written by Stephan Joubert
Have you noticed that Jesus preferred not to use any form of transport while he was amongst us? Apart from the times when He crossed the Sea of Galilee on a boat, He always walked to wherever he wanted to go. That day when Jesus entered Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover on the back of a donkey, He used it as a symbolic means to illustrate his own humility and the true nature of God’s kingdom, not as a form of transport. The rest of the time Jesus used his own two feet to get wherever he wanted to go.
Jesus brought the kingdom of God into our world at walking speed. At a ‘staggering’ two miles per hour He transported God’s amazing grace into grace-less territory. Jesus never hurried to where He was going. He always had time on hand. As a matter of fact, He waited nearly thirty years before he even officially opened his mouth to proclaim the good news. Jesus quietly spent his childhood years in the small Galilean town of Nazareth. There He helped his father and four brothers in their carpentry shop. Perhaps He even traveled with his father, Joseph, to work in Sepphoris, a new city that was built at that time a few miles to the north of Nazareth.
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written by Stephan Joubert
That dialog between Alyosha and Ivan in Feoder Dostoyevski’s classic work The Brothers Karamazov (1879–1880), about Jesus’ return no the Spanish city Seville, scares me. In this imaginary narrative Jesus returns to the city Seville right in the middle of the Spanish inquisition. Very soon the Cardinal turns up to arrest Jesus. Later in the jail he accusingly asks Jesus why He had to come back, because the church of that day no longer needs Him. After a long monologue from the cardinal Jesus stands up and without a word kisses the Cardinal on his lips. Bewildered, he let Jesus free. And he begs Him never to come back. The cardinal wasn’t changed by Jesus’ visit. May this never happen to you and me when Jesus visits us. May we never look upon Him as the spoil-sport, but as the One who started the feast of our religion.
written by Stephan Joubert
The Rapampam pam of “Little drummer boy” can be heard almost everywhere at the moment. It tells the story of a boy who wants to play the drums at his best for the Child in the manger. The arrival of Jesus indeed calls for festivity. That’s also what the wise men realized when they saw his star. Their gold, incense, and myrrh tells of the arrival of the Child of Peace amongst us. But the coming of Jesus is about more than just presents. It’s about us becoming living presents. Just as Jesus came to give Himself away without any preconditions, He’s turned us into presents to everyone around us.
But there’s more about the coming of Jesus that we need to realize… if we only stand in awe at his manger, we haven’t yet walked far enough. Gordon Wakefield writes that there can never be a hint of Christianity without a cross — the cross of Christ that we bear, and each of us bearing our own cross! From the manger to the cross, from Bethlehem to Calvary, and from there all the way to my own life — that’s the nutshell story of faith. If I become part of Jesus’ story in faith, then it turns me into someone crucified and cross-bearing in the same instant. The story of Jesus tells that my life starts over from square one. At the manger, the cross ánd the empty grave I find my new identity. From there I find daily direction for my life. Jesus is my only Compass. His arrival is the main reason for my existence. That’s why I can tap my drum for Him today, even while there’s a heavy cross resting on my shoulder.
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written by Stephan Joubert
God pronounced something as not good, there in the garden of Eden of all places. That was when man didn’t stand in a relationship with someone like himself. Adam was alone and relationship-hungry! We’re not made to be alone.
All those Rambo figures that take on this world alone may be Hollywood’s idea of success, but it’s false. No human is an island. We’re built for relationships. We long for God and other people. We want to cherish and love. Our hearts remain restless until we find rest in the arms of God, but also in the closeness of others. From his side, God also yearns for a living relationship with everyone bearing his signature. We are his artworks, his personal property. We are the highlight of his creation. That’s why He sent his Son to come look for us when we got lost. When we wandered the furthest from Him, Jesus came, caught us, and turned is back to the Garden. By the way, there’s still some space left in Paradise Street. Move back there immediately, back into that relationship where you belong!
written by Stephan Joubert
It seems that one can’t make it through the festive season without hearing a few complaints about the commercialization of Christmas. As far back as I can remember some of the religious has gone on about this. Does the complaining help reduce the misuse of Christmas? I doubt it. Will the exploitation of Christmas suddenly stop because the some churchgoers are opposing it? Probably not! Maybe another solution? What about a more personal one? Meaning, you and I that honor Christ as our Lord should wear a different festival-costume this festive season. Our festivities should tell of the Child in the crypt that brought down a new kind of peace among us. Our words, but especially our deeds of compassion towards those who will not have festival-food or nice presents, should tell of our Lord’s heavenly generosity. Then the festival in our area looks way different. Then we decorate that little piece of world inside which we live, work and play with the right kind of joy. Then we don’t have to sing with in the choir of faultfinders, criticizers, and protesters that never do anything but that.
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written by Stephan Joubert
One of my favorite quotes is that of Ernst Kaesemann, a well-known German theologian of the previous century. Just listen to what he writes as he’s thinking about Jesus: “People and institutions do not like to be kept continually on the alert, and they have constantly devised screens to protect themselves from too much heat. In fact, they have even managed to reduce Jesus’ red-hot message, which promised to kindle a fire throughout the world, to room temperature.”
What comes to mind as you read these words? Does it shock you and stop you in your tracks? I sincerely hope so. Isn’t it true that we have radically “reduced the heat” of Jesus and his message? Why? Well, in order to have Him fit in neatly into our small, predictable little worlds. We have tried to change Jesus into our image instead of allowing Him to change us into his image. We have tried to bring Him under control instead of Him bringing us under control and shaping us as He thinks fit. The result is that many of us are stuck with a safe and uninspiring Jesus that we encounter every now and again in church around a few moral lessons that isn’t exactly threatening or transforming. Outside of that, we just carry on with our lives as usual.
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written by Stephan Joubert
In the film “Amen”, two German priests asked their cardinal during the Second World War: “Wouldn’t it help if all German Christians adopted the Jewish religion so that it could force the Nazis to stop their cruelty and inhuman deeds against the Jews?” When their suggestion was dismissed as foolish, one priest decided to become a Jew for the same Jesus that he loved with his whole heart. Eventually he was executed in Auschwitz. Perhaps the greatest sacrifice isn’t to give up your life for the Lord. Perhaps, it’s rather putting your faith in Him on the table. Actually, it’s more than that… It’s what Paul did — putting his place in eternity on the table to contribute to the salvation of other believers. It’s so easy to sing about everything we’re prepared to offer to the Lord. Isn’t this sometimes just pious church talk?
written by Stephan Joubert
How long do you remember all the bad things other people have done to you? For years? Do you ever close those dark notebooks wherein you carefully record other peoples trespasses, mistakes, and shortcomings? Do you go to bed angry night after night?
Well, here’s a newsflash if you struggle to apply amnesia to other peoples sins ‐ God often suffers from memory loss. He gladly forgets people’s sins, shortcomings, failures, wrong deeds, defects and factory faults. Hy doesn’t worry about everything people do wrong against Him from early to late, as we learn in Psalm 103. Even better, He forgets often, repeatedly, every time, over and over again. For whom does He do this? For everyone that knocks on his door in the name of Jesus.
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written by Dries Cronje
After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: “Time’s up! God’s kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.” – Mark 1:14-15 The Message (emphasis mine)
The words Jesus spoke in the above verse could be considered his first command in the gospel of Mark. This category of echurch will be highlighting the commands or instructions of Jesus and focus on how we can go about practically living and obeying them.
Why bother with the ‘commands’ or ‘commandments’ of Jesus? ‘Command’ is such a stern word, right? Almost out of place in our free society today. Well, consider a superior at your workplace, someone you really respect and don’t mind working with who also shares your values. Let’s say this person asks you to do something that’s very important. You agree that it’s important, and see the value of complying with your superior’s instructions very clearly. That would be a ‘command’ if you look at the meaning of the word and forget the clutter that we’ve added to it. Jesus gives such instructions to those who respect Him and want to follow Him.
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written by Stephan Joubert
Recently somebody asked me what some of my favorite quotes are. The following one immediately came to mind: “People and institutions do not like to be kept continually on the alert, and they have constantly devised screens to protect themselves from too much heat. In fact, they have even managed to reduce Jesus’ red-hot message, which promised to kindle a fire throughout the world, to room temperature.” This is a quote from around the middle of the previous century by a well-known German Biblical scholar, Ernst Kaesemann. In a collection of essays on Jesus and the early church this student of the well-known theologian, Rudolf Bultmann, engages in a discussion of the church’s understanding of Jesus. Then he makes the astounding observation that they have reduced the red-hot message of Jesus to mere room temperature.
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