Our Father.

One of the theories of life on earth maintains that God is somehow involved in everything that happens.

"God is Sovereign." for example.

This is a close relative of Prosperity Theology which says that what we experience on earth is the direct result of God's approval or disapproval.

These theories claim that God is in control.

But the Book of Job challenges these ideas.

And most people realize that what we experience does not reflect Natural Justice.

I would say that what we experience on earth is the result of people acting out of free will.

God does not intervene unless called upon.

And God does not smite or punish evil.

"Why do the wicked live on, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? Their children are established in their presence, and their offspring before their eyes.  Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them."  Job 21:7-9 (NRSV)

So what is God's way?

Jesus said, "'I have come to call not the righteous but sinners,'"  Mark 2:17c (NRSV)

Jesus always says, "'your sins are forgiven.'"  Mark 2:5 (NRSV)

God's way is the way of forgiveness.

The way of mercy.

The way of Love.

And His Love is for everyone.

Not just the righteous or the good.

For all are His children.

And He is our loving Father.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Fear.

It has been said that there are only two things in the world:
Love and Fear.

So what of evil?

People turn to evil out of fear.

People corrupt themselves out of fear.

Fear that good will not work in the world.

Fear that good won't make money.

Fear of losing.

Fear of missing out.

Fear that good guys come last.

Fear that God is vindictive.

Hatred of religion and absence of faith combine to corrupt them.

And ego covers up their fear.


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Satanism.

Satan is not real.

But Satanism is real.

Satanism is alive and well and living in our popular culture.

A surprising number of people sell their souls to the devil and do his work in the world.

Or so they believe.

This is mostly inspired by the success of 1960s rock legends.

They are famous people.

And they use the mass media for their evil purposes.

So unplug your earphones and turn off the T.V..

Turn to God.

He will deliver you.


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Loved!

So if God is not Natural Justice.

If God does not reward good and punish evil.

What does He do?

In the end perhaps we are not rewarded or punished.

But Loved!


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Reincarnation.

What happens when we die?

Some say we are reincarnated.

Others say it's heaven or hell.

In fact both are wrong.

Why?

Because both are human constructions.

In life we do not experience Natural Justice - rewards for good behavior and punishments for bad behavior - which is a human expectation.

So we have projected this expectation into the afterlife creating heaven or hell or reincarnation to an easy life or suffering.

Both rely on the expectation of Natural Justice.

But Natural Justice is a human creation.

It is not part of God at all.

God is all good.

God is our loving Father.

And a father does not condemn his children.

God helps even those we would call evil.

God punishes no one.

Therefore there can be no hell.

And perhaps there can be no reincarnation either.

Certainly not a reincarnation which balances out our karma.

So what are we to think?

God is good.

He is wholly trustworthy.

He will not punish us.

Put your trust in Him.

And all will be well.


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Water Carriers.

One of the volunteers at church commented that we all carry water with us these days.

She was referring to the bottled water that everyone consumes daily.

In response I reminded her that we all carry water in the garden due to water restrictions brought about by global warming.

We also expect bottled water at a restaurant or cafe before our meal.

I suggested that we are all Water Carriers because this is the Age of Aquarius.

The volunteer responded by informing me that she was an Aquarius herself.  


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Harmony.

Christian Cathedral in Islamic Iran.


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Powerful.

Would you be powerful?

There is a power:

Greater than strength.
Greater than violence.
Greater than fear.

And that is Love.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts."  Zechariah 4:6 (NRSV)


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A, and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Goodness.

Because most of us are basically good we don't expect others to be otherwise.

So when people lie to us and cheat us we are taken by surprise.

There are people out there who delight in malice and evil.

But because this is alien to us we are unaware of it.

This is especially the case if it is covered up with a veneer of acceptability.

Some people who embrace evil will delight in deceiving us.

And we swallow the deception whole.

Secretly they are laughing at us for being so naive.

So don't assume because you are good that others are good also.

This is plainly not the case.


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Normal.

What we consider normal is not what it seems.

Normal is to watch T.V., to listen to popular music, to go to the movies, to watch sports, to work, and to sleep.

But much of our materialistic culture is contaminated with negative messages.

Advertising on the T.V., radio, and billboards all around us creates dissatisfaction and envy.

We are infected with viral avarice.

But quite apart from these obvious negatives our popular culture is saturated with the covert evil of Satanism.

Rock music and reality T.V., movies and sports are populated by people who have sold their souls for fame and fortune.

The products they create are dark and poisoned with evil.

I came across a movie the other day which was aimed at teenagers.
It started with the lead character - a seventeen year old girl - telling her teacher that she was going to kill herself.  It went on to depict her as a loser full of confusion, obsessed with sex, and constantly put down by her peers.

This is sabotage - self-destruction, sexpectation, and suicide. - all passed off as a joke.

Reality T.V. is no better.

So don't watch something or listen to something merely because it seems normal.

Look more closely and see whether it is helpful or destructive.

Then you will be free.


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Bad Fruit.

Jesus said, "'No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit.'"  Luke 6:43 (NRSV)

I would suggest that the attitude of orthodox Christianity towards sex in general, and homosexuality in particular, has borne bad fruit.

The repressive attitude which the Church has traditionally brought to sex has produced the scandals of child sexual abuse.

And its attitude to homosexuality has produced persecution of gays and lesbians all over the world.

So, if these doctrines have borne bad fruit, they must be bad doctrines.

My prayer is that the Church will wake up and change these bad doctrines before it is too late.

The Church must admit its guilt and change or Christianity will die out altogether.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Peace.

We were watching The Hollow Crown - Shakespeare's historical plays - and one of my friends said, "Henry VI was a weak king - he wanted peace all the time and he was always in church praying.  Of course this just caused more conflict and war."

This is a common attitude in today's world - we think a leader has to be strong, even violent, to keep the peace.

But this is Pax Romana - peace by force.

We think that the teachings of the Prince of Peace won't work.

But has anyone ever tried them?

To turn the other cheek and return good for evil.
To have compassion for your enemies.
To show mercy.

These are the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

If we cry out to God will He not rescue us?

By some miracle we are saved.


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Curry and Rice.

In the personal ads. section of a gay publication there appeared several advertisements which stipulated "no curry, no rice".

This of course meant no Indians, no Chinese.

This is blatant racism and is to be condemned.

Personally I rather like curry and rice.

Indians and Chinese immigrants bring rich diversity to Australian culture.

But it is unfashionable to support Multi-Culturalism.

White Monoculture is dominant.

And fear is rife.

It is up to us, however, to make for immigrants - Asian or otherwise - a home here in Australia.

Which means not only opening our doors but opening our hearts.


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Hearts of Stone.

When we look at our darkening world we see war, poverty, violence, and death.....

But most of all we see hearts of stone.

The hard-heartedness and cruelty of those in positions of privilege is unprecedented.

And what is it that hardens our hearts but fear.

We have little faith.

Faith that God will provide.

But God said,"I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh."  Ezekiel 11:19b (NRSV)

This is God's promise.

And the world needs it more than ever.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Value.

Do not be surprised if the world does not value you.

What God values is of no use to the world.

The world values: sex-appeal, money, ego, fame, status, possessions, power, and authority.

God values: honesty, integrity, humility, charity, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, faith, and love.

Jesus said that the world hated him.

And it was the powers and authorities of the world that killed him.

Despite what the Church may tell you.

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'"  1 Samuel 16:7 (NRSV)


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Reconstructed.

During the 1980s we saw Devils in heaven and Hippies in hell.

This, of course, is backwards.

It owes its nature to the inverse practices of Satanism in rock music and entertainment combined with the counter-revolutionary politics of Ronald Reagan.

Unfortunately the Hippie Generation was forcibly reconstructed.

All that remains is having a good time and holidays.

Any remnant of idealism is long forgotten.

But the ideals of peace and love that typified the Hippies was in fact closer to the nature of God than either the traditional Church or the popular culture.

This, of course, is provided you can discriminate between peace and love and sex and drugs and rock and roll.

The Hippies' rock legends disguised their diabolism as the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the decadence of the 1970s.

They were in fact no better than their black descendants.

But this is not the fault of the Baby-Boomer Generation whose idealism and spirituality were betrayed by their rock legends.

My prayer is that this idealism and spirituality can be resurrected without the parasites of rock and roll.

To do this we must distill the essence of Hippie idealism which is: peace, love, equality, compassion, non-violence, integrity, tolerance, and multi-culturalism.

From the detritus of rock music which is: promiscuous sex, drugs, suicide, decadence, anti-social behavior, indulgence, escapism, negativity, and hate.

Only then will the Age of Aquarius survive.  


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Love.

How can we bring love where there is hatred?

First of all we must uncover the fear which is at the root of hatred.

Then we must address that fear.

We can remind them that God is Love.

We can encourage them to pray (for their enemies as well).

We can open our hearts and show unconditional love to everyone.


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Companionship.

How can we bring companionship where there is loneliness?

We can remember to call someone on the phone.

We can visit someone we would normally ignore.

We can speak to someone who is left out.

We can overcome our prejudice.

We can refuse to rationalize our neglect.

We can pray for them.


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Affection.

How can we bring affection where there is neglect?

First we must overcome our fears.

Then we must open our hearts to others.

We must respond to invitations.

We should not shy away from intimate contact.

We must remember those whom we neglect.

We must pray for others.


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Strength.

How can we bring strength where there is weakness?

We can be strong ourselves.

And this does not mean forceful or violent.

We must be consistent and reliable.

We must not be afraid.

We must not judge or look down on others.

We must be patient.

We can appeal to God for strength.


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Courage.

How can we bring courage where there is fear?

We can show courage ourselves.

We can contradict imaginary fears.

We can encourage understanding where there is prejudice.

We can remind them that there is help available.

We can remind them that God will help.

We can encourage them to pray for help.


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Understanding.

How can we bring understanding where there is prejudice?

We can encourage contact between the parties.

We can encourage them to have an open mind.

We can contradict stereotypes and errors.

We can encourage humility where there is egotism.

We can remind them that all people are equal before God.


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Forgiveness.

How can we bring forgiveness where there is judgement?

We can remind people that if they are judging others they are also judging themselves.

We can refuse to hold a grudge.

We can bury the hatchet.

We can start again.

We can encourage people to pray and experience forgiveness from God.


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Faith.

How can we bring faith where there is cynicism?

We can tell of our faith experiences.

We can tell them how to read the Bible.

We can encourage them to pray.

We can show them the positives of religion.

We can ask for forgiveness.


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Hope.

How can we bring hope where there is despair?

We can encourage people to look at the positives instead of the negatives.

We can tell them stories of unexpected good fortune.

We can tell them of miracles.

We can teach them to pray to God.

And God will give them hope.


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Peace.

How can we bring peace where there is war?

We can initiate dialogue between the warring parties.

We can encourage forgiveness where there is injury.

We can mediate with wisdom and patience.

We can listen.

We can address each others' fears.

But if all these things fail we can pray to God for both parties to see the light and make peace.


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Light.

How can we bring light where there is darkness?

We can apply the light which is the wisdom that we have learnt during our life.

But ultimately the light comes from God.

So in order to see clearly we must pray to God and form a loving relationship with Him.

Then we will begin to see clearly.

And only when we can see clearly can we bring light to others.


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Here I Am.

Here I am, Lord

Ready to do your work on earth.

And what is your work on earth?

To bring light where there is darkness.

To bring peace where there is war.

To bring hope where there is despair.

To bring faith where there is cynicism.

To bring forgiveness where there is judgement.

To bring understanding where there is prejudice.

To bring courage where there is fear.

To bring strength where there is weakness.

To bring affection where there is neglect.

To bring companionship where there is loneliness.

To bring love where there is hatred.

                                                         
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The Flower That Does Not Fade.

When you begin to open your heart and give love to others your heart blossoms like a flower.

But, unlike the flowers of the earth, this flower does not fade.

It continues to blossom and become more beautiful as time goes on.

The more love you give the more love there is to give.

Love flowers from an infinite source within our hearts.

And this is because God is Love.

So love God and love others.

Then the flower of love will never fade.


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Gay.

Because some Satanists are homosexual does not mean that all homosexuals are Satanists.

Neither does it mean that gay sex is Satanic.

Some Satanists are gay but the large majority are heterosexual.

And many are women.

Witchcraft and black magic are perceived as power for women in a man's world.

So don't blame homosexuals for the evils of the world.

There are plenty of heterosexuals who do the devil's work.


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Joy.

In my experience joy comes from God.

It is something you experience spontaneously when you make contact with God.

It is not something you can manufacture.

You cannot control it.

You cannot bottle it or sell it.

So be content to let God decide.

He is far more wise than us.


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Putting the Bottom Back In.

When Jesus preached forgiveness and love he well and truly blew the bottom out of the Pharisees' religion of rewards and punishments.

But after Jesus was crucified his followers and priests put the bottom back in.

I believe that Jesus taught that everyone was forgiven and loved by God, that no one was condemned, and no one would perish.

But later writers, beginning with St. Paul, returned to the crude religion of rewards and punishments, including heaven and hell.

This was reinforced at Nicaea after Christianity became the state religion of Rome.

The inclusion of The Book of Revelation as the last word in the Bible was the last straw.

I believe that God punishes no one.

Therefore there is no Judgement - Personal or General.

And there is no hell.

But no doubt if we preach this religion of forgiveness and love the powers and authorities of this world will seek to reinstate the carrot and stick religion of rewards and punishments, heaven and hell.

Because it is this religion which ensures their power over the masses and maintains their position of privilege.


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