Sunday Reflections
Pentecost 14
Sunday 3rd July, 2022.
2Kings 5.1-14, Ps 30, Galatians 6.1-24, Luke 10.1-24
Ministry and Payment
The story of Naaman in the Old Testament reading today poses an interesting question to all those who pray for healing. Should a prophet/priest/minister/missionary/healer, be paid for their work? In Luke 10.7b Jesus says “the worker deserves his wages.” Yet in the Old Testament reading Elisha would not receive any payment form Naaman!
Elisha was a full time prophet. We are not told of him having any other paying employment. We are told that he has a servant, but we don’t know if Elisha provided for the servant, of if the servant funded himself and served in order to gain training. Somehow God provided for Elisha, people paid him, not to receive a miracle, or fortune telling, but he was paid as a holy man and he performed holy duties amongst the people. By not accepting payment from Naaman, he showed that miracles cannot be bought. By not putting on a show for Naaman, he showed that the power was not from Elisha, but from God. And the result was that Naaman, worshipped and credited God, not Elisha.
Being able to perform miracles is heady power. Seeing miraculous answers to prayer is amazing, wonder-full, and awe inspiring. But it is also dangerous for the ego. God can work through anyone who is obedient. We do not earn miraculous powers to wield as we think God should. Jesus reminds his disciples when they return from their mission, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Lk 10.20 The power, the miracles, the good works, the positive outcomes – good though they all are, must never become our goal. Our goal can only ever be, Love for God. More love, deeper love, greater union of Spirit. The work of prayerful contemplation nurtures this love, miracles if any come, are only a side effect not a measure.
“If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each should carry his own load.” Gal 6.3-5. No matter how great the miracle, we are only ever an instrument through which God acts. We must not take pride in our answered prayers as if we have earned them. We should however examine ourselves and our actions, our motives and ambitions, turning them over to God with honesty and letting this teach us and transform us. We can be proud of our selves; we are loved by God, called by God, made by God and truly are worthwhile. But this is not a race or some sort of competition. Our worth does not come from comparison or achievement - Spiritual or otherwise. It comes from love - Our love for God, and God’s love for us – each individual unique one of us, carrying our “own load.”
Sunday 26th June, 2022
Pentecost 3
2 Kings 2.1-14, Ps 77.1-2,11-20, Galatians 5.1,13-25, Luke 9.51-62
Love or selfishness
All people are innately selfish, and all people have a built in ability to love. But which will be more dominant? We live in a world which promotes self interest, but Jesus tells us to love. We need to survive, to prove our worth, to reproduce, but life is empty and pointless without love. “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” Gal 5.17.
Today the word sinful conjures up a lot of baggage, a lot of which is not helpful. We tend to think of sin as thing we should not do like those listed in Galatians 5.19-20 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Of course we Christians don’t do any of these—do we?!!!!!) But if you were to substitute the word selfishness for sinful, and remember that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of true Love verse 17 reads, “For the (selfish) nature desires what is contrary to (Love) and (Love) what is contrary to (selfishness).”
When we are selfish we think and act primarily to gratify self. We fight to secure our physical needs of food, clothing and shelter. We compete to prove ourselves worthy, better than other, more important, more right. We fight to be superior. We flirt to trap a mate, or two, or lots, indulging our pleasures, making ourselves happy, chasing euphoria. All we do is centered around self, and even when our needs are met, we often have little thought left over for other; unless it is to exploit them for more. But in the end it is a very lonely life. What we have we must protect and secure. Me against the world. Those we love, we hold on to because they make us feel warm and fuzzy, because we see them as an extension of ourselves, or because they meet our needs. When they no longer do so, we cut them off and seek another love. Tapping into the innate selfishness of others drives commercialism and growth economies. To live another way, just wouldn’t work—would it? No one else will care about you! It is every man for themselves and blame the law and the government when things go wrong.
But deep inside is another spirit. One planted in us from birth. One nurtured by the sacrificial love of our parents. One trained by being raised in a family and a faith. One that connects us to others, our earth, the universe and God. One that gives depth and meaning to our lives. The Spirit of Love. God cannot be fully know through study, achievement or striving. God is know through Love. But love is contrary to selfishness. No wonder the saints and mystics, and Jesus, speaks so much about dying to self. It is a different path. It is the great paradox. We must loose our live to find it.
19th June, 2022.
Pentecost 2
1 Kings 19.1-15a; Pss 42,43; Galatians 3.10-14, 23-29; Luke 8.23-39
Have you ever gone from a moment of ecstatic triumph to the depths of fear, guilt and depression? How is this possible within the space of a few days, or even hours? Yet this is what we read about for Elisha, one moment Elisha is at what could be seen as the pinnacle of his career to this point, demonstrating the greatness of the Lord before the people, calling down fire on the sacrifice, and overturning the government of the day. The next day he is running in fear for his life, depressed and suicidal. Soldiers may well empathizes with Elisha, because I’m sure that taking another’s life, even in war, even for the protection and greater good of other you love, still leaves scars on the soul. Elisha had killed all Jezebel's evil priests. I know that athletes can feel a huge confuting swing of emotions when they achieve the goal of their life’s training and then have to face ‘ what now’.
I have been contemplating lately about the benefits of ‘waiting’ for the soul. Many would think that by running off into the desert and seeking assurance and direction from God, that Elisha lost a key opportunity to make the best use of the momentum he had started. A chance to “strike while the iron is hot”. Instead he ran, lamented, journeyed into the desert 40 days, waited, endured fire, wind, storm and earthquake, and listened for God. Only to be asked, “What are you doing here?” and told to “God back the way you have come”.
So was the desert trip really necessary? What happened in the “down time.” Was the journey worth it? Perhaps we should answer such questions with more questions. Do we need time to come down from an adrenalin rush? Do we need healing for our soul? Do those who stand up for God, need a deep, secure and constant loving relationship with God? Do we need to tend that relationship? Is there healing in the journey? Is there wisdom to be gained in waiting? Do we need to endure the emptiness of the storms of life to hear the whispers of God? Do we need to understand who we are and why we are were we are, in order to move forward? Is there more spiritual growth in pondering questions than in quick solutions? Do we need strength and direction in order to go back to ministry?
Waiting is not wasting time. Waiting on God - waiting with God - is soul work. May you surrender to the waiting.
Carolyn Rutherford
Sunday 3rd July, 2022.
2Kings 5.1-14, Ps 30, Galatians 6.1-24, Luke 10.1-24
Ministry and Payment
The story of Naaman in the Old Testament reading today poses an interesting question to all those who pray for healing. Should a prophet/priest/minister/missionary/healer, be paid for their work? In Luke 10.7b Jesus says “the worker deserves his wages.” Yet in the Old Testament reading Elisha would not receive any payment form Naaman!
Elisha was a full time prophet. We are not told of him having any other paying employment. We are told that he has a servant, but we don’t know if Elisha provided for the servant, of if the servant funded himself and served in order to gain training. Somehow God provided for Elisha, people paid him, not to receive a miracle, or fortune telling, but he was paid as a holy man and he performed holy duties amongst the people. By not accepting payment from Naaman, he showed that miracles cannot be bought. By not putting on a show for Naaman, he showed that the power was not from Elisha, but from God. And the result was that Naaman, worshipped and credited God, not Elisha.
Being able to perform miracles is heady power. Seeing miraculous answers to prayer is amazing, wonder-full, and awe inspiring. But it is also dangerous for the ego. God can work through anyone who is obedient. We do not earn miraculous powers to wield as we think God should. Jesus reminds his disciples when they return from their mission, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Lk 10.20 The power, the miracles, the good works, the positive outcomes – good though they all are, must never become our goal. Our goal can only ever be, Love for God. More love, deeper love, greater union of Spirit. The work of prayerful contemplation nurtures this love, miracles if any come, are only a side effect not a measure.
“If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each should carry his own load.” Gal 6.3-5. No matter how great the miracle, we are only ever an instrument through which God acts. We must not take pride in our answered prayers as if we have earned them. We should however examine ourselves and our actions, our motives and ambitions, turning them over to God with honesty and letting this teach us and transform us. We can be proud of our selves; we are loved by God, called by God, made by God and truly are worthwhile. But this is not a race or some sort of competition. Our worth does not come from comparison or achievement - Spiritual or otherwise. It comes from love - Our love for God, and God’s love for us – each individual unique one of us, carrying our “own load.”
Sunday 26th June, 2022
Pentecost 3
2 Kings 2.1-14, Ps 77.1-2,11-20, Galatians 5.1,13-25, Luke 9.51-62
Love or selfishness
All people are innately selfish, and all people have a built in ability to love. But which will be more dominant? We live in a world which promotes self interest, but Jesus tells us to love. We need to survive, to prove our worth, to reproduce, but life is empty and pointless without love. “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” Gal 5.17.
Today the word sinful conjures up a lot of baggage, a lot of which is not helpful. We tend to think of sin as thing we should not do like those listed in Galatians 5.19-20 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” (Of course we Christians don’t do any of these—do we?!!!!!) But if you were to substitute the word selfishness for sinful, and remember that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of true Love verse 17 reads, “For the (selfish) nature desires what is contrary to (Love) and (Love) what is contrary to (selfishness).”
When we are selfish we think and act primarily to gratify self. We fight to secure our physical needs of food, clothing and shelter. We compete to prove ourselves worthy, better than other, more important, more right. We fight to be superior. We flirt to trap a mate, or two, or lots, indulging our pleasures, making ourselves happy, chasing euphoria. All we do is centered around self, and even when our needs are met, we often have little thought left over for other; unless it is to exploit them for more. But in the end it is a very lonely life. What we have we must protect and secure. Me against the world. Those we love, we hold on to because they make us feel warm and fuzzy, because we see them as an extension of ourselves, or because they meet our needs. When they no longer do so, we cut them off and seek another love. Tapping into the innate selfishness of others drives commercialism and growth economies. To live another way, just wouldn’t work—would it? No one else will care about you! It is every man for themselves and blame the law and the government when things go wrong.
But deep inside is another spirit. One planted in us from birth. One nurtured by the sacrificial love of our parents. One trained by being raised in a family and a faith. One that connects us to others, our earth, the universe and God. One that gives depth and meaning to our lives. The Spirit of Love. God cannot be fully know through study, achievement or striving. God is know through Love. But love is contrary to selfishness. No wonder the saints and mystics, and Jesus, speaks so much about dying to self. It is a different path. It is the great paradox. We must loose our live to find it.
19th June, 2022.
Pentecost 2
1 Kings 19.1-15a; Pss 42,43; Galatians 3.10-14, 23-29; Luke 8.23-39
Have you ever gone from a moment of ecstatic triumph to the depths of fear, guilt and depression? How is this possible within the space of a few days, or even hours? Yet this is what we read about for Elisha, one moment Elisha is at what could be seen as the pinnacle of his career to this point, demonstrating the greatness of the Lord before the people, calling down fire on the sacrifice, and overturning the government of the day. The next day he is running in fear for his life, depressed and suicidal. Soldiers may well empathizes with Elisha, because I’m sure that taking another’s life, even in war, even for the protection and greater good of other you love, still leaves scars on the soul. Elisha had killed all Jezebel's evil priests. I know that athletes can feel a huge confuting swing of emotions when they achieve the goal of their life’s training and then have to face ‘ what now’.
I have been contemplating lately about the benefits of ‘waiting’ for the soul. Many would think that by running off into the desert and seeking assurance and direction from God, that Elisha lost a key opportunity to make the best use of the momentum he had started. A chance to “strike while the iron is hot”. Instead he ran, lamented, journeyed into the desert 40 days, waited, endured fire, wind, storm and earthquake, and listened for God. Only to be asked, “What are you doing here?” and told to “God back the way you have come”.
So was the desert trip really necessary? What happened in the “down time.” Was the journey worth it? Perhaps we should answer such questions with more questions. Do we need time to come down from an adrenalin rush? Do we need healing for our soul? Do those who stand up for God, need a deep, secure and constant loving relationship with God? Do we need to tend that relationship? Is there healing in the journey? Is there wisdom to be gained in waiting? Do we need to endure the emptiness of the storms of life to hear the whispers of God? Do we need to understand who we are and why we are were we are, in order to move forward? Is there more spiritual growth in pondering questions than in quick solutions? Do we need strength and direction in order to go back to ministry?
Waiting is not wasting time. Waiting on God - waiting with God - is soul work. May you surrender to the waiting.
Carolyn Rutherford
For daily thought to inspire and encourage prayer, please visit www.encouragementforintercessors.com