Deja Vu - August 2006

July was a pretty scary month! News of escalated fighting between Lebanese terrorists and Israeli forces -- sparked by a hostage-taking -- has caused massive evacuations of citizens and vacationers and left many innocent people dead! South Lebanon lies in rubble. Parts of Haifa have been destroyed by bombing ... The Canadian media is having a field day with Canada’s struggle to bring her citizens safely home.

Some of us older folk remember similar terrible news-reports in the 1970’s when Israel invaded Lebanon because terrorists hiding in Lebanon repeatedly attacked the country. Previous attempts by Syria to quell a civil war between Christians & Moslems had failed. A UN force was eventually sent into Lebanon to keep peace. -- Can peace be brokered again? By whom?

In the late 60’s AD (After our Lord) Zealots antagonized the Roman authorities sufficiently to spark a series of wars. Unbelievably, they were able to take over the almost impenetrable

fortress at Masada on the West shore of the Dead sea -- and they held it for 5 years!

This oversimplified version of the events of the day remind us of the political setting of the Gospels and the first Pauline letters. It also reminds me of the saying of the late Northrop Frye: "There’s nothing new under the sun."

On the last Sunday in July, with the failed talks for a peace settlement in Rome just a few days before -- many church sermons reflected on the Gospel of John, chapter 6 and Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, chapter 3.

According to the Gospel, Jesus had fed 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread and with 2 small fish. Then, Jesus rescued his fearful disciples as they rowed north on the stormy sea of Galilee without him -- and he miraculously brought them safely to their destination!

We could sure use Jesus right about now!

Paul was a great missionary for Christ! It had been put into his heart to share the plan of God; the good news of Christ, with the Gentiles of Asia Minor = the present areas we now see conflicted with wars and terrorism -- They too, are God’s people ...

Paul believed that the Gentiles and the newly converted Christian believers would benefit from knowing and experiencing God better. Simply put: with Christ’s love in their hearts they would listen to his Word (John 14) and Jesus and God living within them would change them -- and thereby they would not only live lives pleasing to God, but also see the world as God does.

I can’t imagine such people murdering, hating, lieing to each other. The ‘holy wars’ of our time are really pogroms intended to destroy the neighbour you hate. -- We’ve seen it all before!

The message of the Gospel includes another brief story about Jesus. After he had fed the crowd, he perceived that they were coming to forcibly take him to make him their king --

Jesus wanted nothing to do with this sort of fanatical, militaristic zeal. He chose instead, to climb up the mountain to pray [to GOD]!

-- Yes, in times like these, even Jesus sought God’s advice.

Jesus is still with us. Scripture reminds us that Jesus now ‘speaks for us’ before God. I can imagine him doing that with tears in his eyes! How do you advocate for such a sinful creation?

Nevertheless, Jesus died for us and now reigns in heaven for us --

Our part, I believe, is to share the news of God’s good will for humanity with all we meet. This will give people hope and new insight into God’s plan and ways. It will also serve as a warning to those who would destroy God’s good creation. Be faithful . Be rooted and grounded in the love of Jesus. Do God’s work, not the work of evil. Amen