Living Bulwark

December 2015 - January 2016 - Vol. 83 The Day Draws Near “Let us encourage one another to love and good deeds” – Heb. 10:24-25 . • In This Issue: The Day Draws Near • Homeward Bound - But Where Are We Headed? by James Munk • Missing the Point, by Bob Tedesco • Living in the Last Days: A Commentary on 1 Peter 4:7-11, by Dr. Daniel Keating • The True God Whom We Serve, by Carlos Mantica • Living Together as an Ecumenical People in the Sword of the Spirit • The Work of Christ – A Long-standing Ecumenical Community, by Jerry Munk • Observing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, by Dave Hughes • Called to Proclaim the Mighty Works of the Lord – Prayers for Christian Unity . • “I Can Start Anew Through the Love of Jesus,” by Rebecca Hanssen • Fresh Beginnings – Amazing Grace, and Looking for Daniel, by Rob Clarke • Kingdom Builders on the Move – Youth Mission Trip • Empty Empathy, by Michael Shaughnessy • “I Came to Cast Fire On the Earth,” European CCR Conference, by D.Schwager • When God Does Not Seem to Answer Your Prayers, by Tom Caballas • Squeezing Bad News from Good News, and Hearing God, by Sam Williamson • Home – Our Abiding Place, and Anna’s Heir, by Jeanne Kun • "The Day Draws Near" – Reflections for the Advent and Christmas Season • From the Manger to the Cross,by Bonhoeffer, & Showing Forth of Christ,byDonne • What the Incarnation Means for Us, by Steve Clark • The River Flows, song and reflection by Ed Conlin

Living Bulwark is committed to fostering renewal of the whole Christian people: Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. We especially want to give witness to the charismatic, ecumenical, evangelistic, and community dimensions of that renewal. Living Bulwark seeks to equip Christians to grow in holiness, to apply Christian teaching to their lives, and to respond with faith and generosity to the working of the Holy Spirit in our day. Go to > PDF Archives of back issues • (c) copyright 2016 The Sword of the Spirit .

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83 .

. The Day Draws Near . “Let us encourage one another to love and good deeds ...and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” – Hebrews 10:24-25

In this issue This issue focuses on how we should live together as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ – especially in light of his coming again. The writer to the Hebrews links fervor in brotherly and sisterly love, mutual help and mutual encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25) with the Day of the Lord drawing near – his return in glory as Judge and Ruler. The Day of the Lord will disclose who and what I have loved and devoted my life to most – serving and promoting myself or putting God and the welfare of my brothers and sisters . in Christ first in my care and concern.

The Apostle Peter uses the thought of the second coming to urge people to fervent love and mutual hospitality (1 Peter 4:8–9). The Apostle Paul commands that all things be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14) – Maran atha "the Lord is at hand" (1 Corinthians 16:22). He says that our forbearance must be known to all because the "Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5). The Greek New Testament word translated as forbearance is epieikēs, which means the spirit that is more ready to offer forgiveness than to demand justice.

The New Testament is sure that in view of the second coming of the Lord Jesus we must have our personal relationships right with our brothers and neighbors. The New Testament urges that we should never end a day with an unhealed rift between ourselves and another person, in case the Lord Jesus should come in the night.

Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities, bears witness to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit who brings people together in close bonds of mutual love and care for one another in community.

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differences, and work with them for the community… They are signs of God. We might have chosen different people… but these are the ones God has given us, the ones he has chosen for us. It is with them that we are called to create unity and live a covenant. We choose our own friends, but in our families, we do not choose our brothers and sisters; they are given to us. So it is in community life. (quote from Community and Growth, by Jean Vanier)

As we move into a season of preparation (Advent) for the celebration of Christmas and a new year of God's grace and mercy, let's ask the Lord Jesus to fill our hearts with the fire of his love and to renew within each of us the fruits of the Holy Spirit – “up- building love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, forbearance, forgiveness, and harmony” (Galatians 5:22-23) and so many other qualities that bind us together as families and communities in God's covenant love.

Sincerely in Christ, Don Schwager editor

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Homeward Bound: But Where Are We Headed? . by James Munk

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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about “home” – the place for which we long, and believe that if we reach, we’ll finally be satisfied – our heart’s destination. This desire for home seems to be programmed into us – into all mankind. It is therefore unsurprising that man has given himself many places to which he can attach the title of “home”.

For some, it is the glassy, white-clad apartment in the sky – a feat of modern architecture, an understated (but unmistakable) tribute to one’s very good tastes. Others look for the oversized country manor atop 40 acres: with a swimming pool, four-car garage, and a go-kart track – for the kids, naturally. For others still, it may not even be a change to their house; rather, a change to their neighbor’s – if the neighbors would just keep the noise down, and the property value up, then, finally, that would be home.

Some instead look for home in an emotional or social state that promises contentment. After all, there are more solutions than brick-and-mortar ones: maybe financial security, safety, fame or recognition in one’s field.

Did you find your dream home in that list? I found mine. And we fool ourselves if we think we’ve never felt our heart wrap around one of these homes – and found our plans and pocket books attempting to posses it.

But often paired with this longing is a sense that in the end, these things will disappoint us. For myself, I find it hard to believe that if I just got into one of the smaller lofts in a downtown high-rise, I would cease to be interested in the master suite at the top. These “homes” aggravate our appetites but do not satisfy our deeper longings. Our senses tell us something’s in the oven, but we know we’re not invited to dinner. We are faced with a longing for home and with the unhappy knowledge that it cannot be found here.

What are we to do? CS Lewis has excellent insight:

Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.

Our home is not here, and John 14:2 gives us some insight as to its location: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” We are invited to call the house of the Lord, “home” – to be with him, and live with him forever.

The Command of detachment This invitation is extraordinary, and its glory is outside of our comprehension. However, it brings with it a challenge while we still live in this world. Our current life and world are not our final destination, and like the . child who has plopped down on the sofa, we hear our father say, “Don’t get too comfortable”:a simple way of saying, don’t order your life in a way that makes it harder for you to leave this place. The Bible presents this challenge, this call to detachment, in a somewhat starker form:

“You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

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These are not easy words to hear. I like the world. I even like a few of the things in the world! But the Lord seems serious that I not become too attached. And when considering the Lord’s commands from an eternal perspective, this makes a lot of sense. Further, anything but a certain detachment from the world is foolishness! “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul” (Mark 8:36)?

But this call to detachment from the world is not hardship for hardship’s sake – a sort of spiritual boot camp. It is the loving direction from a father as he helps his sons and daughters navigate the stock markets of eternity.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

Consider the Titanic – when the ship was going down, the class of one’s cabin was trivial; a spot on the lifeboat was not. The things of this world are passing away, and our home is not here; and so the Lord says, “Don’t get too comfortable.”

The challenge of engagement This command for detachment from the world comes with a somewhat paradoxical call to vigorous engagement. This follows from a very simple toggle between home and work. If our home is not here – if our rest is not here – work, engagement, is the somewhat obvious alternative.

And this seems to be the way the Bible talks about the identity of the heaven-bound on earth: “laborers” in the field from Luke 10:2, “servants” in the Parable of the Talents in Luke 19, and perhaps most famously, the call of the apostles to become “fishers” of men.

I am unfamiliar with the parable that begins, “The kingdom of God is like a man in his armchair.” While we wait for our eternal home – our eternal rest – we are to be working for our Lord.

The challenge of love But beyond labor, engagement has a second, and more challenging, component: love. Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

Jesus loved Jerusalem, but not in the “I Heart NY” sense of the word. One can suppose that Jesus’ attraction to Jerusalem was not on account of all its wonderful cultural amenities – its cafés, historic shopping centers, or exotic restaurants. His love was not contingent on “liking”: it was a love based on commitment, and a desire for the people – his people – to come to a good place. His was a love for the mission field, out of love for the mission. Not necessarily the field: in some ways, despite it.

This love challenges me – do I love my city, my temporary home, with the same fervor Jesus loved Jerusalem? Doubtful – and that gap exists for many reasons. But I know of at least one way to narrow it. When we cease to look for a place to be our home, we are freer to love a place because it is where the Lord has asked us to be. We become free to labor out of love for those around us and out of love for the Lord – not necessarily because we like where they happen to be, or where the Lord has put us.

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Our eternal home In all this “our home is not here” talk, there can be a tendency to borrow an approach that is a hybrid of two different systems of belief: Hindu indifference to the thing of this world mated with a Wall Street work- alcoholism. But these miss that our approach to this world is grounded in the hope of the one to come. Far from a stoic indifference to the world or a grueling approach to labor, our lives should be marked by a joyful abandonment and a contagious zeal for the work the Lord has giving us. If we need convincing, consider what’s coming:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come (Isaiah 60:5).

These passages describe our true home – our final destination: a promise of wealth, comfort, eternal life, and a new order. And this promise is the beginning, not the end. If we consider our afterlife simply in terms of wealth, satisfaction or comfort that can be understood here and now, we’ve stopped short of the best part. Even if we hope our heavenly reward to be all the riches of the earth, we’ve set our sights much too low.

Our inheritance is the Lord, himself: “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance” (Psalm 16:5-6). We are invited to the House of the Lord; and more, invited forever to be with him. Our home is not here – and praise the Lord – we’re invited to a far better one.

[James Munk is a mission director for Kairos North America and a member of the Work of Christ Community in Lansing, Michigan.]

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Missing the Point . by Bob Tedesco

Introduction Many years ago, while considering the crowd following Jesus, I thought that I could identify types of people in the crowd, and I noticed that Jesus sometimes addressed them directly. There were twelve apostles with Peter, James and John as a special subset. There were disciples: radical followers of their master, Jesus. There were believers: basically positive toward Jesus and benefiting from his teaching and ministry. There was (I imagined) a group which was undecided...interested but basically neutral. They could wave palms one day and shout, “Crucify him!” the next. There were also enemies that were clearly intending to catch Jesus in an error that would disqualify him and eventually be used at his trial.

When Jesus taught, he might identify one of these groups and supply an answer to their questions. “You might think this...but I say...”

I have always thought that nominal Christians look like the “believers” in the group. We believe, but only allow the belief to impinge upon our daily lives to a limited extent.

*(We have to be very careful since the Scriptures use the term “believer” in a sense more like disciple. To use the word this way can seem negative or elitist, but I’m hoping it calls us on.)

The Rich Young Man In the middle of all of those groupings was a rich young man who comes up to Jesus saying,

“Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the

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commandments.” He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have observed; what do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions. - Matthew19: 16-22

I have heard many teachings and sermons on this story, but I can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing the point. This is one of those, “What must I do to be saved?” scriptures that Jesus takes to another level. He answers, “If you would be saved, obey.” “If you would be perfect, follow me!” There are a few distinctions here: 1) saved is improved to perfect; and 2) obey is improved to “follow me.”

Now, it truly is a warning about possessions and their ability to impede the call. It even leads into the “camel through the eye of the needle” story about riches. But we can focus on the warning about possessions and miss a main point: the call.

“Follow Me”...Background “Follow me,” or similar phrases appear 19-20 times in the New Testament and it signifies the invitation to discipleship. The dictionary definition for the word disciple is simply: learner, pupil, student. Jesus’ disciples were more like joining an army; your life was at risk; giving up your life was a requirement.

And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it.” - Luke 9: 23-24

There was no school building; they literally had to follow him. It was a whole life commitment. The abundant life of John 10:10 follows the death of the grain of wheat.

One teacher had these main qualities for a disciple:

Faithful: You have to know that the treasure that you’re passing on will be treated with respect and shared with others. . http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p3.htm (2 of 5) [05/08/2016 09:31:27] Living Bulwark

Available: You can’t pass on life and wisdom if the disciple is never there, the 50-60 hour work week is eliminating some good candidates for Christian discipleship.

Teachable: We will be learning things throughout our lives. Our Lord knows much more than us, and he reveals things as needed and when we can handle it. The Navy Seal Creed states: “My training is never completed.” So the discipleship starter kit is: faithful, available, teachable.

A key event in the discipleship process is when a person becomes other-centered. This might be triggered by an event or happen more slowly by process.

In the miraculous feeding of the 5000, Jesus said to his disciples, “You give them something to eat!” Then he basically said, “I’ll give you the stuff and you distribute it!” Another example is when the 70 were sent out to minister the so-called “little commission.” And then, of course, The Great Commission is to disciple others.

To sum this up, self-centered spirituality (or discipleship) is “doomed”. I can go to a retreat where I get the most out of it or go to a different retreat where we get the most out if it. Some individual recharging is necessary, but making too many decisions based on what’s best for me...is going in the wrong direction. The switch from self-centered faith to other-centered faith is a necessary part of the discipleship process.

Another distinction: Believers are informed and impressed by faith. Disciples are informed and impressed by faith and act on it!

Follow me...the questions This kind of challenging approach to discipleship raises some immediate questions. It was clear that the rich young man was saying, “No!” to “Follow me.” “No!” to “if you would be perfect...” But, for us, Jesus is not so clearly before me...challenging me. How do I follow him? How do I hear his voice?

We have always had one talk in our beginning foundation course on guidance. One of the earliest teachers to write about guidance was Bob Mumford. He said his approach was similar to the harbor lights of navigation... when the three lights are aligned you’re on the right course. His three lights were: the inner witness, the scriptures, and the circumstances. He sited an example: as a young pastor and teacher, he believed that the Lord was showing him that he would preach in South America (inner witness). So, he packed his bags and went down to the docks expecting the Lord to provide passage to South America. Nothing happened. He went back home having learned something about guidance: the inner witness seemed clear; it was not in violation with Scripture, but the circumstances did not line up. Years later, he preached and taught in South America!

Anytime that I have taught his example, I add two additional harbor lights: pastoral input and our corporate life. “Personal” leadings should be discerned and influenced by a pastoral leader or pastor. We can also get input from the wider body and its mission. More important leadings and decisions merit more serious pastoral and corporate input.

Note: the call to discipleship is different from the apostolic call, but the beginnings are the same: “Follow me!” We are called to pursue, to imitate, to absorb, to embrace and to live out the life of Christ.

Paul was a discipler and he expected Timothy (and others) to imitate him, even as a parent expects to raise up a son or daughter to adult life.

I urge you, then, be imitators of me. - 1 Corinthians 4:16 Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. - 1Corinthians 11: 1

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Good, better, best The U.S. Navy Seals strive to be the best. As mentioned earlier, their training is never completed. “My nation expects me to be...stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time...I am never out of the fight.” These are not “Beetle Bailey” soldiers; they are striving to be the best.

We, too, are in a battle; we will need to be better than our enemies...if God is for us, who can be against us. I believe that we are called to be the best. “Good” is a good man; “better” a believer; “best” a disciple.

In a battle, would we want good, better or the best armament? The answer is the best; the armor of God.

The key to community and mission is committed disciples. A community of “believers” (or nominal Christians) will not last. The mission is too dangerous for “good” or “better” armor.

The key to Christian family and Christian parenting is radical discipleship: parents who embrace radical discipleship work to raise their children to be radical disciples of the Lord Jesus.

Slippage: a human talent There is something about human nature that seems to fall back, to backslide, and to return to its old ways. “Good enough”, “close enough” and other mindless constructs become cracks in our armor. Our tendencies remind me of an electrical example: we can have a steady state voltage that defines the circuit. The voltage can drop below or rise above the steady state, but always return to its “steady state”.

The nature of slippage can happen in many areas such as understanding the Word of God and its application to discipleship. Millions of renewal Christians have returned to their steady state...but the Lord is calling us on. The spiritual life is never completed but a call upward and onward!

“I know your works: you’re neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!...Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten...He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” - Revelation 3: 15, 19, 21.

One more thing from the rich young man story: Jesus connects “perfect” with “follow me”. It seems tome that there is something “perfect” about following him. I think we tend to see the call to perfection as something resulting in an inhumanly flawless disciple. There is something “perfect” about his disciples who just say, “Yes Lord, I will follow you.”

The Point: Total dedication is what he called for

If we’re too busy, too rich, too successful, too fit... We should ask: “Am I missing the point?”

> See other articles by Bob Tedesco

Bob Tedesco is past President of the North American Region of the Sword of the Spirit. He is a founder of the People of God community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and has been one of its key leaders for the past 40 years.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Living in the Last Days . A Commentary on 1 Peter 4:7–11 . by Dr. Daniel A. Keating

The following brief commentary from the First Letter of Peter, Chapter 4 is lightly edited with permission of the author, Dr. Daniel Keating, from his book, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude, published by Baker Academic, 2011. While it was written from a Roman Catholic perspective, the material can be beneficial for Christians from other traditions as well. – ed.

Love, Hospitality, and Service in God’s Household (1 Peter 4:7–11)

1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. 8 Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 11 Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

OT references: Proverbs 10:12 NT reference: Mark 1:15; Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:4–11; Phil 2:14; Col 3:17; James 5:20

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vs. 7-9: Throughout the letter Peter moves back and forth quite easily between how we conduct ourselves outside the Christian church and how we handle ourselves inside the church (e.g., 2:11–12; 3:8–9). He now returns to matters internal to the Christian community, setting the stage for his exhortation by saying, the end of all things is at hand. Is Peter declaring to the Christians of the first century that the world is certainly about to end? No, he is reminding the Christian people that Christ may return at any time, and that they should be prepared and ready when he does. For Peter, the “last days” of God’s plan for the world have already arrived with the coming of Christ (1:20), and we are now living in those last days, awaiting their fulfillment, when the “end” will come. Christians are already living in the days of the Messiah, but they also await the “end,” or “goal,” of their faith that will occur when Jesus returns (see 1:9).

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

What Are the Last Days?

New Testament references to the “end of all things,” to the “last days,” or to the “last hour” can be perplexing for modern readers. We tend to understand these as pointing to single moments of time when God acts decisively. Indeed in the Gospel according to John the “last day” does in fact refer to the resurrection of the dead at the end of this world (6:39–54; 11:24; 12:48), and references to “the day of the Lord” in the New Testament point to that decisive moment when Christ will come again (Acts 2:20; 1 Cor 1:8; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10). But for the apostolic authors, the “last days” or the “last hour” can also serve as shorthand for this present time that we are living in. The “last days” were inaugurated with the coming of Christ into the world, when he decisively intervened in history to bring about the salvation he promised in the prophets (Heb 1:2), and they will be fulfilled when he comes again (Matt 24:14). In the meantime we are living now in this “last hour”: “Children, it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). We are those “upon whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor 10:11) and who have received the gift of the Spirit destined for the “last days” (Acts 2:17). In short, the reign of the Messiah has already begun, and we are living in it; therefore, we must remain sober and alert to live the reality of this kingdom now and to be prepared for the “end” when Christ returns and brings it to completion.

Peter names three practices in particular that ought to characterize Christians living in expectation of the “end.” The first is to be serious and sober for prayers. Seriousness and sobriety are in direct contrast to the revelry and drunkenness that mark Gentile behavior (4:3–4) and are vital for the effectiveness of our prayers. To “be serious” (sōphroneō) is to be sensible and clear-minded, like the Gerasene demoniac who, after being exorcised by Jesus, was found “clothed and in his right mind [sōphroneō]” (Mark 5:15; see also Rom 12:3; Titus 2:6). To be “sober” is a theme Peter returns to throughout the letter (1:13; 5:8).

Why are seriousness and sobriety linked to our prayers? Because we need to remain clear-minded and alert if we are to pray with true knowledge and attentiveness (see 3:7).31 For what are we to pray? Peter does not specify here the content of our prayers, but it would undoubtedly include prayers for God’s blessing upon our lives (3:9–12); prayers for endurance in the face of hostility; prayers that others might come to faith in Christ (3:1); and prayers that Christ might return and bring his salvation (1:7).

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LIVING TRADITION

First Clement on Love

One of the earliest writings in the Church outside of the New Testament is the First Letter of Clement, traditionally ascribed to Pope Clement of Rome in about AD 95. Writing to the church in Corinth on the blessings of unity, Clement offers a stirring meditation on the place of love in which he cites 1 Pet 4:8: “The heights to which love leads is indescribable. Love unites us with God; love covers a multitude of sins; love endures all things, is patient in all things. There is nothing coarse, nothing arrogant in love. Love knows nothing of schisms, love leads no rebellions, love does everything in harmony. In love all the elect of God were made perfect; without love nothing is pleasing to God.”a

By saying “above all,” Peter gives the second practice pride of place: above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. By repeating the call to love (see 1:22; 2:17) Peter underlines the fundamental place love holds in the Christian life. This is in keeping with Christ’s injunction to put love of God and neighbor in first place (Mark 12:30–31) and with the constant teaching of the apostolic letters (1 Cor 13:1–13; Col 3:14; 1 John 4:7– 11).

What is Peter getting at when he says that “love covers a multitude of sins”? The background to this statement is Prov 10:12 (“love covers all offenses”), which Peter cites rather loosely.32 The primary meaning is that our love “covers over,” that is, “overlooks,” the “multitude” of daily sins that people commit against us. In this sense our love covers over the sins of others. Rather than allowing grudges and judgments to pile up, we are called to put away these offenses through the merciful love we extend to one another. Peter may also mean that our practice of merciful love toward one another will prompt God himself to “cover” our offenses. In this sense one’s love results in our own sins being forgiven by God: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you” (Matt 6:14). Both meanings are true and Peter may have them both in mind here.

The third practice Peter enjoins is to be hospitable to one another without complaining. Hospitality is highly prized throughout the Scriptures.33 In the first-century context, hospitality included the practice of welcoming traveling apostles and other Christians, but its primary meaning was probably the mutual welcoming of one another into the home for common worship and meals. It is the day-by-day hospitality within the local body of Christians that Peter especially is addressing.

Peter’s plea to show hospitality “without complaining” (literally, “without grumbling”) draws our attention back to the exodus and the wandering of Israel in the desert. During their sojourn in the desert the people of Israel repeatedly “grumbled” against the Lord and Moses, and this grumbling was displeasing to the Lord (Exod 16:7–12; Num 17:10). As “sojourners of the dispersion” (1:1) we too must avoid the grumbling that can arise when we feel overburdened with the needs and demands of others (Phil 2:14).

vs. 10-11: Peter now gives a general exhortation on using spiritual gifts for building up the church: As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Just as the Greek word for “gift” (charisma) is built on the Greek word for “grace” (charis), so each one’s “gift” (charisma) is dependent on the varied “grace” (charis) of God. He is the single source of the variety of gifts (see Rom 12:3–8 and 1 Cor 12:4–11 for Paul’s treatment of spiritual gifts). In a similar way the word “steward” (oikonomos) builds on the root word “house” (oikos), providing further evidence for one of the letter’s central themes, that the Christian people are “the household of God.” All of us are called to be “stewards” of the spiritual gifts we have been given for the service of our brothers and sisters. Just as the prophets served (diakoneō) not themselves but us (1:12), so we are to use the gifts God gives us not for ourselves but to serve the building up of God’s house.

Peter mentions only two distinct gifts here—speaking and serving: whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies. “Speaking” and http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p4.htm (3 of 5) [05/08/2016 09:31:30] Living Bulwark

“serving” reflect Peter’s pastoral goals throughout the letter, namely, to encourage righteousness in speech and mutual service of one another. But they may also stand for all the gifts in the church: “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col 3:17).34

Is Peter addressing all Christians here or just those in leadership roles? By translating the opening phrase “whoever preaches” (literally, “whoever speaks”), the NAB applies this mainly to leaders, and indeed Peter may have leaders primarily in view here. But given the general context (“as each has received a gift”), we should apply this to all Christians, whenever they are speaking of God and serving his people. Peter is not telling his readers to act as prophets uttering oracles, but simply as people who communicate what God has to say. Since Scripture is a rich source of the sayings of God and Christ, no Christian is unsupplied with “the words of God.” If we are immersed in God’s Word, then we are in a position to speak “the words of God” in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

Peter’s dominant concern, though, is how we go about the task of speaking and serving. Those who speak should do so as if they are “speaking the very words of God” (NRSV);35 those who serve should do so with the strength that God himself supplies. Our ability to exercise these gifts does not come from within us—God himself supplies the words to speak and the strength to serve.

Peter concludes by showing that the final goal of our words and deeds is always the glorification—that is, the honoring—of God himself: so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. There is a question whether the one “to whom belong glory and dominion” refers to Jesus Christ or to God; the Greek is ambiguous and scholarly opinion is divided. Both can be defended and both are true. But it is probably best, following the NAB translation, to see Christ himself as the one to whom Peter ascribes “glory and dominion forever and ever.”

The goal of all our activity, whether in word or in action, is to glorify God. “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (John 15:8). Peter closes with a doxology, a prayer that expresses honor to God. It is no accident that Peter is doing the very thing he is calling Christians to do—he is speaking “the words of God” to us in this letter, so that God may be glorified in Jesus Christ.

Reflection and application (4:7–11)

In two short verses (10–11) Peter gives us a penetrating teaching on spiritual gifts. He maintains that “each one” has received a gift from God—gifts are not the province of leaders only. Peter calls us to be “good stewards” of the gifts God gives and to use them to serve one another. We are stewards, not owners, and the gifts must be used for the good of the body, not for ourselves.

Peter cleverly shows that “gifts” (charismata) derive from “grace” (charis), but even more that we need to rely directly on God’s grace as we make use of the gifts. God is their ultimate source but also the one who supplies the ongoing grace needed to use them effectively. To paraphrase John 15:5, we “can do nothing” apart from his grace. As a final point, Peter underlines that the goal of these gifts is the glorification of God. This is tremendously important. Because of our fallen nature, there is a constant temptation to use the gifts we’ve been given, natural or spiritual, for our own glorification. Yes, we want to honor God, but we also secretly want to enhance our own standing and reputation. Peter cuts right through this, leaving no room for us to boast in ourselves or to take our bow on stage. He insists that we speak the words that come from God and that we serve by the strength that he supplies. And he shows us the way by concluding his own “speaking the words of God” with a prayer that turns our eyes to God and his glory.

Notes

31 For the importance of alertness and watchfulness in prayer, see Eph 6:18; Col 4:2.

a First Clement 49.4–5, in The Apostolic Fathers in English, trans. Michael W. Holmes, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker,

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2006), 65.

32 James 5:20 also speaks about covering a multitude of sins: “Whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

33 See Lev 19:34; Matt 25:35; Rom 12:13; Heb 13:2; 3 John 5–8.

34 For the coupling of “word” and “deed,” see also Acts 6:1–6; Rom 15:18; 2 Thess 2:17; James 2:12.

NAB New American Bible

NRSV New Revised Standard Version

35 The “words” of God are literally “sayings,” or “oracles.” See Num 24:4 (LXX); Ps 106:11 (LXX); Acts 7:38; Rom 3:2; Heb 5:12.

Dr. Daniel A. Keating (Doctor of Philosophy, University of Oxford) is associate professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, USA and an elder of The Servants of the Word, a lay missionary brotherhood of men living single for the Lord.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83 To Steve Clark, a brother and a teacher

The True God Whom We Serve . by Carlos Mantica

A man or woman will usually relate to God according to the vision he or she has of God. Those of us who have met God through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, our eldest Brother, have learned to see him as a close, friendly God, a personal God who has united himself with our humanity. We have learned to hold familiar conversation in a brother-to-brother intimacy with Christ who is both God and man. Coming to know God in a personal way was a necessary step for many of us who previously had the vision of an impersonal God who was very distant from us. But this new understanding of a personal relationship with God the Father through his Son Jesus Christ is just the first step in understanding how God wants to bring this relationship to a deeper level.

Jesus Christ is Lord The Lord Jesus Christ is truly our brother and friend, but he is also much more. When the Spirit of God came upon us, in what we have called being "baptized in the Holy Spirit," he showed us that Jesus who suffered and died for us, and was buried and raised from the dead, has now been glorified by the Father and established as Lord of heaven and earth. Through the gift of the Spirit we know and experience the glorified and risen Christ as our Lord. We now experience what the Apostle Paul wrote to the early Christians, "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Christ is the Lord who is worthy of all glory, and in whose presence every knee should bow in heaven and on earth (Philippians 2:10-11). We don't need anyone one to tell us this truth, since the Holy Spirit witnesses with

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our spirit the reality of the glorified Christ who reigns over all and who now lives in us. So, now, through the working of the Holy Spirit within us, our natural impulse is to proclaim out loud the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now in our relationship with Christ we can naturally proceed from conversation with Christ to adoration, from trust to reverence, from love to respect. One does not hinder the other. Christ continues to be everything he had already been for us before we were "baptized in the Spirit" - our Savior, brother, and friend, but now we recognize that he is much more as well.

Encountering God's glory and majesty Several years ago, during a time of worship at an international conference, the Lord gave me a vision of his glory. (Those of you who think these things are reserved to saints may now laugh.) In the vision I saw an immense crowd with their arms lifted in praise and worship towards a place located on the left side of my visual field. Then I turned my eyes to the place the crowd were looking at, and I saw the Hall of the Heavenly Throne. Behind the Throne was a company of angels - unlike anything I had ever seen before. I once had seen some enormous bronze angels which guarded the entrance to a monument in Spain. But now those gigantic statues looked very tiny, like Christmas ornaments in the shape of little angels, in comparison with the power, glory, and beauty of the living angels I saws standing before the Throne of God. Their whole being radiated strength, dignity, and manly braveness that only contrasted the transparency and peace in their eyes.

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On the throne, naked as in his Resurrection, sat Jesus Christ with an iron scepter in his right hand. His majesty was indescribable.

I was then able to grasp a little of what Paul says in 2 Corinthians:

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)

I know that this vision then made its mark on my way of relating to Jesus Christ.

More or less at the end of 1974 or the beginning of 1975, in our charismatic prayer groups, we began to experience the presence of God the Father. In all of those groups, with no exception, those who were praying would fall to the ground and prostrate themselves, their faces on the ground, without being able to explain how or at what moment this had happened. All we know is that the presence of the Father is awesome.

This is what God told Moses from the burning bush:

“Do not come near, put off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ...And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:5-6)

When Moses implored God, “Show me your face”, God replied:

I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name ‘The

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LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But... you cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live... While my glory passes I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:19-23)

At Sinai, the sole presence of God filled the whole people of Israel with terror, while they stayed at a distance.

To Elijah, God said:

“Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle. (1 Kings 19:11-13)

This is Isaiah’s description of his encounter with the Lord:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with to he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:1-5)

Ezekiel recalls it this way:

I saw as it were gleaming bronze, like the appearance of fire enclosed round about; and downward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. (Ezekiel 1:27-28)

None of these prophets saw God. These were merely glimpses of his glory; yet these simple servants of God were not able to resist his presence. I invite you to read the Book of Job once again. He who thought he had no sin and dared to appear before God as a righteous man, was finally able to understand his own smallness and his place before God, when God brought him face to face with his greatness and majesty.

In Revelation we see how the saints and angels relate to God. They, too, are overwhelmed by his glory, and they do not cease to proclaim his holiness, and to sing praises to God. That is our call as well - to worship and glorify God, not only now in this present life, but also for all ages without end.

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Worshiping God with reverence and awe Whenever God invites his people to draw nearer to his presence, he also expects them to relate to him in a manner worthy of his glory and greatness. Even when he embraces us with his tender love and kindness, there is still something in his glory and majesty that compels us to give him adoration, and to approach him with awe and reverence. We cannot continue to relate to him simply as we might have done in the past - simply as a benefactor who gives us good things when we ask for his help.

Whenever we gather to worship God together with other Christians, and when we each seek him alone in our private prayer, he wants us to acknowledge him both as a tender and merciful Father and as the Lord and Ruler of the universe. That is why we must always love him with gratitude, reverence, and awe. This attitude of reverence is necessary if we want to enter more deeply into his presence and to experience his immediacy.

Perhaps we might envy those who have seen God in a vision or who have experienced his presence and power the way Moses and the prophets experienced it. However, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us something of much greater significance that ought to change our attitude towards God and lead us to an understanding of our dignity in Christ and the great thing he is doing among us as his people.

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews contrasts the experience of Moses and the Israelites with the experience God wants us to know and understand now, because of what Christ has accomplished for us:

For you have not come [as the Israelites did] to what may be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers entreat that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood... (Hebrews 12:18-24)

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In Christ we have direct access to God's throne in heaven Brothers and sisters in Christ, we do not yet have a clear notion of what takes place when we gather to worship the Lord together. We who have been enrolled in heaven as God’s children (that is, we who have a “birth certificate” in the files of heaven, since the day we were born again from on high) join the triumphant Church of those who went before us in the joy of seeing Christ face to face, that is, we join our departed brothers and sisters, our parents, the saints, and myriad’s of angels, in order to appear together in the presence of God and to praise him.

If we fail to worship God with reverence and awe, or worship in an irreverant way, then we fail to recognize whose presence we are in - the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth. That is why the author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us of the experience of the Israelites when they came to the mountain of God in the wilderness. God did not allow them to come near the mountain because they could not endure his presence and live. But now that Christ has come and has redeemed us with his blood, and has torn open the veil of the Holy of Holies that separated the people from God's presence, we have free access through Christ to draw near the . throne of grace and to enter God's presence with confidence.

This new reality of how Christ has made it possible for us to enter into God's presence will not make any sense for those who do not yet know God or who do not understand the fullness of his identity. But for those who do understand what Christ has done for us and how he wants us to approach the throne of mercy in heaven, let us examine what the Scriptures teach us about relating to God is a more mature way as his sons and daughters.

How, then, does Scripture describe what our relationship to God should be like? First, it should be a personal relationship, because God is a personal being and not a cosmic force; and that personal being also regards us as persons, with that personal love with which we regard each of our children, and not the way one can look at the sand of the sea, even if that sand had emerged from our hands. Yet it is not properly a “man-to-man” relationship, a relationship between equals, even though Christ is a man and that man is our brother. In fact, he is infinitely greater than my brother the President, or my brother the Pope, or my brother the Emperor – people whom we would not treat as equals anyway.

Four images - types of relationships

When God, in Scripture, instructs on the way he wants us to relate to him, he normally uses one of the following four images. He wants our relationship to him to be similar to:

1. That of a son to his father. 2. That of a soldier to his officer. 3. That of a servant to his master. 4. That of a subject to his king.

Personally, I think it ought to be similar to all of those at once. It’s like the relationship I would have to my father if he were at once my king, my officer and my master, because God is all of those things at once, and I don’t know how we could separate them.

He is my Father but he is also my Master and my Lord. And this is where our joy resides – in having a Master and being servants of a Lord who, nevertheless, regards us and cares for us with the love of a Father, and who is also the King of all that exists; in being aware that God is a personal being, who has dreamed of me from eternity, who loves me and therefore wants by happiness, and who is omnipotent.

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I also believe that it is when we go alternatively from one of these images to another, so that one day we only look at God one way and the next day only in that other way, that we lose our right relationship to him. That is, when we are dirty and come to our King, or we are defeated and come to our Officer, but we forget that at that time he regards us with the love and understanding of a Father. Or when we come, like spoiled children, to the Father who forbids or commands us to do something, forgetting that he is also our Officer. Or when he asks us something or asks us everything, and we start whining, because we forget that we belong to him and that he is the Master and Lord of all that is ours and of ourselves.

I know it’s difficult to grasp all of these images because he transcends all of them. It is difficult to explain how to relate to him because there is no other relationship in the world that will actually be the same. But there is one thing I know we must understand: God is not our comrade or partner, our buddy, our sidekick or accomplice. He and his ways, his power, his authority and his glory, his commands, his essence, his goodness, his tenderness, his justice and his holiness are as far above me as heaven is above the earth. It was he who came to man, it was he who came to me in order to save me, and it was he who established a covenant and a relationship with me. And this covenant is the covenant between omnipotence and impotence, between grace and sin, not a covenant or a relationship between equals.

In order to understand at least a little better the images God uses for explaining his relationship to us, I would like to take a look into each of them individually. We are going to begin with the father-son relationship.

Paul says in Romans 8:14:

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ...When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is the Spirit himself bearing witness...”

For a Jew in the times of Jesus, a son is not the same as a young child. In modern society, sons and daughter par excellence are young children. When we approach the age of 18, we feel we are ceasing to be sons or daughters, and the thing we most long for is for our parents to stop being parents or acting as such. But in Jesus’ time, a son par excellence was an adult son, who was able to occupy his father’s position. The father- son relationship was, in this sense, a relationship between two adults.

A stanza of Psalm 127 illustrates this kind of relationship:

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:4-5)

This is not the image of Daddy playing Indians and cowboys with his kids in the backyard. Rather, this is the image of a father-chief, surrounded by manly sons who defend him and who are willing to fight for him and for his interests. These sons the father regards as a blessing, in contrast to a modern father who thinks it’s stupid to spend time forming his children, and who can’t wait to see them leave the home.

For the Jewish mentality, sons are a continuation and an extension of their father: in his reputation, which they must protect as much as their own; in his authority, which they must be able to use in representing him; in his character, being themselves just like their father, having his own way of being, of feeling, of acting; in his responsibility, caring for their father’s business (at twelve years old, the young Jesus who was lost in the temple was already aware of this responsibility); and in his mission, by carrying out and completing their

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father’s work.

A father lives and is perpetuated in his sons. Since we are God’s sons, we say that a Christian is a man who has been chosen by Christ, in order to be like Christ, and incorporated and enabled by Christ in order to complete Christ’s mission in the world, which is the mission that his Father entrusted him with.

This continuation of the Father is not merely biological but of character. We are supposed to be like him. Jesus said to the Jews, in so many words: “You think you are sons of Abraham, but in fact you are sons of Satan” (cf. John 8:39-44). He tells them this because they no longer reflect the faith of their father Abraham; they do not look like him at all.

All of this is what we are supposed to be for our Father, and it is thus that the Father wants us to relate to him. Not like young children who will hide or curl up in their daddy’s knees, but like adult sons, brave, responsible, respectful, obedient, who by their own way of being are looking to their father’s business, representing him and making use of his authority.

Officer-soldier relationship

Let’s now examine the officer-soldier relationship. We read in Ephesians 6:10-11: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” And then he goes on to describe the armor. To Timothy he says: “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3).

We are supposed to be Christ’s soldiers, but some of our number are so irresponsible that they haven’t even realized that we are at war, in a war that began in heaven before the creation of the world, but which has been moved to earth. We are involved in that war even if we don’t want, and not wanting to fight will not only not protect you from anything, but will make your defeat absolutely certain. Only those who fight under Christ’s banner will survive the devil’s attacks.

But our condition as soldiers must also reflect itself in our daily lives. When you are drafted by the army, your life changes radically. You are now subject to certain rules and to an authority. You are under military discipline. Your personal preferences are subordinated to the army’s needs. Sometimes you won’t be able to take a nap or go where you would have liked to go, or do what you would liked to do, but you will do what your officer says and go where you are sent or where your officer needs you. It’s not the right time to say, “Daddy, I’m tired, let me curl up in your arms,” as you used to do when you were a young kid. It’s time to say: “Heavenly Headquarters, give your orders.”

When you are at war, the safest place to be is with your officer in the battlefield, and well armed. Your safety resides in obeying him. If an army does not obey its commander, having been trained very well will be no use. If you desert, your penalty will be court-martial and dishonor.

It may be that all of this sounds too drastic to you. But that’s only because you are not aware that we Christians, by the very fact that we are Christians, are engaged in total war against the forces of evil, and that the commander of those forces does not sleep, but prowls around like a roaring lion. If we are in a war and if we have been recruited by Christ, we must be willing to live as soldiers. This means we will do whatever he commands us to do, and not those things which are of our personal liking.

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But it also means that we will always try to act as a body and to remain together with our battalion. A lonely soldier is a dead man, and that is a well-known fact for those of us who once attempted to live our Christianity by ourselves or to engage in combat as snipers.

But a lonely soldier is not just an idiot, he’s a dangerous fellow for those of his own side. He’s the one others will need to go rescuing. He’s the most likely to be captured. He’s the one who, because he acts outside all orders or plans, can spoil everything. If you are isolated, you are already in danger, and you are a danger for everyone else.

Master-servant relationship

Let’s now refer to the master-servant relationship. In Romans 6:17-23 St. Paul reminds us that we have been freed from slavery to sin, but we have merely shifted masters, since we now belong to Christ. He says in verse 19: “For just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now yield your members to righteousness for sanctification.”

In order to fully understand certain things in Scripture, it is often necessary to first understand how things worked in the times when the Bible was written. In the times of Jesus, you were either a slave or a free man. And any person could become a slave at any time, for various reasons – because your country was attacked and defeated and the people were led to slavery, but also for more daily reasons such as not being able to pay a debt, as in the case of that man in the parable who owed ten thousand talents. Thus, a person could be sold with his whole family until the debt was paid for.

We are well aware that we have a debt to Christ which we cannot pay. We also know that the word “redemption” is merely a commercial term, meaning “ransom”. Thus, Christ redeemed us with his blood, the same way you redeem a pledge at a pawnshop. Christ paid our debt with his blood, he bought our IOU’s – but not in order for us to be absolutely free, but, as Paul says, that we might live no longer for ourselves, but for him who died and was raised for us (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:15). That’s why he is our Lord, our Master.

Nevertheless, a slave or servant would not go around bearing chains all the time, nor would he spend the whole day cutting rocks the way we see it in motion pictures. A servant would often have a position of confidence, and sometimes could be a tutor for a prince, or even a minister of Pharaoh, as in the case of Joseph. I think this is our situation, since God has placed enormous responsibilities in our hands.

A servant’s fortune came from and depended on his owner’s wealth. So you could be very rich and still be a servant. That’s what Paul says about us: “All things are yours... and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s” (1 Corinthians 3:21-22).

But above all these things, and whatever the particular situation or position of a servant could be, all servants had one thing in common: they had to do always and first of all – even above the work commended to them – the will of their master. That’s why I always say that the important thing is not doing much or little, doing big or small things – the important thing is always doing God’s will. If Pharaoh says, “Joseph, go and do this errand for me,” Joseph will not reply, “I’m sorry, Mr. Pharaoh, but I’m very busy working as your Prime Minister.” Joseph must go, because before being the Prime Minister he is Pharaoh’s servant.

Joseph was a great man under Pharaoh. And we are greater than Joseph under the King of the Universe. Jesus goes to the point of saying about us that even the smallest one in his Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist,

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whom he called the greatest born of a woman. But our greatness comes from being servants of the King in the Kingdom of God.

That is why, like the humblest of his servants, we owe the Lord honor, respect and obedience, and we renounce ourselves and any personal preference in order to do always and above all the will of God.

Subjects of the king

Let us now see what it meant to be subjects of a king. David, who was a king, says in Psalm 99:1-3:

The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise thy great and terrible name! Holy is he!

For us it is difficult to understand what a king is, because the few kings that remain today are very unlike the concept of a king in the Bible. A king today is a far-away individual, occupied in his own things and separated from his people, and he will only appear in great solemn events. The one who actually governs is the Prime Minister.

But in Scripture, the model of a king is that of someone who served his people, and he did this in two very concrete ways.

First, he waged war against the enemies of his people, and he would lead his army himself. As we know, in the time of the Judges there was no king in Israel. Yahweh, the Lord of Hosts, was their only King, and he was the one who personally waged war on behalf of his people. That is the constant line in the whole Old Testament – the witness of a King who fights for his people. Samuel grudgingly anointed Saul, who was the first king of Israel.

The second function of the king was to do justice. He would solve conflicts, give sentence to condemn the wicked and to clear the innocent, and keep order in the midst of his people.

The people, in turn, corresponded to their king by showing him honor and respect, obeying his laws and serving him. Subjects would offer themselves in his service for a given time.

The Lord is our King, and he knows his office. David, who was also a king and who knew his duties, then dares to say to his King in Psalm 35:

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, ‘I am your deliverance!’

Joshua does likewise when he enters the promised land in order to conquer it. He expects the Lord to wage war against his enemies. That’s the same thing we ought to expect.

Christians today often trust too much in their own strength, neglecting the fact that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the hosts of the enemy, and that the enemy’s power is much stronger than ours. We can conquer only if God is with us, heading and leading the battle, and if we fight with his weapons.

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I often insist that it’s not a matter of us fighting with God’s help, which would amount to making God our assistant, but of helping God in his warfare. Our slogan is, Christ and me are the overwhelming majority. If we place ourselves first, me and Christ, we are like a zero on the left of the number, which is worth nothing. But if we place ourselves after him, at his right hand, the more zeros we write, our worth will increase.

Because he is the King, he deserves all our honor and respect, and all our obedience. Because he is the King, the Lord judges us. “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God,” as Paul reminds us in Romans 14:10. As a judge he is slow to anger, but he will not leave the guilty unpunished. We must expect his judgment, remembering that judgment does not just mean punishment of the guilty, but also acquittal of the innocent.

And, once again, we must remember that in our four-fold relationship to him, as servants, subjects and soldiers, we are also sons and daughters of him who will judge us, and therefore we can also trust in his infinite justice and mercy.

> See other Living Bulwark articles by Carlos Mantica

Carlos Mantica is a founder of The City of God community (La Cuidad de Dios) in Managua, Nicaragua, and a founding leader of the Sword of the Spirit. He served as president of the Sword of the Spirit between 1991 and 1995.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

. Living Together as an Ecumenical People in the Sword of the Spirit

The Sword of the Spirit is a growing network of more than 75 lay Christian communities around the world that have a common vision, way of life, and spiritual culture. Recent estimates put the numbers of those involved at around 9,000 people worldwide. We sometimes describe ourselves as a “community of communities.” Each community within the Sword of the Spirit is self-governing, but receives help in living out its life as a community from the sharing of resources with other communities around the world.

The Sword of the Spirit has a strong common culture that transcends our international differences. As a result, when members of different communities get together, even though they may be from different parts of the world, there is a very strong sense that we are part of the same international community of communities. . The Sword of the Spirit is ecumenical. Some of our communities are ecumenical in their make-up, with members who belong to various churches – Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox. Other communities are all one denomination. But the call of all our communities is to foster the unity of all Christians. While recognizing our differences, we look to see how we can share in the riches of one another’s Christian traditions and work together for Christ.

We believe that God has called us together from many Christian traditions and churches to be a living testimony today to God’s purpose for his people of “uniting all things in heaven and on earth” in his Son Jesus Christ (Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians 1:10). We live as brothers and sisters united in a common commitment and a common way of life which allows us to support one another in living a zealous, disciplined life in Christ, and at the same time to respect those differences among us which reflect our various church backgrounds and Christian commitments.

We believe that we can discern in this time in history a great working of the Holy Spirit to draw together the Christian people in a mutual recognition of their common “sonship” in Christ, a recognition which can form a solid foundation from which to deal with the many important questions which still divide the Christian people.

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We believe that the Lord desires to overcome the divisions among the Christian people (Gospel of John 17:22- 23). We therefore join ourselves to one another as brothers and sisters both as a response to the way God has worked among us and in the belief that it furthers the Lord’s work of unity and contributes to the life of the various churches and the Christian people as a whole. We do so humbly, recognizing that our efforts are only a small part of what God is doing in the world today.

For more information see see >

● What Is the Sword of the Spirit? Some Questions and Answers, by Jerry Munk ● Association of Ecumenical Communities ● The Work of Christ - A Long-standing Ecumenical Community in the Sword of the Spirit

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

. The Work of Christ - a Long-standing Ecumenical Community in the Sword of the Spirit

An interview with Jerry Munk, a community coordinator and a founding member

How did the Work of Christ community get started? In the late 1960s, a movement known as the Charismatic Renewal began to sweep through Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches. It helped millions of Christians have a more personal and vibrant experience of the Holy Spirit. They began to exercise the spiritual gifts and found new freedom to praise and worship Jesus Christ.

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One of the earliest charismatic prayer meetings took place in East Lansing, Michigan. Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians, many of them students at Michigan State University, would gather every Wednesday evening to worship God and share the love he was putting in their hearts for one another. This love continued to grow and so did a compelling sense of purpose and mission. In June of 1974, 87 people made an agreement – a covenant commitment – with one another and with the Lord to live fully for God as members of the Work of Christ Community.

youth group sing a song at community gathering

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Members live throughout the greater Lansing area (Lansing proper has a population of about 120,000, greater Lansing about 500,000). Perhaps 80 percent of Lansing area members live in neighborhoods close to one another. These clusters of community members are located in diverse urban and suburban areas. A branch of the community is located in the city of Saginaw, about an hour’s drive from Lansing.

Automobile manufacturing dominates the Lansing economy. Lansing is also the capital city of Michigan, so there are many state employees in the city. Michigan State University, with 50,000 students, is located next door in East Lansing.

Lansing has great seasonal diversity. It is green in the spring, hot in the summer, orange in the fall, and white in the winter.

Work of Christ summer youth camp

And the make-up of the community?

● 290 members, including the Saginaw branch ● We are a mix of ages, more or less evenly distributed from newborn to 87 ● Ecumenical make-up: roughly 70% Catholic, 20% Protestant, and 10% Orthodox ● There’s quite a range of trades and professions among us.

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Work of Christ men's breakfast

How often do you meet? During the school year, we meet most Sunday afternoons, in smaller and larger groupings. At least twice a month the whole community meets together.

During the summer months, we meet every Thursday evening, and these meetings are specially focused on welcoming people who are new to us.

The junior high school group meets every other week. The high school group, Christ’s Youth in Action (CYA), meets every week: one week all together and the following week in small groups. Some of our high school boys started a Bible study at their public high school this year. Over 70 of their fellow students are participating in it. Many of the participants are now attending CYA meetings, and a few final-year students are beginning to connect with our university outreach in anticipation of their college years.

Our university outreach meets weekly and has additional meetings for formation, for social events, and meetings especially for friends and acquaintances who are not Christians.

We also have a few annual meetings: a community conference, and conference for men and a conference for women.

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Work of Christ autumn festival

I understand your community has been doing a lot of outreach. How does that work? For several years the Lord has been calling us to reach out to other people and tell them what Christ has done in our lives and to invite and welcome people. We have many events for new people so they can get to know us – and hopefully get to know Christ, as well. For instance, when we meet as a whole community we also host dinner after afterwards for any guests. That way we can invite people to have a bite to eat with us, hear a short presentation about the community, ask questions, and get to know some community members more personally. We call this “Meet and Eat.”

We also offer a Life in the Spirit Seminar three times each year (in addition to what we offer in our university outreach) – the Seminar is a the tried and tested seven-week course of talks and discussions that presents people with what God is offering them and gives them an opportunity to choose to follow Christ and be filled with his Holy Spirit.

We are also working to create a more dynamic Christian formation program so that people interested in our life can receive quality Christian teaching as they get to know us, discuss it, and become stronger Christians. We are seeing 6-8 new people (outside our university outreach) come into formation each year. In addition, our University Christian Outreach (UCO) chapter continues to grow, and we are adding some new people to our community through UCO as well. Life in the Spirit Seminars are very helpful there, as well, so we can present the gospel well.

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a group performance at the Work of Christ 40th anniversary celebration

What particular strength do you feel you as a community have been given by the Lord just now? We are blessed with many large and very strong families. Our children’s and youth programs are growing and vibrant. Life among our single people – university age and beyond – is also dynamic, and a growing number of retirees enjoy lively patterns of community relationships. We are finding that more than half of community youth remain in the Sword of the Spirit when they become adults.

Nearly 15 years ago the community purchased a building where we have our offices and hold community meetings. It has been a great blessing. The community’s senior coordinator also serves as president of the Sword of the Spirit’s North American Region and several offices and ministries are headquartered there.

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Why is it a help being part of the larger network of communities of the Sword of the Spirit? The Sword of the Spirit helped the Work of Christ survive a very rough patch about 30 years ago. We have been blessed by the teaching and structures of the Sword of the Spirit in too many ways to give each even a brief mention.

If people in your area wanted to contact you, what’s the best way for them to do it? Do you have a website? And which meetings would people be welcome to attend? Our website is http://www.workofchrist.com/schedule.html where meetings are listed. People can also call our community center between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. (517) 336-8530. We’d be glad to hear from them.

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Work of Christ summer youth camp

We are also on Facebook with lots of photos that give a feel for our life.

For more information see see >

● What Is the Sword of the Spirit? Some Questions and Answers, by Jerry Munk ● Association of Ecumenical Communities ● The Work of Christ - An Ecumenical Community in the Sword of the Spirit

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Observing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18-25, 2016 .

by Dave Hughes

The “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” is a long-standing observance dating back to 1908 and has deep ecumenical roots. It is endorsed and jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches.

Each year the sponsors provide a common biblical text and suggestions for observing the week of prayer. The prayers and commentary for the 2016 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were provided by an ecumenical group of Christians who live in Latvia. They have chosen as the key Scriptural text a verse from the First Letter of Peter:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. - 1 Peter 2:9-10

This is an excellent verse for those of us who live in covenant community, as we seek to live out the call as an ecumenical people. Many Sword of the Spirit communities have annually observed this week of common prayer, but we wanted to broaden the observance to all our communities in the Sword of the Spirit.

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Why are we doing this? God desires unity among his people and he is not happy with disunity! We cannot be blasé or self-satisfied or comfortable about this lack of unity. Pope John XXIII (died 1963) said whenever I see the wall dividing Christians, “I try to take out at least one brick.”

We see this desire for unity laid out clearly in the Scriptures:

The revelation of God’s heart: John 17:20-23 “May they all be one.” We need to note that this is an intercessory prayer from the Lord Jesus. When he prays in intercession he always prays in perfect harmony with the Father’s own heart. Thus this is not a “prayer of hope,” it is a prayer to enable and empower unity. Jesus’ prayers are effectual. . The revelation of God’s plan: Ephesians 1:7-10 “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” Here we see God’s plan revealed. In the end, all brokenness will be healed, all divisions restored: this includes personal brokenness, family brokenness, and the brokenness of the body of his son – the church.

Paul the Apostle’s testimony: In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he prays for the unity of all believers. “For [Christ] is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end” (Ephesians 2:13-22).

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul exhorts his fellow believers to put aside their divisions and to strive for unity: “I appeal to you…that there be no divisions among you…Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:10-13) We can see in this passage that division in the body of Christ dates back to the very beginning of the church. It is our duty to work to bridge these divisions.

So when we pray together for unity we stand at the intersection, the crossroads, of God’s heart and plan as revealed in Scripture and we can have confidence that we are standing in a good place relative to God’s word. When we join in intercession for this area, we pray in line with God’s own heart.

Ecumenical life and work need the support of prayer The Sword of the Spirit is an ecumenical community, our ecumenism is an intrinsic part of our call and so to pray for the unity of God’s people is a “natural act” for us. Even if we live in a single-denomination local community, we are still part of an ecumenical community through our common participation in the Sword of the Spirit, an international ecumenical community. Our covenant, our statement of community order and our constitution are all based on this core understanding.

As an ecumenical community of communities we want to join with other Christians around the world to pray for a broadening and deepening of the work of unity. Rather than simply doing our own thing, we want to join with others. We see this common week of intercession as a good way to further our ecumenical understanding, since the things that we pray for come more easily to our heart and mind.

Ecumenical life and work need the support of prayer. Ecumenical life is a spiritual exercise requiring a special grace. It requires patience, understanding, and an embrace of those who are different than us. Ecumenical life goes against our flesh. By nature in our flesh we may prefer to foster judgment and separation from those who are different than us rather than working for understanding and unity. We need God’s help to work for unity. Ecumenical life is a

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Father, make us one Let’s join with our brothers and sisters around the world in concentrated intercession during this week of common prayer. Let’s pray in confidence, knowing that when we pray, we pray in perfect alignment with the Lord Jesus and his plan, and aligned with the Father’s own heart. In heaven we will be together with all of our Christian brothers and sisters. Let’s make important in our heart what is important in God’s heart.

Father, make us one. Amen.

Dave Hughes is President of the Sword of the Spirit's Association of Ecumenical Communities and is the senior coordinator of Word of Life Community in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Dave and his wife Jane have five children and a growing number of grandchildren. They are members of Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

The Sword of the Spirit

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18-25, 2016

You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9).

Introduction

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is actually an eight-day observance or octave of prayer. It has been this way from the beginnings of this international movement in 1908. Following are a set of eight daily scripture readings, a short commentary on the readings and a prayer. These“ materials” were developed by a group of ecumenical scholars living in Brazil and have been sanctioned by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. These readings and prayers are intended to be prayed in common by all those participating in the Week of Prayer around the world. Included with the common readings and prayers are some additional questions to help individuals and families participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We would encourage families to take some time to engage the readings and prayers for each day and talk about them together, perhaps around the dinner table or in family worship time.Please feel free to adapt or change them as helpful.

http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p9.htm (1 of 8) [05/08/2016 09:31:48] Living Bulwark We have also included a short Lord s Day prayer that can be inserted in the section following the Blessing of the Wine which can be used similar to the other seasonal variations in the Lord s Day prayers. ’ ’ Please use these materials in any way you find most helpful in your personal and family worship times during this season of prayer.

Note: The Psalms listed in this booklet follow the numbering of the Hebrew tradition.

Monday January 18, 2016: Let the stone be rolled away Ezek. 37:12-14 I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. Ps 71:18b -23 Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. • Rom. 8:15-21 We suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. • Mt 28:1-10 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. • •Commentary: Today s reflections are prepared by the Catholic Youth Centre of the Archdiocese of R ga, and spring from their experience of organizing an Ecumenical Way of the Cross: a very influential annual ecumenical event in the’ life of Latvia. This experience prompts reflection on what the passion and ī resurrection mean in the Latvian context, and what are the Lord s mighty acts that baptized Christians are called to proclaim. Latvia s Soviet history continues to cast a shadow over the people of this nation. There is still much grief and pain; wounds inflicted which are difficult’ to forgive. All of this is like the large stone which covered the’ mouth of Jesus tomb. Wounds such as these imprison us in a spiritual grave. But if, in our suffering, our pain is united to his pain, then the story does not end here, locked in our graves. The earthquake of the Lord s resurrection’ is the earth-shaking event that opens our graves and frees us from the pain and bitterness that hold us in isolation from one another. This is the mighty act of the Lord: his love, which shakes the’ earth, which rolls away the stones, which frees us, and calls us out into the morning of a new day. Here, at this new dawn we are re-united with our brothers and sisters who have been imprisoned and hurting too. And like Mary Magdalene we must go quickly from this great moment of joy to tell others what the Lord has done. “ ” Questions for reflection: What are the events and the situations of our lives and the circumstances that make us lock ourselves in the grave in sadness, grief, worries, anxiety and despair? What keeps us from accepting the promise and• joy of the resurrection of Christ? How ready– are we to share the experience of God with those whom we meet?

•Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have always loved us from the beginning, and you have shown the depth of your love in dying for us on the cross and thereby sharing our sufferings and wounds. At this moment, we lay all the obstacles that separate us from your love at the foot of your cross. Roll back the stones which imprison us. Awaken us to your resurrection morning. There may we meet the brothers and sisters from whom we are separated. Amen.

Tuesday January 19, 2016: Called to be messengers of joy • Is. 61:1-4 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed. • Ps. 133 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p9.htm (2 of 8) [05/08/2016 09:31:48] Living Bulwark

• Phil. 2:1-5 Make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord. • Jn. 15:9-12 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. Commentary: In the Soviet era a Christian presence through public media was impossible in Latvia. After independence, Latvian State Radio began broadcasting Christian programs with a focus on unity and mission, providing a forum for leaders from diverse churches to encounter one another. This public witness of mutual respect, love and joy contributed to the spirit of Latvian ecumenical life. The experience of the creators of Christian programming at the Latvian State Radio inspired this reflection. The joy of the Gospel calls Christians to live the prophecy of Isaiah: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed”. We long for Good News to mend our broken hearts and to release us from all that binds us and makes us captive. When we are saddened by our own suffering, we may lack the vigor to proclaim the joy that comes from Jesus. Nevertheless, even when we feel unable to give anything to anyone, by bearing witness to the little that we have, Jesus multiplies it in us and in the people around us. In the Gospel Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” and “love one another as I have loved you”. It is in this way that we discover his joy in us, so that our joy may be complete. This mutual love and mutual joy is at the heart of our prayer for unity. As the psalmist says, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” Questions: • What smothers joy in the world and in the churches? • What can we receive from other Christians so that Jesus’ joy may be in us, making us witnesses of the Good News? Prayer: God of love, look upon our willingness to serve you despite our spiritual poverty and limited abilities. Fulfil the deepest longings of our hearts with your presence. Fill our broken hearts with your healing love so that we may love as you have loved us. Grant us the gift of unity so that we may serve you with joy and share your love with all. This we ask in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016: The witness of fellowship • Jer. 31:10-13 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion. • Ps. 122 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you. • 1 Jn. 4:16b-21 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters are liars. • Jn. 17:20-23 That they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me. Commentary: For over a decade, Chemin Neuf, an international Catholic community with an ecumenical vocation, has been present in Latvia, with both Catholic and Lutheran members. Together they experience the joy that comes from fellowship in Christ, as well as the pain of disunity. As a sign of this division, they place an empty Eucharistic plate and chalice on the altar during evening prayer. Their experience inspired this reflection. Division amongst Christians is an obstacle to evangelism. The world cannot believe that we are Jesus’ disciples while our love for one other is incomplete. We feel the pain of this division when we cannot receive together the body and blood of Christ. The source of our joy is our common life in Christ. To live our life of fellowship every day

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is to welcome, love, serve, pray and witness with Christians from diverse traditions. It is the pearl of great value given to us by the Holy Spirit. The night before his death, Jesus prayed for unity and love amongst us. Today we raise our hands and pray with Jesus for Christian unity. We pray for the bishops, priests, ministers and members of all churches. We pray that the Holy Spirit will lead us all on this path of unity.

Questions: • How do we regard Christians of other churches and are we prepared to ask forgiveness for prejudice towards them? • What can each of us do to decrease division amongst Christians? Prayer: Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one, we pray to you for the unity of Christians according to your will, according to your means. May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division, to see our sin and to hope beyond all hope. Amen.

Thursday, January 21, 2016: A priestly people called to proclaim the Gospel • Gen. 17:1-8 Your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. • Ps. 145:8-12 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. • Rom. 10:14-15 How are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? • Mt. 13:3-9 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain. Commentary: These reflections were inspired by the producers of the Sunday morning Christian program Vertikale. The challenge of maintaining this Christian voice on Latvian national television has taught them that it is only when we learn to recognize other Christians as brothers and sisters . that we can dare take God’s Word into the public space. In today’s world more than ever, words flood into our homes: no longer just from our conversations, but from television, radio and now from social media. These words have the power to build up and to knock down. Much of this ocean of words seems meaningless: diversion rather than nourishment. One could drown in such an ocean where there is no meaning to grasp. But we have heard a saving Word; it has been thrown to us as a lifeline. It calls us into communion, and draws us into unity with others who have heard it too. Once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people. More than this, we are a priestly people. United with others who have received his Word, our words are no longer mere drops lost in the ocean. Now we have a powerful Word to speak. United we can speak it powerfully: Yeshua – God saves.

Questions • What personal ambitions, competitive spirits, false assumptions about other Christians, and resentments obscure our proclamation of the Gospel? • Who hears a life-giving word from us? Prayer: Lord Jesus, you said that everyone will know that we are your disciples if there is love among us. Strengthened by your grace, may we work tirelessly for the visible unity of your Church, so that the Good News that we are called to proclaim will be seen in all our words and deeds. Amen.

Friday, January 22, 2016: http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p9.htm (4 of 8) [05/08/2016 09:31:48] Living Bulwark The fellowship of the Apostles

• Isa. 56:6-8 For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. • Ps. 24 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? • Acts 2:37-42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. • Jn. 13:34-35 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Commentary: The fellowship of Christian leaders shapes the visible expression of ecumenical life in Latvia. They gather regularly at Gaizins, Latvia’s highest hill, and other locations, for a 40-hour period of prayer and simple fellowship around shared meals. For the duration of these meetings they are supported in non-stop prayer and worship by the faithful. These encounters renew the leaders as fellow-workers in Christ. The experience of the founder of the Latvia House of Prayer for All Peoples inspired this reflection. Jesus’ commandment to love one another is not theoretical. Our communion of love with one another becomes concrete when we gather together intentionally as Christ’s disciples, to share fellowship and prayer in the power of the Spirit. The more that Christians, especially their leaders, encounter Christ together in humility and patience, the more prejudice diminishes, the more we discover Christ in one another, and the more we become authentic witnesses to the kingdom of God. At times ecumenism can seem very complicated. Yet joyful fellowship, a shared meal and common prayer and praise are ways of apostolic simplicity. In these we obey the commandment to love one another, and proclaim our Amen to Christ’s prayer for unity. Questions: • What is our experience of encountering one another as brothers and sisters in Christ through Christian fellowship, shared meals and common prayer? • What are our expectations of bishops and other church leaders on the path towards the visible unity of the Church? How can we support and encourage them? Prayer: God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may you give to all Christians, and especially to those entrusted with leadership in your Church, the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that with the eyes of our hearts we may see the hope to which you have called us: one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above and through all and in all. Amen.

Saturday, January 23, 2016: Listen to this dream • Gen. 37:5-8 Listen to this dream that I dreamed. • Ps. 126 We were like those who dream. • Rom. 12: 9-13 Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. • Jn. 21:25 The world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Commentary: Christian disunity hurts. Churches suffer from their inability to be united as one family at the Lord’s Table; they suffer from rivalry and from histories of combativeness. One individual response to disunity emerged in 2005 in the form of an ecumenical journal: Kas Mus Vieno? (“What unites us?”). The experience of producing the journal inspired this reflection. Joseph has a dream, which is a message from God. However, when Joseph shares his dream with his brothers they react with anger and violence because the dream implies that they must bow down before him. Ultimately famine drives the brothers to Egypt and they do bow before Joseph, but rather than the abasement and dishonor they fear, it is a moment of reconciliation and grace. http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p9.htm (5 of 8) [05/08/2016 09:31:48] Living Bulwark

Jesus, like Joseph, unfolds to us a vision, a message about the life of his Father’s kingdom. It is a vision of unity. But like Joseph’s brothers, we are often upset, angered and fearful of the vision and what it seems to imply. It demands that we submit and bow to the will of God. We fear it because we fear what we might lose. But the vision is not about loss. Rather, it is about regaining brothers and sisters we had lost, the reuniting of a family. We have written many ecumenical texts, but the vision of Christian unity is not captured in agreed statements alone, important though these are. The unity God desires for us, the vision he puts before us, far exceeds anything we can express in words or contain in books. The vision must take flesh in our lives and in the prayer and mission that we share with our brothers and sisters. Most of all it is realized in the love we show for one another. Questions: • What does it mean to place our own dreams for Christian unity at the feet of Christ? • In what ways does the Lord’s vision of unity call the churches to renewal and change today? Prayer: Heavenly Father, grant us humility to hear your voice, to receive your call, and to share your dream for the unity of the Church. Help us to be awake to the pain of disunity. Where division has left us with hearts of stone, may the fire of your Holy Spirit inflame our hearts and inspire us with the vision of being one in Christ, as he is one with you, so that the world may believe that you have sent him. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayer for the Lord’s Day This prayer may be used after the blessing of the Wine similar to the other seasonal variations in the ceremony. Leader: Let us thank Him this day especially for the unity we enjoy in the Body of Christ and for our call to Ecumenical Life in the Sword of the Spirit. May we all become perfectly one, so that the world may know and believe. Lord our God, You are bringing us into the fullness of unity through the work of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Group: Now we live with Him through the Holy Spirit, and we look for the day when we will dwell with Him in Your everlasting kingdom.

Sunday, January 24, 2016: Hospitality for prayer

• Is. 62:6-7 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have posted sentinels; all day and all night they shall never be silent. • Ps. 100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. • 1 Pet. 4:7b-10 Be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. • Jn. 4:4-14 The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. Commentary: The experience of praying together on each of the eight days of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has helped Christians in the small town of Madona to come together in friendship. A particular fruit of this has been the opening of an ecumenical prayer chapel in the center of town, complete with elements from Lutheran, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Here the Christians of Madona join in continuous round the clock prayer. This experience forms the background of the following reflections. As long as God’s people are divided, and Christians are estranged from one another, we are like Jesus in Samaria, strangers in a foreign land, without safety, without

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refreshment and without a place of rest. The people of Israel longed for a place of safety where they could worship the Lord. Isaiah tells us of the Lord’s mighty act: he posted sentinels on the walls of Jerusalem so that his people could worship him in safety day and night. In the Week of Prayer our churches and chapels become places of safety, rest and refreshment for people to join in prayer. The challenge from this week is to create more places and protected times of prayer, because as we pray together, we become one people.

Questions: • How can we promote mutual hospitality among parishes and congregations in our locality? • Is there a place in our neighborhood where Christians from different traditions can gather in prayer, and if not can we help to create such a place?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you asked your apostles to stay awake with you and to pray with you. May we offer the world protected times and spaces in which to find refreshment and peace, so that praying together with other Christians we may come to know you more deeply. Amen.

Monday January 25, 2016: Hearts burning for unity

• Is. 52:7-9 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news. • Ps. 30 You have turned my mourning into dancing. • Col. 1:27-29 How great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you. • Lk. 24:13-36 Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. Commentary: Different churches in Latvia have been able to work together in evangelism through the use of the Alpha Course, developed in the Anglican Church of Holy Trinity, Brompton, London. Latvians who have come to faith through this program remain open to learning and being enriched by the gifts of other Christian communities. This experience inspired the following reflections. The disappointed disciples who leave Jerusalem for Emmaus have lost their hope that Jesus was the Messiah and walk away from their community. It is a journey of separation and isolation. By contrast, they return to Jerusalem full of hope with a Gospel message on their lips. It is this resurrection message that drives them back into the heart of the community and into a communion of fellowship. So often Christians try to evangelize with a competitive spirit, hoping to fill their own churches. Ambition overrides the desire for others to hear the life-giving message of the Gospel. True evangelism is a journey from Emmaus to Jerusalem, a journey from isolation into unity. Questions: • What are the disappointments that isolate us from others and cause us to lose hope? • What are the gifts (initiatives, methods, and programs) that we can receive from other Christian communities? Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have made our hearts burn within us, and have sent us back upon the road towards our brothers and sisters, with the Gospel message on our lips. Help us to see that hope and obedience to your commands always lead to the greater unity of your people. Amen.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

“I Can Start Anew Through the Love of Jesus and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit” . by Rebecca Hanssen

“A packed – yet peaceful weekend” I really had no idea what to expect when I first signed up to go on the Koinonia Life in Spirit Seminar weekend, I just knew that I needed to distance myself from my current lifestyle, to grow in my faith and to surround myself with people who would help me do so. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The retreat was brilliantly organized with 6 seminars, 6 small group meetings, 6 big meals and copious amount of worship songs, tea, biscuits and board games squeezed into two days.

Over the weekend I learnt that God is not beyond our contact but someone who loves us, who wants to be in a personal relationship with us and who wants to give us a better life. This was definitely something which struck a cord with me; God is here for each and every one of us irrespective of our past failings and that if we pray to him . he will answer.

The problems of the world are a product of sin and the devil and no matter what humankind may do to try and improve it, their wisdom is nothing in comparison to God's. He sent his Son to save us from our sins and it is only through him that we may have new life both in heaven and on earth.

Coming to know God more fully New life in the Holy Spirit (something which in all honesty I had never really grasped before the weekend) describes how - through the gifts of the Holy Spirit - we can come to know God more fully. We can pray in a new way, the teaching of the Bible come to life and ultimately God bestows the gifts of the spirit upon us so that we may serve him better and lead richer and more meaningful lives. In order to receive these gifts we must ask for forgiveness for our sins and have faith that God shall renew us.

In order to grow in our Christian lives we must pray with faith, participate in church life, study the Bible and ultimately put God at the center of our lives so that we may serve him more fully and in doing so we shall be blessed in abundance.

God is there for me I thought that praying for the gifts of the Holy Spirit at the end of the weekend would be a daunting ordeal but it was quite the opposite. I had heard stories of people’s life changing encounters with God; hearing His voice, falling to their knees, seeing a

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flood of images, etc. When I was prayed with I had none of these things, instead I got exactly what I truly needed; a sense of absolute peace. All the worries that were burdening me disappeared from my head and were replaced with stillness and quiet. This sign from God has helped me to understand that no matter what difficult decisions or circumstances I may face, he is there for me. I do not need to carry the burdens alone, he has a plan for me and I must offer up my fears and concerns to him.

I can start anew The speakers for each seminar were so passionate, funny and understanding and at no point did I feel like I was being judged or forced into anything, but rather that I was in a room filled with others who have experienced pain and wrong doing in their lives but who have found - and continue to find - strength in God’s love and forgiveness. The talks convinced me that I don’t have to be burdened by my past but that I can start anew through the love of Jesus and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Bio: I am a 21 year old Glaswegian actress currently living in London. I graduated from the University of Glasgow in June 2015 with a joint honors degree in Business Management and English Literature. Since moving to London 6 months ago and joining Koinonia I have met so many inspirational people and my faith has grown enormously. I look forward to seeing what the next 6 months will bring and being a servant of God in all that I do.

If you would like to know more about Koinonia, an intentional Christian community for university students in Central London, UK, you can check out their website and/or subscribe to their newsletter.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

. .Fresh Beginnings - Amazing Grace .. by Rob Clarke

John Newton was just 18 when he was captured and press ganged into the Royal Navy. Like many young men forced to work on the ships he hated life in the Navy and attempted to run away while in port. He was caught, stripped to the waist, tied to a grate and flogged in front of the ship’s crew.

Newton eventually recovered and managed to transfer to another Navy ship but again ran into problems. He did not get on with the ship crew and they abandoned him into the hands of a cruel slave trader off West Africa where he was badly mistreated.

Newton eventually escaped but having been hardened by his experiences and knowing little else but the life at sea, he joined the slave trade.

Newton had a wake up call off the west coast of Ireland when his ship hit a big storm and almost sank. He woke in the middle of the night to find the ship filling with water. He prayed for perhaps the first time in his life. The cargo shifted and stopped up the hole and amazingly the ship survived. Newton later wrote that this experience marked the beginning of a change in his heart. He began to think about his life more critically. He . began to read the bible.

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In time he grew uneasy about the slave trade. He grew increasingly uneasy that his actions were causing misery for so many. A second wake up call came when sick with fever off the coast of Africa, he again cried out to God to help him. Newton experienced the transforming power of God. He left the slave trade and became a tide surveyor for the Port of Liverpool.

In his spare time Newton studied Greek and Hebrew and eventually became a church minister. More than most people, he had a very real sense of his own guilt, his own wrong doing, and more than most he had an awareness of the tremendous unstinting generosity of God. • • Reflecting on his life, Newton sought to capture the goodness of God in a hymn. “Amazing grace, How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”

The hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ was first sung on New Year's Day in 1773. It remained in obscurity for about eighty years but finally came to the attention of the wider public. • • The story of Newton’s life and the words of this hymn remind us that with God there is always the opportunity for a fresh beginning.

This article was originally published in Life Blog, (c) July 2015 Spirit Radio, Ireland. Used with permission.

Rob Clarke is the CEO for Spirit Radio, a national Christian radio station for Ireland online and also on am and fm. Originally from New Zealand, Rob moved to Dublin in 1987 and has worked extensively in Christian leadership and is a regular conference speaker. Rob and his wife Anne are members of Nazareth Community in Dublin. They have six children.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

. .Looking for Daniel .. by Rob Clarke

Daniel had been a bright lad from the word go, good looking, smart and he had had the benefit of a good education. It wasn’t altogether surprising that talent spotters acting for officialdom had recommended he be given a place in the best national academy.

Indeed Daniel had gone on to do well. Serving in successive Government administrations he was widely regarded as one of the most influential senior civil servants in the country.

Perhaps what was most remarkable about all this was that Daniel was foreigner from a small middle eastern nation and here he was serving the dominant power in the region. Serving a people who spoke a different language and whose culture and religion were vastly different to his own.

Daniel served diligently and effectively – yet all the while – his decision making was guided by his own deeply held faith. Daniel had made no secret of his belief in God but for the most part this had not created any serious conflict.

And then one day... Daniel was asked to refrain from worshiping God. Now Daniel could have maintained a pretence of following this new law – and he could have gone on quietly praying behind closed doors whilst conforming to the new political correctness in the exterior of his life.

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But Daniel determined that he would not compromise his beliefs. For Daniel this was a matter of conscience. He threw open the windows of his house and maintained his practice of prayer in full view of those that cared to see.

Within days he was dragged before the courts – and charged with violating the law. Things don’t go well in court and he is sentenced to death. There is a marvelous ending to this story which you can read about in Chapter Six of the book of Daniel.

I love Daniel’s courage, I love the fact that he lives by his convictions. I love the abandonment with which he says, “I’ll follow my conscience and trust God with the consequences”.

Right now – here in Ireland and across the globe – there is a need for a new generation of Daniels…

This article was originally published in Life Blog, (c) March 2015 Spirit Radio, Ireland. Used with permission.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83 .

. Kingdom Builders on the Move . report on Kairos summer mission trips

During the past summer, 57 youth and staff representing 6 different Sword of the Spirit communities in North America and a Wyoming, Michigan, Christian high school, The Potter’s House, participated in the Kairos Mission Trips program as short-term volunteers and ambassadors of God’s love in action. The summer’s trips started in Agua Prieta, Mexico, along the border with the U.S. state of Arizona. There, the Potter’s House High School team, consisting of 19 incoming final-year students, began the arduous process of building two homes for families in need. .

Then, our community-based teams took over. First, a boys’ team consisting of ten young men continued the process of building these homes and spending time with local orphans. The boys’ team then joined with a team

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of nine girls, completing another home and bringing much joy to the same group of orphans in our annual “Fun in the Sun” events at a local water park. All of our teams in Mexico learned firsthand what it is like to live among disadvantaged brothers and sisters. We also experienced the beauty and simplicity of relationships that mark the reality of deep poverty. Times of fellowship, birthday parties, observing a national holiday, celebrating Lord’s Day opening meals on Saturday evenings, and hiking through scenic vistas marked our times together.

The final mission trip of the summer was a seven-girl team serving selflessly in inner-city Detroit, Michigan. They worked alongside YouthWorks-Detroit. There, the girls assisted local ministries by providing assistance in distributing food to the homeless in Detroit, attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and doing service projects for several people who were ageing and recuperating. All in all, it was a time to reflect on the multiple blessings each of us has received and to reach outward to serve the needs of those around us.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

. Empty Empathy . by Michael Shaughnessy

A recent study shows a steep decline in empathy among smartphone-using college students. (The Oxford dictionary defines empathy as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.) In other words, in this feelings-oriented world the emotional distance between people is increasing.

According to Professor Sherry Turkle, author of Reclaiming Conversation, part of the decline in empathy is due to the use of communication devices. In her research she found that when youth attend a summer camp where phones and tablets are forbidden, youth quickly grow in their ability to identify what other people are feeling.

Feeling empathy is not the same as acting in love, but empathy is a significant element in loving well. A world without empathy will most likely be a world without love. .

Broader but Shallower She also found that just putting a smartphone on a table in the line of sight between any two people changes the conversation, making it more superficial. Even when people are not looking at the phone on the table they know it has the power to intrude at any point and interrupt a deep conversation. Often, the people present don’t even try to have a deep conversation. The mobile phone has increased our ability to be present and connected, but constantly connected seems to lead to being less deeply connected.

Today there is greater speed and breadth of communication but shallower relationships.

People have adopted new technologies in pursuit of greater control, only to feel controlled by them. They want deep relationships but are stuck with snack food. They are being sold ersatz empathy when they want real love. They are settling for fake and superficial online communities when they crave an authentic one.

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It may be that what we offer in the Sword of the Spirit is a real answer in such a time as this.

Michael Shaughnessy is the Kairos director for the Sword of the Spirit both in North America and Internationally. He is the editor of the Kairos Youth Culture Newsletter. Kairos is an international federation of outreaches to high school, university and post university aged people.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83 .

European CCR Conference - Christof Hemberger (right center) and Bishop Bronislav Dembowski (left center)

. . “I came to bring fire to the earth!” – Luke 12:49

A brief report and reflection on the CCR European Conference held in Warsaw, Poland, October 1-4, 2015

edited by Don Schwager

This past October, Tony Laureys, senior coordinator of Jerusalem Community in Belgium, and Don Schwager, from Servants of the Word in London, were invited to give a couple of workshops for the European CCR conference which was held in Warsaw, Poland. Tony organized a workshop on "Covenant Communities – Case Study: The Sword of the Spirit." He was joined by his wife, Myriam, and by Daniel Spokoinyi from Belgium and Michael Jordan from Glasgow who both helped to facilitate the workshop. Don gave a workshop on "How to Read and Study the Word of God in the School of the Holy Spirit". The following is a brief report on the conference theme and overall sessions.

Some 500 people from more than 35 countries in Europe met for four days last October to worship and seek the Lord together and hear what God is doing in the charismatic renewal in Europe. The conference took place in Warsaw, Poland. Christof Hemberger, a German deacon who works for the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services office in Rome, led the conference. (Christof and his wife have two young children).

Christof gave the opening address at the beginning of the conference. He spoke of a new fire and work of the Holy Spirit bringing renewed life and energy to groups throughout Europe. He contrasted the old picture of a tired Europe with a renewed movement of the Spirit that is reaching many young people as well as older people who are coming together to promote charismatic renewal and the Life in the Spirit seminars, and the gifts of the Spirit. This is a season of building bridges among Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox to support,

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encourage, and strengthen the charismatic renewal movements in Europe.

Christof remarked that many people have called Europe the old and feeble lady – and it has often felt like that – even in the charismatic renewal, But God is very much on the move here. Christof remarked, "When you are in the desert, you must not forget that there is a Promised Land ahead! It is time to regain our Promised Land as the charismatic renewal movement in Europe! It is time to focus again on the Lord instead of on our own problems and the poverty we experience. It is time to live and serve in the power of the Holy Spirit again!"

Michele Moran (President of ICCRS) and Tony Laureys (Jerusalem Community, Belgium)

Two of the keynote speakers for the conference, Dr. Johannes Hartl, a married theologian from Augsburg, Germany and Dr. Mary Healy, who teaches at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, USA, both highlighted the challenges facing Europe and the work of the Holy Spirit who is on the move to renew, restore, and build bridges across Europe.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit Can Change Europe

"I am convinced that true renewal in faith only comes from a personal relationship with Jesus. And this in turn grows decisively in prayer.

For that reason, the return to prayer, to personal discipleship with Jesus is the most urgent and important concern of the moment.

We have to look at things soberly, watching the direction in which our western society is drifting. But our response can never be mere despair or mere militancy, but must be an inner renewal in the only thing that can change Europe: The fire of the Holy Spirit.

God is just as powerful in Europe as He is in Africa or Asia. He can do the same things. If we take Him at his word, believe and pray." – Dr. Johannes Hartl, quote from interview with Kath.net

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Dr. Johannes Hartl spoke on Friday morning at the conference. He shared his testimony of how the Lord led him, along with his wife and their four growing children, into the charismatic renewal and the House of Prayer movement where people pray around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Johannes established a House of Prayer in 2005 in Augsburg.There are currently 20 full-time volunteer missionary intercessors and 70 part- time volunteers, mostly young people, who devote four hours each day to intercessory prayer and worship in the House of Prayer center in Augsburg. Last year they organized a charismatic European House of Prayer conference for 5,000 young people from across Europe. This coming January they are planning a European House of Prayer conference for 6,000 - 7,000 young people. God is on the move – and many young people are responding.

Dr. Hartl addressed the current situation going on in Europe – the influx of refugees, major social changes in society, and challenges facing the churches and the charismatic renewal. Johannes asked the audience, "How should Christians respond to the crises we face here?" Johannes presented two options that Christians throughout history have had to choose between. The first option is to look to the Lord and be strengthened in him - and to see how the Lord is working today to advance his kingdom and to equip his people with spiritual . power to live and proclaim the Gospel.The second option is to be timid, fearful and anxious - and to look for a comfortable place of distraction or retreat from the problems and turmoil around us.

Johannes remarked that Option 1 ("Be strengthened in the Lord") is always better than option 2 ("Be fearful and anxious for the future"). He asked: "What is better: Christians who react to the crisis in Europe with fear? Fear and anxieties always lead people into slavery. It is much better to live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of the Lord! ["For freedom Christ has set us free, do not submit again to a yoke of slavery..." Galatians 5:1] Only then can we face the problems of today and to see the victory which the Lord has for us – just as David experienced when he faced the giant Goliath!"

Johannes continued: The world is changing, but let us not make the mistake of trying to live a comfortable life – the Gospel is always challenging us – calling us to move forward!

At the end of his talk, Johannes mentioned three areas he thinks the charismatic renewal needs to focus on: (1) more clear biblical and practical teaching, (2) more encouragement to grow in a deep prayer life, and (3) gifted leaders who are courageous and faithful to the Lord.

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Dr. Mary Healy, who teaches at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, Michigan USA was one of the keynote speakers

Dr. Mary Healy (Michigan, USA), chair of the Doctrinal Commission of ICCRS, spoke about living in the power of the Holy Spirit: "The Holy Spirit is the only answer for the problems of today! The Lord is calling us to live in this current of grace. There are so many people around us who do not know God! The new evangelization can only be done in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit! "

Mary Healy encouraged everyone to not neglect the baptism in the Spirit and the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. She stated emphatically: "The supernatural must be NORMAL for us Christians!" Mary gave a number of inspiring personal examples to show how the supernatural can become a more natural part of our daily life and witness to others.

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Monsignor Wilfred Braevens (right) from Brussels was the oldest European participant who was baptized in the Spirit in 1973 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is joined by Archbisho Kevin McDonald from England (left)

A number of afternoon workshops were offered to help participants go deeper into the conference themes and understanding of the role and gifts of the Spirit.

There were some very inspiring testimonies from Malta (Life in the Spirit seminars for priests and bishops) and from Slovakia (a work of reconciliation in society and unity among Christians from different churches cooperating together to bring about reconciliation).

Two bishops participated in the conference, Bishop Bronislav Dembowski from Poland and Archbishop Kevin McDonald from England. A few other bishops from Poland who have a close connection with the charismatic renewal in Poland also visited and joined in the Eucharistic celebrations.

On Friday evening Monsignor Miguel Delgado (Pontifical Council of Laity, Vatican) gave a presentation and summary of church statements in support of the charismatic renewal.

Each evening session ended with a lengthy time of charismatic praise and worship, followed by ministry and praying over individuals. Praise and worship was led by "Jacobs Ladder," a lively and enthusiastic group of young charismatics from the Netherlands who helped us to enter into the presence of the Lord in a powerful way throughout the conference.

During the closing session of the conference, Michelle Moran (England, president of ICCRS), encouraged all who were present to go and live in the power of the Holy Spirit. "Of course in Europe we live in difficult times today! But we can learn from many of our sisters and brothers from other continents as well: Where there is persecution, faith is rising! Yes, Europe is a weak and sometimes difficult continent – but God has not forgotten Europe! Those who focus only on their problems will only see their problems! Whoever is not looking ahead lacks vision! God wants us to live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of God and in the power of his Spirit! Let us return home, strengthened by this sign of hope which the Lord gave to us during these last days! "

Christof Hemberger summarized the aim and fruit of the conference: "This weekend in Warsaw was truly about focusing on our identity and calling as a charismatic renewal movement of the Holy Spirit."

[photos by Myriam Laureys]

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

CHALLENGES IN LIVING TOGETHER AS COMMUNITY

. When God Does Not Seem to Answer Your Prayers . by Tom Caballes

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9 ESV

Why does not God answer all our prayers, at least according to how we want them to be answered? We try to follow the Lord; isn’t his part to take care of our needs? Well, there is a huge difference in how we think and how God thinks. God is not like an ATM [automatic teller machine], once you put a request, he will do as you ask - quickly. Nor God is like a pompous father spoiling all his children’s whims and impulses. God sees the complete picture that we do not, and he, out of his goodness, has his own plan and own time for things for us, and these do not necessarily follow our own. God is King and sovereign over all, and he makes all thing beautiful in His time [Ecclesiastes 3:11].

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So What Do You Do When God Does not Seem to Answer Your Prayers?

1. You need to have balance and perspective when it seems God does not listen to you. Count all the blessings he has given you and remember his faithfulness to you in the past. Be thankful for everything God has given you, including answered prayers. Continue to be faithful to him in prayer. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will . guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:4-7 ESV].

2. Know that God is for you, and things will come out for your good – in time. Be assured that the King of all the universe is on your side! And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28 ESV]

3. You need to respect God’s ways, his timing, and his decisions. He knows what is best for you. He knows you. He will take care of you better than we can take care of your own, so fully trust in him.

4. Know that God is forming your character at this time. He wants you to rely and depend on him. He wants you to learn patience and forbearance. Sometimes God tests your priorities and where your heart is focused on. Do you truly trust him? Is your heart and mind totally given to him?

5. It is okay to cry out to God and speak of your frustrations and tiredness to him; but do not let any unanswered prayer be a blockage between you and God. Be a victor, not a victim. Is the issue on hand more important than God himself? Do not act like a child, who will whimper until he gets what he wants.

6. Hang on and do not give up. Surrender the issue to God. Yield to his will and his timing. Let your concern be his, and his concern be yours. Let your delight be God himself. In due time, God will act on it.

Other Scripture references:

1. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV] 2. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [Romans 8:31-32 ESV] 3. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. [Romans 12:12 ESV] 4. Other references: James 5:7-9; Galatians 6:7-10; and Luke 18:1-7.

For personal reflection or group sharing

1. What are your current requests that God needs to act on? Have you surrendered them to God? 2. Do you act like a bratty son or daughter when your Father does not answer your prayer as you wish?

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Tom Caballes is the National Senior Administrator and a National Coordinator of the Lamb of God, a community of the Sword of the Spirit with 7 branches located throughout New Zealand. Tom also leads Kairos New Zealand, an outreach program for high school, university, and post-university aged people.

Tom and his wife Mhel and their two daughters live in Wellington, New Zealand.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Squeezing Bad News from the Good News . by Sam Williamson

Last spring I attended a wedding and heard an impressive pastor preach a stirring sermon on a powerful passage called The Kenosis (or The Emptying).

It’s my favorite passage on humility:

Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

The pastor urged the couple to be humble, to think first of the other person, and to give the remote to their spouse. He said humility is one virtue all religions agree on:

Confucius said, “Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues,” and the Quran says, “The servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth in humility.”

He claimed to offer the key to marital bliss found in the gospels. He said the entirety of the good news can be summed up on one simple sentence: Be ye humble as Jesus was humble.

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But equating the gospel with our humility is confusing cause and effect. The fruit of the gospel is humility, but chasing humility to find the gospel is squeezing bad news from the good news. We’re trying to get wine from a rock.

It doesn’t deal with our sickness

Our deepest inner-sickness is a sense of insignificance. We feel empty, like our lives don’t matter. We’re passionless and without purpose, a dewdrop in the ocean, dust in the wind.

That’s why Paul introduces that famous passage on humility with this verse: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.” The Greek word for “conceit” (keno-doxia) literally means “empty-glory.” It means, don’t let your emptiness drive how you live. . We think humility is a low sense of self and pride is a high sense of self (as in, “he is full of himself”), but this is the exact opposite of spiritual reality. C. S Lewis says that, “Pride is ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration on the self.” Our emptiness sends us screaming, scratching, and clawing to fill our inner-void.

Even our futile attempts at humility commits our unsmiling concentration back on ourselves.

In the movie Amadeus, the aging composer Salieri is in living hell. Not because he’s hated—he could deal with enmity. His grief is inconsolable because he’s forgotten . . . and empty.

Pride is not knowledge of our giftedness—some of the most gifted people I know are the most humble (just look at Jesus). The people of highest pride are the people most concerned with themselves. In other words, the people who feel the most empty.

It’s hard to work on humility

We can practice generosity. Try it for a week or a month (a lifetime would be better). Over time you’ll become more generous (and more gentle and patient). But humility is the single virtue—among all the virtues in the world—that practice makes imperfect.

Because, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less” (C. S. Lewis). Even attempting humility directs our attention to ourselves. Practice humility for a day or a week (a lifetime is worse). Soon you’ll start noticing, “Wow, I’m getting humble.” We’re trying to squeeze grapes out of wine.

So what are we to do?

Jonathan Edwards noticed that there are two kinds of virtue, counterfeit and genuine. Moral reformation creates counterfeit virtue while spiritual transformation creates real virtue. Moral reformation squeezes the heart while spiritual transformation melts the heart.

Moral reformation looks to the rules while spiritual transformation looks to the ruler.

That’s why Paul tells us to look to Jesus. Jesus emptied himself of his glory; but he emptied himself by pouring his glory into our emptiness. On the cross he was forgotten; forgotten so that you and I will be remembered forever. http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p17.htm (2 of 3) [05/08/2016 09:32:05] Living Bulwark

I’m in favor of humility. My family and friends would live more happily if I lived more humbly.

But I’ll never be more humble by working on myself, only by looking at Jesus. That’s the secret of the gospel; not personal moral reformation, only the spiritual transformation of seeing Jesus; not looking to the rules but the ruler.

At least, in my humble opinion.

Sam

Sam Williamson grew up in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is the son of a Presbyterian pastor and grandson of missionaries to China. He moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1975. He worked in London England from 1979 to 1982, helping to establish Antioch, a member community of the Sword of the Spirit. After about twenty-five years as an executive at a software company in Ann Arbor he sensed God call him to something new. He left the software company in 2008 and now speaks at men’s retreats, churches, and campus outreaches. His is married to Carla Williamson and they have four grown children and a grandson. He has a blog site, www.beliefsoftheheart.com, and can be reached at [email protected].

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Hearing God to See Him . by Sam Williamson

Thirty-three years ago I took a woman to a Gilbert and Sullivan play as a first date. Before the evening of our get-together, I had a collection of facts about her: she was a farmer’s daughter, she was a Social Worker, and she was cute. After the evening of our get-together, I told my parents that I had just met the woman I would marry.

What happened during those few, short hours? I had known she wanted to be a missionary, but over a glass of wine, she told me of her longing to help internationals. And I fell in love. I didn’t get new information; somehow, something I already knew became real.

She breathed life into the facts I already possessed. A personal connection trumped my data.

Western nations—Americans in particular—are information junkies. The Self-Improvement market guzzles ten billion dollars a year as we gather more info on health, personal finances, and relational well-being. Yet we remain over-weight, under-saved, and highly-divorced.

Christians likewise are data collectors. We download hundreds of sermons, stockpile libraries of books, frequent retreats, and memorize verses. Yet we remain anxious, timid, and lonely.

We don’t need more information; we need what we already know to become real.

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We’re hoping in the wrong solutions

Our biggest problem—at this moment—is that God is not real to us. We think our greatest need is for good advice or different circumstances: “What must I do to achieve a healthy marriage?” or “If only I had a better boss”. But more data or better jobs won’t heal our aches.

Jesus said the Bible is written so we can meet God personally; not just know about him but know him; not just encounter cold facts but encounter a warm person; not just to change our settings but to be transformed by a relationship: . You search the Scriptures because you think you will find rich life in them; yet they are talking about me. You refuse to come to me that you may have life. (John 5:39-40)

Our single greatest need in all the world right now is for God to become more real to us.

So … how do we do that?

When we read the Bible, we see … but do not see, and we hear but do not understand. We read Scripture to find guidance (a change of circumstances) or to affirm what we already know (one more data point to collect). Jesus says we should come to meet him.

One day a piano tuner told me that if I sang the right note into a piano, the corresponding string would vibrate. She struck the middle “A” so I could get the right pitch, dampened it, and I then sang “Ahhh” into the piano. And the string reverberated. Though it took me a couple tries.

When we read Scripture, we have the “A” strings of information, like that God loves us enough to call us his children. But it isn’t enough. We are seeing without seeing. We need something more. We need the resonance of God’s Spirit.

That’s why Paul tells us that “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16). God begins to sing his word into our hearts and soon the information we have begins to resonate. Information about God is trumped by God himself.

It’s really all we need

The book of Job overflows with Job seeking God for information (“Why, God, are you doing this?”) or a change in circumstances (“God, let me die”). Instead, God simply reveals himself.

When Job meets God, he responds, “I had heard of you with my ears, but now my eyes see you” (Job 42:5). And he is completely satisfied. Notice: God has not told Job why all this is happening, nor has God changed the circumstances. Yet Job says he got all that he really wanted.

Scripture says that no one “knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him. So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthian 2:11). Our need is for the Spirit of God to speak his words into our lives—to hear the living God himself—and we’ll be satisfied.

Instead of asking God for new data, let’s just ask God for a date; and let our knowledge of him resonate as he http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p18.htm (2 of 3) [05/08/2016 09:32:07] Living Bulwark

sings his song into our hearts.

Sam

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Cottages in Trees - watercolor by Jamie Treadwell

Home: Our Abiding Place

by Jeanne Kun

Home is where the heart is The simple word “home” has a strong impact on us. For most of us thoughts of home are agreeable and pleasant, evoking images of warmth, shelter, rootedness, safety, security. Home is where the heart is. It’s that place of our origin, a haven, a resting place, the spot where we know we belong, the place we call our own, a source of refreshment to us. To feel “at home” is to be at ease, on familiar ground.

Home: our abiding place And so the idea of going home is usually a welcome one; with fondness and anticipation we make that trip. The statement, “you can’t go home again” has a sharp poignancy about it.

With a realization of these many aspects of home, it becomes significant that Jesus extends this particular invitation to us: “Abide in me!” (John 15:4), or, actually using our image, the Jerusalem Bible reads, “Make your home in me.”

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The Lord is our shelter, refuge, and resting place More than any earthly home, it is Jesus himself who is our shelter (Psalm 91:1), our rock and refuge (Psalm 62:7), our dwelling place (Psalm 90:1). He offers himself as our resting place (Matthew 11:29), our refreshment. We have a sure confidence of belonging to him, and he even allows us to claim some “ownership” of him, too: “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (Song of Songs 2:16).

As we grow into a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus, we find ourselves more and more at ease and on familiar ground in his presence. As with our home, “where our treasure is, there too will be our hearts” (Luke 12:34). And we . look forward to finally arriving at our “homeland” in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

What a rich comparison there is in seeing Jesus as our home. Even our most appealing notions or most pleasant experiences of our earthly homes pale in the light of Jesus as our true and lasting abiding place. A wealth of insight lies before us in this concept for our prayer and reflection.

“Make your home in me” But we can find even more in this comparison as we search the Scriptures further – more to thrill us, more to excite us, more to move us to an active response to Jesus’ invitation. While inviting us to make our home in him, Jesus went on to say he wants to make his home in us: “Make your home in me, as I make mine in you” (John 15:4). In other words, Jesus requests that we make a place to receive him, to welcome him, where he can take up permanent residence with us.

Earlier in his Gospel, John expressed the same idea this way: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), or, more literally, “pitched his tent among us” – made his dwelling place in our midst.

How can we respond to such a request? And such an offer! What can we do to make more of a place for Jesus to enter into our lives? Perhaps the most concrete action we can take is to embrace the Word who dwells among us – to get to know the Word made flesh by getting to know the spoken and written word of God in Scripture.

St. Paul gives us advice that is finely tuned to our analogy: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). Again, the translation that the Jerusalem Bible offers strongly underlines the image: “Let the message of Christ, in all its richness, find a home with you.”

Taking Scripture to heart This image helps make real one of my favorite (and to me, most helpful) ways of approaching Scripture. I often think of Scripture and relate to it in terms of “making it my own.” To me, that means not only reading Scripture, but taking it in, loving it, embracing it, pondering it, allowing myself to be molded and taught by it, obeying it, having it as my fingertips and in the front of my mind; in short, becoming so familiar with God’s word that I can really say that I’ve made it “my own” – my way of thinking, my way of life, my guide, my nourishment.

One doesn’t build a house or home overnight. Nor has Scripture instantly become my own. It has only been with daily patience, daily discipline, daily prayer for insight into the word of God, over years and years, that this familiarity has been growing, that the word of God is truly finding a home in me. And there have been many days of being hard put to find the time to read Scripture; or while having the time, no desire has risen in me for this reading. But little by little, gradually but steadily, Scripture has pervaded my life, has taken a hold of me, and is finding that place in me that God desires and yearns for. It is being written on my heart.

Make a worthy home for the Word of God

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In Old Testament times, the God of Israel gave his people a way of holding onto his word to them. The direction he gave to them so long ago has been relevant, meaningful, and effective for me as I have striven to let the word of Christ find a home in me. Urging the Israelites to prize his word, Yahweh said,

“These words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

May you, too, write the word of God on the doorpost of your house. As you make your home in Christ, may you also make a worthy home for his word in your heart.

[Jeanne Kun is member of Bethany Association and a senior woman leader in the Word of Life Community, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. This article originally appeared in God’s Word Today, May 1991. Used by permission of the author.]

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Anna’s Heir

poem by Jeanne Kun

I stand, Lord, keeping eager watch as Anna did in distant times before me, . filling the full measure of her years secluded in the temple in adoring expectation. Now I am heir to her post, a sentinel still waiting through the long darkness for the dawn of your return.

All my longing is for you, O Lord, as I stand poised on tiptoe, straining with my whole being to catch that first glimpse of you.

Shatter the darkness (oft times threatening to close in and surround us) with that fierce and burning brightness of your splendor and your beauty.

Then I shall follow Anna's suit and raise my voice to you in glad thanks

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and tell of your redemption to all who've yearned so long for you.

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December

2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83 .

.“The Day Draws Near” Reflections for the Advent and Christmas Season . . “Let us encourage one another to love and good deeds ...and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” – Hebrews 10:24-25

edited by Don Schwager

Day 1

Meditation passage: Hebrews 10:24-25

24 25 Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Reflection: How should we live as disciples of Jesus in light of the second coming? The writer to the Hebrews links fervor in brotherly/sisterly love, mutual help and encouragement (Hebrews 10:24-25) with the Day of the Lord drawing near – his return in glory as Judge and Ruler. The Day of the Lord will disclose who and what I have loved and devoted my life to (serving and promoting self or putting God and my brothers’ welfare above myself).

The Apostle Peter uses the thought of the second coming to urge people to love and mutual hospitality (1 Peter 4:8–9). The Apostle Paul commands that all things be done in love – Maran atha – the Lord is at hand (1 Corinthians 16:14, 16:22). He says that our forbearance must be known to all because the Lord is at hand (Philippians 4:5). The word translated as forbearance is epieikēs, which means the spirit that is more ready to offer forgiveness than to demand justice.

The New Testament is sure that in view of the second coming of the Lord Jesus we must have our personal relationships right with our brothers and neighbors. The New Testament would urge that we should never end a day with an unhealed rift between ourselves and another person, in case Christ should come in the night.

Let us enter this Advent and Christmas season asking the Holy Spirit to direct us in considering together how

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Reading: quotes from Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities

To love someone is not first of all to do things for them, but to reveal to them their beauty and value, to say to them through our attitude: ‘You are beautiful. You are important. I trust you. You can trust yourself.’ We all know well that we can do things for others and in the process crush them, making them feel that they are incapable of doing things by themselves. To love someone is to reveal to them their capacities for life, the light that is shining in them. (from Brokenness to Community)

God seems pleased to call together in Christian communities people who, humanly speaking, are very different, who come from very different cultures, classes and countries. The most beautiful communities are created from just this diversity of people and temperaments. This means that each person must love the others with all their differences, and work with them for the community… They are signs of God. We might have chosen different people… but these are the ones God has given us, the ones he has chosen for us. It is with them that we are called to create unity and live a covenant. We choose our own friends, but in our families, we do not choose our brothers and sisters; they are given to us. So it is in community life. (from Community and Growth)

Day 2

Meditation passage: 1 Peter 4:7-9

7 8 The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers. Above all hold unfailing 9 your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another.

Reflection: God has put us here on earth for a purpose – to glorify him and to build his kingdom of love, righteousness, and peace. The Lord Jesus has set us free from slavery to sin and selfish desires so that we may live as servants who fervently love and bear one another’s burdens and weaknesses. Each of us are called to be a pillar of support, encouragement, and protection for one another. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can better support and encourage your brothers and sisters in daily life and service. If you meet in a regular sharing group, ask your brothers and sisters how you can encourage and support them, especially in their areas of weakness and challenge or adversity.

Reading: “Love covers a multitude of sins” – commentary on 1 Peter 4:8, by Dan Keating

What is Peter getting at when he says that “love covers a multitude of sins”? The background to this statement is Prov 10:12 (“love covers all offenses”), which Peter cites rather loosely. The primary meaning is that our love “covers over,” that is, “overlooks,” the “multitude” of daily sins that people commit against us. In this sense our love covers over the sins of others. Rather than allowing grudges and judgments to pile up, we are called to put away these offenses through the merciful love we extend to one another. Peter may also mean that our practice of merciful love toward one another will prompt God himself to “cover” our offenses. In this sense one’s love results in our own sins being forgiven by God: “If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you” (Matt 6:14). Both meanings are true and Peter may have them both in mind here.

Day 3

Meditation passage: Romans 14:10-13,19

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10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all 11 stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to 13 me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” 12 So each of us shall give account of himself to God. Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in 19 the way of a brother. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual up-building.

Reflection: We are commanded by Scripture to not pass judgment on our neighbor because we, ourselves are under judgment. We must each render an account of ourselves before the judgment seat of God. The way we think, speak, and treat one another must always be guided by the principle of love which strives to maintain peace, harmony, and unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Take a few moments today to examine how you have been thinking and viewing the people you live and work with? Are there any critical or judgmental thoughts and attitudes which need to be corrected and brought into the light of Christ’s truth and merciful love?

Reading: from Discipleship, Chapter 6, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

When we judge, we encounter other people from the distance of observation and reflection. But love does not allot time and space to do that. For those who love, other people can never become an object for spectators to observe. Instead, they are always a living claim on my love and my service.

…Judging is the forbidden evaluation of other persons. It corrodes simple love. Love does not prohibit my having my own thoughts about others or my perceiving their sin, but both thoughts and perceptions are liberated from evaluating them. They thereby become only an occasion for that forgiveness and unconditional love Jesus gives me. My refraining from judgment of others does not validate tout comprendre c’est tout pardonner (understanding everything means pardoning everything), it does not concede that the other person is somehow right after all. Neither I nor the other person is right. God alone, God’s grace and judgment is proclaimed to be right.

Day 4

Meditation passage: 1 Peter 5:5-6, 14

5 Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace 6 to the humble.” Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt 14 you. Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you that are in Christ.

Reflection: [Commentary on 1 Peter 5:5-6, by Dan Keating]

Humility is the great leveler. Though there are different roles and relationships of subordination in the Church, the fundamental posture for all of us to adopt is humility before our brothers and sisters. Paul offers the same counsel: “Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves” (Phil 2:3; see also Eph 4:2; Col 3:12)… Because the blessing of God is upon those who humble themselves, Peter calls us to embrace it: So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

The reference to the “mighty hand of God” recalls the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Deut 6:21 NRSV; see also Exodus 3:19; Ezek 20:34). Just as the Lord delivered his people of old, so he will continue to deliver those who humble themselves before him. “In due time” is the appointed time of God’s action; the term can apply to

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Reading: Life Together, Chapter on Service, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Those who would learn to serve must first learn to think little of themselves. “[You should] not … think of . yourself more highly than you ought to think” (Romans 12:3). “The highest and most useful lesson is to truly know yourself and to think humbly of yourself. Making nothing of yourself and always having a good opinion of others is great wisdom and perfection” (Thomas à Kempis). “Do not claim to be wiser than you are” (Rom. 12:17). Only those who live by the forgiveness of their sin in Jesus Christ will think little of themselves in the right way. They will know that their own wisdom completely came to an end when Christ forgave them.

The desire for one’s own honor hinders faith. Those who seek their own honor are no longer seeking God and their neighbor. What does it matter if I suffer injustice? Would I not have deserved even more severe punishment from God if God had not treated me with mercy? Is not justice done to me a thousand times over even in injustice? Must it not be beneficial and conducive to humility for me to learn to bear such petty ills silently and patiently? “Patience is better than pride” (Ecclesiastes 7:8).

Those who live by justification by grace are prepared to accept even insults and slights without protest, taking them as from God’s chastising and gracious hand. It is not a good sign when we can no longer stand to hear such things without immediately recalling that even Paul insisted on his rights as a Roman citizen and that Jesus replied to the man who struck him, “Why do you strike me?” In any case, none of us will really act as Jesus and Paul did if we have not first learned like them to keep silent amidst insults and humiliations. The sin of irritability that blossoms so quickly in the community shows again and again how much inordinate ambition, and thus how much unbelief, still exists in the community.

Day 5

Meditation passage: 1 Corinthians 13:1–6

1 2 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to 3 remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be 4 5 burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not 6 arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.

Reflection: [from Jean Vanier, Growth in Community, ‘Living Every Day’]

We are all called to do, not extraordinary things, but very ordinary things, with an extraordinary love that flows from the heart of God. Love is communion, communion with God and with our brothers and sisters. Love is manifested in all the little things of life that build community, not in heroic acts… Many believe that community is made up of a series of problems to be solved. And consciously or unconsciously, they are waiting for the day when all the tensions, conflicts, and problems brought by marginal people and structures will be resolved and there will be no more problems left. But the more we live community life, the more we discover that it is not so much a question of resolving problems as of learning to live with them patiently. Most problems are not resolved. With time, and a certain insight and fidelity in listening, they clear up when we least expect them to. But there will always be others to take their place!

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Reading: Life Together, Chapter on Service, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The first service one owes to others in the community involves listening to them. Just as our love for God begins with listening to God’s Word, the beginning of love for other Christians is learning to listen to them. God’s love for us is shown by the fact that God not only gives us God’s Word, but also lends us God’s ear. We do God’s work for our brothers and sisters when we learn to listen to them.

So often Christians, especially preachers, think that their only service is always to have to “offer” something when they are together with other people. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking. Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking even when they should be listening. But Christians who can no longer listen to one another will soon no longer be listening to God either; they will always be talking even in the presence of God. The death of the spiritual life starts here, and in the end there is nothing left but empty spiritual chatter and clerical condescension which chokes on pious words.

Those who cannot listen long and patiently will always be talking past others, and finally no longer will even notice it. Those who think their time is too precious to spend listening will never really have time for God and others, but only for themselves and for their own words and plans.

Day 6

1:22 Meditation passage: 1 Peter 1:22 and 2:1 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a 2:1 sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart. So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander.

Reflection: [Commentary on 1 Peter, by Dan Keating]

When Christians commit themselves to Christ through faith, repentance, and baptism, they are purifying themselves by their obedience to the truth of the gospel. What have they purified themselves for? For sincere mutual love. “Sincere” is literally “unhypocritical”; our love for one another must be genuine and unfeigned. The NJB translation, “the genuine love of brothers,” displays an important term, for “mutual love” is literally “brotherly love.” … Peter calls them to love one another intensely from a [pure] heart. Just as they have come to love Jesus himself (v. 8), they are now called to love their brothers and sisters in the Church. They must love “from a pure heart” and “intensely” [earnestly in RSV and deeply in NIV].

[In 1 Peter 2:1] Peter opens by naming five things that Christians need to remove from their lives: Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander. All are related to practical life among the people of God and largely concern matters of speech. The threefold repetition of “all” underlines how zealous we must be in ridding ourselves of these traits. There is no room for compromise. The five traits stand as opposites to the qualities of “truth” and “brotherly love” that Peter has just commended in 1:22. “Deceit” and “insincerity” are opposed to truth; “malice,” “envy,” and “slander” are opposed to brotherly love. If obedience to the truth and earnest brotherly love are going to mark our lives in the household of God, all of these sinful patterns of conduct must be put away.

Reading: Life Together, Chapter on Service, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The other service one should perform for another person in a Christian community is active helpfulness. To begin with, we have in mind simple assistance in minor, external matters. There are many such things wherever people live together. Nobody is too good for the lowest service. Those who worry about the loss of time entailed by such small, external acts of helpfulness are usually taking their own work too seriously. We

http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p21.htm (5 of 7) [05/08/2016 09:32:14] Living Bulwark must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God, who will thwart our plans and frustrate our ways time and again, even daily, by sending people across our path with their demands and requests. We can, then, pass them by, preoccupied with our more important daily tasks, just as the priest – perhaps reading the Bible – passed by the man who had fallen among robbers. When we do that, we pass by the visible sign of the cross raised in our lives to show us that God’s way, and not our own, is what counts.

It is a strange fact that, of all people, Christians and theologians often consider their work so important and urgent that they do not want to let anything interrupt it. They think they are doing God a favor, but actually they are despising God’s “crooked yet straight path” (Gottfried Arnold). They want to know nothing about how human plans are thwarted. But it is part of the school of humility that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service. We do not manage our time ourselves but allow it to be occupied by God. In the monastery, the monk’s vow of obedience to the abbot takes away his right to do what he likes with his time. In Protestant community life, voluntary service to one another takes the place of the vow. One can joyfully and authentically proclaim the Word of God’s love and mercy with one’s mouth only where one’s hands are not considered too good for deeds of love and mercy in everyday helpfulness.

Day 7

Meditation passage: Ephesians 4:29-32

29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it 30 may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for 31 the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, 32 with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Reflection: Paul ends this section of his letter with a litany (an extended list) of the qualities which Christ wants us to possess. The focus throughout is on guarding against anger, malice, and sinful speech, and instead we are to treat one another with kindness, tender love, and forgiveness. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit: Paul reminds us that we have been sealed with the blood of Jesus and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. If we go back to our old ways of sinning and rejecting God’s truth, we grieve the Holy Spirit whose sole aim is to draw us close to the Father and the Son and to renew our minds and hearts in the love of God.

Reading: Life Together, Chapter on Service, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Third, we speak of the service involved in bearing with others. “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Thus the law of Christ is a law of forbearance. Forbearance means enduring and suffering… Christians must bear the burden of one another… All that we mean by human nature, individuality, and talent is part of the other person’s freedom – as are the other’s weaknesses and peculiarities that so sorely try our patience, and everything that produces the plethora of clashes, differences, and arguments between me and the other. Here, bearing the burden of the other means tolerating the reality of the other’s creation by God – affirming it, and in bearing with it, breaking through to delight in it.

This will be especially difficult where both the strong and the weak in faith are bound together in one community. The weak must not judge the strong; the strong must not despise the weak. The weak must guard against pride, the strong against indifference. Neither must seek their own rights. If the strong persons fall, the weak ones must keep their hearts from gloating over the misfortune. If the weak fall, the strong must help them up again in a friendly manner. The one needs as much patience as the other. “Woe to the one who is alone and

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See related articles:

• Love of the Brethren, by Steve Clark • Growing in Our Love for Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, by Don Schwager • Christian Brotherhood: A Reality Created by God, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer • “You Are Our Brothers”, by Augustine of Hippo • The Meaning of Christian Brotherhood, by Joseph Ratzinger/Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

From the Manger to the Cross

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

Sermon written for the lector on Matthew 2:13-23, Sunday after New Year's Eve, 1940 [1]

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the 14 child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by 15 night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.

This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the Wise Men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time 17 which he had ascertained from the Wise Men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled,

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because they were no more.”

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to 20 Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the 21 land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose 22 and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the 23 district of Galilee. And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled. “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

– Matthew 2:13–23

Dear congregation! In reading this story about the flight to Egypt, the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem, and the return of the holy family to Nazareth, we will certainly have noticed that each story concludes with a passage from the Old Testament, and that each of these passages is introduced with the short sentence: “so that what had been spoken might be fulfilled.” We have probably often overlooked it, thinking it simply an irrelevant formula. However, by doing so we overlook something especially important and lovely about our text.

“So that it might be fulfilled” – this means that nothing can happen to Jesus that God has not resolved beforehand, and likewise, nothing can happen to us when we are with Jesus other than what God intends for us and has promised. Even if influenced by all kinds of human thoughts, plans, and errors, even if a murderous Herod puts his cruel hands in play, in the end everything will go as God has seen, intends, and spoken. Governance will not be taken from God’s hands. This is a great consolation: God only fulfills what God himself has promised. Whoever holds the Holy Scripture in hand and in heart will find confirmation of this consolation in it again and again.

The wise men from the East had worshiped Jesus and brought him precious gifts. Can there be a more terrifying contrast than to read in the same sentence that the king of the Jews, Herod, is searching for the child in order to slay him? [494]Herod, who sits on the throne of David, king and at the same time tyrant over the people of God, Herod, the one who knows the history, the promise, and the hope of this people, plots murder when he hears that God wants to make his promises come true and wants to give his people the king of righteousness, of truth and peace. The mighty, brutal ruler who has often been stained with blood seeks to kill the helpless, innocent child because he is afraid of it. All worldly means of power are on Herod’s side. Yet God is on the child’s side.

And God has means other than Herod. He sends an angel into Joseph’s dream and commands him to flee to Egypt, where the power of Herod meets its limit. God’s means are mysterious, like God himself. He does not lack invisible powers and servants through whom he can let his people know his ways. He has certainly given us his word and therein revealed his entire will. Yet in special hours he helps us in special ways so that we will not miss the right path.

Who among us has never experienced such special help and guidance by God? At night, in a dream, God

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commands Joseph to flee to Egypt. And without hesitating for a moment, Joseph obeys the divine command and sets out to flee with the child and his mother – this is the order in which our story names Jesus and Mary twice! If God’s word to us is to be fulfilled, we must be obedient and if necessary get up at night in order to do his will. This is what Joseph did.

The child Jesus had to flee with his parents. Could God not have protected him from Herod in Bethlehem as well? Certainly, but we are supposed to ask not what God could have wanted and done but what is truly God’s will. God’s will is that Jesus flee to Egypt. With this, he shows that Jesus’ path from the beginning is a path of persecution. But God also shows that he can keep Jesus safe and that nothing will happen to him as long as God does not allow it.

Jesus now lives in Egypt, where his people once had to live in servitude and misery. The king should now be where his people had been. He is to experience the history of his people himself, bodily. In Egypt, Israel suffered. In Egypt, the sufferings of Jesus began. In Egypt, God’s people and their king had to live as foreigners and in misery. Yet out of Egypt God led his people into the promised land. [495]Out of Egypt, God called his son back into the land of Israel.

What the prophet once said about the people of Israel is now fulfilled in Jesus: “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”[4] The flight to Egypt was no mere chance but divine promise and fulfillment. In Egypt, Jesus became completely one with the suffering and the joy of his people, of the people of God, of us all. In Egypt, he is in a foreign land, with us. With him, we will also leave the foreign land to go to the land of God.

The wrath of Herod grew when the wise men from the East, following God’s command, did not travel back through Jerusalem in order to inform him where he could find Jesus. Filled with immeasurable fear and jealousy, he now orders the slaughter of all children in Bethlehem younger than three years of age. He considers this to be the only certain way to get the divine child. But even though his strike is clever and cruel, it misses its target.

Herod wants to destroy Christ, but Christ is alive, and in his place and for him the first martyrs are struck down and die. The innocent children of Bethlehem protect the life of their king and Lord who is their age. They . become the first martyrs of Christendom, the dying witnesses for the life of Jesus Christ, their savior. All persecution aims at the final destruction of Jesus Christ. Its purpose is to murder Christ, yet it cannot harm Christ. Christ lives, and with him live the martyrs of all times.

Great sorrow, screaming, lamenting, weeping, and wailing come over the people whenever the Lord Jesus Christ is persecuted, as it came over all Bethlehem when the innocent children had to die. Over and over again tears were shed when the people of God suffered misery and distress. Back then it was as if mother Rachel, the mother of Israel, arose from her grave close to Bethlehem and wept for the sorrow of all her children. This is what the prophet Jeremiah once beheld in the last hour before the destruction of Jerusalem. But only now, when Bethlehem’s mothers wept for their children who had died for Jesus Christ, did the word of the prophet come to fulfillment:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. [496]Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

[5] The lament for the martyrs of Jesus Christ begins, and it will not quiet down until the end of time. It is the lament for the world estranged from God and an enemy of Christ, for the blood of the innocents, for our own guilt and sin for which Jesus Christ himself experienced suffering. But within this inconsolable lamentation, http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p22.htm (3 of 6) [05/08/2016 09:32:17] Living Bulwark

there is one great consolation: Jesus Christ lives, and we will live with him if we suffer with him.

The slaughter of the children of Bethlehem, as ungodly and gruesome as it was, nevertheless had to serve God, who brings his promises to fulfillment. Sorrow and tears come upon God’s people, but they are precious to God, for they are offerings for Christ’s sake, and Christ will take them up in eternity.

Day after day, year after year, Joseph in Egypt awaits the divine order to return. Joseph does not want to act from his own decisions. Joseph waits for God’s directive. Then God once more sends into Joseph’s dream at night the order to rise and to return home with the child and his mother. “Those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” The mighty Herod is dead without having attained his goal, but Jesus lives. This keeps happening in the history of the church. First misery, persecution, mortal danger for the children of God, for the disciples of Jesus Christ, but then came the hour in which it was said: “They are dead.” Nero is dead, Diocletian[6] is dead, the enemies of Luther and the Reformation are dead, but Jesus lives, and with him live those who are his. The age of persecution suddenly comes to an end, and it becomes clear: Jesus lives.

Called by God, the child Jesus returns to the land of Israel. Jesus comes to make the kingdom his, to ascend to his throne. Joseph first wants to bring Jesus to Judea, from whence the king of Israel is expected to come. But a special divine directive prohibits him and orders him to go to Nazareth instead. [497]To the ear of the Israelite, Nazareth is a lowly place, of ill repute. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”[7] Despite this, or precisely because of it, Jesus was to grow up in Nazareth “so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’ ”

This prophecy seems hard to understand, all the more because we do not find it anywhere in Scripture in this form. But we must learn to pay close attention to the biblical text. It does not say here that one single prophet but that all prophets receive this prophecy. This is certainly a reminder of the recurring promise in the Old Testament that the future king will appear in lowliness and plainness. True, nothing is said here about Nazareth. However, Matthew the evangelist finds this reference in the well-known verse of Isaiah in which it is written that a branch will spring from the root of Jesse, a shoot, an unsightly twig, and that this weak, minor branch growing out of the stump of a root will be the messiah of Israel.[8] The Hebrew word for branch is nezer, and the consonants in the related place name Nazareth are the same.[9] Thus, the Gospel finds the promise that Jesus will be poor, despised, and of humble origins deeply hidden in the Old Testament.

In the path to humble Nazareth, a path so hard for Joseph and for the whole world to comprehend, God’s path with the Savior of all the world is fulfilled once more. He is to live in deepest poverty, hidden and humble. He is to share the life of those who are disregarded and despised, so that he may bear the misery of all human beings and become their Savior.

We have learned from our story how God makes three great promises come true in the child Jesus: Jesus bodily experiences the history of the people of God himself; he brings to those who belong to him not only joy but also suffering and death for his sake; he lives hidden and in humility, in order to become a helper to all human beings. But all of this happens according to the promise of God. [498]It is the fulfillment of what God decreed for the salvation of the world.

We are entering a new year. Many human plans and mistakes, much animosity and misery will determine our path. Yet as long as we remain with Jesus and walk with him, we may be assured that nothing can happen to us that God has not foreseen, willed, and promised beforehand. The consolation of a life that is lived with Jesus is that of this life, too, it will be said: It was fulfilled what the Lord has spoken. Amen.

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Prayer: We praise you, Lord, that you have everything in your hand and that you reign with such glory. You safely lead those who are yours through all oppression and animosity for Christ’s sake and according to your counsel. Lead your church-community and all its members in the new year as well, along the right path for your name’s sake. Amen.

Notes

[1.] NL, A 5, 17; published version (original manuscript not preserved) from Beckmann and Linz, Meine Worte werden nicht vergehen, 42–46. Previously published in GS 4:473–79 and PAM 2:288–94. The text of the biblical reading has been inserted here. [The heading indicates that Bonhoeffer didn’t preach this himself but wrote it to be read by a lector. Once the war began, many clergy were drafted into the military, and the number of Confessing Church clergy and seminarians drafted early was particularly high. As ministers became scarce, trained lectors were often asked to read prepared sermons. See also Barnett, For the Soul of the People, 159–72. – VB] [2.] “Hilf, Herr Jesu, laß gelingen,” the New Year’s hymn by Johann Rist (1642) (Evangelisches Gesangbuch für Brandenburg und Pommern 23; EG, 61). [The English version of this hymn is in Lutheran Hymnal, 120. – VB] [3.] The German text follows the translation from the Nestle edition. Above the text in Bonhoeffer’s Luther translation is written: “Gospel for the Sunday after New Year’s.” [4.] Hos. 11:1. [5.] Jer. 31:15. [6.] [The Roman emperor Diocletian, who ordered widespread persecution of Christians. – VB] [7.] John 1:46. [8.] Isa. 11:1–9. [9.] In their interpretation of the place name Nazareth in Matt. 2:23, early Christian exegetes such as Jerome already referred to the Hebrew term nezer in the messianic passage in Isa. 11:1. Cf. Luz, Matthew, 1:149, with note 41. [10.] The hymn “Von Gott will ich nicht lassen,” by Ludwig Helmbold (1563) (Evangelisches Gesangbuch für Brandenburg und Pommern, 213; EG, 365). [The English translation of this hymn is in Lutheran Hymnal, 393. – VB]

This sermon excerpt was originally published in German as Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werke, edited by Eberhard Bethge, et al., by Chr. Kaiser Verlag / Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh, in 1998; Band 15, Illegale Theologenausbildung: Sammelvikariate 1937–1940, edited by Dirk Schulz. First English-language edition of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 15, published by Fortress Press in 2012, translated from the German edition edited by Dirk Schulz ; English edition edited by Victoria J. Barnett; translated by Victoria J. Barnett … [et al.]; supplementary material translated by Douglas W. Stott.

For another English translation of this sermon, see I Stand at the Door and Knock: Advent and Christmas Sermons by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pages 79-84,edited and translated from German into English by Edwin Robertson, copyright © 2005, published in the UK.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German Lutheran pastor and a founding member of the Confessing Church. He was the first of the German theologians to speak out clearly against the persecution of the Jews and the evils of the Nazi ideology. In spring of 1935 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was called by the Confessing Church in Germany to take charge of an “illegal,” underground seminary at Finkenwalde, Germany (now Poland). He served as pastor, administrator, and teacher there until the seminary was closed down by Hitler's Gestapo in September,1937.

In the seminary at Finkenwalde Bonhoeffer taught the importance of shared life together as disciples of Christ. He was convinced that the renewal of the church would depend upon recovering the biblical understanding of the communal practices of Christian obedience and shared life. This is where true formation of discipleship could best flourish and mature. http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p22.htm (5 of 6) [05/08/2016 09:32:17] Living Bulwark

Bonhoeffer’s teaching led to the formation of a community house for the seminarians to help them enter into and learn the practical disciplines of the Christian faith in community. In 1937 Bonhoeffer completed two books, Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship. They were first published in German in 1939. Both books encompass Bonhoeffer’s theological understanding of what it means to live as a Christian community in the Body of Christ.

He was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo in April 1943. On April 8, 1945 he was hanged as a traitor in the Flossenburg concentration camp. As he left his cell on his way to execution he said to his companion, "This is the end – but for me, the beginning of life." photo of Bonhoeffer in the courtyard of Tegel prison, summer 1944; source: Christian Kaiser Verlag

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

. .The Showing Forth of Christ

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for my eyes have seen thy salvation. Luke 2:29–30 .. by John Donne (1572-1631)

The whole life of Christ was a continual Passion; others die martyrs but Christ was born a martyr. He found a Golgotha, where he was crucified, even in Bethlehem, where he was born; for to his tenderness then the straws were almost as sharp as the thorns after, and the manger as uneasy at first as the cross at last. His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas day and his Good Friday are but the evening and morning of the same day. And as even his birth is his death, so every action and passage that manifests Christ to us is his birth, for Epiphany is manifestation. Every manifestation of Christ to the world, to the Church, to a . particular soul is an Epiphany, a Christmas day.

Now there is nowhere a more evident manifestation of Christ than in that which induced this text, "Lord now lettest thy servant depart in peace..." It had been revealed to Simeon, whose words these are, that he should see Christ before he died. And actually, and really, substantially, essentially, bodily, presentially, personally he does see him. So it is Simeon’s Epiphany, Simeon’s Christmas day. So also this day, in which we

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commemorate and celebrate the general Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ to the whole world in his birth, all we, we who besides our interest in the universal Epiphany and manifestation implied in the very day, have this day received the Body and Blood of Christ in his holy and blessed Sacrament, have had another Epiphany, another Christmas day, another manifestation and application of Christ to ourselves. The Church prepares our devotion before Christmas day with four Sundays in Advent, which bring Christ nearer and nearer to us and remind us that he is coming to enable us by a further examination of ourselves to depart in peace, because our eyes have seen his salvation…

To be able to conclude that you have had a Christmas day, a manifestation of Christ in your souls, you shall have a whole Good Friday, a crucifying and an "it is finished," a measure of corrections, and joy in those corrections. You shall have temptations, and a Resurrection and an Ascension, an inchoation and an unremovable possession of heaven itself in this world. Make good your Christmas day, that Christ be born in you, and he who died for you will live with you all the year, and all the years of your lives, and inspire into you, and receive from you at the last gasp, this blessed acclamation, "Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace…"

Simeon waited, says the story, and he waited for the consolation of Israel. And all that God had said should be done was done, for as it is said, "It was revealed unto him, by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ," and now he had seen that salvation. Abraham saw this before, but with the eye of faith, and yet rejoiced to see it so, he was glad even of that. Simeon saw it, too…but he saw it with the eye of hope. Of such hope Abraham had no such ground; no particular hope, no promise that he should see the Messiah in his time. Simeon had, and yet he waited, he attended God’s leisure. But hope deferred maketh the heart sick (says Solomon). But when that which is desired comes, it is a tree of life. His desire was come; he saw his salvation.

This excerpt is from the Sermons of John Donne.

John Donne was born in 1572 in London, England. In 1621 he became dean of Saint Paul's Cathedral. Best known for his vivacious, compelling style and thorough examination of mortal paradox, John Donne died in London in 1631.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

The Nativity, Rembrandt, etching 1654 What the Incarnation Means for Us

The Real Meaning of Christmas

by Steve Clark

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Every year as the Christmas season comes around, we hear a great deal about the real meaning of Christmas. But it is not always clear just what that real meaning is.

For some people, the true meaning of Christmas is the warmth and love of our families, a celebration of the home. For others, the real meaning of Christmas is love for other people – “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” And of course, many Christians think the true meaning of Christmas is that it is the birthday of Jesus.

All these things, and especially the celebration of Jesus’ birth, have something to do with Christmas. But the full meaning of Christmas is something bigger – bigger than the love of our families or good will toward men, even bigger than remembering the birthday of Jesus. For when we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating one of the greatest truths of our faith – the incarnation. We are not just celebrating the fact that some 2,000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth was born; we are celebrating the far greater fact that in Jesus of

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Nazareth God himself became man.

Most of us are familiar with the word ‘incarnation’ and know that it has something to do with Jesus’ being both God and man. But many of us have not reflected on the full meaning of this doctrine and on the consequences it has for us.

Among Christians today you can hear a lot of strange things said about the incarnation. One common idea is that the Word became flesh to show us that we really ought to be flesh. The meaning of the incarnation, according to this way of thinking, is that we ought to be as much flesh as we can possibly be.

I do not know about everyone else, but I at least do not feel that I need to become any more flesh. Nor does anyone else I know really need to become more flesh. We human beings were born flesh. We do not need to do anything in order to become flesh – whether flesh in the good sense or in the bad.

Some of the early Christian teachers in the Greek-speaking world spoke of the incarnation in quite different terms that I believe come much closer to what the scripture itself says. They said that the Word became flesh – God became man – so that we might become God. That is a spectacular statement and could easily be misunderstood. But compared to the modern notion, I think it gets us a lot closer to the truth.

God did not become flesh so that we could learn to be flesh. God became flesh so that we might become more like God. Jesus did not come into the world in order to tell us, “You’re all great just as you are. Just do more of the same.” Jesus came to change us. He came to give us a life that we could not achieve of our own flesh.

How does the incarnation make us more like God? To begin with, we should understand that the incarnation is not simply a call to imitate God. The Word did not become flesh just to give us a model of godlike behavior. Of course, if we are going to become like God we have to imitate certain elements of God’s character as they are revealed to us in Jesus – his love, patience, strength, perseverance, and so on. But the incarnation means more for us than that.

The truth is that God became man in order to make us godlike. He came to give us something that would make us like himself. God became man because we did not have it in ourselves, in the weakness of our flesh, to become like God.

St. Paul explained what the incarnation means for us when he wrote to the Colossians, “For in Christ the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in him who is the head of all rule and authority” (Col. 2:9-10). In other words, everything that is in God, the fullness of deity, is in Jesus of Nazareth. And now we, through Jesus, have come into the fullness of the life of God. We have been filled with what is in Jesus.

Not that we become the second person of the Trinity incarnate; not that we have the omniscience or . omnipotence of God. There is a difference between us and Jesus, a difference we know only too well. Yet Jesus shares with us what he himself is. He shares with us his divine life.

We may find all this easier to understand in terms of another idea the New Testament gives us: God became man in Jesus Christ, and as a result of that incarnation God has poured out his Holy Spirit on us to give us the power actually to live the life of God. He has poured out his Spirit so that there may be a body of people, the

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body of Christ, who truly live like God himself. Other people should be able to see us and say, “Here is a type of human being different from all other human beings. Here is a kind of life that no other human has.” What they should be able to see in us is the very life of God himself.

The Word of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us The Gospel of John states these same truths in another way: “The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:9-13).

That passage describes the incarnation – the Word of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. He was not recognized by most people, the passage tells us. He was rejected even by many of his own chosen people. But we who do receive him receive a new life, a life as children of God. We have been born in a different way, not by natural means but by the Spirit of God. We have been born with a life that puts us on a different plane than our natural life. That is an extraordinary truth.

How many times have we heard those first verses of the gospel of John? How many times have we heard about God becoming man and our becoming children of God? It is all so big that we almost stop thinking about it. If we do think about it, we think of it as something that happens in some “spiritual” world, not here on earth where we live our normal life. Here we have enough to do, just trying to get dinner on the table for the family, or trying to get to work in the morning, or wondering when to do the Christmas shopping, or how to get the car fixed so we can visit the family on Christmas Day.

Maybe, we think, being children of God in the midst of all this just means that we should be a little kinder to our wife, or stop getting irritated with the kids, or try to relate to our boss better. It is easy to end up thinking that Jesus came just to tell us that we need to behave a little bit better than we are naturally inclined to behave.

Yet that is not what Jesus came to do. He did not come just to tell us to become better than we thought we had to be. He came so that we can become better than we thought we could be. God’s purpose in becoming man was to give us his own life, making us better than we ever thought we could be.

It would be easy to misunderstand what it means to say that Jesus came to make us godlike and give us a life different from other human beings. We could take that as meaning we become something more than human. I think it is more accurate to say that we become fully human. If we are to be truly human, if we are to be all that a human being is meant to be, we need the life of God.

Our condition as we are born into this world is actually subhuman. That is not a slight on our parents; it simply reflects the fact that the human race itself is under the power of sin. The present “natural” condition of humanity means living according to sin, living in the flesh as Paul used the word flesh (see Rom. 7:13-25).

In the image and likeness of God That was not, however, the condition in which God made us. When God made Adam, he did not make a sinful man. He did not intend his creation to live the way most people live now. He made us to live a life like his own; he made us like himself. That is what scripture means when it says that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). Human beings are supposed to be something a lot greater than what most of us are right now. http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/december2015p24.htm (3 of 4) [05/08/2016 09:32:21] Living Bulwark

Some Jewish rabbis used to say that Adam was created with the glory of God upon him, and that when he fell he lost the glory of God. The New Testament teaches that in Jesus, the glory of God was restored to humanity. You can look at Jesus of Nazareth and see what God is like. As Paul says many times in the New Testament, “He is the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:l5).

Jesus wants to share God’s glory with us. He wants to glorify us so that here and now we can start looking like God himself because we live the life of God himself. He wants to restore in us the image of God.

At the beginning of this article, I said that Christmas is not simply a celebration of the birthday of Jesus. That may seem a rather strange idea, since Christmas is the feast of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus. What I mean, however, is that in celebrating Christmas we do not just look back to what happened 2,000 years ago when Jesus entered our world; we also look forward to what will happen when Jesus comes again to complete the work of the incarnation.

Obviously, none of us have yet achieved the fullness of the divine life Jesus came to give us. We can experience much of our new identity as children of God right now, in our life on this earth. But there is a great deal more we will not experience until the Lord comes again to judge the living and the dead and to establish his kingdom.

On that day, what we truly are will be revealed, and as John says, “We shall be like him” (l John 3:2). It will be manifest that we are truly sons and daughters of God, bearing his image and likeness, bearing his glory. Everything that was to be accomplished by Jesus becoming incarnate will be accomplished. Everything God wants the human race to be, we will be.

On that day the true and everlasting feast of Christmas will begin.

Steve Clark is past president of the Sword of the Spirit and founder of The Servants of the Word.

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December 2015 / January 2016 - Vol. 83

Spring-time in the White Mountains of Vermont - by Don Schwager

The River Flows

song and music by Ed Conlin

From the throne of God and from the Lamb the river flows. Life redeeming, ever healing, age to age it goes. No more sun, the Holy One – our light that ever shines. Crystal clear, the river here, will swell our hearts to join the cry!

Awake, O sleeper, rise to life, and Christ will give you light! Lift your head – behold the river. He mounts his throne to shouts of praise; be opened heaven's gates. Enter in, O King of Glory! .

"Come!" the Spirit calls, and with the bride the Spirit cries: "Souls that thirst can drink their fill of water without price. Blest are those who wash their robes to gain the tree of life.

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Face to face with endless grace, lift up your hearts to hear the cry!"

Awake, O sleeper, rise to life, and Christ will give you light! Lift your head – behold the river. He mounts his throne to shouts of praise; be opened heaven's gates. Enter in, O King of Glory!

O King of Glory!

Click to listen to an MP3 audio clip of The River Flows, written by Ed Conlin and sung by Oki Varona, John Hughes, and Ellen Karagoulis.

Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee" - St. Augustine of Hippo

Ed comments on his song ...

There is a space formed by the particular shape of our life. It is meant for God himself to indwell. This must be felt as a lack... and it comes about through daily circumstamces. It may be caused by the cavern of a lonely heart, the ache of a lost one, the yearning that comes from "not yet being home." In truth we are to glory in this emptiness – for it is the price we pay for such an immense dignity. To wait in courage for God to fill our particular emptiness is one of the most profound of love's acts.

[The song The River Flows is included in a Music CD entitled, In Spirit and Truth. The CD and sheet music can be ordered from Tabor House.]

Ed Conlin is a member of the Servants of the Word, a missionary brotherhood of men living single for the Lord. He lives in community in the inner city of Detroit, Michigan, USA, and works as a licensed substance abuse counselor and chaplain with the Capuchin Franciscan Ministries in Detroit.

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August / September 2016 • Vol. 87

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Spiritual Warfare and Mission: . “Take the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God – Pray at all times in the Spirit” – Ephesians 6:17,18

2016

. [December 2015] / January 2016 • Vol. 83 [PDF version]

The Day Draws Near “Let us encourage one another to love and good deeds – and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” – Heb. 10:24-25

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. [February] / March 2016 • Vol. 84 [PDF version]

Listen to Him “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him” – Mark 9:7 .

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Forming Disciples – Building Communities “Make disciples of all nations – teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” – Matthew 28:19,20 .

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Communities United in Mission “When the Holy Spirit has come upon you – you shall be my witnesses to the end of the earth” – Acts 1:8

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[December 2014] / January 2015 • Vol. 77 [PDF version]

Jesus Christ – Hope for All Peoples “He will cause justice to be victorious – and his name will be the hope of all the world” - Matthew 12:20,21 (NLT)

February / March 2015 • Vol. 78 [PDF version]

Christ’s Compelling Love The love of Christ compels us...to live no longer for ourselves but for him who died for our sake and was raised –2 Cor. 5:14-15

April / May 2015 • Vol. 79 [PDF version]

Love Unto Death “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:11)

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June / July 2015 • Vol. 80 [PDF version]

Baptized in the Holy Spirit “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” – Luke 3:16

August / September 2015 • Vol. 81 [PDF version]

God’s Word Is Truth “Father, sanctify them in your truth, your word is truth” – John 17:16

October / November 2015 • Vol. 82 [PDF version]

Speak God's Word with Boldness

“When they had prayed... they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.” – Acts 4:31

2014

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January 2014 • Vol. 71 [PDF version]

The Great Exchange “If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation – the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

February/March 2014 • Vol. 72 [PDF version]

Saints and Sinners “The wages of sin is death – but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

April/May 2014 • Vol. 73 [PDF version]

Extending God's Kingdom on Earth

“This Good News of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as a witness to all the nations” (Matthew 24:14)

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June/July 2014 • Vol. 74 [PDF version]

The Fire of the Holy Spirit “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16)

August/September 2014 • Vol. 75 [PDF version]

Living Stones – Solid Foundations for Christian Community “Come to the Lord Jesus, the Living Stone.. and like living stones . be built into a spiritual house and holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:4,5)

October/November 2014 • Vol. 76 [PDF version]

Faith to Live By “The life I now live... I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave his life for me” (Galatians 2:20)

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December 2014 / January 2015 • Vol. 77 [PDF version]

Jesus Christ – Hope for All Peoples “He will cause justice to be victorious – and his name will be the hope of all the world” - Matthew 12:20,21 (NLT)

2013

January 2013 • Vol. 65 [PDF version]

Call to Greatness “I will show you a still more excellent way” (1 Corinthians 12:31)

Lent 2013 • Vol. 66 [PDF version]

More of Him – Less of Me “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35) http://www.swordofthespirit.net/bulwark/pdf-archives.htm (7 of 12) [05/08/2016 09:32:35] Living Bulwark

April/May 2013 • Vol. 67 [PDF version]

A Living Hope “I am with you always, to the very end” (The Gospel of Matthew 28:20)

June/July 2013 • Vol. 68 [PDF version]

Sowers of the Word: “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)

August/September 2013 • Vol. 69 [PDF version]

The Living Word of God: “For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12)

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October/November 2013 • Vol. 70 [PDF version]

Relationships in the Kingdom of God “Whoever does the will of my Father in heavenis my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50)

a December 2013/January 2014 • Vol. 71 [PDF version]

The Great Exchange “If any one is in Christ, he is a new creation – the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

2012

January 2012 • Vol. 56 [PDF version]

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February 2012 • Vol. 57 [PDF version]

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July/August 2012 • Vol. 61 [PDF version]

September 2012 • Vol. 62 [PDF version]

October/November 2012 • Vol. 63 [PDF version]

Love and Friendship A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17)

December 2012 • Vol. 64 [PDF version]

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Jesus Christ – Ruler of All “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever” (Revelations 11:15)

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