Responding to our enemies? Some thoughts for Jesus followers.

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." (Luke 6:27-36)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? (Matthew 5:43-48)

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'" (Romans 12: 17-21)

"Then Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?'” (Matthew 26:52-54)

"When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:23)

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8: 34-35)

The Prayer of St Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive, 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

They’ll Know We Are Christians by our Love

Jesus said something startling at the last supper, shortly before he died on the cross. As he prepares to send them out into the empire he says this: 

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13: 34-35 NIV)

The mark of the followers of Jesus living out the reign of God was love. In the midst of the empires of this world which are marked by fear and violence and hierarchy and consumption and acquisition and dominion and vengeance, they were to be marked as Jesus' disciples by their love and their unity (John 17).  

After their Passover meal is over, they walked to Gethsemane and offered no resistance when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Peter was told to put down his sword rather than fight.

We are to be known as a sign of the coming Kingdom by our love and unity -- the people of Jesus.

***   ***   ***   ***

We are one in the Spirit,

we are one in the Lord,

We are one in the Spirit

we are one in the Lord,

And we pray that all unity

may one day be restored:

And they’ll know we are Christians

By our love, by our love,

Yes, they’ll know we are Christians

By our love.

We will walk with each other

we will walk hand in hand

we will walk with each other

we will walk hand in hand

and together we’ll spread the news

that God is in our land:

Chorus

We will work with each other

we will work side by side

We will work with each other

We will work side by side

And we’ll guard each one’s dignity

and save each one's pride:

Chorus

All Praise to the Father

from whom all things come,

And all praise to Christ Jesus

His only Son,

and all praise to the Spirit

who makes us all one:

By Peter Scholte  

Fathers' Day humour ...

Dad Jokes!

With Fathers' Day just ending this Sunday (7/9), you can't go past that champagne form of comedy - Dad Jokes!

The 'Dad Joke' is a unique form of humour, carefully crafted and marked by three distinctive features: (1) They're not funny in the first place, (2) They become even less funny with endless repetition, and (3) Endless repetition is what gives them legendary groan status!

One theory about their importance is that young people naturally look up to their fathers and see them as a font of wisdom and authority. The 'Dad Joke' is an important part of the process of separation, whereby the child realises that the father is a real person, with flaws and imperfections - He thinks he's funny, but he just isn't! 

The Nature of Evil

"The greatest evil is not done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint ... it is conceived and ... moved, seconded, carried, and minuted ... in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices."

C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, preface

Anthem | Leonard Cohen

The birds they sang 

at the break of day 

Start again 

I seem to hear them say 

Do not dwell on what 

has passed away 

or what is yet to be. 

Ah the wars they will 

be fought again 

The holy dove 

She will be caught again 

bought and sold 

and bought again 

the dove is never free. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 

Forget your perfect offering 

There is a crack

A crack in everything 

That's how the light gets in. 

We asked for signs 

and the signs were sent: 

the birth betrayed 

the marriage spent 

Yeah the widowhood 

of every single government

signs for all to see

I can't run no more 

with that lawless crowd

While the killers in high places

Say their prayers out loud

Ah but they've summoned, they've summoned up 

a thundercloud 

and they're going to hear from me. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 

Forget your perfect offering 

There is a crack

A crack in everything 

That's how the light gets in

You can add up the parts 

but you won't have the sum 

You can strike up the march 

on your little broken drum 

Every heart, every heart 

to love will come 

but like a refugee

Ring the bells that still can ring 

Forget your perfect offering 

There is a crack, a crack in everything 

That's how the light gets in. 

Ring the bells that still can ring 

Forget your perfect offering 

There is a crack, a crack in everything 

That's how the light gets in

That's how the light gets in

That's how the light gets in

Tom Lehrer's "The Elements"

 

Tom Lehrer, the popular and influential song satirist lampooned everything from, politics, nuclear war, and racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching maths at Harvard and other universities, has died (26/7/25). He was 97.

A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a maths degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. His songs included Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, The Old Dope Peddler (set to a tune reminiscent of The Old Lamplighter), Be Prepared, and The Vatican Rag and many more. (You can find most of them on Youtube).

“Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded,” musicologist Barry  Hansen once said. Hansen co-produced the 2000 boxed set of Lehrer’s songs, The Remains of Tom Lehrer, and had featured Lehrer’s music for decades on his syndicated Dr. Demento radio show.

He also became well known for observing that when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Henry Kissinger in 1973, “political satire became obsolete”.