Saturday or Sunday?

So, I said that I was going to become a Follower of Jesus, rather than a Christian. So what was so different about Jesus, and Christians today? Well I suppose one of the big 'things' is that Jesus was a Jew. And, if I may digress, he was also brown skinned and not white skinned like the pictures on my Sunday school (Circa 1950's) wall, and in my bible, depicted him, when he was knocking on the door asking to be let in. (Revelations 3:20)

Actually, it was not all that many years ago when the skin colour actually occurred to me. I had never taken any notice until I read the autobiography of Malcolm X. Of course, Jesus was going to be brown skinned living where he lived. I'm not sure whether it was a positive or negative thing that it hadn't mattered to me. Positive as far as my racial point of view was concerned perhaps, but I hadn't considered that others would see it as negative for people who had coloured skin. Not only negative, but completely false as well!

So, not only was Jesus a Jew, he was brown skinned as well.

We'll put the skin colour to one side; not because its not important, it is, but because I am concentrating on the Jewish matter in this article.

I presume that most people who call themselves Christians reluctantly acknowledge that Jesus was a Jew but put it to one side. Being Jewish meant that his Sabbath was Friday evening to Saturday evening yet Christians celebrate Sunday as the Sabbath.

Is this a problem?

Well there have been many, many articles, discussions, books, pontifications etc. concerning this matter. I would suggest that if you want to see the matter discussed in layman terms you read: When, Where, and Why Did the Change from Sabbath to Sunday Worship Take Place in the Early Church by Robert K McIver, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, Australia. Copyrighted 2015 Andrews University Seminary Studies, Vol. 53, No. 1, 15-35. Read it. It is on-line as a PDF.

Okay. Let me quote a piece from a Police Procedural Novel I am reading. It is written by J R Ellis and called The Body in the Dales. The Inspector is having a cuppa with his older sister who is a Priest in the Anglican Church. She says, "Don't make the mistake of equating Christianity with the Anglican church or any other denomination. They're all very largely human constructs which may have had their day, but if they disappear, God's purposes will continue."

Sounds a bit like Matthew 5:17 in some ways: Jesus says "Do not think that I have come to abolish Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."

Humans changed the early church from its Jewish origin and turned it into a Sunday Sabbath, it's not God's law and it's not following Jesus as far as I'm concerned. To me a Sunday Sabbath is, as the Police Inspector's Priest sister says, 'a human construct.' We can all see that the current 'Christian Way' has had it's day.

I pray that becoming a Follower of Jesus does not mean I become a human construct.

A step backward or forward?

So, a couple or so Sundays have passed by without me going to church. I have survived. Mind you, they have been during Covid 19 Level 4 lockdown so there haven't been any services anyway. 

My mind constantly takes me back to some of the things that caused me to leave the church I attended. While I would like to state openly what they were I have chosen not too. They were not illegal, as far as New Zealand's legal system is concerned, but were morally wrong. The case could be made, that the things that were done could well have been Gods way of going about things, but I doubt it. Using that reasoning is what has got Christianity into the mess that it is today.

I watched, one day, the leaders of a denomination and a congregation, inter-acting with the members of their congregation. They sat at the 'Top Table' and ate and spoke to us from there. My mind went back to the 1960's when young Christians wore bands on their wrists with the letters W.W.J.D. engraved on them. (What Would Jesus Do.) Can you remember those days? Would Jesus have sat separate from us? I don't think so. He would have been surrounded by us, and sharing with us; not being served separately. I'm sure Jesus' story about the Pharisees etc. sitting at the main table comes to your minds, as well as it did to mine. Snakes and vipers weren't they?

Jesus didn't operate the way Ministers and Pastors do today. Why do they believe that they are the only interpreter's of Gods word? They act as though they are privileged. They seem to forget that like us mere mortals, they are Gods servants; His hands and feet in this world.

I have even witnessed Ministers asking their congregation for items that those in the congregation cannot afford to buy for themselves. Humble? No! Sad? Yes!

Lord, I pray for the humility that I need to carry out your work in this world. I know I have let you down many, many times in the past, but now I trust that I have learned to look to you as you stand beside me and protect me, because you are my fortress, my safe place, my God, and I trust you. 

A Lost Pilgrim

Once again I find myself lost in the Christian world. Surely this should not be! We're repeatedly told that the Christian community is like a family, we are all brothers or sisters. I like the idea, in some ways, but we have all experienced family times when it's not all love and kindness haven't we?

I am taking a break from the church community I have belonged to for the past 9 years. I doubt I will return. I have just deleted a long rant that I was going to publish about my reasons for leaving etc. but have decided to put 'my big boy pants on' and not go there.

Here in New Zealand, the Methodist Church of New Zealand publishes a monthly 'newspaper' named Touchstone. The August 2021 edition contained an article written by Rev. Geraldine Coats in which she states that she has decided to no longer refer to herself as a Christian minister. Instead she has decided to call herself a follower of Jesus. She advises that she was led to this decision, in part, by some of Christianity's decisions which have destroyed her vision of a God of grace and love.

After my experiences over the years, and I'm on the cusp of 76, I find myself in agreement with Geraldine. I have witnessed bullying, bribery, back-stabbing, lying and abuse. Geraldine's God of grace and love has been notably absent on many occasions. However (and there is always a but isn't there?) there are some good people attending Christian churches who believe themselves to be Christians, and possibly are followers of Jesus. I pray that their attempts to follow Jesus in their congregations are successful.

As for me? Well I continue my pilgrimage. Currently I am at peace with myself as I undertake my given task of loving my wife as she recovers from a stroke and the thrombectomy that removed a clot from her brain.

I will try and be a follower of Jesus.   

How am I doing?

How am I doing?

About as well as can be expected I suppose. Looking back over my blog efforts doesn't show an individual inspired by much really.

I have, however, made a huge decision. Actually making a decision is a big thing in my life. It takes a long time, a lot of procrastination, lots of 'maybes' and 'perhaps' and 'but what ifs.' Often I do see the rainbow but I'm also prone to see the dark black clouds gathering and I just know that they're going to block out that rainbow. They rarely do but then again they just might.

That decision was to give up my 'Junk Mail' rounds. I had already given up one of them which left me with three. They take about one hour and thirty minutes each to walk and about the same to fold. While the income is of help, my wife and kids have prevailed and I do my last round at the end of this month.

What am going to do with all that extra time I will have on my hands?

Well I am in training to do what I promised myself I would do in my retirement years.

I will resume my writing, and working on my jade carving and jewellery making. I will also be able to devote more time to my Church life. Since making the big decision I have put myself entirely in the Lord's hands. That decision was made at 0740 hours on Wednesday 12th September. There was no spontaneous sound of hallelujahs but there was a comfortable feel about making it, writing it down in my diary, and saying it aloud. Since that day life has not changed a lot but in myself I feel calmer. Normally I would be approaching the end of October with dread, wondering how we will survive, along with a lot of other matters.

I'm looking forward to November. I'm looking forward to goodness knows what. At least I am looking forward.

Mm, none of that is what I originally set out to blog about, but there you are.     

Christians and Pharisees

I spend a greater part of my musing wondering about those who call themselves Christians. Mostly I do this whilst I am wandering the streets of Masterton putting advertising pamphlets into those letter boxes that don't have large 'No Junk Mail' signs on them. I undertake the deliveries to supplement my superannuation. The remuneration is pretty minimal. Also, out of that minimal payment, I am required to pay income tax and also Accident Compensation Corporation dues. I stick with the belief that at least the 4 to 5 hours of walking is doing something towards my health. I counteract that goodness with lots of chocolate.

However I am getting off the subject.

I belong to a congregation that is known as a joint or uniting congregation that goes back to the days when various denominations decided that the future lay in union, rather than alone, as we all worshipped the same God. As a result the local Presbyterian congregation and the local Methodist congregation combined under the the one umbrella. Time went along, as it does, and there was the inevitable 're-think' and the mother churches decided that union was not for them so they appeared to abandon those 'joint' congregations and concentrated on more lucrative congregations.

What they did not abandon, of course, were the buildings. After all, those structures were worth 'a bob or two.'

As a result many joint congregations were left with two masters to deal with. In many cases those masters pulled in opposite directions but always required their share of the money the congregations raised.

Life went on until it didn't in many cases. The congregations became older and both the congregations and the masters lost touch with their roots and their purpose. Sunday congregations dropped to a few elderly people gathering for four hymns, two prayers and a sermon that rarely related to current events.

So, in the case of the congregation I belong to, it was decided to merge with another nearby congregation. One congregation was a Union congregation and the other Presbyterian. Both congregations were made up primarily of people who had at various times been members of both congregations. Agreement was 'sort of' reached with one of the big sticking points being the buildings. The union congregation building had some local historical significance and following the Canterbury earthquake had under gone strengthening to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars raised via many means. Financially the Union congregation was in a reasonable state. The Presbyterian congregation, not so much. Following a lot of discussion and numerous meetings agreement was reached on a merger. The use of the buildings was not settled but agreement was reached that one Minister would be shared between both congregations, in the interim, and the use of the buildings be decided later.

All were reasonably happy.

Along comes the biggest property owner of the two buildings, the Presbyterian Church. New trustees, or something, said that the merger had not been in accordance with the 'rules' and would have to be done all over again. As a result there has been a big split between the congregants. It is primarily over the buildings and at which place services should take place etc, etc.

Now I come to my point of Christians and Christianity.

Surely it is irrelevant where the services take place. This holding onto buildings is, in my mind, so wrong. In one of the cases the building complex spends the best part of six days empty. In the other case the complex houses a Childcare facility and an opportunity shop. One complex is on the main street and the other is close to the local hospital. Surely the complex near the hospital could be used to house those relatives who were visiting the sick and injured. Maybe it could be used by the homeless or those in need of temporary housing.

Surely that would be a Christian response. Let's face it, Christians follow the way of Jesus and all I see here is groups of those I call Pharisees. What did Jesus call them? Snakes and vipers wasn't it?
How very, very sad! 

3 Little Churches

Once upon a time there was a town with three churches. 

One was made of straw, one was made of sticks and one was made of bricks.

The straw church had a lot of people attending it. It was a pretty basic building but looked nice from the outside. The people liked it because it those in charge said that everything was good and all you had to do was come to it on a Sunday and God would look after you. The leaders made rules and regulations and held meetings together but pretty much left people to their own devices. From time to time wind blew through the straw, the building rocked but because it didn’t fall down nobody worried too much.

The stick church was neither flash nor ugly. It just was. It appeared nice and solid. The people in it worked hard for God. Whenever a draft appeared they would cover over the hole with whatever was at hand. The leaders worked hard and were good people but their time ended up being spent on stopping the drafts. In the end the building became the important object. God was important but Sunday took care of that. 

The brick Church was an important church. A lot of people attended it because it was important. The leaders made sure that everything looked really nice and that everything ran smoothly. If problems arose, nobody knew about them as they were dealt with behind the scenes by a few people ‘in the know.’ This church was a proud church with proud arrogant people. They knew God’s word, according to them, and theirs was the right way.

One day, a group of people from all three churches met accidently. I think it was at Food for Thought or the Ten O’Clock Cookie Company but may have been Strada or The Village Grinder. The hot choccy, coffee, tea and scones went to their heads and they felt something like a wind race around them. Some said that they even saw flames in the air. Others saw and heard nothing but felt something in their hearts. They suddenly realised that their straw church was slowly falling over, that the drafts in the stick church were letting in a cold wind that was turning people away and that the brick church had become drab and sad. They realised that very few people now went to their churches. Oh, there were the old die-hards holding on to their pet beliefs but they were getting to the stage where they were alone. Some had tried new programs which burnt for a while but then flickered and went out. They wondered what they could do. They had tried to work together but nothing had come of it. They still stayed the same three little churches.

Then a quiet newcomer to the group who had been sitting at an adjacent table spoke up.

“Why do you go to your Churches?” she asked.

“Because we are Christians,” was the reply. “We praise God and do God’s work. We make Christ Visible in the Community.”

“I don’t see him,” she said and got up and left.

Sense of Despair

Part of my Australian family have just returned to Perth. Cost prevented the entire family returning for a visit so my daughter, son-in-law, one granddaughter and one grandson arrived. Our daughter has not returned to her country of birth for fourteen years. Some of you reading this will understand how wonderful it was to have her back in New Zealand.

It is not fourteen years since we have seen her, as we have been funded to Perth by her three times over the years. Having her home is something different though.

On at least two occasions my daughter has been included in a dream that occurs to me from time to time relating to our children. Both dreams take place sometime after I have died, and I am watching them during their lives following my death. A great sense of loss, sorrow and almost overwhelming despair settles over me. My family are continuing with their lives, as you do, and my despair is not that they are shattered and unable to cope without me, but that I have lost them.

While my daughter was here on this occasion, she was perusing the plaques attached to the inside walls of St Luke's, the church I attend. One of them was remembering the presentation of a Union Jack flag to the church by the Senior Armed Forces Padre at the time. It was the Padre who had conducted my daughter's marriage ceremony. In my dream, this last time, I could see my daughter holding a photograph of the plaque and remembering its association with this recent visit. The sense of lost and sorrow was incredible; not my daughter's sorrow, mine.

Interesting.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar?