Bishop John

Lent starts tomorrow! – a Lenten resource:

OT relevance to Jesus explored in Lenten study

Shadows of the Cross: Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament, by Michael Raiter. (Anglican Press Australia, Sydney South, 2017 $10.95)

Book Review by John Harrower

A recent conversation with a travelling companion of Jewish faith reminded me yet again that Jesus Christ was, like my companion, a man of Jewish faith. Jesus was born of a woman who was Jewish, raised in a Jewish household, carpenter’s shop and community. His ministry was in the context of the people of Israel, who with their religious texts and traditions were firmly established in the lands of their ancestors, their lands promised by God.

Jesus made the extraordinary claim that he was the Messiah, the Christ, of whom the texts of the Jewish people testify! In a post resurrection appearance Jesus reminds his disciples that “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). Our discipleship is enriched through a growing appreciation of the relevance of the Old Testament to Jesus’ personal claims and ministry.

Shadows of the Cross: seeing Jesus in the Old Testament gives such enrichment by opening up 40 Old Testament passages, one for each day of Lent, in easy-to-read two page daily reflections each concluding with a prayer.

Four sections comprising The Law, The History, The Wisdom and The Prophets, each of ten reflections, structure the studies. Eight sets of five questions for group discussion or personal reflection take us deeper. A mix of well-crafted general and personal questions facilitates a range of engagements with the Old Testament texts and their relevance to Jesus’ ministry.

Anecdotes commonly commence each reflection and give easy access to the theme. Thus the first reflection, ‘The Cross in the Garden’, begins with the story of the five hundred Australians who set out for Paraguay in 1893 on an ill-fated project to build a communist utopia. The study asks, “Why do our highest ideals invariably disappoint us?” and leads into “the fall of humanity” in Genesis 3 and then to consider the pastoral epistle’s warning, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray” (1 John 3:7). Reflection through story, Old Testament text, New Testament text: all leading to our life before God in prayer.

The author, Mike Raiter, puts to good effect his skills gained in teaching history and English to elaborate the context of the biblical texts.

Thus in developing the Day 11 study, “There has never been a day like this” – the sun standing still for the victory of Joshua and Israel as they did battle to occupy the land promised by God – the author’s storytelling reminds us of epoch-changing days: the Magna Carta, Wittenberg Door, first walk on the moon, the Twin Towers and a day when Rome ruled Palestine and the sun stopped shining at midday, and Jesus Christ died (only to rise again!).

Lament is a pervasive theme of the Lenten season. In considering Psalms 42 and 43, the author notes, “One of the great weaknesses of contemporary Christian songs is there are so few laments. We need songs of lament”. The image of the deer separated from the herd and panting for life-giving water is evocative of the psalmist’s lament which is then related to Jesus’ sense of abandonment in Gethsemane, “My soul is overwhelmed to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38). The study asks, “Can’t you hear Psalm 42 there?’ “Why, my soul, are you downcast… my tears have been my food day and night” (42:3,5). In prayer, we thank God for a Saviour who has known suffering and abandonment.

“Scales of Justice” (Day 36) brings a salutary warning from the prophet Amos against injustice and about the coming day of the Lord. “Little acts of dishonesty” are illustrated from the milkman diluting our author’s milk and from supermarkets which “falsely advertise bread, which was baked months before overseas, as ‘freshly baked today’”. The author doesn’t mince words in noting that Amos points to the final Day of the Lord when “Revelation portrays the merchants of the world weeping” because, “In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin (Revelation 18:17)”. Moreover, the prophet Amos speaks of a day when “(the Lord) will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9). The Old Testament points to the cross of Jesus where darkness covered the land for three hours (Luke 23:44) – truly a “day of the Lord”.

I looked forward to each day’s reading and reflection, and I have no doubt that you too will look forward to these daily nutritional Lenten studies.

**This Book Review was published in the February 2018 edition of The Melbourne Anglican which available from your local Melbourne Anglican Parish. See also online news at, http://tma.melbourneanglican.org.au/this-months-tma

Of questions, there are many when Christians get together to discuss Faith-Based Organizations involved in aid and development.

Over the last year, I have heard;

When a Christian organization sends out Christmas cards with ‘Season’s Greetings’ rather than Christmas greetings, has it lost its way?

When a Christian organization employs non-Christians to drive trucks to deliver emergency supplies has it lost its way?

When a Christian organization dispenses with Church volunteers in order to increase ‘efficiency’ has it lost its way?

Bob Mitchell has some questions of his own as he brings theology, governance and development practice together in his compelling, ‘Faith-Based Development: How Christian Organizations Can Make a Difference’, Orbis Books, New York 2017.

In an age of ‘Fake News’, Bob’s data based research using interviews and focus groups from diverse geographical and cultural communities is a gift to truth-telling! Bob, we thank you! Your data based research strengthens your engagement with critical issues.

By way of example, while engaging with the vexed issue of a Christian aid and development organisation working in a Muslim context the research data allows us to hear Muslim and Christian voices. In Senegal, an open theistic society, it is said that it is “easier to speak to people of faith if you have a faith, even if it is different.” and “once a Muslim sees that the development organisation is about prayer and spirituality, then a Muslim will say, “Now we can do business together.”” (p.48)

Mitchell draws the conclusion that communities within theistic societies may have stronger resonance with an organisation from another faith when compared to secular agencies. (48)

Of course there are other contexts where a more closed and militant faith may work against cooperation in development.

The book is scholarly in its approach and wise in its reasoning as it draws conclusions on the nature of faith motivation, and the delivery and effectiveness of development.

*Full Address at Book Launch Melbourne: Faith-Based Development by Bob Mitchell Book Launch by John Harrower 6 April 2017

At Christmas we stop to worship the Baby of Bethlehem: Immanuel. God with us!

God’s character, hope and meaning making are all found here – in this stable, at worship.

Come worship.

Shalom,

John 🙂

Address at the Commissioning Service for Claire Rogers, CEO World Vision Australia, Ridley College Melbourne 2016

Walking the talk, talking the walk, and living the heartbeat of Jesus Christ

I have been asked to give a ‘sermonette’. Hence I will give my three sermon points, but no poem, no joke and no stories! I trust you will bear with me! J

Jesus Christ is the heartbeat of World Vision and we are to walk the Jesus’ talk, talk the Jesus’ walk and bring the life of his heartbeat to those in need.

God’s love in Christ is extraordinary.

God entered history in the person of Jesus Christ who walked, talked and lived the heartbeat of God in the conflictive world of Palestine. Jesus walked the Kingdom journey of family, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension for us and continues in intercession for us today, indeed he is praying for us at this very moment! Precious thought.

The coming of the Holy Spirit empowers our own walk of faith in the complex and conflictive world of today.

We believe that the Holy Spirit has gathered us here today to commission our Sister in Christ, Claire Rogers for her walk, talk and life as CEO of World Vision Australia.

*Address is here: Claire Rogers -Commissioning CEO WVA Nov 2016 – ‘Walking the talk, talking the walk, and living the heartbeat of Jesus Christ’

*Photo is of Claire Rogers with George Savvides, Board Chair, World Vision Australia

*More about Claire here, https://www.worldvision.com.au/about-us/our-ceo-claire-rogers *Print article ‘Successor to Tim Costello brings digital focus to World Vision’, page 12 of November 2017, The Melbourne Anglican (TMA). More info re TMA paper, here

We’re all ‘miserables’ in need of God’s grace

As I sat down to write of the profound effect Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables had on my life, I found to my astonishment that I was writing in the voice of my 14 year old self. And so I wrote:

I borrowed Les Miserables from the mobile bus library when I was 14. I liked reading and each week with a friend I rode my bike to borrow books.

The book seemed like an adventure story, so I read it. It was about a man who had a hard life. He helped people.

He rescued a poor girl and really cared for her. There were lots of adventures. But then, when she married, it was strange because he felt he shouldn’t be with her new family. This was sad. Eventually he died, nearly alone, but the candlesticks were with him. They reminded him always of a man who many years ago saved his life and helped him to go a different way. He was given a chance and it was not easy but he made choices to go that better way. They were sometimes hard choices. Choices matter.

But some people are cruel and they don’t give you another chance, and that’s not fair. In the story there were women and children who hardly ever got any chances. People were cruel to them. I didn’t like that. It was unfair. But the man, because he had been given a second chance by the first kind man, he then himself gave people second chances. I liked that. I wanted to be like these two men. They were both kind and gave second chances to all sorts of people. Second chances matter.

Growing up I didn’t have a father. I lived with my two sisters, mother, grandmother and great uncle. They all loved me and gave me second chances – and lots more chances. But people were not kind to my mother. They wouldn’t let us into a father and son night because she wasn’t a father. But a kind man from church saw my mother crying. He asked her if he could be my father for an hour and he took my friend, his real son, and me to the meeting. He was a good man who stood up for my mum and me.

I think that God helped the two men in the story. The candlesticks showed that. Throughout the rescued man’s life he carried the Bishop’s candlesticks with him to remind him that he belonged to God.They were with that man when he died: “He lay back with his head turned to the sky, and the light from the two candlesticks fell upon his face.”

Reading this, I do indeed hear my younger voice. I have never forgotten the story Les Miserables nor the two men, the second chance, and the story of the candlesticks.

The themes of Les Miserables (‘The Poor and Wretched’) are the themes of our own lives.

The released, but brutalised, convict Jean Valjean, having received the Bishop’s hospitality, then robbed him of silver cutlery. Valjean is subsequently captured by the police and brought for condemnation before the Bishop. To Valjean’s astonishment, the Bishop insists the cutlery has been given to Valjean and even adds two silver candlesticks (“You forgot to take these”).

Privately, the Bishop challenges Valjean: “You promised me to become a good man. I am buying your soul. I am rescuing you from a spirit of perversity and giving it to God” What beauty! The joy and power of grace and grace’s agenda.

Yes, forgiveness is given. Grace is received. A second chance begun. But the very next day, the second chance is dramatically thrown into question: Valjean robs a vagrant boy of a coin. The boy protests, struggles briefly, but then flees in fright. Valjean seems to suddenly come to himself and rushes after the boy but cannot find him. Guilt-ridden and in despair, he weeps in remorse.

This turning point (while omitted in contemporary musicals) is a key to understanding the book: “Did any voice whisper to him that he was at a turning point in his life, that henceforth there could be no middle way for him, that he must become either the best of men or the worst?… What was certain, although he did not realise it, was that he was no longer the same man. Everything in him was changed.”

Jean Valjean struggled to live out the consequences of forgiveness, of the grace of the second chance. So unfolds a wonderful story of redemption, hope, sacrifice and love: of living out the Bishop’s gift of the candlesticks.

I think that’s why I treasure my own ‘candlesticks’: reminders of God’s grace and forgiveness.

See, Inner Life: Book: Bishop John Harrower reflects on reading Victor Hugo’s classic ‘Les Miserables’ http://tma.melbourneanglican.org.au/inner-life/harrower-on-les-mis-290917  September 29 2017