As we walk our faiths journey becoming more and more like the Christ of God, we find, on occasions, that the precise quality of our faith and journey are difficult to determine. Many of our experiences are subjective and therefore difficult to pass on to others, as they pertain to my own personal walk, we can even create a sense of lack in others if they are led to feel unable to enter into these experiences that our worlds are often filled with.

However we have many life stories and recording of experiences of men and women, who have displayed their closeness to the Father which in no doubt become a provocation on our journeys.

Our lives must have these signs and helps to those who w ear still to encourage in their walk towards God. One of these constant experiences outlined by the saints gone by, is to sing of mercy and to be redesigned by judgments, these to would appear to most Christians a suitable expression of their feelings. David seems to express in a review of his life that both mercy and judgements are proper grounds for praise and thanksgiving, along with the determination given by the Holy Spirit to praise God for them.

Psalm 101:1 has in its opening lines this declaration “My theme song is God’s love and justice…” this started me thinking down a number of avenues, the first being, what is my theme song?

is it of the Fathers love, the magnificent justice of a creator that has the ability to rule in my life?

A theme in my view captures a life, it sums up a whole life, it’s the overarching bias and constant experience of a life. I wonder what theme my life has caught or is under girded with?

The phrase theme song or may be, more popularly said, a signature tune may be used to refer to a song that has become especially associated with a particular performer or dignitary; often used as they make an entrance. Examples of this association include: the President of the United States with “Hail to the Chief”; the Queen with our national anthem, a song or tune directly associated with a person. The purpose of the music is to connect a person with some truth, aspect of their lives or their status in life then. It is also used to establish a mood for an event or show. In terms of a show I it provides an audible cue that a particular show is beginning, the lyrics of the theme song provide some necessary exposition for people unfamiliar with the show or event.

So what is your theme song? What does your life sing of? What song will be associated to you and used to herald your entrance. Will it be a positive of negative theme, are we those who are looking to communicate the great love of God, or the challenge of the walk, being near to depression with the weight of responsibility? What theme proceeds us as we enter a room, live life, is there a running and hiding from us? a people saying o here comes pressure? On the other hand it could be such a theme of overwhelming joy that all want to be in your company, for the theme to rub off? The mood we create by the theme of our inner life?

Before you go away thinking well I do not create a mood, I wanted this simple opening stanza to assist us in realising how we can change the theme of our song, to create an opening and heralding an arrival that all would wish to create. Rather than give up, consider what your inner life dwells upon.

“My theme song is God’s love and justice” the song that I should take hold of inside and allow to be the song that precedes me, is the love of God, being overwhelmed, revelling in his love for me, never mind how unlovely I see me, He loves me unreservedly. This is the beginning of the rewriting of my inner theme, allowing the nature and theme of God’s Love and justice to be my constant thought of him.

The dealings of the Father with us as his people, display the wisdom and goodness of God.

Consider the mix of these two foundations for a theme song, love and justice, mercy and judgments. Mercies, if unmixed, would “exalt us above measure;” and judgments, if unmixed, would sink us into despondency. A ship needs both sails and ballast, to carry it forward in safety: and so the Christian needs a diversity, in order to accomplish in them the purposes of God’s grace. God sends them to his people to

– Form them into the divine image. So that the perfection of a Christian consists not in one grace, or even in one set of graces, but in a combination of all the graces which are suited to a redeemed soul, and calculated to advance the honour of our God.

– Stimulate them on their way to glory. Mercies have a tendency to fill the soul with love to God, and to make it pant for the full enjoyment of God in heaven. Judgments also operate to the same end, by weaning the soul from present things, and causing it to long for that rest which is in Christ

The saints in every age have acknowledged the goodness of God in them

Now let me ask again “What theme song do you have?” Bathe your mind and heart in his love and mercy revel in his judgments and justice so that our theme can be as one song sung in heaven!

When we read the opening passage of Ephesians we really find an apostle that has been empowered and inspired, one has to ask I wonder what he is taking for that? In the days of challenge we have to look at what it is that keeps people running. What is it that has resurrected this once murderer of the family of God? or certainly one that engineered the taking of the church? Through Paul’s writing we have a glimpse of who he is and what he sees along with his feelings and revelations. Guidelines of that which is gotten hold of him. I would say we would do well to consider and focus our attention on what Paul focused on.

A fundamental change has taken place in our thinking that enables us to get onto the same understanding as Paul. I remember as a young Christian when we were taught about the rapture, the decline of the testimony of God and the great darkness of this world. But today it is settled, this world all of it is God’s world. God created everything, everything that happens God is to be found, Father, Son and Spirit, God in everything creation, humanity.

You cannot read Paul’s outline on Ephesians 1 without realising that it is a plan, a plan from the eternal but it was set in place long before creation. It included “ a lamb slain before the foundation of the world” amongst other things. You could say this is the secret behind all things, it is that which governs the movement of world, a movement towards the culmination of God’s plan. In this plan God is fully involved and God has designated One to bring about this plan. The description of Acts 17:31, ” God has fixed a day in which God will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” clearly paints the picture that this One is the horizon of all things, the reference point, the culmination, the source and the beginning of all Gods’ aims. The word “…appointed…” in this passage is ‘horizio’ where we get our word for horizon from. This Christ has now fulfilled all the Father had in mind.

My appeal for every one of us is that we come out from the doldrums of self and come into to the great wide open spaces of the plan of God. Over the years we’ve all been challenged by an understanding of the gospel of God, moving us from a declining view of the church, to beginning to understand the Triumph of Christ. I believe that along with the triumph of Christ, the celebration of God is brought into clarity, many need this message of the plan of God. In motion, but not out of time, it is not late or early but is being the fulfilled and being fulfilled. Many are struggling with daily challenges, health issues and financial strain but the scripture is clear it has been finished, this plan of God is complete, we have the joy of bringing it to life today so that all of creation is impacted.

This day each one of us is being retrained through perseverance, a term that has been around for many years and one that was used much in the old Pentecostal setting where I came to Christ, that is, we are learning to travail. This means I fix the nature of the Father Son and Spirit, I set in my mind the call of God and become unwavering, as I persevere.

Christ, the Son has stepped forward and has worked out the eternal purpose. Paul is captured, his preface taken away, his words he feels are lacking, his life’s goal and ambition, the course has been set, to the point that he compares beatings, points of near dying as “light afflictions”, he is overwhelmed in awe of what has happened as he tries to outline in the first chapter of Ephesians. The work is finished and the plan on course it captured Paul, it should capture you and me, and maintain our advance and journey. This Ephesians 1 is Paul’s attempt to wake us up!

A New Commandment

What a change, what an adjustment who ever you are.   The last week has been a week of turmoil for the UK on many levels and that turmoil continues. We have the challenge of addressing a departure from Europe with its implications which are so far reaching.   We have experienced a period when a country’s leadership dissolves before your the eyes on the public vote, people power, democracy?    As the world changes around us what can we learn and what can we hold on to, what can we take from the tumultuous times we live in that will school us for world impact.   I am so surprised that a small nation as Britain has such far reaching effects economically with markets and currencies being affected in far places world wide.   We are learning, I suggest that a little country can have an impact in far places not just locally, London or UK in this case.

in John 13:34–35 Jesus gives us a New Commandment but its not really new, as at least in Deuteronomy and Leviticus we are told to love one another and to love God, are we not?
So whats NEW about it?
I would suggest its much more about outlining a distinctive mark of a community, its much more about a NEW way to live together.     I have noticed some bible interpreters pass comment that the verse is out of sink with the flow of the passage, with Jesus talking about his departure.   A time of turmoil about to arrive for the followers, the disciples.

34       “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35       “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another

The verse is really highly important and is focused in the turmoil to come on the community that Jesus will establish as a result of his departure.
The community in its distinctive quality was to be marked by a new commandment.   Turmoil needs some marks on it, needs some signposts that anchors life and prevents spinning.    In the establishment of communities, one of the principle factors of success is the establishing of boundaries for action.   These are based on community or national covenants, whether stated or unstated.    Behind every way forward there must be covenants that hold, direct us, this is absolutely crucial.

When societies go through transitions by a change of direction nationally, the influx of people, or changes in economic or social structures, the underlying covenants are often disregarded and the society is thrown into confusion.

Later in John’s writings (1 John) we are introduced to a confusing state of affairs for people affecting that community at large, it out lines the departure for a covenant made and oath taking towards new theologies, so called, it only goes to enforce the need of understanding underlying covenants that have bene made long ago, words spend an hearts committed towards establishing healthy life, words outlining conduct for the better of all peoples, these are crucial to perceiving the significance of the order of life.

Returning to John 13 here is a covenant that undergirds community building, its formation and establishment “love one another“, but it goes beyond that to indicate that to love one another is to display, to be an example of God, love as foundation to every distrusted moment, to all turbulent times is an indication of where and to who we belong.

So Brexit – market runaways – change of political structure – Love one another – be and form community.   Return to covenant that undergirds us all, and of course continue in this way of Love and Covenant do not depart from it.

Love one another – that all men will know you are my disciples 

To make this “love one another” impactive it must have content as we cannot make people love one another can we?      The context that enables this love is the realisation that the “I have loved you” of Christ.     Christ has loved us fully unrestrained, unreserved, it transforms you?         People have the right to ask “why should I love others” for with out a realisation of their loved condition it is challenging, firstly seeing that  I/ we are loved is essential.

We can try and legalise the need of loving one another, we can even achieve a legalising of mutual respect but we will not make people love one another without realisation and accepting the self-giving love of God for the World, the covenant love displayed in and through Christ.      The acceptance of God’s self-giving love for the people of the world, including each one of us as recipients of that love (3:16), and the obedient response in a derivative love enables “all people”  to recognise the accepter as a disciple of Jesus. This way of loving one another is not to be interpreted exclusively as my little in-group instead, it was to be understood as breathtakingly explosive of old relationships and old patterns of obedience in the way it was pointedly presented in the Sermon on the Mount.

The two verses from where we began our journey today encapsulate the coming of the new era and the new community.

This new community, is the continuing intention in the Old Testament, God calling out a people who are to be recognised by their love for God (Deut. 6:4–5) and their love of neighbour (Lev 19:18) just as Jesus spelled out his model in the Sermon on the Mount.

John writes (1 John 3:1-18) that we are expected to love one another as we have been loved, adopted, accepted as the family of God – Community to form, build and be established based on love.

 

Psalm 97: 6 (Message) The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right, And everyone will see it happen—glorious!
Announcing heavens
Set right
Non-restricted seeing
All to do with my heavenly Father, he is glorious.I can see clearly now

The NASB translations says it like this “…The heavens declare His righteousness and all the people’s have seen His glory…”

A heavens that speak to us is our wonderful gift, a declaring, an announcing heavens, lets listen to what it declares, the coming of “…Let your kingdom come…” the arrival of a King arriving to “…set everything right…” The order, and rule, the right way up, as it is in heaven, is being declared through and by the heavens, lets listen! Letting the eternal sound catch our inner person grooming us drawing us to look beyond the moment to see what is still to arriving in God’s economy.

“Setting everything right” is this not the same as your kingdom come, you and I have been brought into asking, praying, for what the heavens and Christ are declaring, the work of a unified voice of all creation people and heavens. The Fathers order coming, the house of God arriving in all creation, the Kings way a highway through all of cosmos which includes my ‘little’ world. At the school gate, in the office during classroom time, at home with the toddlers, on the road as I drive, you see it around you as you live it. Making the far country where my abode is to be that my life is, the far country of the Kingdom of God that has arrived and is still arriving this order everything set right that is the Fathers house.

This setting in order that the Psalmist speaks of is not to be a hidden thing or in a removed place secluded small with drawn place but a place where the seeing is non-restrictive a place that “…everyone will see it happen…”

“And every one will see it happen-glorious” or “And all the people’s, have seen His glory” can this be the glory that is Christ given that is in the process of being reveled, the same that Paul writes to the Ephesus church about in the book of Ephesians that the church is to be “…the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places…” (Eph 3:10) followed by “…to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen…” (Eph 3:21). The reveling of the church, the called out ones that are the carriers of Gods glory that will fill the earth “…as the waters cover the sea…”?

The called out people of God are the display of His Glory, we are introduced and believe in Christ that is a gift giver to the church, in John 17 we note that he gives to the church two things, one being His Word and the other, wait for it this is mind bending, see now he has given, past tense, to the church……His glory. Not something to be hunted for or chased after but lived in light of, now read these two scriptures before you stamp all over me:

John 17: 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was…”

V 22 “…The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;”

The glory to make an open display of in the whole fabric of creation – every one will see it happen-glorious.

One of our Western challenges, or where ever there is the hold of consumerism in the culture we live in, that has subtle impact upon all of us in relation to our desire for God our chase of the Holy Spirit which I believe we need to be careful and wise with. If we do not we will find our journey towards maturity and desire for the Father being put off course.

Firstly let me say, of course the people of God are to deepen their intimacy with the Father realizing that he has made the way possible and it is not us that creates the possibility or means but its his grace that has done it all. Every blockage has been removed, every meandering pathway has been straightened, every chasm has been crossed by the Father. In essence there is no reason but for our own self that we cannot be deeply intimate with the Father. The work has been “…finished…” it is open to us to first enjoy and be one with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The onward chase or search for God must not come from our way of society, from our cultural paradigm. The society we live in places demands on us daily see it or not its there. A demand from leadership at the top of every organization, we are expected to increase our results against our expanding changing forms of evaluation, just look at our schooling system let alone the business world. It’s the promise of unlimited progress with the need of continuous improvement (Japanese concept – kaizen). Most of our world is competitive, we like to win and beat the competition. We must not bring this into the world of the Father.

Our world holds up individual liberties as a high goal along with the pursuit of happiness and consumer mentality but this way of life has produced a cycle that has been so below our radar. In the retail world we see first “customer satisfaction” as being a high goal and so it should, but here is the subtlety, in order to bring satisfaction we have first have to produce dissatisfaction with where we are, what we are, along with what we have gained. Paul tells us that had learned to be content with little/nothing and much, I would suggest that contentment was not based on what was still to come but on what has been given and what is available now.

We see our commitments at point of purchase only lasting until the next unit is developed and made available, when the next model or style or fashion comes on the market dissatisfaction moves in. This has a way of pushing its way into our relationship and pursuit of God which me must become fully aware of, other wise we are wanting more due to societies ability to subtly produce discontentment’s and we want more.

Of course we are to be intimate and enjoy God, for he has made a way. It’s an overflow and growing of our love that manifests in our desire to be continuously conscious of the Christ and the Father as there is never a moment where he is not present in his fullness. Which should have an effect on how we live NOW. Not because I need more as what I have is not enough due to consumer dissatisfaction

Be careful that my cry for more flows from my love and not from this invasion of the society we live in that has a subtle way of producing discontent with a promise of contentment “when I”, “if I”

The psalmist here brings an encouragement to join the declaration throughout the fabric of creation “set things right” we are to declare “Your Kingdom Come” make this place the setting of your environment o Lord as we bring your Kingdom in daily life we declare we show the heavens the glory of the Lord.

The heavens and the called out people of God announce he will set all things right, a unified voice, purpose and work come about in setting things right with an invading Kingdom that is arriving at every hand

Announcing heavens

Set right

Non-restricted seeing