What is man that you are mindful of him...

Marcia gave me a series from the book of Psalms: Who's afraid of Doctrine? to listen to preached by Andrew Leslie @ St Thomas'. Marcia loved the series and thought I would too... And I did!

Particularly was the second of the three sermons that stood out: Doctrine of Human Nature (Ps 8 &14) as I compared it to the reading of Act Two of Rhinoceros (see other post).

Jean: I tell you it's not as bad as all that. After all, rhinoceros are living creatures the same as us; they've got as much right to life as we have!

Berenger: As long as they don't destroy ours in the process. You must admit the difference in mentality.

Jean: Are you under the impression that our way of life is superior? ......

Berenger: You must admit that we have a philosophy that animals don't share and a irreplaceable set of values, which is taken centuries of human civilization to build up....

Jean: Humanism is all washed up!

__________________________

The mirror has the fullest ability to reflect God's glory – Humans are the crown of all Creation, made in image to reflect the glory of God. While the rest of creation has some degree of ability to reflect God’s glory but humans are most able to reflect God because of creativity, personality, ethical maturity, our bodies, relational etc - all that distinctively human better reflects His glory!

Superior??? Indeed! We are created to image most perfectly God - almost a bridge between heaven and earth. There is a irreducible, cosmically infinite and objective glory about you!
What a pick up line?

Mirrors can't generate their own beauty or light - mirrors reflect light and beauty, hence all our glory and comes from God not something we find within ourselves.

Such a helpful point that I think is a great application of teaching the importance of the glory of God and the value that then instills in us. This is something I hope to include into a study this term with my youth group girls: that we can't look to ourselves or external measures (relationships, status, etc) for our self worth, importance and value– for we will be as fragile as the thing we look to for our worth.

Let's build on the glorious rock of Christ!

Psalm 14 though goes on to depict the lowest possible view of man: That we are radically evil! Can we say that human nature is good – evil is a result of bad social conditions… What about the Holocaust – what do you say about that… Nazi’s did it because of poor education or bad social conditions??? Does it not just trivialize the evil??? Individual vs. Civilisation… can we crush the individual for the sake of humanity and civilisation.

This is what Ioensco set out to do in Rhinoceros and does so well. The tragedy, bleakness and farce of mankind, in decisions, choice and logic with individuals turning into unthinking and clumsy Rhinoceroses – a comment on the innate brutality of people and how they were swept up in the epidemic of Nazism.

We were made radically good (Psalm 8)
But are radically evil (Psalm 14)
Hideousness of evil, Evil will take over and finish us off eternally!
Any Escape?

YES!

JESUS is the ultimate human, the ultimate SON OF MAN, he lived the life we were created to live with all truth, nobility, creativity, and died the death we deserved.

He paid for our radical evil.
He became the hideous for us.
He tasted death for us.
Nothing but the Holy Spirit can turn the mirror of your soul to the LORD JESUS CHRIST!

What an encouragement to go out there and live life to reflect the glory of God to the world!

What a great line Andrew finished his sermon with:

Let this change you from the moment you get up from the pew!

AMEN!

__________________________

:: PSALM 8 ::
3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

:: PSALM 14 ::
1The fool says in his heart,
"There is no God."
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.

Jesus & the Woman of Samaria

We read John 4 in bible study last night and I was so blown away but three things:

1. How Jesus used such a broken woman - a woman of 5 husbands and fooling around with another man yet through her many Samaritans believed in Christ because of her testimony. She wasn't at all credible but the gospel went out from her. And from the Official in 4:46ff his whole household was converted - through one man.
   
2. I want to be more like the Samaritan woman - not in having many husbands but by having the gospel on my tounge and JOYFULLY compleled to share the amazing truth of what Jesus has done. She left her water jar and went and told people. I pray for passion of that intensity!
   
3. How everything in John backs up John 20:31 - its by the word they heard that the Samaritans now know that "this is indeed the Saviour of the world" 4:42 & The Official "believed the word that Jesus spoke" 4:50
   

Rhinoceros

I have been reading Rhinoceros a absurdist play by Eugene Ionesco and it has been really enjoyable with many laugh out loud moments...

Favourite quotes:

Botard: I work on Sundays as well. I've no time for priests who do their utmost to get you to church, just to prevent you from working, and earning your daily bread by the sweat of your brow.

Papillon: [indignant] Oh!

Botard: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. The fact that I despise religion doesn't mean I don't esteem it highly...

...

Botard: All you get at the univertsities are effete intellectuals with no pracitcal knowledge of life.

...

And this quote really struck me by the characters boldness to apolgise for his pettiness in an argument and the lack of acceptance of the apology instead an insult!

Berenger: But I would like to say how sorry I am for being so insistent ... and so obstinate ... and getting so angry... in fact... I acted stupidly.

Jean: That's not suprising with you.

Middle Chunk of the Bible (MCB)

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction... that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope"

Romans 15:4

Met with my MCB girls this afternoon... Over this year I have been meeting monthly with Jess, Erin and Gemma to tackle the Middle Chunk of the Bible... You know the middle bit, the Old Testament, the part you sort of get muddled in... well it has been fantastic to meet with these young, vibrant, enthusiastic and faithful go-getters!!

We are working our way up to the MCB and so today we reached the Split of the Kingdom - so by our next meeting we will be ready to check out those Prophets!!!

It's exciting to see these young women hungry for God's word and see truths click further into place and see them excited by biblical theology! WOO HOO!!!

Highlights:
:: Cycles in Genesis and Judges
:: God's graciousness in providing the Sacrificial System
:: Prostitutes help spies?? (Josh 2), A King "weeing" in a cave??? (1 Sam 24:3), Affairs (2 Sam 11), Murder: Tent Peg through head (Judges 5:26)
:: Israel's obsession with good looks: Saul' s height n charm & David's ruddy looks with great eyes!
:: And just seeing Israel's unfaithfulness to a God who has been so good to them, saving them time and time again. God is so faithful even when his people so blatantly reject him.

"Blessed be the LORD... Not one word has failed of all his good promise"
1 Kings 8:56-57

Which led us to a good time of prayer: praying from stuff we discovered together, plus for each other in our everyday lives and specific ministries we are involved in at Matthias.

This Afternoon was an Absolute Joy!!!

Live Footloose & Fancy Free

I wrote up the final study for Pulse on Ecclesiastes.

Doing the prep for this study came at a really helpful time as my grandmother's health slowly deterioated. The reality of the the fragility of life, the decay that comes with age and the very temporary and short time we get on this earth - was actually a comfort and strong encouragement to keep on serving God with all the strength he gives me.

In Pulse, I got the youth to work out the imagery from Ch 12 of old age which is so honest and this is what we came up with - so real isn't it.




The year 11 and 12 girls really got stuck into it and I think partly when you are excited by truths you have discovered in the bible they too get excited, and I shared openly how hard it is to see someone you love deterioate like this passage describes, which I think my girls appreciated.

But as I said it was a great source of encourgement - reminding me to make the most of all that I have while I am young by remembering God who is the giver of life. The desire in our hearts is for his renown… for his fame…so continue to walk in response to his great love: to live is Christ, to be fruitful for the kindgom - for others sake.
Which reminds me of something Uncle John once 'told' me:

I will tell you what a tradgey is. I will show you how to waste your life. Consider a story from the Fbruary 1998 edition of the Reader’s Digest, which tells about a couple who “took early retirement form their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Floroida, where they cruise on their 30 foot trawler, play softball, and collect shells.” At first when I read it, I thought it mike be a joke. A spoof on the American Dream. But it wasn’t. Tragically this was the dream: Come to the end of you life – your one and only precisous, God-given life – and let the last great work of you life, before you give an account to you Creator, be this: playing softball and collecting shells. Picture them before Christ at the great day of judgement: “Look Lord, See my shells”. This is a tragedy. And people today are spending millions of dollars to pursuade you to embrace that tragic dream. Over against that, I put my protest: Don’t Buy it. Don’t Waste Your Life.

Don’t Waste Your Life :: John Piper

Random Office Fun!!!!

 

Drama @ Matthias

Drama classes have been going really well. We have received great feedback from parents all year that the children love it.

Two Children have developed good relationships with Christian children and now are coming along to Sunday School week by week, where they hear the good news and develop more relationships with Christians - very Exciting!

Praise God - may he continue to plant seeds and grow them.

Pray that the Christian children at Drama would have hearts for evangelism and the gospel.... wanting to see their budding thespian friends saved!

This term we are aiming to have a drama themed Sunday school social on a Friday night - something we think to do with puppets and have a gospel puppet presentation and workshop making your own puppet and have drama games - which should be attractive to the Drama children who are not seemingly interested in Christian things yet.

Pray that this social will be able to go ahead and that many drama children would be keen to come!

We are also thinking BIG for next year - 2007... eek!

We have had increasing demand for more children to join us but we can't take them on as the end of year play is in full rehearsal and also we don't really have the man power to take them on. So we really need to think through what to do next year! Do we expand over two afternoons to cope with the demand?, do we do split lessons on the one afternoon? or do we keep it small and exclusive?

We also need to think how this may impact in 2008 - with the likely prospect of not having me around as I (God-willing) hope to go to Bible College!?! And also unsure of what full time work will look like for Nicolette in 2008 - meaning only Robyn is available to teach.

Please pray for clarity in planning ahead - that we make decisions based on kingdom priorites and how to get the most out of Drama as a launch pad into gospel activities - not to base decisions on our pride & success so far!

Thank God for Erin (from Evening Church), helping us out with Music direction for the end of year performance and Nicole (my friend from St Thomas') helping with Choreography! Their talent, skill and servant hearts are much appreciated!

Challenge Conference 2006 AD

Just spent the weekend thinking big at Challenge Conference.

Talks from Phillip Jensen were long but good. The topic: Now Is The Time - Eschatological Thinking. Good in helping to think through priorities and in thinking of the end hope filled reality for those in Christ and the perishing reality for those aren't. If God has put eternity into everybody's heart - how can this not shape the present and what you are doing now: preaching the word and world evangelism must be a priority.

Gary Koo gave talks on Ezekiel in the morning. Gary communicates really clearly, as he is easy to follow and his points are concise and made simple. His first talk was great: "A Vision of God" from Chapter 1. It was a great reminder of just how glorious our God is, a good challenge to check whether you reduce the awesomeness of God or domesticate him. God is mighty, glorious, without boundaries - he is indescribable!

John Chapman had some good insights on itinerant preaching plus gave two talks. I came away from those with the encouragement of the Sheer wonder to be God's mouthpiece and speak/live his gospel, as God's fellow workers - Awesome! (2 Corinthians 5) and; if you want to cover the gospel in your evangelistic talk then Chappo's pointer is to include: Jesus the Ruler (judges > your response REPENTANCE) and Jesus the Rescuer (saves > your response FAITH).

Col Marshall did a session with us on being an MTS apprentice (or literally a bible teacher & pastor with "L" plates) -it was a little depressing. We got onto discussing failures and I was convicted of the weight and pain when you fail people. Please pray that I would be a person marked by forgiveness and love all people and that I would be humble in seeing my own faults.

Over lunch with Dudley and Elizabeth Ford, they encouraged me that the next thing I need to read are the Institutes of Calvin. Dudley is a great man he is so excited by the gospel so too is Elizabeth. They have so much enthusiasm for learning and I pray that God will continue to use them to encourage us young folk to live a life zealous for the gospel!

On top of the teaching was a very fun fun fun time hanging out with the MTS boys Marty, Jono & Doug and also Caro, Dave, Kurt & Rod (get it 'curtain rod' - hahahaha I discovered that word-play over the weekend as well!).

I also found time spent getting to know other women doing MTS @ UNSW really valuable, particularly Jules. Jules was an immense encouragement and we were able to chat and share the training, struggles and experiences over the year so far. By her example I have been challenged to be more prayerful with people. Time spent with Jules was really edifying and helpful to think through ministry with another girl going through the trials and joys of MTS.

Overall a great weekend! Praise the Lord!