SunBlog

I often think our image of God is based on what we want God to be and not who God is. Our image of God often is formed on who we are and not the reality of God. We do this as a way of justifying our own lives and actions. It is therefore very uncomfortable to us when we are confronted with the reality of who God is! This is because the reality of God forces us to question who we are and how we act. It ask us to change!

What is God’s Judgment like?

Unfortunately we often have very negative thoughts about this question becuase in the past it has been associated with fear. The church has been part of the problem using fear as a motive for change. This is not the way God acts and Jesus action remind us that in God we have nothing to fear. We need to look to who Jesus is to find out about who God is. When we look to ourselves we just reinforce our own failings. Jesus tells us that God does call each of us to account for our actions (and particularly our inactions). It is important to note that there is no vengeance in God’s Justice and God’s Justice always seeks what is best for us.

This coming weekend we will hear the Prodigal Son story which once again places any discussion of God's judgment in conext. That is that at the centre of our faith is the notion of Grace. That even in being called to account God's love allow us to stand before God forgiven and whole.

Rev Michael

Last Night we asked the Question why to Bad things happen to Good people? Luke 13.1-9 asks a very similar question about those who had suffered tragic deaths in Jerusalem. Was it they were worse sinners? Did they deserve to suffer? Jesus clearly says that these people's suffering was not becasue they were any worse than anybody else. Jesus own death reminds us that even the best of all humans can suffer! Our faith does not make us immune or exempt from suffering. Instead it provides the means to endure and flourish again. Jesus own death and resurrection point to the idea that real life is found in living through and with our pain and not by avoiding it.

Check out this link to the story from Dr Frank Brennan that I read on Sunday. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2007/1848505.htm

God's Peace
Michael Stalley

'The only thing I cant resist is temptation'...so the ditty goes.Yesterday's Gospel reading was from Luke 4 which records Jesus' struggle with Satan ( the Tempter) in the desert.Could Jesus have given in ? I believe so. He was really tempted and felt it's pull. Consider the words from Hebrews 'He was tempted in every way as we are yet without sinning'.

His 40 days parallels Israel's 40 years in the desert. But they as 'God's son' failed miserably. So do we. Jesus succeeds where others fail. We stand before God on the basis of his success and in spite of our repeated failure.He was tested. Pressuer tested. Ropes always break at their weakest point. What is my weak point? Do I lash out under pressure? Am I full of self pity? The test reveals what is truly inside me.Jesus was full of the Spirit and full of God's words. He passed the test. We need to fill ourselves with God so that 'God comes out ' when we are pressure tested. Mostly though we need to remember that the core of Christianity is what Jesus did for us not what we do for him.

Comments please?

Ron Bundy

Jesus came to end the guessing about God. What I mean is we often guess what others are like ; whether we are thinking about God or other humans. The fact is ; we can't know the truth about someone until they reveal
themselves.. on purpose or accidentally. The disciples were confused about the identity of Jesus..understandably! He ate like them, looked like them, had brothers and sisters like them..yet when he spoke and acted ; he wasn't like them.The transfiguration ,as recorded in Luke 9 :28 - 36, gave Peter
James and John further revelation of the 'true' Jesus.The words of the early believers as recorded in the New Testament are essential for us if we are to have a true picture of God.They saw, touched and heard someone who claimed to be the Son of God...or as one 8 year said to me 'Jesus is God with skin'. To have an image of God that is not based on the words of those early disciples is to be merely guessing.

Ron Bundy

Welcome to Sunblog, the Blog of Sunday Sunset. We are so excited to be establishing this blog becuase it will allow us to communicate throughout the week.