The Prayer Jesus taught gives us the
essentials of Christian Faith. It begins with the incredibly profound and
comforting words that God is our father. I remember bursting into tears the
first time I sang the song “I have a father”. “Father” is the first Theological
definition of God in the Trinity. Father reminds us that God is ultimately our
creator through His creation, including our human mothers and fathers. Fathers create,
sustain and protect us as children of God. The Readings for today remind us that:
- God is our
father,
- Relationship
with God depends on our loyalty and
- Believers have a life of love, joy and peace - and authority in the metaphysical dimension.
1.
Isaiah reminds us that rebellion has its consequences
Sociologists call, this rebellion
against parents “individuation” but there is a big difference between being
different from your parents and being dis-loyal to your parents.
·
Isaiah
40-66 probably written by 6 Century disciples
·
During
and after the return from exile in Babylon
·
Good
news of God’s forgiveness
·
Warning
that disloyalty and worshiping other gods has real consequences in the physical
and metaphysical dimensions
2,
The Apostle Paul re-defined believers as children of God
This is an important reminder for
people in our time. In our time the old ideas of determining religious truth
through historical experience and reasoned debate; has been replaced by modern insistence
on avoiding conflict through the vague non-Christian values of “inclusion” and “respectfulness”.
- Our ability
to “proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ” – a Baptismal
promise, is now legally limited by human rights legislation against ‘hate
speech’
- Many people
in our time are very confused about religion.
- Some have
never really heard the good news of Jesus Christ
- Others have
heard but not really gotten it
- Cultural lie
is that there is no “true truth” about God
- Good News
is that Healing Ministry is often able to help people recover their faith
and identity as “Children of God” through a personal experience of divine healing
3.
Father God gives believers spiritual life and authority
Like the people in Jesus time we live
in a world of lies, half-truths and deception. The lie in our time is that the
metaphysical world of spiritual conflict described in the Bible is mythical.
The half-truth is that ‘God is love’ – with love so loosely defined as to ‘trump’
holiness and the consequences of sin and judgement. This leads to the cultural deception
that we do not really need Jesus for forgiveness.
·
Truth
is that God is holy – and the love of God does not ‘trump’ the holiness of God
·
Sin
does have consequences and we all need Jesus for forgiveness and
right-relationship with God
·
Truth
is that post-Jesus historical experience up to and including the present time
scientifically proves the reality of the metaphysical world of Satan, demons
and oppression
·
Hard
to believe in supernatural miracles, healing and exorcism until you see it or
experience it yourself.
·
Modern
reactions are the same as in the time of Jesus – I have experienced anger, mocking
and ridicule from clergy (even a bishop); as well as dramatic spiritual attacks
GOOD NEWS IS WE HAVE A FATHER – know who
/ whose we are
- My
Grandfather was a pastor who prayed for me
- My earthly
Father was a scientist who taught me to care about the world and argue as
a way to discover truth
- My Father-in
Law was a missionary who taught me the power of prayer and the spiritual
dimension
- My Father
in Heaven loves me and has blessed me with a life of wisdom, joy and
meaning
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