Thought for the parish pew slip - Sunday 30th December 2007
Christmas 1 - Year A
Readings: Isaiah 63:7-9 Hebrews 2:1-18 Matthew 2:13-23
In the Christmas season we reflect on the deep mystery of God present among us as a fellow human being. Today’s readings highlight the power of that presence of God to save us.
In our reading from Isaiah the prophet recalls God’s goodness and faithfulness to the people of Israel. He emphasises that it was not an angel or messenger that saved Israel, but rather it was the presence of God.
Our reading from Hebrews reminds us that Jesus shares so completely in our human experience that he thinks of us as brothers and sisters. Jesus shares with us the experience of having human flesh and blood. He shares with us the experience of suffering. Through his sufferings and death he conquers death for us.
In our gospel reading we hear about some of the sufferings that affected the Holy Family when Jesus was very young. The family fled to Egypt as refugees to avoid Herod’s murder of children. Later they returned, but then struggled to find a safe place to settle.
At the Eucharist we encounter the presence of God in word and sacrament. Let’s count on the power of that presence to save us, remembering that Jesus saves us through sufferings more than from sufferings. – Fr Gerard
30 December 2007
25 December 2007
Being like Mary, so that Jesus can grow
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull at 9.15am Eucharist on Christmas Day 2007
25/12/07 - Year A
Informal sermon at all-age worship, with drawing activity for children.
Readings: Titus 3:4-7 Luke 2:8-20
I would like to invite all the children to come to the front.
Now, I wonder if anyone has a Christmas present that they would like to show everybody? [We look at presents]
Tell me, what is the most exciting thing when you receive a present?
[Unwrapping it]
Well there is a big box here that needs unwrapping! Now I don’t want you to get two excited, this is not really a Christmas present. What does it say on the label?
[Activity for Christmas morning]
So its not really a present, it is an activity for this morning. So who is going to take the lid of? What can you see?
[Drawing materials]
So this is our activity for the younger ones this morning. It might be more interesting than listening to the sermon! I would like to invite each of you to draw a picture of Jesus as a child. And draw him at the age that you are now. So if you are four years old now, draw a picture of Jesus aged four, and if you’re six years old now draw Jesus, when he was six. And if you’re a baby, get your parent to help you to draw a picture of Jesus as a baby.
So does everybody know what they are doing? Right well while you are carrying on with that drawing the rest of us can carry on thinking about Christmas.
Christmas is such a wonderful event, because God came into the world as a human being. God shared our human life with us, and he transformed our human lives, bringing light and hope and peace for the whole world.
So let’s pause for a moment and think about how this wonderful event came about. What made it happen? Well it was God who made it happen. People didn’t really have to do anything. The shepherds were jus sat on the hill as usual, and suddenly they were told that God had already done this great thing. People didn’t do it; God did it.
But there was at least one person who had to do something, and that was Mary. What did Mary have to do?
Well she had to agree to co-operate with God’s will. When the angel Gabriel told her that she was to have a baby, she said, “Be it unto me according to thy word”.
She also had to trust God. It was a risky business betting pregnant without being married. She had to trust in God’s plan for her; trust that God would take care of her.
She accepted Jesus inside her; loved him and helped him to grow. Then after he was born she fed him and nurtured him continued to help him to grow. And because of this wonderful things happened. Jesus grew up among us and lived his life for us, and died for us and reconciled us to God.
So how are the drawings doing? We have got about another minute, so you need to be finishing off now.
Now I want to suggest is that we too, are called to be a bit like Mary. We are called to accept Jesus inside us and help him to grow. Not so much physically, but spiritually, so that we can grow to become like Christ. St Paul prays that we might all grow up into him who is the head, into Christ, into the full stature of Christ. (c.f. Eph 4:13-15).
Now it is God who makes Christ grow in us. It is not something that we can do ourselves. But if we behave like Mary then we allow God to do this work, without getting in the way.
So like Mary we are called to follow God’s will for us; to say with Mary “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
Like Mary we have to trust God. Sometimes God’s ways seem very strange, frightening even but it is important for us to trust God to bring about his work in us.
Like Mary we need to welcome Jesus, feed him and help him to grow. We can welcome Jesus by loving him in the people around us; we know Jesus is present in each person. We can nurture Jesus within us by listening to his word and by receiving his sacraments. This is how we make Jesus grow spiritually in us.
Now let’s have a look at these pictures of Jesus. Can we line them up so that we have the youngest Jesus at this end and the oldest one at that end. So then as we look along the line we see Jesus growing. So here at this end Jesus is just a baby. Let’s hold the pictures up high. How old is Jesus here? So slowly we can see Jesus growing to maturity. And at this end he is really very mature and the pictures are getting very good! So here before us is the pattern for our lives; Jesus growing. Let’s live our lives like Mary so that God will make Jesus grow within us. Amen.
25/12/07 - Year A
Informal sermon at all-age worship, with drawing activity for children.
Readings: Titus 3:4-7 Luke 2:8-20
I would like to invite all the children to come to the front.
Now, I wonder if anyone has a Christmas present that they would like to show everybody? [We look at presents]
Tell me, what is the most exciting thing when you receive a present?
[Unwrapping it]
Well there is a big box here that needs unwrapping! Now I don’t want you to get two excited, this is not really a Christmas present. What does it say on the label?
[Activity for Christmas morning]
So its not really a present, it is an activity for this morning. So who is going to take the lid of? What can you see?
[Drawing materials]
So this is our activity for the younger ones this morning. It might be more interesting than listening to the sermon! I would like to invite each of you to draw a picture of Jesus as a child. And draw him at the age that you are now. So if you are four years old now, draw a picture of Jesus aged four, and if you’re six years old now draw Jesus, when he was six. And if you’re a baby, get your parent to help you to draw a picture of Jesus as a baby.
So does everybody know what they are doing? Right well while you are carrying on with that drawing the rest of us can carry on thinking about Christmas.
Christmas is such a wonderful event, because God came into the world as a human being. God shared our human life with us, and he transformed our human lives, bringing light and hope and peace for the whole world.
So let’s pause for a moment and think about how this wonderful event came about. What made it happen? Well it was God who made it happen. People didn’t really have to do anything. The shepherds were jus sat on the hill as usual, and suddenly they were told that God had already done this great thing. People didn’t do it; God did it.
But there was at least one person who had to do something, and that was Mary. What did Mary have to do?
Well she had to agree to co-operate with God’s will. When the angel Gabriel told her that she was to have a baby, she said, “Be it unto me according to thy word”.
She also had to trust God. It was a risky business betting pregnant without being married. She had to trust in God’s plan for her; trust that God would take care of her.
She accepted Jesus inside her; loved him and helped him to grow. Then after he was born she fed him and nurtured him continued to help him to grow. And because of this wonderful things happened. Jesus grew up among us and lived his life for us, and died for us and reconciled us to God.
So how are the drawings doing? We have got about another minute, so you need to be finishing off now.
Now I want to suggest is that we too, are called to be a bit like Mary. We are called to accept Jesus inside us and help him to grow. Not so much physically, but spiritually, so that we can grow to become like Christ. St Paul prays that we might all grow up into him who is the head, into Christ, into the full stature of Christ. (c.f. Eph 4:13-15).
Now it is God who makes Christ grow in us. It is not something that we can do ourselves. But if we behave like Mary then we allow God to do this work, without getting in the way.
So like Mary we are called to follow God’s will for us; to say with Mary “Be it unto me according to thy word.”
Like Mary we have to trust God. Sometimes God’s ways seem very strange, frightening even but it is important for us to trust God to bring about his work in us.
Like Mary we need to welcome Jesus, feed him and help him to grow. We can welcome Jesus by loving him in the people around us; we know Jesus is present in each person. We can nurture Jesus within us by listening to his word and by receiving his sacraments. This is how we make Jesus grow spiritually in us.
Now let’s have a look at these pictures of Jesus. Can we line them up so that we have the youngest Jesus at this end and the oldest one at that end. So then as we look along the line we see Jesus growing. So here at this end Jesus is just a baby. Let’s hold the pictures up high. How old is Jesus here? So slowly we can see Jesus growing to maturity. And at this end he is really very mature and the pictures are getting very good! So here before us is the pattern for our lives; Jesus growing. Let’s live our lives like Mary so that God will make Jesus grow within us. Amen.
16 December 2007
Doubt and John the Baptist
Sermon preached at SS Mary and Bartholomew, Hampton-in-Arden, West Midlands at the 10.30am Eucharist, 16/12/07 Advent 3, Year A
(A shorter version of this sermon was also preached at the 8am Eucharist at St Alphege, Solihull, also on 16/12/07)
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10 (James 5:7-10) Matthew 11:2-11
As we travel along on our Christian journey towards heaven we pass through many different stages and many different experiences. There are happy times and sad times; times when we experience great understanding and clarity, and times when all is confusion and doubt. We know that God, in his great love, can and does use all of these many different experiences to help us to draw nearer to him. But we are only human, and we tend to be much more comfortable when it is all about happiness and clarity, and we are far less comfortable when it is all about sadness and doubt.
In our gospel reading today we hear about John the Baptist, and it would seem that while he is locked up in prison he is experiencing a very painful period of darkness and doubt.
Let’s just remember that a few months earlier John the Baptist had really taken the people of Israel by storm. As we heard in last week’s gospel reading, John’s ministry had been very high profile. He had gone into the wilderness of Judea preaching all the prophecies from Isaiah about the coming of the Messiah. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. (Matt 3:3, Is 40:3) John’s key message was “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near”. And people had flocked to John in great numbers and many received from him the baptism of water for repentance.
So John had developed a huge following, but he had also witnessed wonderful moments of revelation about Jesus. On the second Sunday of epiphany will hear in our gospel reading Matthew’s account of the Baptism of Christ. We will hear how at that moment John recognises Jesus for who he is. John is initially reluctant to baptise Jesus, but when he final does baptise him he sees the Spirit of God descending like a dove onto Jesus and he hears a great voice saying, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). At this point John is very sure about who Jesus. In chapter one of John’s gospel we hear John testifying about Jesus. John twice calls Jesus the Lamb of God. He explains that the decent of the Holy Spirit as a dove was for him a direct confirmation from God that Jesus was son of God. John had the clearest and most wonderful understanding of Jesus, and he shared this freely with the people around him, just as God had intended.
So we know that John was a very great man. And yet John’s great following soon started to fade. People began going to Jesus for baptism rather than to John. John’s comment on this, recorded in John's gospel, was that, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). And indeed it seems that John’s fortunes did start to dip quite dramatically. We know that Herod put John in prison, and it seems that while he is in prison and he starts to suffer all kinds of doubts and fears about who Jesus really was. Eventually he becomes so unsure that he sends his own disciples to ask Jesus if Jesus is the one who is to come, or if they should look for another.
To me it seems extraordinary that John the Baptist, the man above all others who bore witness to Christ, should himself start to suffer doubts like these while he his locked away in prison. And off course we know that it does not get any better for John. He never gets out of prison. Eventually, because of the king’s frivolous promise at a drunken party, John is beheaded.
[And the answer that Jesus gives to the disciples of John the Baptist seems not quite as clear as it might be. He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them.” (Matt 11:5). This is a reference to prophesies about the messiah like the one that we read today in Isaiah. Isaiah said, “For then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.” (Is 35:3-4).
All these things were already very manifest, and were probably already known to John, so it is not clear that this would have helped him very much. I wonder if perhaps John was passing through a very dark moment in his own spiritual journey. We know that God often allows such moments, especially in the lives of his saints, so that the saints can lose their own ego completely and learn to trust entirely in God.]
It is interesting that Jesus waits for John’s disciples to go away before he makes his big speech of affirmation about John. In the big speech Jesus confirms that John is the one of whom it was written “I am sending my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you”. Jesus affirms that “among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matt 11:11). If we had read further in our gospel reading we would have heard Jesus say that John is the Elijah who, in the very last sentences of the Old Testament, is promised to come before the messiah. John the Baptist’s disciples had already left when Jesus said all this, but it might have been very comforting to John if he had heard it.
So when we suffer doubts and uncertainties we can take heart that we are in very good company. Even John the Baptist, the very person who announced the coming of Jesus, had these problems. We might wonder why God seems to allow such experiences. These are deep mysteries, but perhaps one reason is to teach us always to be ready to lose our own understanding of things and to trust completely in God. These moments of losing can be very painful and difficult, but we must never lose heart. John the Baptist became a very great saint. At the very moment that he was suffering from doubt, Jesus was teaching the world how great he was.
(A shorter version of this sermon was also preached at the 8am Eucharist at St Alphege, Solihull, also on 16/12/07)
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10 (James 5:7-10) Matthew 11:2-11
As we travel along on our Christian journey towards heaven we pass through many different stages and many different experiences. There are happy times and sad times; times when we experience great understanding and clarity, and times when all is confusion and doubt. We know that God, in his great love, can and does use all of these many different experiences to help us to draw nearer to him. But we are only human, and we tend to be much more comfortable when it is all about happiness and clarity, and we are far less comfortable when it is all about sadness and doubt.
In our gospel reading today we hear about John the Baptist, and it would seem that while he is locked up in prison he is experiencing a very painful period of darkness and doubt.
Let’s just remember that a few months earlier John the Baptist had really taken the people of Israel by storm. As we heard in last week’s gospel reading, John’s ministry had been very high profile. He had gone into the wilderness of Judea preaching all the prophecies from Isaiah about the coming of the Messiah. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”. (Matt 3:3, Is 40:3) John’s key message was “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near”. And people had flocked to John in great numbers and many received from him the baptism of water for repentance.
So John had developed a huge following, but he had also witnessed wonderful moments of revelation about Jesus. On the second Sunday of epiphany will hear in our gospel reading Matthew’s account of the Baptism of Christ. We will hear how at that moment John recognises Jesus for who he is. John is initially reluctant to baptise Jesus, but when he final does baptise him he sees the Spirit of God descending like a dove onto Jesus and he hears a great voice saying, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:17). At this point John is very sure about who Jesus. In chapter one of John’s gospel we hear John testifying about Jesus. John twice calls Jesus the Lamb of God. He explains that the decent of the Holy Spirit as a dove was for him a direct confirmation from God that Jesus was son of God. John had the clearest and most wonderful understanding of Jesus, and he shared this freely with the people around him, just as God had intended.
So we know that John was a very great man. And yet John’s great following soon started to fade. People began going to Jesus for baptism rather than to John. John’s comment on this, recorded in John's gospel, was that, “He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). And indeed it seems that John’s fortunes did start to dip quite dramatically. We know that Herod put John in prison, and it seems that while he is in prison and he starts to suffer all kinds of doubts and fears about who Jesus really was. Eventually he becomes so unsure that he sends his own disciples to ask Jesus if Jesus is the one who is to come, or if they should look for another.
To me it seems extraordinary that John the Baptist, the man above all others who bore witness to Christ, should himself start to suffer doubts like these while he his locked away in prison. And off course we know that it does not get any better for John. He never gets out of prison. Eventually, because of the king’s frivolous promise at a drunken party, John is beheaded.
[And the answer that Jesus gives to the disciples of John the Baptist seems not quite as clear as it might be. He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have good news brought to them.” (Matt 11:5). This is a reference to prophesies about the messiah like the one that we read today in Isaiah. Isaiah said, “For then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped; the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.” (Is 35:3-4).
All these things were already very manifest, and were probably already known to John, so it is not clear that this would have helped him very much. I wonder if perhaps John was passing through a very dark moment in his own spiritual journey. We know that God often allows such moments, especially in the lives of his saints, so that the saints can lose their own ego completely and learn to trust entirely in God.]
It is interesting that Jesus waits for John’s disciples to go away before he makes his big speech of affirmation about John. In the big speech Jesus confirms that John is the one of whom it was written “I am sending my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you”. Jesus affirms that “among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist” (Matt 11:11). If we had read further in our gospel reading we would have heard Jesus say that John is the Elijah who, in the very last sentences of the Old Testament, is promised to come before the messiah. John the Baptist’s disciples had already left when Jesus said all this, but it might have been very comforting to John if he had heard it.
So when we suffer doubts and uncertainties we can take heart that we are in very good company. Even John the Baptist, the very person who announced the coming of Jesus, had these problems. We might wonder why God seems to allow such experiences. These are deep mysteries, but perhaps one reason is to teach us always to be ready to lose our own understanding of things and to trust completely in God. These moments of losing can be very painful and difficult, but we must never lose heart. John the Baptist became a very great saint. At the very moment that he was suffering from doubt, Jesus was teaching the world how great he was.
09 December 2007
Waiting for Deliverance
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull at Choral Evensong, 6.30pm 09/12/07 (Advent 2)
Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 80 2 Peter 3:8-15a
There is a theme of waiting for deliverance in our scripture readings today.
First of all the choir sang for us psalm 80. This psalm was clearly written during one of the low points of the history of the Jewish people, perhaps during the period when exile in Babylon in the 6th Century BC. The psalmist pleads with God to come and save his people. The psalmist compares Israel to a vine which the Lord brought out of Egypt and established in a fine vineyard, such that it prospered and grew and extended. It sent our branches to the sea, and shoots to the river. But now it feels to Israel as though God has abandoned the vine. The vineyard wall have fallen down and any person or animal who wants a grape can just stroll in and strip whatever they want from the vine.
So, the psalmist pleads with God, “You have taken so much trouble over this vine, gone to such lengths to nurture it and to help it flourish, why now have you abandoned it? Look down from heaven and have regard for this vine that your right hand has planted. Put away the vine’s enemies and restore the vine, so that Israel may be saved [paraphrased].”
Our reading from Isaiah chapter 40 comes from the later end of this traumatic period when the Jewish people were in exile. The prophet tells the people that comfort is at hand. They should take heart. Jerusalem’s penalty has been paid. She has served her term and has paid double for all her sins. Now, at last, God is coming. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight a highway for our God. Lift up the valleys, lay low the mountains for the Lord is coming and his glory shall be revealed. Because even though human beings come and go like grass, and grow up and fade away like the flowers of the field, the word of the Lord stands for ever. So stand up on the high mountain and proclaim the good news. God is coming with great might, and when he comes he will take care of his people, like a gentle Shepard taking care over his flock.
For Christians this prophecy is most perfectly fulfilled in the coming of Christ, but it is also fulfilled in the end of the exile in Babylon. This came about in a dramatic and extraordinary way. In 555BC the Persians and Medes conquered Babylon. Soon afterwards King Cyrus of Persia encouraged the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and to start rebuilding the temple. (Ezra 1:1-4)
This theme of waiting for God to come and deliver his people is also picked up in our New Testament lesson from the second book of Peter. Peter, and indeed all the church have been waiting for the second coming of Christ. Jesus had always been very clear that nobody, not even Jesus himself, knew the time of the second coming, but despite this there was a clear expectation in the early church that it would happen quickly. But the years went by and after a time scoffers had appeared, saying “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” In other words, “You should forget him, he’s not coming”.
Peter responds by telling us that 1000 years in God’s sight is like a day, and a day is like a 1000 years. The Lord is not being slow in making good his promise, rather he is being patient. He is allowing time for people to come to repentance, so that no one may perish. Peter remains adamant in his expectation that the whole earth will be destroyed by fire, but we await the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness is at home. Therefore we should continue to wait for the coming of the Lord, living lives of holiness and godliness, without spot or blemish and be grateful that the Lord is so patient.
Well 2000 years have gone by and we are still waiting. Surely God is being extremely patient!
But we must not underestimate what has happened in the last 2000 years. Christianity has spread from the original 12 disciples to cover about a third of the world’s population. And it is important to notice that Christianity continues to move forward and grow, especially in Africa, in the former communist countries and particularly in China. In the UK, and in much of the Western Europe we might well feel that Christianity has been in decline for 100 years, but that decline has no more significance than a big wave reseeding when the worldwide tide is still coming firmly in. So we should not underestimate the value of 2000 years of patience.
But let’s remind ourselves of Peter’s advice about this time of waiting. Peter describes it as a time to come to repentance, in which we should live lives of holiness and goodness. He says that we should strive to be found by the Lord at peace, without spot or blemish. What does he mean by this? What does it mean to come to repentance?
Let’s stop for a moment and think about this word, repentance. It is a word we use a lot in Advent, but what does it mean? Well I think it means many things.
Repentance means putting God in the first place in our lives and making sure that everything else (family, job, house, car, friends) finds its rightful places in our lives under God.
Repentance means knowing our need of God. It means remembering that it was God who created us, it is God who sustains us and it is above all God who wants our good. He wants to share with us the life of heaven.
Repentance means letting to of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. He made us, and knows better than we do, what is good for us.
Repentance means turning away from sin and all rebellion against God, in order to be obedient to God and to follow him in all that he wants from us.
Repentance means owning up to our sin, our human frailties, our fears, our inner hurts and entrusting all these to God’s mercy and compassion. In this way we become free of sin, from fears, from hurts and they cease to have power over us. This allows us to walk in the way of God without carrying loads of baggage.
Coming to repentance is therefore a process rather than an event. It takes time, so we can be grateful for the time that God has given us on this earth. Over time we orientate ourselves ever more perfectly in God’s love for us. Little by little we become more precise in our adherence to God’s will. Step by step we let go of our baggage that gets in the way and learn live in the freedom of God’s love.
So this use the time we have this Advent to come to repentance. Let’s make sure that God is in the first place in our lives, and other things find their right place under him. Let’s be ready to let go of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. Let’s own up to our sins and put them behind us. Living repentance will bring us to live lives of holiness and godliness, peace without spot or blemish, just as Peter recommends. And if we do this we prepare ourselves well for the second coming of Christ, or indeed for our own deaths if these should come first.
Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 80 2 Peter 3:8-15a
There is a theme of waiting for deliverance in our scripture readings today.
First of all the choir sang for us psalm 80. This psalm was clearly written during one of the low points of the history of the Jewish people, perhaps during the period when exile in Babylon in the 6th Century BC. The psalmist pleads with God to come and save his people. The psalmist compares Israel to a vine which the Lord brought out of Egypt and established in a fine vineyard, such that it prospered and grew and extended. It sent our branches to the sea, and shoots to the river. But now it feels to Israel as though God has abandoned the vine. The vineyard wall have fallen down and any person or animal who wants a grape can just stroll in and strip whatever they want from the vine.
So, the psalmist pleads with God, “You have taken so much trouble over this vine, gone to such lengths to nurture it and to help it flourish, why now have you abandoned it? Look down from heaven and have regard for this vine that your right hand has planted. Put away the vine’s enemies and restore the vine, so that Israel may be saved [paraphrased].”
Our reading from Isaiah chapter 40 comes from the later end of this traumatic period when the Jewish people were in exile. The prophet tells the people that comfort is at hand. They should take heart. Jerusalem’s penalty has been paid. She has served her term and has paid double for all her sins. Now, at last, God is coming. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight a highway for our God. Lift up the valleys, lay low the mountains for the Lord is coming and his glory shall be revealed. Because even though human beings come and go like grass, and grow up and fade away like the flowers of the field, the word of the Lord stands for ever. So stand up on the high mountain and proclaim the good news. God is coming with great might, and when he comes he will take care of his people, like a gentle Shepard taking care over his flock.
For Christians this prophecy is most perfectly fulfilled in the coming of Christ, but it is also fulfilled in the end of the exile in Babylon. This came about in a dramatic and extraordinary way. In 555BC the Persians and Medes conquered Babylon. Soon afterwards King Cyrus of Persia encouraged the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and to start rebuilding the temple. (Ezra 1:1-4)
This theme of waiting for God to come and deliver his people is also picked up in our New Testament lesson from the second book of Peter. Peter, and indeed all the church have been waiting for the second coming of Christ. Jesus had always been very clear that nobody, not even Jesus himself, knew the time of the second coming, but despite this there was a clear expectation in the early church that it would happen quickly. But the years went by and after a time scoffers had appeared, saying “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” In other words, “You should forget him, he’s not coming”.
Peter responds by telling us that 1000 years in God’s sight is like a day, and a day is like a 1000 years. The Lord is not being slow in making good his promise, rather he is being patient. He is allowing time for people to come to repentance, so that no one may perish. Peter remains adamant in his expectation that the whole earth will be destroyed by fire, but we await the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness is at home. Therefore we should continue to wait for the coming of the Lord, living lives of holiness and godliness, without spot or blemish and be grateful that the Lord is so patient.
Well 2000 years have gone by and we are still waiting. Surely God is being extremely patient!
But we must not underestimate what has happened in the last 2000 years. Christianity has spread from the original 12 disciples to cover about a third of the world’s population. And it is important to notice that Christianity continues to move forward and grow, especially in Africa, in the former communist countries and particularly in China. In the UK, and in much of the Western Europe we might well feel that Christianity has been in decline for 100 years, but that decline has no more significance than a big wave reseeding when the worldwide tide is still coming firmly in. So we should not underestimate the value of 2000 years of patience.
But let’s remind ourselves of Peter’s advice about this time of waiting. Peter describes it as a time to come to repentance, in which we should live lives of holiness and goodness. He says that we should strive to be found by the Lord at peace, without spot or blemish. What does he mean by this? What does it mean to come to repentance?
Let’s stop for a moment and think about this word, repentance. It is a word we use a lot in Advent, but what does it mean? Well I think it means many things.
Repentance means putting God in the first place in our lives and making sure that everything else (family, job, house, car, friends) finds its rightful places in our lives under God.
Repentance means knowing our need of God. It means remembering that it was God who created us, it is God who sustains us and it is above all God who wants our good. He wants to share with us the life of heaven.
Repentance means letting to of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. He made us, and knows better than we do, what is good for us.
Repentance means turning away from sin and all rebellion against God, in order to be obedient to God and to follow him in all that he wants from us.
Repentance means owning up to our sin, our human frailties, our fears, our inner hurts and entrusting all these to God’s mercy and compassion. In this way we become free of sin, from fears, from hurts and they cease to have power over us. This allows us to walk in the way of God without carrying loads of baggage.
Coming to repentance is therefore a process rather than an event. It takes time, so we can be grateful for the time that God has given us on this earth. Over time we orientate ourselves ever more perfectly in God’s love for us. Little by little we become more precise in our adherence to God’s will. Step by step we let go of our baggage that gets in the way and learn live in the freedom of God’s love.
So this use the time we have this Advent to come to repentance. Let’s make sure that God is in the first place in our lives, and other things find their right place under him. Let’s be ready to let go of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. Let’s own up to our sins and put them behind us. Living repentance will bring us to live lives of holiness and godliness, peace without spot or blemish, just as Peter recommends. And if we do this we prepare ourselves well for the second coming of Christ, or indeed for our own deaths if these should come first.
Prepare the way of the Lord - Repentance
Preached at St Helen’s Church. St Helen’s Road, Solihull at the 10am Eucharist, 09/12/07
Second Sunday of Advent - Year A
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12
In our gospel reading today we hear of John the Baptist preparing the way for the Jesus. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” he proclaims. And this is what we are about in Advent. In Advent we are preparing for the coming of Jesus. We are preparing, in the first instance, for the coming of the baby Jesus at Christmas time. And we all enjoy making the practical preparation to celebrate the feast; we start to buy and wrap up presents. We plan Christmas dinners and parties and stock up the larder with good food. We buy new clothes to wear at our Christmas get-togethers. We prepare decorations for houses and churches. And all these practical preparations are important because Christmas is an important feast and we want to celebrate it well.
But when John the Baptist tells people to “Prepare the way of the Lord” I don’t think he is expecting his listeners to go out shopping for presents! John the Baptist, who lives in the wilderness, is not thinking about decorating houses. John the Baptist, who eats locusts and wild honey, isn’t thinking about stocking up the larder with food. John the Baptist, who wears camel’s hair with a leather belt isn’t thinking about fine clothes. Well what is he thinking about?
Well he is thinking much more of the spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ. In particular he is telling people to repent.
He says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near”. He baptises in the Jordon people who have confessed their sins. He tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to “bear fruit worth of repentance”. So John the Baptist is thinking of repentance as the essential preparation for the coming of Jesus.
Repentance. Let’s stop for a moment and think about this word, which is so alien to our times, so completely counter cultural. What does the word Repentance mean? Well, I think it can be defined in a number of ways; here are some of them:
Repentance means putting God in the first place in our lives and making sure that everything else (family, job, house, car, friends) finds its rightful places in our lives under God.
Repentance means knowing our need of God. It means remembering that it was God who created us, it is God who sustains us and it is above all God who wants our good. He wants to share with us the life of heaven.
Repentance means letting to of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. He made us, and knows better than we do, what is good for us.
Repentance means turning away from sin and all rebellion against God, in order to be obedient to God and to follow him in all that he wants from us.
Repentance means owning up to our sin, our human frailties, our fears, our inner hurts and entrusting all these to God’s mercy and compassion. In this way we become free of sin, from fears, from hurts and they cease to have power over us. This allows us to walk in the way of God without carrying loads of baggage.
Repentance therefore is not a one time thing. It is a process that goes on for a lifetime. Little by little we orientate ourselves ever more perfectly in God’s love for us. Little by little we become more precise in our adherence to God’s will. Little by little we let go of our baggage that gets in the way and learn live in the freedom of God’s love.
Repentance is an on-going process, but twice a year, in Advent and Lent, the church particularly invites us to remember repentance so that we can hear afresh the call to conversion and to make the necessary adjustments in our lives.
Over the last year or so I have enjoyed getting to know Fr Sean from St Augustine’s RC church. I meet him through Churches Together in Central Solihull. Fr Sean is quite an old man. He is a priest of 57 years standing and he has many holy qualities. Fr Sean is also a great joker. Something he does quite frequently is to ask people to pray for his conversion. And this can seem very funny, because their can be few people who are as thoroughly and truly converted as Fr Sean. And although it is funny, the point he is making is of the utmost seriousness and importance. However saintly we have become, there is always room for more conversion, always scope for truer repentance.
So this Advent lets work on repentance. Let’s make sure that God is in the first place in our lives, and other things find their right place under him. Let’s be ready to let go of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. Let’s own up to our sins and failings and put them behind us. In this way we prepare to meet Jesus. In this way we prepare to celebrate the Christmas season with holiness and joy.
Second Sunday of Advent - Year A
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12
In our gospel reading today we hear of John the Baptist preparing the way for the Jesus. “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” he proclaims. And this is what we are about in Advent. In Advent we are preparing for the coming of Jesus. We are preparing, in the first instance, for the coming of the baby Jesus at Christmas time. And we all enjoy making the practical preparation to celebrate the feast; we start to buy and wrap up presents. We plan Christmas dinners and parties and stock up the larder with good food. We buy new clothes to wear at our Christmas get-togethers. We prepare decorations for houses and churches. And all these practical preparations are important because Christmas is an important feast and we want to celebrate it well.
But when John the Baptist tells people to “Prepare the way of the Lord” I don’t think he is expecting his listeners to go out shopping for presents! John the Baptist, who lives in the wilderness, is not thinking about decorating houses. John the Baptist, who eats locusts and wild honey, isn’t thinking about stocking up the larder with food. John the Baptist, who wears camel’s hair with a leather belt isn’t thinking about fine clothes. Well what is he thinking about?
Well he is thinking much more of the spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ. In particular he is telling people to repent.
He says, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near”. He baptises in the Jordon people who have confessed their sins. He tells the Pharisees and Sadducees to “bear fruit worth of repentance”. So John the Baptist is thinking of repentance as the essential preparation for the coming of Jesus.
Repentance. Let’s stop for a moment and think about this word, which is so alien to our times, so completely counter cultural. What does the word Repentance mean? Well, I think it can be defined in a number of ways; here are some of them:
Repentance means putting God in the first place in our lives and making sure that everything else (family, job, house, car, friends) finds its rightful places in our lives under God.
Repentance means knowing our need of God. It means remembering that it was God who created us, it is God who sustains us and it is above all God who wants our good. He wants to share with us the life of heaven.
Repentance means letting to of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. He made us, and knows better than we do, what is good for us.
Repentance means turning away from sin and all rebellion against God, in order to be obedient to God and to follow him in all that he wants from us.
Repentance means owning up to our sin, our human frailties, our fears, our inner hurts and entrusting all these to God’s mercy and compassion. In this way we become free of sin, from fears, from hurts and they cease to have power over us. This allows us to walk in the way of God without carrying loads of baggage.
Repentance therefore is not a one time thing. It is a process that goes on for a lifetime. Little by little we orientate ourselves ever more perfectly in God’s love for us. Little by little we become more precise in our adherence to God’s will. Little by little we let go of our baggage that gets in the way and learn live in the freedom of God’s love.
Repentance is an on-going process, but twice a year, in Advent and Lent, the church particularly invites us to remember repentance so that we can hear afresh the call to conversion and to make the necessary adjustments in our lives.
Over the last year or so I have enjoyed getting to know Fr Sean from St Augustine’s RC church. I meet him through Churches Together in Central Solihull. Fr Sean is quite an old man. He is a priest of 57 years standing and he has many holy qualities. Fr Sean is also a great joker. Something he does quite frequently is to ask people to pray for his conversion. And this can seem very funny, because their can be few people who are as thoroughly and truly converted as Fr Sean. And although it is funny, the point he is making is of the utmost seriousness and importance. However saintly we have become, there is always room for more conversion, always scope for truer repentance.
So this Advent lets work on repentance. Let’s make sure that God is in the first place in our lives, and other things find their right place under him. Let’s be ready to let go of our own will, in order to follow the things that God wills for us. Let’s own up to our sins and failings and put them behind us. In this way we prepare to meet Jesus. In this way we prepare to celebrate the Christmas season with holiness and joy.
18 November 2007
Choir Sunday
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull on 18/11/07 – Second Sunday before Advent – Year C (Choir Sunday)
The sermon was preached at the 9.15 Eucharist with the boys choir interviewed and repeated at the 11am Eucharist with Girls Choir interviewed.
(Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19)
Choirs Sunday gives us an opportunity for us to celebrate our different choirs and to give thanks for the contribution that they make to our worship.
And there is a lot to give thanks for here. Perhaps most obviously we can give thanks for Nigel, our Director of Music and for John, the assistant organist. We give thanks for the people who sing in the choirs themselves; the boys, the girls, the ladies and the men. Then there are the families who support the choir members. Most people who sing in the choirs can only do so because of the support and commitment of other family members. We can also give thanks for groups like the Friends of St Alphege Music and the Royal School of Church Music who in different ways support the ministry of our choirs. So there is lots to give thanks for.
But Choirs Sunday is also a good opportunity to reflect upon the role of music in our worship. Music enhances the worship. It adds breadth and depth helping us to enter into the liturgy in a more complete way. Music makes the liturgy more beautiful and more fulfilling. If we go home from church still humming the music, then this helps us to remain in the spirit of the liturgy as we set out on our week.
Now most of us appreciate music, but many of us are not great musicians. And this is where a good choir can really help us. The choir can help us by leading our singing. It can also enhance our liturgy with additional anthems and settings that are well beyond the musical ability of most people. And this is a wonderful thing, and we need to celebrate it.
But there is another aspect that we must not lose sight of. Worship is something that we do together. When we come together as a church community to celebrate the Eucharist, we come together as one body; the body of Christ (e.g. Romans 12:4-5,1 Cor12:17, Eph 1:23). When we share in the bread and wine of the Eucharist we are share together in the body of Christ; we are participating in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16-17). The body of Christ in the Eucharist strengthens, renews and enlivens the body of Christ which is the church. And so it is essential that this celebration of the Eucharist is something we do together.
Now saying that we must celebrate the Eucharist together, does not mean that we all do the same thing. Just as the many organs of a physical body have different roles, so we have different roles in the church, and different roles in the liturgy. But the key point is that all these different things must be done to help and support the worship of the whole congregation; they must be done on behalf of the whole community.
So if the choir sing for us the Sanctus, or a special anthem we don’t need to join in and sing with them, but we do need to own and participate in that part of the worship. And we do this by listening, by praying and by contemplating the heavenly mysteries through the singing.
Now someone might say, “I’d rather sing my own Sanctus: that way I am participating more in the service.” Well, that is a good starting point. But as we grow in the faith, and as we get better at worship, we need to move beyond an individualised worship which is all about I do and say. Each of us needs to develop an awareness of or own worship as part of the worship of the whole community. My worship is my contribution to the worship of the whole congregation; it’s my sharing in the worship of the whole congregation. And in most cases the worship of the whole congregation is going to be more beautiful, and bring us closer to God, if the Sanctus is sung by the choir.
And this places a huge responsibility on the choir. It is very easy for the choir to get caught up in the technicalities of singing, and keeping the music sheets in order, and to forget they are worshiping, that worship is the essential thing. The more than the congregation is aware of the choir worshiping, the easier the congregation will find it to entrust the signing to the choir. And our liturgy will be the more beautiful for it.
Now I would like to ask the boys choir to come forward. We have talked about sharing in worship together, and sharing becomes easier as we know each other better, so I thought we could end this sermon by taking the opportunity to get to know the boys choir a little better. So we can start off by getting a proper look at you!
[A brief interview follows]
Tell me, how often do you come to church?
How often to practice, and how often to a service?
And what are the best bits of the service? What are the bits you enjoy?
And what about the rest of the service? Do you manage to say the prayers and listen to the sermon?
The sermon was preached at the 9.15 Eucharist with the boys choir interviewed and repeated at the 11am Eucharist with Girls Choir interviewed.
(Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19)
Choirs Sunday gives us an opportunity for us to celebrate our different choirs and to give thanks for the contribution that they make to our worship.
And there is a lot to give thanks for here. Perhaps most obviously we can give thanks for Nigel, our Director of Music and for John, the assistant organist. We give thanks for the people who sing in the choirs themselves; the boys, the girls, the ladies and the men. Then there are the families who support the choir members. Most people who sing in the choirs can only do so because of the support and commitment of other family members. We can also give thanks for groups like the Friends of St Alphege Music and the Royal School of Church Music who in different ways support the ministry of our choirs. So there is lots to give thanks for.
But Choirs Sunday is also a good opportunity to reflect upon the role of music in our worship. Music enhances the worship. It adds breadth and depth helping us to enter into the liturgy in a more complete way. Music makes the liturgy more beautiful and more fulfilling. If we go home from church still humming the music, then this helps us to remain in the spirit of the liturgy as we set out on our week.
Now most of us appreciate music, but many of us are not great musicians. And this is where a good choir can really help us. The choir can help us by leading our singing. It can also enhance our liturgy with additional anthems and settings that are well beyond the musical ability of most people. And this is a wonderful thing, and we need to celebrate it.
But there is another aspect that we must not lose sight of. Worship is something that we do together. When we come together as a church community to celebrate the Eucharist, we come together as one body; the body of Christ (e.g. Romans 12:4-5,1 Cor12:17, Eph 1:23). When we share in the bread and wine of the Eucharist we are share together in the body of Christ; we are participating in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16-17). The body of Christ in the Eucharist strengthens, renews and enlivens the body of Christ which is the church. And so it is essential that this celebration of the Eucharist is something we do together.
Now saying that we must celebrate the Eucharist together, does not mean that we all do the same thing. Just as the many organs of a physical body have different roles, so we have different roles in the church, and different roles in the liturgy. But the key point is that all these different things must be done to help and support the worship of the whole congregation; they must be done on behalf of the whole community.
So if the choir sing for us the Sanctus, or a special anthem we don’t need to join in and sing with them, but we do need to own and participate in that part of the worship. And we do this by listening, by praying and by contemplating the heavenly mysteries through the singing.
Now someone might say, “I’d rather sing my own Sanctus: that way I am participating more in the service.” Well, that is a good starting point. But as we grow in the faith, and as we get better at worship, we need to move beyond an individualised worship which is all about I do and say. Each of us needs to develop an awareness of or own worship as part of the worship of the whole community. My worship is my contribution to the worship of the whole congregation; it’s my sharing in the worship of the whole congregation. And in most cases the worship of the whole congregation is going to be more beautiful, and bring us closer to God, if the Sanctus is sung by the choir.
And this places a huge responsibility on the choir. It is very easy for the choir to get caught up in the technicalities of singing, and keeping the music sheets in order, and to forget they are worshiping, that worship is the essential thing. The more than the congregation is aware of the choir worshiping, the easier the congregation will find it to entrust the signing to the choir. And our liturgy will be the more beautiful for it.
Now I would like to ask the boys choir to come forward. We have talked about sharing in worship together, and sharing becomes easier as we know each other better, so I thought we could end this sermon by taking the opportunity to get to know the boys choir a little better. So we can start off by getting a proper look at you!
[A brief interview follows]
Tell me, how often do you come to church?
How often to practice, and how often to a service?
And what are the best bits of the service? What are the bits you enjoy?
And what about the rest of the service? Do you manage to say the prayers and listen to the sermon?
Gaining our souls by endurance
Thought for Parish Pewslip – 18th November 2007 - Second Sunday before Advent - Year C
Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19
In our New Testament reading Paul urges us to quietly get on with earning our living and not to grow weary of doing what is right.
This comforting advice for our everyday lives is in sharp contrast to our reading from Malachi which foretells of a terrifying day when the arrogant and evil doers perish, but those who revere the name of God shall see righteousness and healing.
Jesus echoes Malachi’s theme in our gospel reading. He talks of a time when the temple in Jerusalem will be completely destroyed. People ask him when this will be and he indicates that many wars, natural disasters, trials and betrayals must come first. Jesus’ main message is not to worry, but to continue to trust in him and by endurance to gain our souls. He says, “They will put some of you to death…but not a hair of your head will perish.” It is clear that Jesus is looking to a safety beyond death (c.f. Matt 10:28).
A few days after saying these words Jesus himself was killed. Then his resurrection revealed the hope that lies beyond death. Let us therefore carry on with our everyday lives, seeking always to do what is right. We know that traumas will come, and we know that one day we shall die, but let us continue to trust in Jesus and by endurance gain our souls.
Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19
In our New Testament reading Paul urges us to quietly get on with earning our living and not to grow weary of doing what is right.
This comforting advice for our everyday lives is in sharp contrast to our reading from Malachi which foretells of a terrifying day when the arrogant and evil doers perish, but those who revere the name of God shall see righteousness and healing.
Jesus echoes Malachi’s theme in our gospel reading. He talks of a time when the temple in Jerusalem will be completely destroyed. People ask him when this will be and he indicates that many wars, natural disasters, trials and betrayals must come first. Jesus’ main message is not to worry, but to continue to trust in him and by endurance to gain our souls. He says, “They will put some of you to death…but not a hair of your head will perish.” It is clear that Jesus is looking to a safety beyond death (c.f. Matt 10:28).
A few days after saying these words Jesus himself was killed. Then his resurrection revealed the hope that lies beyond death. Let us therefore carry on with our everyday lives, seeking always to do what is right. We know that traumas will come, and we know that one day we shall die, but let us continue to trust in Jesus and by endurance gain our souls.
01 November 2007
Live Simply – Our Global Challenge
Article for Parish Magazine, published November 2007
God calls us to look hard at our lifestyles and to choose to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor.
In this way we can help create a world in which human dignity is respected and everyone can reach their full potential.
This would be true progress, worth more than economic growth alone.
This is how the Live Simply project introduces itself on its website at www.livesimply.org.uk. As time goes by I find more and more to admire in this way of thinking and living. It seems to me that seeking to live a simpler life can often be an authentic Christian response to many of the difficulties and problems that we face in western society today. I am thinking particularly of problems like consumerism, individualism, global warming and isolation of the poor. Here are some example of ways of “living simply”:
If I grow some of my own vegetables then I don’t have to buy my vegetables from the big supermarkets. My awareness of the earth, its soil and the weather grows. This helps to keep me “grounded” as a human being and increases my environmental awareness. The work involved gives me fresh air an exercise, making me less dependent on the gym. If I grow too many vegetables and chose to share some then a communitarian aspect of this project starts to develop. I am minimizing my carbon footprint because no transport is involved in the sourcing of my vegetables. I am showing solidarity with the poor by not using money to secure my vegetables.
If I buy a smaller, simpler car, rather than a big high status car, then the car has lower carbon emissions. I am less isolated from other people as I drive around and I undermine consumerism by saying “I am not dependent on a big car to feel good about myself”. I am less isolated from the poor than if I drive a high status car. Of course, all these effects are increased even further if I choose to go by bus or by bicycle rather than use a car.
If, in our family, we relax by playing a card game together rather than by watching TV or playing electronic games then we spend the evening in a more communal way. We build up the relationships among ourselves, we spend less money on electronic games, we use no electricity, we watch no adverts and we learn games which can be played by the poor.
Now, for me personally (and probably for many people in Solihull) this is very challenging! As a family we do grow some vegetables, but I personally do very little in the garden. I drive a biggish car and am very dependent on screen based entertainment! However I do see the point of “living simply”. I can also see that it is very counter cultural to our consumer society and all the marketing messages that we absorb consciously and unconsciously in our day to day lives.
On the evening of 16th November 2007, I shall be exploring this theme further by attending a lecture entitled “Live Simply – our global challenge” by Brazilian Sociologist Vera Araújo. The lecture is a major event; CAFOD's annual Paul VI Lecture in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster. If anyone else is interested in coming along then please let me know.
If I grow some of my own vegetables then I don’t have to buy my vegetables from the big supermarkets. My awareness of the earth, its soil and the weather grows. This helps to keep me “grounded” as a human being and increases my environmental awareness. The work involved gives me fresh air an exercise, making me less dependent on the gym. If I grow too many vegetables and chose to share some then a communitarian aspect of this project starts to develop. I am minimizing my carbon footprint because no transport is involved in the sourcing of my vegetables. I am showing solidarity with the poor by not using money to secure my vegetables.
If I buy a smaller, simpler car, rather than a big high status car, then the car has lower carbon emissions. I am less isolated from other people as I drive around and I undermine consumerism by saying “I am not dependent on a big car to feel good about myself”. I am less isolated from the poor than if I drive a high status car. Of course, all these effects are increased even further if I choose to go by bus or by bicycle rather than use a car.
If, in our family, we relax by playing a card game together rather than by watching TV or playing electronic games then we spend the evening in a more communal way. We build up the relationships among ourselves, we spend less money on electronic games, we use no electricity, we watch no adverts and we learn games which can be played by the poor.
Now, for me personally (and probably for many people in Solihull) this is very challenging! As a family we do grow some vegetables, but I personally do very little in the garden. I drive a biggish car and am very dependent on screen based entertainment! However I do see the point of “living simply”. I can also see that it is very counter cultural to our consumer society and all the marketing messages that we absorb consciously and unconsciously in our day to day lives.
On the evening of 16th November 2007, I shall be exploring this theme further by attending a lecture entitled “Live Simply – our global challenge” by Brazilian Sociologist Vera Araújo. The lecture is a major event; CAFOD's annual Paul VI Lecture in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster. If anyone else is interested in coming along then please let me know.
– Fr Gerard
28 October 2007
Knowing our need of God
Informal sermon - 28/10/07 – Last Sunday after Trinity – Year C
Readings: Ecclesiasticus 35:12-17 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 Luke 18:9-14
First of all I would like to thank Club 1 for proclaiming the gospel for us today, via video clip! As you know, Club 1 have been reflecting on the parable the we heard in today’s gospel reading, so I thought it might be good to ask them a question or two!
[What do we know about the Pharisees at the time of Jesus? Tell me about the Pharisees.]
In the world that Jesus grew up in the Pharisees were pretty much the most respectable people around. They were religious leaders, usually well educated and usually from good families. People would like to be associated with the Pharisees; they would like to invite them to their parties and to talk to them in the streets.
[What do we know about Tax Collectors at the time of Jesus? Tell me about Tax Collectors.]
By contrast the tax collectors were about the least respectable people in society. The tax collectors worked for the occupying Roman force. They had the power to decide how much or how little tax you paid, so you could afford to fall out with them. If they wanted to take money off you they had the full power of the Roman army behind them. Also they often took a bit of money on the side for themselves, in addition to the money that they took for the Romans, and there was nothing you could do about it. People hated the tax collectors. It was dangerous to talk to tax collectors, because everything they knew about you or your friends they used to get taxes out of you. So people stayed away from the tax collectors and tried to have nothing to do with them.
[Last question! What is it about the parable that would have been rather
shocking to the people that Jesus was talking to?]
The parable is shocking because, when they pray to God, it is the Tax Collector not the Pharisee who walks away justified, that is who walks away in the right relationship with God. This could be very unsettling. It tells us that the ordinary values of human society can be very different from what matters to God. I was wondering how the parable might look if we switched it into modern times.
Solihull is a very respectable place. Someone from Solihull, a priest even, might go up to the church and pray “I thank you God that I have a nice house and a nice car and a nice family. I thank you that I obey the law of the land and go to church and I keep the Ten Commandments and I give money to the church. I thank you that I am a really respectable person.”
And perhaps somewhere else in the Borough, perhaps in Chelmsley Wood a drug addict might go into church, and he might have all kinds of debts, and problems, and a broken family and he might pray “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And perhaps it is that person who is in the right relationship with God.
To be in the right relationship with God! To be in a right relationship with God we have to humbly accept our need of God. We have to humbly accept the love that God has shown us in making us, in giving us our families, our friends and all the good things that we have. And above all we have to humbly accept that God has overcome our sins, through the passion and death of Jesus.
It is very easy to think, “I am a very respectable person…I’m not a sinner…well that’s not a sin…well everyone does that nowadays.” But that’s the Pharisee talking! It is much, much harder to be honest about the painful reality of our own sin; we have to cry out with the tax collector “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”
And the key thing here is to believe ever more truly and ever more deeply in the mercy of God. The more that we can truly trust in God’s love for us, despite all the worst things about us, the more we can start to love ourselves as God loves us, to forgive ourselves as God forgives us and to move beyond denial, to move beyond self hatred, to move beyond our sin.
And I think it is important to acknowledge that this can be a painful process. Sin can cause pain in our relationship with God and our relationship with other people. Jesus on the cross has accepted that pain and we too need to accept some of the hurt before relationships can be properly restored.
Now I would like to tell you about a prayer that can help us to do this. Perhaps you know it already. It is called the “Jesus Prayer”, and it is rather similar to the prayer that the Tax Collector made in our gospel today. The prayer has many forms, but probably the most common is the simple phrase, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” , “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” In the tradition of the Orthodox Church it is recommended to repete this phase time and time again for several minutes. To start with we say the prayer with our lips, but the idea is that we build up a rhythm of prayer and slowly we start to say the prayer with our whole mind, our whole body and our whole spirit. And this is very helpful, because it reminds us ever more deeply who Jesus is, the Son of God, who we are, sinners, and of the mercy of God in which we are held.
So as we continue our service today, and as we go home, let us continue to reflect on this parable. Let’s be honest about our sin to God, and honest about our need of God. And let’s use the Jesus prayer to remind us that we stand always and only in the mercy of God. Amen.
Readings: Ecclesiasticus 35:12-17 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 Luke 18:9-14
First of all I would like to thank Club 1 for proclaiming the gospel for us today, via video clip! As you know, Club 1 have been reflecting on the parable the we heard in today’s gospel reading, so I thought it might be good to ask them a question or two!
[What do we know about the Pharisees at the time of Jesus? Tell me about the Pharisees.]
In the world that Jesus grew up in the Pharisees were pretty much the most respectable people around. They were religious leaders, usually well educated and usually from good families. People would like to be associated with the Pharisees; they would like to invite them to their parties and to talk to them in the streets.
[What do we know about Tax Collectors at the time of Jesus? Tell me about Tax Collectors.]
By contrast the tax collectors were about the least respectable people in society. The tax collectors worked for the occupying Roman force. They had the power to decide how much or how little tax you paid, so you could afford to fall out with them. If they wanted to take money off you they had the full power of the Roman army behind them. Also they often took a bit of money on the side for themselves, in addition to the money that they took for the Romans, and there was nothing you could do about it. People hated the tax collectors. It was dangerous to talk to tax collectors, because everything they knew about you or your friends they used to get taxes out of you. So people stayed away from the tax collectors and tried to have nothing to do with them.
[Last question! What is it about the parable that would have been rather
shocking to the people that Jesus was talking to?]
The parable is shocking because, when they pray to God, it is the Tax Collector not the Pharisee who walks away justified, that is who walks away in the right relationship with God. This could be very unsettling. It tells us that the ordinary values of human society can be very different from what matters to God. I was wondering how the parable might look if we switched it into modern times.
Solihull is a very respectable place. Someone from Solihull, a priest even, might go up to the church and pray “I thank you God that I have a nice house and a nice car and a nice family. I thank you that I obey the law of the land and go to church and I keep the Ten Commandments and I give money to the church. I thank you that I am a really respectable person.”
And perhaps somewhere else in the Borough, perhaps in Chelmsley Wood a drug addict might go into church, and he might have all kinds of debts, and problems, and a broken family and he might pray “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” And perhaps it is that person who is in the right relationship with God.
To be in the right relationship with God! To be in a right relationship with God we have to humbly accept our need of God. We have to humbly accept the love that God has shown us in making us, in giving us our families, our friends and all the good things that we have. And above all we have to humbly accept that God has overcome our sins, through the passion and death of Jesus.
It is very easy to think, “I am a very respectable person…I’m not a sinner…well that’s not a sin…well everyone does that nowadays.” But that’s the Pharisee talking! It is much, much harder to be honest about the painful reality of our own sin; we have to cry out with the tax collector “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”
And the key thing here is to believe ever more truly and ever more deeply in the mercy of God. The more that we can truly trust in God’s love for us, despite all the worst things about us, the more we can start to love ourselves as God loves us, to forgive ourselves as God forgives us and to move beyond denial, to move beyond self hatred, to move beyond our sin.
And I think it is important to acknowledge that this can be a painful process. Sin can cause pain in our relationship with God and our relationship with other people. Jesus on the cross has accepted that pain and we too need to accept some of the hurt before relationships can be properly restored.
Now I would like to tell you about a prayer that can help us to do this. Perhaps you know it already. It is called the “Jesus Prayer”, and it is rather similar to the prayer that the Tax Collector made in our gospel today. The prayer has many forms, but probably the most common is the simple phrase, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” , “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” In the tradition of the Orthodox Church it is recommended to repete this phase time and time again for several minutes. To start with we say the prayer with our lips, but the idea is that we build up a rhythm of prayer and slowly we start to say the prayer with our whole mind, our whole body and our whole spirit. And this is very helpful, because it reminds us ever more deeply who Jesus is, the Son of God, who we are, sinners, and of the mercy of God in which we are held.
So as we continue our service today, and as we go home, let us continue to reflect on this parable. Let’s be honest about our sin to God, and honest about our need of God. And let’s use the Jesus prayer to remind us that we stand always and only in the mercy of God. Amen.
18 October 2007
Funeral homily at harvest tide
Preached in St Alphege Church, 2.30pm, 18th October 2007.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 35b-38,42-44,50-58
Hymn: Come ye thankful people come.
Our Christian Faith stands us in good stead at the time of our death. Through our baptism we are united to Christ in his death, and we shall also be united to him in his resurrection. (Romans 6:5). In our scripture reading today from 1 Corinthians 15 we heard St Paul talking about the resurrection of the dead. Although our natural bodies, perishable and weak come to die, from them we grow new bodies, spiritual, imperishable and powerful.
And much of this is reflected in the famous harvest hymn that we will sing after our prayers. The first verse of the hymn starts “Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home” and it is all about giving thanks to God for the harvest and for the food that we eat.
But then the rest of the hymn is about a different kind of harvest. The hymn talks about we ourselves as God’s own field and the harvest that God hopes to receive from us at the end of our days. In the hymn we pray that we might be good at wholesome grain and that at our death, God may gather us to himself to become citizens of heaven. Then in the final verse of the hymn we think of ourselves in heaven as part of the Church in heaven, triumphant, purified from all sin and sorrow and rejoicing with all the angles and saints.
Following ?????’s death on Tuesday last week, the family came to our regular 8 o’clock service here on the Sunday. By chance it was harvest festival and Fr Patrick preached on the words of this hymn. And for the family this hymn spoke about ????? and gave great reassurance. It helped the family to trust in the love of God, who has now called ????? to himself.
And I would like to invite all of us take reassurance from our Christian heritage. Let’s put our trust in a loving God, who has grown us on this earth, for a future in heaven. Let’s seek to be good grain, wholesome and true, full of love for God and for one another. And, in the fullness of time, let’s be ready to yield to God a rich harvest, as we leave our mortal bodies behind, and go to join the Church Triumphant in heaven.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 35b-38,42-44,50-58
Hymn: Come ye thankful people come.
Our Christian Faith stands us in good stead at the time of our death. Through our baptism we are united to Christ in his death, and we shall also be united to him in his resurrection. (Romans 6:5). In our scripture reading today from 1 Corinthians 15 we heard St Paul talking about the resurrection of the dead. Although our natural bodies, perishable and weak come to die, from them we grow new bodies, spiritual, imperishable and powerful.
And much of this is reflected in the famous harvest hymn that we will sing after our prayers. The first verse of the hymn starts “Come ye thankful people come, raise the song of harvest home” and it is all about giving thanks to God for the harvest and for the food that we eat.
But then the rest of the hymn is about a different kind of harvest. The hymn talks about we ourselves as God’s own field and the harvest that God hopes to receive from us at the end of our days. In the hymn we pray that we might be good at wholesome grain and that at our death, God may gather us to himself to become citizens of heaven. Then in the final verse of the hymn we think of ourselves in heaven as part of the Church in heaven, triumphant, purified from all sin and sorrow and rejoicing with all the angles and saints.
Following ?????’s death on Tuesday last week, the family came to our regular 8 o’clock service here on the Sunday. By chance it was harvest festival and Fr Patrick preached on the words of this hymn. And for the family this hymn spoke about ????? and gave great reassurance. It helped the family to trust in the love of God, who has now called ????? to himself.
And I would like to invite all of us take reassurance from our Christian heritage. Let’s put our trust in a loving God, who has grown us on this earth, for a future in heaven. Let’s seek to be good grain, wholesome and true, full of love for God and for one another. And, in the fullness of time, let’s be ready to yield to God a rich harvest, as we leave our mortal bodies behind, and go to join the Church Triumphant in heaven.
07 October 2007
Being an apprentice of Christ
Teaching for a special "Going for Growth" vision service at St Alphege, 9.15am 07/10/07
Reading John 13:12-17
Teaching slot of 20 minutes, including some testamony and reflection.
Sermon delivered without notes, so text is approximate.
A similar sermon, in a shorter and more traditional style was preached at the 8am service.
[Image 1 – Going for growth cycle]
As you probably know, in this church we have identified three priorities areas for us to focus on to help us make progress around the “Going for Growth” cycle. The three priorities areas are, “Welcome”, “Relevance” and “Participation”.
[Image – Welcome, Relevance, Participation]
Fr Tim has already lead us in a Teaching Mass about wecome. Today we are thinking about Relevance and on 4th November we shall have a special service about Participation.
So today we are thinking about the theme of Relevance.
[Image saying "Relevance"]
And what do we mean by relevance? We mean the relevance of what we do in church to the rest of our lives. Why does going to church make a difference? How does going to church change my life?
And the thing that makes a difference is following in the way of Christ. It is practicing to become more Christ like. It is allowing Christ to grow within us and share his resurrection life with us. It is like we are apprentices in the art of life we have the opportunity of learning and becoming like Jesus, who is the expert teacher on living. This takes time, but over time we can learn.
Now I don’t know what you think of when you hear the word apprentice? Perhaps you think of Alan Sugar and the TV show?
[Image of Alan Sugar]
Well let me assure you that we are not thinking about Alan Sugar! We are not worrying about being fired; we are learning to accept that we are forgiven. No we are not thinking about Alan Sugar. We are thinking about Jesus.
[Picture of Jesus in worshop]
Now here is a picture of Jesus working in his father’s carpentry shop. There is a sense in which Jesus himself was an apprentice. Jesus’ father Joseph was a carpenter and Jesus would have learned the family trade as he grew up. And this would have taken time. Joseph would have taught Jesus. Jesus would have practiced and over time he would have become a good carpenter.
So in the carpenters shop Jesus was an apprentice and Joseph was his teacher. But in our day to day lives it is we who are apprentices and Jesus who is our teacher. As we heard in our gospel reading today, Jesus is our Teacher and Lord. Jesus sets us an example of how to live life, and blessed are we if we follow that example.
[Image - Icon style picture of Jesus]
So how do we go about following the example of Jesus? How does what we do in church help us with this? Well first, like any apprentice we must watch the expert craftsman at work. In church we do this especially when we read the stories about Jesus in the gospel. We have a gospel procession and we sign the Alleluias in order to emphasise the importance of the gospel reading. From the gospel readings we learn how Jesus lived his life. We learn about his attitudes; the love he shows for God and for the people around him, his particular care for the poor and weak. We hear about his complete obedience to the Father’s will, his desire to help others.
Secondly, just as the apprentice must listen to the teachings of the expert, so we must listen to Jesus the teacher. Again, as we read the gospel in church we constantly hear Jesus teaching, telling us what to do. We saw some of these teachings on the projector screens as we came into church. We need to hear these teachings and to learn how to put them into practice in our everyday lives.
Thirdly, the apprentice learns by talking to the expert. We too can talk to Jesus through prayer. Just as an apprentice might ask the expert when he or she is unsure what to do, so we should ask God in prayer when we don’t know what to do in our lives. This is true for very small things, “Shall I go out tonight?” and in very big things, “Shall I ask my girlfriend to marry me?” And when we ask God something in prayer, let’s remember to leave some moments of silence so that we can listen to anything he might want to tell us from deep within our heart. Coming to the Eucharist is a particularly good way of talking to God in prayer. As the gifts of bread and wine are offered at the altar, so we can offer our questions and prayers up to God. When we receive communion we received Jesus into our bodies, and can we try to still our mind and to listen to the wisdom that we are receiving into our hearts.
But the most important thing that an apprentice does to learn a trade is to practice. To become skilled at living life we have to put into practice the things we have learnt from Jesus. We have to live out in our day to day lives the things which we have heard about in church. Living out the commands of Jesus can feel very awkward and difficult at first. “Forgive as you have been forgiven”, “Do not worry”, “treat others as you would like them to treat you”. These things are not easy. It is like learning to use a new tool of the trade. It takes practice. When we first start it’s difficult and the results of your efforts may not be very good…but with time we become skilful.
And our everyday lives give us plenty of opportunities for practice and training in living a more Christ like life. Every person we meet in our day to day lives is someone we can love, trying to see them as Jesus sees them, believing in God’s love for them and wanting their good. And this can be very challenging, especially if the person is someone whom we do not instinctively like. But as we practice we become more Christ like and we get better at loving even the most difficult people.
And ever situation we find ourselves in is an opportunity to try and live better the life of Jesus. Being stuck in a traffic jam is an opportunity to learn patience. The joyful moment is an opportunity to give thanks to God. The anxious situation is an opportunity to learn to trust in God and not worry. The laborious task is a way of loving the person for whom the task is done. Every moment of our day is an opportunity to follow in the path of Jesus and attaining his skill of doing his father’s will. And this then starts to give meaning to all of our lives, even to the laborious bits, even to the moments of suffering.
So now we would like to share with you some examples from our own lives.
[Personal testamony 1, Personal testamony 2, Personal testamonies video from the youth Friday prayer group]
So hopefully these practical examples have got us all thinking about how our church life is relevant to our everyday lives and in particular how we can try to live out the phrases of the gospels in our everyday lives. I would like to invite you so form into groups of two or three and discuss the question, “How can I become a better apprentice of Jesus”.
[New slide - “How can I become a better apprentice of Jesus?”]
We will give you three minutes for this, plus a couple of minutes to note down your insights on the cards that have been distributed. We are not going to collect these cards in, they are for you to make a few notes to help remind yourself of ways of applying what we learn in church to our everyday lives.
[3 minutes]
So that is three minutes so please be finishing off you conversations now and start making a few notes for yourself on the card. Remember the card is for you to take away with you, and to remind you of things from church and from the gospels that you can put into practice day by day.
[2 minutes]
Right – thank you for that, so please could you be finishing off and putting your pens down and put your cards in you’re your pocket or bag where you will remember to take it with you. And let’s summarise where we have got to.
[Screens return to the icon picture of Jesus]
I said at the beginning that Jesus is the expert in living life, and we as apprentices have the opportunity to learn to live like him. But to say that Jesus is the expert on life is rather understating the point. Jesus is in fact the source of life itself. (e.g. John 1:4, 4:13, 5:21, chapter 6, 14:6, 20:31). Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). And this is why it is so desirable to follow Jesus and to copy him in his way of living. If we do this, then over time we become more Christ like. Christ like qualities start to form within us. (2 Cor 3:18, Col 3:10) This is very reassuring because we start to find that our life in Christ has an enduring quality that survives all manner of disasters and disappointments.
But the benefits of becoming more Christ like extend beyond our own lives. We start to have a positive influence on our families and the people around us. Our relationships start to work properly because everything begins to find its right place under God. Problems start to disappear.
So I commend to you living as an apprentice of Jesus as a way of making our church life relevant to our day to day lives.
Reading John 13:12-17
Teaching slot of 20 minutes, including some testamony and reflection.
Sermon delivered without notes, so text is approximate.
A similar sermon, in a shorter and more traditional style was preached at the 8am service.
[Image 1 – Going for growth cycle]
As you probably know, in this church we have identified three priorities areas for us to focus on to help us make progress around the “Going for Growth” cycle. The three priorities areas are, “Welcome”, “Relevance” and “Participation”.
[Image – Welcome, Relevance, Participation]
Fr Tim has already lead us in a Teaching Mass about wecome. Today we are thinking about Relevance and on 4th November we shall have a special service about Participation.
So today we are thinking about the theme of Relevance.
[Image saying "Relevance"]
And what do we mean by relevance? We mean the relevance of what we do in church to the rest of our lives. Why does going to church make a difference? How does going to church change my life?
And the thing that makes a difference is following in the way of Christ. It is practicing to become more Christ like. It is allowing Christ to grow within us and share his resurrection life with us. It is like we are apprentices in the art of life we have the opportunity of learning and becoming like Jesus, who is the expert teacher on living. This takes time, but over time we can learn.
Now I don’t know what you think of when you hear the word apprentice? Perhaps you think of Alan Sugar and the TV show?
[Image of Alan Sugar]
Well let me assure you that we are not thinking about Alan Sugar! We are not worrying about being fired; we are learning to accept that we are forgiven. No we are not thinking about Alan Sugar. We are thinking about Jesus.
[Picture of Jesus in worshop]
Now here is a picture of Jesus working in his father’s carpentry shop. There is a sense in which Jesus himself was an apprentice. Jesus’ father Joseph was a carpenter and Jesus would have learned the family trade as he grew up. And this would have taken time. Joseph would have taught Jesus. Jesus would have practiced and over time he would have become a good carpenter.
So in the carpenters shop Jesus was an apprentice and Joseph was his teacher. But in our day to day lives it is we who are apprentices and Jesus who is our teacher. As we heard in our gospel reading today, Jesus is our Teacher and Lord. Jesus sets us an example of how to live life, and blessed are we if we follow that example.
[Image - Icon style picture of Jesus]
So how do we go about following the example of Jesus? How does what we do in church help us with this? Well first, like any apprentice we must watch the expert craftsman at work. In church we do this especially when we read the stories about Jesus in the gospel. We have a gospel procession and we sign the Alleluias in order to emphasise the importance of the gospel reading. From the gospel readings we learn how Jesus lived his life. We learn about his attitudes; the love he shows for God and for the people around him, his particular care for the poor and weak. We hear about his complete obedience to the Father’s will, his desire to help others.
Secondly, just as the apprentice must listen to the teachings of the expert, so we must listen to Jesus the teacher. Again, as we read the gospel in church we constantly hear Jesus teaching, telling us what to do. We saw some of these teachings on the projector screens as we came into church. We need to hear these teachings and to learn how to put them into practice in our everyday lives.
Thirdly, the apprentice learns by talking to the expert. We too can talk to Jesus through prayer. Just as an apprentice might ask the expert when he or she is unsure what to do, so we should ask God in prayer when we don’t know what to do in our lives. This is true for very small things, “Shall I go out tonight?” and in very big things, “Shall I ask my girlfriend to marry me?” And when we ask God something in prayer, let’s remember to leave some moments of silence so that we can listen to anything he might want to tell us from deep within our heart. Coming to the Eucharist is a particularly good way of talking to God in prayer. As the gifts of bread and wine are offered at the altar, so we can offer our questions and prayers up to God. When we receive communion we received Jesus into our bodies, and can we try to still our mind and to listen to the wisdom that we are receiving into our hearts.
But the most important thing that an apprentice does to learn a trade is to practice. To become skilled at living life we have to put into practice the things we have learnt from Jesus. We have to live out in our day to day lives the things which we have heard about in church. Living out the commands of Jesus can feel very awkward and difficult at first. “Forgive as you have been forgiven”, “Do not worry”, “treat others as you would like them to treat you”. These things are not easy. It is like learning to use a new tool of the trade. It takes practice. When we first start it’s difficult and the results of your efforts may not be very good…but with time we become skilful.
And our everyday lives give us plenty of opportunities for practice and training in living a more Christ like life. Every person we meet in our day to day lives is someone we can love, trying to see them as Jesus sees them, believing in God’s love for them and wanting their good. And this can be very challenging, especially if the person is someone whom we do not instinctively like. But as we practice we become more Christ like and we get better at loving even the most difficult people.
And ever situation we find ourselves in is an opportunity to try and live better the life of Jesus. Being stuck in a traffic jam is an opportunity to learn patience. The joyful moment is an opportunity to give thanks to God. The anxious situation is an opportunity to learn to trust in God and not worry. The laborious task is a way of loving the person for whom the task is done. Every moment of our day is an opportunity to follow in the path of Jesus and attaining his skill of doing his father’s will. And this then starts to give meaning to all of our lives, even to the laborious bits, even to the moments of suffering.
So now we would like to share with you some examples from our own lives.
[Personal testamony 1, Personal testamony 2, Personal testamonies video from the youth Friday prayer group]
So hopefully these practical examples have got us all thinking about how our church life is relevant to our everyday lives and in particular how we can try to live out the phrases of the gospels in our everyday lives. I would like to invite you so form into groups of two or three and discuss the question, “How can I become a better apprentice of Jesus”.
[New slide - “How can I become a better apprentice of Jesus?”]
We will give you three minutes for this, plus a couple of minutes to note down your insights on the cards that have been distributed. We are not going to collect these cards in, they are for you to make a few notes to help remind yourself of ways of applying what we learn in church to our everyday lives.
[3 minutes]
So that is three minutes so please be finishing off you conversations now and start making a few notes for yourself on the card. Remember the card is for you to take away with you, and to remind you of things from church and from the gospels that you can put into practice day by day.
[2 minutes]
Right – thank you for that, so please could you be finishing off and putting your pens down and put your cards in you’re your pocket or bag where you will remember to take it with you. And let’s summarise where we have got to.
[Screens return to the icon picture of Jesus]
I said at the beginning that Jesus is the expert in living life, and we as apprentices have the opportunity to learn to live like him. But to say that Jesus is the expert on life is rather understating the point. Jesus is in fact the source of life itself. (e.g. John 1:4, 4:13, 5:21, chapter 6, 14:6, 20:31). Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). And this is why it is so desirable to follow Jesus and to copy him in his way of living. If we do this, then over time we become more Christ like. Christ like qualities start to form within us. (2 Cor 3:18, Col 3:10) This is very reassuring because we start to find that our life in Christ has an enduring quality that survives all manner of disasters and disappointments.
But the benefits of becoming more Christ like extend beyond our own lives. We start to have a positive influence on our families and the people around us. Our relationships start to work properly because everything begins to find its right place under God. Problems start to disappear.
So I commend to you living as an apprentice of Jesus as a way of making our church life relevant to our day to day lives.
The dwelling place of God
Thought for parish pew slip 07/10/07 - Dedication Sunday
Readings: 1 Chronicles 29:6-19 Ephesians 2: 19-22 John 2: 13-22
Today we have the readings for Dedication Sunday, when we give thanks to God for the buildings that we have set aside for the worship of God.
In our reading from 1Chronicles we hear about King David, who had brought the Israelites out of their years as a wandering tribe, and established them in the city of Jerusalem. King David longed to replace the nomadic tent of the tabernacle with a permanent dwelling place for God in Jerusalem. The work of constructing the temple would be done by David’s son Solomon, but David made all the preparations. He drew up the plans and donated his personal treasury for the construction. In this passage we hear how the people responded with their own free will offering on a grand scale.
In Ephesians, St Paul points out similarities between the physical building up of the temple and the spiritual building up of the worldwide church. In Christ we are all being joined together into a spiritual building which is the dwelling place of God.
In the gospel reading Jesus reflects, with irony, that his own body is more truly the dwelling place of God than the temple in Jerusalem.
Readings: 1 Chronicles 29:6-19 Ephesians 2: 19-22 John 2: 13-22
Today we have the readings for Dedication Sunday, when we give thanks to God for the buildings that we have set aside for the worship of God.
In our reading from 1Chronicles we hear about King David, who had brought the Israelites out of their years as a wandering tribe, and established them in the city of Jerusalem. King David longed to replace the nomadic tent of the tabernacle with a permanent dwelling place for God in Jerusalem. The work of constructing the temple would be done by David’s son Solomon, but David made all the preparations. He drew up the plans and donated his personal treasury for the construction. In this passage we hear how the people responded with their own free will offering on a grand scale.
In Ephesians, St Paul points out similarities between the physical building up of the temple and the spiritual building up of the worldwide church. In Christ we are all being joined together into a spiritual building which is the dwelling place of God.
In the gospel reading Jesus reflects, with irony, that his own body is more truly the dwelling place of God than the temple in Jerusalem.
23 September 2007
Treasure in heaven - part 1 (text)
Informal Sermon - 23/09/07 – Trinity 16 (Proper 20) – Year C
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull 9.15am Eucharist
Readings: Amos 8:4-7 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13
(Approximate text – notes not used)
Now I wonder if you can work out who this character is? [Image 1 – Grumpy Scrooge]
This is Scrooge from the Charles Dickens Novel, A Christmas Carol. And what do we know about Scrooge? [What does he say – Bar Humbug!] We know that he is a bitter and twisted old man who only cares about money. All he thinks about is his accounts; he even does his accounts late on Christmas Eve. He also thinks about how to save a few pence here and there by not putting any fuel on the fire. Now Scrooge is an example of someone who lives his life for money. Let’s remember that, and we’ll come back to Scrooge in a few moments.
Now, I would like to thank the young people of Club 1 for reading our gospel for us today. They have been studying this particular gospel story this month, and now we are going to reflect on it together…so that’s good isn’t it.
But there’s a bit of a problem. And the problem is that today’s gospel reading is a very difficult gospel reading.
So I wonder if Club 1 found it difficult?
[hands up club 1 if you found it a difficult gospel reading]
[why did you think it was difficult ?]
Personally, I find it a difficult parable because when you first read it, it looks as though Jesus is telling us to be dishonest. Hummm! Let’s have a think about that.
First of all let’s just remind ourselves of the story. A rich man has a manager who he employs to look after his business affairs. But then people start telling the rich man that the manager is squandering the rich man’s money – he is being very wasteful with it. So the rich man decides to sack the manager. He says bring me all the accounts and hand them back over to me, because you are to be sacked.
And the manager is very worried because he is about to lose his job, and he does not know how he will get by without it. Then he has a brain wave. The last few hours that he his in charge of his master’s money he spends giving away his masters money, and in this way he makes some friends for himself, who will look after him when he has no job. And then the strange bit. The rich master commends, that is he praises, the dishonest manager. If I was the rich man I would be very cross with the manager, who is being blatently dishonest, but instead what does the rich man do?
[He praises the dishonest steward – for being shrewd]
So is Jesus telling us to shrewd? Is he telling us to be good at looking after ourselves?
I think Jesus does want us to look after ourselves and he recognises that in this earthly life we sometimes need to be shrewd in the way that we do that. In Matthew’s gospel (10:16) Jesus tells us to be cunning as serpents and innocent as doves. So we have to be innocent, but when we are dealing in the affairs of this world we also have to be shrewd.
So is Jesus is telling us to be shrewd, so that’s aright then, isn’t it?
But is it alright? What about the bit where he says, “Make friends for yourself by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.”
Is Jesus telling us to be dishonest? Does he want us to be like Robin Hood, steeling from some people and giving to others?
Well it is pretty clear that Jesus does not want us to be dishonest. In this very passage he says that people who are faithful in small things are also faithful in large, and people dishonest in small things also being dishonest in large. So Jesus does not want us to be dishonest.
What, then, does Jesus mean by “Make use of dishonest wealth”?
Well I think he means ordinary money, worldly wealth that you and I understand as nice houses, smart cars and big bank balances. In fact many bible translations translate this as worldly wealth, not dishonest wealth. In the eyes of Jesus, worldly wealth is not really ours; it s just lent to by God. All things come from God, and we give him what is his. (c.f. 1 Chronicles 29:14)
We arrive on this earth as little babies, with absolutely nothing; not even clothes. Our parents look after us and give us stuff and we learn how to make things and how to earn money and how to get the things we need. But then when we die we leave the earth with absolutely nothing. Even our bodies turn to dust and ashes. In the eyes of Jesus, all worldly wealth is just something lent to us. It has no lasting value. It will pass away, or even if it does not pass away we will lose it when we die.
Jesus is always pointing out the contrast been worldly wealth and wealth in heaven. He says do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth where it can be destroyed by moths and rust and where thieves break in and steel it; rather store up treasure in heaven where there are no moths or rust or thieves, so that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matt 6:19-21)
By contrast what Jesus really values he calls treasure in heaven. Treasure in heaven is the acts of generosity we have done, the times we have stood patiently by with those who suffer, it’s the efforts that we have made with the people we find difficult, it is all acts of love we have done great and small. And this treasure in heaven has eternal value and it is much more truly ours then anything we might own on earth.
And so this is what Jesus is saying – use your earthly wealth to build heavenly wealth, by serving other people on earth, by building up friendship and community on earth. [It didn’t cost the dishonest manager anything when he gave away his masters money, but it did buy him friends. So Jesus invites us to use our earthly wealth that is leant to us, to buy friends in heaven. We loose our earthly wealth anyway when we die, so it is a much better idea to use it to buy wealth in heaven.]
And this brings us back to Scrooge. [Image 2 - Happy Scrooge] Now in the story of the Christmas carol Scrooge goes through a conversion experience. It is a difficult and frightening experience involving three ghosts, but Scrooge has a complete change of heart. He starts to care about other people. He starts to give away his money. He starts to be generous. He starts to build up treasure in heaven. And as he does all this, he starts to find his happiness again.
So let’s be happy, like the converted Scrooge. Let’s think of our money and our wealth as something that is lent to us by God. Let’s use it while we are on this earth, to build up treasure in heaven.
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull 9.15am Eucharist
Readings: Amos 8:4-7 1 Timothy 2:1-7 Luke 16:1-13
(Approximate text – notes not used)
Now I wonder if you can work out who this character is? [Image 1 – Grumpy Scrooge]
This is Scrooge from the Charles Dickens Novel, A Christmas Carol. And what do we know about Scrooge? [What does he say – Bar Humbug!] We know that he is a bitter and twisted old man who only cares about money. All he thinks about is his accounts; he even does his accounts late on Christmas Eve. He also thinks about how to save a few pence here and there by not putting any fuel on the fire. Now Scrooge is an example of someone who lives his life for money. Let’s remember that, and we’ll come back to Scrooge in a few moments.
Now, I would like to thank the young people of Club 1 for reading our gospel for us today. They have been studying this particular gospel story this month, and now we are going to reflect on it together…so that’s good isn’t it.
But there’s a bit of a problem. And the problem is that today’s gospel reading is a very difficult gospel reading.
So I wonder if Club 1 found it difficult?
[hands up club 1 if you found it a difficult gospel reading]
[why did you think it was difficult ?]
Personally, I find it a difficult parable because when you first read it, it looks as though Jesus is telling us to be dishonest. Hummm! Let’s have a think about that.
First of all let’s just remind ourselves of the story. A rich man has a manager who he employs to look after his business affairs. But then people start telling the rich man that the manager is squandering the rich man’s money – he is being very wasteful with it. So the rich man decides to sack the manager. He says bring me all the accounts and hand them back over to me, because you are to be sacked.
And the manager is very worried because he is about to lose his job, and he does not know how he will get by without it. Then he has a brain wave. The last few hours that he his in charge of his master’s money he spends giving away his masters money, and in this way he makes some friends for himself, who will look after him when he has no job. And then the strange bit. The rich master commends, that is he praises, the dishonest manager. If I was the rich man I would be very cross with the manager, who is being blatently dishonest, but instead what does the rich man do?
[He praises the dishonest steward – for being shrewd]
So is Jesus telling us to shrewd? Is he telling us to be good at looking after ourselves?
I think Jesus does want us to look after ourselves and he recognises that in this earthly life we sometimes need to be shrewd in the way that we do that. In Matthew’s gospel (10:16) Jesus tells us to be cunning as serpents and innocent as doves. So we have to be innocent, but when we are dealing in the affairs of this world we also have to be shrewd.
So is Jesus is telling us to be shrewd, so that’s aright then, isn’t it?
But is it alright? What about the bit where he says, “Make friends for yourself by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.”
Is Jesus telling us to be dishonest? Does he want us to be like Robin Hood, steeling from some people and giving to others?
Well it is pretty clear that Jesus does not want us to be dishonest. In this very passage he says that people who are faithful in small things are also faithful in large, and people dishonest in small things also being dishonest in large. So Jesus does not want us to be dishonest.
What, then, does Jesus mean by “Make use of dishonest wealth”?
Well I think he means ordinary money, worldly wealth that you and I understand as nice houses, smart cars and big bank balances. In fact many bible translations translate this as worldly wealth, not dishonest wealth. In the eyes of Jesus, worldly wealth is not really ours; it s just lent to by God. All things come from God, and we give him what is his. (c.f. 1 Chronicles 29:14)
We arrive on this earth as little babies, with absolutely nothing; not even clothes. Our parents look after us and give us stuff and we learn how to make things and how to earn money and how to get the things we need. But then when we die we leave the earth with absolutely nothing. Even our bodies turn to dust and ashes. In the eyes of Jesus, all worldly wealth is just something lent to us. It has no lasting value. It will pass away, or even if it does not pass away we will lose it when we die.
Jesus is always pointing out the contrast been worldly wealth and wealth in heaven. He says do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth where it can be destroyed by moths and rust and where thieves break in and steel it; rather store up treasure in heaven where there are no moths or rust or thieves, so that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matt 6:19-21)
By contrast what Jesus really values he calls treasure in heaven. Treasure in heaven is the acts of generosity we have done, the times we have stood patiently by with those who suffer, it’s the efforts that we have made with the people we find difficult, it is all acts of love we have done great and small. And this treasure in heaven has eternal value and it is much more truly ours then anything we might own on earth.
And so this is what Jesus is saying – use your earthly wealth to build heavenly wealth, by serving other people on earth, by building up friendship and community on earth. [It didn’t cost the dishonest manager anything when he gave away his masters money, but it did buy him friends. So Jesus invites us to use our earthly wealth that is leant to us, to buy friends in heaven. We loose our earthly wealth anyway when we die, so it is a much better idea to use it to buy wealth in heaven.]
And this brings us back to Scrooge. [Image 2 - Happy Scrooge] Now in the story of the Christmas carol Scrooge goes through a conversion experience. It is a difficult and frightening experience involving three ghosts, but Scrooge has a complete change of heart. He starts to care about other people. He starts to give away his money. He starts to be generous. He starts to build up treasure in heaven. And as he does all this, he starts to find his happiness again.
So let’s be happy, like the converted Scrooge. Let’s think of our money and our wealth as something that is lent to us by God. Let’s use it while we are on this earth, to build up treasure in heaven.
16 September 2007
Mercy and repentance
Sermon - 16/09/07 – Trinity 15 (Proper 19) – Year C
Preached at St Michael’s, Sharman Cross School, Solihull 10.30am Eucharist, 16/09/07
Readings: Exodus 32:7-14 (1 Timothy 1:12-17) Luke 15:1-10
When I was a boy, about 9 years old, it was very clear to me that my parents wanted me to be good at school. And by and large I was good at school, but not all the time. There was one occasion when a group of us had got into trouble for messing around and we had to spend our break inside writing out lines. Well, things like this happened from time to time and as I sat down with the others at the start of break to do the lines I was not unduly concerned. But then a terrible thing happened. I heard, very clearly, my father’s voice in the hallway. I realised that my father was visiting the school, as he often did (he was the local rector). I realised that he was about to walk through the classroom and he would find me, writing my lines for having been naughty. For me, it was one thing to be punished at school, it was quite another to have it known about at home. I was thrown into a terrible panic.
When my father finally entered the classroom I fell of my chair, in my panic, and tried to hide under the table. Of course it was hopeless. The teacher fished me out from under the table, and I hung my head while it was explained that I was writing lines for messing about earlier that morning. My Dad said something like, “Oh dear! So you’re in trouble for messing around are you?” He picked me up and hugged me, and while still hugging me he carried on discussing a completely different matter with the teacher. Eventually he put me down, and went on to the next classroom. I went back to writing my lines. The incident was never mentioned again, but I was changed person.
I had an overwhelming sense of relief that my crime was not going to cause problems at home. I also had a huge sense of gratitude to my Dad who continued to love me and support me even though I had done something wrong. I had learnt something about mercy and I had experienced repentance.
The readings that we read this morning make us think about mercy and repentance. Mercy is love and compassion expressed towards those who are in difficult situations. There are works of mercy that seek to help those with bodily needs, so we try to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. There are also works of mercy that seek to help those with spiritual needs, so we try to console those who mourn, we try to patiently put up with the faults we perceive in other people and we try to forgive the sins of others. It is especially this mercy towards those who sin, that we think about in today’s readings.
In our OT lesson we hear about God who is angry with the Israelites because they have made a calf of gold and started to worship it, rather than worshiping the one true God. God says that his wrath will burn hot against them and he will destroy them all. but Moses, who scriptures tell us was the most humble of men, courageously pleaded with God and he managed to persuaded God not to wipe out the Israelites totally. Now had we read on a bit we would have discover that that was not the end of the matter. Moses returned to the Israelites very angry; he ground their golden calf into a fine power, mixed it with water and made the people drink it. Later 3000 Israelites died by the sword, and many more through a plague on account of the golden calf, but after that it seems that there was real repentance. Certainly God was able to continue to help the Israelites on their journey to the promised land.
Repentance. That is the other key word from our scripture readings today. In the gospel reading Jesus told the story of the lost sheep. When the sheep is finally found there is great joy. Jesus says that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents that over 99 righteous people who need no repentance. Similarly he tells the story of the woman who lost one of her ten silver coins. She searches high and low, and when she eventually finds it there is great rejoicing. Similarly, says Jesus, there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents.
Repentance means saying that we are sorry, and starting again in obedience to God. It means putting God in the first place in our lives, and letting everything else (houses, families, jobs, holidays) letting all these things find their right place under God.
So as we leave this church today, let us try to put into practice mercy and repentance. First of all let’s have an attitude of repentance ourselves. Let’s make sure that God has first place in our lives and that everything else is done in obedience to him. And after that, let’s have an attitude of mercy. Especially when we encounter faults in other people, let’s have an attitude of mercy. In fact it is the love and compassion of our mercy that is the most helpful thing in bringing them to repentance.
Preached at St Michael’s, Sharman Cross School, Solihull 10.30am Eucharist, 16/09/07
Readings: Exodus 32:7-14 (1 Timothy 1:12-17) Luke 15:1-10
When I was a boy, about 9 years old, it was very clear to me that my parents wanted me to be good at school. And by and large I was good at school, but not all the time. There was one occasion when a group of us had got into trouble for messing around and we had to spend our break inside writing out lines. Well, things like this happened from time to time and as I sat down with the others at the start of break to do the lines I was not unduly concerned. But then a terrible thing happened. I heard, very clearly, my father’s voice in the hallway. I realised that my father was visiting the school, as he often did (he was the local rector). I realised that he was about to walk through the classroom and he would find me, writing my lines for having been naughty. For me, it was one thing to be punished at school, it was quite another to have it known about at home. I was thrown into a terrible panic.
When my father finally entered the classroom I fell of my chair, in my panic, and tried to hide under the table. Of course it was hopeless. The teacher fished me out from under the table, and I hung my head while it was explained that I was writing lines for messing about earlier that morning. My Dad said something like, “Oh dear! So you’re in trouble for messing around are you?” He picked me up and hugged me, and while still hugging me he carried on discussing a completely different matter with the teacher. Eventually he put me down, and went on to the next classroom. I went back to writing my lines. The incident was never mentioned again, but I was changed person.
I had an overwhelming sense of relief that my crime was not going to cause problems at home. I also had a huge sense of gratitude to my Dad who continued to love me and support me even though I had done something wrong. I had learnt something about mercy and I had experienced repentance.
The readings that we read this morning make us think about mercy and repentance. Mercy is love and compassion expressed towards those who are in difficult situations. There are works of mercy that seek to help those with bodily needs, so we try to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the homeless. There are also works of mercy that seek to help those with spiritual needs, so we try to console those who mourn, we try to patiently put up with the faults we perceive in other people and we try to forgive the sins of others. It is especially this mercy towards those who sin, that we think about in today’s readings.
In our OT lesson we hear about God who is angry with the Israelites because they have made a calf of gold and started to worship it, rather than worshiping the one true God. God says that his wrath will burn hot against them and he will destroy them all. but Moses, who scriptures tell us was the most humble of men, courageously pleaded with God and he managed to persuaded God not to wipe out the Israelites totally. Now had we read on a bit we would have discover that that was not the end of the matter. Moses returned to the Israelites very angry; he ground their golden calf into a fine power, mixed it with water and made the people drink it. Later 3000 Israelites died by the sword, and many more through a plague on account of the golden calf, but after that it seems that there was real repentance. Certainly God was able to continue to help the Israelites on their journey to the promised land.
Repentance. That is the other key word from our scripture readings today. In the gospel reading Jesus told the story of the lost sheep. When the sheep is finally found there is great joy. Jesus says that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents that over 99 righteous people who need no repentance. Similarly he tells the story of the woman who lost one of her ten silver coins. She searches high and low, and when she eventually finds it there is great rejoicing. Similarly, says Jesus, there is joy in heaven when one sinner repents.
Repentance means saying that we are sorry, and starting again in obedience to God. It means putting God in the first place in our lives, and letting everything else (houses, families, jobs, holidays) letting all these things find their right place under God.
So as we leave this church today, let us try to put into practice mercy and repentance. First of all let’s have an attitude of repentance ourselves. Let’s make sure that God has first place in our lives and that everything else is done in obedience to him. And after that, let’s have an attitude of mercy. Especially when we encounter faults in other people, let’s have an attitude of mercy. In fact it is the love and compassion of our mercy that is the most helpful thing in bringing them to repentance.
10 September 2007
Funeral Homily - Joseph Foote - Hope
Funeral Homily - 10th September 2007
Funeral of Joseph Foote - 1.45pm St Alphege Church
Background: Joseph Foote was an inspiring 9 year old who died on 1st September after seven years with a brain cancer. More about Joeseph can be found on his website at http://www.josephfoote.co.uk/ including the funeral order of service and Joeseph's father's tribute.
Reading: Matthew 18:1-5,10
Today we have heard a wonderful tribute to Joe from Andy his father. We have heard a piano piece and a very moving poem from Nancy, Joe’s sister. We have also heard a poignant tribute from Ash, who is Joe’s Godfather and who was present at Joe’s baptism.
In his words, Andy described Joe’s story as one of Love, Laughter, Courage and Hope. Today Andy has spoken particularly of the Love the Laughter and the Courage, but when I went to visit Andy and Judy in their home, it was particularly the Hope that we spoke of. And that might, at first sight, seem strange. Someone might ask, “Where is the hope in the story of a child who dies?”
Right from the time of Joe’s first diagnosis back in 2000 Andy and Judy always believed that Joe would get better. They worked hard, and Judy in particular worked hard, to make sure that Joe too believed he would get better; that things would be alright. And this hope gave the family great energy. They did everything possible. They made sure that Joe got the very best medical treatment. They established the Joe Foote Trust to fund research in the treatment of brain cancer. Andy told me how empowering he found this hope. “If you have got hope you can do anything. You can walk through walls if you have got hope,” he said.
And this hope was also very helpful to Joe. According to Andy it was this belief that he would get better that gave Joe his courage and his strength of character. This was the reason that he never moaned and never complained.
Then there was a critical moment, about two years ago. Joe’s condition developed to such a point that the hospitals refused to perform any further operations. And with news came the terrible realisation that the hospitals were not going to make Joe better. And this point all hope seemed to disappear. Andy told me about a terrible two hours, during which he and Judy languished in complete despair. The loss of hope was completely debilitating. They could do nothing. They could barely even stand up. It was a terrible, terrible moment.
But then, as emptiness and despair sank deeper and deeper into their hearts, something strange happened. They realised that at a deeper level there was something solid within them, something that had not drained away in the despair. Something that was still there, that could be counted upon. Despite the terrible news from the hospitals hope was still present in their hearts. They could carry on. They could still do things for Joe. They did not know quite what, but they could find things. They could move forward.
And so hope returned; a deeper and more profound hope. And with this, energy returned. They were able to take Joe to the States for further treatments. They redoubled all their efforts in looking after Joe. The belief that Joe would be alright sustained them and kept them going these last two years.
When I heard this I was quite concerned. I asked Andy, “And what happens to this hope two years later, when the child finally dies.” He told me, “Hope is still there. It is still there. We still have each other. We still have Nancy. We still have the grandparents and wider family. There are still things we can do, people we can work for. And we can still have hope for Joe.”
[Pause]
This extraordinary and inexplicable resilience of hope goes right to the heart of the Christian story.
When Jesus of Nazareth was teaching in Judah and Galilee many people started to place their hope in him. Jesus was a great prophet, who worked great miracles. People thought he would do great things; restore the fortunes of Israel, kick out the Roman occupation and rule as a great and just king.
And then it all went terribly wrong. Jesus was put on trial by his own people. He was scourged, mocked and crucified. He died a most terrible death, hanging on a cross. The friends of Jesus ran away and hid. For two days they suffered the most terrible despair. Was all that teaching for nothing? Could the one who healed others simply be killed himself? Then, on the third day, the strange news of the resurrection started to filter through. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and to some of the apostles, not as a ghost, but as a complete and real human being, still bearing his scares from the crucifixion. There were more and more appearances, and slowly the realisation set in that Jesus had conquered death. Jesus truly was the resurrection and the life. Hope was born again. Not the futile hope that we can somehow escape death, but rather the deep and profound realisation that death is not the end. We can come to share in the new life of Christ. We can share in his resurrection.
Ash and the other godparents present hear today remind us of Joe’s baptism. When we are baptised we are baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ. Through the darkness and despair of the cross, Christ came to the hope and new life of the resurrection. By baptism we too can pass through the loss and emptiness of our own death, as we come to share in the new life of Christ. And this is our hope for Joe. And this is the hope for each one of us. In particular this is the hope for Joe’s family. I have no doubt that there will be some difficult days and months ahead as the loss of Joe’s earthly presence really sinks in, but through our baptism we have a hope that is deeper and more profound. And with hope we can do anything!
Funeral of Joseph Foote - 1.45pm St Alphege Church
Background: Joseph Foote was an inspiring 9 year old who died on 1st September after seven years with a brain cancer. More about Joeseph can be found on his website at http://www.josephfoote.co.uk/ including the funeral order of service and Joeseph's father's tribute.
Reading: Matthew 18:1-5,10
Today we have heard a wonderful tribute to Joe from Andy his father. We have heard a piano piece and a very moving poem from Nancy, Joe’s sister. We have also heard a poignant tribute from Ash, who is Joe’s Godfather and who was present at Joe’s baptism.
In his words, Andy described Joe’s story as one of Love, Laughter, Courage and Hope. Today Andy has spoken particularly of the Love the Laughter and the Courage, but when I went to visit Andy and Judy in their home, it was particularly the Hope that we spoke of. And that might, at first sight, seem strange. Someone might ask, “Where is the hope in the story of a child who dies?”
Right from the time of Joe’s first diagnosis back in 2000 Andy and Judy always believed that Joe would get better. They worked hard, and Judy in particular worked hard, to make sure that Joe too believed he would get better; that things would be alright. And this hope gave the family great energy. They did everything possible. They made sure that Joe got the very best medical treatment. They established the Joe Foote Trust to fund research in the treatment of brain cancer. Andy told me how empowering he found this hope. “If you have got hope you can do anything. You can walk through walls if you have got hope,” he said.
And this hope was also very helpful to Joe. According to Andy it was this belief that he would get better that gave Joe his courage and his strength of character. This was the reason that he never moaned and never complained.
Then there was a critical moment, about two years ago. Joe’s condition developed to such a point that the hospitals refused to perform any further operations. And with news came the terrible realisation that the hospitals were not going to make Joe better. And this point all hope seemed to disappear. Andy told me about a terrible two hours, during which he and Judy languished in complete despair. The loss of hope was completely debilitating. They could do nothing. They could barely even stand up. It was a terrible, terrible moment.
But then, as emptiness and despair sank deeper and deeper into their hearts, something strange happened. They realised that at a deeper level there was something solid within them, something that had not drained away in the despair. Something that was still there, that could be counted upon. Despite the terrible news from the hospitals hope was still present in their hearts. They could carry on. They could still do things for Joe. They did not know quite what, but they could find things. They could move forward.
And so hope returned; a deeper and more profound hope. And with this, energy returned. They were able to take Joe to the States for further treatments. They redoubled all their efforts in looking after Joe. The belief that Joe would be alright sustained them and kept them going these last two years.
When I heard this I was quite concerned. I asked Andy, “And what happens to this hope two years later, when the child finally dies.” He told me, “Hope is still there. It is still there. We still have each other. We still have Nancy. We still have the grandparents and wider family. There are still things we can do, people we can work for. And we can still have hope for Joe.”
[Pause]
This extraordinary and inexplicable resilience of hope goes right to the heart of the Christian story.
When Jesus of Nazareth was teaching in Judah and Galilee many people started to place their hope in him. Jesus was a great prophet, who worked great miracles. People thought he would do great things; restore the fortunes of Israel, kick out the Roman occupation and rule as a great and just king.
And then it all went terribly wrong. Jesus was put on trial by his own people. He was scourged, mocked and crucified. He died a most terrible death, hanging on a cross. The friends of Jesus ran away and hid. For two days they suffered the most terrible despair. Was all that teaching for nothing? Could the one who healed others simply be killed himself? Then, on the third day, the strange news of the resurrection started to filter through. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and to some of the apostles, not as a ghost, but as a complete and real human being, still bearing his scares from the crucifixion. There were more and more appearances, and slowly the realisation set in that Jesus had conquered death. Jesus truly was the resurrection and the life. Hope was born again. Not the futile hope that we can somehow escape death, but rather the deep and profound realisation that death is not the end. We can come to share in the new life of Christ. We can share in his resurrection.
Ash and the other godparents present hear today remind us of Joe’s baptism. When we are baptised we are baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ. Through the darkness and despair of the cross, Christ came to the hope and new life of the resurrection. By baptism we too can pass through the loss and emptiness of our own death, as we come to share in the new life of Christ. And this is our hope for Joe. And this is the hope for each one of us. In particular this is the hope for Joe’s family. I have no doubt that there will be some difficult days and months ahead as the loss of Joe’s earthly presence really sinks in, but through our baptism we have a hope that is deeper and more profound. And with hope we can do anything!
09 September 2007
The choice of God; putting God first!
Sermon - 09/09/07 – Trinity 14 (Proper 18) – Year C
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull 8.00am Eucharist on 09/09/07
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33
Our readings today make us to think about the choice of God. Choosing God! What does this mean, choosing God! It means putting God in the first place in our lives and then allowing all the other things in our lives to find their right place in accordance with what God requires.
In our Old Testament lesson the Israelites are just about to enter the Promised Land. For years God has been promising them this land, if they live according to his commandments. At long last God is delivering on his promise. Forty years of wondering around in the desert are over and the good times are at hand. And God chooses this moment to remind the Israelites that they face a clear choice. They can continue to walk in the Lord’s ways, obeying his commandments, in which case God will bless them, and they will be prosperous in their new land and their descendents too will prosper. God describes this as choosing life and blessings. Or they can choose to stray from God’s ways and serve other Gods. If they choose to stray from God then they will not live long in their new land, rather they will perish. God describes this as the choice of death and curses.
And we too all of us face this choice at the personal level. We can put God in the first place in our lives and seek to walk in his ways, obeying his commandments. God is our creator and the source of our life, so to make this choice is to choose life and to choose blessings. Alternatively we can give first priority in our lives to something that is not God, but which feels important to us. We might give top priority to our job, or our home, or our financial security, or to our children, or to our sense of being in control, or to money, or to shopping, or to holidays. It is not that there is anything wrong with these things; if fact they are all very good things when they are put in their rightful place under God. The problem comes if we prioritise these things over God. If we do this then we deprive God of his rightful place, we cease to be open to the things he asks of us. We fail to notice or fail to value the good things that he gives us. To do this is to choose death and curses. Eternal life does not come from shopping. It does not come from financial security, or even from our children. Eternal life comes from God, the giver of all life, the one who created us and who wants our good, and who has a wonderful destiny planned for us in heaven. In fact to choose God, and to put God in the first place in our lives is the only logical and sensible way to live our lives. And the beautiful thing is that if we seek first the kingdom of heaven, then all these other things will be added to us as well. God will give us the things we need. Generally he does allow us to shop, he gives us financial security, he looks after our children, but we have to give first priority to God.
In our gospel reading Jesus tells us very forcibly about the cost of that choice. Jesus is God. There is no conflict between choosing God and following Jesus. These are in fact the same thing. To put God first means to follow Christ. We must not let anything stop us from following Christ. We must put Christ above father, mother, wife and children, above brother, sisters and even above life itself. We have to carry our cross and follow Christ. We have to be ready to give up all our processions.
This might make it seem very hard to follow Christ, undesirable even. But we have to trust God who made us and wants our good. He knows the things that we need and he will provide. We receive these things as gifts, not as things we snatch for ourselves. As we follow Christ we may pass through all kinds of difficulties but over time our lives become simpler and more harmonious. Certainly there are sufferings and certainly we have to be ready to lose things that we value in order to put God first, but everything we ever had comes from God, and he gives us far more back than we ever lose. In the long term Christ’s yoke is easy and his burden light.
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull 8.00am Eucharist on 09/09/07
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33
Our readings today make us to think about the choice of God. Choosing God! What does this mean, choosing God! It means putting God in the first place in our lives and then allowing all the other things in our lives to find their right place in accordance with what God requires.
In our Old Testament lesson the Israelites are just about to enter the Promised Land. For years God has been promising them this land, if they live according to his commandments. At long last God is delivering on his promise. Forty years of wondering around in the desert are over and the good times are at hand. And God chooses this moment to remind the Israelites that they face a clear choice. They can continue to walk in the Lord’s ways, obeying his commandments, in which case God will bless them, and they will be prosperous in their new land and their descendents too will prosper. God describes this as choosing life and blessings. Or they can choose to stray from God’s ways and serve other Gods. If they choose to stray from God then they will not live long in their new land, rather they will perish. God describes this as the choice of death and curses.
And we too all of us face this choice at the personal level. We can put God in the first place in our lives and seek to walk in his ways, obeying his commandments. God is our creator and the source of our life, so to make this choice is to choose life and to choose blessings. Alternatively we can give first priority in our lives to something that is not God, but which feels important to us. We might give top priority to our job, or our home, or our financial security, or to our children, or to our sense of being in control, or to money, or to shopping, or to holidays. It is not that there is anything wrong with these things; if fact they are all very good things when they are put in their rightful place under God. The problem comes if we prioritise these things over God. If we do this then we deprive God of his rightful place, we cease to be open to the things he asks of us. We fail to notice or fail to value the good things that he gives us. To do this is to choose death and curses. Eternal life does not come from shopping. It does not come from financial security, or even from our children. Eternal life comes from God, the giver of all life, the one who created us and who wants our good, and who has a wonderful destiny planned for us in heaven. In fact to choose God, and to put God in the first place in our lives is the only logical and sensible way to live our lives. And the beautiful thing is that if we seek first the kingdom of heaven, then all these other things will be added to us as well. God will give us the things we need. Generally he does allow us to shop, he gives us financial security, he looks after our children, but we have to give first priority to God.
In our gospel reading Jesus tells us very forcibly about the cost of that choice. Jesus is God. There is no conflict between choosing God and following Jesus. These are in fact the same thing. To put God first means to follow Christ. We must not let anything stop us from following Christ. We must put Christ above father, mother, wife and children, above brother, sisters and even above life itself. We have to carry our cross and follow Christ. We have to be ready to give up all our processions.
This might make it seem very hard to follow Christ, undesirable even. But we have to trust God who made us and wants our good. He knows the things that we need and he will provide. We receive these things as gifts, not as things we snatch for ourselves. As we follow Christ we may pass through all kinds of difficulties but over time our lives become simpler and more harmonious. Certainly there are sufferings and certainly we have to be ready to lose things that we value in order to put God first, but everything we ever had comes from God, and he gives us far more back than we ever lose. In the long term Christ’s yoke is easy and his burden light.
26 August 2007
The old covenant and the new covenant
Sermon - 26/08/07 – Trinity 12 (Proper 16) – Year C
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull 8.00am Eucharist on 26/08/07
Readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17
In the gospel reading that we have just heard, Jesus performs a healing miracle on the Sabbath. This is a great scandal to the leader of the synagogue because this appears to be working on the Sabbath and it is certainly not consistent with the Jewish Law as it was generally understood. The synagogue leader argues, “You have six days in a week for work; come and be healed on those six days, but keep the Sabbath day holy.” Jesus however is completely insistent. He appears to see the healing of the woman, bound by Satan for 18 long years, as something that just has to be done. He perhaps even suggests that the Sabbath Day is a particularly appropriate day to do it.
It seems that this was a popular move. The gospel reading tells us that the entire crowd rejoiced at the wonderful things that Jesus was doing. And yet for ordinary Jews who sought to live a good life this must have been a very confusing incident. For a Jew at that time, to live a good life meant, by and large, to follow the Law of Moses. It was the job of the Scribes and the Pharisees to explain to the people what the Law was. It was important to keep the Law. Through Moses, God had agreed a covenant with the people of Israel. They would keep God’s law and God would give them the Promised Land. Keeping the Law was doing you side of the bargain; it was honouring God and helping to secure the Promised Land.
But then Jesus comes along, who is clearly a man of God and a good man, and says don’t just focus on the detail of the Law, rather focus on doing good! Jesus was redefining the covenant of Moses and redefining the relationship between God and his people.
From the earliest times in the Church, we have always been very clear that Jesus was able to do this. Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, who could be worshipped as God. He was much more significant than Moses, and had every right to redefine the covenant.
Through his passion and death, Jesus mediated a new covenant between people and God. No longer should we be slaves to the details of the Law, but rather we are saved through faith in Christ and by following Christ, the way, the life and the truth. In the Eucharist we celebrate this new covenant, nurturing ourselves on Christ. We hold up the chalice and remember the words of Jesus, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”
The difference between the old and new covenant is emphasised by our New Testament lesson. It is a difficult reading, and worth studying again when you get home. It says that we have not come to something tangible and rigid like the Law of Moses. It describes the scene from Exodus chapter 19 with the tempest, the trumpet and the terrifying voice when the Law was handed over to Moses. Rather, the reading emphasises, we have come to a new covenant, to the city of the living God, to innumerable angels, to the assembly of the first born enrolled in heaven, to God, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect and above all to Jesus.
Notice that the new covenant is expressed in terms of people and relationships, much more than it is expressed in terms of rules and regulations. Rules and regulations, like the 10 commandments, are still there to guide us, but our primary responsibility is to true to our heavenly relationships, especially to be true in our relationship with Christ.
So how do we do that? How are we true in our relationship with Christ. Well, in John chapter 14 Jesus says, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” In the same discourse he gives us the New Commandment – to love one another, as he has loved us. Love is indeed the fulfilment of the Law (Romans 13:10). It is by growing in love that we live out the new covenant, and grow in communion with all the citizens of heaven.
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull 8.00am Eucharist on 26/08/07
Readings: Isaiah 58:9b-14 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17
In the gospel reading that we have just heard, Jesus performs a healing miracle on the Sabbath. This is a great scandal to the leader of the synagogue because this appears to be working on the Sabbath and it is certainly not consistent with the Jewish Law as it was generally understood. The synagogue leader argues, “You have six days in a week for work; come and be healed on those six days, but keep the Sabbath day holy.” Jesus however is completely insistent. He appears to see the healing of the woman, bound by Satan for 18 long years, as something that just has to be done. He perhaps even suggests that the Sabbath Day is a particularly appropriate day to do it.
It seems that this was a popular move. The gospel reading tells us that the entire crowd rejoiced at the wonderful things that Jesus was doing. And yet for ordinary Jews who sought to live a good life this must have been a very confusing incident. For a Jew at that time, to live a good life meant, by and large, to follow the Law of Moses. It was the job of the Scribes and the Pharisees to explain to the people what the Law was. It was important to keep the Law. Through Moses, God had agreed a covenant with the people of Israel. They would keep God’s law and God would give them the Promised Land. Keeping the Law was doing you side of the bargain; it was honouring God and helping to secure the Promised Land.
But then Jesus comes along, who is clearly a man of God and a good man, and says don’t just focus on the detail of the Law, rather focus on doing good! Jesus was redefining the covenant of Moses and redefining the relationship between God and his people.
From the earliest times in the Church, we have always been very clear that Jesus was able to do this. Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, who could be worshipped as God. He was much more significant than Moses, and had every right to redefine the covenant.
Through his passion and death, Jesus mediated a new covenant between people and God. No longer should we be slaves to the details of the Law, but rather we are saved through faith in Christ and by following Christ, the way, the life and the truth. In the Eucharist we celebrate this new covenant, nurturing ourselves on Christ. We hold up the chalice and remember the words of Jesus, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”
The difference between the old and new covenant is emphasised by our New Testament lesson. It is a difficult reading, and worth studying again when you get home. It says that we have not come to something tangible and rigid like the Law of Moses. It describes the scene from Exodus chapter 19 with the tempest, the trumpet and the terrifying voice when the Law was handed over to Moses. Rather, the reading emphasises, we have come to a new covenant, to the city of the living God, to innumerable angels, to the assembly of the first born enrolled in heaven, to God, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect and above all to Jesus.
Notice that the new covenant is expressed in terms of people and relationships, much more than it is expressed in terms of rules and regulations. Rules and regulations, like the 10 commandments, are still there to guide us, but our primary responsibility is to true to our heavenly relationships, especially to be true in our relationship with Christ.
So how do we do that? How are we true in our relationship with Christ. Well, in John chapter 14 Jesus says, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” In the same discourse he gives us the New Commandment – to love one another, as he has loved us. Love is indeed the fulfilment of the Law (Romans 13:10). It is by growing in love that we live out the new covenant, and grow in communion with all the citizens of heaven.
Keeping the Sabbath
Thought for parish pew slip – 26th August 2007 - Trinity 12 (Proper 16) Year C
Readings Isaiah 58:9b-14 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13: 10-17
Our readings today challenge us to think about the Sabbath.
In our reading from Isaiah, the prophet asks us not to go our own way, serve our own interests or pursue our own affairs on the Sabbath, but rather to honour the Sabbath and to think of it as a delight.
In our gospel reading Jesus performs a healing miracle on the Sabbath. This is one of several gospel stories where Jesus heals on the Sabbath, and it is always a challenge to the Scribes and Pharisees because it goes against the detailed regulations of the Law. Jesus however is insistent. In Luke 6:9 he asks, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil”.
Nowadays we live very busy lives and it is hard to live the Sabbath well. And yet the busyness of our lives makes it all the more important to set aside time for rest, for the family and for worship. If we don’t do these things on a Sunday, then when do we do them? Trying to observe the Sabbath is a good way of ensuring that rest, family and worship do not get crowded out of our lives. We need these things if we are to live fully human lives.
Readings Isaiah 58:9b-14 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13: 10-17
Our readings today challenge us to think about the Sabbath.
In our reading from Isaiah, the prophet asks us not to go our own way, serve our own interests or pursue our own affairs on the Sabbath, but rather to honour the Sabbath and to think of it as a delight.
In our gospel reading Jesus performs a healing miracle on the Sabbath. This is one of several gospel stories where Jesus heals on the Sabbath, and it is always a challenge to the Scribes and Pharisees because it goes against the detailed regulations of the Law. Jesus however is insistent. In Luke 6:9 he asks, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil”.
Nowadays we live very busy lives and it is hard to live the Sabbath well. And yet the busyness of our lives makes it all the more important to set aside time for rest, for the family and for worship. If we don’t do these things on a Sunday, then when do we do them? Trying to observe the Sabbath is a good way of ensuring that rest, family and worship do not get crowded out of our lives. We need these things if we are to live fully human lives.
22 July 2007
Basking in the word of God
Sermon preached on 22/07/07 at 9.15am service at St Alphege, Solihull
Trinity 7 (Proper 11) – Year C
Readings: Genesis 18:1-10a Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42
As I was walking to church this morning I was thinking about all the recent rain, and I thought how ironic it was that I intended to preach about sunshine! I had no sooner thought the thought that the sun came out and shone on me briefly, so let’s spend a moment thinking about sunshine.
My wife loves to sunbath. When the sun comes out she sets aside time to sit in the sun. She slows down and starts to relax. She catches up with herself and recharges her batteries. She also goes most beautifully brown. Now doctors warn us that too much sun can be bad for our skin, and Elaine is careful not to overdo it. Despite this it often seems that it is through soaking up the sun that she regains her equilibrium and is restored in who she is.
Now this idea of sitting in the light of the sun, absorbing its warmth and being restored to wholeness, is a little bit like listening to the word of God. Just as Elaine goes out of her way to sit in the sun, so we need to rest, listening to the word of God. Just as Elaine soaks up the warmth of the sun and allows it to recharge her batteries and make her go brown, so we need to soak up the word of God, allow it to transform us and to form in us the attributes of Christ.
In our OT reading today we heard about Abraham and Sarah listening to the words spoken by the Lord. The Lord mysteriously appears to Abraham as three men, standing near to his tent. Abraham brings them food and drink and sits by the three men as they ate. The three men announce that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, will bear a son for Abraham. This is remarkable, indeed unbelievable, news. If we had read a little further into the passage it would have been explained to us that both Sarah and Abraham were very old at this point and the thought of having a child was quite extraordinary. In fact Sarah, who was listening to the conversation from the entrance to the tent, laughed at the idea of having a child.
The effect of this conversation with the Lord was transformational. God had long promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, and yet Sarah had never been able to have children. This huge paradox perplexed them for years. Perhaps it was the burden of this paradox that made Sarah suggest that Abraham should have a child through her slave-girl Hagar. But suddenly, when they were ridiculously old, Sarah becomes pregnant and has a son Isaac. God’s promises were fulfilled in a way that was much more direct and total than had ever seemed possible.
Our gospel reading is also about listening to the word of God. In this case it is about listening to Jesus. In the Christian tradition we think of Jesus as the word of God (e.g. John 1) so to listen to Jesus is particularly to listen to the word of God. The story contrasts Martha and Mary and their two different ways of loving Jesus. Martha seeks to love Jesus by performing many tasks; presumably she is preparing a meal for him and his friends. Mary loves Jesus by sitting at his feet and listening to what he says. Martha clearly thinks that Mary should be helping prepare the meal, but Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her. Jesus clearly values people listening too him.
And Jesus’ words, or perhaps Jesus himself, also seems to have had a transforming effect on Martha and Mary. In John’s gospel, Jesus visits Bethany, where Martha and Mary live, many times in the weeks before his death. Martha and Mary show great faith when their brother Lazarus dies, and Jesus raises him from the dead. There is also a remarkable moment in which Mary washes Jesus’ feet with ointment and wipes them with her hair. Jesus recognises this as a preparation of his body for burial.
And so what about us? Do we spend time listening to the word of God? Do we allow it to enter into us and transform us? Well perhaps we read the bible at home. Certainly this is one way of encountering the word of God. If we come regularly to worship then we hear the scriptures read in our worship. Personally I find that when I listen to the scriptures read during worship then they sink into me much more fully than if I simply read the bible on my own at home. In worship I sometimes find that something from a bible reading strikes me, as though I am hearing it for the first time, or in a new way, even if I might already be quite familiar with that particular passage. I am not quite sure why I find a scripture readings during worship so much more helpful than bible reading at home. Perhaps my approach is more prayerful during worship. Perhaps my communion with other worshipers helps me to understand better.
When we read scripture it is important that we allow the Word of God to nurture our whole human person, body, mind and spirit. We need to prayerfully allow the words to enter into us. Spiritual advisers usually say that if something from a bible reading strikes us then we should stay with that thought or feeling and allow it to percolate through us. We should not be seeking to interrogate the text with our own analysis and questions. Rather we should be humbly allowing the text to invade us and question us about our attitudes and the actions of our lives. The Word of God is not a puzzle for us to solve, but rather it is a gift for us to receive.
During Lent last year, many of us followed the Life Source course on prayer. One of the technique of prayer that this covered (albeit rather briefly) was called Lectio Divina or “divine reading”. Lectio Divina is prayer based around the slow and repeated reading of scripture or some other text suitable for prayerful reflection. It allows the word of God to enter into us, to nurture us and to form within the attributes of Christ.
I would like to share with you a recent example where I have found that nurturing myself on the Word of God has helped me in my spiritual life. I spent a month reflecting on the phrase, “those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” from psalm 126. This helped me to understand that I must not seek instant results or immediate payback when I try to do good. For example, if I try to love someone, and they don’t seem to love me back, then this is not a reason to stop loving them. Another example comes from one of my “hobbies” in which I spend time lobbying for better practice in the field of executive pay. My lobbying appears to have very little effect, and there is a temptation to lose heart. However the text from the psalm encourages me to persevere in doing what is right. When the sower sows the seed the first thing that happens is that the seed disappears into the ground and rots away. It is weeks before any growth can be seen, and months before anything that might be harvested becomes visible. Furthermore the text gives me courage when things are painful and difficult. I might sow in tears today, but can I hope one day to reap with shouts of joy.
So as we go on our summer holidays, and enjoy the warmth of the sun (let’s hope we get the chance!), let’s also make sure that be bask in the light and warmth of the word of God. Let’s let it sink into us, transforming our attitudes and behaviours. Let’s allow it to do its job, so that Christ can be formed within us.
Trinity 7 (Proper 11) – Year C
Readings: Genesis 18:1-10a Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42
As I was walking to church this morning I was thinking about all the recent rain, and I thought how ironic it was that I intended to preach about sunshine! I had no sooner thought the thought that the sun came out and shone on me briefly, so let’s spend a moment thinking about sunshine.
My wife loves to sunbath. When the sun comes out she sets aside time to sit in the sun. She slows down and starts to relax. She catches up with herself and recharges her batteries. She also goes most beautifully brown. Now doctors warn us that too much sun can be bad for our skin, and Elaine is careful not to overdo it. Despite this it often seems that it is through soaking up the sun that she regains her equilibrium and is restored in who she is.
Now this idea of sitting in the light of the sun, absorbing its warmth and being restored to wholeness, is a little bit like listening to the word of God. Just as Elaine goes out of her way to sit in the sun, so we need to rest, listening to the word of God. Just as Elaine soaks up the warmth of the sun and allows it to recharge her batteries and make her go brown, so we need to soak up the word of God, allow it to transform us and to form in us the attributes of Christ.
In our OT reading today we heard about Abraham and Sarah listening to the words spoken by the Lord. The Lord mysteriously appears to Abraham as three men, standing near to his tent. Abraham brings them food and drink and sits by the three men as they ate. The three men announce that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, will bear a son for Abraham. This is remarkable, indeed unbelievable, news. If we had read a little further into the passage it would have been explained to us that both Sarah and Abraham were very old at this point and the thought of having a child was quite extraordinary. In fact Sarah, who was listening to the conversation from the entrance to the tent, laughed at the idea of having a child.
The effect of this conversation with the Lord was transformational. God had long promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation, and yet Sarah had never been able to have children. This huge paradox perplexed them for years. Perhaps it was the burden of this paradox that made Sarah suggest that Abraham should have a child through her slave-girl Hagar. But suddenly, when they were ridiculously old, Sarah becomes pregnant and has a son Isaac. God’s promises were fulfilled in a way that was much more direct and total than had ever seemed possible.
Our gospel reading is also about listening to the word of God. In this case it is about listening to Jesus. In the Christian tradition we think of Jesus as the word of God (e.g. John 1) so to listen to Jesus is particularly to listen to the word of God. The story contrasts Martha and Mary and their two different ways of loving Jesus. Martha seeks to love Jesus by performing many tasks; presumably she is preparing a meal for him and his friends. Mary loves Jesus by sitting at his feet and listening to what he says. Martha clearly thinks that Mary should be helping prepare the meal, but Jesus says that Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken away from her. Jesus clearly values people listening too him.
And Jesus’ words, or perhaps Jesus himself, also seems to have had a transforming effect on Martha and Mary. In John’s gospel, Jesus visits Bethany, where Martha and Mary live, many times in the weeks before his death. Martha and Mary show great faith when their brother Lazarus dies, and Jesus raises him from the dead. There is also a remarkable moment in which Mary washes Jesus’ feet with ointment and wipes them with her hair. Jesus recognises this as a preparation of his body for burial.
And so what about us? Do we spend time listening to the word of God? Do we allow it to enter into us and transform us? Well perhaps we read the bible at home. Certainly this is one way of encountering the word of God. If we come regularly to worship then we hear the scriptures read in our worship. Personally I find that when I listen to the scriptures read during worship then they sink into me much more fully than if I simply read the bible on my own at home. In worship I sometimes find that something from a bible reading strikes me, as though I am hearing it for the first time, or in a new way, even if I might already be quite familiar with that particular passage. I am not quite sure why I find a scripture readings during worship so much more helpful than bible reading at home. Perhaps my approach is more prayerful during worship. Perhaps my communion with other worshipers helps me to understand better.
When we read scripture it is important that we allow the Word of God to nurture our whole human person, body, mind and spirit. We need to prayerfully allow the words to enter into us. Spiritual advisers usually say that if something from a bible reading strikes us then we should stay with that thought or feeling and allow it to percolate through us. We should not be seeking to interrogate the text with our own analysis and questions. Rather we should be humbly allowing the text to invade us and question us about our attitudes and the actions of our lives. The Word of God is not a puzzle for us to solve, but rather it is a gift for us to receive.
During Lent last year, many of us followed the Life Source course on prayer. One of the technique of prayer that this covered (albeit rather briefly) was called Lectio Divina or “divine reading”. Lectio Divina is prayer based around the slow and repeated reading of scripture or some other text suitable for prayerful reflection. It allows the word of God to enter into us, to nurture us and to form within the attributes of Christ.
I would like to share with you a recent example where I have found that nurturing myself on the Word of God has helped me in my spiritual life. I spent a month reflecting on the phrase, “those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” from psalm 126. This helped me to understand that I must not seek instant results or immediate payback when I try to do good. For example, if I try to love someone, and they don’t seem to love me back, then this is not a reason to stop loving them. Another example comes from one of my “hobbies” in which I spend time lobbying for better practice in the field of executive pay. My lobbying appears to have very little effect, and there is a temptation to lose heart. However the text from the psalm encourages me to persevere in doing what is right. When the sower sows the seed the first thing that happens is that the seed disappears into the ground and rots away. It is weeks before any growth can be seen, and months before anything that might be harvested becomes visible. Furthermore the text gives me courage when things are painful and difficult. I might sow in tears today, but can I hope one day to reap with shouts of joy.
So as we go on our summer holidays, and enjoy the warmth of the sun (let’s hope we get the chance!), let’s also make sure that be bask in the light and warmth of the word of God. Let’s let it sink into us, transforming our attitudes and behaviours. Let’s allow it to do its job, so that Christ can be formed within us.
15 July 2007
Loving as God loves - The art of loving
Sermon preached at St Alphege, Solihull 8.00am Eucharist on 15/07/07
Trinity 6 (Proper 10) - Year C
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37
[Based on Art of Loving in Focolare Spirituality. For more details see page 77-87 or 237 in "Essential Writings" by Chiara Lubich, New City Press, London 2007]
The parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ explanation of what it mans “To love your neighbour”. This is crucially important. Jesus summarised the whole of the Law and the prophets in the two commands “Love God with all you’re your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself”, so “loving your neighbour appears to be half of all the Law and the prophets! So what does it mean to “Love your neighbour”.
If we look at the love shown by the Good Samaritan we quickly start to see that it has some extraordinary characteristics. This is not mere human love, and it has very little to do with the images of love that are displayed to us in TV and cinema. Rather it is love with divine qualities and it has a transforming effect on those who encounter it. Let’s think about these divine characteristics.
First of all, divine love loves everybody without distinction. We can assume that the man loved by the Good Samaritan was a Jew, so he was from a different race and from a different religion. Furthermore the Jews and Samaritans did generally not get on. However the Good Samaritan appears not to have considered this. Instead he saw a fellow human being in need, created like him in the image and likeness of God, and loved like him by the same Father in heaven. To love someone does not mean that we agree with them or get on with them or approve of the choices they make. Rather it means that we want their good. We want God’s creation in them to come to fulfilment. We want to love them as God loves them. God loves everybody, even our enemies. As we seek to grow in love we too are called to love everybody.
Second the Good Samaritan is the first to love. He does not recognise the man as someone who has been good to him in the past. He does not wait for the man to be good to him now. Rather he gets straight on in their and takes the initiative in love. St John tells us to love, because God has first loved us (1 John 4:19). This is a second characteristic of divine love. God takes the imitative in love, and we too are called to take the initiative in love.
Third, the Good Samaritans love is about practical service. In a practical way, he does what he can to help. This too is a characteristic of God’s love, and this too is something we are called to. Let’s make our love practical service to help others. This might mean preparing food or laying the table. It might mean washing the car or reading the map. It might mean helping someone to look for something that they have lost. It might mean visiting someone. Let’s make sure we show practical love.
As a fourth characteristic of the love to which the Good Samaritan calls us, let’s notice that he is ready to set aside his own agenda to love the person in front of him. He doesn’t think like the priest, “I’ve got some important praying to do…I can’t get involved here.” He doesn’t think “I have brought this donkey for me to ride on… I can’t use it for someone else.” He is prepared to set aside his own ideas and his own plans in order to love the other person. And we too are called to this and it can be very demanding and costly, because it we have to be ready to lose things, even good things. It calls us to be empty of self. Sometimes we have to hold off saying something in order to properly listen to someone else speaking. Sometimes we have to forget about something we think is important, in order to take on board something that is important to someone else. Sometimes we have to give up on the newspaper, in order to play a computer game with the grandson. We need to be empty of self in order to welcome and be fully present for the other person. This requires great trust in God, because often the things we are called to set aside are genuinely good things…things of God even.
So these are four characteristics of the love of the Good Samaritan; four characteristics of the love that we are called to as we love our neighbour. Love everybody. Be the first to love. Love in practical ways. Be empty of self in order to welcome the other.
In our day to day lives let’s try to love other people in these ways. It will be demanding, and it will require effort, and many times we will fall short. But let’s not be discouraged. God wants to fill us with his love. If we practice and pray and ask for God’s help, then over time love will grow in us. We will start to love more and more like the Good Samaritan and we will find more and more than we have fulfilled all that God asks of us in the Law and the prophets.
Trinity 6 (Proper 10) - Year C
Readings: Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37
[Based on Art of Loving in Focolare Spirituality. For more details see page 77-87 or 237 in "Essential Writings" by Chiara Lubich, New City Press, London 2007]
The parable of the Good Samaritan is Jesus’ explanation of what it mans “To love your neighbour”. This is crucially important. Jesus summarised the whole of the Law and the prophets in the two commands “Love God with all you’re your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, and love your neighbour as yourself”, so “loving your neighbour appears to be half of all the Law and the prophets! So what does it mean to “Love your neighbour”.
If we look at the love shown by the Good Samaritan we quickly start to see that it has some extraordinary characteristics. This is not mere human love, and it has very little to do with the images of love that are displayed to us in TV and cinema. Rather it is love with divine qualities and it has a transforming effect on those who encounter it. Let’s think about these divine characteristics.
First of all, divine love loves everybody without distinction. We can assume that the man loved by the Good Samaritan was a Jew, so he was from a different race and from a different religion. Furthermore the Jews and Samaritans did generally not get on. However the Good Samaritan appears not to have considered this. Instead he saw a fellow human being in need, created like him in the image and likeness of God, and loved like him by the same Father in heaven. To love someone does not mean that we agree with them or get on with them or approve of the choices they make. Rather it means that we want their good. We want God’s creation in them to come to fulfilment. We want to love them as God loves them. God loves everybody, even our enemies. As we seek to grow in love we too are called to love everybody.
Second the Good Samaritan is the first to love. He does not recognise the man as someone who has been good to him in the past. He does not wait for the man to be good to him now. Rather he gets straight on in their and takes the initiative in love. St John tells us to love, because God has first loved us (1 John 4:19). This is a second characteristic of divine love. God takes the imitative in love, and we too are called to take the initiative in love.
Third, the Good Samaritans love is about practical service. In a practical way, he does what he can to help. This too is a characteristic of God’s love, and this too is something we are called to. Let’s make our love practical service to help others. This might mean preparing food or laying the table. It might mean washing the car or reading the map. It might mean helping someone to look for something that they have lost. It might mean visiting someone. Let’s make sure we show practical love.
As a fourth characteristic of the love to which the Good Samaritan calls us, let’s notice that he is ready to set aside his own agenda to love the person in front of him. He doesn’t think like the priest, “I’ve got some important praying to do…I can’t get involved here.” He doesn’t think “I have brought this donkey for me to ride on… I can’t use it for someone else.” He is prepared to set aside his own ideas and his own plans in order to love the other person. And we too are called to this and it can be very demanding and costly, because it we have to be ready to lose things, even good things. It calls us to be empty of self. Sometimes we have to hold off saying something in order to properly listen to someone else speaking. Sometimes we have to forget about something we think is important, in order to take on board something that is important to someone else. Sometimes we have to give up on the newspaper, in order to play a computer game with the grandson. We need to be empty of self in order to welcome and be fully present for the other person. This requires great trust in God, because often the things we are called to set aside are genuinely good things…things of God even.
So these are four characteristics of the love of the Good Samaritan; four characteristics of the love that we are called to as we love our neighbour. Love everybody. Be the first to love. Love in practical ways. Be empty of self in order to welcome the other.
In our day to day lives let’s try to love other people in these ways. It will be demanding, and it will require effort, and many times we will fall short. But let’s not be discouraged. God wants to fill us with his love. If we practice and pray and ask for God’s help, then over time love will grow in us. We will start to love more and more like the Good Samaritan and we will find more and more than we have fulfilled all that God asks of us in the Law and the prophets.
08 July 2007
Centenary of Scouting and Paul's "flesh" and "Spirit"
Sermon preached on 08/07/07 at the 11am Eucharist at St. Alphege, Solihull
Trinity 5 (Proper 9) – Year C
Readings: Isaiah 66:10-14 Galatians 6:7-16 Luke 10:1-11&16-20
If you arrived early at our service today you might have caught the tail end of the Scouts leaving the 9.15 service where they made a presentation to us. They told us all about the centenary of Scouting which will be celebrated in 24 days time, on 1st August. It will be exactly 100 years from the start of Baden Powel’s experimental camp for boys on Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset, and this is the moment that is recognised as the starting moment of the Scout Movement. I would therefore like to spend a few moments reflecting with you on 100 years of Scouting.
Right from the beginning the Scout Movement was about fun and adventure in the open air, and about service to others, and service to one’s country. In Scouting for Boys Baden Powel wrote, “Every Scout ought to prepare himself to be a good citizen of his country and of the World.”[1] He emphasised the importance of getting on with people who are different from ourselves. The Scout promise and law emphasised that a Scout should do his duty to God and the King, and to help other people. The emphasis on helping other people was radical. Baden-Powell wrote, “When in difficulty to know which of two things to do, he [the Scout] must ask himself… ‘Which is best for other people?’ – and do that one. … He must try his best to do at least one Good Turn to someone every day.”[2]
At the time of the centenary, there are about 28 million Scouts worldwide in 216 different countries and territories. It is estimated that over the last 100 years about 500 million people have made a Scout promise. The Movement is still growing. The most rapid growth is occurring in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In the UK Scouting seeks to contribute to the full development of young people as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. The emphasis on helping others and contributing to communities gives Scouting a counter cultural edge in our consumer driven and individualistic society.
In the 9.15 service today the Scouts showed us the contrast between a 1907 Scout and a 2007 Scout by reading the New Testament lesson set for today twice. First of all it was read by a 1907 Scout, wearing a 1907 uniform and reading from the King James version of the bible, which was pretty much the only English translation around in 1907. He started: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
The lesson was then read a second time, this time by a 2007 Scout, in an up to date uniform, and reading from a radical modern translation called “Good News on the Street”. His reading started, “Don’t worry: No one pulls a fast one on God. What you put in, you get out. If you invest your time in dark things, you’ll generate mess. If you spend your time on what God’s Spirit nudges you towards, you’ll generate limitless life.”
In this service we heard that same lesson again, this time read from the New Revised Standard Version. Hearing this text so many times, and expressed in so many different ways has caused me to reflect on it, and wonder what it means.
When I was a teenager I used to seriously misunderstand what Paul meant by “the flesh”, which he sees as completely opposed to “the Spirit”. Paul certainly didn’t mean that the human body is a bad thing. Quite the contrary in fact; when Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ he means this as an extremely positive image, and he uses it on several occasions. Elsewhere in his writing Paul is clear that nobody should ever hate their own body, but should nourish and tenderly care for it, as Christ cares for his church. (Eph 5:28). Paul encourages married couples to live out the sexual aspect of their marriage (1 Cor 7:5). He encourages Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach to help him overcome the many illnesses he has faced (Timothy 5:23). So when Paul talks about “the flesh” as a source of corruption we should not understand that he is against human bodies. Rather he sees human bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and as the weak and perishable seed from which our glorious imperishable resurrection bodies will grow (1 Cor 15:12-28).
When Paul talks about the flesh he means our self-indulgent desires. In fact some bible translations (e.g. NJB) actually use the word “self-indulgent” rather than “flesh”. In this sentence Paul is summarising his fuller teaching from chapter 5 of Galatians, which was our reading last week. He is saying don’t live according to the desires that lead to fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, and carousing but rather live according to the Spirit which leads love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Paul always invites us to make a clear choice in favour of Christ. In this passage he describes this as the choice between “flesh” and “Spirit”. Elsewhere he talks about the “old self” and the “new self” (Col 3:9-10). He also talks about being “children of darkness” and “children of the light” (1 Thess 5:5).
In each one of us there is the saint, the child of the light, the “new self”, the new creation in Christ, destined for eternal life. It is wonderful, but unfortunately, there is also in each one us the sinner, the child of darkness, the “old self”, the flesh, which is destined for death. The skill of living on earth is to choose as much as we can to live by the “new self”, so that the new self grows and develops and becomes strong, and to deny our “old self” so that over time it shrivels and wastes away. Our “new self” is our true self, recreated in Christ that has nothing to fear from death. Of course, this side of death we can never lose our “old self” completely, but by living in our “new self” we can minimize what we will lose in death.
So let’s make this choice to live always in the “new self” choosing to live by love and generosity, by and joy and peace, so that our “new selves” can grow and develop. And let us not be afraid to suffer a little as our “old self”, our ego, our greed and our selfishness have to die in order to let the “new self” grow. In the fullness of time these aspects of our lives have to die anyway, so the loss may be less than it seems.
Recently I was interested to read a Cheroke Indian story, very similar to Paul’s talk about the “new self” and the “old self”. The story goes like this:
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said: "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is hate, envy, anxiety, impatience, unkindness, greed, jealousy, arrogance and rage. The other is Good. It is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed.”
[1] 1963 edition of Scouting for Boys (reprinted 1981) published by the Scout Association – p 178
[2] p vii
Trinity 5 (Proper 9) – Year C
Readings: Isaiah 66:10-14 Galatians 6:7-16 Luke 10:1-11&16-20
If you arrived early at our service today you might have caught the tail end of the Scouts leaving the 9.15 service where they made a presentation to us. They told us all about the centenary of Scouting which will be celebrated in 24 days time, on 1st August. It will be exactly 100 years from the start of Baden Powel’s experimental camp for boys on Brownsea Island, near Poole in Dorset, and this is the moment that is recognised as the starting moment of the Scout Movement. I would therefore like to spend a few moments reflecting with you on 100 years of Scouting.
Right from the beginning the Scout Movement was about fun and adventure in the open air, and about service to others, and service to one’s country. In Scouting for Boys Baden Powel wrote, “Every Scout ought to prepare himself to be a good citizen of his country and of the World.”[1] He emphasised the importance of getting on with people who are different from ourselves. The Scout promise and law emphasised that a Scout should do his duty to God and the King, and to help other people. The emphasis on helping other people was radical. Baden-Powell wrote, “When in difficulty to know which of two things to do, he [the Scout] must ask himself… ‘Which is best for other people?’ – and do that one. … He must try his best to do at least one Good Turn to someone every day.”[2]
At the time of the centenary, there are about 28 million Scouts worldwide in 216 different countries and territories. It is estimated that over the last 100 years about 500 million people have made a Scout promise. The Movement is still growing. The most rapid growth is occurring in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In the UK Scouting seeks to contribute to the full development of young people as responsible citizens and as members of their local, national and international communities. The emphasis on helping others and contributing to communities gives Scouting a counter cultural edge in our consumer driven and individualistic society.
In the 9.15 service today the Scouts showed us the contrast between a 1907 Scout and a 2007 Scout by reading the New Testament lesson set for today twice. First of all it was read by a 1907 Scout, wearing a 1907 uniform and reading from the King James version of the bible, which was pretty much the only English translation around in 1907. He started: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
The lesson was then read a second time, this time by a 2007 Scout, in an up to date uniform, and reading from a radical modern translation called “Good News on the Street”. His reading started, “Don’t worry: No one pulls a fast one on God. What you put in, you get out. If you invest your time in dark things, you’ll generate mess. If you spend your time on what God’s Spirit nudges you towards, you’ll generate limitless life.”
In this service we heard that same lesson again, this time read from the New Revised Standard Version. Hearing this text so many times, and expressed in so many different ways has caused me to reflect on it, and wonder what it means.
When I was a teenager I used to seriously misunderstand what Paul meant by “the flesh”, which he sees as completely opposed to “the Spirit”. Paul certainly didn’t mean that the human body is a bad thing. Quite the contrary in fact; when Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ he means this as an extremely positive image, and he uses it on several occasions. Elsewhere in his writing Paul is clear that nobody should ever hate their own body, but should nourish and tenderly care for it, as Christ cares for his church. (Eph 5:28). Paul encourages married couples to live out the sexual aspect of their marriage (1 Cor 7:5). He encourages Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach to help him overcome the many illnesses he has faced (Timothy 5:23). So when Paul talks about “the flesh” as a source of corruption we should not understand that he is against human bodies. Rather he sees human bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19), and as the weak and perishable seed from which our glorious imperishable resurrection bodies will grow (1 Cor 15:12-28).
When Paul talks about the flesh he means our self-indulgent desires. In fact some bible translations (e.g. NJB) actually use the word “self-indulgent” rather than “flesh”. In this sentence Paul is summarising his fuller teaching from chapter 5 of Galatians, which was our reading last week. He is saying don’t live according to the desires that lead to fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, and carousing but rather live according to the Spirit which leads love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Paul always invites us to make a clear choice in favour of Christ. In this passage he describes this as the choice between “flesh” and “Spirit”. Elsewhere he talks about the “old self” and the “new self” (Col 3:9-10). He also talks about being “children of darkness” and “children of the light” (1 Thess 5:5).
In each one of us there is the saint, the child of the light, the “new self”, the new creation in Christ, destined for eternal life. It is wonderful, but unfortunately, there is also in each one us the sinner, the child of darkness, the “old self”, the flesh, which is destined for death. The skill of living on earth is to choose as much as we can to live by the “new self”, so that the new self grows and develops and becomes strong, and to deny our “old self” so that over time it shrivels and wastes away. Our “new self” is our true self, recreated in Christ that has nothing to fear from death. Of course, this side of death we can never lose our “old self” completely, but by living in our “new self” we can minimize what we will lose in death.
So let’s make this choice to live always in the “new self” choosing to live by love and generosity, by and joy and peace, so that our “new selves” can grow and develop. And let us not be afraid to suffer a little as our “old self”, our ego, our greed and our selfishness have to die in order to let the “new self” grow. In the fullness of time these aspects of our lives have to die anyway, so the loss may be less than it seems.
Recently I was interested to read a Cheroke Indian story, very similar to Paul’s talk about the “new self” and the “old self”. The story goes like this:
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said: "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is hate, envy, anxiety, impatience, unkindness, greed, jealousy, arrogance and rage. The other is Good. It is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed.”
[1] 1963 edition of Scouting for Boys (reprinted 1981) published by the Scout Association – p 178
[2] p vii
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
