by Kathy Matuschka
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But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul (Acts 23:16).
Read Acts 23:12–24
We return to the narrative of Paul, imprisoned in Jerusalem – in protective custody after the crowd tried to kill him. Paul may be immobilised, but there is movement around him and because of him: politics, posturing and plotting!
The Jewish leaders ask that Paul be handed over to them so they can ‘ask him some questions’. They intend to ambush and kill Paul while he is en route to meet with the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council.
But Paul’s nephew – his sister’s son – hears about the plot and divulges it to Paul, who arranges for him to tell the Roman commander. Instead of handing Paul to the Jews, the commander transfers Paul (who has protection as a Roman citizen) during the night and under heavy guard to Caesaria and the care of Governor Felix.
I wonder if Paul’s sister arranged for her son to follow and listen. Or perhaps Paul’s nephew felt compelled to follow the action and look out for him. Or did God place the young man in the right place at the right time?
Dozens of Jewish leaders have united around a common purpose – to eradicate Paul – but all their planning is thwarted by the eyes, ears and voice of one young man and the fact that Paul has the respect of his guards. And so, Paul lives one more day.
Today’s story leads me to reflect on two gifts that God has given me: firstly, family and friends who care about my wellbeing, look out for me and sometimes notice my need for support even before I do. And secondly, those quiet voices of reason that every community needs – people who stay away from frenzied behaviour, choosing to stand back, observe and reflect. They are worth listening to!
Dear God, I thank you today for family and friends who support and care for me as Paul’s family did for him. Thank you also for the people who gently offer your perspective and speak the right words at the right time. May your peace be with us all, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Kathy Matuschka and her husband, Mark, live in Brisbane and worship at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale. Kathy continues to discern her ministry calling through her employment as a hospital chaplain and voluntary LCANZ activities. This year, she has contributed to the Way Forward Pastoral Care Working Group as a member.
by Kathy Matuschka
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As soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet (Mark 7:25).
Read Mark 7:24–37
While Jesus was in the region of Tyre, a Syrophoenician woman fell at his feet and begged him to drive a demon from her daughter. Jesus’ initial response was that the children of Israel were his ministry priority. In the parallel account in Matthew’s Gospel, the woman responds with three words: ‘Lord, help me.’
Some commentators note that this foreign woman was able to win a debate with Jesus where Jewish leaders failed. Refusing to be ignored or offended, she cleverly turned a potential insult (‘for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs’ in verse 27) to her advantage. Jesus was impressed by her quick response and granted her request. (In Matthew’s version, Jesus commended her for her faith.)
I wonder when the woman achieved her goal of seeing her daughter healed: Was it when she out-debated Jesus? Or was it earlier when she implored him for help? In three words, ‘Lord, help me’, and by her actions, the Syrophoenician woman showed that she accepted Jesus’ authority (‘Lord’) and his ability to help her (‘help me’). That’s why I’d suggest she had him at ‘Lord, help me’.
By comparison, the Jewish leaders who attempted to debate with Jesus did so from the opposite stance, as though they were saying, ‘You are not my Lord, and you have nothing I need’.
We, as humans, can find it hard to admit that we need help and to ask for it. We might not try to trap Jesus as the Jewish leaders did, but are we sometimes reluctant to ask our Lord for help, pretending we are fine when we are not?
Lord, help me. Shine your light into the hidden crevices of my heart, where my deepest wounds and needs reside. Please heal those wounds and supply those needs. Please help me not be satisfied with the leftover crumbs but ask for your help and healing daily until I am at complete peace with you in heaven. Amen.
Kathy Matuschka and her husband, Mark, live in Brisbane and worship at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale. Kathy continues to discern her ministry calling through her employment as a hospital chaplain and voluntary LCANZ activities. This year, she has contributed to the Way Forward Pastoral Care Working Group as a member.
by Neil Bergmann
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Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save (Psalm 146:3).
Read Psalm 146
Psalm 146 calls us to ‘Praise the LORD, my soul’. As you may well be aware, whenever we see ‘LORD’ in capitals in the Old Testament, this refers to the personal name of the God of the Israelites. So it is not just any God we praise it is the God of Israel, the God we know as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The psalm also tells us why and how we should praise God. We should praise God with our souls. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘soul’ means our innermost being – the inner life force breathed into us by God. So, we praise God, not just with our thoughts and words, but with every part of our being and lives.
The psalm gives a list of reasons why we should praise God. We praise God because God is the creator of everything in heaven and earth, and God’s creation gives us everything we need to sustain our earthly life. God is faithful; God never deserts us. God reigns forever. We praise God because God cares for and loves those the world does not love. God upholds the oppressed. God provides food to the hungry. God sets the prisoners free. God lifts those who are bowed down. God takes care of those who are lacking in the basics – the foreigners and refugees who have lost their homes, the fatherless and widows who have lost a stable income. God frustrates the ways of the wicked who seek to exploit and demean those in difficulty.
So, how do we praise God? If we expect that the political, social and economic systems of the world will fix inequality and oppression, then our trust is misplaced. Instead of human institutions, we put our hope in the LORD, our God. When we do this, we see the world through God’s eyes. We love what God loves. We love a beautiful but suffering creation. We love the oppressed, the poor, the helpless, the blind, the prisoners, the refugees and those who are bowed down. And this love is not a passive emotion – it is love in action. It is love that consumes our innermost being to work towards God’s kingdom of peace and justice. Praise the LORD, my soul.
Eternal God, creator of heaven and earth, we praise and adore you. Help us to love those whom you love, the ones the world thinks are unlovable. Let your kingdom come. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys the quieter pace of life after retirement, being able to spend more time with his wife, Margit, and their daughter, Elina.
by Neil Bergmann
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There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. ‘We find nothing wrong with this man’, they said. ‘What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?’ (Acts 23:9).
Read Acts 22:30–23:11
In the continuing story of Paul in Jerusalem, the Roman commander put Paul before the Sanhedrin to see whether it could provide a solution to the civil uproar. The Sanhedrin was the ruling council of the Jews, and it had members from two different Jewish sects – Pharisees and Sadducees. Paul appealed to his fellow Pharisees on the council, explaining how his mission was consistent with their belief in the resurrection of the dead – a view not held by Sadducees. The council meeting descended into chaos, and the Roman commander took Paul back to the barracks.
It didn’t matter what the Roman commander tried; Paul’s presence in Jerusalem continued to cause uproar and chaos. And the commander was still no wiser about what the underlying problem was. The readings next week will continue the story; however, the last verse of today’s reading gives a preview: ‘As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome’ (Acts 23:11).
The Jerusalem conflict ends with Paul’s mission moving to Rome, the very centre of the empire. Eventually, in 380AD, Christianity became the official religion in the Roman Empire. Somehow, God can even use our conflict and disagreement to advance his kingdom.
Of course, this doesn’t mean God wants us to incite conflict and division actively. The kingdom of God is marked by peace and reconciliation. However, we can be sure that we will all face situations of misunderstanding, conflict and hurt during our lifetimes. It is how we deal with such situations that allows God to work through us to advance his kingdom.
When we face difficult and hurtful situations, God is always beside us, comforting and supporting us. God also gives us the humility and courage to address conflict with the goal of peace and reconciliation. God can work miracles, even in the most hopeless situations.
Loving, caring, healing God, hurt and conflict can make us despair and turn in on ourselves. Give us faith and courage to trust in you, knowing that what seems impossible to us is possible with you. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale, Queensland. In addition to professional qualifications in engineering, he has coursework and research master’s degrees in theology.
by Neil Bergmann
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The commander went to Paul and asked, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’ ‘Yes, I am,’ he answered (Acts 22:27).
Read Acts 22:17–29
Continuing from yesterday’s reading, Paul spoke to the crowd, explaining his background and the mission he had received directly from Jesus to spread the gospel to the Gentiles. It didn’t convince the crowd – they shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!’ (verse 22).
The Roman commander still couldn’t figure out the fuss, so he ordered that Paul be flogged to get the truth out of him. However, once they discovered he was a Roman citizen, they treated him with more respect.
Like the Roman commander, we often want to get to the bottom of a conflict, find out the true situation and figure out who is right and wrong. Thankfully, we don’t start flogging people to do so these days. Like the Roman commander, we also tend to weigh the evidence based on the status and importance of those involved.
The success of the scientific method in understanding physical systems encourages us to believe that there is always a single, correct, underlying truth to every phenomenon and that by careful application of rational thought, we can find it. That may be true for the laws of physics, but it certainly isn’t true for human relationships.
Our goal in human conflict is not to find the truth to judge one side or the other as correct. Often, the only truth is that a conflict has led to hurt and harm on both sides. Instead, our goal in conflict is to bring peace and reconciliation so that hurts can begin to heal.
Reconciliation starts with forgiveness. We do not have the strength within ourselves to forgive those who have hurt us. When we realise how much we have been forgiven by God and will continue to be forgiven as we struggle through life, it becomes possible to extend that forgiveness to others.
Merciful and steadfast God, forgive me for all my faults and weaknesses. Please give me the strength to forgive others so that peace and reconciliation can abound in your kingdom. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys being part of the monthly Messy Church planning team at Our Saviour.
by Neil Bergmann
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After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defence’ (Acts 21:40–22:1).
Read Acts 21:37–22:16
In yesterday’s reading, Paul was arrested and about to be taken into the Roman barracks. As we continue the story today, we read that Paul asked permission to address the crowd.
The crowd grew quiet as Paul talked to them in their own language, Aramaic. He repeated the story of his conversion to a follower of Jesus. Previously, Paul had persecuted Christians. Then, one day, on the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to him and told him that he would be a witness to the Gentiles about Jesus’ gospel.
What lessons might we learn from this story about dealing with conflict and misunderstanding?
Firstly, Paul acknowledged what he had in common with those who had just attacked him. He spoke their language to emphasise that he was one of them. He explained that he shared their zeal for God, even to the extent of persecuting those he believed were spreading false doctrine. Then, he described his conversion and why he had changed his opinion about Jesus.
Similarly, when faced with conflict, we should not assume that because others have a different opinion from ours, they must be wrong. Instead, we should seek to build understanding. We should look for common ground. Most of all, we should actively listen to the opinions of others to understand why their belief differs from ours. The area of immediate conflict is often a symptom of a deeper difference in our fundamental beliefs. Such active listening may not resolve the dispute, but it may lead to mutual respect and understanding. With God’s help, we can understand that reconciliation does not always require agreement.
God of reconciliation, we admit we do not deal well with conflict. We find it hard to love our enemies. Fill us with your love and peace so that we can minister to a hurting and divided world. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys cooking, reading and spending time with friends and family.
by Neil Bergmann
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The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done (Acts 21:33).
Read Acts 21:27–36
In today’s instalment of Paul’s story in Jerusalem, he was attacked by some in the temple and almost killed. It was only the intervention of a Roman commander that stopped the beating. In order to understand the reason for the trouble, the centurion arrested Paul and took him to the Roman barracks because he couldn’t get a clear answer about the problem.
Paul had done nothing in Jerusalem to incite this trouble. Those opposed to him from outside Jerusalem falsely accused him and stirred up the crowd.
Look around the world today. It seems people everywhere are on edge. Society seems to drive us over and over to take a position on moral, social and political questions; we are then pushed to reject not only different opinions but also those who have different opinions. On each issue, it seems society is polarised between the ‘good’ people (those who agree with me) and the ‘bad’ people (those who disagree).
We can blame broadcast media, social media or extremist commentators for this; however, looking at today’s Bible reading, it seems clear that the situation wasn’t very different 2000 years ago. This is part of what it means to be broken humans.
Rather than try to pick the right side of each argument and then join the battle, as Christians, we are called to be peacemakers. In such a divided society, this can seem a hopeless cause. Indeed, it is hopeless if we depend on our strength and wisdom. Instead, we turn to our God, the source of all peace and wisdom and our one hope for a better world.
God of the impossible, give us hope for a better world. Fill us with your peace and give us your strength and wisdom to be peacemakers in a world of conflict. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Rochedale, Queensland. He is currently a member of the Synod Agenda and Outcomes Working Group for the Ordination Way Forward project of the LCANZ.
by Neil Bergmann
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Take these men, join in their purification rites, and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you are living in obedience to the law (Acts 21:24).
Read Acts 21:15–26
This week’s readings from Acts follow Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem, his encounters with the Jewish and Roman authorities, and his eventual arrest. The story of this part of Paul’s journey is interesting from a historical point of view, but it can be harder to figure out what this narrative has to say to us today about our Christian discipleship journeys. Like many stories throughout the Bible, we discover more about what it means to live as broken humans in a broken world. We find out that existing power structures don’t like to be challenged, whether in the church (the Sanhedrin in this case) or secular society. We also learn there is not one best way to proclaim the gospel in the face of opposition.
In today’s reading, Paul and his companions headed to Jerusalem. Like Jesus when he headed to Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion, Paul was no doubt apprehensive about what would happen to him when he arrived. Jesus had said:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing (Luke 13:34).
On his arrival, Paul did two things. Firstly, he met with other Christians in Jerusalem, who comforted and encouraged him. Secondly, on the advice of his friends, he went through a ritual purification ceremony as a sign of humility and a sign that he was living in obedience to the Jewish law.
We might consider these things when we find ourselves in situations where conflict seems likely. Don’t go it alone – listen to the advice of those you trust and lay your concerns and worries before God in prayer. Show humility and kindness to those around you, including those with whom you disagree. Always leave the door open for God to bring reconciliation. Even when we can’t see a way out, God can find a way.
God of peace, help me put aside my self-righteousness and pride in my wisdom. Give me humility and gentleness. Bring healing and hope where I can only see despair and conflict. Everything is possible with you. Amen.
by Maria Rudolph
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Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? (Psalm 15:1)
Psalm 15
Back in the day when King David wrote Psalm 15, the concept of ‘the Great Exchange’ hadn’t been written about yet. King David expressed it in his psalms, but Christ needed to come to the earth to show us the meaning of it truly.
In Psalm 15, King David writes a checklist of who could dwell with God in eternity. Let’s get the marker out and see how we go on this scale:
- Lead a blameless life.
- Always speak the truth from the heart.
- Do not gossip.
- Do no wrongdoing toward anyone.
- Do not engage with any non-believer.
- Lend to the poor interest-free.
- Do not accept bribes.
I hope you went better than me and got all ticks and no crosses. I got lots of crosses. I have failed this test miserably. I am not good enough. I can’t measure up. But lucky for me – and you if you’re in the same boat as me, as I suspect – one cross was chosen by God to overwrite all the crosses on this checklist.
This is the Great Exchange. Jesus, the perfect one who has a tick against everything on this list, takes the place of me, a miserable sinner who gets it wrong a lot of the time. My disobedience is exchanged for his obedience, my blood for his, my death for his.
And when I stand before God with my head hung low like King David, who committed adultery and murder and lied about it, God only sees ticks and no crosses. Because of the cross of Jesus, none of the other crosses count for anything anymore, and I am washed whiter than snow.
When David asks, ‘Who may dwell in your sacred tent and who may live on your holy mountain?’, the answer is ‘No one, but all of us. But not us but Christ in us, and through Christ we are saved by the grace of God alone. Thanks be to God for Jesus and what he has done for you, me, all of us.
Dear God, when I consider Jesus Christ, beaten, killed, and a broken man, I hold my breath, but even more, I stand in awe when broken people come to him, hand in hand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Maria loves serving God through the LCANZ and currently does this at St John’s Perth as a pastoral associate and volunteers at Concordia Duncraig in Western Australia. She enjoys being part of a Way Forward Working Group and tackling current theological issues on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations. Her three kids and pastor husband keep her very happy and busy.