Agents of Transformation
This morning we looked at another description of God’s people in the Bible: our identity as agents of transformation. Ian Coffey writes that “every one of us can be an agent of transformation to our own families, our own communities, our nation and our world.” (Ian Coffey, ‘The Contemplative Minister,’ P 33), a point of view Paul illustrates when he writes: ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’ (2 Cor 3:17-18)
We are not secret agents (like James Bond or George Smiley!) but are nonetheless working for God, seeking to be salt and light in our communities (Matt 5:13-16) God is the One who transforms us; our part in this process is to spend time with Him, contemplating His glory, learning from Jesus who sought only to do His Father’s will (see John 12:27-28, John 8:29). The way to be an agent of transformation is to live humbly for God’s glory, marrying faith with obedience to God’s word. (Matt 7:21-26, James 2:17-25)
Transformation comes one person at a time! When we look at some of the historical changes wrought in society through Christians, we see how it all starts with one person on fire for God. Christians have built hospitals, started schools, worked to alleviate poverty, fought against slavery and prostitution and worked to bring God’s love into every part of the world. Charities such as Open Doors, One By One, Tear Fund, MAF and the Salvation Army to name just a few have brought great transformation to our world as individuals followed Christ’s rule. We all have a high and holy calling, and yet this starts small… in the home, in our families, in our communities, where we model Christ’s constancy, love and kindness to those around us.
Our identity today as an agent of transformation starts with our contemplation of Christ, with our personal relationship with God, but then it spills over into our attitudes, our thoughts, our words, our actions. What matters is that we seek God’s face, listen to His heart, and respond to His word. He is the one who transforms, but He is looking for willing servants whose aim, like Jesus’s, is to glorify the Father in every possible way.
Dedication Photos
Here are some photos from last Sunday’s dedicaiton service:
Succession Issues
1 Kings 1 looks at another of David’s sons (Adonijah) who decided to take matters into his own hands and proclaim himself king. Adonijah seems to us to be arrogant and worldly, looking at the idea of hereditary rule from a purely selfish point of view, a fact that the writer seems to think is partly because David has not disciplined him enough as a parent (1 Kings 1:6) The balance between love and discipline, encouragement and rebuke, is not easy; parents can easily embitter or exasperate their children, causing them to become discouraged and disillusioned, but as Hebrews 12:5-11 reminds us, discipline and training are necessary if we are to be trained in righteousness and holiness. Adonijah clearly felt entitled to become king and rallied around him those who could support him (Joab and Abiathar, the priest), but others (Zadok, Benaiah, Nathan the prophet and others) remained loyal to David. Nathan and Bathsheba made David aware of this potential coup, and David – despite being old and frail – acted decisively to make Solomon king, as commanded by God.
This long chapter reminds us of many important principles:
- God’s word takes precedence over human ways (we may not understand why God chose Solomon to be David’s successor, but we cannot argue with God and win!)
- Character matters (and Adonijah’s good looks could not compensate for his arrogance and selfishness)
- People tend to be fickle (Adonijah’s supporters soon melted away when they heard David had crowned Solomon). Loyalty (such as that shown by Zadok and others) is to be prized dearly.
- We need to keep our promises! David did what he had promised as commanded by God. God is faithful in keeping His promises to us (Heb 10:23), and we should be faithful to keep our promises and fulfil our vows too.
The Indignities of Old Age
As we approach the end of David’s life, we see that even a great king such as this suffered the indignities of old age. In 1 Kings 1:1-4, we read about the cold he felt which meant no amount of blankets could help him stay warm, and how the solution came in the form of a beautiful young woman named Abishag, who essentially became his personal carer, sleeping in his bed to keep him warm and tending to his needs (without being sexually intimate with him.)
Old age brings with it frailty and infirmity, and, just as a baby needs help with every area of life, at the end of our lives, we too may need much care. Such jobs lack glamour and are often poorly paid. We may well feel frustrated at needing help, and the indignity and loss of independence which old age can bring are often hard to bear. This passage reminds us of the value and worth of the individual: both the one needing care and the one giving it, a value which is often ignored in our modern societies. We may well feel our lives lack significance or value or that our service is unappreciated and unnoticed, but Abishag reminds us that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere (Prov 15:3) and that He sees everything we do; even a cup of cold water offered to someone is noticed. (Matt 10:42)
To all struggling with either caring or being cared for, do not lose hope but remember that when we do everything as to the Lord, He sees and cares
.Passing On Our Faith
Tonight we had a special service where we dedicated baby Freddie to the Lord and prayed for him and his family to know God’s blessings and guidance. Ps 78:4 reminds us of the need to tell future generations the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord and it is our responsibility to teach our children about God’s miraculous works.
Children learn by watching and doing. They start off as wholly dependent babies, needing parents to feed, clothe, bathe and look after them in every way. Gradually – and messily – they learn to do things themselves – feeding, clothing, crawling, walking and so on. They make many mistakes, but we teach them to persevere and they learn. We looked at teaching our children to cook, and how they need help choosing ingredients, mixing, cutting, and preparing food but then how they learn to cook their own food as a result.
We teach children about God through our own example: through prayer and reading God’s word, through our words and lifestyle and through our involvement in a local church. We tell God’s stories to them and so they can learn to trust God for themselves. Baptism is for those who have made the conscious decision to follow Jesus, and our prayer is that our children will want to do this as they grow older.
A real recipe for life is not about material success, sporting success or financial success. The ingredients for a successful life lie in virtues such as love, kindness, forgiveness, patience, compassion, integrity, faithfulness and gentleness. When we mix these values well, we can live as God wants us to.
Let Your Kingdom Come
Garry continued looking at the prayers of Paul this morning, focussing on Colossians 1:9-13 again. Jesus spoke much about the kingdom of heaven (see Matt 4:17, Mark 12:32-34), and the kingdom really is simply where God rules. When we pray, ‘Your kingdom come’ (as in the Lord’s prayer) we are asking God to establish His rule (something which will ultimately be universal, as Phil 2:9-11 makes clear). God’s rule is not that of a despot or villain; He is our loving, heavenly Father who wants the best for us.
God is pleased to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32), and as children of the kingdom, we are promised an inheritance (Rom 8:16-17, Gal 4:7). If we endure, we will reign with Christ (2 Tim 2:12). Being an heir means we anticipate a promise that is not yet fulfilled. An inheritance is dependent on someone’s death (and is therefore bitter sweet), but the good news here is that Christ has already died for us and His death means we are now brought into His kingdom (Col 1:13).
We can have a foretaste of our inheritance now as we experience God’s love, mercy, liberation and deliverance. We no longer have to live in the kingdom of darkness, we can surrender to Christ and know so many blessings right now, even as we wait for the fulfilment of all He has promised us!