I like this article taken from last week’s Weekly Bulletin, prepared for Graham’s parish. It’s a useful article to read in association with my ’viewpoint’ piece on John Spong.

 ”The question of which god we serve is the most critical question of our lives. Today many people are attracted to what they call “non-theism” – in other words they seek to live their lives without reference to any god at all. Such people do not see the need or the importance of finding any power or being beyond the physical world in which we live.

Yet the reality is that there is always someone or something that we serve and give priority to in our lives. It may be our homes or families, our careers, our leisure, our community involvement, even our own comfort and pleasure. Our gods take many forms, even if we may not call them gods. Sometimes we are like polytheists, trying to keep each god in its proper place.

When we read the Bible, we discover that the Lord, the God of Israel, claims total and exclusive allegiance from his people. Indeed the God’s message to Cyrus, the King of Persia, was this: I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45.5) This is the true that enabled Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to stand up to the demands of King Nebuchadnezzar, that they bow before the golden image that he had set up. “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand” (Daniel 3.17)

Human rulers in their arrogance at times go beyond the boundaries of their power and authority. When they do so they ought to be challenged and opposed. But even if they are not challenged, it is important for us to realise that God himself will bring them down in his time, as he did with Nebuchadnezzar. No human rule which opposes God, will survive for very long.”

Rev Graham Fairbairn, 18 August 2007 (www.culburraanglican.org.au)

Posted on August 21st, 2007 by Shayne
Filed under: Preaching and Teaching