John 8:3-11 (NIV)

³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” ⁶ They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. ⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

   ⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

   ¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

   “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

1. Living in a world of contradictions: people are interesting. People are full of contradictions – and Christians are not immune. We’ve experienced pain, suffering, and prejudices. We are saved by God’s Grace, through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9). However, likened to a dance – we can move between the ‘old painful messages’ and Grace.

For example – In the encounter between Jesus, Martha and Mary at Bethany (Luke 10:38-41), we notice the tendency in Martha to shift into a stance of power when she seeks to co-opt Jesus’ power to influence her sister: ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’[1] But, rather than taking Mary’s side or colluding with Martha against Mary, Jesus creates a safe and spacious place where he can hold Mary’s contradictions with grace and mercy, while at the same time calling her towards deeper truth.

Biblical Truth – Jesus accepts our contradictions with grace and mercy, calling us toward deeper truth and relationship.

Yet the quest for truth can easily stretch away from grace and mercy, as we will now see as we examine the religious leaders’ treatment of the woman they claim to have caught in the act of adultery.

2. Jesus brings the focus onto himself: The crowd gathered around Jesus, their attention suddenly wrested from this compelling teacher, turns toward the exposed woman.

‘Ignoring the men’s question, Jesus bends down and doodles with his finger on the ground’.[2] 

Both the crowd and the Temple Men heavy turn their eyes away from the woman and lean forward, intrigued by what he might be writing. Was it his verdict? The woman’s death warrant? With Jesus’ figure now the centre of attention, a small inner space has opened up within the crowd. Humble and non-confrontational, Jesus’ stance is below the men, perhaps on level with the woman, who might have collapsed or been thrown to the ground by her accusers. Sensing that she is no longer the focus of attention, the woman glances at the stooped figure of Jesus writing with his finger in the dirt, her heart pounding in terror as she wonders if he is writing her death warrant.

Jesus, the Scapegoat:  John the Baptist declared, “here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’[3]

In the pause that Jesus creates by bringing the focus of attention onto himself, becoming the scapegoat, God’s Spirit invites these temple men to attend to their deep inner longing for intimacy with the One who created them as well as the Law. With their focus on external religious practices, these men–who are perhaps teetering on the precipice of their own sexual addictions–have become blind to their own sinfulness, inner contradictions and mixed motives. Their behaviour is addictive in nature, because they have become overly attached to the structure and form of their particular religious practice (legalism), its certitudes, rules and power to demand obedience.

Finally, Jesus straightens up and speaks: ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’[4]

Jesus, operating out of a forgiving and life-giving love, again opens the space in which surrender is made possible by stooping back down and writing on the ground, giving the religious men the opportunity to change posture, maybe as a way of slightly destabilizing them, as they look at what he is writing. ‘Is he listing my sins?’ they might be musing. In this tense moment, Jesus places his own body between danger and opportunity, life and death.  He does not push aside, nor dismiss, nor underplay the woman’s sinfulness, but takes the entire burden of it upon himself, into his own heart, his own body. As Jesus gives space for the truth of these men’s inner contradictions to squeeze through their highly guarded and protective self-righteous filters, he transforms a death-making place into a life-giving space.

By inviting these men, who are used to exercising power over others, into this reflective place, Jesus tenderly draws them to the dangerous brink of the breach between forgiving love and law-imposing power, where there is no neutral ground. Those who are trapped in the legalism of safe religion will either revamp their attack and react, by finding yet another scapegoat to distract themselves from their contradictions, addictions and bondage to the law, drawing an even tighter boundary around themselves.[5] Or they will respond, surrendering to Christ’s embodiment of forgiving love by moving towards relationships, love, grace and mercy.

3. Jesus brings NEW LIFE!

New life to the Temple Men… As the temple men turn inward and reckon with their “poverty of spirit”[6] before the One who holds truth, grace and mercy in perfect unity, the One who fulfills the law in his own person, first the older men begin to walk away; then the younger ones finally get it and follow.

New life to the once ashamed… The woman, transformed from an object into an onlooker, feels her senses slowly come to life as she watches the men’s feet shuffle away, stilling the ring of their accusations. 

Standing up, Jesus invites the woman to look up from her position in the dirt and meet his gentle gaze. As the master companion, he is careful to focus her attention on what has unfolded before her: ‘Woman, where are they?’

Jesus then asks the woman to reflect further on their departure with the question: ‘Has no one condemned you?’

Desperate to be freed from the deathly trap in which she might yet be caught by this religious teacher, the woman replies, ‘No one, sir.’

And from within the One who embodies God’s forgiving and enduring love, the one who holds mercy, grace and truth in perfect unity, comes the remarkable response, ‘Neither do I condemn you.’[7]

In the absence of condemnation, and in the flow of forgiving love with the one who has come not to abolish the law but to fulfill it,[8] Jesus moves beyond a pardon and embrace of the woman before him by inviting her to turn around, a repentance that will free her to choose a way of deeper rest and more abundant life than she has ever known or imagined possible: Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.[9]  

To be freed from her relationship addiction, she will need to move away from poor sexual attachments towards deeper intimacy with the One who created her. To cross the threshold of her narrow existence and see anew “into the life of things,” she will need to enter into obedient, listening communion with the One who loves her.

Looking ahead, we can anticipate the high price that Jesus will pay for the relational space that he opened to this woman in these volatile minutes–a space he also extended to those who were witnesses, including the religious leaders, perhaps a small handful of whom turned their hearts towards Christ’s forgiving love when they said “no” to the temptation of exercising power over another.

4. And how do the people of God respond?

For as we can learn from our Lord in this tense narrative from the gospel of John, we, too, can create a non-judgmental space, where pilgrims can share their stories without reservation or fear of rejection or condemnation. As companions, we then hold these burdens, contradictions and entanglements close to the gentle and humble heart of Jesus, where there is no shame or condemnation, but only life-giving and forgiving love–the same love that is embracing our own addictions, burdens and entrapments. And as we share in the flow of this flow of love, we journey alongside the pilgrim towards the figure of a stooped-down liberator writing on the ground, fearlessly proclaiming ‘the good news of the Kingdom of God.’[10]

Going further…

1. What happens when we become overly attached to the structure and form of our particular religious practice, legalism, certitudes, rules and expert power?

1. How does Jesus open up space not only for the accused woman but for the accusers as well?

1. How might we follow his way?

1.       He followed me down the road through Albany Creek & noticed my Ute lights were failing, vehicle spluttering. He saw my army uniform, thought of his son who has just joined the army and stopped to offer a ‘soldier’ a hand.

2.       He said he was a Christian and sensed God prompting him’ in his spirit to stop and assist.

3.       He said he was a qualified motor mechanic. What better person to stop and assist with a broken down vehicle.

4.       His ute battery fitted my ute, not perfectly, but his knowledge made it possible to drive to the Brendale mechanic.

5.       He asked where I was going (Leitchs Road Brendale, to my mechanic). He was going to the same street as well!!

6.       Finally, he had been praying to God about ADF Chaplaincy in the last two weeks. He thanked God for Army Chaplains who encouraged his son as a recruit whilst at basic training. He was grateful that Chaplains are in the ADF and are there to support the soldiers – like his son. The ministry of ADF Chaplains had reached through to him through his son’s encouragement. His prayer was that he could talk with an army Chaplain (and that too was answered!).

Sunday October 16th our 3 pm service will be focussed upon ‘looking back, moving forward.‘ Warner Church is seven years young and its future is bright. This Sunday will be a day of remembering, sharing, worshipping together followed by an afternoon tea. For those interested the Parsons’ will have an open house with a BBQ & yes the coffee machine will be on!

For more details contact Pastor Haydn Parsons.

 Commences 3 pm Sundays.

Session topics include:

 What is prophesy?

 How does God speak?

 How to deliver a prophetic word.

 How to judge a prophetic word.

 Hindrances to prophesy being

fulfilled.

 Misconceptions about the prophetic.

 Growing your gift.

 Prophetic evangelism.

Each Sunday we commence with the DVD teaching series, followed by an activation, then we roll into a time of worship & communion together.

 For further information -

Contact

Pastor Haydn Parsons

PH: 0410289082

It was wise to invest in such thorough preparation as the actual holiday to ‘the Cape’ was full of many adventures.

My experience of our off-road adventure then, is not dissimilar to the faith journey today.

For a long time I was a Christian whose weekly routine involved attending church and bible studies. I sat in the pew, sang the songs, gave my offering and took part occasionally when invited. These are all good things.  But in reflection, ‘doing’ these things were like preparing for the off-road excursion north without actually leaving the driveway for the adventure itself. Something had to change.

Two things changed my life: One – through a close and honest mentoring relationship I was encouraged to discover and live a life based on friendship with God. Two – my view of Church was from a worldview that I was an individual looking after my stuff who attended a certain church. What was missing was the understanding that the Church was a community of faith filled with God’s love and hope, who ministered to God through worship, one another and society through loving relationships.

Today, I like to think things are different. Then, life was rather static and routine. Today, it’s dynamic. The God I believe in and confess to know is alive in my life and active in the world. God invites me to trust in Him, to not just ‘prepare’ myself for the adventure but to live it out each day wherever I am.

Every adventure has twists and turns, surprises and even obstacles. Every adventure provides a opportunity to live, grow and discover.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11: 28-30 The Message.

I believe Jesus is the God of invitation. What is Jesus inviting you to become after reading this?

See you on the journey.

-          Haydn

Last week I visited the Gold Coast. The purpose of my visit there was to support a family through grief and planning a funeral of their mum, who had just days earlier passed away.

At some time we all must face the reality of death. And as  follower of Jesus it is a time for us to grieve the loved one and reflect upon the hope of our eternal destination. Here is an excerpt from the funeral message I delivered last week at St.James Church, Biggera Waters.

“ Thinking of the Broadwater for a moment, my mind takes me to a large expanse of blue water, where people can walk beside, enjoy a picnic or take a boat for a sail. 

When describing the journey of dying, author Henry Van Dyke used the image of sailing. He writes,

“I am standing at the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. I stand and watch her until at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud, just where the sea and the sky come to mingle with each other. And just at that moment when someone beside me says, “There, she’s gone” There are other eyes watching her coming (on the other side of the horizon, out of our sight)… voices ready to take up the glad shout:” Here she comes!” And that is dying.

The bible says that for the Christian there is a peace knowing that death is not the end. Today we grieve the loss of a loved One. It’s okay to shed tears of loss. Together we celebrate her life, with triumphs and tests. Over these months visiting her a quiet confidence was evident. When I met with her, I noticed that her soul was at ‘Rest”, in other words – at peace; knowing where her final destination would be.

Jesus is recorded saying in Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Back then, Jesus addressed the issue of religious ‘burdens’ imposed upon people by the out of touch religious leaders of the day. Jesus used the image of an Oxen ‘yoked’ for hard-work, to convey the soul-burden what people were carrying. People were carrying the burden of impossible rules that led to suffering, despair and hopelessness. People were told that if they kept stringent rules only then would they be acceptable to God.

In contrast, Jesus described his ‘yoke’, or his burden, being one that is ‘light’ and of ‘rest.’ Why did he say this? Jesus was showing what God was really like. God who was perceived to be out there somewhere and a stickler for impossible rules, was actually compassionate, caring and pretty down to earth (literally); describing himself as ‘gentle and humble of heart.” God, in Jesus, was accessible. And God, in Jesus, was all about bringing souls into His eternal “rest”.

Today, there are many things that can be a burden. We might face the burden of religious legalism, illness, relationship breakdown, stress… but to name a few. And then there’s dying. Jesus invites us to find ‘rest’ in him. Our friend understood what eternal rest meant. She attended this Church regularly with her mum and sister. She developed her ‘relationship’ with Jesus through worship and service to others.

Our friend is at peace, rewarded with eternal rest by faith in Jesus Christ.  We too can have this same hope. The apostle Paul wrote, “If our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1).

Remember the sailing boat image? Our friends time with us has ended, she has boarded and sailed across the great sea that is mystery called dying, and she has disembarked on heavens shores; with a new body, where suffering doesn’t exist, and in the presence of her friend and Lord Jesus… her Prince of Peace.

Amen.

Discovering Soul Care

‘Young adults’ (weekly, Monday evenings from 7.30 pm). This group is receiving practical training in the area of ‘prophetic activation’- discovering spiritual gifts. It’s biblical, safe & empowering.

‘Candle 715′ (Thursday fortnight, Kallangur 7:15 pm- 8.45 pm). The Candle 715 group has been exploring “Soul Care’, as part of spiritual formation. They share a secure facebook site where they discuss reflections and reponses to the material. It’s an ongoing conversation.

‘North of zero’ (Saturday evenings, centres around dinner).

To join in on the fun and fellowship of any of these lifegroups, please contact Pastor Haydn by phone 0410289082 or email haydn.warner@gmail.com

Read on to learn what was covered…

Awareness… In pairs, walk into a shop and ask someone the question, “Can you please direct me to the nearest local church?” And if you’d like to take it to another level, ask “Can you direct me to where I can find the Warner community Church of Christ is?

What was the answer you received?

Reality is…

In 1901, with a population of 3.77 Million people, 96.1 % people affiliated with being ‘Christian.’

In 2001, with population of 18.79 Million, percentages have declined to 68%

In 2006, population of 19.85 million, it further reduced to 63%

The National Church Life Survey (NCLS) showed that in 1960 41% of the Australian population attended church at least monthly, but by 1980 this figure had declined to 25% and was heading down to 20% by 2000. (Kaldor, Peter et. al. Build My Church: Trends and Possibilities for Australian Churches. Sydney: Openbook, 1999, p.22).

The proportion of the Australian population present at church on a typical weekend in 1996 was 9.9 percent; in 2001 it had fallen to 8.8 percent. At the same time, the proportion of people claiming to identify with a Christian denomination had fallen from 71 percent in the 1996 Census to 68 percent in 2001.

The numbers can be overwhelming. Nonetheless, they remind us of our purpose. The Church as ‘team’ has a role in contributing to the kingdom of God.

The Church as ‘team.’

 To illustrate, imagine if Church were a basketball team. God would be the owner, the pastor the coach and the church community would be the team. Imagine these three scenario’s…

1)       The coach plays alone. It would be ludicrous to watch a team sit the game out on the bench while the coach was doing all the work. Crazy, but this happens in churches all the time. People expect pastors to do all the work whilst the team cheers them on. The outcome? The coach burns out,  or becomes disillusioned and quits; whilst the team often feel frustrated they can’t get ‘in the game.’

2)       The players stay in the huddle. Imagine a team getting off the bench and onto court but remaining in their huddle for the entire game. It would be foolish, yet many churches are like this. They ‘talk and plan’ what they’re going to do yet never activate as a team. The huddle is important as it provides the team space to prepare for the game.

3)       The players argue instead of playing. Imagine the players heading onto the court but then start fighting over their uniforms and their positions. Crazy, but this happens all the time in churches. This can lead to teams splitting and being reduced in effectiveness.

It’s half time and coaches (pastors) are apologising for not equipping the team (church) to play effectively. There is a shift taking place; whereby the team & coach are moving from ‘consumers to contributors’ to kingdom growth.

Building God’s House.

Matthew 28:18-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• God, by His love and grace, has made a NEW covenant with his people. He is committed to seeing his Bride grow into maturity.
• God’s people, the Church, have committed to love, worship and serve God.
• The two way journey: going INWARD – being formed as a disciple, living from our identity in Christ, learning to hear & trust God. OUTWARD – serving the church and serving the wider community, living a Spirit filled life that stands out from the crowd; moving away from consumerism to contributing to kingdom growth.

Acts 2:42-47 ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’

The early church gives us key principles to follow:

1         Prayer was important to Jesus and it’s to be a priority for us. Our hearts are moved by God through prayer. We pray in the Spirit, we pray for one-another & we pray for our world. The early church built community through teaching and ‘prayer.’(1 Tim. 2:1-4)

2         Worship is an act and attitude of loving God, putting Him first in our lives. Worship doesn’t just occur on Sunday’s for our corporate gathering, but occurs in our homes and in other small groups as well. (John 4:20-24)

3         Love is treating others as you’d like to be treated (like the golden rule Jesus taught Matthew 7:12). The early church was known for its hospitality and generosity.

4         Protection of unity. United we stand, divided we fall; unity brings blessing to God. Rumours, open disobedience and gossip are like a cancer that eats away at the life of a church and can kill it. Living in community requires humility, selflessness and prayerfulness towards others including the leadership. Be a peacemaker.

5         Serve people! A healthy church is one that is motivated by God’s love to serve one-another and their community. Become a contributor, not a consumer (1 Peter 4:10).

6         Give. The early Church reflected the ‘generous God’ they worshipped. Sure, bring your tithe or first-fruits to the church community but also ‘be generous’ to those in need.

7         Step out in faith to reach out. God, in Jesus, became vulnerable to show us what God was like and how we’re to live. Our discipleship has to have balance: INWARD & OUTWARD emphasis. It’s easy to sign to for another course or the latest seminar, but it’s challenging for us to reach out to people IN LOVE. Be a friend to people. Be a friend to the unchurched. Be a witness, be the son & daughter of God the Father he’s made you to be… don’t be a wimp! Don’t allow the same team players to shoulder the load. Commit to prayer souls who need Jesus & LOVE them accordingly.

Remember: be intentional from moving from an ever distracting consumer mindset to being a kingdom contributor!

Take a moment to reflect on this. What area in your life is God inviting you to bring before him? 

Our dream…

Our mission is “To connect with the unconnected, and glorify God together.”

Our vision for our church is “We envisage that Warner Church will grow as a diverse, dynamic and every multiplying network of Christ worshipping communities, who live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in Brisbane, our region and beyond; through compassionate, relational and Holy Spirit led missions.”

Practice:

Spend the week reflecting on the points below. What stands out to and why?

• Move from consumer to ‘contributor’ mindset.
• Pray, worship & read God’s Word often.
• Become a listener: for God’s leading &  people around you. We learn by listening.
• Make a point of encouraging someone in your church community each day.
• Pray for your church leaders & pray for one-another by name.
• Examine your schedule: where do you spend time with unchurched? When do you connect with your church community? Step out in faith and Join a group / club outside the Churchworld bubble. Be Jesus & serve those people and let your example shine!
• Identify your spiritual gifts and serve your church through them.
• Take initiative: engage in conversation & prayer with people with similar passion or interest. Pray & think things through. Recruit your pastor & leaders! Work together, don’t wait… take action

God bless – Haydn

As Christians we also anticipate Ascension Day Thursday June 2^nd (Acts 1:9-11) and Pentecost Sunday June 12^th (Acts 2:1-4). For the Christian no time is merely ordinary!

God our Father,

God of heaven and earth,

Through your Son Jesus you have made known to us your name and nature.

The Word who was made flesh,

And the person of the Holy Spirit.

May you reveal more of your love to us,

And bless us as we open ourselves to you more.

Thank you for inviting us to enter into the depths of your love,

And may we reflect your love, light, hope and glory as we journey each day.

In Jesus name we pray,  Amen.

The first words of Jesus in John’s gospel are; ‘what do you want?’ the disciples’ answer; ‘where do you live?’ and Jesus simply but profoundly responds; ‘come and see!”

The Lenteen journey to Easter is a journey home to God. As Christians we traditionally focus in on Jesus’ death and resurrection at Easter.

This is great! Yet we tend to miss so much about Jesus’ life, teaching, his interactions with people that reveal his ‘humanity’ as well as his divinity. During Lent we discover Jesus who is reveals the nature of the Father through everyday occurrences. Jesus is truly Immanuel – God with us!

We learn much about ourselves and the wonderful God we worship whilst on the journey home. Like Abram this requires leaving the place we know, to journey towards a new home; one where home is in God. Or like Nicodemus, invited to be born again; of water and the Holy Spirit, to live a new life and identity.

Lent invites us to renewed life through dying to old habits and thoughts. Walking through the gospels with Jesus we ask ourselves: on what do we feed (what gives us life), where do we live (what is our home) and, who are our family (where do we source our identity)? This journey involves responsibility. We are responsible to rid ourselves of distractions and self-absorption that burden us and allow God to be our source of joy. Its hard work allowing God to do ‘heart-surgery’ on us; this is why living in a faith community like Warner is so important: we walk this journey together. This month, let’s be attentive and mindful of God’s compassion and authority in our lives. And let’s be open to his invitation for us to come home.

Lord Jesus, have your way with us. Come Holy Spirit and strengthen us, equip us and lead us for the journey of ministry to others. Amen.

                                                                                   God IS with you –

                                                                                                                    Haydn