John 1:43-51

Many years ago, our daughter Kelly and I attended the funeral of my sister-in-law’s father. during the service the priest mentioned that he was the great grandfather of George, Charles and Douglas, to which Kelly jokingly said, “who the hell is Charles?” because Charles had always been and continues to this day as Charlie. It’s just a name but those who knew him, knew what to call him.

In today’s reading we have a disciple called Nathanael and I ask “who the hell is Nathanael?”

We know precious little about him including his name. He is believed to have also been called Thaddeus. Some biblical scholars say he was known as Jude or Judas. In john’s gospel he is called Nathanael. It appears we know so little about him we can’t even get his name right.

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Text: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own. You are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The relationship between Christian thought and the body has a long history in the church. Mostly the physical realm has been casted in negative light. Ironically this has been legacy of Greek thought, with Plato seeing a conflict of spirit and flesh, with spirit seeking to be emancipated from the prison of the flesh. This has led to extremes of self-abuse, for example whipping the body to mortify the flesh. While in recent years there has emerged a theology of the body, it seems strange and even unspiritual to be so preoccupied.

In contrast to the Greeks Hebrew spirituality was very earthy and practical. Indeed, Paul’s insistence on the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit shows how the two could be united in his mind.

Principle: One of the most common psychological interventions is to enable a person to practice better self-care.  This can be thought of as the practice of taking action to preserve or improve your emotional and physical health especially in times of stress.

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It is the Christmas season and, appropriately, a time for giving gifts. After all, as the Bible tells us, the new-born Jesus received gifts from the wise men.

The story is told of a man who enjoyed buying unusual and exotic presents to give to family members. One year this man found a gift for his father that was truly unique: a talking bird that knew words in five languages and sing “The Yellow Rose of Texas” standing on one foot.  So, at great expense, he purchased the bird and had it sent by courier to his father for Christmas. A few days later, the man visited his father to see if he was enjoying his unusual gift. He knocked on the door and said, “Dad, did you get my present?” “I sure did.” “How’d you like it?” The father answered, “It was delicious!”

Thought experiments have been important in quantum physics, think of Schrödinger’s cat. I have a thought experiment for you. Imagination and an ability to visualise will help. Can you see your Christmas tree or wherever you put your presents? You notice that there is an unexpected gift. It is wrapped in gold paper and has an elegant ribbon tied into a bow ? just waiting to be un-wrapped. There is a card attached and you are delighted to find that the unexpected gift is for you. It has your full name on it, and even more surprising the gift is from God!

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Text: Turn other cheek (Matt 5:38-42).

“But I say to you, do not resist an evil doer. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give him your cloak as well; anyone forces you to go 1 mile, go also the 2^nd mile. (Matthew 5:39- 41).”

When we meet Jesus in the pages of the NT, he is someone completely unexpected. We are told to do the opposite of what would be our natural reaction: turn the other cheek, give your cloak as well as your coat, if someone forces you to go a mile – go the second mile.

I am continuing the series of psychological interventions and spiritual growth.

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Text: Matthew 7:24-27 Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them

Principle: Values guide our actions. Have you heard the expression of a ‘moral compass’? A friend of mine was accused of lacking one, and was most offended!  This assumes that we have guiding values, which like a compass provide us with a sense of orientation and how to behave appropriately.

The problem is that no one has a monopoly on values. Phil is one of my closest friends, we started high school together and have been friends for about 60 years. He is politically conservative and has moved to Queensland where he feels perfectly at home. We have had some conversations about Donald Trump. I believe there is no high moral ground when it comes to politics in Australia, generally we vote for different agendas because we have different values. Jonathan Haidt in The Righteous Mind: why good people are divided by politics and religion (2012) is a good exploration of this theme.

I should affirm pro-social values. After all Putin has values of patriotism and ‘might is right’. Perhaps a neo-Nazi bikie gang has values as well such as loyalty and not being a snitch. But generally pro social values are simply values which appeal to us. It is like our choice in pizzas: You might like Hawaiian, but I prefer Supreme.

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