Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,“May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21: 18-22)

This is a rather intriguing passage and it is mostly interesting for provoking arguments among those who love theological arguments and angst for those who like their theology sanitized and neatly packaged. It is said that the bible holds a mirror to us because reading the bible allows the Holy Spirit to reveal who we truly are. What we assert about what the bible says shows what we really believe about who Jesus is and what the Good News is all about.

I believe that Jesus not only spoke in parables but that his actions were also parable-acts. If parables are stories with hidden meanings, then parable-acts are mini-plays with hidden meanings. In the beginning, humanity was told to eat of the fruit from the Tree of Life and to avoid the fruit from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We were supposed  to rely on God for all the necessities of life. Not just the bare necessities for animal existence but also what is necessary for a good and rich life which includes making wise decisions. However, the temptation to know good from evil and to decide for ourselves what is best was too great and so we were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

In this scene, I believe Jesus is saying, “You are hungry and you are eating this tree. But look! Even though it is green, it has no fruit. It is all leaves. Look again. I am going to destroy it. You will never come here for food again.” Shortly after, he will go to Jerusalem to die on the cross. His death and resurrection will open the way back to the Tree of Life.

We will then live by faith and not by sight, on God’s grace and not by our striving. It is not a position of powerlessness but one of tremendous power as Jesus hints with his comment about ordering mountains to fling themselves into the sea. This is yet another controversial bit as all praying people have had mountains which stubbornly refused to budge. I often think of prayer as moving the mountain by cupfuls and shovelfuls. Perhaps that’s why Jesus also told us to persist in prayer in the face of hopelessness.

C. Wong

Even though I knew the query was in jest, I felt saddened by the question as I knew it might be interpreted that our resurrected savior watches our every move to detect sin in our life and judges us accordingly. Unfortunately, I know there are those in the world who have that impression of God.

On the contrary, the Bible reveals to us a God and Savior in Jesus Christ who freely offers each one of us who accept it, His grace and mercy from all our sin and who loves us so much that He reached out to humanity with a plan to save every human being on the planet. In Psalm 121 verses 7 to 8, God promises to watch over us – not to spy on us but rather, to keep us safe: “The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

As God promises to watch over us in love, we shouldn’t hesitate to actively seek out Jesus to ask for comfort during times of hardship or give Him praise during times of blessings. We’re reminded in Hebrews 12:2 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

As I reflected on the emotions I experienced  while viewing the tapestry, the chorus words from a song we sing at Glenbrook popped into my mind and stayed with me over the course of that day:

“Turn your eyes towards Jesus

Look full on His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace”

May you truly experience Jesus’ love and His grace in your life as you seek Him.

R.Roth

When word came to Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left in it—though up to that time I had not set the doors in the gates—  Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages^[a] on the plain of Ono.”

But they were scheming to harm me;  so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”  Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer (Nehemiah 6: 1-4)

In today’s world we are blessed with many modern conveniences and technology that is incredibly useful.  However one of the downsides of our present culture is the relentless distractions these technologies can pose.  From the vibrating Blackberry or iphone with the latest text message to the steady stream of e-mails, it is easy to lose our focus.  It is not uncommon to take “just a moment” to check e-mail and then look at the clock to find an hour has passed and some important work has been left undone!

If you are plagued by distractions it can be useful to study the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a common man in a unique position. He was a secure and successful cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had little power, but he had great influence. He was trusted by the king. He was also a man of God, concerned about the fate of Jerusalem.

When Nehemiah learns that the wall of Jersualem had become broken down and its gates burned, he broke down and wept.   For several days he mourned and fasted and prayed to God.  He asked that God help him to find favour with King Artaxerxes so that he might grant him a leave of absence and go to Jerusalem to oversee the re-building of the wall and gates.  Such favour was received and Nehemiah journeyed to Jerusalem some 800 miles away to begin this project.

He quickly and efficiently formed teams of people to begin work on the repairs and within a short time much progress had been made.  However, that was when the distractions and obstacles began.  First some naysayers (Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem) began to mock and ridicule Nehemiah.  When that didn’t dissuade him from his task  they became angry and began to plot to fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it.  But Nehemiah, learning of the threat, prayed to God for help and posted guards day and night to thwart their plans.

Next, there was trouble from within the ranks.  The labourers were becoming tired and discouraged by the enormity of the task.  Nehemiah had to shore up the troops with more prayer and a pep talk.  Later Nehemiah discovers that many of the people were living in crushing poverty and some had sold their sons and daughters as slaves.  He confronts the nobles and officials saying “You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!….”What you are doing is not right!”  With God’s help Nehemiah succeeded in abolishing the usuary (exhorbitant interest charged on loans) and even fed hundred and fifty Jews at his own table!

And on and on it went.  Poor Nehemiah faced a continual onslaught of distractions and challenges as he sought to re-build the wall and gates of Jersualem.  Nothing would dissuade or discourage him as he kept his mind and heart on his goal and continuously prayed and sought God’s help.  Finally, just as the wall and gates were nearly complete, his enemies once again called to him to leave his work and meet with them.  And Nehemiah answers them not once but four times:  “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down.  Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

Nehemiah completed the repairs in an astonishing 52 days!  This week whenever you are tempted by distractions, I encourage you to remember Nehemiah and his refusal to be defeated in accomplishing his goal.  By keeping his “eye on the prize” and relying on God’s help and leading he was able to endure and overcome and so can you.

D. Lim

As an avid curler and a Christian, I see many parallels between curling and the Christian life. I’ll try to limit myself to a just few for this paragraph! Based on my experience, it appears that curling fans are also active participants in the sport. In much the same way, Christianity requires that we be active in living out our beliefs. The Church is not just a club that you join and then sit back while you watch others living out God’s will. Age is not a barrier to curling and actually in my last game of this season, I played alongside a man who will be 94 years “young” this year. He was curling before I was born. Also in our Christian walk, age is no barrier to spreading the “good news”, and here at Glenbrook we have many wonderful examples of this. Curling requires that the members of the team each use their gifts in co-operation with one another every time that the rock is delivered. In the recent world championship, the sports announcers made many references to the fact that each Team Canada player knew the role he had to play and they communicated with each other constantly during the play. This is what set them apart from the other competitors and therefore enabled them to win the prize. Doesn’t that remind you of the working of the body of Christ, the Church, where each one of us has been given gifts to use to the glory of God? When each of us uses our gifts in co-operation with others, then people see the harmony that is produced and we become a collective witness to our Lord Jesus. Just as Jesus is our Lord, the one head of the Church, who leads us through His Holy Spirit, so we put our trust in Him and allow Him to use us in His plan for the world. The curling parallel is the team skip that plans the strategy and knows the subtle variations in the playing surface, so that he can show us where to deliver the curling rocks to the best position to win the game. As players we must “trust” the skip and follow his leading. When we are at one end of the sheet of ice, crouched down to deliver a rock, we need to keep our focus on the skip or we will likely miss the shot. The more we trust, communicate with, and develop a close relationship with our curling skip, the more we are able to see where we are going in a particular match and therefore our likelihood of winning. This is what has set Canada above others this year and also previous years. When we put our trust in Jesus, communicate by prayer, and develop that close relationship with Him, we will eventually hear His voice saying “Well done, good and faithful servant”. This is the prize we strive for and the only way to get there is to keep our eyes upon Jesus.

G. Ryder

“Hosanna!^[a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[b]

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”^[c]

¹⁶ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷ Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (John 12: 12-19 NIV)

This past Sunday, Christian churches the world over celebrated “Palm Sunday” to mark Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem mere days before his death by crucifixion.  In the Gospel accounts we read that the crowds honoured Jesus by cutting palm branches and laying them in his path, while in the Book of Luke we are also told that many people took off their cloaks and lay them on the road.

In Jesus’ day this was the equivalent of receiving the “red carpet treatment”.  This was treatment reserved for royalty  — not what it has become today – a tribute to celebrity.  Today’s red carpet is associated with being rich, important and famous.  Red carpet walkers feel exalted – superior to those who stand on the sidelines with their cameras and autograph books.

Yet Jesus, who submitted to the adoration of Palm Sunday, was quick to balance his portrayal as King and Saviour with a demonstration of humble servitude.   At the last supper Jesus took off his robe and humbly washed his disciples’ feet – in effect taking on the role of slave – to demonstrate his love and his desire that all who follow him exalt others above themselves.

Just as Jesus put others’ needs ahead of his own – even dying on the cross to atone for our sins – so too are we to think of more about others than ourselves.

On Sunday, our church’s children and youth packaged toiletry bags to give to the homeless in our community.  They undertook the project with care and thoughtfulness rather than their usual childhood abandon.  It was encouraging to see the children as they sorted through the donations to find just the right cream or the biggest shampoo to put in their bags.  They wanted the best items possible for the recipients of their bags.   Later, they did cards and pictures of encouragement to tuck in the bags.  They expressed concern for children who might be homeless and asked if we could collect some toys for the bags “next time”.

It was humbling to see how readily these young people exalted the homeless and thought only of their needs.   I went away chastened.  Is my daily approach to life focussed on ME rather than others?  Do I plan my day around service and care of others instead of accomplishments and tasks?  Am I jealous of others like the Pharisees were when they witnessed the crowds cheering Jesus or do I celebrate others’ successes?

As we contemplate Jesus’ sacrifice this week, let’s be mindful that we can honour Him best by seeking not the red carpet treatment for ourselves, but by rolling out the red carpet for all who cross our paths on this journey through life.

D. Lim

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,

Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. [Numbers 21: 4-9]

The Apostle John recorded a conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus where Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” [John 3:14-15] A commentator said that if John had not mentioned Moses’ bronze snake in his Gospel, that strange incident in Numbers 21 could have been safely ignored.

As the story unfolds in Exodus and Numbers, the Israelites have been sustained by manna (the miserable food they referred to in the verses above) and water from the rock (another foreshadowing type of Christ) as they wandered through the wilderness. But they are deeply unhappy with their situation and their leaders.

The venomous snakes that appear are a physical manifestation of their sin and rebellion, their poisonous discontent taking form in the real world. It is a lesson that sour attitudes and grumblings can destroy people and community.

But those bitten by these venomous snakes (or fiery serpents as some versions have it) can be saved by looking at the bronze snake Moses made. There they saw a dead snake nailed to a staff and then they can know that whatever is trying to harm them has been overcome and defeated by the Lord. Their enemy has no power over them.

More than a thousand years later, God the Son will physically come into our world as a living and breathing man. Our sins and all that is wrong with us will be laid upon Him as He is nailed to a cross. His death will put to death all that is wrong with us. His resurrection will re-create us. When we look to the cross, we can know that what is trying to kill us has been defeated. We have been saved. We must not give in to its soul-destroying message. We are a new creation.

C. Wong

Following the event I reflected on how Jesus Christ was the ultimate mentor to His disciples. When initially asked, each disciple chose to leave an existing career to follow a brand new career – one involving risk but that played a critical role in God’s plan of salvation for all of humanity. That was some career counselling!

The Bible’s New Testament records sessions where Jesus met privately with the disciples to provide mentoring. Matthew Chapter 10 is a detailed account of when Jesus sends out the twelve for ministry with verses 5 to 42 recording Jesus’ personal instructions and guidance for this mission. In Matthew Chapter 20, verses 17 to 19, Jesus calls the Disciples to a private session where He predicts His own death and resurrection, thereby providing the twelve with guidance on what they should expect as their mission unfolds. At many times the disciples don’t fully grasp what Jesus means although through discussions/questions and probing of Him, a picture of the future becomes somewhat clearer.

Matthew Chapters 24 and 25 provide a detailed account of Jesus’ private response to the disciples on the Mount of Olives when they ask Him about the signs of the end of the age and His coming. The accounting of the Lord’s Supper as described in Matthew Chapter 26, verses 17 to 30 is a classic example of how Jesus prepares His disciples for what lies ahead and how they are to be guided. In all cases, Jesus methodically prepares the Disciples for what the future will bring.

We may provide guidance/mentoring to someone during our life time. However, the significance of our advice is not fully grasped until the individual steps out and experiences the path on their own. In the same way, the disciples were mentored and guided by Jesus while together on earth. However, it was only after His crucifixion was carried out and the evidence of His resurrection was made clear to them, that the disciples truly realized the significance of who Jesus was and what it meant for all of humanity.

R. Roth

 “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” (Saint Augustine)

In creating us, God made us relational beings designed to be connected with him and with each other. This fact is clear in God’s declaration in Gen 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” After placing Adam and Eve in the garden, part of God’s routine was to spend time with them (Gen 3:8). Adam and Eve’s sin, however, broke this relationship and led to estrangement from God. From this point on in the first eleven chapters of Genesis we see humans trying to reconnect with the divine. The problem, however, is that these efforts invariably end up being flawed or misguided. When Cain attempts to reconnect with God through sacrifice, for example, he gets it wrong and in his frustration and anger murders his brother.

In the case of Genesis 6, we see another flawed attempt to reconnect with God. In this passage, figures described as the “sons of God” take the “daughters of men” as wives and have children by them. Readers have long been troubled by these verses. Rabbinic commentators understood the “sons of God” to be despotic human rulers, while later medieval writers saw them as a godly line of Seth that intermarried with an ungodly line of Cain. The earliest understanding of the “sons of God” identified these beings as angels and this is the view that is most in keeping with the use of this phrase elsewhere in the Old Testament (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). The objection of some that marriage between humans and angels is unseemly or prohibited (cf. Matt 22:30; Mk 12:25; Lk 20:34–36) is precisely the point that the author wants to make. This is not how one relates to heavenly beings!

The situation described in these verses is problematic because this is not how God intended us to relate to him or the heavenly beings he created. After creating Adam, God went through a long process to ensure that he had a proper partner. This is why all of the created animals are paraded before him (Gen 2:19–20). When an appropriate match is not found, God creates a partner specifically tailored to the man and his needs. The phrase the KJV uses to describe this—“an help meet for him”—has often been used to teach the subservience of woman to man. Nothing could be further from the truth. A helper is not by nature an inferior, but one who provides assistance where we are unable to carry out a task on our own. Often in the Bible, God himself is described using this very same word. In creating Eve, God fashioned for Adam, “a helper corresponding to him.” In other words, she zigged where he zagged. The picture is of a human pair created to support each other and to provide strength where the partner was weak.

This ideal of humans paired in relationships of mutual support is nowhere to be seen in the marriages between the “sons of God” and “daughters of men” that we encounter in Genesis 6. These are unions of unlike beings and vastly disproportionate power. They are not the kind of unions of mutual caring and support that God had in mind when he created the first human couple. Nor do these unions represent a way to restore the broken relationship with God. In fact, quite the opposite occurs. While the text does not provide details, it goes on to state that the result of these unions is profoundly negative. Initially, God sought to curb their effect by limiting human lifespans (6:3). As God continued to observe the people he had made, however, he saw that every thought that they formed was “only evil, all the time.” The Hebrew of verses 5 and 6 indicates that the evil plotted in human “hearts” resulted in suffering in the “heart” of God. With the creation once pronounced “very good” now spawning nothing but evil and bringing suffering to God, God determines to begin again. The world would be “erased.”

Before this occurs, however, we find a glimmer of hope. In the previous chapter we learned of the birth of a child who would bring the world comfort from the curse it was under (5:29). Now, even as sentence is passed on the human race, we are reintroduced to this man and told that he has found favour in the eyes of God. In the midst of overwhelming evil, Noah has remained faithful. In the following chapter, this man and his radical obedience will be the means by which God gives creation a new beginning.

Saint Augustine’s words are still true. It is also true, however, that not all restless hearts find the rest they seek. Often people start out looking for one thing but settle for a cheap imitation. We crave love, but substitute sex. We long for meaning, but settle for wealth. We seek faith, but end up with legalism. There are many ways in which we can be diverted in our search for God. Were it entirely up to us, we would be groping in the dark. The God who made us for relationship with himself, however, is ready to meet us and has done so in Christ.

 B. Irwin

 First of all prayer is a gift given to us by God, and God wants us to use this gift to strengthen the relationship that He desires to have with us.  I believe that God wants us to be ourselves when we come to Him or connect to Him in prayer.  Some people do have a gift of expressing themselves in general conversation, discussions and even prayer in a way that may impress us.  This is great and can be instructive to us.  But does it mean that God is also impressed?  I don’t think so.  God knows each of us in every detail and by approaching Him honestly, we do in fact worship God by just being ourselves.  In small group prayers sometimes we become concerned about what other people will think, and this can limit our ability to connect to God.  We need to remember that what others think is not important.  God knows all our needs and desires.  He understands and is pleased when we approach Him in prayer.  God doesn’t care about our oratory skills, but rather the relationship that we have with Him.  As with other activities in our lives, the more we practice prayer the more comfortable we become and the closer is that relationship.

Perhaps this can be compared with the parents of a young child, when they remember the joy of hearing the first words being spoken, and then later when that child discovers the process of asking simple questions.  How special are these moments.  In a similar way, God wants us to come to Him as a child to their parent and just as we are.  Jesus always welcomed little children to come to him.  In our prayer life coming to the Lord as a little child is a great way to start.

 G. Ryder

 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” 
   says the Teacher. 
“Utterly meaningless! 
   Everything is meaningless.”

What do people gain from all their labors 
   at which they toil under the sun? 
Generations come and generations go, 
   but the earth remains forever. 
The sun rises and the sun sets, 
   and hurries back to where it rises. 
The wind blows to the south 
   and turns to the north; 
round and round it goes, 
   ever returning on its course. 
All streams flow into the sea, 
   yet the sea is never full. 
To the place the streams come from, 
   there they return again. 
All things are wearisome, 
   more than one can say. 
The eye never has enough of seeing, 
   nor the ear its fill of hearing. 
What has been will be again, 
   what has been done will be done again; 
   there is nothing new under the sun. 
Is there anything of which one can say, 
   “Look! This is something new”? 
It was here already, long ago; 
   it was here before our time. 

Ecclesiastes 1:1-10

I am listening to the 2011 Laing Lectures from Regent College about the Lure of Technology. The first lecture explored the boundaries of cyberspace and asked if there is room for grace within this space. The speaker meant grace as in the presence of God mediated by such things as communion or worship.

A long time ago, the Teacher said in Ecclesiastes that “there is nothing new under the sun.” He then went on to enumerate all the things he did to fill his days. I often imagined, if he had been born in our day and age, the Teacher exploring cyberspace and being the first to buy an iPad. But his conclusion that it was all “meaningless, a chasing after the wind” would probably have been the same.

We live in an age so immersed in virtual reality, we no longer notice it. The CD we listen to in our cars is a virtual re-presentation of a past musical performance. The character in a movie we laugh and cry with does not really exist. The family member we Skype is not really present in our living room. Which leads to the question: where is our very real God in all this?

One of the respondents to the lectures said that the Kingdom of God encompasses all space, including cyberspace. There is really no place where He is not. We, who bear His image, represent  Him in virtual reality which makes this space very real for us. He went on to speak about his Facebook friends, most of whom he knows personally and some of whom are people who heard him speak and wanted to be his friends. He cannot divorce this aspect of friendship from his real world interactions. They are closely tied and enhance each other.

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes concludes (after many weary chapters of crying, Meaningless! Meaningless!) “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: 
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” 

It is a good motto for the start of a new year.

C. Wong