Open Lines of Communication – For any relationship to prosper, the lines of communication must be clearly open. Although GOD had spoken directly and audibly with Moses and Joshua, His spoken word became rare during the 3 centuries of rule by the judges. By Eli’s time – during the 1100’s BC – no prophets were speaking God’s messages to Israel. Why? People were either refusing to listen to GOD; or allowed greed to get in the way of their relationship with Him.
Eli judged Israel for 40 years. The recognition and respect he earned in public did not extend to his handling of his private affairs. He may have been an excellent priest, but he was a poor parent. He responded weakly to situations rather than solving them. He had become more concerned with the symbols of his religion than with the God they represented.

Download Encourager here  Encourager 100 Winter 2018.3

Listening and responding is vital in a relationship with God. Although GOD does not always use the sound of a human voice, He always speaks clearly through His Word. To receive His messages, we must be ready to listen and to act upon what He tells us. Like Samuel, we must be ready to say: “Here I am” when GOD calls us to action.
It would normally be expected that an audible message from GOD be given to the priest Eli and not to the child Samuel. Eli was older and more experienced, and he held the proper position. But GOD’s chain of command is based on faith, NOT age or position. In finding faithful followers, GOD may use unexpected channels – so we must be prepared for Him to work at any place, at any time, and through anyone He chooses.
When we witness to others, we need to tell them what CHRIST has done, not about our own abilities and accomplishments. People must be introduced to CHRIST, not to us. Serving people requires a sacrifice of time and personal desires. Being a follower of CHRIST means serving others, even when they do not measure up to our expectations. GOD has given us His Holy Spirit to proclaim His Good News to others.
Our Gospel passage for Pentecost 2 tells of the Disciples picking wheat on the Sabbath and JESUS healing a man’s hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees, of course, were more concerned about the Sabbath laws being broken than with any positive outcomes. The Pharisees interpreted the actions of JESUS and His disciples – the picking of grain and of the eating of it as they walked through the fields – as harvesting; and so, they judged JESUS as a law-breaker. But JESUS and His disciples clearly were not harvesting the grain for personal gain; they were simply looking for something to eat.
The Pharisees were so focussed on the words of the rule that they missed its intent – and JESUS used the example of David and his men eating the Bread of the Presence to point out how ridiculous their accusations were. GOD created the Sabbath for our benefit. We are restored both physically and spiritually when we take time to rest and to focus on GOD. For the Pharisees, Sabbath rules had become more important than the Sabbath REST. and others.

Both David and JESUS understood that the intent of GOD’s law is to promote love for GOD and others. That makes love the highest rule, but it also moves us as Christians toward personal sacrifice, discipline and responsibility – which are scarce in today’s world. When confronted with rules other than those of God’s making, they need to pass 4 tests:
1. Does the rule serve God’s purpose?
2. Does the rule reveal God’s character?
3.Does the rule help people to come into GOD’s family or keep them out? 4. Does the rule have biblical foundations that can be supported in the context of all of Scripture?
GOOD RULES PASS ALL FOUR TESTS.
The Religious Leaders of the time were jealous of JESUS because of His popularity, His miracles, and the authority in His teaching and actions. This had caused them to idolise both their standing in the community and their personal gain instead of pointing people towards a relationship with GOD. It also probably caused them not to recognise JESUS as their Messiah. When JESUS exposed their attitudes, He became their enemy instead of their Messiah and they began looking for ways to kill Him – thus breaking God’s law by plotting murder.
The Pharisees, like Eli and his sons, had allowed their faith to become more about them than about JESUS. Standing in the community and power and wealth had become their gods rather than the true God. Our lives need to be transformed into becoming more like JESUS and love must be the representation of our relationship with Him. De Colores—Fr Steve

 THE TRANSFIGURATION: A word that is sometimes mentioned concerning God’s nature is TRANSCENDENCE. When we speak of “transcendence”, we talk about that aspect of God’s nature and power that is wholly independent of – or beyond – the known material universe or physical laws; beyond our common human experience. It is a difficult concept to grasp, so we tend to concentrate on the physical aspects of our faith. Yet, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:5 “For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. God gives us the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, so that we can begin to grasp something of what is beyond our human existence.

Download Encourager here:  Encourager 99 Autumn 2018.3

We say that God moves in mysterious ways – beyond what we can think of or imagine.

The fiery chariot which carried Elijah to heaven; the burning bush in Exodus and the dazzling
brightness of Jesus on the mountain are biblical examples of the awesome nature of God.
We need not shy away from transcendent experiences like these, but should welcome them –
even seek them since, throughout history, God has spoken in and through them.
Almighty God steps into our lives to give us an awareness of His amazing power and authority.
In Mark’s description of the transfiguration of Jesus, we hear how some quite ordinary people
were completely amazed by the greatness of God. It’s a bit like a crash course in learning
things about God. If you’ve ever been on a crash course for anything you soon come to realize
that it’s no good going on any kind of course unless what is learnt is put into practice.
Jesus had gone up the mountain with Peter, James and John and was transfigured right there
in front of them. His disciples did not know what was happening, or why. Peter was so terrified
when Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain that he started to say things he did not quite
understand. He was scared. The transfiguration was something of a crash course.
On the way down from the mountain, Jesus explained to the disciples that they were not to tell
anyone what they had seen; not until after He had risen from the dead. He was preparing them
for His own death – something they could not understand. It only began to make sense after
Jesus had died, risen and returned to heaven. For now, they were aware that there were things
they had to do, and so went on expecting Jesus to do great things. God does not do what we
expect. Peter, James and John were caught up in awe and wonder at His power and might – at
what we might call “transcendence”.
God is bigger, greater and more amazing than the limited pictures we have of Him and He
wants to communicate wonderful things to us.
The top of a mountain is an awesome site and offers an unforgettable vista. In the transfiguration
account it was a place of revelation of God to human beings. The transfiguration shows us
the splendour of heaven. We can only imagine what such an amazing encounter would have
been like. Thankfully, we are the beneficiaries of this event – we have been called into a relationship
with Jesus, the beloved Son of God. By listening to His word, and applying it to our
lives, we are transformed. May our lives be transfigured by God this Lent.

Diocesan Spiritual Director

Revd Steve niland

DIOCESAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR, REV STEVE NILAND,

My Cup Runneth Over: The theme for the September meeting of National Secretariat was taken from Psalm 23, verses 5 & 6: 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
These verses suggest to me an abundance of hospitality at the banquet of the LORD.
In ancient Near-Eastern culture, at a banquet it was customary to anoint a person with fragrant oil. Hosts were also expected to protect their guests at all costs. God offers the protection of a host even when enemies surround us. In the final scene of this psalm, we see that believers will dwell with the LORD. GOD, the perfect shepherd and host, promises to guide and help us through life to bring us into his house forever.
The passage from John’s gospel which describes the miracle of changing water into wine is very familiar to us, and in verse 11 we are told that 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
Jesus was on a mission to save the world – the greatest mission in the history of humankind. Yet, He took time out to attend a wedding and take part in its festivities lasting for a whole week. Many of us have succumbed to the temptation of not taking time out from our important work duties for social occasions – and I was very challenged while writing this! But what if these social activities were a part of our mission? Jesus valued wedding festivities because they involved people – and Jesus came to be with people. Our mission can often be accomplished by bringing Jesus into joyous times of celebration with others – it’s all about balance.

DOWNLOAD ENCOURAGER HERE:  #98 spring edition 2017