Tattoos.

I am quite fascinated by tattoos, even though personally I regard the whole concept of using one’s body as an ink pin cushion a little daunting.

Despite this aversion, I still find the effort, skill and artistic detail expressed through tattoos quite eye-catching. So much so that I have to be a little careful when out and about- a rare occurrence these days- that I don’t stare too much at people’s “body art”.

Afterall, it can get a little tense when Jenny and I are out together and she catches me staring at some exquisite bluebird tattoo on a young lady’s arm. Surprising as this may sound to some, no amount of explanation on my part about the nature of the tattoo seems to avert the angst directed at me.

The only thing Jenny finds worse than me staring at people’s tattoos, is when I actually ask them about their tattoos. For some reason this can get me into even more trouble with Jenny. Especially if the person happens to be female, under 40 yrs. of age, and I flash my “Richard Gere” smile. Don’t understand Jen’s reaction myself…

In my defence, I would stress that I also ask men about their tattoos.

Turns out, I have had some terrific conversations with people about their body art. By far the most memorable was with a young man, Jake, who served us while shopping at Fountain Gate. We were finalising our purchases and were at the cash register and I simply could not contain my curiosity a moment longer.

Jake had the most intricate tattoo that ran the length of his arm and that centred around a single word, which I didn’t know the meaning of. So, I asked him what it meant.

Jake explained that it was the nickname for his best friend who had passed a way a few years ago. They had been very close and had done a lot of things together. Jake was obviously shaken deeply by his friend’s death and wanted to honour his memory. Thus, the tattoo.

I was very touched by Jake’s sincere desire to remember his friend which he sought to manifest by “engraving” his friend’s name onto his own body as a constant reminder of their relationship.

As I reflect upon this exchange, I am reminded of Isaiah 49:15 &16a…

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” (NIV)

“See, I have engraved you on my hands!!”

What a wonderful metaphor of The Lord’s mindfulness of us. That even if the almost impossible occurred and a mother were to forget her child, He will never forget us, because He has tattooed our names on his hands.

MacLaren in his commentary on this passage explains, that not only are we to draw strength and peace from this “divine remembrance, more tender than-a mother’s, but that this divine remembrance guides the divine action. “

In other words, since the palm of the hand is the seat of strength and the instrument of work, and we, the church, are inscribed upon those same hands, then the divine actions of God are always underpinned by His love and remembrance of us.

This is an important truth to remember at those times when things don’t seem to make sense and seem to be barrelling out of control.

Last week I reminded you of a face book post Julia made when she reminded us of the famous chorus… “He’s got the whole world in His hands”

This week I would like us to remember that those same hands have our names tattooed upon them as a constant testimony of God’s mindfulness of us and of the relationship we have with Him.

And that this relationship was made possible because Jesus dared to open his hands on the cross and receive the nails that pinned him there for our sins. That he will forever bear the scars on his hands, his feet, his side and his brow as a constant reminder and testimony of his love for all people.

Furthermore, we are told in 1Timothy 2:4-6 that God our Saviour…

“wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know what we have learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us- Jesus who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive to sin, to set them all free.” (MSG)

This is an open-handed invitation by the God who holds the whole world in His hands, to all people everywhere to except what Jesus has done for them on the cross and be “inscribed” forever in the palms of His hands.

Let me finish with the words from a Graham Kendrick song…

            “Come see His hands and His feet,

            The scars that speak of sacrifice,

Hands that flung stars into space,

            To cruel nails surrendered.”

May we hold this truth foremost in our minds this week as we seek to navigate these turbulent times, remembering whose hands we rest in.

Blessings

Bruce

Masks. 

The tightening of COVID restrictions last week raised my stress levels somewhat. In particular the need to wear masks in public places. For some reason, which evaded me at first, I found this development particularly unsettling.

This disquieting was heightened when I attended a regular physio appointment and was asked to wear a mask upon entering the clinic. Furthermore, I discovered they no longer were accepting cash and that everything had to be done on card. Of course, the cashless business has been on the cards, excuse the pun, for a while now, but I hadn’t been confronted by it up to that point.

By the time I got home and had placed my disposable mask in a clip lock bag and deposited it in the bin and sanitized my hands, I was feeling anything but at peace with the world. 

I recalled the days of my youth when the only things Mum insisted on me carrying when leaving the house was a clean, freshly ironed handkerchief, and at least one dollar so that the police wouldn’t pick you up for vagrancy. 

These days it is the opposite. I doubt very much if carrying a dollar is going to help in one’s defence regards vagrancy, however a nicely ironed, clean handkerchief tied around your face as a mask may do the trick in avoiding the angst of the law.  

Times have changed and I think that has something to do with my increased stress levels…

Upon reflection, I think the reason I was so disturbed by these latest restrictions is because they left me feeling that I didn’t have a lot of control of what was happening to “my world”. Furthermore, it was becoming pretty obvious that the post COVID world will look differently from the one “this little black duck” is used to.

It was the sense of losing control, that was the issue for me, and I don’t think I am the only one in this boat.

Dr Elliot Cohen writing for Psychology Today makes the following statement…

“One of the most prevalent fears people have is that of losing control. This is the fear that if you don’t manage to control the outcome of future events, something terrible will happen… The crux of the problem is the demand for certainty in a world that is always tentative and uncertain”.

Dr Cohen goes on to point out…

“So, the key to controlling your losing-control anxiety is letting go of your demand for certainty-in other words giving up your unrealistic perfectionism about reality…”

 It seems, the way forward for people such as myself is to accept that the world is an uncertain place and so I should stop trying to “accurately predict and manage the future”. 

On one level that makes a lot of sense to me, as there are many things we can’t control. Anyone who has held a screaming baby suffering from colic will require no convincing of this point. There are many times when we have to acknowledge that there are things we can’t control and need to stop trying to do so, for our own peace of mind and that of those around us.

As a member of Alanon for many years and a recovering co-dependent, this has been an important lesson for me, which I still struggle to apply at times.

On the other hand, there are things we can control and it is just as important that we identify these things as well. How we react to circumstances, who we vote for, what we expose ourselves to, what we eat, how much we exercise and what we place our faith in are just a few examples of what we can control.

The funny thing is that often I find myself running around trying to control the things which I can’t, such as other people, and neglecting to take care of the things I can control, such as my reactions to people. Needless to say, this causes a lot of angst and turmoil for myself and all those involved.

But I digress… I think Dr Cohen does make a very good point which is worth applying to life. However, do I feel better about the wearing of masks in public and the whole COVID business? 

Well, yes and no.

Although, Dr Cohen’s argument has a logical completeness, and there is much good that flows from it. I would suggest that it fails to address a need which resides deep in our being which is not addressed by the exhortation to simply embrace the “uncertainty of life”. 

What is that need?

To know that somethings don’t change and we can depend on that.

“Hang on, haven’t you just contradicted yourself?” I hear you ask.

Well, yes and no. 

One of my favourite stories is Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings”. Many of us are familiar with the strife and struggle that Frodo and his companions endured in their quest to save Middle Earth. They often battled circumstances which they had little control over which caused them a lot of uncertainty, fear, courage and loss. Yet by story’s joyful end you are left with the sense that all along there was a powerful, guiding influence at work behind the scenes. At a deeper level, there was an end goal, which was never in question.

Paul writes in Romans 8:18-21…

“That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next. Everything in creation is more or less being held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile the joyful anticipation deepens.” (MSG)

It is clear from this scripture that although circumstances are beyond our understanding at times, there is a result that is never in question.

William Barclay in his commentary of Matthew Ch 24 makes the following comment…

“The second coming of Jesus conserves the fact that history is going somewhere. Sometimes people have felt that history was plunging to a wilder and wilder chaos, that it is nothing more than the record of human sins and follies…but the second coming has in it this essential truth- that there is ‘one divine far-off event, to which the whole creation moves’, and that event is not the dissolution but the universal and eternal rule of God.”

So as is often the case we find ourselves in tension, but I suggest this is a healthy tension. On the one hand, we acknowledge that there are many things out of our control where the outcome is uncertain. On the other hand, we embrace the truth that nothing is out of The Lord’ s control, that He can draw good out of all circumstances and there is no doubt about where history is going. As Julia posted on the St Luke’s face book page last week…

    “He has the whole world in His hands…”

So, we have the two perspectives which we are to hold in tension, or as Chesterton writes in “Orthodoxy”

“The ordinary man… has spiritual sight which is stereoscopic, like his physical sight: he sees two different pictures at once and yet sees all the better for that.” 

Blessings.

Bruce

Yes, it’s true that the AFL have got a lot of money.  Yes, it’s true that the AFL has lots of pressure from many stakeholders to make the season happen.  It’s also true that the pandemic has meant that people are craving more live content on their screens as the couch surfing continues.  Sport is very dominant in our culture for a variety of reasons.  Whatever our opinion about sport, AFL and its place in society, one thing’s for sure - it has pulled out all stops to make the season happen.  It’s leadership has gone to extraordinary lengths to get it out there.  The contingency planning has been strategic and almost seamless to this point.  What impressed me recently was reading an article about the group of people who were behind the planning and implementation of this unusual season.  They have been dedicated, focussed and has involved countless 20 hour work days to make it all happen.  And this is just for football!  Take a moment to think about people in senior management in our hospitals and the political sphere who are on the frontline during this pandemic.  It hasn’t been smooth sailing at all, but they are focussed, strategic and passionate about how they can serve us as a community.  During this latest round of restrictions, when motivation my waver and we feel like one day is blending into another, I want you to be encouraged by the example of people who are making significant sacrifices for you and me.  Can I also point you to the most focussed, strategic and passionate leader our planet has ever known – Jesus Christ.  Let’s ultimately look to him as he continues, through his Spirit, to renew our strength every day and bring us hope in troubled times.  In 1 Peter 5:10 it says: And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  As we look to Jesus my prayer is that you will feel restored and strengthened in Him.

PS. If you are really struggling at the moment, please contact me and we can talk.  It’s becoming more important that we reach out for help as this pandemic continues.

The Back Pack.

As a school teacher I was able to take part in many camps over the years, which although challenging, were usually very worthwhile as you got to know the kids on a different level.

One of my favourites, yet most challenging camps, was the Yr. 10 five-day hike to Lake Tarli Kahng, which is a natural lake in the Alpine region of Victoria. It is truly beautiful and if you ever get the chance to go and visit it, I would recommend it. I would point out there are places you can drive to which reduce the hike to perhaps a one-day round trip.

However, in an attempt to give the students a wilderness experience we were dropped off quite a distance from the lake and so were required to walk in to the area carrying everything on our backs in packs, including food, water, tents, spare clothes, and medical supplies. What made this camp even more interesting was that it was done before the days of mobile phones and so we were really out of touch and required to be quite self-sufficient. Oh, and did I mention the twenty odd river crossings and the fact that Lake Tarli Kahng is 850m above sea level and so a significant amount of uphill walking was required?

Needless to say, there were some pretty nervous students listed for this camp and so in an attempt to prepare them, training started weeks before the event and included setting up tents on the oval, cooking camp meals and a practice hike to Lysterfield lake carrying packs filled with telephone books. Unfortunately, this particular training hike was a dismal failure as kids soon worked out that they could lighten their loads by simply tearing out pages from their phone books, which they did with great gusto. I can still see hundreds of pages blowing down the road that lead to the lake and staff madly running up and down the line of sixty odd students threatening to throw them in the lake…metaphorically speaking of course.

However, despite all the training and coaching and threatening we found that students still tried to bring too much on the hike and so on the departure morning, before they were allowed to get on the bus, their packs were weighed. This was always a fun time as students about the size of Kermit the frog would try and convince the staff member on duty that they would have no trouble carrying a 28kg pack the 40 plus kilometres required. Inevitably many packs would be emptied on the door step of the bus and items examined to see if they were really necessary. Within minutes a significant pile of non-essential items would start to fill a trolley parked nearby.

Let me tell you what my all-time favourite items were, that we found in a pack…

When it was weighed, the teacher could not believe how much it registered and almost did his back in getting it on and off the scales. You can imagine the expression on the faces of the staff and students as they gathered around watching the pack emptied. To their absolute amazement and delight they found tins and tins of baked beans, an electric hair dryer and a full-size cast-iron BBQ plate.

This find illustrated the fact that despite staff’s best attempts to convey expectations and requirements to the group in the lead up to the camp, there were those who just didn’t take it on board. Consequently, those people end up carrying things in their back packs which are not necessary, don’t work and weigh them down making the journey unbearable. 

In John Bunyan’s classic book, Pilgrim’s Progress we are introduced to his main character, Christian, who has a burden on his back that weigh’s him down and makes his life unbearable. He became aware of this burden when he read the Bible. At this point, readers will often embrace the conclusion that the burden Christian carried was his sin which he became aware of when faced with the truth of the scriptures. The problem with this interpretation is that when Christian begins his journey he eventually passes through the “wicket gate”. Bunyan uses this narrow gate to represent Christ which is the point of salvation to all those who accept him personally as their Lord and Saviour. However, when Christian passes through the gate and is saved, he does not lose his burden, which of course you would expect if it represented his sin. Instead, it is not until further on in his travels when Christian finds the cross of Jesus and the tomb that the burden rolls off his back and into the tomb. At this point in the story he exclaims…

            “He hath given me rest by his sorrow, And life by his death.”

What is John Bunyan trying to convey in his story about Christian?

Well I am not going to pretend to be able to fathom the depths of Bunyan’s Puritan theological framework and his adherence to a rather strict version of Calvinism. However, I did find the following comments by Jim Orrick, professor of literature and culture at Boyce College particularly helpful…

“Christian’s burden represents not sin per se, but it represents the shame and doubt that he feels because of his sin. Christian’s sins get forgiven when he received Christ, which is represented by his entering the Wicket Gate. But Christian does not yet understand the basis of the forgiveness, so his conscience continues to bother or burden him. Put in more technical terms (always a welcome means of clarification) the burden represents psychological guilt not forensic guilt”.

“What has all this got to do with us I hear you ask”?

“Afterall Pilgrims Progress was written in 1678!!!  Come on Bruce can’t you be a bit more relevant than this?!!!”

Well, let me have a go at making it relevant.

I would suggest that many of us in this day and age carry, unnecessarily, the same burden in our back packs that Christian did. A psychological guilt and shame for our sin, despite the fact that we have personally accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for that very sin. We have failed to embrace fully the truth that Jesus has made amends for our shortcomings and that we are now credited with his righteousness.

Or as some like to put it, we have not fully embraced the substitutionary atonement of Jesus and his imputed righteousness.

Regardless of what language we use the conclusion is the same… for Christians there is no legal reason for our guilt.

As Paul screams from the rooftops in Romans 8:1&2.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death”.

We stand now before God forgiven and with the righteousness of Christ.

Now at this point one may be tempted to suggest that because as Christians we have a new status and since there is no legal reason for our guilt, we can let “our hair down” and do what we like, or as my Mum used to say, “carry on like pork chops”.

That is presuming upon grace of God and Paul faces this argument in Romans ch.6:1-4.

“So, what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realise we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace-a new life in a new land!

So, then this week let us remind ourselves every day that we live a “new life in a new land” where there is no legal reason for our guilt and therefore no need to carry around the burden of false shame and guilt…

And let us echo the words of Christian…

            “He hath given me rest by his sorrow, And life by his death.”

Blessings

Bruce