, healing way. A way that enables one to see all things clearly. A way that can be clearly seen by all. This is the self-giving way of Jesus.

Isaiah’s vision (Isa 64:1-9) of God making an actual appearance on earth has prescient hints of apocalypse. The heavens torn asunder. Mountains quaking! The advent of Jesus birth might (at first) seem far less earth shattering. In actual fact, Jesus’ arrival does mark the moment in human history where the unquestioned assumptions of the ways of this world were shattered. Might is no longer assumed to be right. We now go to great lengths to hear the cry of victims. Forgiveness has been revealed as more powerful than vengeance. In what ways has the advent of Jesus rocked your world?

When Jesus tells his story of welcome and judgement (aka the sheep and the goats) it is sensible for him to make use of the popular concepts of God’s acceptance and rejection that existed in the minds of his audience. We would be foolish to get caught up with the evocative imagery of eternal fire and miss the point of the story. Jesus wants his hearers to be aware that the way we live our lives matter! Even if we are not completely aware of what is going on, how we live tells us about what we want. What we want tells us about what we value. What we value tells us about what we truly believe. What is your life telling you about what you believe?

When Jesus tell his folksy little stories, he is not seeking to entertain his audience. He always wants to provoke something within them. In today’s story about the servants given responsibility with their master’s assets, it seems Jesus wants his audience to reflect on the way they engage in the world. The characters might read more like caricatures, but they drive home the distinction between fearfulness and faithfulness. Which one do you tend to identify yourself with?

Jesus tells a story of a familiar cultural event in the life of any community (in this case, a wedding) and turns it into an all-of-life lesson. He does so by retaining all the familiar elements of a wedding event story, and then popping in a couple of details that were truly shocking to his first hearers. To involve one's self in the welcoming of the bridal party and yet to neglect the most basic preparation would be a slap in the face to the bride and groom. The groom's apparent response to this neglect by the five young women was to reflect back to them the level of engagement their own actions indicated. He shuts them out! Wow... weddings can certainly get tense!

The Pharisees were supposed to guide the people of God in the way they should live in response to the grace of God. As is the way of people, they got more caught up with performing for the gaze of the community than living from gratitude for the grace of God. Religious leaders have an inordinate amount of power to influence the lives of those keen to live in response to God - St Paul would later write that leaders will be judged more harshly as a consequence. Leaders are meant to be models - again St Paul would subsequently write “follow me as I follow Christ”. Who would you say is the most powerful model for you in your own life?

Jesus frequently challenges the customary way of seeing things. In his story about the workers (Matt 20:1-16), it at first seems like the workers that got hired last end up with the better deal. But is it so simple as that? All the workers get a fair day’s pay. All the workers get what they need to live. Some of the workers do more work than the others. This is where we are inclined to consider things to be unfair. But what about when we consider the life benefits of fruitful employment - not simply the payment for services rendered, but the impact of making a meaningful contribution to the life of the community? There are things that have value beyond the dollar value. What do you value the most?

Many people wrestle with the area of forgiveness… particularly if the wrong suffered has been deeply traumatic and issued in ongoing suffering emotionally and/or physically. Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18:21-35 does not seek to address all the dynamics of the process of forgiveness. Jesus is simply stating that being someone who forgives is the best and most appropriate way to do life. Forgiveness is at the heart of the Good News. It is the relational dynamic that sets people free. Our capacity to participate in this spirit of forgiveness is indicative of the extent to which we have appropriated forgiveness in our own lives.

Most of the time we like to keep to our own business and have others keep to their own. We generally neither welcome the involvement of others into our personal lives, nor do we seek to get too involved in anyone else’s. In a culture such as this, how do we understand Jesus’ teaching about mutual accountability? How can we live well alongside those we care about and both be open to receive, and offer to give, useful feedback that strengthens the individual and the community? The hope of the gospel is bigger than everyone simply getting on with their individual lives and keeping out of each other’s way. There is a call to know others and be known by others in such a way that strengthens the whole community.

Jesus does not rebuke those trapped by their own destructive behaviours. He rebukes those who would trap others with their unfounded and misguided confidence about what is right or true. Peter does not realise what he is doing when he seeks to ‘correct’ Jesus’ understanding of his destiny. Peter seems to think he knows better than Jesus how to look after things… where they should be headed. The good news is good news (in part) because it is so different from the familiar ways and the established order of things. Jesus’ way challenges long-held beliefs about the way things work. How about you? Is your mind set on the established way of the world or the ways of God?

Walking on the water has (in popular thought) become almost synonymous with being divine (how else could a person walk on water, right?!). For those who have responded to Jesus invitation to come to him, it becomes obvious that following Jesus shares many of the dynamics of walking on water. As Jesus' followers, we participate in the miraculous overcoming of the way things normally function in the world. But we must keep our eyes resolutely fixed on Jesus, lest we lose our way.

When Jesus directed his disciples to feed the crowds by the water, he was not simply wanting to attend to their immediate need for a meal. He was offering them the opportunity to taste the richness of kingdom life. As the disciples and the people offered what they had and shared it freely among the group, a miracle of the kingdom occurred. Not only did everyone get fed… there was more than enough. Scholars still tussle over whether the miracle was the multiplication of the food or the unprecedented generosity of all present to share freely what they had - both would be miraculous in their own right. Either way… with Christ’s blessing: Resources + Generosity = Kingdom Abundance!

Paul encountered many challenges in his following of Jesus. Just one of these would be enough to stop many of us in our tracks. Paul was so enamoured of God's grace, he could not help but keep going despite the challenges. The fact that nothing can separate us from the love of God clearly does not equal an easy life! Then what does it mean?!

When Zaccheus comes hoping to see Jesus, the enthusiasm Zac shows for catching a glimpse of Jesus is subsequently matched by the enthusiastic response Zac shows to having met Jesus. We get a sense that Zaccheus is so grateful to Jesus for the acceptance that has been shown, that Zac would hold nothing back in response to this love. The measure by which we give is the clearest indicator of the measure by which we have received. Zac knew he had received more than he could have ever hoped for. How do you understand what you have received from Jesus?

When it comes to the impact of the message of God's kingdom, there are a number of factors that are to be taken into consideration. Crucial among these is the receptivity of the one hearing the message. When a person receives this message appropriately it never fails to be fruitful and to have a multiplying effect. What has been your response to the message of the kingdom?

People are complex, are they (we) not?! At times we do stuff for reasons we can not fathom ourselves. Sometimes we even find ourselves inexplicably drawn to doing the exact opposite of the thing we tell ourselves we want to be doing. Paul was no stranger to the conundrums of his humanity. He did not pretend he had magically overcome the challenges of his flesh. But he did have a clear sense of where assistance could be found. Ironically, the way forward is not found in the arena of self-help. It is found only when we look beyond self.

In the time of Abraham, there was nothing remarkable about a father going up a mount to sacrifice his first born. Archeological research indicates the religious practice of infant sacrifice was virtually universal in that day. The remarkable part of this story is that Abraham does NOT sacrifice Isaac. In the culture of his day this would be tantamount to putting the whole community at risk. It was a bold and outrageous move of faith by Abraham. Today we live in the cultural heritage of Abraham’s remarkable faith. I am so thankful Abraham heard the voice of God calling him to bring an end to this evil practice. I wonder what evil God is calling us to bring an end to?

The truth is not always comfortable. In the passage from Matthew’s gospel (10:24-39) we look at today, Jesus unashamedly addresses a number of challenges that will confront the faithful disciple. What are we to expect as we seek to live as followers of Jesus? If Jesus’ coming does not bring peace but a sword, what are we to do? The found life will be lost and the lost life will be found?! These riddles point to a kingdom that is beyond our capacity to even imagine! As we follow Jesus the reality is revealed.

The disciples met with the risen Jesus at a prearranged location to find out ‘what next?’ Matthew’s gospel tells us that some worshipped Jesus and some doubted him. This detail not only adds to the authenticity of the account, but it also helps us identify with the disciples. Jesus, for his part, shows no sign of being put-off by either response. He draws near and reassures the group before providing clear instruction on what they are to do next. As we gather this morning… some will doubt while others worship (and some will doubt and worship at the same time). Be assured that Jesus draws near to us regardless and has something very important for us to be involved with.

Looking for what you need but do not have in yourself (being thirsty) and hoping Jesus can offer you that which you need (coming to Jesus) appear to be prerequisites for receiving the life-giving rivers of living water of which Jesus speaks. Water sustains life. It refreshes. It allows new things to grow. In the region of Palestine - where water is rarely found in abundance - it is considered invaluable! Jesus promises access to unlimited life-giving potential. This is a very good thing!

Often, the waiting is the hardest part of any given process. It can make us feel helpless, perhaps even impotent… at the mercy of the passing of time. The disciples had just begun to come to terms with the possibility that Jesus may have risen, when he is gone again. His parting words do not confirm their hopes and expectations. On the contrary, Jesus is disturbingly unreassuring regarding what the disciples thought might happen next. It will be a week before the Holy Spirit comes in power. A week of waiting and wondering. A week of uncertainty and yet hope. A week in which I suspect those first disciples prayed like they had never prayed before.

Jesus promises to send us another advocate… the Spirit of Truth. This advocate (in addition to Jesus - who advocates for us at God’s right hand - Rom 8:34) defends us against accusations from within us! Truth is often paradoxical in nature. People are generally both more guilty and more innocent than we are willing to recognise. Our sense of guilt and innocence are easily misplaced. As we live with the Advocate/Spirit of Truth instructing us, we live ever more profoundly into intimacy with God. Both held by God’s love and being a living expression of it.

Jesus’ pronouncement, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” has sometimes been regarded as controversial on account of its apparent exclusivity. After all, surely there are other ways, more truth and different lives?! Some evangelists have used this same saying as a key part of their pitch to get more people to join their group. The fear of missing out (FOMO) can be powerfully manipulative. There is so much more in these few well chosen words of Jesus. Let us dive deeply into them…

The early church in Jerusalem experienced an unprecedented explosion of good will. Good will among its members and hangers-on, and good will with all the people in the community. This was no accident. There were core values and core activities that provided the fertile context for the rich experience the early Jerusalem church shared. This morning we hope to learn from what they discovered... and the church has sought to recover ever since.

In the grief and strangeness of the aftermath of Jesus' death and disappearance/resurrection, two of his followers struggling to make sense of the recent events, depart the scene of the drama to get on with their lives. On the road they meet a man who recasts the meaning of all that has occurred. The man teaches from the scriptures in a way they have not heard before. He makes sense of their experience and everything begins to change. Suddenly they realize who this man is... and just as suddenly he is gone. What does not disappear is the conviction that Jesus' death on the cross was no accident of history. It was the fulfillment of all that had been spoke in the Law and the Prophets.

Thomas initially misses the opportunity to come face to face with the Risen-Crucified Jesus. His doubt is both natural and understandable. Adrian help us understand the growth-full purpose of doubt, and how we can support one another through the various challenges and transitions of faith we will walk through in life.

In his letters to various churches, St Paul makes use of the categories of 'Flesh' and 'Spirit, representing two competing approaches to engaging life. 'Flesh' does not mean simply our physical bodies. It means the system of values, desires and priorities that dominate our decision making when survival is our primary motivation. 'Spirit', on the other hand, refers to the Spirit of Christ. This means putting into practice the values, desires and priorities we see in the life of Christ. The most remarkable thing is that following Jesus brings new life even to our mortal bodies!

There is a good deal of comfort in the words of Psalm 23. The notion of someone who has our best interests at heart is genuinely wonderful. A companion who will not just accompany us, but lead us in the best path, has the potential to guide us away from a great deal of unnecessary hardship and pain. But the Lord as our Shepherd does not mean we avoid the valley of the shadow of death. It means our shepherd walks with us through it. Neither does it mean that we have no enemies, or even that we can avoid such people. Rather, this shepherd prepares a table that enables intimate engagement with those we would normally seek to avoid. The path to abundance is often not the one we would choose if left to our own devices!

One of the fundamental requirements for life is hope. Without hope, we would not get up again after the inevitable first stumble. When we are younger, we are nurtured by the hope of those who care for us. As we go on in life, hope is something that grows (in varying degrees) within us. St Paul plots the formation of hope in this mornings reading (Romans 5:1-11). It suggests a kind of parallel to the way antibodies are developed to fight pathogens in the body. As we encounter something that we must overcome we are provided with the opportunity for our hope to be strengthened. Life is full of challenges. Ultimately, this can serve us well. It is the breeding ground for the hope that does not disappoint!

In some traditions theologians invent a chasm between what God was doing in the stories of the Hebrew scriptures and the stories of the gospels and epistles. The notion of ‘old testament’ and ‘new testament’ are a (ummm) testament to this invented chasm. In reality, there is a continuity and a full flowering that occurs. We see in today’s reading from Romans 4:1-17, St Paul anchors the notion of salvation by grace through faith in the earliest responder to the call of God… Abraham. God is (and has been and will be) actively calling to each and every generation. The call is always the call of grace. The only appropriate response is the response of trust in God’s grace.

We see all kinds of types of people around these days. The hipsters with the big beards (did we reach peak beard yet?) are just one of the more recent expression of the ages old practice of people following each other. When I was younger the punks were pretty big for a while. There were also goths and e-mos. Well before that, sharpies and greasers and… the list goes on. Did people spontaneously and all at the same time decide to cut their hair a particular way and wear certain types of clothes? Even if they thought that’s what they were doing, the reality is they were following someone else. Our reading from Romans 5:12-19 offers us two types that we can follow. The one you choose will tell you about yourself and what you hope for.

Some themes in history appear to be repeated over and over as generations pass and the cultural memory fades. Hard learned lessons apparently need to be hard learned yet again. So, the psalmist's words about the upheaval of nations, conspiring rulers and the loosing of the bonds of civil constraint are as relevant today as ever. And so is the psalmist's insight about where life that stands in, through and beyond this upheaval is to be discovered. Heed the invitation to take refuge in the Son!

Jesus taught some very challenging things. This week’s Gospel reading (Matt 5:38-48) is certainly among the more challenging and disconcerting aspects of Jesus’ teaching. In a world where it is common for people to want to push back at each other when they feel pushed around (it was in Jesus’ day just as it is today), Jesus indicates it is best not to reciprocate (or escalate) the violence that others might inflict. It is the hardest thing in the world to not reflect back aggression to someone who is aggressive toward us. Jesus indicates this is the way of his Father. This is how the kingdom comes!

Just as in natural life, there are stages of development and maturity in our faith and discipleship. Just as in natural life, we can identify the indicators of these developments and a person's maturity in their faith and discipleship. We are well served by learning and being able to recognise the difference between maturity and immaturity - and setting our expectations accordingly.

Paul is very deliberate and strategic as he goes about sharing the gospel. But his strategy is quite unusual. Rather than relying on tried and true methodologies of communication and influence, Paul proceeds from his weakness. In this way, Paul knows that people will not be being won over by his rhetorical skills or his winsome personality. They will not be wowed by Paul... instead they will have opportunity to see Christ... crucified! This central truth of the gospel transforms the meaning of everything for Paul. He wants it to transform the meaning of everything for you too!

In recent days the wisdom of the wise seems to be failing. Those who we once assumed to be ‘in the know’ appear to have known less than we thought. Even when we know everything that we think we can know, there remains an inscrutability about the human heart that eludes the processes of our faculty for reason. In a cut-through move, the gospel offers the way of salvation that is beyond reason (one might say it is un-reason-able)! It turns the wisdom of the world on its head and calls us to follow Jesus in the way of the cross… a most unreasonable calling indeed! The salvation Jesus offers does not depend on your intellect or how you perceive your moral ‘rightness’. It simply invites you to put your trust in and follow him.

Paul's assertion (1 Cor 1:18) that the word of the cross is at the same time both foolishness AND power of God (depending on who is hearing it), highlights how different are the way of the world and the way of the kingdom. The world's interest in power (control) and the kingdom's interest in empowerment (life-giving) stand as sharply contrasting approaches with very different sets of values. The way you hear the 'word of the cross' depends on which values you value the most. What do you hear? Foolishness... or the power of God?

In this text we hear about the period just after Jesus’ birth (as recorded in Matthew’s gospel). It is a story of genocide and disruption, the likes of which most of us will never experience (thankfully)! The nature of the violence reported here is not new and it is not old. In fact, it has been fairly constantly present throughout human history. Jesus is born into the midst of humanity’s inhumanity to call us to the fullness of humanity as we look to him. For a better world, do life as he did life and treat others as he treated others… follow Jesus!

People have all manner of expectations regarding the nature of God. There is a sense of mystery associated with God - God is beyond our understanding. We assume God will act according to righteousness - God is just. Generations have known it is a fearful thing to be found the enemy of God - God is powerful to avenge wrongs that have been done. When God ultimately appears on the stage of human history there are a number of challenges to our assumptions and what we think we know. God comes to us in the form of a baby… Jesus. God’s mystery deepens even as it becomes more tangible. God’s justice is revealed in kindness and God is never more power than in this expression of vulnerability.

Write your goals in ink and your plans in pencil! God is well able to work all circumstances for good - even those things that are so far beyond what we could have possibly anticipated.

The pressure to conform has probably always been a feature of human experience. Our need to fit in with social groups means that we are very attuned to being the people we believe we are supposed to be in order to be accepted by the group. God sees through our best efforts to be someone we are not. God's Holy Spirit gently calls us to be the best expression of who we are.

Most of us have grown up in a culture that, while rejecting much of the religious structure, has yet been transformed and is still deeply informed by the figure of Jesus. We do not realise how different everything was before the revelation of Christ and its transforming leaven entered the cultures of the world. If we did appreciate that difference, then we would also appreciate how necessary and important it was that John came to prepare the way. Jesus brings a way so radically different to the world’s way, that if we are not prepared we miss it completely. Allow yourself to be further prepared this morning as we gather around Jesus and hear about John.

We live in a time of empty political promises and impotent opposition with no compelling alternative. Unfettered self-interest, and the politico-economic system it has given rise to, tends to blame victims and punish the vulnerable. This is nothing new in our world. Into this jaded world, Isaiah pronounces the inevitability of God's ultimate reign of justice and peace. A reign that will not be foisted on anyone... but that all will desire. Isaiah's call to God's people is to live into God's kingdom reign now!

Can you imagine a life in which the assumptions you have always operated with no longer apply? A world where oppressive mechanisms have become so weakened that they no longer squash people. Where the tried and true approaches of using force to achieve security likewise no longer work. A world where values of love, care and compassion arbitrate outcomes! As Isaiah dreams of this world he can only express it in terms of a new heaven and a new earth! Let's dream with Isaiah...

Zaccheus’ interaction with Jesus is surely one of the more comical episodes in the Bible. A short, yet fully matured, man clambering up a tree for a sneak peak and then everyone’s attention being directed at him in his elevated vantage point. What begins as an opportunity for ridicule and further exclusion, ends up with Jesus honouring Zaccheus by inviting himself to dine with Zac in Zac’s home. Unexpected!? Unacceptable!! That was nothing on what happened next!

Every person prays. It is as natural as breathing! It is the cry that comes from our heart when we know not what else to do or say or think. The good news is that God promises to hear and respond. A promise worthy of your confidence!

When Paul writes to Timothy about the grace he has discovered in Christ, he writes as one keenly aware of the impact this grace has had on his life. Paul's life was completely transformed by his encounter with Christ. His previous understanding of faithfulness was exposed as oppression. His narrow focus on a particular group of people was expanded to all the peoples of the world.

To whom we give our allegiance is very important. It shapes the way we behave. It reveals what we truly value. And our real allegiances are often only made known when push comes to shove! This week's gospel reading has Jesus challenging our most basic (even primal) allegiances - family! Jesus appears to be saying that there is an allegiance that is more fundamental than that of family. There are not many places where the gospel cuts this close to the bone of our normal every day assumptions and attachments.

Jesus often promotes behaviour that does not seem to come naturally to us. Whether he is referring to where we seat ourselves at a dinner party or who we decide to invite to join us at our party - Jesus’ priorities are not the priorities we most often hold when we are left to our own devices. This should give us pause for for thought. Jesus seems to be telling us that value is found in places we tend to overlook, and that the value we think we see is not as valuable as we tend to think it is! Even when our experience confirms the truth of what Jesus teaches, we are slow to be persuaded. What is it that makes the kingdom so hard to believe?