Angels and other strangers

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

When my children were quite young, I suffered from terrible depression at times. Performing everyday tasks could be challenging. Sometimes concentration was impaired and things that would normally be only small stresses would become overwhelming.
 On one occasion I took my children to the local shopping centre and did some shopping. I remember coming out of the main doors of the centre and looking at all the cars in the car park, realising that I had not made a mental note of where I had parked my car. I had no idea where my car was. It was a single level car park and under normal circumstances, I quick walk around would probably have located my car eventually. With two small children in the shopping trolley and feeling so tired and alone and stupid, however, I felt overwhelmed and could have burst into tears.
As I stood there, a rather shabby looking van with a rather rough looking man in it drove up and pulled up alongside me. He had long, wildly tousled hair. He looked directly at me and then raised his arm and pointed through the windows of his car. I followed the line of his arm and pointing finger directly to the sight of my blue Commodore wagon. He then drove away. He wasn't an apparition. I saw him driving into a parking spot at the far end of the car park.
How did he know me? How did he know the source of my distress? I truly believe that he was an angel sent by God to encourage and strengthen me. I've never forgotten that incident. Not all angels have wings. Some drive beat up old vans.

The Bible is full of stories of angelic visitations, including those often celebrated at this time of year, in which the birth of Christ was announced and instructions were given to Mary and Joseph. Yet we don't often expect to be ministered to by angels, nor do we expect that those we minister to may be angels undercover. Angels are powerfully protective beings and should not be diminished to the cutsie Christmas card cherubs or disassociated from their Biblical role of beings created by God to honour and serve Him and do His bidding.

Funnily enough, I was once mistaken for an angel. I went to visit a friend from church who was seriously ill in hospital. As I walked through the hospital grounds I passed a lady sitting on a bench who was weeping profusely. I felt moved to go to her, touch her lightly and ask if she was all right. She just nodded, face in her hands and said she was okay, so I said no more and moved on.
My friend recovered, and many weeks later she told me that her sister, whom I do not know, had visited her in hospital. The sister had been outside, sitting alone on a bench, weeping with despair, thinking she was about to lose her sister, when a lady had come to her, touched her and asked her if she was all right. She thought afterwards that perhaps God had sent an angel to comfort her when she most needed it. I don't know for sure, but think it likely that she was the same person I spoke to. I will state here and now that I am no angel, just a fallen human loved by God. I tell this story to illustrate that God may use angels to minister to others but also uses each of us to share His love in many different ways.

Asides in the narrative

“David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife” Matthew 1:6

The genealogy of Jesus, found in the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel, contains some interesting points to ponder. There are many wonderful Bible stories associated with the names on the list. When I come to this line, however, I think about who is named and who is left out of the record.

There are several women named in the genealogy of Jesus, but here a prominent woman is not named, rather her former husband is. Uriah has his place in history.

What we know of Uriah is found in the second book of Samuel, chapter 11, in the Bible. Uriah the Hittite is a soldier in the Israelite army of King David, under the command of Joab, waging war against the Ammonites. Uriah is invited home from the campaign by King David and invited to spend a night at home with his wife, Bathsheba.

Unbeknownst to Uriah, this invitation is a conspiracy to cover up a sexual liaison between King David and Bathsheba and her subsequent pregnancy.

“The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife?”

“The character of Uriah is demonstrated in these words. He mentions first the ark- the ark of the covenant. He is thinking of God’s honour. He mentions Israel and Judah- he is thinking of the honour of his nation. Finally, he is thinking of his commander Joab and his fellow soldiers, remembering the tough conditions that they are living under. He is joined with them in spirit, if not physically, and cannot enjoy the comforts of home whilst they are waging a war.

Unfortunately for Uriah, his strength of character was to lead to his death. King David, being unable to cover up his affair with Bathsheba, then contrived to have Uriah placed without support in the front line of battle. Uriah’s death enabled David to take Bathsheba as his wife, but there were serious consequences to the king’s actions.

There are many cases where a godly man or woman has been ill-used due to their strength of character. They are the ones who won’t cut corners or lie to customers or cheat on their spouses or laugh at the dirty jokes. They can be passed up for promotion or omitted from the guest list or ridiculed or imprisoned or murdered, as Uriah was. They can be seen by others as just a pawn in their schemes, or an annoying prickle in their conscience, a hindrance to be disposed of. They are not the main players in the world’s eyes, but God has His eyes on them.

God sees. He vindicates. He honours those who honour Him.

Shocking case of domestic violence

A young girl has been killed following months of being confined in a small room, unable to contact the outside world, completely dependent for her every need. She was confronted by a man who stabbed her repeatedly with a sharp instrument, finally dismembering her body and disposing of it. Apparently this man was known to the girl’s mother.

No charges have been laid.

Nor will any further investigation be forthcoming.

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This fictional scenario is now a very real fact in the state in which I live, following the amendment of Queensland’s abortion laws in our state parliament. Despite widespread opposition, it is now legal to abort a child in utero up to full term for nebulous reasons, with the signing off of two practitioners. Some Queensland politicians were filmed cheering and hugging one another as the legislation was passed and some of our capital city’s bridges were illuminated in purple to “celebrate”.

To others of us, this is a tragedy.

There is no protection for the rights of the unborn child.

There is no protection for the rights of a father who would wish to parent his child.

There is no protection for the women who are coerced by others into aborting a wanted child.

There is only the “right” to be able to dehumanize the process by which we all gained life and entered this world.

“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!
¹⁶ See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me.”

Isaiah 49:15-16

God knows and cares for every child. God knows the grief surrounding the abortion issue and has love and compassion for those living with regret.

Periodical reprint, the message

The Gospel

In the beginning, God, (God the Father, Jesus Christ his only Son and the Holy Spirit), created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including the first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve. God created humans to live in relationship with Him, but gave them free will to either obey Him or be disobedient. Satan, the devil, whom the Bible identifies as a fallen angel, tempted Eve to sin by disobeying God and she in turn tempted Adam to also disobey God. For their disobedience Adam and Eve were cast away from God’s presence and the wonderful life God had created for them and through them all their descendents were destined to be born sinful.

Yet throughout history there have been men and women who sought after God. Humanity became so depraved that God destroyed the earth with a global flood, but saved Noah and his family. Through Abraham God established the nation of Israel, who would be God’s favoured people. Moses, Abraham’s descendent, led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments and many laws of conduct. Because of the sinful nature of man, these laws were not kept, and a system of animal sacrifices was instituted to make atonement for the sins of the people. However, the people both individually and as a nation continued in a cycle of falling away from God and returning to Him.

During the history of the nation of Israel there were prophets who foretold that a Saviour would be born, to save humanity from its sinfulness. Their prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is the only Son of God. He was sent to this earth and lived amongst us as a human, without losing His divine nature. In all things Jesus honoured and obeyed His Father, God. During His ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and taught us regarding God’s nature and way of living. He was tempted by Satan but was without sin. He travelled with a group of disciples who were the foundation of the church – God’s people on earth.

In the same way that animals had been sacrificed to make atonement for man’s sin, it was the purpose of God to send Jesus to earth to become a total sacrifice, once and for all time, for fallen humanity. As was His destiny, Jesus was arrested, tried for heresy and crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary. At the time of Christ’s death the curtain in the Jewish temple was torn apart, symbolising that the old system of God only being able to be approached by certain people and in certain places, was finished.

Now all could come into right relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus, by committing their lives to Him in repentance and faith.

The Bible tells us that Jesus descended into hell and has total dominion over Satan and evil. On the third day Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples and many others on earth. He gave his disciples the “great commission” to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to the earth at Pentecost (ten days after Jesus’ ascension). The Holy Spirit is not only alive in the world, but indwells in those who have committed themselves wholly to God and gives such attributes as comfort, counsel, power and discernment. God's temple is now not a building, but the people in whom His spirit dwells. In the same way the church is not a building but the body of Christian believers on earth.

The Bible tells of spiritual battles between good and evil in both earthly and heavenly realms. It includes indications of great tribulation yet to come. We are told that Christ will return to this earth, the second coming, when He will defeat the evil forces raging in the world and will judge the living and the dead.

We who have committed our lives to Christ still struggle in our humanity with temptation to sin, and must choose daily to live in obedience to His will. We grow in our faith through prayer, study and reflection of God’s word, the Bible; and by meeting regularly in fellowship with other Christians.

All this is a fairly factual summary of some of the content of the Bible. But most of all, our lives as Christians are lives that are transformed. We know a love that surpasses anything. We know a deep joy within our spirits springing from God's Holy Spirit within us. We know a power beyond ourselves which touches others and transforms them too. We have a confidence that even when life is difficult and deeply sad and broken and disappointing, we have a relationship which sustains and comforts and gives us hope. God is faithful and He has the best in store. Christianity is not a killjoy set of rules which will spoil your fun. It's the most fantastic life you could ever hope to imagine....and then some more.

How do I become a Christian?

The Bible tells us that there is only one way to relationship with God and that is through Jesus Christ:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

“Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:5-6)

To become a Christian, you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to honour God and for the forgiveness of sin and that He rose again and ascended to His Father God.

You also need to admit or confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness through Christ. This is known as repentance. Repentance involves confessing that we have done wrong, saying sorry to God and committing to living a life in obedience to God's ways. Becoming a Christian does not make you suddenly perfect. We all still struggle with temptations and failures in this earthly life and continually need God's grace and forgiveness. Repentance does mean that we look to God for wisdom and guidance to resist temptation.

You then need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Just as a wedding ceremony begins a marriage, so a prayer of confession and faith can begin, but is just the beginning, of a relationship with God. An ongoing relationship includes learning about God through Bible study; baptism, conversations with God through prayer, and encouragement through Christian fellowship in a caring church.

The following is a prayer which could be used to begin this relationship. You may wish to pray it alone, personally, or you may wish to discuss your decision with a Christian friend or pastor first to fully understand:

Dear Heavenly Father God,

I come before You acknowledging You as the only one God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Thank You, Father God, for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful people to come back into relationship with You. I acknowledge that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sin and cleanse me I pray. I receive Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my days. May You give me strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life as a Christian. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

May God bless you with an ever-increasing knowledge of His wonderful presence and endless love as you continue to seek and serve Him.

Ephesians 3:14-20 :

^"For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Ame

Dry Bones

A multitude of people, so long dead that only their dried bones remain, are scattered across the valley floor. Dry bones, one step away from returning to dust.

“Can these bones live?”

This seemingly preposterous question was asked of the prophet Ezekiel, in a vision that God had given him, described in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 37. Now Ezekiel, being wise in the ways of God by this time, replied “Oh sovereign Lord, you alone know.” The prophet of great faith knew that nothing was impossible for the God who created all life in the first place.

The vision continued. In a style worthy of the latest Hollywood special effects, Ezekiel saw the bones being rearranged into skeletons and equipped with tendons, sinews and flesh. In what was probably more terrifying than dry bones, the valley was now filled with a crowd of corpses.

God then tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath. In other words, life only comes into these rejuvenated bodies when the breath of God enters into them.

The vision is a promise of God to the nation of Israel, a nation which had been disobedient, unfaithful and rebellious. They had been sent into exile and felt abandoned by God. They were saying “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.” (Ezekiel 37:11)

 Through Ezekiel God was reminding them of His favour and enduring love, even in the face of His discipline. God says:

“Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you Will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it declares the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37:13,14).

The God who made that promise to Israel through the prophet Ezekiel around 500 years before the birth of Christ is the same God who rules and reigns two thousand five hundred years later. I write this during what is Mental Health Awareness week here in Australia. We’ve just acknowledged World Mental Health Awareness Day yesterday, 10^th October. Is your mental health 10 out of 10? What about your life as a whole?

I am so aware of those who struggle with great difficulties in this life, seasons of trial and dryness, situations that can seem as hopeless as a pile of dry bones. Yet in this narrative God is saying that with Him, there is hope. Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead – could he not revive a dead marriage? Could He lift the clouds of depression? Can He set the prisoner free from the bondage of addiction?

God says that He will put His Spirit in the people. His Spirit is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, not an amorphous mass but a personal being, the Parakletos, the One who comes alongside to counsel and comfort and guide. This adds a spiritual dimension in addition to the medical and practical help that we should be seeking when facing trials in this world. This much under-valued spiritual dimension is accessed through prayer, reading the Bible and enjoying fellowship in a caring Christian community.