I wonder whether there was ever a more difficult, and perhaps more necessary, set of teachings than Jesus’ words that we read today.  In a world that is terribly divided, terribly partisan over almost every conceivable issue, there is plenty of room for hurt and injury and outright hostility and rancor.  I find this even in my own life and own circle of interests.  So, how do we give each other the ‘space’, the listening ear, the attempts to understand that we would wish for ourselves?  It’s a tough one, especially where, in some cases, I resist even chatting with them, for fear that I will have ‘my head bit off.’  Anyway, there’s something to think about for today--and hopefully, to work on.

Lots of people have raised questions about those individuals whom Jesus chose as His disciples, and certainly many of us would ‘wonder’ considering how they turned out, at least in the short run.  Certainly, Judas Iscariot came up a rotter, but then the others weren’t much better.  Not only did they consistently misunderstand what Jesus was saying, bicker and argue among themselves who was the greatest and jockey for position, but when the crunch really came, they either denied or deserted Him.  And yet, Jesus stuck with them anyway.  And so there is hope for us: all of us likewise fail Christ in many ways, and yet here too Jesus sticks with us and helps us along in our feeble efforts.  Thanks be to God.

Today’s passage and meditation poses quite a question for many of us.  Most of us abide by some sort of established rules or expectations, whether that be at home, in our churches and other institutions, or in our society or world at large.  I think that this is something of a ‘given’.  But are those rules such that they actually help or benefit people in general, or even specific people groups with their particular needs and situations?  Those are pretty difficult questions to answer, but nevertheless are probably good ones to ponder and address.

And in case, we don’t think this applies, just think about our churches: are there expectations about dress or deportment or participation?  For instance, in one of my churches it was pointed out that active participation was very difficult for people on a limited income or with large families.  Church suppers were out of the question for that large a family and even parish potlucks or coffee hours were a strain as everyone was expected to bring something at least occasionally.  And large families avoided taking part because they felt they were ‘sponging’ off others.  Something to think about.

I, for one, do not always appreciate being ‘stretched’ mentally, philosophically, or spiritually into new or unfamiliar directions--and certainly if doing so forces me into new roles or decisions.  (This is all the more so, given my years and my ‘supposed’ retirement.  I am quite reluctant to take on new ideas or ‘adventures’.)

But this certainly was what Jesus was asking of His disciples and the crowds.  No one would have ever seen Levi as a potential disciple, but then, who might have expected in times past that you and I might be doing the things that we are now up to?  And this is true, in terms both of our lives as Christians and our everyday lives as well.  And, it’s not just our actions, our activities, but our thinking, attitudes, and opinions as well.  Daily we’re being asked to re-examine these.  Now whether changing them is what God wants or not is a moot point because even entertaining them and investigating them can be rather stretching.  And maybe this is a good thing, as it helps us think critically, expands our horizons, and maybe even readies us for the new directions He does want us to take.

Wow.  September has already come and gone, and before we know it, it will be Advent, the season leading up to Christmas.  Our Scripture lesson and meditation for today poses a question that we must all deal with--and not just in the Advent season.  It is a question of who Jesus is--and who He is to us.  Those are questions that we must face--and answer--every single day.

Our psalmist’s hope and confidence in God is based on his and other people’s experiences of God.  That is what he drew upon as the grounds for his faith.  And so, it is worthwhile for us today to ponder for a moment, and consider our own experiences of God, and those that we might have garnered second hand, and see whether they might sustain us in our faith.  For myself, I have a wealth of experiences of knowing God’s protection, intervention, guidance, and help, but these may not be true of everyone, so it is well-worth checking this out for each of us.  And, should we feel that these are lacking, the Lord is always there and always willing to show Himself, help us and work in our lives.  We have only to ask, and try Him for ourselves.

The fact of Jesus’ temptation is one of the most reassuring things that I have ever heard of--to think that He endured all the various kinds of temptations that we face.  It means that He fully understands what it is like for us, and to think that He met those temptations, and resisted them, armed with no further resources than what we have, is greatly reassuring.  It truly depicts a God who understands, is there for us, and who can help us.

Today’s Scripture, the Book of Esther, which starts so gloomily in today’s passage, tells one of those epic stories that never fail to inspire generation after generation.  Indeed, that is what it does for the Jewish people as it recounts a time of rescue when their entire fate hung in the balance.  And, not only does it do that, but it reminds them, and us, how ‘bit players’, people who aren’t really the lead characters, can have a tremendous role in deciding how things turn out.  We may not thing that it matters what we do, but we, just like Esther, were destined ‘for a time like this’, and do have an impact.

I’m sure that Paul and Silas, by all ordinary human standards, should have felt helpless and hopeless.  After all, they had just been attacked by a mob ‘out for their blood’, and rather than be protected by the authorities, had been stripped, beaten and thrown into jail.  And not just any jail, or any part of the jail, but the deepest and more secure part, where they were their feet were then chained to a block of wood.  But here, at midnight no less, we hear of them singing praises to God.  I’m sure that their fellow inmates, their fellow prisoners, must have ‘wondered’ about them.  However, nevertheless, in this dismal and seemingly dead-end situation, God was able to intervene.  And so too, can He for each of us as well.

I’m not sure whether it’s a sign of getting older, but I often find that I’m less tolerant these days, more likely to be ‘bugged’ by certain things.  And so, here I find myself having to ask myself some serious questions, namely, What am I bugged about, and why?  And is it something that I really should be bugged about?  (In asking, and answering, these questions I might actually discover that there are other, more worthy things, that I should be bugged about instead).  Anyway, it is something worth exploring.

The way that our federal politics seems at present to be shaping up suggests that we may well be engulfed in an election before long--and certainly, if you live in Saskatchewan, its fall election is a ‘given’. And so what you get is a number of candidates and parties that are 'promising the moon' in order to get your support and vote--but, is that realistic? Can they actually fulfil those promises--or the hopes and trust that we place in them? Often they can’t--or don’t. Then the same thing goes for many products and services that we see advertised. None of them really measure up--but then, neither do we measure up either. We all fail when the going gets tough. That’s why depending on the Lord, and on Him alone, makes total sense.

I’m afraid that I am quite adverse to confrontation or dissension of any sort, especially given that I seldom see them dealt with in constructive or affirming ways.  Far too often they are dealt in nasty and totally adversarial ways--which, it seems, is exactly how the altercation between Paul and Barnabas was played out.  But, perhaps, there is one thing I hate even more, and that is being proven wrong.  And maybe this is what happened with Paul, whom history generally applauds as ‘the great one.’  But later in life, he does seem to ‘eat humble pie’ and acknowledge that John Mark has turned out okay.  Paul doesn’t quite admit that he was wrong, but close to it.  Anyway, in his acceptance of John Mark, he acknowledges that perhaps Barnabas was right all along in giving John Mark another chance.  I would hope that I, and all of us, can behave in like manner, both in giving each other, and everyone, another chance, and in admitting that perhaps we are wrong at times.