Palm Sunday : The Kingdom Of God

 

‘Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday post; its blog history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com

This is a Fellowship of the Spirit. It is not a church construct; it involves neither mission, fund raising, nor religious participation. God desires our participation in all of life, and not via the existential false ‘gospel’ of corporate and culture formatted selection. Jacob’s Ladder pursues Christian growth as human growth. It works to complete social holiness and move into personal holiness. As God wills community for all of us, Jacob’s Ladder will keep on growing!

Sun Mar 29^th : Palm Sunday: The Kingdom of God

Dearly Beloved,

As we begin what the Church’s liturgical calendar calls Holy Week, do go back to the posts of Apr 13th and 18^th 2025 on the Blog; remember, these posts started because of my work on Jacob’s Ladder, and it seemed useful to share the adventure with whomever was interested. The Blog is a reference source. And also for this week only, if you have anything to share with me about all of this and where it is going, do so. Same goes for questions of clarity. You all will have noted that I do not use a proof text verse approach but will always refer by incident to biblical narrative.    

The Kingdom Of God notion starts with the Old Testament teaching about God calling Abram into becoming a people, who would have only the Lord God as their King. Didn’t happen. Opportunity lost. Never mind about possible ‘reconciliation’ someday for ‘Israel’.  History has moved on. The once chosen people gave up on God, so they could be like the nations. Their choice. And they have done so. What the Bible teaches is only for those who walk in the Spirit. The rest say what they want it to say. Even so, much of what could be in the content of the Bible has been left out. And so we have this blank of some 30 years in the life of Jesus. This is why issues of what constitute the Canon and why, cannot be easily ignored. We will get to Canon vs Witness soon.

But, per the NT, the opportunity to be the people of God then fell to the early Christian Church. A chance to fix the shortcomings of the first offer and get it right. Only because Jesus had now covered all the requirements. Our remembrance of Good Friday and the blood of Christ shed for us. No more rules, regulations or rituals. Just the relationship with God matters. But the beginnings of that movement were still very much within an ethnic and cultural picture. Many did not see the huge broadness of what Jesus was proclaiming i.e. the Kingdom of God – for all people everywhere.

The church had its own notions of how the Kingdom would be worked out on earth, and that question came down to the political power of the State and the political power of the Church. Both made claims, and neither manifested the true power of God. But whenever the 2 came together, they proved to be doubly effective and twice as deadly in consequence. Crusades against the wicked. Indeed. Deus vult, vulting, until quite vulted, even. Another side of veni, vidi, vici, I guess. And that is where we still are. Sorry. It is what it is.

The world’s countries kinda got to a nationalist platform of thinking about how we could get it together for the benefit of each other, but the idea could never get beyond the dominant corporate interest that bought up too much too quickly and swallowed it whole, even with people in it. Conflicting ideologies put an end to the rest. And so here we are.

Enter Jesus on Palm Sunday on a donkey. He is saying much the same thing now as in the Gospels. Remember Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, not the gospel of Jesus. Note how these things get changed! His message on Palm Sunday - your expectations are wrong and come from your own desire for power over others. You live in a world you have made, of winners and losers. That is not of God’s making, but of evil.  What needs to be is not of winners and losers, but of justice over injustice. And then you all can go forward together as God intends and wishes. But are you listening? No one was, then. And who is, now? Some, here and there. The scattered church is real. Find it.

But that is the challenge of Palm Sunday and it is the most powerful challenge in the Bible to the continuing reality of human nature.   

What do we do with it today? Fight injustice when, where, and how we can? Spoken word, written word, speaking on street corners and maybe getting arrested for being a ‘one man assembly’, as in Singapore, which defines assembly quite differently from the English dictionary! Politicians redefine terms as a matter of convenience whenever it suits them. Course, back in them days, I had a Methodist pulpit. But if they didn’t like what you said they had a Government Act that would prohibit you from preaching from said pulpit until the Government Minister concerned was convinced that you had indeed repented. Neat! Shades of Ash Wednesday, I guess, government style! But I was never able to get back home to test that one out! 

And now we have more than enough here. Roman times, sure enough. ICE = Roman soldiers, once again! No need to ask about the Emperor and his minions.  Nor are we a people who are able to think as clearly as we like to think we can. Many looked at all that was offered (or did not!) and said OK, we’ll take a chance. Not once, but twice. The line between political persuasion and crooked salesmanship is often a thin one. So here we are. Living day after day of illogical madness that has become horribly dehumanizing for many. It is what it is.

But the Kingdom says it does not have to be that way! And it starts with you and me, wherever we might be.  In our own locality. In our acts of kindness, of honesty, of fairness, and in our struggles for justice, whatever that might amount to. And how are we enabled to do this? This is where the intersection of social holiness and personal holiness happens. It is not the movement that makes and empowers you. It is that which you bring to it. And it is frighteningly simple, because God has made it so. The doing of it, ah, that’s a different matter. That’s where you can tell the Kingdom folk from the pseudo-Kingdom folk.

Remember, scripture teaches that Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Do not get carried away with the traditional orientation of ‘I accepted Christ! I’m saved.’ Not quite.  But I confessed with my mouth. Oh sure. What else did you do with your mouth? And I attend church. Uh huh. Outward show, mostly. You’ve taken the first step. Great start. But much work begins from there. Unfortunately, it often gets quickly forgotten, and folk end up doing churchy things. Lovely social fellowship, I’m sure. Not necessarily Kingdom work at all. The real Kingdom work is on your own, in the world. It is where the interface is, that the real work begins. And it is neither ‘mission’ nor ‘outreach’. It’s in the acts of kindness. And they can be risky. Like the Good Samaritan. Crossing ethnic boundaries at his own risk. Not the church stuff, no risk in that, unless you wanna count committee meetings where folk fight over stuff and you might lose social standing or some such! Not of the Kingdom.

But go with the ‘seek ye first…’  in Matt 6:24ff which means in all of your life you place the Kingdom first and give second place to the rest. Remember Jesus and Nicodemus and the conversation about being born again. We got the water part right, easy enough.  Never could quite get the Spirit part right, though. What was the new tool or skill or ability conferred that we could go out and use in the world? Ask yourself, baptized Christians! What was it? Doesn’t seem to come quite that easily just because someone said so. Happens between you and the Comforter. Results are very clear. In that Matt 6:24ff section,  ‘do not be anxious….’ is mentioned how many times? The first marker is peace. Not so much a gift as the effect of the Holy Spirit on you. Inner peace. Anxiety free peace. The 2^nd is energy, God given. Not from energy bars. Connects with the notion of man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, except that the Word is not reading something in print or saying it repetitively. It is divine creative energy, this Word of God. Again, the presence of the Comforter in your life. Find Him and don’t let go. You will know the difference. 

Being in the world but not of it is difficult. It may mean not working overtime = less $ for income, just so you can make time for your children; and you will work through that if you need to because our children are important. They are a commitment. Half the world is filled with desperate unhappy children whose parents never had time for them, who grew up unwanted and unloved. And in some sad places, starving. Ultimately, they learn evil in the schools of the world. And whose world is it? Remember what Jesus said about the Prince of this world….

In order to make things better we must have much more than a toe hold, a once in a while election type participation with our leaders and politicians. We must hold them responsible and accountable consistently, clearly and loudly.  Elections every year! Why not? This is possibly the greatest challenge the people of the world face today. The politicians for the most part ie most of them, are doing bs and making free money out of the taxpayers. Ugh. We must call a spade a spade and a bad spade a very bad one if need be. And require remedial action. Immediately. But we cannot do this without insight and energy. And this is where the strength of the Kingdom within you is seen.

Peaceful, calm, yet resistant to injustice. Like Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. This is done by the will to achieve good. And this is truly where in many of the same heart and mind and spirit - there is strength. Because the good will overcome. The no Kings gatherings this weekend are a throwback to that dialogue between God and Samuel in the Old Testament so long ago when the people wanted a King and God said to Samuel do not be angry, they have not rejected you, they have rejected me. Read Samuel’s lecture on the evils of Kingship! (see 1 Sam 8:10ff) Big mistake on Israel’s part. Human society has never recovered from that one, never mind Israel. Threw the mission out, replaced it with politics. Palm Sunday calls to all of us to engage the process of getting it right this time. Grace, peace and every blessing unto you, The Rev. R. George Eli, Ph.D. (Duke Univ.)

What is prayer?

 

‘Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday post; its blog history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com

This is a Fellowship of the Spirit. It is not a church construct; it involves neither mission, fund raising, nor religious participation. God desires our participation in all of life, and not via the existential false ‘gospel’ of corporate and culture formatted selection. Jacob’s Ladder pursues Christian growth as human growth. It works to complete social holiness and move into personal holiness. As God wills community for all of us, Jacob’s Ladder will keep on growing!

Sunday Mar 22^nd 2026

What is prayer?

Dearly beloved,

As we get ready for Palm Sunday, it is time to tie up the existing strands about prayer. A good teacher I once knew said ‘Before you blame anyone or anything for what is happening to you, blame yourself first’.  He was talking about our being responsible for where we are, and why we are where we are. And he said, beyond that, prayer kicks in. At its simplest, talking to God. The presuppositions pertain, shall we say. But the bottom line is the relationship that exists. Talking to someone you don’t know never quite works, does it, even though you might claim to know them? On the other hand, if you have worked at this through the choices you have made, and conscience has always been your guide, God is already there! Do not be concerned if you do not have much to do with the so called ‘means of grace’ Because grace is everywhere and for everyone, for such is the Lord Almighty.

1.The biblical aspect

Is very clear; in the Old Testament it is best seen in the 23^rd Psalm, though there are many events and aspects in the Bible that inspire, motivate, and can be used well as models of what prayer might be like. The insight of the Holy Spirit will lead you. The story of the little boy who prayed hard over his exams but didn’t study because he somehow thought that faith would get him through (he failed!) has always stayed with me from my young church days! Poor boy got the wrong idea from something that was not said right or interpreted correctly! Hard lesson. Or the young pastor who prayed for a sick elderly man to get better - the man died soon after and the trainee pastor was really upset. His supervisor said to him, ‘Why? Your prayer was answered, wasn’t it?’

The 23^rd Psalm is there in all its depth and intimacy, for all of us. It’s a ‘hold my hand and I’ll take you there’ piece. In song, think ‘Somewhere’ from ‘West Side Story’! Positive human ambition and aspiration is never left alone. Or ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and which movie did that come from?  Or Mario Lanza’s ‘I’ll Walk With God’. Powerful, stirring, emotional. Human nature at its strongest? Nope. There’s more.  

Remember the line from the Psalm that says He makes me walk down safe paths, which means that even when I choose wrongly, He will say to me, self-correct. And if I am listening, I will.  The problem often is that when we choose wrongly we know it and have decided that we will go ahead anyhow. Just as David did with Bathsheba. That was his undoing. Not the desire, but the casting away of his relationship with the Almighty! Be careful what you choose. Sometimes, however, what appears to be wrong might actually be the right thing! Only time will tell in such a case. This is where your relationship with the Lord kicks in. You must be prepared to serve the time needed and go forward, trusting in the Lord. As I have done. I am no hero, I did not look for anything challenging! It has not been easy; often, not fun at all. Comes with a price tag. The end result, when I look at our boys, is very clear. And I am more than satisfied. A thing I found then – is that the sheep of the Lord may walk very differently from sheep as we know them because these sheep know The Shepherd’s voice and heed his leading. This is why when there is a question about how we should pray  Jesus says ‘pray thus…’ Ask the Holy Spirit, He will tell you no different. Seems a simple prayer, but it is enough, for the Lord knows all of our needs before we open our mouths! It’s the parent thing. Just as we know and are aware of our children’s concerns.  The Lord our God has a tender heart for all of His children, loves us incredibly, and grieves in his spiritual heart for and with us. Hence it says, precious to the Lord is the death of one of His own. So, we have these 2 very clear examples, Psalm 23 and the Lord’s Prayer. The characteristics to be followed are clear.

2. The traditional aspect

Brings us to the dual possibilities of corporate church life. The first is that it is a comfort for many to have a ‘spiritual guide’.  A trustworthy caring pastor – dependable, and with compassion and insight. Unlike the priest who when he was asked for help, threw a penny on the ground to a poor lady in distress. It was never forgotten. And that’s a true paddy story. Know the difference between those who visit and those who are too busy.

The 2^nd is that community , when we get it right, is a true source of comfort because it takes away loneliness and gives fellowship, identity, cohesiveness and more. Problem often is that as these aspects build, they often take on a cavalier and self-righteous perspective! 

Jesus asks us to remember that we are called to be a branch to his vine, not a branch to a branch and so forth. Meaning? We must learn how to hold community in balance so that it does well for all and keep steering it incrementally as we go forward. There are no quick fixes to human nature. Growth is always required to reach maturity. Greed and malice are still prominent traits of human behavior.

The traditional answer to personal need has always been ‘Have faith. People are still chewing on that one, and many fall into charismatic emotionalism. It feels good, but it does not last. Easy to say ‘according to thy will, O Lord.’ We’ll leave it in your hands. Or, let go and let God. God actually says something very different. No. It’s in your hands. But I will be with you. Why do we entreat our parents in our younger days? A matter of power. As adults we simply do as we wish to, provided we are able to. No need to ask. But with God that dynamic does not change. We are always children. You talk the talk, you walk the walk, and God is always on your side. God loves us all and is on everybody’s side. But those who are not on God’s side, get left alone. To do as they or their master doth please.

3. The psychological aspect

has a lot to do with ‘faith; and ‘belief’ as notions of affirmation, comfort and identity building -  this is who I am and what I do to be who I am. If it works for you, go for it. For some of us, this remains static, and for others it keeps on growing. It depends. The results will tell you.

A great many have found this difficult, even from a community perspective, because of the contradictions that they see and hear and the lack of an actual difference in real time. Although there has been an identity claim, (a lot of talk!)  it never quite gets acted out into fulfillment. Not cool.

No doubt prayer is marvelous motivation in hope. But it is getting beyond that - to the happening of a thing  -  that Jesus calls us to. Hence his ‘stay close’; be a branch; without me you cannot do anything…’ If we feel ‘my prayer life is good’, wonderful for you. Just look at what it accomplishes in this life. That’s what it comes down to. If not, there’s stuff to fix and we know where to start.

4. The relational aspect

It is never enough to say ‘I’ll pray for you’ unless you are truly in a relationship of strength with the Lord. Otherwise, it just sounds nice. If you are in right relationship, it will take the effort of caring love out of you. At minimum, the energy of true concern, wishing, hoping, caring for their wellbeing. Hence you pray for those in need according to their need even before or without being asked. Praying for someone is far more than wishful thinking or sharing good thoughts with ‘words of comfort.’ It involves an energy of action and starts with human will. This is why Jesus said there are no limits! Just have to know what applies when. How to make a thing happen is what it all comes down to. And it is not as simple as singing ‘Trust and obey’. Or a matter of faith and belief. So easily said. Doesn’t mean what it once represented and even then it may not have been all that correct! Hence Jim Wallis’ False White Gospel’s comments about Christian (mostly American) history. A very easy hop, step and jump, from Trust and Obey into ‘God wills it!’ Try saying that in Latin to get the feel of it. Deus Vult! Let’s go kill some ….and a Movie example? Try The Kingdom of God. Yup. Wipe the ‘wicked’ off the face of the earth. Jacob and Esau, still at it.

Jesus said ‘I call you brothers.’ It all comes down to the characteristics we are to follow. Create your own checklist and grow accordingly. It is doable, and your prayer life will be stronger. And what does that mean? Sharper insight, less reliance on emotionalism, an inner peace of the spirit. Of course, there are still those who love to talk about the 2^nd coming and Revelation as though they understand it, and some of them would like to make lemmings out of us, no doubt.

Lastly, the one that often comes to mind – is healing possible? Yes, it always is. But it is never arbitrary, and almost always allows for cause and effect, both ways, as cause and as cure. And God doesn’t give out private favors. Everything in the Old Testament and the Gospels is always tied to the wellbeing of the community (food for the poor and needy) and the witness of the Kingdom amongst us. Demonstrated. Never private. And the prayers of the truly humble and righteous? That one is always hard to tell, only because in a right relationship with God who knows what can happen? Fathers listen to sons and daughters, if they are in right relationship with them. Sometimes even if they are not! If you are working within the will of God and there is work to be done (and there always is!) God will sustain you, no matter what.

It’s the difference between saying ‘It depends on God’s will ‘and being an ongoing part of that will! And it’s not that difficult. It’s the simple caring life, is all. Almost always, a matter of choice! No need to look for someone to heal yourself. Or to help someone else!  Make it happen between God and you. As Jesus says, it is doable. Just may not be doable until you are ready to do so. It’s why from the early days of Israel there is supposed to be no illness, provided everyone stays within the Covenant Relationship that God offers. As versus a 3R system of rules, regulations, rituals. Israel chose not to follow God. Despite all it may claim, it has not changed its mind on this. It’s leaders follow the nations of the world, from the days of Solomon until now! This was the Lord’s warning to Samuel.

Relationship = togetherness. You listen, you learn, you grow. It just makes a very different persona out of you. Lent calls us to the experience of such a difference. Go discover for yourself. Get one step closer into the Kingdom! Every blessing in Jesus, G.

Prayer, Relationship, Power...

 

‘Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday post; its blog history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com

This is a Fellowship of the Holy Spirit. It is not a church construct; it asks neither mission, fund raising, nor religious community presence. God desires our participation in all of life, and not via the false gospel of corporate and culture formed selectiveness. Jacob’s Ladder pursues Christian growth as human growth. It completes social holiness as personal, not private, holiness. And as God wills community for all of us, Jacob’s Ladder will keep on growing!

This week - Prayer, relationship, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dearly beloved,

Let’s begin with a recap of last week. Where prayer is concerned, faith and belief are indeed pillars; but the 3^rd is the most fundamental and load bearing! God, in His great love for us, has made the effectiveness (not the “success”) of our Christian life dependent on our practice of God’s love in our lives! Prayer has been inaccurately depicted and often described as a private affair, and IT IS NOT! It’s not a ‘Well, I don’t agree with you but I’ll talk to God about it” thingy! Yes, indeed, we all have our little notions of God, whom we entreat as best we can, into providing that which we desire most. Our lives too often lack the loving kindness, the grace, that the Lord willingly bestows. We would like to have our grace and eat it too, I guess. Another instance of trying to swallow the Holy Spirit, feathers and all, as Martin Luther once said about someone. (I think it was Thomas Muntzer!) A little spiritual, a little worldly. Just nice, no? No. You will never discover the fullness of the abundant life of the Kingdom, which exists in power in this world amongst us. This is why so many, despite their ‘faith’ and ‘trappings’, die sadly. But as we are reminded, we cannot serve God and mammon. We must choose.  

It is that vs in the 23^rd Psalm that always gets to me – He leads me in paths of righteousness (or right paths) for His Name’s sake – i.e. I take care of those who follow – I make sure they are going down the correct path, that they are moving along with and in my will, for then all things will be good i.e. godly. And everyone can see this witness, which demonstrates itself, and does not need to be shouted about!

And then we come to the power of the Holy Spirit that moves amongst us. Always there. We are never alone. When we walk in God’s will there is always encouragement, support, and inspiration. Why? So we are led into continually greater and stronger experiences in this life. Why? So that our witness is never compromised, but simply grows in its ability to say, just as I do, ‘hey, I’m just a pointer. Like that neat retriever. Quite happy as I am. But go that way and find out for yourself! Get the duck!’ Then you will learn true freedom, true strength, true integrity.

So be careful of the ‘truths’ that exist about prayer that swirl all around you. We know them. Pray harder. Pray more often. With more sincerity. With more volume, even. (who knows, God will surely hear such a cry!) With more faith! With more voices raised together! But the Father is not capricious. It is too sad that most religious traditions have come up with a lifestyle they promote as a way of advancing their claims to Godliness i.e. if you believe and do thus and such, then God will hear and answer. Yeah!! The mind has such ability that we can just about convince ourselves of anything we want to!  

God does not get involved in extending this life when we simply live it as it is. Unless there is a greater purpose ongoing that God intends for you, best settle down to reality and be ready to leave when you get to the point that your body no longer functions as it should. It isn’t about how long you live, but how well you live! But perhaps for many of us this life is all there is. Beyond this life – well, what lies out there? Can we know by faith or belief? Belief and faith often struggle at the point of death. This is why beginnings are found in faith and belief, not endings. They are meant to function as kick off starting points. The abundant life is an amazing possibility, found in relationship and experience. You do not get to ‘know’ a thing by faith or by belief. Of course, we may choose to believe that. But we get to know it by experience. And that experience comes when the relationship that enables it is real. When I was a young priest, I walked by faith as best as I could. That was the teaching, that was the training. Time and experience and a persistent seeking after the real-time Kingdom of God in the here and now showed me otherwise. No one is holier. No one, by potential, is less holy. It all comes down to what we place first in value on this earth. Hence the old Seek Ye First…. song. We are all the same, with the same God given opportunities. 

This is why the privatization of faith so easily leads into disagreement! We’re each holding on to our opinions, vetting them by saying we believe by faith that God is leading us and so end up with my faith, your faith, all of our self-identified, diversified faith claims of who is right, wrong, or headed for hell and high water.

Enough. Easy to find out! Measure it. The good you do demonstrates the measure of the true faith that you have. Reverse that if you will. And this quietly separates the goats from the sheep! Why did we ever think that God might be fooled? Sure, we’re sincere. Who isn’t when it comes to life and death health issues? But look at the outcomes of your everyday actions. The work you do. The community effort you help out with. The kindness you show to everyone, folk you know and folk you don’t know. And if they don’t want it, it’s cool. Never cast pearls before swine.  Remember that one? It all comes together. The love you share is equivalent to the love you get. Folk who don’t give don’t ever get. This is why without godly relationship, ritual falls flat. The right relationship brings the right experience. The wrong one will happily load you into the waiting arms of the devil, no matter how dressed up you might be, and you will prey on children, even.

But get the lines set up clearly from the start. Not physical, mental, spiritual; but spirit – mind – body. Then go test out where you are within God’s will. What is the thing that needs to be done that God wants you to do, and how will it come to pass? We have lots of specialists in our world these days, but the ‘professionals’ do not know everything by a long shot. Along with medicine that can help, use your spirit, use your mind, work on your body. See how far you can go. Notice how prescriptions seem to become ineffective over time and need to be increased in dosage? There’s your clue about limits! And we owe it to ourselves! At home, at work, in community.

The experience of the Holy Spirit in our lives has a strange secretive element to it that will lead you to avoid the commercialization of this world. In true form, you get to see the power of the creative Word kick in.  And you see the difference made. The peace that is given stays within you. Not some token symbol. But the real work and the real power of the Kingdom of God starting here and taking you beyond. We have much to deal with on these things. And we will, in time.  Beyond is a lot closer than we might think. Again, your witness is not in talk, but in action. You’re not out to convince anybody. They have to find out for themselves. Start slow, start small, but start.

The abundant life is health, happiness, energy, peace, love, joy. Stuff the world can neither give nor take away. Work on building these up in your life. God will help. If you’re short of one of these, find the flaw – the blockage, the obstruction – and fix it. Don’t go with the more is good and bigger is better fallacy. That one only does more of the same. Discover the dimensionality of space within space. Be a Super Mario plumber for a bit in your own life.

But it’s a strange entity, this Kingdom of God. How does it work? I have no idea. I just have this sense that many of our so-called rules and/or cultural assumptions about what it means to be human are made to be broken or adjusted and replaced with better ones and so I address them as I grow. Perhaps I’ll end up being the most annoying old guy around! But perhaps it’s because God has a better way and if we work at it we can figure it out as we go.  Sure, we’ll all change, but change in and of itself is never bad. It’s only when we define ourselves by ‘used to’ and  ‘can’t anymore’ that we begin to defeat ourselves. I don’t have ‘musicians’ hands or fingers that are long, slim, delicate etc. Mine are kind of short and stubby. Farmer’s hands. Shouldn’t be able to play well in the first place, even! But that hasn’t stopped me. Forget the assumptions. As Jesus says, the Sabbath was made for us and not the other way around. We have the freedom to grow, even as we age!

Lent is not about hanging your head in repentance. Sometimes I think that almost amounts to self-deception! Maybe it’s been that way. But it’s about choosing and choosing well. So, review your choices! And remember that we are free to choose. In the corporate world, big fish eat small fish, they say. Be an unpalatable one when you need to be. Be supportive when you can and it’s for a good cause. Be wise. Every blessing on you all in Jesus as Lent draws us towards Palm Sunday once again. Love, G.

Personal Holiness

Personal Holiness

 ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday post, and the blog history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com

This is a Fellowship of the Spirit. It is not a church construct and incurs neither mission, fund raising, nor religious participation. God desires our participation in all of life, and not via the false gospel of corporate and culture formatted selectiveness. This effort pursues Christian growth as human growth. It completes Social Holiness and moves into Personal Holiness. God wills community for all of us. And Jacob’s Ladder will keep on climbing, whichever way it needs to.

Prayer and relationship – what is, what is not, what could be…..

The lines are clear enough; we start with faith and belief, or with belief and faith, or having enough faith to believe; call it as you will…these seem to be the initial elements; but there is one important distinction that must be understood.

Belief in the biblical sense is to accept the reality of something that is, as opposed to convincing yourself that a thing actually is, which amounts to a mental determination of will. We do not create God in our minds. Those who do this go down a path trying to convince themselves, only to end up asking the vexing question of why God sometimes answers prayers and at other times does not. The standard traditional answer is that it comes down to what God decides in the end. It is God’s will. But is it? We cannot oversimplify God!Problem with the why God answers/does not answer position is that we might be asking the wrong question! Perhaps it has nothing to do with God ‘s yea or nay to us but has everything to do with having a relationship with God in Jesus.

What I am trying to get at is, because of the juxtaposition of the terms ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ in the New Testament recording and how they are used, the tradition has often chosen to depend heavily upon these two terms as being definitive terms for our understanding of prayer. But the third one, not mentioned and yet absolutely clear, is the most important – it’s the relationship that exists between Jesus and us that provides the basis of the faith and the belief that we claim.

Part of accepting the existence of something is to be able to relate to that something  as being within the reality of our existence. God always answers where relationship exists, but not necessarily in response to what we seek - in shape, form or outcome.

The faith - belief relationship matrix that exists does not create an experience for us but allows us entry into an experience of God. That’s the meaning of the Heb 11:1 text. And then, having discovered the experience of God, we are able to go forward within that relationship. And that is where it all begins. You go back to Abram and God and the symbolism of the smoking pot in Gen 15:12 that is seen as Abram lies in a ‘deep sleep.’ It continues as we saw last week when the question of Sodom comes up - is there a possibility that it may be saved?

Prayer is not asking, pleading, or about a ‘request’ about what we need or think or feel we should have, as we perceive it. Think hard about it. It is often about what we refer to as ‘life and death’ health issues. But relationship with Jesus takes us above these issues, because the relationship is ongoing beyond the death of the physical body. Ask then, why is it that such a great % of prayer requests are about the physical body and its weaknesses etc? Perhaps it is because we are ‘physical body’ bound a lot of the time. Godly spiritual experience can lift us above the limits of bodily concerns into a do not fear state or stage. This is why that strange statement in scripture exists – for me to live is Christ, but to die is gain. It’s not belief that takes us to this point, it is experience. Unless that has not yet happened for us. Then we must seek it. Otherwise, all we have done and are doing is to repeat a sequence of events, call it a ritual and claim it as a relationship. It could be. But it may not be. It depends on us. The Sunday before he died Fred said to me at Lamberts Cove Church service, I’m dying. I said Go with God, Fred, The next week he was gone. Headed off to a Fair and left from there. I loved that man. There was no bs about him.

Jesus is all about the will to power and the power to live in this life and beyond it. Not so much a Nietzschean will to power notion, as various philosophies take different tacks on the meaning and purpose of life. But in Jesus it is always Godly will and Godly power i.e. for good, and good alone. Anything else will deteriorate quickly into manipulative and exploitive evil. Look around you. You can see for yourself.

This is why the world’s notion of priests and pastors who serve for a length of time and then  retire reflects no more than any career path. God is not interested in such limits. In God’s work, the young have a place. And the old have just as much a place as well. The work is always ongoing. Our mistakes are made when we place too much faith in youth and physical strength and looks and so on; or on medicine; or move from one extreme to another. God is about balance. And on God’s good earth all things have their value and place; however, not all things follow the will of God and so while much has value, some perhaps not at all. We must be discerning.

Our societal structures set us up for physical failure in many ways. A lot is asked of us, and not much is given in return, other than a wage. That does not create meaningful human living. This is why TFR suffers worldwide. And we pay the price as we age. It does not have to be that way. But we have to work hard and struggle hard to keep our lives in balance, so we must keep this in mind and start early given the way things continue to be in our world.  Far too many wait for too long and allow a toll to be taken on the body in so many different ways. And there are no quick and easy fixes. And some disease occurrences seem so arbitrary but who can really tell? What is a god given gift must be treated as such from the very beginning. Cholesterol, statins and CoQ10 for example.  Check out the cause and effect sequences and see how these things interact and relate.   

So there are no correct methods! no way to pray, no manner of prayer, no words that work. There is aways only the singular factor of relationship with Jesus.  And we build this as we build relationships with those around us to the degree that we are involved in their lives. That’s all it comes to, and it seems so simple. But God is always a part of it. And how God relates to us depends entirely on how we relate to others. That is what I have found. Does it work? Yes. You share with God what God already knows, and leave it be. It works itself out. Every single day, for every needed opportunity. Quite an amazing thing. But it is simply because God honors the relationship that is offered in Jesus. And then when we take it up and practice it, our capacity grows. Hence Jesus is talking about go make a thing happen. If it honors God and brings good to others it will.

Take one story of Jesus as an example, where the servant of a Roman Officer ( see Mat 8:3; 5-9; )finds healing. The officer says there is no need for Jesus to come and lay his hands on him or some such. Just say the word. It will happen. Jesus says this is amazing faith. Yes. For in that second the Roman officer has made a leap from his reality into God’s reality and accepts it as his. He is able to say I know you now, it does not matter that I did not know you before, but I do now, and I know you can do this. And so it comes to pass. In the end, faith in Jesus is no more than the acceptance of the relationship Jesus offers. If we act on it and enter into it, he becomes part of us, and we become part of him. Nothing stays the same again. Ever.

Some of you are  a great joy to me. I’ve known you for years since our children were all young ‘un’s and now they’re grown. You didn’t just ‘keep the faith’, you kept the relationship! And so you kept growing! As JL grows, I pray that this some of you will become the all of you! Remember -  faith, belief, relationship – is always personal; but it ain’t never private. Live in peace and may the Lord Jesus lead you closer to Him with each passing day! G.

 

Social Holiness

 Jacob’s Ladder’ is a weekly Sunday post, and the blog history is at dreliatjacobsladder.blogpost.com

This is a Fellowship of the Spirit. It is not a church construct and incurs neither mission, fund raising, nor religious participation. God desires our participation in all of life, and not via the false gospel of corporate and culture formatted selectiveness. This effort pursues Christian growth as human growth. It completes Social Holiness and moves into Personal Holiness. God wills community for all of us. And Jacob’s Ladder will keep on growing.

Dearly beloved,

What is social holiness?

Too often we have jumped into social holiness without resolving the necessary primary characteristic of personal holiness. How so? Because the church is an institution and has always held that Christian community shapes individual Christian character. But it has not been able to substantiate this, and its history is fraught with division and subdivision and continues to be so. Differences of belief, doctrine, community perspectives continue to lead either into or away from various aspects of social activism. This has always been the historical position, hence the individual weaknesses that continue! Christian community with its diversity of views and its judgmental distinctions has not been able to draw clear biblical lines in the sand. There are social lines and there are political lines, but the lines drawn by the Spirit have not emerged clearly.

We shall start with social holiness as is, touch on personal holiness, then return to social holiness as it should be, possibly carrying on into next week’s post as well.  With a bit of grace, we will be that much clearer. Right through the end of this year we are still operating on an overview, with the exception of the first chapters on the Blog – those are complete. Most of what I share is not all there is to share by a long shot. We are just beginning, and the challenging days lie ahead.

First off, social activity does not connect with social holiness. Social activity is any activity that is social. A group of friends gather for a meal. It’s a social event. A bunch of Christian friends gather for a meal. It’s also a social event. Is it really different? If it is, how so? Because we gave thanks before we ate?

Social holiness, however, is connected to only one word, from the early Old Testament, right through to the days of the New in Jesus time – justice. In it are elements of human dignity, equality, equity, fair treatment. To me one of the saddest realities of the human condition is the ongoing occurrence of single mothers; where are the fathers? nowhere to be seen? They had nothing to do with it? Someone else did? Nothing much there than hypocrisy and irresponsibility. Probably persuasive lust as well. And after that? So long, farewell, aufweidersehn, goodbye…And a young girl’s life becomes a long struggle as a single mother. Thus, half the human race continues to be unfairly treated. The other half basically could not care less. Their main argument would be it takes two to tango, I guess. But if men could get pregnant, do you really think this would be the situation?

Move out from there, and you find our world full of indignities; of people being treated wrongly and unfairly, and there is no end in sight. Social holiness aims to make a difference here and now. Not through violence, but by pointing out the wickedness that continues and  saying that it is unacceptable. When we get to Walter Brueggemann, we will see how the academic tradition has not been able to lead. When we get to Jim Wallis, we will see how a dominant culture has also not been able to lead. Biblical faith is and creates its own culture. That one has not emerged clearly yet. It falls to us to struggle through following Jesus step by step.

Let my people go, said Moses. You cannot make slaves of them. But many if not most of us are corporate slaves. Governments have the cheek to talk about TFR, but who is giving real long term support to mothers and families? That part of the economic equation seems not to have been figured out yet? Social holiness might find some strength in a social movement of sorts, but it will not endure unless its participants have the personal integrity that enables them to see right from wrong. This has often been touted as a thing of opinion,  with no clear sense of right and wrong in the end. That is not possible. So why is it that so many are unable to see a thing for what it is? Has it always been like this, and are we only now realizing it?  

Right is easily defined, for it improves the well-being of everyone, not just some, in any community. There is no need for theology, religion, philosophy or all of that man-made stuff, because God given conscience is a human trait that we have but can choose to ignore. And we all know this. We are quick to speak when we have been wronged, and we have a clear sense of what hurts us. Why are we slow to speak when someone else is wronged? We just choose not to, the way we choose to disagree. It means that we are not willing to admit that we can be or are wrong. We lie about our position; it may be wrong, but if I can get away with it, why not? And so the issues perpetuate. There is enough evil amongst us to keep them going.

This is why unless there is integrity of character and insight that enables us to call a spade a spade, nothing will ever change, and human beings will continue to remain immature and powerless, always dependent on wickedly obtained clout they have managed to accumulate for themselves.

And how is this personal holiness of character - of insight and integrity, obtained? This is not about the ‘means of grace’ as has been traditionally understood. Is it really life changing? You attend and support church, participate, give money, attend prayer meetings and Bible study sessions, and share in the food and the fellowship. You can stretch the ‘means of grace’ some, I guess.

No. Insight and integrity = a certain power of the Spirit in your individual life, not any sort of social activity. Goes back to John 14 and the I am the Vine you are the branches teaching Jesus gives. Still. Remember Romans 14:17 that the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It didn’t take me long to realize that a lot of so-called pastoral work is nothing more than emotional support and affirmation. And the rest is persuasive speaking. May not have much to do with the Spirit of God at all. Meaningful social work, for sure.

But Jesus made it so very clear for all persons. Love the Lord thy God – with heart and soul and mind and strength. And? And God will permeate your very being and all of your  peripherals when you do this. You are never alone, you are never helpless, you are always able to rise above whatever it is and go forward. The light leads you. The peace that the world cannot give dwells within you. Then, go and love thy neighbor as thyself. And in these two, the holiness that is both personal and social shines forth.

We choose otherwise. If Lent is about anything, it is about choosing wisely, so that the consequences of good choice will bless you as you go forward! We make choices, and then we employ our God given will to support our choices. So we do not grow. Sure, there is physical growth, but as we all know, that one comes to an end soon enough! Righteousness  is not an inward characteristic – it shines in action; as Jesus says, your light should shine out on all around you, so that they can see and will know of its origin! It is God leading you down ‘paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake’ so that what He is doing in your life can be seen by all.  

Our Christmases are nothing much beyond singing carols and eating good stuff and giving presents. The world took it over a long time ago and we lost that one. Part of the problem has always been the fusing of traditions like the Yule Log etc and when it all rolls together it’s good seasonal fun. And everybody romanticizes little babies and mangers and miracles. Sigh. To celebrate God amongst us implies much more.

Joy is kindred to peace. Stuff the world can’t take away nor provide. Mood the world cannot give. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Not for funerals, but for living, now! As Jesus says, your Father knows your needs. We all know of the joy we feel when there is someone special in our lives who cares for us. It keeps us warm within. This is the same with God’s love for each one of us.

Righteousness, love, joy, peace = dimensions of grace in this world, now.  The fruit of what transpires in a loving 2-way relationship. In that sense, yes, gifts. Grace is not cheap. It’s asking price is that we discard the evils of this world. This is the offer. We have a loving Father who watches and waits over each one of us. Grace and peace, G.