We Remember Him

"They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning

We will remember them."

Ode of Remembrance

Yesterday I rose early and went with many others throughout Australia, New Zealand and across the globe to an ANZAC dawn service.  There may have been well over a thousand people who lined the streets in front of the cenotaph, standing in the dark chill of the morning for the sober occasion.  25 April is the anniversary of the first military action of Australians and New Zealanders in the first World War on the shores of Gallipoli.  It is also a time to remember those who have served and died in war for our nation.  It is a longstanding tradition to gather at dawn to remember them, lest we forget.

One thing that is always well done at the ANZAC dawn services I have attended is an explanation of what ANZAC Day stands for and why we gather.  The structure to the service is fairly predictable:  a welcome, prayer, hymns (favourites are "Abide with Me" and "Here's to the Heroes"), the recitation of the Ode, wreath laying as bagpipes are played, the Last Post is performed with a bugle, a minute of silence followed by The Rouse on the bugle, and the singing of the Australia and New Zealand national anthems.  A diverse group of people and families, young and old, united together in the street to remember and honour the fallen.  Next to a man standing at attention, his jacket adorned in medals and a sprig of rosemary, a mother tended to an infant in a pram.  It was wonderful to see this meaningful tradition being observed by parents who brought their children along.

Attending ANZAC Day dawn services is a common tradition for many that has been passed down through generations.  Anyone who goes to a service is reminded why we gather.  No one is there because it is a convenient hour, because of the quality of the amplification system, to be entertained by musicians, the rousing speeches by guest dignitaries or the angelic voices of a choir.  There was no comfortable seating available or air conditioning.  Those who gathered did so to remember the ANZACs and those who died in war and military operations.  When your mind is focused on this meaningful purpose for attending a dawn service, the discomfort of standing still for an hour on cold concrete, auditory pain of feedback through the speakers or the distraction of out-of-sync music and singers will pose no hindrance from returning the following ANZAC Day.

I feel the same concerning regular attendance to church where, with great fondness and admiration, we remember our LORD Jesus Christ who gave His life for us lost sinners.  If going to church is only a tradition and bereft of meaning or purpose, the quality of the sound system, comfort of the seats and air conditioning, and style of the preacher can deter us from continuing to attend.  Whether in church leadership or a parishioner, we can be drawn to focus on style over substance and actually be distracted from our primary focus:  to love, serve and worship God and one another in unity as the Body of Christ.  We gather for prayer, study and to sing praise, choosing to pour out our lives as a living sacrifice to God which is our reasonable service.  As people and families young and old met at the cenotaph at the break of dawn, so believers ought to frequently gather together to remember Him:  our Saviour Jesus.

Born Again to Be

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you."

Ephesians 4:31-32

Some are under the impression Christianity is little more than a list of "do's and don'ts" Christians themselves do not always live up to.  This view can be formed due to the personal experience of feeling condemned by professing Christians, the pricking of a  person's own conscience and the changes we observe in people due to personal convictions after receiving Christ.  This really does not begin to tell the story of what Jesus does in transforming a person from within.  It isn't a matter of doing but of being, and verses like this one in the book of Ephesians emphasise this continually.

It would be a mistake to reduce Christianity to following a checklist, as the Law of Moses proved without a doubt man is incapable to keep God's commands.  God gave the Jews His laws so they would realise they naturally were not righteous but wicked, and this awakened their need for atonement, forgiveness and salvation.  Paul said the Law of Moses was like a tutor that led them by the hand to Jesus our Saviour.  When a person believes in Jesus Christ as the Messiah--God in human flesh who died on the cross, rose from the dead and has ascended to heaven--is born again and receives eternal life.  By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit both Jew and Gentile are then empowered by God to do His will and walk in obedience to Him.

Mankind is born a slave to sin, and it is Jesus alone Who sets us free from the penalty and power of sin.  Because of Christ's life in them, Christians are able to put off the sins of bitterness, wrath, evil speaking and malice because of who God has made us to be.  Notice how Paul wrote, "Be kind to one another."  This is more than showing kindness but being kind, a spiritual transformation having taken place.  As Jesus Christ has done for us, because we are in Him we are also free to do this for others.  Jesus said in Luke 6:36:  "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful."  Kindness and mercy demonstrated by Jesus is not something we try to do but the way we are and can be because He is in us.

This "being" is something God desired from His people from the start as written in Deuteronomy 18:13:  "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God."  Jesus doubled-down on this in Matthew 5:48:  "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  We all know we are not perfect, and no amount of effort can accomplish this.  I grew up playing with superhero action figures and read comics that demonstrated the "powers" of each hero.  Superman had x-ray vision, could fly and had incredible strength because he was Superman.  He also had weakness to kryptonite his enemies often exploited.  It was not a challenge for Superman to use his powers, and it was impossible to change his weakness because of who he was and his planet of origin.  The only way for Superman to be able to overcome kyptonite was to avoid it or by the help of others.

This picture of helpless Superman is fitting for all mankind, for we are all born doomed to death because of our sin.  It is only by being born again by Jesus we are made new creations, having been freed from the power of sin and death by our Saviour.  We can now live as the people God has created us to be:  kind, compassionate, forgiving, merciful and perfect in God's sight.  Because we have been changed on the inside, we are commanded to put off the sins of the flesh and intentionally labour to follow the example of Jesus Who always did the will of His Father in heaven.  It is God Who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure.  People outside the kingdom of God can see the effort we make to avoid sin and the good we do as oppressive rules to follow rather than expressions of the reality of Christ in us and we in Him.  Praise the LORD for the opportunity to be born again, to be free indeed from the tyranny of the sin, the flesh and Satan.

Praising Through Pain

I have noticed when I bring up the subject of personal discomfort or pain due to injury, illness or condition, people are very quick to offer suggestions of what I can (or should!) do.  Their input is vast and varied according to their own experience.  Remedies, treatments, exercises, physical therapists, specialists and diets only begin to summarise the array of options presented to reduce present pain and promote healing.   If we or others are in pain, our first response is to do whatever we can to reduce or eliminate it.

While I believe the Bible teaches it is God's will to heal every illness (since Jesus healed all those who came to Him, thus revealing His power over all sin, sickness and spirit), we must leave the timing of our healing to Him.  God allows things that are not His will to occur on earth (like death) and by His grace He redeems pain or the ending of it.  Some are miraculously healed in a moment, and others will not experience freedom from pain until they are given a new body in the eternal state.  I do not fault anyone for seeking to treat conditions or reduce the pain they experience.  Even in pain, however, there is a place of rest knowing God is God and allows pain for His good purposes.

Over the years I have picked up some arthritis in my fingers.  In severe cases surgery is an option, but the outcomes often leave much to be desired.  Sometimes it can be better to manage the pain and stiffness of fingers and joints rather than try to replace God-given joints with synthetic ones.  What this means for me is the reality of living with present pain that will continue for the duration of my life on earth.  I can choose to receive the pain in my fingers as a gift from God, a physical and constant reminder of His presence and power for good.  God gave me these hands, and He has the right to utilise them in any way He wants--even if it hurts.  Since I know this to be true and trust Him, I can feel pain and say with confidence:  "This hurts.  But I am fine with it and am thankful."

There can be pain we may never be able to embrace or be "fine" with.  That is understandable.  At the same time we can look beyond pain that is excruciating to Jesus Christ, crucified for our sakes for the joy set before Him.  A woman who gives birth to a child encounters unspeakable pain, yet through the traumatic experience a new person is miraculously born into the world.  Christians have been adopted by God through Christ's suffering, and God will see to it eternal glory will be borne out of ours.  As followers of Jesus there is a glorious present and future determined for us according to God's grace despite pain.  I have lived my life seeking to avoid pain, and it feels great to be divinely enabled to embrace it in surrender to my Creator by faith in Him.

Someday pain will be a thing of the past.  Revelation 21:3-4 reads, "And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  We can only imagine a life and world without pain because we still experience it.  One day pain will be accounted as a former thing, something that will not be remembered nor come into mind.  Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Having an eternal perspective helps us navigate pain and affliction in a profitable way.  Since we surrendered our lives to Jesus, let us surrender our pains as well.  When I complain about my pain may the LORD remind me to praise Him instead, for He is able use our pains to achieve for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Jesus Sows, We Reap

A key theme in John 4 when Jesus met with the Samaritan woman and was met by the nobleman is sowing and reaping.  Whether Jesus conversed with an outcast woman or a nobleman, His truth convinced His hearers and bore spiritual fruit through faith.  After Jesus claimed to be the source of Living Water that gives everlasting life, He confirmed His statement with a word of knowledge concerning the woman being married 5 times and was living with a man she was not married to.  When she said she heard the Messiah was coming, Jesus told her:  "I that speak to you am He."  She immediately left her waterpot and went to the men of Samaria to bid them come and see:  "Is not this the Christ?"

After the woman of Samaria went to tell the townsfolk of her discovery, Jesus addressed His disciples.  While they were thinking about food to eat, Jesus told them His food was to do the will of God to gather a harvest--not of grain but of souls.  He said in John 4:36-38, "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labours."  Amazingly, the woman provided an example of what Jesus spoke of.  He scattered good seed of Gospel truth upon the Samaritan woman she received, shared with others, and immediately bore fruit by people believing in Jesus based on her testimony.  They both rejoiced in the spiritual harvest.  More still came to faith in Him by hearing Him themselves as John 4:41-42 affirms:  "And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

When Jesus was in Galilee a couple days later He was approached by a nobleman whose son was sick.  He requested Jesus accompany him to his home to heal his son.  John 4:50 states, "Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way."  While the man traveled home he was met by his servants who came to intercept him with the good news his son had made a miraculous, full recovery.  The nobleman asked when exactly the fever left his son and he began to recover.  They revealed it was the exact time Jesus said, "Your son lives."  John 4:53 tells us what happened:  "So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household."  First the man believed what Jesus said, and then he believed (based upon the miraculous healing of his son) that Jesus was the Christ.  Convinced of this truth he excitedly shared the truth with his whole household, and they all came to saving faith in Jesus too.

Like the farmer in the parable sowed good seed that is the word of God, Jesus sowed truth in conversations He had with the Samaritan woman, His disciples and the nobleman.  Jesus sowed, and the Samaritan and the nobleman reaped spiritual fruit.  He had done all the work, and their work was to share the truth of what Jesus had said, done and Who He is.  Many people came to faith by the testimony of people who met and talked with Jesus, and the same is true for disciples of Jesus today.  He has sent us to reap for which we have not laboured, to enter into His labour by gladly sharing the truth about Jesus, the Messiah sent to seek and save sinners.  Whether we sow, water or reap, Jesus rejoices with us when fruit is gathered for eternal life.  Jesus sows and by His grace we reap.