My dear friend, it is good that you help the brothers and sisters, even those you do not know (3 John 5).
Read 3 John 1–14
Who are our brothers and sisters? In the context of 3 John, they are our fellow followers of Jesus. And so, it is good that we help congregations, working groups, the wider church, overseas missions, and so on. Some of these people we will know well. Others we will not know. We may have only heard of their work. But living in truth, with life in Jesus, we support them anyway.
But is there not a wider context? If there is any truth in the prayer we prayed yesterday, ‘Christ in mouth of friend or stranger’, then surely God is at work wherever the Holy Spirit moves. There are numerous incidents in the Bible where God chooses to use people who do not recognise, acknowledge or understand God’s power and presence (for example, Cyrus in 2 Chronicles 36, the woman at the well in John 4, or even some of the disciples!).
God does indeed work in mysterious ways, with wonders to perform. How often do we miss out on witnessing those wonders when we limit God to our little worlds or put God in a box of our own making?
So, it is good to support our sisters and brothers – all who are doing God’s work, whether they recognise it or not and whether we recognise it or not. God is not limited to the LCANZ or the wider church. The wind blows where it wills – a description to describe the work of the Holy Spirit. So, in good faith, let’s allow the love of Jesus to flow through us and support those who are putting mercy into action, seeking justice where there is injustice, empowering the marginalised, and perhaps living in truth, without even realising it!
Lord God, through your Holy Spirit, you work where you will. Help us acknowledge this and look for opportunities to support your work in all sorts of places. Amen.
Peter is often out tending his garden – with 83 fruit and nut trees and extensive native bushes, he says there is a lot to do! Other times, he will be walking his dog, reading (too many books at a time), enjoying his family (15 grandchildren!), and occasionally writing – poetry, opinion pieces, devotions! To keep out of mischief, he is currently teaching himself to play the piano and is writing a paraphrase of each psalm. You can read these on his website, Creative Walking www.creativewalking.com.au/psalm-reflections.html
Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it (Mark 16:20).
Read Mark 16:9–20
Today’s text begins with the 11 remaining disciples refusing to believe Mary Magdalene and two others who have announced to them that Jesus is alive.
And then Jesus comes. And he commissions the remaining disciples to preach the gospel and perform signs in his name.
And blow me down, they do! The disciples saw their resurrected Lord and received his commission. And off they went – preaching everywhere.
I’m drawn to the final words in verse 20: ‘and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.’
Signs point us to things or draw attention to things. In today’s text, they point to (or underscore) Jesus’ commission, which, in turn, invites us to trust in Jesus Christ, the Word of God and our Saviour.
Today’s text offers two wonderful assurances, even for us today. Firstly, as we speak God’s word, Jesus is working with us to confirm his word through signs. This leads to the second point: because it is Jesus working the signs, we needn’t be concerned about what might or might not happen when we share our faith.
Dear Holy Spirit, help me to trust your work and cooperate with you as you speak your truth into and through my life. Amen.
Kathy Matuschka serves within the LCA Queensland District as Assistant Director for Mission. Kathy and her husband Mark have three wonderful adult children, one lovely son-in-law and another officially joining the family next month.
Those who passed by hurled insults at him (Mark 15:29a).
Read Mark 15:22–32
As the marketing urges us to prepare for Christmas, it may seem strange to be reflecting on Christ’s passion. While the stores arrange their displays of glitz and glamour, Christians approach the season of Advent by pausing to reflect on the transience of this world. As we join all creation in groaning with longing for the restoration of all things, it seems timely that this week, we will reflect on God’s amazing rescue plan for us and all creation.
Today, I invite you to notice the behaviour of the members of the public who passed by Jesus while he was on the cross, hurling insults at him as they went. And then the chief priests and teachers of the law, who scapegoated Jesus more privately. (Rather than leading the charge of abuse, the Jewish leaders repeated the comments of the crowd … bravely amongst themselves.)
And if you can bear to, look at Jesus, staying on the cross and taking the fear and anger of all humanity.
In Leviticus 16, Yahweh gave the Hebrew people a process of atoning for their sins. It involved two goats, one of which was sacrificed on the altar and the second which carried the ‘wickedness and rebellion’ (Leviticus 16:21) of the people into the desert. This second goat took their anger and fear far away from the Hebrew people, which was essential to the process of setting them free to start again.
Together, the goats pointed ahead to Jesus Christ dying on the cross for the sins of humankind. Jesus was a willing sacrifice and also a scapegoat – the Son of God who came among us to absorb our anger and abuse while offering himself as the greatest gift ever.
In our world today, nations are paying a high price for the anger and fear that is characteristic of all humankind. Scapegoating behaviour powers wars and other abuses of power because when we scapegoat, we decide that a person or group of people is ‘other’ than us and, therefore, does not require our respect and care.
Have you ever experienced being scapegoated? If so, do you struggle to forgive those who hurt you? Are you experiencing being scapegoated today? Take comfort: Jesus knows how you feel. By staying on the cross for us – even while being scapegoated – Jesus rescued us from all the fear and shame we so often pile onto one another.
Dear Jesus, thank you for the scapegoating you endured on the cross for me and all humanity. Through your Spirit, please set my heart free from the urge to retaliate when I feel abused. Amen.
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified (Mark 15:15).
Read Mark 15:12–21
Wanting to satisfy the crowd is a very powerful motivator. Many leaders fall into the trap of pleasing the crowd even though it may not be the best line of action or act of leadership.
It is often easier to follow the crowd rather than stick up for what you might believe in or think is right – such is the power of the crowd.
The crowd Pilate wanted to satisfy with their cries of ‘Crucify him’ only a week before was proclaiming Jesus with shouts of ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the coming of the kingdom of our father David. Hosanna in the highest’ (Mark 11:9,10).
In the first section of Mark 15, Jesus is handed over to Pilate, who is confused as to why the crowd wants to crucify Jesus. ‘What crime has he committed?’ Pilate asked (verse 14). But Pilate also recognised the motivation of the chief priests, ‘knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him’ (verse 10).
But even though Pilate was in charge, he did not use his authority and gave in to the crowd. ‘When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility”’ (Matthew 27:24).
In today’s Western world, the crowd has little time for God and religion. The crowd mocks believers; it wants to deny the influence Christianity has had on the lifestyle we now enjoy, and it wants to further tear down the vestiges of Christian observance in our institutions, like starting sittings of Parliament with the Lord’s Prayer.
It takes courage to resist the crowd, as there is a great risk of being isolated, ridiculed and ‘cancelled’. Through God’s love, we have the power to be in the world but not of the world.
Heavenly Father, help us to resist the crowd that wants to eliminate you from our lives. Through your Holy Spirit, give us the courage and wisdom to stand apart from the crowd and be a true witness to you in the world. Amen.
Stuart, with his wife Pamela Dalgliesh, lives in Mansfield, Victoria. Stuart has a background in agricultural science, rural journalism and corporate affairs. He loves living on a small farm in the beautiful High Country of Victoria, being involved in the Mansfield community and travelling, having in the last three years done extensive travels in Western Australia, Queensland, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,’ he said to them. ‘Stay here and keep watch’ (Mark 14:34).
Read Mark 14:27–42
On Wednesday, we read Jesus’ parable about the master who leaves the household in the care of his servants and leaves. The servants do not know when he will return, so they remain alert and awake for his arrival.
Now Jesus finds himself in Gethsemane with his closest friends and asks them to ‘stay awake’. This is the same word he used in the parable, just a day or two earlier – the servants were to stay awake as they looked forward to the master’s return. Three times he asks them to stay awake with him, and three times they fall asleep on the job.
We get a beautiful insight here into the lonely heart of Jesus, a heart that holds the knowledge of all that is to come the following day and also holds a fiercely burning love for his wayward, lost children – both for those on the Mount of Olives with him and for us, his 21st-century disciples. If we are honest, we fall away, deny and betray him as much as his early followers did. And if we look down the centuries at this sobbing man, we understand it was Jesus’ love for us that motivated those beautiful words of commitment as much as his friends on the hillside: ‘Yet not my will but yours be done’ (Mark 14:36).
Max Lucado put it beautifully when he said that Jesus would rather go through hell for us than go to heaven without us. Only this great love would put aside fear and pain for the benefit of the beloved. What a joy to know that our Saviour loves us that much.
Dear Jesus, you knew what was coming. You felt the pain. You suffered the loneliness and betrayal. And you saw us. Your heart broke with love for all of us, and that love that created the universe gave itself to free us from the separation of sin. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Rachael Stelzer is the Primary Lay Chaplain at Coomera Anglican College near Brisbane. She is a member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale and teaches primary kids in the Growing Kids group. Rachael loves crafts, reading, and sharing meals, coffee and life with her family and friends.
t that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it (Mark 13:21).
Read Mark 13:14–27
From time to time, I visit the religion classes at the school where I am a chaplain. The students love to ask me big questions and favourite topics include what heaven will be like and when the world will end.
At the time Mark wrote his gospel, the followers of Jesus were facing persecution and death for believing in him. I imagine that the end of the world – and Jesus’ return – were events they greatly yearned for, and Mark’s reporting of Jesus’ words here would have been of great importance to them.
For us in the Western world of 2023, with so much conflict in the world around us, natural disasters so prevalent, and so many voices around us promising peace, healing, comfort and self-actualisation, we, too, could use some words of wisdom around what is to come.
Jesus certainly did not sugar-coat his description of the End Times. It comes across as brutal and violent, chaotic and confusing. Jesus even warns that false messiahs will be presented, natural disasters will occur, and some may even attempt to ensnare some of God’s chosen.
But then Jesus reminds his people that ‘at that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens’.
What a beautiful comfort. At the end of the turmoil will come our Saviour to restore his people. With all the signs, warnings and confusion, where do we look? To Jesus, who has already won the ultimate battle to redeem all of creation and will come again to take us home. In this beautiful hope, we live.
Dear Jesus, thank you for the comfort of knowing we do not need to despair – we just need to look to you and listen to your words of eternal life. Guard and guide our hearts as we trust in you. Amen.
Rachael Stelzer is the Primary Lay Chaplain at Coomera Anglican College near Brisbane. She is a member of Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale and teaches primary kids in the Growing Kids group. Rachael loves crafts, reading, and sharing meals, coffee and life with her family and friends.
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God (Psalm 43:5b).
Read Psalm 43
It’s one thing to deal with injustice: people lying to us, treating us poorly, or taking things that belong to us. It’s another thing to feel as if God doesn’t care, as if there is no justice in this world and that there will be no final accountability for all the wrong that has been done.
In the psalm for today, the psalmist is lamenting the suffering he has experienced at the hands of people who act as if God doesn’t exist. He is also lamenting the way that God has, it seems, rejected him. It’s like he has gone to God’s court to get justice, but God, the judge, has thrown out his case.
But the psalmist does not give up. He knows that God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Exodus 34:6,7). So, he asks God to send out his light and truth – to send out his word, which shines on the path of life. The psalmist knows that this light, this word, leads God’s people to his holy hill – to the temple, where God provides a sacrifice that cleanses people from their sins and shows his true and lasting justice in the world.
As God’s baptised people, we can sometimes feel like God doesn’t care about us. We can feel like giving up, especially when we are struggling with injustice in our lives, and it seems that God is not doing anything to help us. But even then, we can still, with the psalmist, call out to God. God will give us his word to lead us back to where we gather with his people to share in the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice. He will lead us to meet in church to receive the body and blood of Christ, where we receive forgiveness of sins. It’s with God’s people, receiving God’s gifts, that we experience that God does care for us and can bring his healing, peace and justice even out of the injustices we have suffered.
Lord Jesus, you show us the justice of God. As we receive your body and blood for the forgiveness of sins, assure us that you care for us and free us to be people who live justly in this world. Amen.
Fraser Pearce grew up in Sydney and has served as a pastor in Melbourne, Bendigo and Adelaide. He is married to Margaret, and they have four children ranging in age from 15 to 23. Fraser enjoys being with family and friends, listening to (and playing) music and reading.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes (Mark 12:10,11).
Read Mark 12:1–12
Normally, when we listen to a story or watch a movie, we think about the characters and make judgements about them. We think about whether they deserve praise or blame, reward or punishment: we want the goodies to win and the baddies to lose. We have this way of thinking right from the beginning when we are children first listening to stories. Although we might become more sophisticated as we grow, our sense of what is right and wrong remains, and we listen to or watch stories ready to make judgements.
In today’s reading, Jesus tells a story to the chief priests, scribes and elders who have questioned Jesus about his authority (Mark 11:27,28). In the story, Jesus talks about the tenants of a vineyard, who not only rob the owner of his produce but also mistreat and kill his servants and even his son. Jesus knows that the chief priests, scribes and elders will be able to judge for themselves that the tenants in the story are wicked. Jesus also knows they will eventually understand that he is speaking about them.
It can be a shock for us to realise that, in the story we listen to, we are the ones in the wrong. This is how it is in the Bible: God’s word reveals to us that we are sinners, we have acted unjustly, and we deserve condemnation. This would be too much for us to bear, except that Jesus, who tells us stories that reveal our need, is also the one who has gone to the cross to take away our sins. Although Jesus was despised in life – and suffered a shameful death – through his resurrection, he showed that he is the cornerstone of the church and that as God builds us together in him, we can live with humility and hope.
Father, thank you that Jesus is the cornerstone and that through holy baptism, we are built together into the temple that is his body. Give us humility to acknowledge when we sin, and give us hope that you give us new life through your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Fraser Pearce grew up in Sydney and has served as a pastor in Melbourne, Bendigo and Adelaide. He is married to Margaret, and they have four children ranging in age from 15 to 23. Fraser enjoys being with family and friends, listening to (and playing) music and reading.
[The chief priests, the scribes and the elders] said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?’ (Mark 11:28).
Read Mark 11:27–33
There used to be a show on TV called Undercover Boss. Bosses would go ‘undercover’ in their own companies to investigate how things worked on the ground level. Many interesting conversations ensued, with workers having no idea of who they were talking with until the big ‘reveal’ at the end. It was a way for bosses to get in touch with the challenges they may not have been aware of and make improvements.
Jesus, however, knew exactly what was going on. He had ‘upset the apple cart’ in cleansing the temple, and the ‘authority figures’ demanded answers! They were intent on getting rid of him and wanted to know what authority this man was operating in.
Jesus chose to evade answering them at that moment, targeting their beliefs in the process. He could see their hearts and motives. He also knew that the timing wasn’t right. His time, though drawing very close, had not yet come. There were significant things to be done before the trial that occurred several days later.
Jesus, the Son of God, would ultimately surrender his life to save the world. He had the authority and was, in fact, the only one who could! Even after the big reveal, when he rose victorious from the dead, there were some who still dismissed him … choosing to stay in the paradigms of authority they were accustomed to. But for all who would/will believe, Jesus’ authority over death and the devil is final and life-changing! That is authority worth living under!
Dear Jesus, to say you put up with a lot is probably the biggest understatement ever. But thank you for doing it. Thank you for being my Saviour. I praise and thank you for your amazing love. Thank you that I now get to live and serve you under your authority. In your name, I pray, Amen.
Georgie lives in Adelaide. She loves getting out into the country to experience God’s creation. She likes taking photos when she can. After teaching for many years, she now enjoys working in a church/school setting where she still gets to share stories about Jesus with children and families.