Photo by...Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash
A student survey conducted at one of our local schools determined that young people see the church as being full of old people and pews. And they think that the pews have to go. There’s some good news in that survey, they didn’t say the old people should go, only the pews.
Think for a moment: How does their perception match reality?
We might immediately begin to defend the pews. They've been good enough for generations. They keep us awake. They haven’t killed anyone.
Or we might be offended that they’ve labelled us as old. We might argue that we’re not nearly as old as our grandparents were at the same age.
We might want to join James and John to ask Jesus whether we should call down fire from heaven and destroy them.
But before we get too defensive, these young people are crying out for the church to recognise and value them. They don’t think the church cares about them, they don’t think we care. They think the church is only interested in the people who’re already involved, which to them means old people.
I wonder whether they’re any different to those of any age who aren’t connected to our churches. Would the whole ‘unchurched’ and 'previously-churched’ community agree that we don’t care. Would they contend that we’re only interested in ourselves.
If we’re so busy polishing and defending our pews then they have to go. If there’s anything in our church that uses up our time at the expense of living our lives for Jesus then it has to go.
Even more urgently we have to go. Not leave the church, the community of God’s people, but go with the good news that because God loves and cares for every single person in this world so do we.
“As you go”, Jesus says, “make disciples of all nations.” Jesus cares about this because he has ‘skin-in-the-game’. He died for each and every one we encounter as we go about our lives.
How do we, as individuals and a church, need to change so that no one in our community will feel that we don’t care about them?
Glory fades, the Word remains
by Noel Due
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This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him (Matthew 17:5b).
Read Matthew 17:1–9
On the mountain of Transfiguration, glory breaks through – but only briefly. Jesus shines with uncreated light; Moses and Elijah appear – the law and the prophets bearing witness. Peter, overwhelmed, reaches for permanence: tents, structures, something to hold the moment still. Yet before he can finish speaking, the Father interrupts. The cloud descends, the voice sounds, and the command is not to build, but to listen.
This is decisive. God does not first invite us to act, ascend or stabilise glory. He calls us to receive. Listen to him. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), not by managing holy experiences. Peter’s instinct reflects the theology of glory – trying to grasp God on our terms, to preserve splendour without the scandal of the cross. But the Father redirects attention away from the dazzling scene and back to the Son’s words, which will soon speak of suffering, rejection and death. They had not previously listened to him on these things, so would they do so now?
Notice also that Moses and Elijah fade. The law that exposes sin and the prophets that announce judgement and promise both give way to Christ alone. This does not abolish them but fulfils them. The Father does not say, ‘Listen to them’, but ‘Listen to him’. Christ is not merely another messenger; he is the final Word. He is not one among many, but one of a kind! Salvation comes from outside ourselves, spoken to us by the Son, not discovered within us by mystical ascent.
When the disciples fall face down in fear, Jesus does not leave them there. He touches them and says, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ Glory is not sustained on the mountain but carried down into the valley, where demons remain, crosses await, and faith clings to a promise rather than a vision.
The Transfiguration teaches us how God deals with his church now. We do not see Christ transfigured, but we hear him: in Scripture, preached and read. And that is enough. That same voice from the cloud still speaks forgiveness, life and salvation. Listen to him.
Dearest Heavenly Father, we thank you for the full revelation of your nature through your Son. Enable us to hear his voice by your Spirit that we may receive the blessings of faith and trust. Amen.
Noel is a semi-retired Lutheran pastor, writer, teacher and professional supervisor. He is married to Kirsten, a medical doctor, and they have three children and nine grandchildren. They also have two cats.
More than words
by Anita Foster
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If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead (James 2:15–17).
Read James 2:14–17
What a striking reminder James offers us of the importance of providing practical support, love and mercy to meet the needs of all people in a life of active faith. James is addressing Jewish Christians living outside of Jerusalem. These people knew about God. They knew about Jesus. They knew how to say all the right things, the right rituals, prayers and blessings. They could recite Scripture. I wonder if that describes some of us, too.
But James insists that a faith that is truly alive not only looks at what to say and believe, but what to do. It doesn’t show partiality toward those who are rich and influential or like-minded. But a living faith looks beyond to the needs of others and the world. It looks to the needs of the poor, the homeless, the sick and other injustices in our world. It’s not too busy or too stretched to help. To physically provide. To care and support. These actions of service, generosity and support are an outpouring of the love and care that God has lavished upon us. It is a way that others can actively experience the love of God through the work of our hands.
James invites us to live the kind of faith that reorients how we operate in the world. This can be challenging. I know that often I have good intentions in this space and don’t always follow through with action. This text invites us into a kind of faith that doesn’t just go along with cultural norms or expectations for enjoying life and looking out for ourselves, or even offering thoughts and prayers, but a faith that actively seeks to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
God of mercy, open our eyes to the needs around us and give us hands and hearts to serve. Help our faith be alive in compassion, generosity and justice. Amen.
Anita Foster lives in Melbourne’s outer east with her husband and three teen and tween daughters. She is the Director of Faith and Formation at Luther College in Croydon, and she loves teaching, theatre, being in nature and finding new ways to express her creativity.
Faith made beautiful
by Anita Foster
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Saviour (Titus 2:10b).
Read Titus 2:1–10
In this passage from the Book of Titus, Paul writes to a new Christian community in Crete about living in a way that increases the attractiveness of the gospel message and makes it credible. He uses the words ‘ornament’ or ‘adorn’ to describe the way the lives of believers can make the gospel message beautiful.
In the text, Paul addresses the actions of people of different ages, genders, stages and stations of life. He speaks about self-control: being sound in faith, love and endurance; being reverent; not slandering or being enslaved to too much wine; teaching what is good; being loving partners and children; and being kind and good managers of the household. These things are part of the everyday-ness of life – the ‘in everything’ of life. We’re not talking about big, dramatic acts of faith or super-intelligent or influential arguments, but the fact that faithfully living a life of integrity is a crucial part of witnessing to the gospel.
People in our world are so sick of hypocrites and being disappointed by leaders. A prominent Christian writer was recently exposed as having an eight-year extramarital affair. We understand that none of us are exempt – we are all tempted by sin and fall short of God’s glory – it’s part of the human condition. We also know that God’s grace extends even to the darkest parts of life. But when recognised Christian writers or speakers behave in a way that is incongruent with a life of faith, it casts a shadow over the credibility of their teaching and their proclamation of the gospel.
To be clear, Paul is not saying that our actions save us – earlier and later in Titus, he asserts that salvation comes from God’s grace alone. But once received, grace can reshape a life. The Greek verb kosmeo, translated in this verse as ‘ornament’ or ‘adorn’, does not just relate to decoration or appearance. It means to arrange, put in order or make something beautiful by fitting it well. A life that is ordered or arranged by grace truly becomes a thing of beauty. Not to draw attention to itself, but to point to Jesus.
God of grace, we thank you for your incredible gifts to us. We ask that your Holy Spirit order and shape our lives in ways that reflect the beauty of the gospel, becoming a living testimony to the transforming work of Christ. Amen.
Anita Foster lives in Melbourne’s outer east with her husband and three teen and tween daughters. She is the Director of Faith and Formation at Luther College in Croydon, and she loves teaching, theatre, being in nature and finding new ways to express her creativity.