As it so happens, very often when we are terribly down or depressed, it can seem as if we are totally alone and as if the world has closed in on us. This is unfortunate--and rather sad--because this is the very time that we need people, that we need community. The two people on the road to Emmaus felt this way--until, that is, a certain stranger came alongside them and walked with them. Little did they realize that it was Jesus.

But, as it was for them, so it is with us. Jesus comes alongside us and walks with us in our times of sorrow and difficulty, which means that we are never, ever alone--even though it may seem so. And furthermore, just as Jesus in our story, helped them gain some perspective and helped them through it, so too He does for us, if only we will let Him.

As you have probably heard me say so many times before, stubbornness is epidemic in my family. Often we would rather try it ourselves and muddle through things rather than ask for help. Here, today, Jesus offers us relief from our burdens and our weariness--it is there for the taking--but only if we stop trying to take care of it for ourselves and accept His help.

Today’s meditation concerning Ananias and the future apostle Saul of Tarsus (Paul) is one that really challenges me. Just how do I respond when I receive a prompting that seems to be from the Lord and that seems utterly ridiculous? Especially when it takes me out of my comfort zone and asks me to do something that I have never tackled before. That Ananias was able to say ‘yes’, and to say this unconditionally, immediately and without reservation is quite a challenge and inspiration for me.

I’m always amazed at how compassionate and kind God is. After all, He takes our mistakes, our bad choices--and our sins--in stride, and makes the best of them, using them for His glory and for the furtherance of His kingdom. To me, that is quite incredible.

If there was ever an adage that applied to the future King Saul, to numerous Biblical characters--and, to us as well, it is the adage that ‘God is free to change your plans.’ I am sure that Moses, growing up in the splendour and luxury of Pharaoh’s household, never expected to be a desert dweller and lead his people out of slavery and Egypt into the Promised Land. And likewise, Zachariah and Elizabeth never expected to have a son, the future John the Baptist, in their old age. Or Mary and Joseph, having their plans and lives upended with the birth of Jesus. Or disciples like Peter, Andrew, James and John, a bunch of fishermen, or Matthew, a tax collector. Or, of course, Paul, the persecutor of the infant church. In each case, God intervened and dramatically changed their lives and the future direction of their lives.

For us, God’s intervention may not be anywhere as sudden or dramatic or life-altering, but even so, it may still come. You never know what a ‘chance’ encounter or circumstance will lead, so it is best to be open and ready for it, and be willing to ‘roll with the punches’, to submit to whatever God has in store for you.

I guess that it is only human nature to try to attribute something organized, sinister and covert (hidden) behind many of the dodgy things taking place within our world. I, for instance, thought that there was something untoward about the City’s decision several years ago to authorize strip joints. And, in more of the present, I have wondered about efforts to outlaw livestock production or plastics or the oil or gas industry or trends that diminish the strength and the role of families and marriage. It is easy to imagine some humanly organized conspiracy behind such things. However, I think that it is closer to the truth to understand that, while there may well be a conspiracy, it is not one that is largely on the human level, but one that is envisioned and orchestrated at ‘higher’ level, that is, by destructive and malevolent spiritual forces, namely Satan and his minions. Interestingly, with the adult interment (strip joint) issue, all of our efforts came to naught, for we were clearly out-thought and outmanoeuvred. But ultimately, it was dealt a death blow from another source, namely itself. The sleazy clientele and atmosphere it fostered brought in the drug trade, and that led to its demise. God ‘interfering’? Perhaps. I would like to think so. The uptake on all this, as far as I am concerned, is simply to take whatever our issue might be to God, and let Him direct us, and intervene, when and how He sees fit.

It has often been said that it is better to be part of the solution than part of the problem, and certainly that should be able to be said of all Christians, all followers and disciples of Jesus. In our reading from Ezekiel, we hear pinpointed some of the problems facing our world, problems where a few enrich themselves at the expense of others, neglect their rightful care and regard for them, and actually despoil the resources these seemingly ‘lesser others’ might have used. God promises therefore to step in, intervene and correct these abuses and properly care for these His people. And then, in our gospel reading, Jesus gives Peter--presumably on behalf of the church (which is all of us)--the very same calling to care for and look out for other folks. And so, this leaves us with a profound responsibility and challenge, for it is far too easy for us to be complicit in our world’s systems that do just the opposite--us buying clothes or products made under unsafe conditions for instance, or us investing in companies or countries with dismal labour or environmental standards. If you’re like me, this is a challenge, for I often do not even think about these things.

Today has been something of a hectic whirl. The subject of my meditation is something that I have long wondered about, and that is, why so many modern Christians are lamentably tongue-tied when it comes to talking about God or Jesus, or indeed, about anything to do with their faith. My own denomination, the Anglican Church of Canada, has, from time to time come up with great plans for evangelism, but sadly, far too frequently, they came to naught. The situation became so bad that the ‘e’ word (evangelism) almost seemed to be treated like something one was forbidden to talk about. No wonder things, then, have come to be a mess in the church.

But then, what about us? Are not we often tongue-tied as well? Often nervous talking about this subject for fear of offending others or being pictures as cranks or fanatics? And often not knowing how to go about it even if the occasion arose? I would love to see some kind of program or training that would help ordinary people be a bit better at this? What do you think? Do you think my assessment of the problem is correct? And do you think that we, as a church, should be stepping up to the plate to assist people in this? Anyway, here is something to think and pray about.

One of the prominent Reformation theologians postulated that we humans, by our very natures, are natural idolaters. It may not be literal idols, or even material things like our homes or gardens, or, in my case, my books and papers. It may be some of the things that I mention in my meditation, or, it may even be less tangible things like our freedom, our mobility, our intelligence, our ideas and convictions or our abilities. It is far too easy to put any of these things first, far ahead of God, which is idolatry. So, it is a struggle, a struggle for all of us, but, fortunately, one that we have God’s help in engaging.

Something that I have had to wrestle continually with, especially in my role as a pastor in an inner-city church, is the question of how to help the ‘needy’, and indeed, whether I should be doing so in the first place. Sometimes I happen to wonder whether they ‘really’ need the help, or whether they should be ‘getting off their behinds’ and working for a living instead of expecting a handout. (By the way, that idea of ‘expecting a handout’, the sense of entitlement, is something that really bugs me!) And of course, I often wonder what they have done to bring this on--whether they have in some way ‘brought it on upon themselves--that they are in some way responsible for their present plight, or whether this is entirely due to unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.

But then, I look at the Scriptures: how often God commands us to look after the poor and the needy, and how indeed, He responds to us with grace and mercy, when we did not deserve it--in fact, just the opposite! I am still sometimes torn as to what I should be doing, but more inclined to be generous--and gracious and merciful, even as God is.

Years ago at seminary, we learned about something that seemed pretty obscure and remote at the time, something called ‘inaugurated eschatology’. It’s about the ‘now and not yet now’ sense that we find throughout the New Testament. 'The kingdom of God is here’ vs. ‘the kingdom of God is near.’ It’s a kind of living between the times.

That seemed pretty unconnected to life until I heard a lecture by Malcolm Muggeridge, where he gave this obscure concept a historical and highly visual representation. He told us that it was like living in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II between D Day and VE Day (Victory in Europe Day). The back of the enemy has been broken and the end is in sight, but in the meantime, there is still the occupation and oppression and suffering, and the mopping up operations still have to be done. Meanwhile, things might get pretty rough, as this defeated foe tries its level best to escape its fate--it’s like a cornered beast--and those in the occupied territories have to just keep faithful and keep on ‘holding on’ in anticipation for their eventual liberation.

Muggerridge likened D Day to Jesus’ death and resurrection, which ‘broke the back of the enemy’ once and for all and already netted us some wonderful gains. However, the enemy is still alive and well, and quite able to inflict a lot of damage, a lot of suffering and woes of many sorts, and will continue to do so until VE Day, which is the return in Jesus in triumph. So, like the people of occupied Europe, we are living between the times.

But, in both scenarios, there were glimmers of hope. With occupied Europe, there were the BBC radio broadcasts telling them about the gains the Allies were making, and off and on, there were the operatives that the Allies parachuted into their midst to wreck havoc on the Nazis and assist the people living there. We likewise have glimmers of hope: news of what God is doing in our world and, of course, our own BBC broadcast, the Bible. But like them, we have to ‘tune in’, to read and listen to what the Bible says and to watch for the news of what God is up to in our world. It is something that we can all do in our ‘waiting time’, our time in between. That is what today’s meditation is all about.

And one other thing: those in occupied Europe were encouraged, not only to hear and be encouraged, but to help ‘the war effort’ right where they were, to spread, as it were ‘the new reign of freedom’ even in the midst of the occupation. And we too, in like manner, can do our level best to spread the kingdom of God and its impact, even when things don’t seem to be going well and things are rough.

When you read over my Scripture meditation, the meditation from the Forward Day by Day devotional, and my response to the latter, you will notice quite a divergence of opinion. Now, some of this divergence comes from one’s own bias and point of view. The Forward author describes himself as ‘a student of Black radicalism’, which invariably colours and shapes his views, and given that I come from a different background altogether, I have a different viewpoint. That is to be expected, and should be taken into account, as a significant factor when interpreting the Scriptures. For myself, I try to factor and take into account such things when I read and interpret the Scriptures.

However, there are some factors that I think that our author neglects totally, factors that exist, and should be taken into account, regardless of one’s own bias and viewpoint. Firstly, there is the testimony of the whole canon of Scripture. Even a cursory glance at the New Testament shows us that private ownership of property did not die out, but, in fact, became essential to the functioning and survival of the early Church. And, then there is the evidence of history: communal living arrangements have worked, have continued (such as with the Hutterites) but only in a limited and small scale, and usually only with the use of a great deal of things that ‘come from Caesar’. And, finally, there is the matter of common sense: no society has ever continued in existence without ‘cooperation’ or engagement with Caesar (that is, government.). As many New Testament authors relate, government was ordained by God.