Beauty? ...or Beauty?

(I'm making a little room on the Sofa for my beautiful wife, Fiona. She was invited to speak at a women's breakfast in Drummoyne... so I'm going to shuffle off the Sofa for a couple of minutes. Fiona's turn, now.)

I rediscovered something recently – I wonder if you can guess what it is?
Like an Amex card, some of us won’t leave home without it...
Some of us bring it out for special occasions only...
Sometimes we play it down, sometimes we want it bold and dramatic...
We use it to define and enhance. And sometimes we may even use it as a mask, something to hide behind...
Has anyone guessed?
MAKEUP!!!
Oooh, I’ve been having fun – trying colours and different looks, buying tools of the trade, learning how to apply it. Do I want a quick 5 minute job? Or do I want the full-face 30 minute, knock-your-socks-off, drop-dead gorgeous look?

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So when I behold myself in the mirror do I see myself as beautiful?
There are days when I look in the mirror and think, ‘You look a bit of alright today’. I can put on my Sunday best and do my makeup, look at myself and I feel perked up. Yep, even beautiful.

Beauty attracts. We’re drawn to beautiful things: a beautiful landscape can move us, the rose in our garden cries out for us to smell and touch it. The vast night sky makes us stare in wonder…
God’s not silly, he knows what we’re like – he created us, after all. He knows we’ll be attracted by the beauty he created so that, in that attraction, we may question… Who is it that could masterfully piece together our beautiful earth in the midst of this universe? Who is the Source of beauty?
And yet, the Bible says that this earthly beauty is fleeting and will vanish like smoke (Psalm 37:20)
So the nature of aesthetic beauty is to fade, to disappear. I guess we know this in our society, and that’s why all manner of beauty treatments, fitness classes, diets and cosmetic surgeries are popular. We want our aesthetic beauty to last.

My Gran used to say before she went out, “I’ll just go and put on a bit of face.” I loved watching her apply her powder compact over her web of laughter lines, pursing her lips into perfect pinkness and yet, even had she no makeup on, I still considered her beautiful.
So what defined her beauty in my eyes? It was who she was, what she stood for, the words, the gestures, the laughter, the fun, her honesty – her spirit.

You know, I was hard pressed looking for other illustrations of beauty this week.
This week I certainly did not feel beautiful. We all suffered from a virus. I felt more like a sweaty, wrung-out dishrag than beautiful. And the icing on that cake was getting my periods. So you can imagine how beautiful I was feeling.
Did I look beautiful sitting there covered in the vomit of my 18 month old with my unwashed hair and unbrushed teeth?
Did I sound beautiful when I yelled at my husband that he cared more for others than he did for me, even though he had patted me mid-vomit then flushed the evidence away?
My husband has been beautiful this week…
In the middle of his yearly exams, in his first year of theological college, feeling under the weather himself… he’s cleaned up after 2 sick kids and his wife, organised a 3rd child, went shopping, got dinner, bought lucozade and lemonade, cleaned the kitchen and held his tongue when I haven’t held mine.
He showed his beautiful spirit.

My husband is studying Greek as part of his course. In the Greek there are two meanings for beauty. One is aesthetic beauty. The other is ethical beauty. We know what aesthetic beauty looks like.

So... what does ethical beauty look like?

That which is good, right, proper.
That which is fitting, better, honourable.
That which is honest, fine, precious….beautiful.
This is the beauty I saw reflected in my Grandma and my husband. The beauty reflected in their choices, their behaviours, their character.
So what does the Bible say to women about ethical beauty?
‘Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewellery and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.’
(1Peter 3:3,4 NIV)
So what is this unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit? What does it look like?

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships, bringing food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:10-31)

A virtuous woman. A woman of strength. She’s certainly industrious. Efficient. Organised. Busy. Yet, in the midst of her busyness…
She’s wise, faithful, nurturing. Her husband trusts her.
Her children openly praise her. She reaches out to those in need.
She’s wise in investing in her family’s future. She’s dignified in how she conducts herself.
She’s outwardly beautiful and inwardly beautiful.
So, what’s the key to her success?

She first fears, gives reverence to, God. He’s her Lord, her Boss. She recognises her Creator and places him above all things because she’s wise enough to understand that he has made all things and knows all things and that he just might know how to help her.

The other thing that happens when we put God first is he gives us his Spirit, so we can actually reflect his character.

The Bible says the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:21-23)

Are they good, right, proper, fitting, better, honourable, honest, fine, precious?
Are they beautiful?

Jesus was involved in a bold act perpetrated by a beautiful woman. This woman was an outcast, a sinner. Yet she had heard the Good News – her sins could be forgiven.
Attending to him in humility and thankfulness she approaches Jesus.
In a profound act of beauty she breaks open an alabaster jar of very expensive imported perfume. Perhaps her only possession of worth. It contains enough for one application only. Yet she chooses to pour the perfume on Jesus’ head. Anointing him, blessing him, thanking him for setting her free.
Now some folks there tried to put her down but Jesus – he stands up for her. Listen to what he says.
“Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (Mark 14:6-9)
Her good act... her fitting act... her honourable act... her precious act... her beautiful act is honoured now and forever by Jesus. He sees her beautiful act, compelled by the unfading beauty of her gentle and quiet spirit. And she is given GREAT worth by God. She’s remembered, she’s forgiven, she’s loved.

The Bible says, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1Sam 16:7)
So if God looks at your heart, my heart, what does he see?
Does he see a beautiful woman, trusting him, relying on his Spirit to change us daily to become a beautiful reflection of him?

And if those around you look at you what do they see?
A beautiful woman, styled hair, great shoes and your face on?
Or do they see someone wise, trustworthy, generous, kind, patient, good, faithful, gentle, honourable...
A woman of beauty?


Let me pray.

Father in Heaven,
Thank you for the beauty of your creation. Thank you that we – the women gathered here - are part of that beauty.
Lord, you know our hearts, restore them to beauty. Let us not rely on our outward beauty but prompt us to seek You and all that You consider beautiful.
Thank you for the beautiful gift of your Son Jesus that we might find forgiveness and restoration with You.
Renew Your Spirit within us that we may exhibit the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
For those who don’t know you Lord but want to know more about you, gently guide them in love and understanding to your Truth.
Bless us all now as we spend time together and share our beauty with each other.

We ask in Jesus name,
Amen.

Matt6:19-36 FAITH TRUST CONFIDENCE Part 3

Part of the "Design of a Disciple" series

2nd November, 2008

"If you’re not trusting in Jesus here, you will either fall to greed or fall to anxiety. And both of those are absolute markers of our society today." From Part 1

"What’s the mark of a follower here? What’s the design of a disciple look like? Faith, trust, confidence. Someone who trusts God with everything… even money. And that’s not easy. It’s downright scary." From Part 2

For those of you who are still at home with Mum and Dad, please… recognise that, especially in times like today, this whole money thing is incredibly, incredibly stressful for them. If you ask your mum or dad for something, and they say no, we can’t afford it… please – honour you father and your mother by not fighting back on that one. As a dad, let me tell you – it hurts when I can’t provide Grace with something that she has asked me for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that if I could afford it I’d buy her whatever she asks… but not being able to is heartbreaking.

For those of us who have to pay the rent or the mortgage, find money for the groceries, struggle desperately to figure out what we’ll have to miss out on to make sure the kids don’t dip out… How do we do it?

How do we look at Jesus saying do not worry and stop ourselves going – yeah, right in our souls? How do we obey the command do not worry?
For some of us, it can feel irresponsible, it can feel like poor stewardship, it can feel like very poor management. When I told my in-laws that I was leaving my job to pursue full-time study at Moore College, it was pretty hard for Fiona’s mum to completely hide her feelings. She tried, but you could see her trying so hard not to say that’s unbelievably reckless… and, by the way, that’s my daughter and my grandkids you’re dragging through the hedge. And you know what? I really could see her side of that.

For some of us, the trust and faith and confidence to be able to not worry is going to be as alien as breathing underwater. It feels all wrong.

I got a SCUBA licence eight years ago. Now – I’ve always loved diving and snorkelling, I’ve done it most of my life, and to me using a snorkel is the most natural thing in the world. (Fiona, on the other hand, finds it totally freaky to stick a bit of rubber in her gob and stick her head underwater… it seriously gives her the willies thinking about it.) I’m used to it, though.

But the first time I used an aqualung – an air-tank and a regulator - I couldn’t trust myself to breathe any lower under the water than when I used a snorkel. Until I was totally committed to moving lower and lower and lower – and still trusting this thing in my mouth to deliver my air and keep me alive – I was never going to be able to leave the surface. But once I did… and was able to move down and down and around and down, the world changed forever.

When I dive, I have a couple of gauges – a compass, a pressure gauge and depth gauge, and I use a watch so I know the limits of my air and a few other things. It means I’m careful of my resources, I’m conscious of them, I have a requirement and a responsibility to be planned and disciplined.
But I still need to trust enough to breathe normally. If I’m too anxious I’ll never leave the surface. If I’m too greedy and dive outside my limits, I’ll run out of air really quickly, and I’ll set myself up for a whole heap of very real and very horrible dangers.
If I trust what my instructor says, if I breathe slowly, deeply and constantly, I’ll be able to move in one of the most amazing environments that God has made. And it’s beautiful.

Jesus asks a lot of us here, make no mistake. In the most troubling times he says trust God. But he says trust God because these are the most troubling times. Do not let your hearts be troubled, he told his disciples. Trust God, trust also in me. Where was Jesus when he said this? In a room at the end of a Passover meal, a few hours before his arrest, torture and execution. But despite this – really because of it – his words ring with the warmest of comfort. Have a listen… In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you... and if I go there to prepare a place for you, I will come and receive you to myself, so that where I am you may be also. You know the way that I am going.

You know what I really love? In amongst this hard, hard teaching that we find in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points us irresistibly to the beauty that His father – our heavenly Father – has made. I’m going to close by letting Jesus’ words reassure us, by letting what Jesus says about our Father assure us that we can place our trust and our faith and our confidence in the living God. Let’s eavesdrop in…

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matt6:19-36 FAITH TRUST CONFIDENCE Part 2

Part of the "Design of a Disciple" series
2nd November, 2008

"It is, I think, impossible to grasp Jesus’ command to not worry without understanding that he is asking for us – as people of God – to put our faith and our trust and our confidence in him. Alone...
"Here we come down to faith, down to trust, down to confidence... if you’re not trusting in Jesus here, you will either fall to greed or fall to anxiety. And both of those are absolute markers of our society today." (From Part 1)


Matthew 6:19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Let’s not misunderstand this. It’s not saying we should have nothing to do with money. It’s not saying that the holiest thing we can do is to swear vows of poverty and give it all to the church. It's not saying that putting money in the bank or superannuation account is wrong.

It is saying this. If you’re stockpiling, ask yourself why. You only stockpile things that you trust – nobody stockpiles junk. Be wise, be shrewd, be careful and responsible stewards with what God has given you – the Bible’s very clear about that, too. But don’t hoard out of a lack of trust in God. Don't hoard, fearing that the Lord will suddenly stop providing for you.

Moving on a mite – Matthew 6:22 The eye is the lamp of the body. Now this bit used to puzzle me. Good eyes, bad eyes, evil eyes, black eyes… all a bit Halloween, really. It feels pretty random, here in a patch about treasure, money and trust. It sounds like something that should be over in Chapter 5 (with the eyes being plucked out and tossed away). And this is one of those passages where critics point to, and say it's evidence that what we’ve got here in Matthew 5-7 wasn’t really a sermon – it's a chopped-up mash of teachings, put together by a sloppy editor later.

But here’s something really interesting – they’re wrong. It’s right where it should be. A Jewish Christian by the name of David Stern did a commentary on the New Testament[1], and he made this observation: “In Judaism, having a good eye (ayin tovah) means being generous, and having a bad eye (ayin ra’ah) means being stingy. That this is the correct interpretation is confirmed by the context, greed and anxiety about money being the topic in both the preceding and following verses.” A good eye means being generous, a bad eye means being a miser. In that light, look at verses 22-23 again.
The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light in you is darkness - how deep is that darkness!
If you’re generous to others, if you trust God enough to let go of some of your money to help other people, then you glow! Go back to a verse Matty talked about three weeks ago – Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven. And you know what? That sounds like it fits there just fine. Doesn’t it?

Next step in the same thought. No-one can serve two masters. Now, if you’ve just been told that the darkness in you is great, if you’ve been described by Jesus as having a bad eye, as being stingy…are you in control of your money, or is the money in control of you? Who’s working for whom? Are you in darkness or are you in light? Remember what we saw when Jesus talked about murder, adultery, righteousness…
What he’s talking about is the real state of the heart, the real heart that drives actions – not actions designed to cover up the heart.

Here’s a quiet little test to subject ourselves to… is my view of money, is my treatment of money, driven by anxiety and fear of it running out? Is it driven by greed for more, envy at what others have, for a little more luxury and comfort? Or is it driven by a genuine understanding and trust that God is in control? No-one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

What’s the mark of a follower here? What’s the design of a disciple? Faith, trust, confidence. Someone who trusts God with everything… even money.
And that’s not easy.

It’s downright scary.

Next: True Trust


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[1] For more information on the work of David Stern visit http://www.messianicjewish.net/jntp/index.html

Matt 6:19-34 FAITH TRUST CONFIDENCE Part 1

Part of the "Design of A Disciple" series

2nd November, 2008

I love YouTube. I get to find old things. The Muppet Show, old David Attenborough documentaries, Star Wars bloopers. I am a nerd at heart.

I re-discovered Bobby McFerrin the other day. Who remembers Bobby McFerrin? In 1988, this really simple a capella song turned up in the soundtrack of a movie called Cocktail. It was called Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

It was a great song. It really made you smile. Some of it had to do with the fact that McFerrin is a very, very gifted musician and composer. But the other part was that 1988 was a very worrying year.

In October 1987 the world stock-markets took a massive hit, and for the first time since 1929 people began to seriously lose confidence in the whole financial system. Unemployment figures grew wings, inflation figures inflated, the Australian Treasurer, Paul Keating, did the unthinkable and called it for what it was – "the recession that we had to have" – and all over the country, everyone was frightened stiff about something they couldn’t really see, hear, touch or smell…
And in waltzed this song… Don’t worry, be happy.
You couldn’t help yourself. You had to smile. It really was a breath of fresh air, and… people smiled a lot. It was the circuit-breaker.

So here we are. 2008.

The world stock-markets have taken a massive hit, and for the first time since 1987, people are seriously losing confidence in the whole financial system.

Inflation figures haven’t started showing it yet, but how many people have noticed prices rising on even the staple things? There’s still a drought that hasn’t really broken, there are leaders from all around the world trying desperately not to mention the “R” word.

And all over the country, everyone is frightened stiff about something we can’t really see, hear, touch or smell…

And it’s at times like this when we feel like we need a circuit breaker. How do you feel reading Jesus’ comments here… Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life… Do not worry about what to eat and what to drink and what to wear… therefore do not worry about tomorrow… It’s a pretty good circuit-breaker, isn’t it? It can come across as being like Bobby McFerrin – Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

It’s nothing of the sort.

It’s one of Jesus’ hardest teachings. Listen to the difference. If you prefer Bob Marley's famous Three Little Birds, "don’t worry about a thing, Every little thing’s gonna be alright…"
Matthew 6:34 Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Don’t worry. Do not worry. As a word of command, Jesus’ words are… odd. Unsettling. They are a command, they are active orders. Do Not Be Anxious. There’s evil out there today, there’s evil in tomorrow. As for you, do not worry. And that, I think, is a whole different kettle.

We’re looking at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we’re looking at how Jesus defines a truly righteous life, a life defined by grace, compassion and forgiveness – the design of a disciple. What does this tell us?

It is, I think, impossible to grasp Jesus’ command to not worry without understanding that he is asking for us – as people of God – to put our faith and our trust and our confidence in him. Alone.

Here we come down to faith, down to trust, down to confidence.

Here’s irony for you. Money works purely on faith, trust and confidence. I asked someone yesterday how much he thought $100 note was worth. He screwed up his face for a second before coming up with the answer of 0.005c. Now before you assume that this anonymous gentleman had lost his mind from too much happy-18th-birthday-Riley-cake… he’s probably about right. A sheet of polymer, with some odd inks, cut into lots of little pieces, chances are that each note would be about that. So I said to him, “If it’s that worthless, how would you feel if I took any that you had.” And, to be fair, his face said it all… just try it! But… why do we believe that a piece of paper, which probably is worth no more than 0.005c, is actually worth $100? We… just believe it is.

Faith, trust, confidence. I have faith that this paper is worth what it says it is. I trust that if someone is paying me in this form, I’ve actually been paid. Confidence that, when I go to Coles or the petrol station or Smiggle or St Vinnies (best place for t-shirts!), I can redeem the value of my labour and obtain goods and services. And while all is well, that works.
Here’s the problem.What happens when something goes wrong?

If faith in the value goes out the window, we get something like what’s happening in Zimbabwe, with 231,000,000% inflation, and a 100 billion dollar note has been issued – it’s got the buying power now of 20c.
If confidence is rattled, people want to hang onto their money, just in case. Money doesn’t get spent, other people down the line don’t get paid… unemployment, bankruptcy and economic paralysis.

Money is a dangerous, dangerous thing to put faith and trust and confidence in.

But more dangerous – far more dangerous – than any of these horrifying economic situations, is what happens to a heart if our faith, our trust and our confidence rests in money. If you were here on Thursday for the confirmation service, you might have picked up on what Al Stewart was saying, and I think he was right on the pulse there – if you’re not trusting in Jesus here, you will either fall to greed or fall to anxiety. And both of those are absolute markers of our society today. Greed or anxiety. Advertisers know those two buttons, and they push them. Hard.

Next: What does Jesus say? Money, treasure, trust...

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