2 Corinthians 5:11-21: Reconciliation with Creator and Each Other.

 Presented to TSA AV Ministries, 26 March 2023, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

This poster means very much to me. It was given to me by Remi – some of you know Remi – he is a colleague here at The Salvation Army. Remi has taught me much about Nuu-Chah-Nulth culture, tradition, government, and some vocabulary (if only I can remember the words!); he is a friend!

 

On Shrove Tuesday this year, the Tseshaht First Nation released the preliminary findings about the residential school that was on their territory.  It is very sad. Everyday since, as before, as I enter my office and as I sit at my desk, I see the painting by Roy Henry Vickers with the words 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) written underneath.

 

Shrove Tuesday – the day the findings were released from the residential school on Tseshaht First Nation – is the day before lent begins. It is a day to get our houses and our lives ready for the season of Lent. It is about confession and absolution. I think that it is quite fitting that the preliminary findings from the residential schools be released on a day tradition has set aside for confession and absolution. Our nation has certainly been coming to terms with the residential school systems and many other things. Our politicians, church leaders and others have certainly been confessing the sins and errors of the past. And true reconciliation is only possible with forgiveness, absolution. As Demond Tutu said in the South African context, “there is no future without forgiveness”; for it is only forgiving others that truly sets us free.

 

Lent, the season that begins after Shrove Tuesday, starts on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is a time for fasting and praying. Lent – the word itself – means ‘fortieth’ and it references the 40 days Jesus fasted (referencing as well Elijah’s and Moses’ fasts of that length) before commencing his public ministry. Lent ends on either Maundy Thursday or Low Saturday – the day between Good Friday and Easter. It is a time for us to prepare ourselves for Easter, the day we commemorate Christ providing reconciliation for the whole world, all of Creation.

 

The symbolism of this picture is important to me. The crown of thorns on the 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator)’s head make it clear that this is a representation of Jesus. Jesus who died on the cross, Jesus is the Creator. John Chapter 1: He wasn’t just a man. He is God. He is creator of the whole world and more.

 

Doctrines 2 through 4 of The Salvation Army say this about 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator):

·       We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

·       We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

·       We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

 

'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) not only created us but He also went to the cross for us. The tears in this picture remind me how sad He must be. Can you imagine the sadness of 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator)? He created all of us, everything, the whole world and more; and we killed Him. He loves us and we killed Him. Can you imagine if those whom you love deeply want to kill you and you watch them as they do? In our context today, imagine you are lying in a hospital bed and your loved one comes and puts the needle in that ends everything. Now imagine that they do this NOT out of love. Imagine. This I think can cause some tears. There is more than that though.

 

'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) went to the cross for us. The tears in this picture remind me how sad He must be for the way we have treated each other in residential schools, and wars, and poverty, and other such things and elsewhere and how sad He must be at the way we continue to treat each other today.

 

Hebrews 10:26ff says that if we continue to sin after Christ died for us, we trample the body of Christ underfoot. 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) let His creation kill Him so that we, His creation, could be free of Sin. See the tears on His cheek. Jesus died on the cross so that sin would no longer have a hold on us. He died of the cross so that we no longer need to fall pray to sin. Look at His tears – how sad it must make Him that we still sometimes fall pray to sin; how sad it must make Him that we still do bad things to each other; how sad it must make 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) feel to see those He created and loves, harm others whom He created and loved.

 

'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) died and rose again so that we could be reconciled to 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) and to one another. This is what we are preparing for in Lent after confession and absolution and this is what we hope for in Easter. We are preparing to celebrate the reconciliation that Jesus provided for us all between the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus rose from the grave leaving sin and death behind Him so that we can all do the same. And even now we have the opportunity to begin to live out that salvation; even now we have to opportunity to begin to break free from those horrible sins that are trying to drag us down; even now we have that opportunity to live out that reconciliation with God – and with one another.

 

'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), Jesus, died and rose again so that we could be reconciled to 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), Jesus, God, and to one another. As 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) has done this for us, it is my hope that indeed we will all look diligently and unceasingly toward that end of living a life reconciled both with 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) and with one another. He loves us and He wants us to get along with Him with each other just like any parent desires to have their children get along.

 

So today, if there is anything between you and another of God’s children, another of God’s creations, I encourage you to live free from the power of Sin and death and experience love and forgiveness instead. I encourage you, if there is anything between you and 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), that you confess it to Him now and receive His forgiveness, His Grace, His love, and His healing and reconciliation; and when we go from here in a moment or two let us all go from here in His power, and share His love and ministry of reconciliation with all whom we meet.

 

Let us pray.

 

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Exodus 17:1-7: Drive-Thru Complaint Deprartment

 Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries, 19 March 2023 by Major Michael Ramsay 

Do you ever get the idea that God is trying to tell you something? There might be something He is trying to teach me about Exodus 17:1-7. In a span of a couple of days, we read Exodus 17 in our family devotions, it was the text at a service we went to at the Gospel Hall, it showed up in my personal devotions, and was referenced in the lectionary when I was looking for texts to preach on the other week. With all of these hints I thought I should spend some time reflecting on this passage this week; so that is what we are doing today. And then this morning, if I was having any last moment doubts, as I was scrolling through Facebook while procrastinating reading through my message, I ran across this quote in my memories from 2017, "Great message today from Rev Deb Rapport at 77 River on Exodus 17:1-7." So here it goes...

 

The people are grumbling about God to Moses in Chapter 17 because they have nothing to drink. And In Chapter 16, they were grumbling about God to Moses because they had nothing to eat – Is God a waiter to bring them food and drink? Or is God the cook and Moses the waiter and the people have so many complaints about the food and the cook that they just keep complaining to Moses: ‘Take this back’, ‘I don’t like that’ ‘Tell the cook this!’ ‘Bring me that!’

 

I don’t think I am generally a whiny costumer, but I do have one story of being a little short with a fast-food restaurant’s drive-thru staff. A long time ago in a province far, far away, I was with my two little children going through an A&W Drive-Thru. Being that my children are vegetarians, I ordered them something with no meat: a grilled cheese sandwich, cheese on a toasted bun. The voice in the drive-thru box said, “I don’t think we can do that”. I replied, “sure you can: first you take the bun out of the package; then you toast it and then you put the cheese on it.” They did. My little children loved the episode immensely and still remember that incident to this day, even now as they are all grown up and moved away – the day we told the restaurant how to make a grilled cheese sandwich.

 

The Israelites here are being whiney drive-thru customers as they are travelling across the desert, telling Moses exactly what they want and how they want it. They are pretty dramatic about it as well: Chapter 16, about the food, verses 3-4, The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” And then after God and Moses give them meat and bread of Heaven in the very next chapter, Chapter 17:2, 'So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”'

 

And just before their whining and complaining about the food and water, just before these stories take place, is the parting of the Red Sea – remember how the people came to Moses about God then? Exodus 14:11-12: They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” And so it goes…Exodus 17:2, 'So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”'

 

The Israelites have developed a pattern of whining and complaining in their lives. If you look back at Chapter 16 you can see that people responded a little differently about the instructions they were given about the food: some obeyed, some did not; but it seems like the majority of them complained. And sometimes their complaints made me wonder, ‘do these people even believe in God?’ 17:7: “Is the Lord among us or not?” The fact that they are always going to Moses and/or Moses and Aaron with their complaints sound to me like they almost think that Moses might even be just making this whole God-thing up. You can see how Moses – and GOD – get quite upset with the people as recorded in the book of Exodus!

 

The people are so focused on the apparently bad things; the people are so focused on the difficult things (which they interpret as bad); the people are so  focused on the challenging things (which they interpret as bad); the people are so focused on an imagined ideal, comparing it to an imagined reality that falls short in their minds, so they are not happy and so they whine and so they complain about God and their leaders.

 

It is SO easy to do! …so tempting too! Whine and complain! Whine and complain about our leaders! I was able to see Pierre Poilievre, the Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition on Thursday. Gord Johns, our MP has agreed this week to appear on Heather’s TV Show (HTV: Heather’s Talk in the Valley); It is so easy to complain – either about politicians or in agreement with their complaints about other politicians or the government. Politicians are often simply people doing a difficult job and we often find something to complain about them – whether we have ever even met them or not! I remember being blessed to serve from the food truck alongside both Josie Osbourne (our MLA) and Gord Johns (our MP) at Christmas time and chatting briefly about just that: no matter what we say or do, someone will always complain! I know I can be frustrated by others complaining about me, both if I do something and if I don’t do the same thing… and so you think I would know better than to complain about others, but alas, I can still be tempted to complain about so and so, or this and that, and grumble and whine against our leaders or someone else… just like the Israelites

 

And this can be trouble. When we get into a habit of complaining and thinking negative thoughts, it can be hard to even see good in people we love. Whining and complaining about people in our lives and/or things out of our control can be all-encompassing and can really drag us down. We can get so that almost every thought is negative. Philippians 2:14: Do everything without grumbling or arguing

 

Do we ever get like this? Do we ever whine and complain? Do we ever get worked up about things that we know nothing about, things that are out of our control, things that are turning out just they way they are supposed to turn out, things that are turning out just the way they were always likely to turn out - and then do we whine about them to ourselves or others and in the process make life a lot more difficult for ourselves and everyone else!?!

 

When we are in a difficult spot, do we look to God expecting a miracle and wondering what it might be and how He might do it? Or do we complain about our leaders, our circumstances, and/or God? Do we ever whine and complain so much that if people read stories about us, like we do about the Israelites in the desert, that many of the stories would be about how much we whine… about our government (Trudeau this, Liberals, NDP, or Conservatives, that) … about our church leaders (Headquarters! or Major said this or did that!), our bosses (That Major again!), or one another (so and so always does this or never does that; why do I always have to…) do we ever whine so much that people might ask of us, “Is the Lord among them or not?” and/or “do they even believe in God?”

 

Whining and complaining can certainly come across to others as if we don’t believe in God. If we are always complaining about our lives, it certainly does look like we don’t believe that the Lord will and is taking care of us; it certainly looks like we don’t have faith in God.

 

Even worse than how it might appear, complaining can actually get in the way of our relationship with one another and with God. It can pull us away from a life of peace. Grumbling and complaining is destructive and it can be addictive like any drug or any other bad habit and it can be very destructive to our soul, our mental health, our spiritual well-being. We find what we look for: the more we look for bad things in our lives to complain about, the more we find them; the more talk about the bad things in our lives, the more we notice bad things in our lives, the more we listen to (and so encourage others to talk about) complaints about bad things in others’ lives, the more we focus on the bad things in their and our lives. And when we complain about the bad things, it is easy for us to be overcome by those bad things. But, on the other hand, when we focus on God; when we look for what God is doing in the world and in our lives, when we look to see how He will deliver us through our challenges, when we have faith in God, He can deliver us from anything, even a grumbling and complaining spirit. Jesus is, after all, the Prince of Peace.

 

God and Moses wanted the people to be free of the grumbling spirit that was trying to tear them from Him. You notice that all through the Exodus story, God never gives up on the Israelites. He keeps providing food for them even though they complain about it throughout. Even though they complain along the whole journey and ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?”, He continues to lead them, loving them so much that He hopes and encourages them to be free of the rain cloud of despair and complaint and to experience His Peace instead.

 

And He wishes the same for us. The temptation to grumble can certainly be strong. God knows that. And even though it seems like our complaining can be all-encompassing, tortuous, and must be exasperating even to God, He does love us, and He does want us to be free and at peace. We have that opportunity today so I encourage us all to give our worries and complaints over to Him for when we do then indeed even we can have our spirit at peace, for Jesus Himself is the Prince of peace.

 

Let us pray

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Matthew 18:10-35: The Restoration.

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 05 March 2023, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

Matthew 18:15-20 is an important pericope. The context of Jesus’ words here is very important. It follows Jesus’ encouragement to us that he will leave even the many who are doing well enough to help out the one who isn’t, and it precedes his encouragement to forgive people forever and for always. Matthew 18:15-20 talks about the church and how we are to get along with each other and it can also be extended to how we should operate in the world at large.

 

Matthew 18:15, “If your brother or sister [adelphos: fellow Christian] sins, [hamartanō: misses the mark] go and point out their fault, [elencho: help them feel conviction] just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.” Paraphrase: If someone does something wrong by accident or design, kindly help them see their error in private. If they understand and are willing to chat, the matter is solved.

 

Believe it or not, you will probably have a disagreement with someone sometime. Believe it or not, you will probably have a disagreement with someone who goes to a church or even this church sometime. And, believe it or not, you will be wrong sometime – really, it is true. I don’t know if that has happened to you ever yet or not but it might… and if it does this is how Matthew says we should receive help from each other:

 

If we accidentally or otherwise do something to someone, they should come and chat with us about it. They should let us know what we have done -just between the two of us- and if they do, the matter will be settled.

 

This is one of the most basic steps in morality and ethics. This is a key aspect of a Christian lifestyle. If a Christian (and I would say any decent human being) has a problem with something someone has done, they will go speak to them directly – one-on-one. This is important. This is one of the things that define a decent human being. Think of what the other options are:

1)    Do nothing. This cannot be right – ever. As I paraphrased a quote often attributed to Edmond Burke in a letter to city council the other week, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing."

2)    Gossip. Gossip, of course, is evil. Gossip is included in lists of attributes of those who deny God. A prime example is Romans 1:29b-32 where it says, "...gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death...."

 

When we are faced with someone who is struggling against sin those are our only 3 options: 1) Tell others about it; not them. This is gossip. This is bad 2) Keep your thoughts to yourself; this is abandoning others so that they are consumed by sin. This is bad or 3) The right option: talk to the person to their face. This is what we are supposed to do when we are Christians. And the reason the Bible gives for this is that the person may see the error of their way, repent and then all is well. Another reason for speaking to the person directly is that we may be wrong – they may not actually be trapped by the sin that we think that are.

 

The next step in extending God’s love to someone trapped in a sin (once it has been established and assuming that everything isn’t resolved after you have spoken to them in private) is to bring someone else along. A second person can hear the story, make sure there are no misunderstandings or miscommunication, and they can help you convey the love you feel for the person that you are hoping and praying will be delivered from whatever this sin is that is dragging them down.

 

And then the third step -assuming the first two steps haven’t freed the person from their sin- is to go to others who love them, other members of the congregation, good Christians whom you and they trust, the Church, and invite them to engage your friend in a conversation in the hopes that they will be freed from whatever the sin is that is dragging them down.

 

And, if that doesn’t even work, after that - step 4 -you still don’t give up on them. You give them even more grace.[1] You know that you expect more of some people than you do of others. You expect an 18-year-old to be more able to do things than an 8-year-old. You expect someone who has been on the job 10 years to be able to do more than someone who has been on the job 10 minutes. It is the same with Christians. Don’t give up on someone just because we think they should know better. If they aren’t acting like they know better than it is unfair of us to have the expectation that they do – no matter how long they have been coming to church! (How long we have known someone is no excuse for us to treat them poorly) We understand that sin can entangle even long-time Christians; so, we should show the same patience with them as we would with those who are brand new or not yet in the faith (this may involve suspending soldiership or a denominational equiviallent), who we do not expect to know any better.

 

Verses 18 and 19 then encourage us to not give up on our friend who is trapped in sin because whenever 2 or 3 of us are gathered (as in the example above) as long as what we are asking is actually on behalf of Jesus (in His Name), God will grant it; so let us not give up on one another! [2]

 

Peter hears all of this about restoring someone who has sinned against him and he says, in effect, ‘whoa…okay; but how long do I have to do this?’ ‘How long do I have to keep supporting this fellow to help him out of his sin?’ ‘How many times should I go through these steps with someone before I just say forget it – seven times? ‘No’ Jesus says, ‘seventy times seven times’. This is important we aren’t supposed to write anyone off (possible exception being the apostate); we are supposed to keep loving them away from sin and towards salvation.

 

I will read again Jesus’ parable that he shared with Peter to express this point, Jesus says:

23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

 

This my friends is what the Bible says about Church discipline. This my friends is what the Bible says about holiness. This my friends is what the Bible says about love. This my friends is how we are all supposed to treat each other – be patient with each other in affliction (specifically here sin); do not give up on each other; and forgive one another always and forever.[3] 

 

We are supposed to love our friends enough that whatever it is that they are going through (sin or otherwise) that is messing up their life we will do everything to try and help them and if they hurt you in the process – forgive them; and if they hurt you again, forgive them again; and if they hurt you again, forgive them again. Do not give up on them. Keep gathering together and praying for one another. As we stick by each other like this, as we help each other like this, as we love each other like this, surely we will all get to heaven and when we do what a day of rejoicing that will be.

 

 Let us pray...

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[1] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, ‘Matthew’, (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 214. But, for a contrary opinion, cf. D.A. Carson, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/ Treatment of a sinning brother (18:15-20), Book Version: 4.0.2

[2] J. Duncan M. Derrett quoted in The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Matthew/Exposition of Matthew/ Treatment of a sinning brother (18:15-20), Book Version: 4.0.2 : ("Where two or three are convened in my name … `: a sad misunderstanding," ExpT 91 [1979-80]: 83-86) has argued that vv. 19-20 do not deal with prayer at all. The two who agree are the offender and the one against whom the offense has been committed. They come to agreement on earth about any judicial matter they have been pursuing: the verb aiteisthai can refer to "pursuing a claim," as well as asking in prayer (cf. F. Preisigke, Worterbuch der griechischen Papyrusurkunden, mit Einschluss der griechischen Inschriften, Aufschriften, Ostraka, Mumienschilder, usw. aus agypten, ed. E. Kiessling, 4 vols. [Berlin: 1927-31], s.v.). The promise, then, is that if two individuals in the church come to agreement concerning any claim they are pursuing (presumably on the basis of the church's judgment, v. 18), "it will be allowed, ratified (literally it shall succeed, come off) on the part of my heavenly Father" (Derrett, "Two or three," p. 84). This is because God's will and purpose stand behind the binding and loosing of v. 18 and also because ("for," v. 20) the presence of Jesus is assured with the two or three who are (lit.) "brought together"—judges solemnly convened before the church and by the church to render a decision

[3] The passage is not speaking about God's forgiveness of us as much as it is our forgiveness of one another. Cf. Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13 where God's forgiveness of us precedes our forgiveness of others; cf. also Psalm 86:5, 1 John 1:9; Psalm 103:12; 130:3-4; Daniel 9:9; Isaiah 43:25