"Life wasn't meant to be easy" Luke 12:49-56

Luke 12:49-56 Gospel reading for Sunday August 15th 2010.

In these days of the 2010 election campaign, it seems that a number of our former Prime Ministers have been eager to get in on the action. The Gospel reading for this Sunday, being one of those really difficult statements from Jesus, prompted me to add another Prime Minister to the list of campaign participants. The reading reminded me that Malcolm Fraser has always had the "Life wasn't meant to be easy" quote tagged to him.

So perhaps Jesus is reminding us in this reading, that choosing life in him is not a promise that all will automatically be rosy. In fact he suggests very much the opposite. As we look back on history, perhaps even in our own family circles, the decision to go with Jesus has often caused not just division, but hurt, pain, violence, wars and loss of life.

So too for Lutheran Schools. It's not easy being an authentic Christian School community. There will be times of opposition even divisions and hurt in the name of Jesus ... almost like the hurt (recession) we had to have, to bring yet another PM (Paul Keating) in on the act!

The interesting thing about the "Life wasn't meant to be easy" quote is that is almost certainly not original. Many believe it is attributed to George Bernard Shaw, from his play "Back to Methuselah". Regardless of whether Malcolm Fraser borrowed this from Shaw, our former PM forgot to add the rest of the quote "... but take courage: it can be delightful."

A final word from John 16:

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

May we all experience that peace in full, as we go about the business of building and maintaining our Lutheran Schools as places where we show people Jesus.

Nev