Living in Hope

“For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us walk decently as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in illicit sex and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy.” (Romans 13:11-13)

There are points where Saint Paul can be difficult to understand, and this is surely one of them.  “The day is near,” he says, and, yes, he’s talking about THE DAY when human history as we know it reaches its conclusion: the world ends, the Lord returns, and the Kingdom of God comes in its fullness!

That day is closer now than when we first believed, says Paul. Indeed, it may be just around the corner, so … sober up and be nice to one another. Don’t get drunk and start carrying on like idiots … My question is, “Why NOT?” If the world is going to hell in a handbasket and we haven’t got much time left, isn’t that a pretty good excuse to eat, drink and be merry for as long as we can eat, drink and be merry?

I guess one answer to that is that if the Lord is going to be back at any moment, you don’t want Him to find you with a beer in each hand and a girl on each knee (substitute here whatever image of wanton decadence works best for you).

There’s a well-attested story from the US in 1780, of a meeting of the Continental Congress in Hartford, Connecticut, where the sky suddenly turned dark in the middle of the day and everyone feared that the end of days was upon them! There were calls for an adjournment until one delegate, Abraham Davenport, spoke up and said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought.”

That’s it, isn’t it? If Christ returns, we want to be found doing our duty, don’t we?

I remember my late mentor and friend, Tony Campolo, saying that he grew up in constant fear that the Lord was going to return at any moment, and this made it difficult for him to take time off and enjoy himself, for how would it be if the Lord suddenly returned and found him at the movies!?

I think the point Tony was trying to make was that if this is how our lives are affected by the impending return of Christ, we’re missing the point. Yes, I know that not only Saint Paul but also Jesus Himself warned us that the day of the Lord would come ‘like a thief in the night’ (Matthew 24:43) and that we therefore needed to “be ready”. Even so, I’m not convinced that it matters much whether we’re found at our desks, working, or watching a movie or in the bathroom or drinking a beer. I think it has a lot more to do with whether we are living in hope, which is actually our theme for today (this Sunday being the first Sunday in Advent).

I’ve been helping out at a small church in Sydney’s inner west over the last few months, and we meet each Sunday in a local community centre while we wait to be allowed back into our beloved church building.

The church building is being repaired, and everybody longs for the day when those repairs will be finished and we can move back in. That day is nearer to us now than when we were first kicked out, though no one knows the day or the hour when the work will be completed. Even so, knowing that the day is near gives us hope, and that hope shapes the community.

I look at what is going on in Gaza at the moment, and in Syria, and in so many places in our world where there is so much pain. Even as I pray for my friends in those places, I feel the pull of despair, but what keeps me from going under is my belief that the night is indeed far gone and so the day must be near. Despite the violence and pain, I continue to believe that justice will come, and I continue to hope that it may be just around the corner!

So yes, the night is far gone and the day is near, but that’s not a reason to eat, drink and be merry, for tonight we die. It’s an invitation to gird up your loins and get ready, for tomorrow we live!  The world isn’t going to hell in a handbasket. On the contrary, the Kingdom of God is at hand, and all things will soon be made new!

When that day comes, the prophet says, “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they study war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4) 

I ain’t gonna study war no more.
Ain’t gonna study war no more
Ain’t gonna study war no more.

This is our hope, and, as Paul reminds us, it is a hope that will not disappoint us, “because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

Our Sunday Eucharist

This week we celebrated another wonderful Sunday Eucharist. The panel included my old friends, Doug Pyeatt from the USA and Rob Gilland from Queensland. I am thankful that the Internet has made a community like ours possible, with friendships that span the country and the globe!

You have two of the most popular shorts from last week posted below. and our full discussion of the Gospel reading at the bottom of the page. See all the shorts on the Sunday Eucharist Instagram page or watch all our broadcasts on YouTube.

This coming Sunday I am looking forward to welcoming a new member to our panel – Helen Rainger.

Helen is a part of the Anglican community in the Canberra-Goulburn area, a member of the Diocesan Public Issues Commission and a member of General Synod. She is best known to me as President of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN).

Helen is also an academic, having written her Master’s thesis on Palestinian Liberation Theology. I’ve asked our good friend, Diane Bates, to join me on the panel with Helen this Sunday. Together with AI Saint Paul, I think the four of us will make a formidable team! Please join us!

Invite your friends by referring them to the Facebook Event Page or the Streamyard page and join us at midday on Sunday via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia, Streamyard or TheSundayEucharist.com.

Let me work your corner

If you’d like to see my work continue, please click here to make a one-off donation. If you can afford a monthly contribution, sign up at Patreon.com and choose either:

Middleweight—$10/month (community mentoring)

• Enrol in the Fighting Fit training program
• Access member-only training videos
• Engage in the members-only forum

Super-Middleweight – $50/month (remote mentoring)

• All of the above +
• One-on-one mentoring via email, phone, or Skype

Heavyweight – $100/month (in-person mentoring)

• All of the above +
• Training with Father Dave’s Old School Boxing Academy

Superheavyweight – $200/month (intensive in-person mentoring)

• All of the above +
• One weekend per month at Binacrombi Bush Camp.

Every dollar helps keep the wheels turning—the websites, the newsletters, the broadcasts, the boxing club, and the bush camp. Sign up at Patreon.com.

What’s On?

• Saturday, November 29 – Boxing at Legend’s Gym in Kensington from 3 pm
• Sunday, November 30 – Our Eucharist from noon @thesundayeucharist.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia or Streamyard
• Tuesday, December 2 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
• Thursday, December 4 – Online Bible study group meeting from noon @ www.thesundayeucharist.com/bible
• Thursday, December 4 – Boxing at the Mundine Gym in Redfern from 7 pm
• Friday to Sunday, December 5 to 7 – @Binacrimbi. Please join me.

I’m happy to say that I’m just about over the cough I’ve had that’s been stopping me from sleeping for the last week.

It’s quite bizarre. I tend to boast that I never get sick due to my high vitamin intake and disciplined training schedule. Sure enough, though, I changed my training schedule to include an extra sparring session, and at the same time I accidentally left my week’s vitamin supply at Binacrimbi. The next day I picked up a cough that has left me with a series of nights without sleep!

Thankfully, I’m now getting back into the sleeping and back into the training, and I’m trusting that I’ve still left myself enough time to be in top form for my return bout with Tony Bazier on December 13 in Cowra.

As I mentioned last week, I’m looking for help in getting some profile for this fight. I’m working on press releases and hoping that a prominent sports journalist or media organisation will take up the story. The key points are:

• Father Dave is the oldest active professional boxer in the country
• On December 13, he is fighting to retain his NSW Light Heavyweight title
• Having not had full-time work since being pushed from his parish in 2020, he sorely needs some funds from his fights to keep his work going.

Even if it’s not leading sports news, it may capture someone’s imagination as a human interest story. If you know any journo’s or media magnates and can call in a favour for me, now is the time. 😉🥊

Of course, the ring fighting is only shadow boxing for the real fight, where we battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12 ). May God give you strength for the week ahead, and may God fill you with hope – that very special form of hope that never disappoints. ❤️

Your brother in the Good Fight,